#op this is very delightful and would make super good stickers

[kirby-the-gorb]

reply roundup!

highlights from the past couple weeks:

a commission for a friend of their oc gorbified [here]

the valentine’s stickers separated out into individual valentines [here]

another patreon drawing for this month of lukeperiodsun and their partner gorbified [here]

new throw pillow design posted on [society6] (as well as relisting the blanket design from november)

finally added a tag for kirby’s bear [kirbear], and a general tag for [plushies]

more [lolita kirb] because it’s my blog and I choose the aesthetic :v

there is also a new image description [here] by @crowsami​ on the kirby running through a field. thank you very much! (and I hope your assignment went okay :> )

and sticker club design and signups should be posted on monday march 1st :> $5 patreon tier for a 4-sticker sheet, charged on april 1st and shipped hopefully promptly after. (I have a theme picked out already :3 and yes, if you want to combine two tiers we can make that happen.)

I guess it’s been a busy couple weeks, huh!

on [pillow]:

@redphienix said: A Perfect Spherical Friend

extremely round! extremely good!

@mysterygreentea said: he is friend shaped and full of love

dang it that’s what I forgot in the anatomy gif! he is full of love. -u-

on [ocean]:

@the-halo-of-my-memory said: look how happy he is, this is so cute, precious baby. your art always brings a smile to my face

he’s just having a good time! and I’m glad it makes you smile :>

@mangomybeloved said: A BABY!!!!!!!! SWIMMING!!!!!!!!! ty ray for sending me this!! ilysm!

this is so cute, someone sending my art to someone else out of affection :’> (I’m sure it happens more often than I get to see! but it makes me happy to get to see it!)

on [sewing]:

@gigilefache said: he stitch, adorable

he is being careful with his nubbins.

@bubblesthesanddragon said: mood :)

sometimes you just gotta “:)”

on [garden]:

@angst-and-fajitas said: Kirby loves tomatoes, right? Maybe he's got some of those!

ooh, I bet you’re right!

(this reminds me that in high school I dated someone who would just eat tomatoes like apples, and they went to a different school. so sometimes their school ended before mine, and they’d just. come stand in my classroom and eat a tomato in the corner. they were very odd, but it’s hard to be normal and date me XD )

on [bear]:

@creative-impacts said: Kirby looks so proud of their toy and honestly- same :) ADORABLE WORK ON THIS! YOU GAVE KIRBY SO MUCH EXPRESSION IN A SMALL PRIDEFUL SMILE!

aww, thank you! there’s only so many poses a kirby can make so small changes in expression make a big difference :> (also your blog seems wonderfully positive, I hope you’re enjoying running it!)

on [smash]:

@edgybocfan said: Wait why did I come in this room... musta been important I smashed a hole in the wall. Huh, oh well *leaves through the hole in the wall*

this made me laugh, thank you! we’ve all been there before lol

@shin-holly said: COLOURS WEAVE INTO A SPIRE OF FLAME—

(I had to look up the reference, it’s the lyrics from the World of Light song from smash bros -u- ) oh no! not here! lol

on [kirblita]:

@the-halo-of-my-memory said: so cute. i should buy a dress i dont have any. i should look into that, either something super cute or witchy

I did not like dresses At All when I was spending a lot of time walking, but now that I use my wheelchair suddenly they’re much more practical lol. and I bet you can find something that is both cute *and* witchy if that’s what you really want :>

on [run]:

@aggron-rocks said: there he go!!

@fiendir said: Look at him go!!

@dragonofcupcake said: wooo run little man

I like the way all three of these comments look grouped together -u- like kirby is running a race and everyone is cheering!

@askluckyandfriends said: Cool! I always like to look at your art :D

thank you! (I like looking at my art too, so it’s nice I’m not the only one XD )

on [anatomy]:

@hypertomboi said: ty for the anatomy lesson op

vital knowledge for raising a happy healthy kirb.

@grand-star said: Oh boy it's true

only true facts here!

@epsilonnot said: v v good. i was picturing like an xray with just a single cartoon bone in the stomach but this is much more delightful

you know what, that would be at least equally hilarious tbh.

@askluckyandfriends said: Best thing ever

the scientists tried to warn us but he was just too cute! (thank you!)

from the ask box:

@askluckyandfriends said: Hi! ...Oh come on I don't remember what I wanted to say anymore agh. Anyways, have a wonderful day! Your drawings are all super good!

oh no lol that happens to me too. I hope you have a wonderful day too, and thank you!

anonymous said: Your kirbies make my day

aww, thank you! it makes me happy to know a silly little project I started for myself makes others happy too.

[captainignatiuspigheart]

Gosh time really does fly, while simultaneously flexing with all the integrity of sun-warmed chewing gum… so, yeah, it’s Friday already and I haven’t completed my sole personal task of the week – recording what the I’ve watched and done. Obviously I’ve done relatively little, except drunk spectacular quantities of beer and gazed listlessly at our blossoming lilac tree. That’s right: I’ve been outside! In fact, I spent most of last week outside. Work very kindly ordered us some desks in an attempt to aid good workspace habits, since I’ve been sitting on the sofa with my laptop on my knees for six weeks or so… It’s a nice little desk, but it does rather fill our front room. The brightening weather gave me ideas! After a day sitting under said lilac tree I got quite enthusiastic, ordering a WIFI extender thing (with antennae! Must be good.) and unfurling the gazebo. I even went so far as to lay out four of the concrete slabs that have been stacked in our garden for more than a decade, pending the creation of a patio. It was quite lovely. I spent my days in sunshine, watching the cats race around the garden, the gentle scent of lilac and roses wafting into my hardworking face. Pretty nice week all round really.

Reading: The Human (Rise of the Jain #3) by Neal Asher

I don’t often pre-order books (I know, as a publishing person I should know better…) but that’s mostly because by to-be-read stack both physical and digital is absurd. The coronavirus means I want things to look forward to! I’ve been reading Asher’s Polity books for years – fast-paced military space opera with great intergalactic conflict, high tech, terrifying aliens and engaging heroes. The set up… it’s an advanced human civilisation slowly taken over by the AIs we built, so that now Earth Central is a massively powerful AI who runs the whole show, and much better than we ever managed. The AIs do have a ruthlessly utilitarian slant though, and while mostly that means they do make life better for the majority, sometimes it means they sacrifice whole worlds to save the rest of the Polity… This is so far into the story that it’s near impossible to summarise what’s going on! Ancient alien technology – the Jain – enables nano-(and even pico-)engineering on a thrilling scale, but is horribly prone to taking over its user and sequestering every resource in sight, utterly destroying the civilisation that tried to use it. A vast array of active Jain tech has been swirling around the heart of a galaxy for millions of years. For the last few hundred years, Orlandine, a vastly upgraded “haiman”, half AI, half human who has seemingly tamed Jain tech for her own purposes, as well as the gnomic moon-sized alien entity, Dragon, have been preventing it from escaping and wreaking havoc.

That all went spectacularly tits up in the last book, and this is the final struggle to contain the Jain before it wipes out everyone. This installment really builds on the transhuman character development of Orlandine, the Polity AIs, the horrifying crab-like human-munching aliens, the Prador, and a host of other characters, many of them infected with Jain ambition among other things. It’s impossibly epic, with vast stakes, finally revealing the true dangers of the alien tech and a lot more about where it truly comes from. As a huge fan of the universe, I was delighted by this, even if the ending comes about a little quickly. Fear not though, there are plenty of hints at what is still unknown, and critical figures are conspicuously absent. Bring on the next trilogy please!   

Building: LEGO Y-Wing Starfighter – LEGO 75181

Ermagherd, is I believe, how the young folk express their fondness for a thing. It is how I should like to express my fondness for this splendid build! This is the first UCS (ultimate collector series) I’ve had the chance to assemble, and I’m pretty impressed. In truth, I nicked it from work (sliced open the box and emptied it into a rucksack, walks away whistling etc), and probably would not have bought it for myself. It’s Star Wars, so it’s huge and mostly grey. The Y-Wings are rightly iconic for getting blown to pieces above various Death Stars, but they look so damned cool. I’ve already got a LEGO Y-Wing, now that I think about it – the 1999 edition that came with a tie-fighter. It was rad at the time, but this massive set comprehensively blows it out of the water and vaporises the lake it was skimming over. At a mere 1967 pieces, I was confident that I could build it in an evening, but naturally failed. Instead it dominated an entire Saturday afternoon while I watched more of season two of Agents of SHIELD (which I’ve had to pause to watch Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron because the latter takes place around episode 20!). Rarely have I spent a Saturday afternoon so productively!

New school

Old school

Beginnings…

Like a lot of the larger LEGO vehicles I’ve built, there are plenty of time when I have no idea what I’m assembling. This one went through a canal barge to crucifix stage pretty quickly, and as soon as the cockpit clips in it’s instantly recognisable. That cockpit itself is loaded with clever building tricks to give it a smooth and curved underside as neat as the top, sneaky stuff to invert the direction of the studs. It’s stuff I’m terrible at in my own building and I’m keen to learn from it. The nacelles have simpler tactics for allowing intense greebling all the way round the square pillars. The greeblage is mighty all over the back and underside of the Y-Wing. One of the things I often admire about official LEGO sets is the masterful balance of detailing, whether it’s in a scatter of cheese slopes, a light touch in patterning brick colours, or in this – while there’s a lot of detailing, it’s not so insanely overdone that it detracts from the model at a distance. The Y-Wing looks fantastically good, such a nice version of the film designs. There are though a bunch of stickers to apply on the cockpit which stressed me out to apply neatly. Not half as much as the massive sticker for the info plaque though. It really shouldn’t generate such anxiety! Nevertheless, I think I got it on perfectly. 

The minifigs are great, as you’d expect, with a finely detailed Gold leader and a shiny silver R2-BHD astromech.  Yeah, I love this thing. It is way too big to put anywhere in our house, sadly, but it will come apart into three neat pieces for transporting back to work once all this is over. Lamentably, having assembled this one, I now find myself eyeing up the far smaller A-Wing that’s just been released. That’s definitely shelf-sized…

Sticker hell

This has displaced a cat

Too big

Watching: Star Trek: Picard

We’d been waiting for all the episodes to be released on Amazon Prime before we began this. Our preference is definitely bingeing hard, rather than the agonising wait till next week. I’ve not reflected much on the change in our viewing habits in the last decade, but I think I’m getting more enjoyment from being deeply embedded in a show for a couple of weeks than dipping in and out of several simultaneously. However, I fear I’m going to have to do a second watch of Picard, because unlike Discovery which I adored from beginning to end, I just don’t know what to think of this new spin-off. Perhaps we’ll find out while I ramble…

The character of Jean-Luc Picard is obviously great – Patrick Stewart made Star Trek: The Next Generation come alive, and even though a lot of it is barely watchable now, the interactions of Captain Picard and his close-knit crew are delightful. TNG set the ground for the vastly superior Deep Space Nine that followed, with its huge and rewarding story arcs advancing the previous episodic narrative. With the exception of the Borg episodes, TNG never got the opportunity to do that, and with the similar exception of First Contact, its follow up movies are dreadful, though none as bad at those of the original series. I’ve been without Picard since First Contact in 1996 (holy fuck, how long?!), though the aforementioned dodgy movies have continued. So, a twenty year or so wait to return, that’s pretty high stakes. 

Picard disabuses us pretty quickly of this being a high action show like Discovery. In a curiously similar vein to the new Star Wars movies’ Luke Skywalker story, Picard is long retired from Star Fleet, having been fired/quit when Star Fleet backed away from a commitment to help resettle the peoples of Romulus after their home planet got fried. He’s spent the rest of the time chilling in his vineyard home, tended by ex-secret service Romulans and generally doing fuck all but seethe that Star Fleet let him down. He’s run away from his responsibilities, having failed to be the man he thought he was. Enter a young (spoiler) human-passing android on the run from some dudes trying to kill her. She doesn’t know she’s an android but knows a lot of stuff, is super-fast and knows she needs to find Picard. It’s no shock to discover that she’s Data’s daughter, somehow. But she gets offed by some more Romulan spec ops bad guys, and Picard’s off on a mission to find her twin sister, save the galaxy, stop the Romulans etc. 

Since Picard’s no longer Star Fleet he has to assemble a rag tag crew (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) since Star Fleet really don’t like him any more. The pacing is glacial at times, and it’s hard to understand what they’re actually aiming for in this. It takes ages to get into space (which is all fabulously Star Warsy rather than the Trek we’ve seen before) where we finally catch up with a ruined Borg cube that’s being rehabilitated by Romulans (for reasons I honestly can’t recall), and on which the android twin is working, while dating an actual piece of shit Romulan secret secret secret service guy who’s part of an inner circle dedicated to wiping out all synthetic life. 

There is a lot of great stuff in here – Seven of Nine’s return is a delight, Riker!, learning that Romulan assassin folk are just feudal Japanese folk, complete with haircuts and robes is peculiar, but kinda fun, and eventually a lot of things happen, quite fast. Picard nearly dies, they find more androids, he saves the day. I don’t honestly consider that to be a spoiler! The whole show is soaked in nostalgia, which is only partly rubbing off on me. If there weren’t so many people involved, and such cool design work going on I’d write it off as a vanity project. It’s definitely more than that, but I don’t know what… Watch it, if you’re into Trek, otherwise I cannot imagine this having any appeal at all.  

Doing: Virtual Improv Drop-In with MissImp

Last week’s new improv workshop was with Stephen Davidson, who’s just the loveliest and most passionate guy. His workshop is a real delight! Enjoy.  

  Last Week: The Human, Star Trek Picard and LEGO UCS Y-Wing - fun times with new Trek, splendid Neal Asher space opera and another fun MissImp online workshop! @missimp_notts #nottgoingout @nealasher #picard #books #lego @lego Gosh time really does fly, while simultaneously flexing with all the integrity of sun-warmed chewing gum… so, yeah, it’s Friday already and I haven’t completed my sole personal task of the week – recording what the I’ve watched and done.

[kirby-the-gorb]

reply roundup!

highlights for the past couple weeks:

@shegosato wrote another image description [here], for mining kirby, and @pranque wrote an image description for kirby at his computer [here]! thank you both! <3 all you folks who’ve so kindly contributed your time to add image descriptions since I’m not currently able to are honestly super important and appreciated.

there are also new stickers! etsy link is [here].

on the [last roundup]:

@spageddie28 said: THE GORB NOTICED ME 😳😳🥺🥺💖💖 #all praise the gorb

@askluckyandfriends said: I got noticed too :D

yes!!! that’s why I do these roundups, I love seeing all the fun tags and replies everyone leaves for me, and this way I get to acknowledge them!

@your-local-neighbourhood-kat​ said: The hug would make both of us feel better 🥺🥺🥺

even though he’s got little arms I bet kirby is the best at hugging. (I hope whatever’s on your mind eases soon.)

@shegosato​ said: i love ur kirbys they deserve an id <3 hope ur year's been good so far op!

aww, thank you! I know writing good image descriptions takes genuine effort (which is why I don’t do it myself like I should, I’m sorry TnT ) and deserves sincere recognition at the very least! (I’d love to just properly compensate someone to caption all of them as they go up someday, but it will take a while to afford. I will be sure to put out a call for interested parties once I get there!)

on [keyboard]:

@zer0cracy​ said: Freddy Mer-kirby

ohhh what a good pun! he’s even got the sparkles to match lol

also to the person who tagged it metal gear, I see you. I appreciate you.

on [train]:

@papioligoat​ said: Look at this gorb go. Lad vibin.

he’s where he Belongs.

@rinnyhere​ said: I want to ride an endless train and just sleep. tired of thoughts.

ohh that sounds so peaceful. just ride the train forever. highest quality naps.

on [miner]:

@macro-microcosm​ said: I also lost my part-time work haha. please donate to this artist! they’re so delightful and make such lovely work. they’re at this every. single. day.

aw that sucks! I hope things are at least relatively stable for now. (and thank you so much for your kind tags! I haven’t missed a day since I started in june 2018 :> )

@jupiterlandings​ said: he’s mining to get his webkinz crown of wonder

unfortunately I don’t know anything about webkinz so I can’t fully appreciate the joke but he’s clearly working very hard towards his goals and I support him!

@shegosato​ said: op thats a cute easter egg. also hope uve doing well! mayhaps a post abt commissions or donations will help?

I was very happy with myself when I came up with it lol, and I think that is a good idea! I already put out new stickers this month, but maybe I will finally figure out sticker commissions or just advertise kofi commissions at the same rate as the patreon tier.

on the [sticker poll]:

@liongerudothesilly​ said: I do not have Twitter, but I vote Fancy Dresses please! If you'll take a commented vote!

I just want to make sure you know your vote was seen and counted! (and I secretly wanted fancy dresses to win too lol, but even counting your vote and mine it still fell a little short. maybe I will just do it next time without asking! :v )

on [sweep]:

@aggron-rocks​ said: what a responsible orb

one does not become a gorb on virtue of cuteness alone. good orbs also help with chores when they can!

on [valentines stickers]:

@insertusername77​ said: These are so good. At the rate things are going, Kirby's gonna be my Valentine this year

I imagine kirby would love to be your valentine. :> (he may not be very reliable at giving you chocolate, but I think he’s pretty okay at making bouquets from supermarket flowers!)

@here-comes-de-custard​ said: im going to cry these are so cute

@osohey said: joy and love and happyness and joy

@leolithe​ said: !!!!!!!!!!!!!! great arts!

I don’t always have anything to say in reply so they don’t always end up in the roundups but I see all the tags people leave and I always love tags like these, I love it when my art can make people happy <3

@legendarykerfuffle said: all i need for valentines is kirb

honestly same lol, my partner knows this and often manages to find cute little kirby plushes to give me :v

on [sumikko]:

@virovac said: Decided to look up Summikko Gurashi [screencap of character description for “penguin?” that says “am I even a penguin? penguin has no confidence. in the past, there might have been a plate on penguin’s head...”]

penguin is just like that! (they were a kappa rather than a regular penguin, which is why they are green and like cucumbers a lot. that’s what the plate thing means.)

@askluckyandfriends said: Aww I hope your mom has a great birthday!

she told me she had a nice day! (and also bragged about my art to her friends at the office lol)

on [stamps]:

@virovac said: Kirby says support your post office!

yes!!! we love the post office!

@tinybandee said: delicately places him in the mailbox, happy trails kiddo

if I wasn’t already tired for today I would love to draw him peering out of the mailbox back at you. that would be very cute. instead we will imagine it together.

from the ask box:

anonymous said: It's fine! Don't push yourself, you can't help it not feeling too great *showers you with support*

(this was sent when I posted about delaying stickers for a day) thank you so much! this genuinely did make me feel better about taking longer than I expected to get them ready <3

[viralleakszone-blog]

Help Kids Celebrate Easter With These Super Fun Ideas

http://www.viralleakszone.com/help-kids-celebrate-easter-with-these-super-fun-ideas/

Help Kids Celebrate Easter With These Super Fun Ideas

Easter, kids, spring

Kids have good reason to be excited about Easter: It’s a holiday devoted to finding hidden treasures and an excuse to feast on sweets. Parents may be too grown up to seek out eggs on their own, but there are plenty of other ways to participate in the fun. Team up with your children to create these crafts, and you shouldn’t be surprised when your happiness grows, too. Teach Them Egg-Coloring Basics

Spread cartons of white and brown eggs on the family dining table, along with a variety of dyes, and show your kids how to turn eggshells into a kaleidoscope. Let loose, too, and dip eggs in different shades as you please. Just be sure that no one is wearing a favorite shirt.

Build the Best Basket (It’s Better Than a Piggy Bank!)

A place to collect spare change and allowance money can lead to big bucks, but an Easter egg basket carries something that piggy banks don’t: candy. When you help your kids invest their time in creating these animal-inspired baskets, their piggy banks could have some serious competition in safeguarding valuables — especially since these baskets can offer instant gratification. Place Presents on the Tree, Instead of Under It

Thanks to this project, Christmas no longer has dibs on trimming trees. Make a group activity out of adding bright colors to branches and adorning them with decorative eggs, and your kids won’t even miss the star-topped alternative. Display a Colorful Egg Garland

Coloring inside the lines isn’t always how kids roll, and this egg garland gives them the freedom to follow their instincts. Download and print the free egg illustrations, add paints and glitter, and then step back to enjoy the show. The product of their imaginations can hang proudly on your mantel.

Make Mystery Crepe Paper Carrots

Hiding surprises shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of your home’s landscaping. Pick out small prizes with your little ones — like chocolate, stickers, and bracelets — and then conceal them under crepe paper made to resemble a carrot. Keep the surprise from your Easter brunch guests, and you can share in the delight of a big reveal together. Keep Treats Within Arm’s Reach

Whether you still keep a cookie jar in your kitchen, or you store all sweets in a well-used cupboard, you know that easy access to small indulgences is a family affair. Turn that shared affection for sugar into an afternoon project and paint clear storage jars for goodies in Easter-ready pastels. Go Ahead and Make a (Swirly) Mess

Kids love when things get messy, and with this project, you can actually allow it. Embrace organized chaos when you spearhead an exercise that involves dye, shaving cream, and eggs. Your kids will probably be mesmerized enough when you ask them to swirl the eggs through a dish filled with colored shaving cream, but the finished products should excite them, too. Dress ‘Em Up Like a Bunny

Sure, little bunnies are cute and all, but kids pretending to be little bunnies are even cuter. Help your child construct the right shape for his bunny ears, and then wrap a cottontail together. Once a costumed bunny is jumping around your house, you won’t even prefer the real thing. Sew a Super-Cute Felt Bunny

All right, so this project doesn’t involve your little ones during production as much as it will make them happy once you finish (like last year’s science fair project). Sew together a bunny out of felt, and it can serve two purposes: either it works as a cute finger puppet, or it adds a festive touch to a headband.

Get Your Tween in the Spirit

Older kids can also make some decorations, and this Easter wreath is a great project to do when every participant can manage a glue gun. Organize responsibilities — like who is going to be in charge of spray paint — and then put the finishing touches on together. The eggs will roll, but eyes definitely shouldn’t.

Bake Sugar Cookies Your Teenager Will “Like”

Teenagers who would rather not help with plastic Easter eggs, thank you very much, can lend a hand with a more grown-up project instead. These sugar cookies are topped with edible flowers, and they will totally want to share them on social media.

Create an Easter Basket Fit for a Big Kid

When you have an older child who still wants to do an Easter egg hunt, her basket can’t look like her younger brother’s. This project uses “natural foliage” for decoration, and it will make a basket pretty enough to use as a jewelry holder long after the eggs are found.

Help Growing Children Do the Decoupage

Just like your older kids have outgrown finger painting, it’s safe to say that they’ve probably figured out the truth about the Easter bunny. On the bright side, knowing the facts means that their holiday eggs can get more sophisticated, too. This decoupage project lets them make intricate designs on eggs they can keep year-round.

Get Everyone Ready for Their Close-Ups

All children, regardless of age, love a good photo op. Gather everyone together to cut out these holiday printables, and then keep them close for the camera. Bonus points if you make an equally colorful backdrop.