#semiprofessional

[mishkakagehishka]

Artnip! event summary translation

With February, the month of cats, coming up, Shu and Mika wanted to create a subtle, artistic homage to those elegant beings - but a mix-up leaves the meaning of their request lost, and Valkyrie signed up for the wrong live fes! Yet now, with French maid dresses, cat ear headbands, bell chokers and clip-on tails in his hands, Shu refuses to back down. He'll show the world the versatility of Valkyrie, and prove to them that their artistry is innovative and refreshing; that they're not slaves to just one genre and one theme. They truly can do it all.

Reminder - the available cards are: Shu 5* (quote, "What are you laughing at?!"), Mika 4* ("N'ah~ Uh, I mean, 「Nya~」?", Ritsu ("Swish your hips more (笑)") and Ibara 3* ("Yes, it's a mystery... the documents just vanished...") and the event starts on February 15th 2069, at 15:00 JST!!

[midrashic]

i’ve seen a lot of fics disappear from my life forever, partly because of deletions & partly because of the collapse of platforms wholesale, but there are three that i would sell my own family to find again

[crplpunkklavier]

if only my dad were around to see how the little daughter whom he once bought a bright pink plastic bat for to get her on board with baseball has grown up to be a man lusting after baseball players

[astriiformes]

Would any of my friends or mutuals be interested in a Bluesky invite code? I have been poking at the site as a Twitter replacement for a bit now and have a few to spare.

If you're a fellow scicomm/history of science person I can also recommend some feeds and folks to follow over there; I am so far liking the community for those areas of my interests and would love to lure some more fun people to the site if you're intrigued.

[ihopeucomehomesoon]

using “if he wanted to he would” on my professor who’s research project i was supposed to spend most of the summer working on. we had a rough start and i guess we’ll have a rough end since he hasn’t emailed me in a few weeks and i keep putting off emailing him myself

[sanctus-ingenium]

Another one of these since i haven't done it in a while! Sketch -> finished illustration

Thoughts & process below the cut :>

Out of Bounds: i deleted the sketch of this off my ipad because i didn't like it, and for months it only existed as a screenshot on discord. finally in january of this year i was like Wait Actually and decided to keep working on it. I didn't achieve the look I was going for (kind of foggy and vague. It came out too sharp and high contrast) but it was fun to throw the kitchen sink at it for an afternoon and then call it done finally. I don't remember which horse this was originally supposed to be, I think Macha?

I reused the pose, you'll find the same one in my Pascal sketchbook from the section on gait studies. That's the cool thing about doing 30 sketches at once, you can finish them up any time you like for a different drawing

The Fool ft Islin: the original concept for this is from [takes a moment to decipher the american date system on discord] January 2022

It wasn't dynamic enough, but I've had this on the backburner for sooo long. I think I completed like 4 cards in between this sketch and the final version lol. But, for a bit of background, this is from my series of major arcana based in Inver, and in particular the events of the 1860s-era book series, Moth Viper Foal (a demo of the first book, Said The Black Horse, is available for free/pwyw in my shop). This scene is a companion to Said The Black Horse, depicting the aftermath of the traumatic fight that caused Islin to storm off. He had been working at the mill as a semiprofessional back alley surgeon when he received an offer to join the church and work as a trained surgeon in their hospital. But when he brought the good news back to his friends it was met with utter rejection, driving him to basically run away to join the church. while gay and trans. thus the card.

he didn't actually bring a bag with him when he ran out but for the sake of the card i drew him with one

Gryfon and Pantera: This is how 99% of holy beast drawings start out, even the super stylised ones. I struggle a lot to draw them in procreate so they start in sai and then i transfer them over. The story of this is already explained in the caption of the original post so I'll just talk about the process which was... honestly torturous. I actually don't like too much textures and effects on things (wild, I know) and this one and Out of Bounds are ones where I kind of preferred it pre-texturising.

The text on the side is the official in-universe report of the event, detailing the casualties, the valiant actions of Gryfon's knight before he died and so on. There's also spoilers in there :>

My main struggle with this art style is how it always ends up slightly TOO sharp and crisp in a way the just a blur filter never can correct. There's not a lot of immersion to break, to be fair, but I think this still does it a little. I need to get more comfortable doing the lines with larger and softer brushes, and allowing imperfections.

[mayakern]

I'm wearing your thistles skirt to an interview tomorrow. It goes perfectly with my turtleneck. Thank you for making clothes that I can feel myself in as a fat girl but that I can still be semiprofessional in. I really appreciate it.

ohhh good luck with the interview! i hope the skirt can help bring you comfort and confidence so you can absolutely ace this thing!

[raina-at]

Taxi

Sherlock raises his hand to summon a taxi. John keeps telling him that his ability to always get a cab to stop for him is uncanny. Sherlock never bothered to explain that it’s a combination of his awareness of the rules of the flow of traffic in London and the fact that he’s quite a bit taller than John and easier to spot. The second would have hurt John’s feelings and the first would have punctured the mystique, and Sherlock thinks the reason they’ve been married for twenty years without any major arguments is that they both know how to keep a bit of mystery intact.

Today, he is especially glad for this ability as he helps his heavily pregnant daughter into the vehicle.

The driver takes one look at them and says, “No. Get out. You’re not popping in my bloody backseat.”

Sherlock turns to him and narrows his eyes. “Sheffield, originally. Wife, two children, you played football semiprofessionally but blew out your knee, you have a mistress in Hounslow your wife doesn’t know about and you’re up to your neck in gambling debts. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes on the road and I won’t phone your wife to tell her about your extramarital activities.”

The taxi driver, who’s gone white as a sheet, swallows and nods, then turns around back to face the traffic.

Rosie is watching him with an awed expression. “Sometimes you scare me a bit,” she says, then grins. “That was brilliant! I can’t wait to tell Dad!”

Then her face contorts with pain and she doubles over with another contraction. 

“Steady now, Watson, we’ll be at the hospital soon.” He settles her into her seat, then gets into the car and gives the driver the name of the hospital.

As soon as the cab moves into traffic, Rosie tilts over and rests against his side. “You texted Mark, right?”

“Yes, he said he’d meet us at the hospital.”

“And Dad?”

“On his way as well.”

Rosie’s quiet for a bit as she breathes through the pain. Sherlock can tell when the contraction fades as the tension goes out of her body and she releases the death grip she had on his hand.  Her eyes are closed and she already sounds exhausted. She’s been having contractions on and off for several hours now, but both her midwife and John recommended staying active until the contractions grew more regular, so she stayed at 221B to help Sherlock sort through some of her childhood things to leave behind in London ahead of Sherlock and John’s move to Sussex. 

“Paps?” she finally says, still leaning against Sherlock.

Sherlock hums once to let her know he’s listening.

“I’m having a bit of a problem.”

“Am I allowed to guess?” he asks, having learned form a experience that sometimes people don’t want their problems deduced, they want to tell you themselves. It took him about ten years of marriage and living with a teenager to learn this, but learn it he did.

“No,” Rosie grumbles. “It’s about the name.”

“What about the name?”

“Well…” Rosie hesitates, and then sits up to look at him. “I thought about naming my daughter Joanna after Dad.”

“Well, obviously,” Sherlock says, having guessed this about six months ago. “It’s a lovely name, your dad will be over the moon, what’s the problem?”

Rosie hesitates a bit more, then she takes a deep breath and blurts out, “I was trying to come up with a way to name her after you, too, but your names are just impossible to work with for a girl. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but I couldn’t think of a way to do it.”

Sherlock blinks, unsure what to say to this. It never occurred to him that Rosie would want to name her child after him. Her dad, obviously, but him…

“Dad had the same problem, by the way,” Rosie adds, “he told me once that he tried to work it in somehow, but he didn’t want to name me Wilma or Willhelmina, he says no kid deserves that. But it always bothered him, and it bothers me, too. I don't want you to think I'm picking Dad over you."

Sherlock huffs a laugh and bites his lips to keep the tears he feels building in his eyes from spilling. After twenty years, it's still sometimes hard to believe that he's as much Rosie's father as John is. It still takes him by surprise sometimes that the two people he loves most in the world love him back.

“Oh my god are you crying?” Rosie exclaims. “Are you getting sentimental on me, Paps?”

“You wait until you tell Dad about your chosen name, he’ll cry like a little girl.”

“Dad doesn’t cry.”

“Your wedding?”

Rosie rolls her eyes. “That was an once in a lifetime thing.”

“And the day his first grandchild is born, who will be named after him isn’t?”

“Bet you a fiver he’ll hold it together,” Rosie says with a grin.

“Easiest money I ever made.”

Rosie laughs and settles back against him. “So,” she says with a contented sigh. “What to do about my dilemma?”

Sherlock kisses the top of her head. “You’re forgetting one thing, sweetheart. "

“What’s that?”

“Your daughter’s full name. Joanna Watson-Holmes, like her mother, Rosamund Watson-Holmes. Your dad did what he said he would. He named you after me in the end.”

Rosie smiles. “Definitely getting sentimental in your old days, Paps.”

Sherlock looks out of the window and doesn’t even try to stop himself from getting misty-eyed at the thought of his little girl becoming a mother, about this new little girl which will be his and John’s and Rosie’s together. “Don’t mention it to the cab driver.”

He can hear the smile in Rosie’s voice as she answers, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

A bit of sentimental Parentlock - or Grandparentlock, I should say.

Thank you so much @calaisreno for keeping us going!

Tagging some of the usual suspects: @helloliriels @jrow @keirgreeneyes @lisbeth-kk @meetinginsamarra @topsyturvy-turtely @thetimemoves @7-percent @totallysilvergirl @khorazir @catlock-holmes and anyone else who wants to play.

[olderthannetfic]

Hi, I’m the rare case of a person who actually *does* bruise as easily as a stereotypical erotica Delicate Flower. It’s because of a blood condition, and doesn’t happen as significantly if I’m faithful about taking my meds.

Practically, this means that while I like rough sex, I have a firm rule against any biting/sucking/clawing/etc. in areas above the waist that a t-shirt doesn’t cover. Some markings will linger for *weeks*.

If you’re writing a character who bruises/marks up as easily as I do in fic and they also need to present semiprofessionally, they may enjoy breast/nipple suction/biting instead of neck biting. I also get a lot of mileage out of the armpit/bicep region. Armpits have a lot of nerve endings!

--

Armpits are so neglected.

[hooked-on-elvis]

"FOOLS RUSH IN (WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD)"

A song that grew on Elvis' liking, completely changing its rhythm before he decided to officially record it in the 70s.

Lyrics written by Johnny Mercer with music by Rube Bloom.

Elvis' version of "Fools Rush In" was first officially released on the album "Elvis Now" on February 20, 1972. Recording date: May 18, 1971. Released peak chart position: #43 Pop, #45 Country. RIAA status: Gold.

This is a 1940's popular song. It has been recorded many times over the years, including by Frank Sinatra, Julie London, Etta James, Brenda Lee, Doris Day, Dean Martin and many other singers before and after Elvis' recording in 1972, but the major hit was Rick Nelson's version, released in 1963. And here is where things get interesting.

You can listen to Nelson's recording below, which is pretty much similar to Elvis' cover on the rhythm and pace of the tune. I gotta say the echo on the voice channel in Nelson's recording doesn't please me much. It's a fair good recording, sure, but Elvis' one... it's dreamy! Like, I dare you not to fall head over feet in love with it.

According to "Elvis Presley: A Life in Music" book, by Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis was familiar to this song since the 60s, at least. And the best part is: He recorded the song back then during non-professional home recordings, on June 1966. Unfortunately the song is not fully sang but it's enough for us to see the rhythm is completely different from the official recording Presley came with in 1972. It's jazzy, soothing and peaceful, certainly inspired by one of the 40's versions of the song, such as Billy Eckstine recording released in 1947:

It was common for EP to decide recording his favorite songs, so it's great "Fools Rush In" came as a personal choice for his official recordings.

Chapter 10 - "1966: HOW GREAT THOU ART":

Singing and playing music with friends had always been a part of Elvis’s home life, but lately it had taken a new turn. Red West had bought two semiprofessional tape recorders for Elvis to use in producing demos, and Charlie Hodge had topped touring with country music veteran Jimmy Wakely and moved into Red’s Hollywood apartment to go to work for Elvis again full-time. Red was writing a lot of songs, and Charlie sometimes helped in overdubbing the demos he was putting together. They got Glen Campbell, then working as a session musician, and paid him twenty dollars to play guitar on some of the demos. Sometimes Red and Charlie would take the tape recorders over to Elvis at Rocca Place and the trio would lay down tracks, alone or with whoever else was around. Not surprisingly they turned often to their favorite gospel numbers — "Show Me Thy Ways", "He," "Hide Thou Me," "Oh, How I Love Jesus," or "I, John," another song Elvis would eventually record. Other times they simply tried anything that caught their fancy, from old standards like "Fools Rush In" and "It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie" to more contemporary material — "Blowin’ In The Wind," "What Now My Love," and "500 Miles." Often they dug into old country standards, and sometimes they even got Elvis to sing along on Red’s new tunes. In the intense yet comfortable atmosphere of collaboration with friends, Elvis had found an alternative to the endlessly tedious soundtrack recording process; at home he could work away at the music he loved, and that in its own rough way made a truer musical statement than anything he was likely to do under the employ of a Hollywood movie factory.

It's curious to me how Elvis leaned to Rick Nelson's 60s upbeat version of the same song himself sang in the 60s, instead of going with its more calm, 40s swing-era sound when he decided to turn "Fools Rush In" into an official recording of his own. In spite the fast-pace sound of the 1972 recording, Elvis carried the same passion in his voice he had on the 1966 home recording. Both versions sound like EP's pleading someone's love wholeheartedly. Probably his choice to go with the 60s version of this tune when covering it officially was a financial decision, thinking about the hit Rick Nelson's version was and also considering how the music in the 70s was no longer meant for "fools in love" confessing their deepest feelings in that fancy, elegant manner, more than it was better shouted from the top of its lungs for the whole world to hear - that's exactly how the 1972 Elvis version (inspired by the 60s version) sounds for me. Unafraid, prideful, rather than a secret spoken under one's breathes like the 40s versions sounds like (which I'm not complaining at all… it's beautiful anyway). Either a soothing ballad or a fast-pace tune, in general, "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" is a touching, encouraging, lovely song. ♥

I personally prefer the 70s version released by Elvis, but what about you? Which "Fools Rush In" version did you like best?

[midrashic]

ranking ships by # of lives saved if they’d just fucked. cherik gets a dishonorable mention because they fuck all throughout thirty years of movies & it just made them more insane

[stevesjockstrap]

🏒 are they at the kid’s game or steve’s?

Ohhhh they’re all spectators 😬

Chrissy had scored free tickets to the semiprofessional hockey team in the city, and persuaded Eddie that it would be a good bonding activity for him and his kid. However, so far the most entertainment for his kid (and Eddie) had been the attractive couple who had the unfortunate circumstance of sitting next to them. Eddie had offered several times to swap places with his kid to keep the man from the onslaught of questions, random questions and fun facts that the five year old precocious child could come up with. But the saint of a man and his very cute girlfriend seemed more than endeared to his obnoxious kid.

“The goalie is allowed to touch the puck with his hands, dad!” His kid oh so helpfully parroted back after the man had explained this to them. “Only they’re allowed to, no one else! Like how only you are allowed to touch the stove and the special snacks in the top of the pantry!”

“That’s right, kiddo,” Eddie mused. Chrissy giggled beside him. “You dont have to keep bothering him, Chrissy could explain hockey and whatever other sports ball or puck or birdie things. She’s secretly the butch one,” Eddie scoffed at the stranger. He should ask his name.

“That’s this one,” his girlfriend elbowed the attractive man. “He watches golf.” She stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.

“It’s so much better than the crap you watch, Bobbi. Every HGTV show imaginable and housewives of every irritating place in the world.”

Chrissy perked up at that, leaning forward to catch the other girl’s gaze. “Oooh have you watched the reunion of Salt Lake?”

really WIP weekend now bc I suck

[noisytenant]

i guess in the hobbyist-but-paid creative space i would like if there were some standard of "professionalism"--Nothing to do with acting like an office drone, but still establishing clear expectations and values, especially when you're doing something that involves someone's time and/or money

Among things like labels and event organizers, there's already several groups that fail my expectations for simply failing to deliver what they set out to do: not paying out, not publishing albums on time/correctly, producing low-quality or delayed physical releases, not preparing for events, not communicating updates with artists, etc.

I really feel like if you can't deliver on these expectations you should reconsider starting a semiprofessional initiative. a lot of things can be done for the love of it, so this isn't to say you can't just dick around, but you ought to make it clear whether you're playing or you're actually trying to build something even if you never expect it to achieve any meaningful scale. i think being mindful of peoples' time, energy, and money is worthwhile in both professional and social contexts.

then there's the whole issue of interpersonal troubles and managing them... i feel like certain folks are very quick to cut ties with artists, deleting or reconfiguring albums, in the worst of cases boosting or referencing callouts on highly public/semiprofessional channels, and i think that's not really something that should be done lightly (and some of it shouldn't really be done at all). if you can't keep yourself from idolizing or vilifying people on a dime, you're probably not a good fit to be running something like a label or event group where you affect peoples' creative connections, schedules, and money.

all this said, i generally feel safer within a more "permissive" space that leaves the sorting of interpersonal conflicts to constituents, but it can be hard to feel "at home" when you don't really get to choose the people you're bumping elbows with and might actually really dislike and disagree with a lot of them.

i guess what i wish would be made clear is that while a lot of people working together creatively are friendly or even friends, there's a line between the "professional" and "social" settings. it isn't that odd in a "professional" context to be kind of blunt or to keep people at a distance, but in a social setting it's perceived as a greater slight and a mood killer.

perhaps autistically i wish that people would pick one: are you trying to make a "community of friends" who happen to do creative things together, or are you trying to make a "creative space" for people who might become friendly with each other?

this is a ramble without any specific conclusion, i guess i just wish it were easier to collect people with common interests and establish expectations without being overly prescriptive or punitive. i've been in some small spaces where i feel decently about the folks, but then it's onto my own personal problems with relating to others. who knows. maybe someday i'll figure it out

[cosmerelists]

The 10 Types of Guy that Adolin Embodies

[Spoilers for Stormlight Archive!]

All terms in what follows--and the term “guy” in the title--are gender-neutral!

1. Horse Girl

Adolin loves horses. He had a special bond with his Ryshadium Sureblood, and after that horse’s death, he started spending time with his father’s, Gallant. He likes to feed them treats and brush them and talk to them. A horse girl for sure.

2. Himbo

Himbos must be beefy, kind, and dumb. Adolin is certainly beefy and certainly kind. He’s not always dumb, but he certainly has his moments...I’m thinking of how he once took a date to the stables as part of his investigation or when he (badly) pretended to know what Kaladin’s power was in a (bad) attempt to get Kaladin to confess. Even throwing himself in prison--but still bathing and wearing cologne and chatting to his girlfriend the whole time--has himbo vibes.

3. Fashion Icon

Adolin knows fashion and cares about fashion. He reads fashion magazines. He makes himself an outfit even using what he can scavenge in Shadesmar. He now accessorizes his uniforms since he follows the Codes more loosely. He is a fashion icon.

4. Ladies Man

Early Adolin dated a lot of ladies. He found it very easy to flirt and and to find dates, although he often had trouble keeping girlfriends...in part due to his wandering eyes. He’s now happily married, but “ladies man” was once a term that could be used to describe Adolin.

5. Bisexual Disaster

But being a fashion icon and a ladies man does not mean that Adolin is always smooth. To me, the height of bisexual diaster-ism is seeing a hot guy and thinking about what a catch he is...and then telling your girlfriend that she should date him instead. Luckily, Shallan is also a bisexual disaster, so they can enjoy fun dates talking about how you poop in Shardplate.

6. Smooth Criminal

Okay, but there is one way in which Adolin was rather smooth. At least, he did manage to not only murder a highlord, but also get away with it and even get put in charge of the investigation. On the inside, Adolin was not being smooth about any of this, but on the outside, he sure seemed to be!

7. Mom Friend

I am thinking in particular about when Kaladin, Shallan, and Adolin accidentally fell into Shadesmar. Adolin fears that he is useless in such a place, but what he actually does is take on the role of the group carer: he talks Kaladin through the journey since Kaladin is nearly comatose from despair, makes sure they make camp, and generally tries to keep the group positive and moving. I’m sure he would have been distributing snacks had he had the ability.

8. Jock

I mean, this one feels fairly self-explanatory. Adolin’s Calling is Dueling, which is kind of like a semiprofessional sport: they have brackets and everything. He likes to work out and be strong, and just generally has some big jock energy.

9. Theatre Kid

But Adolin also has a flair for the dramatic. We see this most of all during the series of duels during which he is trying to disarm the other highlords: he plays each one differently, going full brutal in one duel while slowly chipping away at the armor through light touches in the next one. He’s doing it for the show.

10. Trophy Husband

Originally, Shallan was just a woman from a minor house engaged to a highprince. Then it turned out that she was one of the original Radiants, and Adolin was just some guy. So if anything, Adolin is more the trophy spouse at this point. I think he’s okay with it.

[supreme-leader-stoat]

as a semiprofessional furry i can confirm that it is furries (not me) who are calling the wolf hot. and i also apologize

[mutedeclipse]

something that bothers me sometimes, as a semiprofessional character designer.

hot take: mermaid bomber from jetters is much better designed than bomber mermaid from online, a tumblr post from an idiot with too much free time... below the cut!

intentionally inflammatory title and thesis statement aside, i have strong opinions and i hope to be heard out here

lets start with the first thing i notice people have a problem with, her colours. the warm green/cool pink used in her design are complementary and don't compete with other characters of similar colour ranges. while i do agree the softer salmon, cooler green and yellow toned orange of bomber mermaid have a more pastel and harmonious appeal... mermaid bomber (i would assume) is coloured the way she is to be clearly visible on an older television and through compression.

pictured above, an example of her being clearly visible in a distance shot, bomber mermaid could never

SURE they may clash at times especially outside of the lighting of a scene, but looks gorgeous in lighting that complements her. lighting that would also render bomber mermaid's colours nigh indistinguishable from the backdrop of any given scene

an example of a scene with extreme lighting i think would be a detriment to bomber mermaid's colour scheme.

I'll admit the sheer amount of colours are a little unnecessary its quite in line with the other characters on the show. ESPECIALLY the other shitennou who are eye catching on purpose for reasons that feel like it further serves the 'they're different from other combined bombermen and don't quite belong' narrative. Mermaid bomber looks like a whole ass character, bomber mermaid strikes me as much more 'villain of the week' with a cutesy spin

moving on to her structure as a character... her design was made to have a DISTINCT silhouette!! both do, actually... but the online portrayal feels quite generic in comparison to jetters' while still following shape language its loose, doesn't indicate much shes a bomber first and foremost. mermaid bomber's design follows the philosophy of what i will call a teardrop type character (a combination of triangles and circles) giving her a quite regal, even cunning edge to complement her round and cute features... which I'd say fits her character well. shes a spoiled daddy's girl princess who uses her cute charm. her much more overt femininity ALSO is important to this fact, its how she gets her way!

the scales on her limbs resemble arm and leg warmers respectively (quite popular with teens at the time) the latter of which popularly being worn with miniskirts, her skirt like fin reminiscent of a pleated skirt. her prominent amount of scales remind me of sequins. hell, her whole vibe REEKS of y2k in incredibly subtle and unique ways its so beautiful now that I've noticed it.. this inherently bold sense of fashion distinguishes her from other female characters (such as misty or shout) on the cast, her tall stature distinguishes her from other bombers.. the only other main character bearing a shadow of resemblance is young momo! which i find neat for a couple reasons I'm sure you could deduce yourself.

her fin on her back makes her look much more dangerous and reminds you that shes meant to be a weapon, along with her belt and much more mask like face shape. along with the sharper points but these details are subtle enough to overlook from an in universe perspective

screenshot from whataboutfractions, seriously guys she has a tail too and it rocks.

i was going to add thunder but the making of this post was so long, i feel like he gets a lot less flack for his design and i wanted to express my love for character design today, that and point out to people who probably agree with me why mermaid's design is important.