#once i get a new tablet cord

[didderd]

my brain unintentionally defaulting to reading Tic's dialogue in Fell's voice ('s not his voice. he sounds like Classic lol) got me thinking.

what if... Fell Tic?

already havin ideas abt this lmao.

[godbirdart]

Hello! I hope you are having a nice start to your week :) I seem to remember you recommending a certain tablet once and tried looking for it but couldn’t find it. Is there still one you recommend for art? I’ve got an ipad now but I was thinking of trying something different when it reaches the end of its days (but still hopefully a draw-on one). I think I’ve heard some tablets let you actually download programs and not just apps. I would love to just 1-time buy clip studio or something instead of the app subscription Dx

No worries if you don’t have a recommendation, I may have just misremembered. Either way, I hope you have a lovely evening and thanks for sharing your art! ^_^

Oh I can talk tablets for Hours don't even worry

I have a tablet that can download programs and that is this one right here!

The Huion Kamvas Studio 22

It's been retired from Huion's store for a couple years now, succeeded by Huion's new Kamvas Studio 24; the new, sleeker edition of my 22.

If you're looking for a tablet that can download actual software and not just act as a second display for your computer, you'll be looking specifically for a "Pen Computer". Huion currently offers two - the Kamvas Studio 24 and the travel-sized Kamvas Studio 16. Both come with Windows 11 preinstalled.

Huion also released the Kamvas Slate 10, and while it is categorized as a pen computer, it's designed to compete with tablets like the iPad or PicassoTab and operates on Android 12.

While the idea of an independent computer you can draw on the screen of isn't at all novel, they're still arguably "new" for the companies whose target demographic is artists. At the time of this post, Huion appears to be Wacom's main and only competitor in that field. Artisul, Gaomon and XPpen do not manufacture them. Options for standalone drawing tablets that can download software [not just apps like a phone] are largely limited to:

Huion Kamvas Studio 16

Huion Kamvas Studio 22

Huion Kamvas Studio 24

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13

Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16

I know I hype up Huion a lot and that's primarily because I have actual firsthand experience with their products, but I cannot stress enough that the Huion can do the job just as well as the Wacom. If you're hellbent on the Wacom, get it when it's on BIG sale, or cheaper secondhand / refurbished. Wacom's MobileStudio line can start at around ~$2600 USD and up, whereas the Huion Kamvas Studio, while still costly, can start from ~$1700 USD. I've seen Kamvas Studio 22s floating around for around $1000 USD which is already $500 off what I originally paid for mine.

Pen computers are one hell of an investment but they're extremely convenient to have. I'm currently saving up for a Kamvas Studio 16 as my travel laptop barely has the power to support Clip Studio and I want to be able to take my work on the go without fumbling around with cords.

To anyone else reading: if I somehow missed the release of a pen computer from another art tablet brand, feel free to drop it in the replies! I'm usually on top of these but I've been so swamped with work the past two months I've barely enough time to check my social media most days lmao

[ladyaster]

I felt like drawing something fluffy but was at a loss for poses, so I decided to redraw romantic silent film screenshots as a sort of exercise! Long time no Rokushi it feels like! A bit early to their shipping day but better early than late! Not very proud of this to be honest, it was the epitome of "the sketch was so good and the final product is so bad", but it was a good sort of test of new and old brushes. Bare minimum I like how the background and Xion's skirt turned out, and I'm hoping that once I get my drawing tablet's cord replaced (or, worst case scenario, my tablet itself outright fixed), I can get more practice by doing more redraws.

I do have one other redraw already ready and will be posting that shortly! In the meantime, have a good day!

[Part 1] | Part 2

[batvvvvv]

next up is this guy!!! i went through...several cords trying to get my tablet to connect while i worked on this but here he is nonetheless! info below the cut once again

edward's parents wanted a daughter who was polite, patient, and well-behaved; someone to carry on their (so-called) respectable lineage. instead, they got a rude, loud-mouthed, and shockingly brilliant little girl who made it very clear he wouldn't be controlled.

it was clear from the start that school was... not for him. he was loud and inattentive, a smartass with no filter. a born problem child! but he wasn't trying to be troublesome; he just didn't understand. people, he would later learn, were just like puzzles. but this was one he couldn't solve yet.

in 6th grade he told his mom he was a boy; she told him he was being ridiculous and thought that'd be the end of it. eddie nashton, having named himself that day, felt otherwise. so he cut his hair and quit trying to please people. they thought he was obnoxious? good! they're all just jealous!

school was hell, between bullies and his own, rapidly declining mental health, but he bore it with a grin and eventually got out with a 4.0 gpa and a fuck-you to everyone. he changed his name to Edward Nygma, and vanished.

life on his own was... not easy, but eventually he scraped enough money together for his own place. then, his time was spent devouring every bit of news about the wave of heists that was hitting gotham, before supercrime was in fashion.

ed becomes obsessed with these crimes, how they were executed and, more importantly, how they failed. the criminals ALWAYS got caught! if they did it like this, they could've gotten away with it! then he thinks: hey, if i did it like this, i could get away with it! so, to prove how dumb these criminals are and because he's broke edward plans a heist.

it goes perfectly, until he's walking out the door. he knows he's done everything right but his head screams that he's going to be caught, unless he leaves something behind on purpose. so he scrawls a riddle on the floor and books it!!

they don't catch him. he'd left a CLUE, and those idiots still failed! with his ego in the stratosphere, he tries again! and again, and again, each time leaving a clue behind. the riddler hits the newspapers and, while he finds the name a bit silly, it's a kind of attention he didn't know he'd been dying for.

he upsizes. his crimes get more elaborate, until he's living in an apartment 2x the size, and everyone has heard the riddler's name. then he slips up, and the cops show up during his next exploit. he panics, takes a hostage, and sets off on a grandiose speech about how they're all BUGS, insignificant compared to the enigma. this buys him time to flee!

he tries to lay low, and finds he can't stop himself. he goes mad with the tedium of regular life, fearing he'll lose his mind if he doesn't do something.

so the riddler returns full-force, evolved into much more than a petty robber, and much more than anyone ever expected of him.

[safety-pin-punk]

Punk 101: Recording Music

To answer the question: ‘How do you record music off of a streaming service’ (for legal reasons I wont say which one I recorded off of)

Warning: it can get a bit complicated and is illegal

More Important Warning: at the end of this post there is a video with flashing lights

Also a point to make: you shouldnt do this especially for smaller bands. They make money off of streaming. They need money to survive. Support small bands

Step 1. Put the playlist together

This can be on Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, etc. You just have to be able to access it on your phone or tablet (something that takes an aux cord)

Step 2. Turn the sound to Analog

This is accomplished by running it through an aux cord. If you have a newer iphone or simply a device that has no aux output, you need to get an adapter. But the music HAS to be transferred out of a digital format otherwise you wont be able to record through any encryption (Im not a computer person please dont ask me to explain streaming encryptions)

Step 3. Turn it back into digital

Heres the thing, you can’t really record analog (well not without a HUGE quality loss in sound). This is the part where I warned it can get complicated. I’m going to show the ‘advanced’ way. But you could probably also just find a way to plug the aux into a computer as an input too.

Personally, *if* I were to record music (which I totally dont do cause its illegal) I’d run my music through two different boards

The one on the left is an old as fuck board that has amazing sound, the one on the right is a Denon, which we currently use for DJ gigs. The aux is the input into the old one, which in turn is the input into the new one.

Side note: I’d only add the old board into the mix if I can’t get the aux input loud enough on the Denon to match any pre-recorded music. That’s important for a DJ. The old board would let me give it an extra boost.

Step 4. Sound match (kind of optional, but recommended)

If you want your music to be the same volume as all the other music you have, you have to sound match with a song you already have. I like this song:

You need to record about 20 second demos and compare them with the original song while messing around with the settings until it sounds good without damaging the equipment. As you can see it might take a few tries to get the sound to match. But once it does, you dont have to change the settings for any other song you record.

If you are using a board to record or boost your audio, these are lights that you want to pay attention to. You never want to ‘peak’ your boards. Its not good for them and will shorten their life span.

Step 4. Record

Newer boards often have recording functions (like the Denon). If you are on a computer, use whatever recording application you have available. Save each track. (Maybe listen to the first few to make sure you arent cutting off the very beginning or end of a song). Keep track of which song was recorded in what order if you cant name them right away.

Save the songs onto a usb or on your computer. From their you can rename the files

Step 5. Do with it as you please

Want to turn it into a cd?

Punk 101 Master List

My entire set up for recording: FLASH WARNING

[warningsine]

The NHS is to offer children with brain tumours in England a groundbreaking new targeted drug therapy to tackle the disease – a development charities are hailing as the biggest breakthrough in decades.

Gliomas are the most common type of brain cancer in children but experts say the standard treatment of chemotherapy can be brutal and gruelling, and also carries the risk of side-effects such as weight loss, seizures and headaches.

A kinder drug therapy has got the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Studies showed it caused fewer side-effects, improved children’s response rate to treatment and their survival time without the disease getting worse.

Dabrafenib with trametinib was found to halt the growth of tumours for more than three times as long as standard chemotherapy for children with low-grade gliomas that have a specific genetic mutation, while also helping spare many of the harsh side-effects of chemotherapy.

The treatment will initially be available on the NHS in England for people aged one to 17 with low- or high-grade gliomas that have a BRAF V600E mutation.

The combination treatment, which can be administered at home rather than in hospital, works by targeting the proteins made by the altered BRAF gene that are responsible for uncontrollable tumour growth.

Gliomas grow in the brain or spinal cord and can be low grade, where tumours grow slowly, or high grade, where they grow more rapidly and may be fatal. About 150 children are diagnosed with low-grade gliomas every year in the UK and about 30 are diagnosed with high-grade gliomas.

Clinical trials have shown that as well having fewer side-effects than chemotherapy, the treatment stalled growth of low-grade gliomas for about two years (24.9 months) on average – more than three times as long as standard chemotherapy (7.2 months), NHS England says.

In some cases, tumours disappeared, though longer-term follow-up of patients is needed.

Dabrafenib is given as dissolvable tablets that are taken twice a day, and trametinib is an oral solution taken once a day. The drugs work together by blocking the growth signal from the mutant BRAF protein and can slow or even stop the tumour from growing.

Dr Michele Afif, the chief executive of the Brain Tumour Charity, said: “We are delighted that Nice has approved the first new treatment for paediatric brain tumours in decades.

“Though this will only affect a small population, it is of huge significance to them and their loved ones and represents real progress. We hope that this will be the first of many new treatments that will ensure our community can live longer and better lives.”

Suki Sandhu, whose eight-year-old son Raj died from a high-grade glioma six years ago, welcomed the rollout of the new therapy on the NHS.

“I had to make the decision to stop chemotherapy treatment for my son as he was suffering with horrible side-effects after years of harsh treatment. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make … We need kinder drugs and new treatments for those with brain tumours, like this treatment, and I am hopeful other families will go on to get access to these drugs and, hopefully, remain disease-free for longer and live good quality lives.”

Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS England national clinical director for cancer, said: “It is a significant step forward in treatment that has been shown to be easier to take than chemotherapy and very effective in blocking the growth of the disease, helping children have a better quality of life for longer.

“It can also be taken at home, meaning children and teenagers can spend less time in hospital having treatment and more time with their loved ones and doing things they enjoy.”

[icedmetaltea]

I've been feeling discouraged about my art recently. Could you possibly give me some tips?

Ok I wanna preface this by saying I am by no means a professional or even "good" artist, BUT I shall try!

These are all tips by a digital artist so I can't help much when it comes to other forms

This got long so under the cut, 20 ART TIPS TIME LETS GOOO

1.Try to draw most days, or at least once a week. The more often the better BUT I don't mean like hardcore, a complex drawing every single day (recipe for burnout right there). I mean like even just 30 seconds of SOMETHING. You can draw shapes, maybe fill a page with circles. There are programs u can find online that give you like a min to sketch something and challenge yourself in a really short time frame. Guess what?? When you draw often you're building those neural pathways (I think) and the more you do it the easier it'll get

2. Don't obsess over making stuff look perfect on the first draft... or at all. I recommend making a "draft" layer or 2... or 3 over the initial sketch. The more you go over it and change stuff, the better it'll be. Also, If you spend hours on it and still hate it?? Who cares! You put in the work and now you have an idea out on paper that you can go over some time in the future and improve if you chose to.

3. DON'T DELETE STUFF!!! Unless it's literally just mindless scribbles, save everything you draw. Like I said, you can go over it again and improve it someday. You can also look back at it in like a year and compare your art to see where you've improved! I deleted all my old art from beyond like a year ago and regret it so much. Don't berate yourself for the stuff you need to work on, be proud of what improvements you've still made

USE REFERENCES!!!!!!! Please just do it, I know it's annoying but I promise it helps so so much

4. Invest drawing tablet, preferably one with buttons that you can map to undo, sketch, fill and such. This will make drawing sooooo much easier (and faster). My quality of art has improved just from drawing the same thing and redoing it like 20 times at a time, and it takes way less time when I can just click a button to do that. It might seem daunting at first but it quickly becomes instinctual. This is the one I got and I'm quite happy with it! It's got good sensitivity, a pen you don't have to replace batteries for or even recharge, and it's mid-range so not wayy too expensive. However, if you're just starting out, I'd recommend this (I got the corded version but I assume it's about the same) since it's small, cheap and you can focus on just learning basics like improving lines n such.

5. Use a bigger canvas size. I started out with 1000x1000, and that's still fine for smaller stuff and doodles, for better quality I recommend bigger sizes. If it's too small it'll look all weird and pixel-y

6. THERE ARE LITERALLY SO MANY FORMS OF ART, maybe the one you're trying just isn't something you vibe with! There's mosaics, digital, traditional (and all the many sub-categories of that), sculpture, photography, etc. All are equally valid and you will improve in your craft if you choose something that 1. you enjoy, 2. are consistent with it!

7. SEGEMENT OUT THE LIMBS drawing DCA stuff for over a year has helped me improve on anatomy sooo much literally just because it forced me to think of each part of a limb in terms of segments, shapes- for instance, instead of an upper arm, I think of a tube which connects to a circle that allows it to rotate and another tube... followed by a weird shape for a hand that connects 5 smaller tubes, whiCH ARE THEN SEPERATED IN TO 3 TUBES EACH. Yes it sounds confusing but breaking it down like that instead of just trying to figure things out helped an absolute shitton

8. Have some kinda hobby that makes you draw frequently. For instance I have a discord sona I draw a new pfp for every month or so. It's a simple design and since the pfp won't show many flaws I can pump out lots of art for it in a small timeframe and I find it relaxing. I've actually improved a shitton just drawing pfps This is one of my first pfps from maybe 2 yrs ago compared with one of my most recent ones

(yes I'm a bit of a furry deal with it) It's cute, there's nothing wrong at all with it! However, you can see how things have changed.

See how the lines are a lot more even, less jagged? The proportions of the shoulders are much wider, the ears aren't just popping out of the hair, the shading makes a bit more sense and isn't just thrown around at random. There's also a broader range of color, with a few bright highlights to catch the eye, colored shading I think as well. The former is just like 3 simple colors. These are all things I learned from drawing pfps consistently.

9. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! And FUN, if you have fun drawing it'll be a lot easier to do frequently

10. Whether it's drawing pfps, blorbos or landscapes, find something that brings you joy and it'll be MUCH easier to stick to. Draw, draw a lot, do not worry about "good" art and "bad" art cause there's literally no such thing. Compare what you draw now with what you do in like a year or two from now and I promise, if you're consistent, use references and are patient, you WILL amaze yourself with how much you improve.

11. Challenge yourself! Join secret santas (assuming you know you can complete it within the allotted timeframe), draw your friends' sona/ocs (if they're cool with it), do palette challenges, do monthly stuff like drawtober or whatever it's called (BUT I don't recommend doing something every single day for a month cause again, gonna cause mega burnout)

12. Draw when the inspiration comes, it will move your hand. These days I make much better quality art that I'm proud of when I just let inspiration flow through me instead of begrudgingly making myself draw. You shouldn't be forcing yourself!! If you are, you probably are burned out by either drawing too much, feeling a lack of confidence or some other stuff going on irl. Inspiration comes naturally, and when it doesn't it's prolly your mind trying to communicate that something's up. If resting a week or two doesn't help, take a deeper look at your life and see if the artblock is a symptom of something else (for me it's most often depression).

13. At the same time, sometimes you just need to start. Kinda on the previous point of lacking confidence, often we scare ourselves out of even trying. It might feel insurmountable. Nah, try. If all you can do is a wobbly, vague sketch?? You got the idea out!! Start drawing fuckin eyeballs or something, just start. Sometimes the hardest part is just facing a blank canvas and putting a couple lines on it

14. Not all brushes are equal. Some just make drawing easier- at least for me. I dunno the science behind it but when I use my sketch brush (it's got a similar look to pencil) rather than my lineart brush it makes drawings just... look better. Also using thicker lines in general helps. Why?? NO CLUE, maybe thinner ones just show flaws easier or intersect better or something.

15. Music or some other distraction can help, idk why. Some days I like to have a movie/show/podcast going in the background for a mild distraction that keeps me slightly stimulated on other stuff even as I draw- maybe it increases brain activity or??? No idea. Sometimes just listening to music. Sometimes I need total silence. Do what works for you! Give lots of different stuff a try, you may love drawing while listening to a podcast in the background

16. Take breaks!! The pomodoro method works with art as well. Every 25 mins or so, take a 5 min break. Get up, stretch, get some water, maybe watch a yt vid. Call ur friend and tell them you love and cherish them. Then get back to it and you will feel oh so refreshed. After maybe 3 rounds take a 15 min or longer break and then repeat if you still feel like it

17. SLEEP IS INCREDIBLY FUCKING IMPORTANT you will see a deep decline in the quality of your art when you're tired, plus you just feel like shit and art is about feeling good and expressing yourself. Sleep is important, even tho yes I stay up too late drawing most nights, I do my absolute best to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, as should you!!

18. DO NOT BE SCARED OF STICK FIGURES AND MESSY SKETCHES, they're actually the best way to start bc 1. it's a quick way to get an idea out before you forget it 2. the finished piece will actually look a lot more fluid since you weren't spending all that time obsessing over making the first draft look perfect- which often just makes it look stiff. You can do a whole lot with stick figures. Focus on that good ol' line of action.

19. Random but when drawing the face, I like to first make a circle and then like a "mask" over it for the actual face. For me it just makes sense. Then two lines, one up/down and one left, right, it'll make it easier to align the eyes and ears. In general, the ears usually go where the "mask" begins and just below the left/right line

20. Finally surround yourself with people who encourage you. I grew up in an environment where people would gawk at stuff my sibling drew and ignore me bc they were ~naturally talented~ and it made me not want to draw at all.

Well guess what?? Now that I spend time with people who encourage me and genuinely care about my interest in art I've improved a lot bc I have the motivation, the joy of showing ppl who care about me new pieces. If people in your life aren't encouraging you, or gods forbid insulting your art (excluding constructive criticism that you've explicitly asked for) then TOSS EM OVERBOARD THE BOAT OF LIFE and find people who will treat you with the love and respect you deserve

P.S

This isn't a tip, just a recommendation: Chicory, a colorful tale. It's a game where u play as a cute lil dog who gets a magical paintbrush that lets you color the world. The only issue? You have no ~talent~. My gods, this game struck a cord with me.

Feeling like you don't have any talents that come naturally to you. Being overlooked even when you try your best. Feeling like a complete joke when you try to pick up the brush (or in this case stylus) because there are so many "real" artists and you're not one of them.

Also the things people say and how they can affect you even when not intentional. Damn. It's just a beautiful game. It's made by the same people who made Wandersong, another absolute banger game with a character who is seen as a joke and I cannot recommend them enough.

bonus tip bc why the fuck not: OVERLAYS!!!!!!! In clip paint studio you have all these layer options, I can never memorize what they all do so I just make like an ombre color layer over my base colors and try all of them to see what looks cool

[phoofoz]

Concept art: fizzarolliXAngelDust offspring

okay I hadn't posted in a while due to my art tablet's cord getting broken and was soon useable

I didn't really make this announcement before cause just didn't think about it, but now you know so here is a OC I created with an iPad and colored using just my mouse on the computer once i get a new tablet ill make the official design of this little spider/imp girl, she doesn't have a name yet but I'm open for suggestions if your willing to throw some here

[lemonpieandthunasandwich]

The whir of machinery and the blank scent of the place flooded back into existence as Connor's systems rebooted. His LED circled a steady blue as he recalibrated to his surroundings, taking in the familiar, white expanse of CyberLife's Research and Development lab.

This was where artificial life was manufactured by human hands.

This is where Connor had been created.

He was not alone. A technician stood next to him, her fingers deftly transferring data from a translucent tablet in her hands. The RK800 knew that this meant he would soon find out why he had been brought back online again. Just as expected, new directives began to seed into his mind: search for Lieutenant Anderson, investigate deviant cases, collaborate with humans. Once again, his existence was structured by mission parameters.

But his focus was elsewhere.

Connor scanned the room, searching for his successor. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the other android across the vast space, with a second human working diligently by his side. Significant progress had been made since their last encounter; the other android was now fully assembled and nearly complete, although his wiring still remained exposed. He was restrained by countless probes and wires connected to his chassis, like an umbilical cord feeding him with continuous streams of data and calibrations.

"RK800, state your mission order," the technician commanded, pulling Connor's attention away from the other android. He recited his directives dutifully, "Find Lieutenant Anderson, investigate the crime scene." "OK, everything is in order. You are clear to proceed," the technician declared before dismissing Connor.

"I just initiated the activation process for the RK900,” his colleague on the other side of the room announced. “It's going to take some time. Want to go get some coffee while we wait?" "Yeah, sure," the woman responded. And with that they both left the room.

The silence that followed was almost comforting as Connor found himself alone with the other android.

…His replacement.

No. Connor shook his head decisively. He would not fall for that.

“RK900,” Connor corrected himself in a whisper. Even if this new model’s very existence threatened Connor’s purpose, he would not see him as an ennemy. There was something about him… Connor just couldn’t put his finger on it. He let out a frustrated sigh, unable to further articulate his thoughts.

His mission orders flashed with insistance in the corner of his vision, prompting Connor to follow them without delay. But despite his better judgment, he found himself walking towards the other android. He was drawn to him once again, a magnetic pull that ran deeper than his programming.

The RK900 stood tall and imposing, with his sleek design and advanced features. His polished exterior was gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. He truly was a work of art. Connor moved closer, his LED shifting from blue to yellow as his curious gaze took in every minute detail that made them similar yet distinct beings.

As if sensing Connor's presence, the RK900 suddenly opened his eyes and stared right back at him with unsettling intensity. The way his synthetic skin smoothly flowed to cover his body was captivating. Connor could feel his thirium pump racing under the other's unwavering gaze. Cold blue eyes, he noted, so unlike his own. The android’s LED glowed a bright red. The message was clear – stay away.

But Connor couldn't bring himself to listen. 

"Hello," he said tentatively, not sure how the other would respond. The RK900's eyes narrowed slightly before answering in a monotone voice, "Greetings RK800." Connor bristled at being referred to by his model number instead of his personal designation. "My name is Connor,” he corrected firmly. The other android's expression didn't change as he replied, "I am aware."

Connor was taken aback by the coldness in his tone. He was unlike any other android he had encountered before. They were usually programmed with some level of social abilities to integrate with humans and androids alike. But this one seemed devoid of such skills.

Still, a small grin tugged at the corner of Connor's mouth. He enjoyed a good challenge, after all.

"Do you have a name?" he finally asked. The RK900 tilted its head slightly before responding, "I have not been assigned any designation, I am known as RK900 313-248-317-87."

And with that, it finally clicked for Connor; CyberLife had purposely programmed him to be detached and anonymous - most likely meant for military purposes: easily replaceable and expendable.

His thirium ran cold as it hit him. The RK900 was, by design, never intended to form any kind of attachments.

Why was this newfound knowledge affecting him so deeply?

Pushing these thoughts aside, Connor extended his hand in a greeting gesture, flashing him a bright smile. The RK900's fingers twitched almost imperceptibly. The LED at his temple flickered in yellow, showing hesitation before settling on blue - sign that his open demeanor was not perceived as a threat.

Connor’s voice was warm and welcoming as he clasped the other’s hand. "Nice to meet you," he said earnestly. For a few more stolen seconds, the RK800 allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of the other’s smooth artificial skin against his fingertips. "Believe me, I wish I could stay longer and get to know you better," he added reluctantly as he released the other's hand. "But unfortunately, I have my mission orders and I must go."

The RK900 seemed unsure of how to react, his LED light flickered uncertainly as he processed the unexpected interaction. But it was fine, Connor didn’t expect anything from him. He was pleased to see that their dynamic shifted from hostile red to friendly blue. Emboldened by his progress, he decided to test the boundaries and see how far he could push their new-found understanding.

He leaned in closer, the proximity breaching standard protocols in a way that felt disarmingly intimate. Yet, the RK900 allowed it and did not pull away. "Before I go, there's something you should know," Connor murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, his breath tickling the other android’s synthetic skin. The younger android tilted his head slightly in question."Your eyes," Connor continued, his tone laced with a sincerity that transcended mere lines of code. "I love them.”

A flicker of surprise crossed the other android’s features, but before he could respond, the door to the laboratory slid open. Connor immediately straightened up, he quickly composed himself, straightening his tie and putting on his usual facade of calculated efficiency. But even as he walked away, the lingering warmth of their proximity remained, like an echo that refused to fade.

The RK900 stood motionless, his eyes locked on his predecessor’s retreating figure. Just as Connor reached the door, he spun around, catching his gaze with a playful wink, the corner of his lips turned up in a small smile. The other android met the gesture with a nod of acknowledgment. When door slid shut, Connor's absence reverberated in the suddenly too-quiet room.

Soon the technician’s conversation flled the void again. The man furrowed his brow as he peered at the readouts on his tablet. "Did you see this?" he asked his colleague, pointing to a series of alerts and error messages. "The RK900 just came online, and it already registered software instabilities."

Fully absorbed in her own set of diagnostics, she barely looked up from her screen. "Ah," she replied, nonchalantly. "It's not unusual for advanced prototypes to have some bugs at first. We'll just need to run some additional tests and make adjustments."

[chromaji]

30, 28, and 18?

30) which piece of yours do you think is underrated

Honestly a lot of what I've been making lately has been getting as expected, or MORE than expected, on the sites I post them. Though... maybe this Ithilion or Keir+Croix. They have a similar lining style, that I've been trying to hone on and off, that makes me really like how they turned out.

28) any art events you have participated in in the past (like zines)?

Yeah! The free NEO: TWEWY digital zine, "Our Shop Ends With You"[link]. The focus was on the various shopkeepers in the game! I drew Izumi Arioshi, of the Tigre Punks clothing shop.

This is the only zine/etc i've joined. Honestly, it was pretty nice to be a part of a zine. Especially one part of such a niche within a niche lmao. It'll be nice to find & join an art event that interests me again one day.

18) An estimate of how much art supplies you've broken

Honestly I've been rocking with this same $80 tablet+pen since 2016 goodness gracious. good heavens. its almost been 10 years.

The cord HAS messed up once & got replaced, though. I'm planning to get a new one this year, just because I feel it's overdue. Other than that, however many pencils & pencil lead i've broken in the years

[dedmau]

my tablet randomly decides its never ever once liked this cord position actually and just. Turns off. on its own. i know i need a new one but it still works if i fuck with it enough so why would i get one

[nickgerlich]

Prying Apart The Grip

The iPhone was introduced in July 2007. It’s hard to believe we are coming up on the 17th anniversary of what is now a necessary device—be it Apple or a competitor—for daily living. Apple ushered in a whole new way of life, merging phone, camera, and music player into one device.

Of course, those three were just the tip of the iceberg, and developers wanted a way to get their cool new web-based applications onto those phones. So Apple wisely opened the App Store in 2008. While the number of apps peaked at 2.2 million in 2017, it has settled into a comfortable groove at 1.8 million, thanks to Apple sifting through the mess and deleting some older apps that no longer worked.

But buried in the details of the App Store agreement that developers had to sign with Apple—who vetted each app for safety and security—was some fine print: Every in-app sale would be divided 70/30 between the developer and Apple. Basically, there was and still is a 30% Apple tax just for playing, at least in the US. Every time a user buys something in an app, then Apple gets a healthy chunk of it.

But that is now changing in Europe, where the EU has become the tail that wags the dog.

Remember all those Cookies boxes we have to check off on virtually every website we visit? We can thank the EU and their GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It was easier for everyone to just make it the global standard, even if they are annoying.

And then there was Apple’s announcement last year that all new phones going forward would feature a USB-C connector, instead of the Lightning port. This too was in response to the EU mandating that all phones must have the same connector, and rather than have two global systems, Apple sided with the EU. Admittedly, it does simplify things for everyone, except for Apple users during this transition period. Legacy phone users will have a bunch of obsolete connectors real soon when they upgrade.

The third wave of EU influence just passed, and it is the opening up of the App Store to competitors who wish to have their own stores, thus bypassing the Apple ecosystem. Furthermore, it marks what will be the end of that 30% Apple tax, something that Spotify has been dreaming about ever since it wanted to upsell users with its audio books program. They are pretty happy right now.

Apple, of course, is concerned, arguing that third-party app stores may not pass muster in terms of safety and security, and users could be at risk. Point well taken. I’m betting they are more concerned about losing their revenue sharing program, though.

But for now, this is only going to happen in Europe, but you can bet that US regulators will be watching closely. It could just as easily be mandated here. Apple has enjoyed a tightly-held monopoly in many aspects of its phones, ceding only accessory items to third-party makers. You know. Things like connector cords and dongles that allow you to connect to your laptop all the things that were once standard on a MacBookPro.

Here in the US, we are not accustomed to the heavy hand of government telling companies how to run their business, and if someone wants to take the chance of using proprietary connectors and being the only source of mobile apps, then so be it. The risk is on them.

In the case of Apple, though, this has played out very well for them. It all depends on how the FTC feels about such monopoly power. Apple has 58% share of smartphones in the US, with the remainder scattered across the Android platform. That’s power. If the US were to follow the EU regarding the App Store, it would at least loosen some of the grip this company has on our daily lives.

Maybe that's not such a bad idea, and this coming from a guy who is very laissez faire in worldview. As much as I am an Apple fanboy, with many phones, tablets, and computers through the years, I often feel like Apple is guilty of abusing its position by using customers as product testers, and forcing us to buy things we really don’t want, like those silly dongles so I can read a memory stick or SD card.

Besides, I feel for Spotify on this one, because it has the potential to pose a formidable threat to Audible in the audio book world, except that for now Apple will always have its hand out. Audible, of course, is an Amazon property, and dodges the Apple tax.

Furthermore, 17 years is a long time to have such a death grip on a market. I’m good with following the EU’s lead on this, because in the end it will likely be good for consumers. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Dr “iReckon” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[bvannn]

Weekly Update November 24, 2023

I’ve been in a weird state of delirium this whole week. I’ve been trying to get my health together more than anything else, so additional projects are a lot slower. This was furthered by the fact that I left not only my midi controller, but also my tablet cord at Uni, and thus couldn’t draw digitally or record new music. Also due to a number of social obligations and health appointments, didn’t have much time to draw traditionally nor animate, but I did a little.

First priority was health, and I’m not completely sure what we’re on. A previous doctor suspected ulcers, the current doctor suspected ulcers, I got prescribed a medicine for ulcers, the test came back: the bacteria that causes the ulcers was absent. We are suspecting my stomach aches and pain are the cause of my exhaustion, since I haven’t been eating because of them. I’ve been told to continue taking the medicine even though the test was negative, so I will. Hoping it’ll do something.

Animation: very slow due to my weird state but I got a bunch of keyframes on 1-4 Tim done yesterday. Should I get more time and get back into the swing of things, I can get tween framing him next week. I also may mess with more of Emile’s sketch lines, since only 1/3 have been reimported.

Surprisingly I was able to piece together a decent verse melody for the music project. I may still tweak it or try another one in case it’s better, but there is one that is good enough. I’ll throw together a couple more necessary Melodies and the song should be ‘done enough’ (done for till I get either a vocal synth software or enough confidence to try singing). Going well enough that I can power trip and throw together a smaller song on the side once I get access to my keyboard again.

Car ride back to uni tomorrow I can thumbnail out a comic. Thumbnailing will take a few days ideally because whenever I do it all in one day I look back and it looks like shit but the comic is already started so there’s no way to backpedal. I’ve watched a lot of movies with my mother and friend over break, I will try to continue watching more and pay better attention to shot comp since I think I struggle with that atm.

I’m going to try to keep up my health as much as I can. I think that��s the primary issue. If I can get anything done tonight in the way of drawings (like those last few inktober drawings) I’ll try to post them.

[crispy-bonnie]

Hey hey! I know it’s been a while since I posted any of my writing, but due to my busy life and ungodly amounts of writers’ block, I’ve been unable to post any content.

HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean I can’t write! As fun as requests are to do, I need some extra cash since my drawing tablet cord was lost and I don’t have a functioning cord. I’m getting quite fed up with it, so I plan to save up for a brand new pen display instead!

My goal is around $300 - $350, but I don’t have a steady source of income, hence why…

Writing commissions are now OPEN!

I’m willing to write anything from self-ships to the most heart-wrenching angst! My base price is $25 dollars, but you can pay what you want. Keep in mind though, the more you pay, the higher quality I’ll make it.

Please, if you can, drop me a commission! If you don’t have the money to do so, then please boost this post instead. It would be greatly appreciated! Once I get this new tablet, drawing commissions will soon become available too!

[overelegantstranger]

crafts i would like to try, an ongoing list

leatherworking

the doing of pottery (potting?)*

beading*

linocut/woodcut printing

naalbinding†

tunisian crochet

tablet weaving†

bookbinding*

patterndrafting (sewing)

fletching

general weaving†

luceting/other cord making*

spinning†

dicemaking (new, march 5)

starred items are crafts that i did once or twice as a small child. items with † are ones that I've recently tried, but stopped because i tried too much too fast or had the wrong materials or didn't get along with the initial method i wanted to try.

i was gonna make this post as just a silly list or like. if anyone i know does any of these crafts, do you have any notes. but now i've written it out i'm like. Oh, The Big Craft Project 2023, i see

[cheswirls]

oh the woes of having multiple hobbies....

i think it being artfight month is making me sink back into the 'i shouldn't want to do anythin but draw until this is done' mood i usually have during the semester which is.. ick, kinda

the other day i had the urge to write (unmedicated too!! that doesn't happen very often anymore!) and i should've jus acted upon that but i ended up guilttripping myself w the whole 'you should do art instead its only 30 days its only once a year' which is already so suffocating. i ended up doing neither actually in part bc i psyched myself out abt making a choice so in the nd i made no choice (typical when unmedicated so this is the okay-ish norm tbh) and think i tired myself out enough to go to sleep. i woke up to an art file on my laptop so i intented to start smth i guess

also i think checking out an ipad from campus during the semester is so much easier to draw on vs the hassle that is drawing on my display tablet these days. i miss my wacom if only bc it was wireless and thin and easy to power on and get going. with this new tablet i have to plug in 3 diff cords and its bulkier nd i gotta scoot my laptop on my desk to still be in reach bc the tablet has no touch function and it takes A LOT of power and effort out of my laptop thats 12 yrs old now. it makes drawing digitally that much more of a chore tbh and is partially the reason i've doodled so much traditionally in the past year and kept all my digital art for uni work only

which another point. is uh. idk i think i'm rambling now but. last year i got super excited for artfight and drafted a bunch of stuff digitally and was sitting at the coffee table in the main room of my apt for the first time in so long and it was going well until i got rly into tetherverse again n started working on the sequel like mad and that stole away a lot of my drawing motivation. i had two handfuls of of artfight attacks sketched and only ever finished a SINGLE one last year which was terribly disappointing. and then i think realizing that at the end of the month absolutely killed my desire to work on the writing project i'd grown so passionate about too. vicious cycle all around rly.

i dont want it to be llike that this year but once again now that artfight is here even tho its a fun thing i've made it a "requirement" in my mind which kills all my passion to work on it. i think the term is... obligation? when something turns from doing it for fun into an obligation i Have to complete then i lose allllllll motivation and desire to do it. it's THEEE reason i'm always telling my dad i could never write books for a living, bc writing is a hobby first nd foremost and although i enjoy it a lot i know as soon as i become tied down to a project and i Have To complete it or face consequences then it will suck all the fun out of it

this is the same way for school and part of the reason uni's been so hard since.... ever, really, and it's jus taken me long to realise it. i get really into an art project at the start and then as deadlines and check-ins and such creep up i become less and less engaged. i have no trouble completing things in one sitting if given the time to do so if i'm 100% invested and engaged. during spring break 2022 i stayed up for almost three nights and two days and did nothing but research and write almost 25k for a fic opener. if i had work or anything else those days i literally cannot recall. the only thing i remember doing is taking a break to walk 15min to go and pay rent and that's when it rly set in how much caffeine i'd had and how long i'd been up writing.

all of that to say that if i'm into something i can waste away working until it's done. i've said this before bit making a wip folder for art Killed™ my art creating process. i used to have one file open and work on it until it was done, and if that took me more than one full day then i'd sleep on it and finish it the very next day. i don't rmember that happening very often. now i leave things unfinished all the time and its terrible. i also have a Lot Less free time to be fair but also. also. i cannot multitask so as soon as i save a wip and move on to the next it fucking bites the dust. i've gotten into the habit of leaving smth unfinished in another window on csp in hopes that i'll jump bck to it but i stopped that after a while bc i jus collect windows like i collect internet browser tabs.

i also think to go along w the time thing.. i have to mentally acknowledge that i have sufficient time to devote to smth. i'm not the type of person that can do smth for 15 min then jump up and do smth else. if i could write 100 words a day for a fic every day then i'd have far, far less wips than i do now. its harder especially to do this for fic bc a lot of what i do is longer work and sometimes i have to sink into it. if i'm writing for a 50k+ fic i haven't touched for even a month then i need time to go over what i have and what my plans are. it's much harder to work on a longer fic after a bit has passed than it is to pick up a shorter one bc it requires less time to dive back into the world. especially if its been like 6mo-1yr, before i even start writing again i gotta reread everything i've written up to that point. that takes more than a day, and i might get tired and move on to smth else before i've even finished rereading which is so exhausting. it's exhausting to work on so many diff things at once.

with art that means i gotta have time to fight w my display tablet and get everything settled. it takes so much work and effort that if i only have a couple hours, i feel like even that's not enough bc i know i'll have to stop before i'm done. if it takes me 90 minutes to get into drawing and i gotta be ready to leave in another 30 then like whats???? the point rly???? that's how i think tho!!!! it sucks !!!!! if i'm up at 8am but ik i have smth to do at 5p then my whole day revolves around that thing happening in 9 hrs. when it hits 12p i theoretically have enough time to do smth but executive dysfunction makes it hard to pick a singular task to prioritize, and when its 3hrs away from w/e i have to do suddenly nothing is worth it anymore. i'm very much a 'sink into it' creative person which means i cannot jus dive in and work on smth. i gotta have music, i gotta have some focus, i gotta be comfortable, i gotta have my mood set to w/e i'm doing, i gotta know what direction i'm going in,a nd i gotta have energy and enthusiasm to do said creative task. all of that aligning w/ inattentive adhd is so hard and makes life so miserable, but this is compounded even moreeeeeee by not being able to work unless i make my mind feel like i have ample time to do so. mainly bc if i get rly into smth then have to stop for an obligation that i'd rather do less (mainly work! rather would do anything but work but alas) than what i'm doing currently then it drains all my energy very rapidly and i get so disappointed. w/e i'm doing after, whether it be work or class or w/e, is with an air of such disdain bc it interrupted the 'special thing i was doing' that it makes life hell in all honesty. i want to put myself thru that the least amount of times possible which is why i never start anything i know i'll have to put down w/o being able to finish. let me rephrase that. being able to finish as i'd like it. working on a super long fic but writing enough for a chapter or running out of steam on my own and finishing a scene and then being dragged away to smth else is fine, bc i've "finished" on my end even if not in full. it's being interrupted in the middle of the process when i'm not ready to quit, basically. that kind of "finished" is what i mean. if i have 2 hrs and it takes me an hr to find references and i'm not exhausted after that then another 20m to sketch smth decent and only with like half an hr or so left am i into what i'm doing then what's the point?? especially when, as established, i can push a drawing into the wip folder and forget abt it if i'm no longer "into it" when i'm back and have time to draw again.

long rambling i'm tired of but basically it's the season of drawing obligations again and i wanna try this year to have fun and do what i want but ALSo not feel guilty abt doing smth that is not drawing for other ppl, which i already do so much of year round anyway (i love it, this is not a complaint). i wanna be able to write and play pkmn and read and do whatever and not feel like i Have to be artfighting every second of the day.