#tbh though a lot of people tell me they take inspiration from my work and i really dont mind/it makes me happy to know ive helped ppl draw

[catmask]

How do you feel about people taking inspiration from your art/making things with a similar vibe or elements of your work?

its complicated ig!

as a kid id copy a lot of artists id admire to learn how to draw since i didnt have any real 'traditional' art schooling, and i think thats sort of just the natural cycle of being an artist. its normal to follow in the footsteps of people you like/whos styles you admire.

i get sort of uncomfortable when people treat individual artist's styles like a sort of commodity that is solely owned/created by that person, or that can be taken/stolen from someone. in the end of the day if youre capable of drawing it with your own two hands, its still your art. no art exists in a vacuum, and we're all just building off the works we grew up looking up to.

at the same time, ive had people trace my work and not mention it was traced at all, ive had people pretty much piece for piece copy art ive done, worst over ive had people sell commissions that were traces of my artwork...... so, in truth i dont mind 'inspiration' or people taking ideas from things ive made, but everyone defines 'inspiration' so differently i always feel troubled answering this question.

i guess my answer is really, i cant stop you? and i want everyone to have fun drawing! i dont even think tracing is bad if its for practice, genuinely. if taking inspiration means you get broken out of a rut and can enjoy drawing again, then ill be happy to see it. it might feel a bit weird seeing a bunch of people around who draw exactly like me, but at the same time its not really hurting anyone either.

i guess itd just be like going to the grocery store in an outfit one week, and the next week everyones wearing the same outfit. i would not die but i would probably think 'oh! alright' and then go about my day

[jonnywaistcoat]

Hey, Horrormaster Sims. I have a wildly different question that barely relates to TMA (Sorry about that) but its about your own process. Please, if you could, can you tell me how your first drafts made you feel? I'm on the fence about writing my own thing (not a podcast, and again, not Magnus related, though I have a million little aus for that delightful tragedy you wrote, thank you for that!) But I'm discouraged by the collective notion that first drafts are always terrible, because there's no ... examples I can solidly use to help the dumb anxiety beast in my brain that tells me everyone who is in any way popular popped out a golden turd and not, well, you know. One of my friends said 'Oh I bet Jonathan Sims's first draft was nothing like what he wanted' and I got the bright idea to just. Send you an ask, since you're trapped on this hellsite like I am. Anyway, thanks for reading this (if you do) and if you'd rather ask it privately, I am cool with that. Alternatively, you're a hella busy man with Protocol (you and Alex are making me rabid, i hope you know) and you can just ignore this! Cheers, man, and good words.

To my mind all writing advice, especially stuff that's dispensed as truisms (like "first drafts are always garbage") are only useful inasmuch as such advice prompts you to pay attention to how you write best: what helps your workflow, what inspires you, what keeps you going through the rough bits. There are as many different ways to write (and write well) as there are people who write and so always consider this sort of thing a jumping off point to try out or keep in mind as you gradually figure out your own ways of writing.

On first drafts specifically, I think the wisdom "all first drafts are bad" is a bit of unhelpful oversimplification of the fact that, deadlines notwithstanding, no piece of writing goes out until you decide its ready, so don't get too hung up on your first draft of a thing, because a lot of writers find it much easier to edit a complete work than to try and redraft as they go. It's also important to not let perfectionism or the fact your initial draft isn't coming out exactly how you want stop you from actually finishing the thing, as it's always better to have something decent and done than to have something perfect and abandoned.

But the idea of a "first draft" is also kind of a fluid one. The "first draft" you submit to someone who's commissioned you will probably be one you've already done a bunch of tweaks and edits to, as opposed to the "first draft" you pump out in a frenzy in an over-caffeinated weekend. For my part, my first drafts tend to end up a bit more polished than most, because I'm in the habit of reading my sentences out loud as I write them (a habit picked up from years of audio writing) so I'll often write and re-write a particular sentence or paragraph a few times to get the rhythm right before moving to the next one. This means my first drafts tend to take longer, but are a bit less messy. I'm also a big-time planner and pretty good at sticking to the structures I lay out so, again, tend to front load a lot of stuff so I get a better but slower first draft.

At the end of the day, though, the important thing is to get in your head about it in a good way (How do I write best? what helps me make writing I enjoy and value? What keeps me motivated?) and not in a bad way (What if it's not good enough? What if everyone hates it? What if it doesn't make sense?) so that you actually get it done.

As for how my first drafts made me feel? Terrible, every one of 'em No idea if that's reflective of their quality, though, tbh - I hate reading my own writing until I've had a chance to forget it's mine (I can only ever see the flaws). I suppose there's theoretically a none-zero chance they were pure fragments of True Art and creative perfection, but Alex's editing notes make that seem unlikely.

[baddestbittyontheblock]

dolliewu's january fic recs

ꪶ ꫂ hi everyone, i've decided join in on monthly fic recs. i hope you all enjoy my faves of january!! ꪶ ꫂ

ꪶ ꫂ remember to like and reblog the works you enjoy in order to support each writer!! ꪶ ꫂ

ꪶ ꫂ however, make sure you read the information on each story themselves such as triggers & warnings ꪶ ꫂ

ꪶ ꫂ also, if you’d like me to remove your fic from this list, message me! ꪶ ꫂ

ꪶ ꫂ dividers: @chilumitos, banner: toby cosmico on pinterest ꪶ ꫂ

woso

alexia putellas

❅ against all odds (to wait for you is all i can do) – part twelve (final part) by @thesunisatangerine alexia putellas x photojournalist!reader | mentions of grief, suggestive content

-this wasn’t the first time you caught yourself thinking how difficult it was to have two professional athletes in your life, and it also wasn’t the first time you wondered how their bodies could store so much energy.

❅ aromatic affections by @codiemarin alexia putellas x reader | fluffy smut, fingering, more fluffy than smutty actually

-you´ve had a rough few weeks and alexia wants to help you feel better.

ingrid engen, mapi leon

❅ always want you by @girlgenius1111 ingrid x mapi x reader

-with mapi injured, and ingrid running herself ragged with the team, r does everything she can think of to take some of the stress of them. she neglects herself in the process though, until an injury forces her to slow down. she doesn't take it very well.

aitana bonmati

❅ cope, coffee, and poetry by @repulsiveliquidation aitana bonmati x reader | smut, angst, mentions of cheating. 18+ DNI.

-“you deserve a lover who takes away the lies and brings you hope, coffee, and poetry.”

kpop

blackpink

❅ good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere by @jensettermandu g!pjennie kim x fem!reader | mdni, morally grey characters, toxic relation/situationships, domestic abuse, violence, substance use/abuse, mentions of weight/toxic beauty standards, dubcon, a lot of smut (spitting, spanking, bondage, choking, rough sex, etc. appears), age gap (legal), mentions of sensitive topics, not made for glorification of toxic relationships, 12k+

-y/n opened the door to her apartment as the knocking wasn't stopping and groaned at the person on the other side.

twice

❅ like last years vogue by @sanazakis minatozaki sana x fem!reader | rich kids!au, smut, bondage, edging, praising, spanking, strapping, sana has her middle-class shit together, kinda friends to lovers, friends with benefits, money, sex, power, inspired by the wolf of wall street, which if you haven’t watched yet, can be described in three words. money, sex, power. (and drugs, so maybe not three words.)

-and maybe you’re just tired of the limitations of wealth, the grandeur, the opulence. maybe you’re just tired of seeing the same people day in and day out. but without that, there’s only sana — sana who smirks at you like there's a joke you’re never in on, who shows up in spaces she doesn’t belong and makes you want her.

❅ they can't love you like i love you by @sanarkeo dom!idol!nayeon x sub!idol!reader | exhibitionism, humiliation, power dynamics? unnie kink, 4k

-nayeon wants to show her girl off to the world.

aespa

❅ over her by @myouicieloz yoo jimin x reader | a little smut in the end (just a little). reader and yn don’t really talk abt it tbh. skipping meals

-you overhear karina talking about how clingy you are and from then out started being distant and non-affectionate towards her and she eventually confronts you and asks why you keep pushing her away, to which you tell her

peaky blinders

❅ little one by @tommyshelbyslittleprincess tommy shelby x reader

-tommy notices your pregnancy before you do

celebrities

harry styles

❅ taught well by @signoferoda dad!harry styles x reader

-the kids go into protective mode after someone flirts with y/n at the beach

call of duty

simon "ghost" riley

❅ too good by @dammn-dean simon riley x fem!reader | 2.4k

-"love, they are here!” simon’s voice bellowed through the flat to reach your ears.

❅ dad!simon blurb by @ragingbookdragon dad!simon riley x reader

-there’s something about seeing simon riley as a dad that makes her heart swell with love and adoration

❅ dig a little deeper by ^ simon riley x reader | explicit language, blood and wounds, 1.4k

-the pain surged through her side as she managed to pick herself up off the ground, rattled by the blast that had knocked her off her feet and into the dirt.

❅ his girls by @casiia simon riley x fem!reader | the SMALLEST bit of angst, just a lot of overly detailed domestic simon, baby daddy simon who is still in love with you, maybe ooc

-baby daddy!simon who walks with his daughter to school for her first day, he’s has her small disney-themed backpack tugged onto his shoulder, the straps too small and digging into his skin. but he doesn’t care.

❅ older boyfriend!simon by @luvit simon riley x gn!reader | mdni, 18+

-older-boyfriend!simon who tries to push you away at first.

❅ what they would say during sex by @prettybean cod x reader | 18+

-“i know it's big”

❅ simon blurb by @starstruckmiraclekitty simon riley x reader | fluff

-“you’ve fallen for them, haven’t you?”

❅ simon smut by @callmemickey simon riley x reader | smut

-simon riley fucks intensely and passionately.

❅ to be alive in the summer by @halcyone-of-the-sea simon 'ghost' riley x fem!reader | angst, betrayal, intense gore, violence, death, allusions to intimacy, weapons, vulgar language, recovery, torture, happy ending, 8.3k

-betrayal had never been in your cards, and you definitely didn't see yourself being the one responsible for the act. When having to go undercover, first comes the problem of staging your death.

❅ simon fic by ^ simon riley x fem!reader | gore, death, blood, panic attack

-your body shakes violently, blood dripping down like crimson tears from your hands. the overwhelming sense of dread sits with bullet fragment aggression in the delicate make-up of your psyche.

❅ denial by @callsign-prophet simon riley x reader

-you're not his girlfriend, but don't you dare to have a date with someone else. if he only has eyes for you, so do you.

❅ dad!simon by @lundenloves dad!simon riley x reader | fluff, angst

-simon reacting to his oldest daughter having a small crush on a boy at school! overprotective simon having to be scary

❅ secret wife by @moongreenlight simon riley x secretwife!reader

-if there’s one thing gaz knows how to do, it’s shut the fuck up.

❅ lovely by @yawnderu  dad!simon "ghost" riley x mom!reader | fluff

-"she looks just like you."

❅ simon comforts his son during a tantrum by @nsharks dad!simon riley x reader | very brief abuse mention

-“what do we need the cranberries for, love?”

❅ neighborhood watch by @kkvqwrites simon riley x fem!reader | violence, breaking and entering, SA mentioned/alluded to (not on-screen)

-the news had reported some unsolved break-ins. if you thought simon took it overboard with his protectiveness before, you were in for a shock.

❅ talk dirty to me by @yujivrs konig, ghost, and price | praise, slight breeding kink, degradation, dumbification

-their dirty talking styles.

könig

❅ cute blurb by @peaches-creek könig x reader

-you have been tossing and turning for what felt like hours. the gargantuan man that slept beside you has been knocked out, as he has been for hours.

❅ distracting dreams. longer name by @dizzykss könig x reader | marks, fingering, pussy play, semi-public, slight age gap

-könig notices you avoiding him. and it doesn’t take long for him to figure out that it’s all because of a little dream you had.

❅ talk dirty to me by @yujivrs konig, ghost, and price | praise, slight breeding kink, degradation, dumbification

-their dirty talking styles.

❅ the invisible string theory by @halcyone-of-the-sea könig x fem!reader | human trafficking, mentions of unwanted touching, trauma, blood, gore, guns, bullets, protective!könig, soft!könig, nightmares, mentions of bullying, etc.

-you didn't expect the man who gave you his coat to be the same one to bust down the door where you and the other women slept - sniper hood scaring everyone within an inch of their life. you didn't expect him to become so important to you, either. (based on könig's in-game backstory)

[clouisluvr]

part two to dating sean diaz headcannons maybe??

hi beautiful people❤️ i hope you’re all doing well, im sorry about how long this has taken it’s definitely overdue🫠 im gonna try and keep slowly making my way through requests so bare with me! hope you guys enjoy this <3 also please cutely pretend to not see any potential typos LMAOO

incoming summoning of all sean diaz lovers …

- sean is the type of boyfriend to buy you so many squishmallows but be pretend jealous at how many hugs you give them😭 jokingly says you probably love the squishmallows more than you love him but will still always buy you more when you see them together at costco trips

- a slow kiss enthusiast! sean prefers a more sensual and intimate make out sesh rather than a fast and rushed one, definitely has his hand cupped on your cheek, with the other resting on your thigh as his thumb gently rubs the skin there. will stop for a second to make deep eye contact with you and tell him he loves you before leaning back in😵‍💫 (i Fear i need him expeditiously..)

- if u have/want piercings he’d totally get them with you! cute matching septum/nose piercings methinks

- one of yalls fave things to do would be chatting shit ab bad tv LMAOO. like yall are always tuned into love island, too hot to handle etc. you both pretend it’s Insufferable but really you love hatewatching it (unfortunately daniel cannot watch with yall, esteban tells him its too inappropriate😭)

- MARIO KART MATCHES ALWAAYSS!!! after friday sleepovers yall will spend saturday mornings after breakfast playing! sean gives meeee… luigi or link main vibes? i think hes pretty good at it tbh, lowkey competitive but will happily throw the match the second you pout ab losing (unless ur an s tier mario kart player in which case yall will race against each other all day LMAO) oh and Ofc daniel plays with you guys but i think daniel would be absolutely HORRIBLEE at mario kart, everyone just lets him think hes good LMAOO

- in my last sean post i said that he prefers small displays of affection in public but in private he’s a lot more comfortable with touching you. nonstop cuddles, kisses every part of you he can see. loves for you to straddle or lay on top of him, will rest his hands on your hips or small of your back. likes for you to be kinda laid on top of him as yall laze around for a while, he basically uses you as a weighted blanket. sean loves doing nothing with you - sometimes just being quiet in your presence is perfect for him. unfortunately for sean its rare that he gets to be as affectionate as he wants with you because daniels alwaayss hovering around yall, and if not daniel, its esteban making sure his bedroom doors not closed😭

- esteban definitely works extremely hard and slightly struggles to make ends meet but would still wanna spoil sean and daniel -so any family trip he manages to save up for you are absolutely invited! sean would happily be a slightly cringe couple at disneyland with matching mickey ears, (not the kind of couples that cling to each other in the line for rides though LMAO). and every time daniels too short for a ride, sean will always always tease him and you have to give him a lil whack on the shoulder and then comfort daniel. when esteban (eventually) takes sean and daniel to see puerto lobos, he invites you along. you’re considered a part of the diaz family so esteban wants to share where he comes from with you and his sons :’) lots of long beach days with sean and daniel there!!! sean probably gets a lot of art inspiration from seeing you by the beach, probably having a playful water fight with daniel. he thinks you’re in your element when you’re being totally carefree. your joy is radiant for sean and inspires some of his greatest artworks :’)

- i think sean would need some reassurance from his partner. karen being an absentee mother has most likely given sean some abandonment issues so he’ll tend to feel anxious and insecure from time to time. genuine love and patience from his partner will help sean continue to open up and feel more secure in his relationship with you

- arguments with sean would be … a bit terrifying ill be real! the man is scary when he’s mad, i think he’d try his best to keep his emotions under control but frustrations get the better of us sometimes and he may end up saying something hurtful💔 he instantly feels guilty and apologises profusely but also understands saying ‘im sorry’ isnt always enough to take away the hurt caused. if you give him the silent treatment for a bit, i imagine he’d actually turn to daniel for advice! i think daniel would actually give weirdly helpful advice LMAO. he’d probably tell sean to start the conversation off by giving you something you like, like a choc-o-crisp. it sounds stupid at first but sean would probably attempt to bake you something (and fail horrendously) but seeing the effort he puts in to try and make things right is the perfect first step to resolving the argument :’) sean would definitely value communication in a relationship and wouldn’t want you to hold back about any potential problems!!

- you’d become a bit of a motif in seans artwork! he’d unintentionally draw some of your features or favourite interests in the background of his art, it becomes a sort of signature. you’re his muse!

- couples costumes for halloween are a must. for oct 2022 yall would show up to parties (and trick or treating with daniel) as miles morales and spider gwen!!

- i think the diaz family have a family game night every now and then that you obviously attend! they don’t hold back with you though, they will stack uno cards against you like crazy if you’re about to win😭 and daniel most definitely cheats at monopoly and takes extra money from the bank, to which sean always complains🤭

- during yours and seans early days of dating, he’d probably go out of his way to keep you from meeting his dad and daniel. not because hes ashamed of them.. more so he knows how embarrassing they can get and he doesn’t want you to think he’s weird. he’ll explain this to esteban after inevitably being badgered to bring you over for dinner one night, to which his dad will tell him that if you’re really right for sean and genuinely like him, you’ll accept his family too. besiiidees how ‘embarrassing’ can they really get? well .. i think your first time meeting seans family would be a bit disastrous. sean would insist on cooking dinner, i think he’d attempt lasagna but would leave it in the oven too long. as you arrive, daniel is probably in the midst of attempting another zombie costume project whilst sean and esteban freak out over the burnt lasagna now setting the smoke alarm off. once you arrive and knock on the door the muffled chaos from inside goes SILENT followed by the sound of some rushed movements and whispers. sean lets you in with a slightly panicked smile and despite the smell of smoke wafting into your nose, the ear piercing ringing of the smoke alarm harshly hitting your ears and the sight of his little brother drenched in what you hope is fake blood, you smile back at him and lean in to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek and all of seans worries about you coming over are instantly soothed.

- seans the type of boyfriend to be totally down with a pamper session. he’ll happily let you play aesthetician with him, applying multiple face masks, plucking his brows, waxing his legs, shaving his face, doing his makeup etc. sean seems like the type to have relatively clear and healthy skin but he’s left glowing after yalls little spa sessions!

- lyla ADORES you. you guys are probably incredibly close friends (actually i think lyla most likely introduced you and sean) you and sean are aware of lyla’s fear of her and sean not being friends one day, so you both make an effort to not leave her out of things. you guys definitely go to concerts and new movies together and make a bunch of amazing memories.

- sean has a polaroid of you in the back of his phone case❤️ his lockscreens reserved for his dad and daniel!

- absolutely adores you borrowing his tshirts or hoodies… he loves seeing you in his clothes but more so loves how they always smell like you after you wear them. if you’re bigger than sean he’d love borrowing any cute graphic tees or hoodies you had too.

- i think sean would spend christmas eve with your family and you’d spend christmas day with his! sean would paint you the most beautiful portrait of a candid photo of you, alongside a personalised photo necklace (these are so so cool - you can place a customised photo inside of the necklace, and you see it once you look inside the heart pendant!!) it’s probably of a picture that esteban took of the two of you during your holiday in puerto lobos. its one of the most beautiful meaningful gifts he could have gotten you, and you wear the necklace every day.

- i think when sean falls for someone he doesnt fall fast but once he does fall, he falls VERYY deeply in love. you bring him so much happiness and he loves expressing that through big and small gestures. randomly surprising you with flowers during the week, suddenly being overwhelmed with a wave of songs that remind him of you prompting him to make you a mixtape, writing you love letters, absentmindedly finding himself doodling you on a post it note mid class and handing it to you. sean loves you with all his being and shows it to you every day.

[just-some-random-blogger]

hello!! would it be possible to request a daemon/reader inspired by ‘wildest dreams’? like they’re in a secret relationship or something,, the lyrics just really fit with him i think🤭 thank you<3

Red Lips

Daemon Targaryen x Reader

Summary: The prince had a taste for things he couldn't have. Whoever knew he'd see the day he'd have to work for something to get it.

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: Fem!reader, i made up yn's house, enemies to lovers lol jk emenies to enemies, angst?, daemon annoying af, pining, typos, etc.

A/N: i put the second part of your ask below the gif cos i wanna see his goofy face when i get notes T_T and nah you're so right i love this song as a prompt. i think slay. i wanted to write while listening to wildest dreams (taylor's version) but i was jamming too hard T_T also nonnie, i tweaked your req like a lot T_T cos i was focusing on the music to much and the music told me make it angsty just a lil bit ig idk if its angst at all tbh. if anything its taylor's fault ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i hope you like it <3 Tagging: @pinksirensong @deniixlovezelda @targaryenmoony

"Hello, bitch," he mutters, smiling, as his fingers trace the rim of his cup. I release a sigh at the unfortunately familiar sound. Suddenly, the open air was ruined by the foul scent of dragon.

I turn over my shoulder, raising my brows, "funny of you to address yourself, ser."

"Prince," he snips in correction, leaning in against my hair.

I side eye him, "no actually, I take that back. I'm horrified," I look out to the field where lord what's-his-face, was standing, telling a story about himself on his nameday; it didn't make his story any more worth listening to though. Surely the people were only listening out of pity.

"You should have the maesters check your sanity."

I turn to the wretched muggins, who downed his drink and chucked the cup over his shoulder. I away not wanting to burn my eyes more over the sight of his repulsive topaz tunic and stupidly long hair, "what was it they said about your kind?"

He scoffs a dry chuckle, "my kind?"

"Flip a coin and you'll determine if they're mad or not.

He chuckles louder.

I wave him off, grimacing at the sound of his laughter mixed with celebrant's, "you should go and do that. I'm sure your brother broke the backs of enough serfs to get a coin for youself"

He mumbles something in High Valyrian but then he cuts himself off when lord what's-his-face, who thought standing on his chair was a good idea in all his drunkenness, falls over on his back, making everyone gasp and circle around him.

I eye the felled man in annoyance, lips curled in disgust as the oaf beside me cheers, clapping his hand, "now that's festive!" He turns to me, "I'm sure you'd know nothing about merrymaking whatsoever with how high that stick up your arse is."

I offer him a pulled smile, bowing mockingly, "Prince Daemon."

The twat does not get the hint and follows after me when I walk away. He places his hands behind his back, "what's say we steal the bloke's mounts and ride off to the city?"

I roll my eyes at him, "good luck with that. I wholly express my wishes for you to fall just like him and break your spine along the way."

"Hmm," he says, grabbing a drink from a random person, who was about to protest but then bit his tongue upon seeing the thief. Daemon downs the liquid and throws the cup away haphazardly, "sounds like something you want."

I turn to him like face twisted with incredulous annoyance, "I would want nothing more."

"For yourself," he leans in, grabbing my arm, making me growl at him, "I can break your back if you want it so bad."

I pull away from him, grunting and groaning as I did, "qogralbar hen, doru-borto."

Also know as fuck off, stupid, in his very own mother tongue.

Daemon laughs as I walk away, gathering my skirts tightly in anger. He follows still, like the irritating fly that he is, "I'm honored to have gotten you to learn my language, gevie riña."

The sound of his boots crunching against the rocks riled me up twice as much when I could hear him fucking breathing behind me. I shoot him a glare, shoving him away from me, which he evades, "stop following me, Daemon!"

"I'm not following you," he lies, pursing his lips plainly, brows raising.

I stop in my tracks, "fine then! where are you going?"

"Wherever you're going."

I rip out a sharp, exasperated huff through my cheeks, wiping my face in annoyance, "I'm not in the mood for your games today."

"Tonight then."

"Pah! You've clearly need help," I scoff, storming away, far enough to reach the lake nearby. I am fooled that I am alone because of how he silently trials behind me in his momentary silence.

I stop in my tracks when the fucker kicks water towards my dress.

"You're the only one that can help me."

"WITH WHAT?" I snap, digging my heals into the ground as I turn to him. Daemon stills, hair blowing back with the wind as mine flies onto my face, "what makes you think I would ever help you, cretin?"

"You owe me," he mutters, walking forward, "you cannot think to kiss me and pretend like nothing happened."

"Why would I owe you?! I did not kiss you, your grace," I shake my head, "you kissed me!"

Daemon's lips quirk as he counters, "you were the one that was drunk, not I."

"Then leave it at that!" I shriek, "you'd get away with so much more if you used that excuse!"

"I will not excuse a lowly troll such as you for committing treason."

"Treason?!" I scoff sharply. I turn away from him, crossing my arms, "you are, by far, the most dramatic-"

"YOU MAKE ME ILL!" he barks, grabbing my shoulders. I jolt at his actions. He seethes, "YOURE FUCKING KILLING ME!"

In all his life, through our family's feuds, and our childhood hatred, he never once touched me, thus my perturbed reaction. My breathing becomes strained, my heartbeat was racketing in my ribcage.

"I am slipping into madness-" he continues, "-because I cannot get you out of my mind!"

If my pulse was not quick enough before he said that, it was surely quick now.

I take in the sour expression on his face, lifting my eyes up to his stupid eyes, stupid nose, stupid jaw, stupid- ugh! How did anyone ever think that he was handsome? There was nothing at all pleasant about this- this- this fiend! This- this ninnyhammer! This-

Daemon crushed his lips against mine.

Time stopped, as so did my breathing.

He was warm, as were his palms that found my cheeks.

And he smelled good, gods, he smelled so, so goo-

I shove him away. I heave arudously.

What the fuck am I saying?

Daemon was heaving too.

My mind is spinning. I cannot believe I allowed myself to think what I did.

"I cannot get that night out of my mind," he breathes heavily, "I must," he points, "have you," he noted, "I will die if I do not."

I gulp the bile rising up my throat. My lips curl in disgust. I wipe my lips with my wrist, "then perish."

[fuwushiguro]

𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

I'll try and keep this short and concise but you all know I talk too much lmao. I think I'm done w this blog and probably tumblr in general. I have nothing left to give, I'm exhausted and upset and I'm really tired of circling back to this so often. I haven't been interested in writing for a long long time but I get sudden inspiration to write and then choose to share and the lack of interaction is just so damaging. I don't think it would feel as bad if I hadn't had so many fics in the past get to like 1k notes or more, now I'm lucky if I get 30. And to be honest even then half of the notes are me boosting my own posts. It's just so crazy to think that my blog performs so poorly and has so little interactions considering my followers are a five digit number.

I do feel really abandoned and sort of shunned from tumblr and I wouldn't wish that on anyone personally. I always liked to think being on tumblr and having friends here was about supporting people and being kind but tbh it's not felt like that for a long time for me. I just have no desire to write, it's so thankless and disheartening.

I'm really enjoying doing art though even though that isn't doing well either. It actually feels a lot more worth my time to see a piece of art I've made with my own hands, obviously it would be nice to get interactions and stuff but it doesn't feel as hurtful when it doesn't.

It's just too frustrating at this point to keep logging in and seeing how poorly my stuff is doing compared to others. I don't doubt that there are others having a similar issue with interactions but I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle anymore, especially when I'm seeing other blogs getting like 8k notes on their fics and stuff. Not that those blogs don't deserve it! It just makes me think that I'm doing something wrong. All I've tried to be in my time here is nice and supportive. I love my followers and moots and the friends I've made and will always cherish but I think fuwushiguro is dead unfortunately.

Thank you all for supporting me for so long. It means a lot to know how many of you have stuck with me through everything and took the time to tell me how much you love my work and stuff, I'll never forget it.

Like I said, I'm still enjoying making art. I'll probably post stuff now and then over at @b-imbou if any of you want to support me over there. I have some other art socials too if any of you are interested feel free to ask. It'd be nice to keep in touch with you guys and keep sharing things I'm passionate about with you.

But, if not, thanks for everything.

Take care everyone!

Love, Luxe 💞

[iobartach]

GET TO KNOW YOUR ADMIN !!

name — Nix

pronouns — anything at all tbh, i don't mind!

preferred comms — leaning more towards discord than tumblr; i am just a slow replier / not available at times. so gimme a shout if you ever wanna share discord usernames!

name of muse — miguel o'hara / spider-man 2099

experience in RP — coming up fast on 18ish years this july, i think? 🥴tumblr's been the platform i've used the most, i came over from bebo, the original version, way back in the day, and also gave forum and discord server rps a go, but eh, i just like the format of tumblr more? especially for being able to make themes and stuff.

best experiences — fortunate to have had plenty of 'em! with miguel though, i have to say it's been especially fun? i really missed the whole aspect of meeting new people and crafting plots / crossovers when it comes to RP, as i had slowed down on writing for a while to get my career started. but now, i'm so glad to be back at it , more often!

pet peeves/dealbreakers — ahhh, let's see, i've gotten laid back af the longer i've been writing? the things that i appreciate nowadays are when folks take the time out to read over my guidelines, headcanons, bio (it's so poorly written, i am so sorry) etc, but i'm not gonna be a hardass about telling you to do so, either? like, someone taking the time to read my hcs is cool! going the extra mile and mentioning them in threads / plots? damn, kudos to you, i can't thank you enough! and if someone has any questions? my door's always open, i will ramble at you until the crack of dawn about miguel if you give me the chance 😂 but yeah with all that said, i'm not gonna hassle or bother folks if they don't read my stuff or ask me questions.!

that said, though, i do wanna point out that there are some specific things to my flavour of miguel that i'm trying to be consistent about? which, for anyone who's known me for years shouldn't be surprising to hear. i've been meaning to add them to my pinned post for my own / other's reference, and 100% accept that i don't call or jot them down as often as i should, it's all kinda just sitting in my head! oops!

and well... to that end, i'd also like to tentatively say... please don't automatically make assumptions / presumptions about my take on miguel, either? 🙏 yes, he's arisen from the atsv version, which i acknowledge can attract certain... notions. but, at the same time, please respect that he's not a soundboard or a thirst trap. he's a guy that, in my telling, fucked up, royally and is trying to deal with that, in his own way.

same also goes for no meaning no. both in-character and out-of-character. miguel will be blunt / react accordingly to things he doesn't vibe with (physical touch, dehumanising comments [deliberate or otherwise], etc), especially with strangers / unfamiliar people -- and for myself, i've been in enough rpcs for long enough to not allow myself to be strongarmed into doing certain things. i'd expand more about my previous experiences, but a munday post ain't the place for that, so yeah. i just would be grateful for any acknowledgement of this. all i wanna do is write one spidery guy, in relative peace, at my own pace & leisure. cheers !

muse preference ( fluff, angst, smut ) — i'm a glutton for a bit of everything, but i kinda lean lately more towards action and slice of life. fluff is good, but i try to approach it so that i don't overdo it -- same with angst, i thrive on it, but again, all things in moderation ! and of course, if mutuals ever feel like i'm leaning hard towards a particular genre (which i've a tendency to do!), feel free to pull me back a bit, i won't mind!

plot or memes — memes are the balm for my soul, i stg <3 i love how they can be icebreakers, as well as the perfect thing to spark some muse inspiration after spending the weekdays working. i do love to plot, too, and i've been thinking of doing a lot more of it lately, especially as i grow to learn about another mun's muse, but i'm also a bit of a slow burner when it comes to that, largely because of how much of my week is taken up by work (a blessing and a curse :() . so if you're fine with plots & long form threads progressing over months, absolutelyyy hit me up! 👀

long or short replies — cackling me + short reply is rarer than hen's teeth🤣 i can't do one-liners for the life of me, so you'll always get a small paragraph or two. i love doing long replies, especially if my writing muse is thriving, but never fear about matching reply length or anything! i just ... can't shut up, sometimes, lmao.

best time to write — weekdays are a huge hit or miss 🥴 sometimes, i'm able to write, more times, i'm not. so weekends, when i have the time to chill and relax, not stress about things, is when i find my motivation to write thrives the most

are you like your muse? — in one very specific way maybe; little patience for assholes 🤣 . i'd love to be able to take things on the chin, but eh, stupid stuff can get to me at times. if anything, i feel i'm more like miguel's brother gabriel, and i both love and work in tech rather than in science. worked a two-year stint in a medical corpo and i came out the other side vowing to never again do that. 🥴 i'd also love to be a smartass and have miguel's dry wit, but alas i'm just a funky irish potato.🤣

Tagged: @pzfr

Tagging: anyone who wants to steal this!

[mooifyourecows]

What typically gives you inspiration to write your stories? How do they become fully developed concepts after you gat hit with inspiration?

I'll get inspiration from anything tbh. Dreams, videogames, movies, tv shows, books, other fics, songs, something i saw at the grocery store, etc. Sometimes I just have a character or relationship dynamic that i want to write and build around that.

I'll think up a new story idea almost every other week. Not all of them become something though lol some of them are just a flash in a pan idea that i quickly forget about/abandon because i just can't really sink my teeth into it, you know?

When i do have an idea that i want to pursue, it slowly grows into fully developed concepts over the course of weeks or months. I keep notes in my phone and add to them when ideas come to me. Eventually, when the story is starting to hold water, I'll make a playlist for it because having that musical connection really helps me develop even more of the story/character/mood. I've changed whole story ideas because the playlist i put together had a different vibe from my original plan haha it's VERY vital to my creation process. which is why everyone should listen to my story playlists because THEY'RE IMPORTANT AND REALLY DRIVE HOME THE VIBE! (ehhh some of them are more important than others. some are mostly for my own benefit, having certain music playing while i'm writing to keep the mood/voice)(but still)(pls like my playlists, i put a lot of effort into them)

I'm not the type of writer who can get an idea and then just write it. (if those types of writers even exist. do they exist?) I really take my time planning stuff out. I have several stories/story ideas that I've been consistently thinking up and jotting down notes on for literal years. I think of a lot of really great stuff when i give myself the time to do it. And I'd miss out on absolute gold if I just sat down and wrote them the instant I had enough to make a story.

Some stories do grab me immediately though. Like recently I got an idea for a new DaiSuga fic and I've very excitedly spat out 12k words in the past two-ish weeks. In cases like this, the story just fleshes itself out so perfectly that I can't help but get it out of my head. I might hit a block on it soon and have to put it on the backburner until I figure out a way around it, but for now, I'm just putting whatever I can onto the page, regardless of how good it is.

And a lot of the time, it's garbage, you know? I just write total trash. Boring dialogue, zero description, scenes that cut off in the middle because I don't know how to progress to the next one, etc. Most of my stories are in this horrible Pre-Frankenstein state where it's just pieces and parts I have to figure out how to sew together and shoot some life into them so they move the way I want them to. And sometimes that takes a long time to accomplish, so they just kinda sit in my wip folder, waiting for me to get the sudden motivation to dust them off and fix them up. (or on occasion, restart from page one)

I'm really not super organized or professional or anything. I just think things and I write them down so I don't forget. Somehow they manage to fit together into something people want to read. It helps that I'm constantly watching movies/TV or reading. Once you get a really good feel of how stories of all different genres work, you can make your own. And I can't really say for sure how good of a writer I am, I definitely don't think I'm on the same level as a lot of writers that I've read, both in fandom and in original fiction. I can see how my vocabulary, grammar, description, etc doesn't hold up to those people. But if there's one thing I know I can do, and feel confident in my ability to do, it's telling a story.

I may not be able to describe a setting but boy howdy can I tell a story 🫵

[a-wolf-at-the-door]

I've been thinking about the No-Thing. Obviously, in the process of unbecoming a No-Thing, it stopped being. Despite no longer being, it does still exist, otherwise it wouldn't be able to know that it is a No-Thing.

In that case, if one would be able to step into the Void and survive, how would they perceive the No-Thing? Would it be a visible No-Thing? Would it be a feeling? A sound? In what perceivable way does the No-Thing exist? Not necessarily for the human perception systems. We are quite limited in those.

OR is the No-Thing's perception of itself so skewed with suffering and change that it no longer perceives itself as a thing that IS? Could it be that the No-Thing still is, but can't conceive the notion of its being?

I miss Rose :( she was in far less pain than the No-Thing.

Hope your week is going well, and that your weekend gets you very well-rested.

First off thanks for your well wishes and I hope your week is going well too!

I’m so glad you’re thinking about this, I have spent many hours wondering about exactly this question. I have four answers for your one question. They take the form of bad news, good news, a twist, and a promise. The twist is an essay tbh, get ready for a long read!

The bad news: I don’t have a satisfying answer to what the No-Thing is and how the No-Thing would hypothetically be perceived. This is partly because it’s a counterfactual hypothetical: the No-Thing isn’t. Is. There isn’t anyone else doing the perceiving, and if anyone else were to enter the Void they’d be either killed or No-Thing-ified too, excepting those with a Void ship, but my understanding was that part of the way the Void ship worked was by preventing external perception anyway… The other reasons I don’t have a satisfying answer: answering might involve a little bit of spoiler-ing that I don’t want to do, and also, though I pretend otherwise, I can’t entirely wrap my head around the concept of unbeing either! I’m trying to convey not only that which cannot be conveyed but also that which cannot be comprehended, and to get across the truly incomprehensible I can’t cheat and comprehend it!

The good news: You get to decide how to imagine it! Each reader probably has a different understanding of what it must be like for the No-Thing in the Void. Our imagination of unbeing is informed by our individual experiences of being, of embodiment, of identity. I know I move through the world of being very differently than many in my circles, partly due to big Identity Labels™ (cis woman, queer, short, thin, young, white, Latina, neurodivergent, etc. and oops! Now you know a lot more about me!) and partly due to non-Identity Label™ experiences, traumatic and restorative and neutral alike.

The twist: I lied a little, or told a half-truth. Definitely true thing: I believe that stories are always collaborations between writer and reader. Writers provide the scaffolding and readers fill it in and make it particular. We can try all we like to evoke a certain experience, but everyone brings their own background and experiences and lens to the story, so no two people ever really read the same story. And so with that, I think it’s the author’s responsibility to let go. The words on the page are published and the rest of the work is up to the reader to determine and decipher however they may.

But.

I am feeling a little irresponsible.

So I’m gonna tell you more about what inspired the way I write the Void. This isn’t technically a direct answer, nor is it meant to be the sole interpretation of the Void. If you don’t like it, you can always ignore it! Anything I say about these fics is pretty much “fan interpretation” unless it’s in the body of the fic. Here, I’m not really the all-knowing author, I’m just someone who gets to read ahead before everyone else. (because I wrote it lol)

So. How and why do I write the Void (and the No-Thing) the way I do?

The easy answer would be to point to some literary influences. I drew on some elements from DW canon. I love The Magnus Archives podcast and The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (who is just generally a huge influence on my writing style, I adore her and her work). I consume a lot of speculative fiction and poetry and interesting science writing.

But the real deep-rooted influence of my imagining of the Void is rooted in my mental health challenges. I want to first couch this by saying I’m in a really good place right now and have been for a while. I’ve done a LOT of therapy and I’m on the right medications and I’m making a ton of progress taking care of myself, but I have at points in my life suffered from intense depression, anxiety, and complex trauma. I also have ADHD (but I don’t like saying I “suffer from” that one because it’s so intrinsic to who I am). I’m about to talk about these mental health things in a bit more depth so if you’re not comfy reading about them skip ahead to the promise!

Ok.

I have always struggled with embodiment. Not so much with my specific body—I have a lot of privilege as a thin cis woman and I want to acknowledge that—but with the idea of being in a body to begin with. I blame some of that on the Catholic Church teaching me that the body and all its earthly desires are bad things, and some of it on growing up surrounded by people with a lot of internalized fatphobia, and some of it on growing up intellectually gifted in a society that has a bedrock belief in Cartesian dualism (mind and body are separate, mind is superior to body, mind is pure and godly and must be cultivated, body is impure and animalistic and must be controlled/repressed). My thoughts have always been so fast (thanks ADHD) that I often felt like my body was a limitation.

I have long been very antagonistic towards embodiment and am only recently (past few years) beginning to truly unpack and heal from that. For a very long time the narrative in my head was like this: I am a mind and my mind is clever and creative and quick and capable of so much. My body is an inconvenience. Taking care of it takes time away from the extraordinary things my mind can do. Why does my body betray me by needing sleep, needing food and water, needing bathroom breaks and tooth-brushing and medicine and moisturizer? Why can’t I write as fast as I think? Why can’t I just be a cloud of disembodied thought?

A lot of egotism, a lot of shame. The two often go hand in hand.

These thoughts go back as far as I can remember. I learned to type really fast because I have memories of being a toddler watching my mom typing away and being jealous because handwriting was too slow for me to get my stories out.

I was also a pretty morbid kid. Like seriously, I would read the obituaries in the newspaper and search specifically for young deaths. I don’t know where this came from—I have been very lucky and have still not lost many people close to me, and at that time I hadn’t really lost anyone close to me at all. But I thought a lot about death.

I wasn’t a very good Catholic. I scored highly in religion class because I scored highly in almost every class, and I could believe that Jesus had really existed and done all that stuff the Bible said, but my faith broke down when I thought about death. Hell was terrifying. Purgatory was still beyond my comprehension. My real issue was with Heaven. It sounded interminably boring.

Before anything else, I am and have always been a writer. And as a writer I know that plot relies on conflict. So a reality where everything is perfect all the time and everyone is happy and nothing bad ever happens? Couldn’t get behind it.

As I started losing my faith, my thoughts turned more towards oblivion. (Cue early-2010s TFiOS-era poetic depression). The idea of winking out into nothing terrified me, consumed my thoughts, kept me up at night. What would death be like? Nothing. And what would Nothing be like?

So you see, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about unbeing. And I’ve spent an awful lot of time ignoring the realities of my being, dissociating from my body because I felt limited by it, ashamed of it, detached from it, betrayed by it. (In reality, I was the one doing the betraying.)

Writing Rose/the No-Thing in the Void has been an exercise in paying attention to my being. Trying to capture absence means I have to better understand presence. And it’s made me a hell of a lot more aware of reality.

Because depression lies to you and tells you that you are nothing, that you know nothing, that you feel nothing. Anxiety lies to you and tells you that you are everything everywhere all at once, that you know and can predict every possible outcome, that you are hyperaware of all that’s happening. The No-Thing is both of these and more and less. Like depression, the Void robs Rose of identity, memory, connection, but also like depression, it does so imperfectly. She is not unsalvageable because no one is ever unsalvageable. Like anxiety, the Void gives her a hyperawareness and detachment, a series of images she can’t quite connect and comprehend, an inner monologue she cannot silence. But also like anxiety, it doesn’t actually bring anything into clear focus or control.

Rose’s journey back towards embodiment is coming, and I’m really excited to write it. Partly for her, and a lot for me. It’s going to mirror some of the lessons I’ve learned as I get more comfortable with the fact that being human means being embodied, that I am on the same team as my body, that it sends messages to me and I choose to listen or ignore them, that it never betrays me but that I can choose whether or not to betray it. Her return will also show more of Bad Wolf as a disability. (Disclaimer: I don’t generally disclose the specifics but I have a few conditions that can be classed as disabilities, though they are the sort that can be managed thanks to modern medicine, my parents’ health insurance [thanks Obama!], and a lot of luck and privilege, so with the exception of rogue flare-ups, they don’t usually have disabling effects on my day-to-day life.)

The promise: Rose will return. Can I promise she’ll be in less pain? No. But can I promise she’ll come back and grapple with her new challenges and do it all with characteristic aplomb? Yes.

Ok that’s all! Hope you enjoyed the essay that didn’t really answer your question lol, now go forth and imagine!

[lyr-caelum]

Hello Lyr!!! (Can I call you that? Is that what people call you? Do you like that??)

I adore your art.

And I love how you kind of take us on your art journey and show us the process sometimes! I’m obsessed with watching speed runs of how artists create their beautiful art! (It’s inspiring and makes me feel like I could actually get there too haha, makes it graspable?)

Anyway, my question to you is, do you have any tips on how to do anatomy? I’m struggling hahah

I watched a few youtube videos but I quickly get overwhelmed, they always expect you to just know so much, y’know? It’s always like “and this is how you draw a leg, and here the calf does this curve in this position and here look I drew it in another position” and I’m just like “but how am I supposed to know! How am I supposed to know that a leg looks that way!!!” (My apologies, this is a mess, my words have failed me today hahah)

And even if you don’t have any concrete advice I’d still be interested in your art journey! How did you learn? :D

HI!

Yes ofc u can call me Lyr, yes people call me that online and yes I do like it, (it's like the celestial version of my real name)

I'm so glad u enjoy it when I share my process... My sketches are very messy and sometimes I'm like... no one it's going to understand this but oh well.. it is what it is....

About your question, yes! I do have a lot of anatomy tips, and like you I saw every video, I did life studies, I drew scultures... I did everything my teachers and all the youtube videos tell u to do... but at first it didn't work, and I get that is frustating.... sometimes I'm also like... wait... how do knees work? And it's normal.. the more common things, the things u see every day are the hardest to draw, cause u can spot that something is off even when u don't know what it is... and that can be very anoying...

I believe I have a long way to go when it comes to drawing, and that is what I like about it, that everything is improvement and there is no finish line, you will only get better and better.

With time I think every artist comes with their own methods of anatomy solving, for me is understanding volume more than shape, cause every body is diferent and if I understand the mass instead of the shape of an arm for example, I can draw every arm, right?

Also I draw in front of a mirror, I have a mirror placed on the wall behind my tablet, so everytime I don't know an expresion or how something looks like, I just pose and I use myself as a reference (I prefer this than going endleslly though pinterest looking for a reference picture) I sometimes also take pictures of myself (this is embarrassing tbh)

I am also a big fan of art books, specially from artist that I like, more than anatomic ones, but I can recomend you "secret charracter drawing" and "point charracter drawing" by Tako. It's great if you are starting and it might help!

I know this migh sound unhelpfull but I learned how to draw... drawing and looking, looking a lot, I love looking at people, their body language, how peoples personalitys or feelings get mirrored on their bodys... (for this I recomend dark sunglasses, don't be creepy and if you stare to hard, don't get caught) FOR ACADEMIC REASONS ONLY!

I usually have on my phone a note pad where I write things that I saw and I would like to use as inspo, or as a reference. I'll never take a pic of somebody in a creepy way, I rather type down what I'am understanding and then try to draw that feeling.

Sorry for the long reply, I love talking about this stuff!

Thank you so much for your ask and for liking my art <3

[mumms-the-word]

Writing prompt ask: 23,24,&25 please and thank you!❤️

Hello anon! Thank you for the ask!!

23. pick three keywords that describe your writing

I answered this for another ask, but I'll post it here too, because I still think it's kinda true

easygoing, imaginative, and overlong (lol)

maybe lol I have a hard time defining my creative writing for some reason

24. how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

I take a break from the creative thing I'm not vibing with. Sometimes if you force it, it sounds forced, and I hate that in my writing. Unfortunately this sometimes means indefinite breaks (I abandon a lot of projects), but not always.

When it's something I care about and want to finish, either for my readers or for myself, I'll listen to instrumental music. Movie soundtracks, game soundtracks, soundtracks from shows, etc. I'll use the music to help daydream or visualize the scene, the moods, the emotions, etc, and sometimes doing that will help me land on the right sentence to spark that creativity again.

Other times, I'll read other people's work. You wouldn't believe how inspiring it can be to read someone else's fic and go "oh my gosh, I want to do something like THAT." Except you don't want to outright steal ideas and phrases (unless you ask permission and permission is granted), so sometimes when you're inspired and want to do something like what you read, it helps you come up with unique ideas for yourself.

For example, the Atlantis fic wouldn't have happened if I hadn't read @sorceresssundries's Indiana Gale fic Rite of Resolve and gone "oh my GOD I have to write an Indiana Jones Gale fic, but my friend has already done that and I just can't steal her idea so something else what is something--THE MUMMY. ATLANTIS. A DIFFERENT INDIANA JONES MOVIE IDK"

And, well, here we are.

Likewise, my most popular Gale fic, Choosing to Live wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been inspired by the beautiful artwork @gangstagandalf did that sent my brain into hyperfixation. If you're stuck in a rut, my advice is to go out and look at other fanworks, listen to music that inspires you, and tell yourself it's okay to take a break from it for a little while.

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

singing like...way too many broadway/disney musical songs mostly lmao

I cycle through hobbies tbh? Like...writing is the one CONSTANT hobby in my life, because I've just done it for...forever. If I'm not writing fic, I'm writing original book projects, if I'm not writing that I'm constantly working on academic writing, and if I'm taking a break from academic writing then I'm writing fic scraps or daydreaming fics/book scenes/etc. It's the one thing my brain doesn't shut off.

But other hobbies I periodically introduce are video games (the most frequent, though I tend to replay stuff I've already played), watching history documentaries/true crime/live trials on YouTube, and occasionally doing that ADHD thing where I want to suddenly become a master of a particular craft/art skill, hyperfocus on it for two weeks, and then abandon it (rip to all my craft supplies)

I need to get back into reading for fun....maybe after grad school :')

[silvysartfulness]

Talk Shop Tuesday: How do you decide which scene in a chapter of HHaR to illustrate? And are there any scenes that you'd like to illustrate but haven't had time/energy/etc.?

It’s always a careful see-saw balance between “interesting scene from the chapter that I would enjoy drawing and think people would like to see drawn” and “I’m a lazy, low-spoon disaster and will cop out on anything too complicated”..!

For example, I absolutely hate drawing interior settings, so you will notice there are very few detailed indoor scenes - and the times they spend entire chapters indoors and I can’t escape it, the settings tend to be very vague. So usually, if I have the choice, I’ll avoid any scenes taking place inside.

Drawing unnamed, random npcs/crowds is also boring/taking too many spoons, so again I tend to avoid those (or making the people around them silhouettes or just very roughly sketched background figures). Architecture is another headache – if I have decent refs and I really want to convey the atmosphere of a place, I’ll sometimes draw cityscapes, but I’m a happier artist when I don’t have to.

So in short, if I can get away with character close-ups or doing landscape backgrounds, that’s what I’ll likely go for, especially if I’m a bit low on spoons!

Sometimes I really do want to capture something more complex, though – the latest one, with Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji as guest stars took me forever to draw, because I hadn’t drawn those two before, and I had to start by going through the last few episodes of the series to screengrab a whole bunch of refs, and then actually draw their faces, decide on which of their outfits I wanted to draw, then find refs for that etc. It took a lot of time and work. 🥲

And yeah, there are absolutely many scenes I would love to see drawn, even though I don’t have the time or energy for it – there’s a reason I so often wish for commission slots for birthdays and Christmas! I love to see others tackle those scenes! Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen meeting on the bridge in Hongqi, the three of them cuddled up together in the ruins of Dushou, the trio walking toward the temple of Yanxia Guan, almost drowning in the river after fighting the catfish yao… I’ve been blessed with so many gorgeous commissioned works!

Not to mention the amazing fanart some people have given me! It takes my breath away every time someone decides to draw something from the story just because they felt inspired to, absolute pure magic! The best feeling in the whole world! 😍

As for specific scenes I would love to see drawn, either scraping my own spoons together or commissioning others to… 🤔

Song Lan possessed by the mist spirits and fighting Xue Yang is such a striking visual in my mind, with his white eyes and mist trailing from nose and mouth!

Song Lan dragging/carrying a crying, drunk Xue Yang up the stairs and into his room in Muaishan, or possibly the following utter breakdown.

Song Lan’s shock when Xue Yang tells him about the death sentence awaiting him in Jinlintai and/or the follow-up shock when Xiao Xingchen is let in on it.

Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang by the little impromptu shrine Xue Yang made for Jin Guangyao

More art of the three of them cuddling in Dushou, tbh, because it’s the first time they allow themselves to snuggle up that way on purpose, all three of them, and I love that for them! 🥰

The smut scenes – I’ve only drawn one of those. Now that we can’t post porn on tumblr anymore, it feels like there’s little point to put in all that work, because I couldn’t share such art in many places. But I still love to see it!

I originally wanted to draw the trio and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji having dinner and talking together for chapter 57, but was once again defeated by old nemesis - interiors. It was bad enough drawing 5 detailed characters in a single illustration, I would not also have to deal with walls and furniture and stuff. 😒

That's some of the ones that come to mind! So many scenes, so few spoons! (And apparently I'm supposed to be writing the damn thing, too! 😭)

Thank you so much for asking! 💚

[blakbonnet]

I was tagged by Jams @not-nervous-jester to share my writing process so here you go, I'm sorry but this will get a bit long and it'll not be proofread cause life's too short (and my laptop has 4% battery left) 🙃

Do you write in order?

Yes and No. I start off any writing project (whether it be fanfic or work) with a detailed outline of the major plot points. I do the endings first more often than not when I'm planning a fic, then the middle, and finally, once those are out of the way, then I'll tackle the beginning kinda.

Because I write like a person possessed, the beginnings sort of just happen on their own but I need a guideline for hitting the major points or it will be all out of whack.

How fully formed does your writing come out the first try?

About 100%. Because I am so incredibly stupid and anal about this stuff, my first try is essentially a weighty tome of garbage. You can only throw out the garbage once I'm done, you can't add more to it. I guess this analogy doesn't work but it works in terms of the ✨ vibe ✨ I'm trying to create, stay with me people!

How many drafts do you go through?

Just one actually. If there is stuff in the first draft that I am not okay with, I will stop writing and simply leave it for a week or a month until I feel like picking it up again later 😐 The only time I actually create a new draft is when parts of the original are unreadable. Actually I'm lying, I just add stuff to the first draft while whistling and being inconspicuous.

Tell me about your process.

First comes the playlist. It HAS to start with a playlist. Every project has a separate playlist. Songs can be repeated, playlists cannot be the same though. It's a thing, and if I don't do it, it'll be a whole separate thing tbh.

The playlist has to be instrumental, it has to be mainly cellos and violins for the meatier scenes, piano is okay for the fluffy non-plot filler bits that I'm writing for my own entertainment. There can be no words or bits of the fic will turn into a Metallica song, I'll be sued, I'll lose everything and most importantly, the fic would never be finished.

Next comes the poetry, stuff that is actually inspiring the work and pushing it forward. That usually goes in tumblr drafts so it's easier for me to access from my phone. This is usually screenshots from e-books or actual pictures from physical books.

Because I do a fairly detailed outline beforehand, I usually start writing the beginning because that's what I haven't planned out yet and am most excited by. This takes me the longest amount of time and I also do a LOT of rewriting at this stage because personally, as a reader, I do abandon a lot of fics if the beginning isn't doing it for me.

I use google sheets cause I'll sometimes reread my stuff over the phone but I only ever write on the laptop, my phone is mainly for rereading and obsessing.

I also edit as I go along based on feel and make notes where I need to add stuff. If I edit later once I'm done, it usually doesn't come out like I want it to.

Once chapters are done, I copy paste them into Google Translate so I can hear them being read back to me. I catch a record number of missed typos and errors this way. I'm very conscious of the way I write dialogues because I'm so nitpicky when I'm reading other people's dialogues and this also allows me to correct issues with those (the "he would never fucking say it like that" errors)

After the first couple chapters, I'll share the google doc with mutuals and friends (mostly Ara @stedebonnets ) and I don't have a beta reader. Plot points I'll discuss with Josh and Joy 😭 and I don't publish fics on ao3 until the entire thing is written cause I'm a big stinking fic abandoner lmao (smauglock fic from 5 years ago rip 🪦 sorry readers)

This is the writing process that went into Need for Stede ✌️which was incredibly fun to write!

I'd like to tag @wearfinethingsalltoowell @abigailpents @talkstoself @red-sky-in-mourning @ratchet @stedebonnit and anyone else who wants to do this!

[crouton-knight]

Cringe is dead, let's do fic recs for our friends and our selves. I'll start.

DF Fics written by my friends (and me) that I still think about all the time:

By @oddeyesight ((Ao3 account))

ya'aburnee (General)

Notha and Uaanta find an interesting object, digging around Notha's previous lab.

The song + the fic are simultaneously very sad and very sweet. The buildup to the ending in particular, the crescendo and then the quietness of it.

chiaroscuro (Teen and Up)

Hero talks about their adventures in HHD, and Notha is reminded of an unpleasant meeting that happened so long ago.

And on the complete other side of the spectrum: Fear! Terror! Orpheus and Eurydice themes! Still kind of about grief but in a distinctly more "I'm afraid to lose you" way. 10/10 I go feral every time.

~!~

By @valorousowl ((Ao3 Account))

Dive Deep (General Audiences)

Notha Ly'Ehr is determined to save her friend. Remthalas is determined to trick their friends into killing him. Whatever it takes, this time would be different.

I keep coming back to this because the emotions are very sharp and real in a way that I can't quite describe here; you really have to read it for yourself. Notha's entire characterization is tragic, but in a way that I find deeply compelling.

Unspoken Names (Mature)

Aegis is well acquainted with Pandora. It isn't hard for him to suss out who Aspar actually is. He'll keep his mouth shut, for a price. Aspar may be desperate and lonely enough to pay it.

Overall lower stakes than my usual fare, but still packs a real whallop of emotional resonance, especially the part where Aegis tells Aspar that he's the one who should know better. I am physically incapable of being normal about Aspar and the softness and sadness of Aegis trying to be nice to him.

~!~

By @7yd1a ((Ao3 Account))

Return, Dear Light (Explicit)

This one is about Jaania living in the tower with the rest of the Villain Rehab Club, but really it's about her learning to feel again, and to forgive. Also she bones (haha) Alexander with an icicle; pretty fun use of healing ice magic I think! I don't know if there will ever be a continuation, but the characterization and the speed at which information about the characters is effectively conveyed is a lot of fun to watch unfold.

~!~

By @mismagireve ((Ao3 Account, though they are pretty much done with DF as a fandom.))

Somewhere Ages And Ages Hence (Mature)

According to Swordhaven's record systems, shortly after you fled into the forest, you were beset upon by wolves, and your remains were found hours later by a Rose researcher who had been on his way into the city for work that morning when he stumbled across the grisly scene of your demise. You are, for all intents and purposes, free of everything that was plaguing you now that you're dead and gone. You can't help but wonder if your new life hiding in the woods pretending to be dead and playing nanny to a Rose cultist's child could be counted as freedom.

I'm always up for stories about normal people in completely bonkers situations treated as, if not normal, then at least livable; I think this, even in its unfinished form, is one of the most fitting for that theme, and I really, really enjoy Syn's characterization of Lynn and Valen as people, and how the Reader-insert is most definitely their own person even while being, well, Reader-insert.

The Importance Of An "O" (General)

He got a letter from a faraway village.

This one isn't as immediately present in my mind as some other fics, but every time I see Galanoth (and tbh the word "dragoon") I do think of it, so it's definitely left an impression!

Words Spoken In Wormwood (Mature)

Among the bars in Swordhaven, there was an unspoken rule: if you serve Rose members, you don't let anything they say leave the building. So when one night at the bar, a few Rose members were discussing some secrets regarding one of their own— Well. Go ahead and ask anyone who was there that night. That conversation never happened.

This inspired several headcanons about Valen/Amadeus himself of the "they'll never believe you" sort so this is as good as canon in my heart.

Fine (General)

He was never good with people, and never made many friends, so whenever he lost one, it always hit hard. Tomix finds himself missing the hero.

This one gets a special mention even though I only read it today because I WILL be thinking about this for a long time.

~!~

By myself

Sutures (Explicit)

So You Found Out You're A Masochist: A Beginner's Guide or Tomix gets injured and learns he has a kink.

It's got some gore, fair warning for that. But I keep thinking about it because of the uh, applications of intangible spirit hands, and also the nature of Tomix's unraveling.

In Vain (General)

A child's first brush with death.

This and the ask where I mention Ogenos Dessert Sausage are constantly on my mind because I'm stuck on thinking about lost cultural treasures and how they affect those who knew them and then lost them as time went by. I should post that ask on Ao3 maybe.

The Masochism Tango (Explicit)

"They feel like normal lungs. Spongy, surprisingly resilient, but so fragile at the same time..." She said, in a whispered, reverent tone he almost missed. She'd never sounded like that before, not that he knew. The silence stretched on a little longer than could really be accounted for, without the sound of her tools as she vivisected him. Notha's eyes went dilated and faintly mischievous above her mask. What did you find? ~!~ There isn't a lot of existing documentation on abyssal elf biology, so if Notha's going to make clones for herself and Remthalas, she needs to take some notes.

I would be lying if I said this one didn't live rent free in my head. Notha kissing his heart, especially.

~!~

Feel free to reblog with your own fics or other fics from this fandom that you enjoy!

[blue-captain-frankie]

actually im just gonna answer all the questions in one post anyways lmao

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

(i genuinely could not tell you, i think i just randomly came up with and stuck to it)

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

(as of blog canon she is currently technically in her early 30s but being undead because of a parasite complicates age things lmao)

(i have an internal idea of "shes been here for 4 years" but if she crashed at 31 that'd make her 35, so idk)

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

(Clova/@green-captain-clova is currently her only "canon" love interest, so he's the default if someone asks if Frankie has romantic feelings for someone, but unless he's specifically mentioned/brought up i'm pretty open to figuring out new ones? she was already non-canonically shipped with Olimar before i made her blog, so this is not new lmao)

(tbh i'm not particularly attached to any of her ships so far, i just like giving her interesting dynamics with people. the slight ego boost from someone else's character having feelings for her is nice too lmao)

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

(i honestly could not give a straight answer for this one! Frankie likes eating anything i think, though as per her Koppai blood she has a slight bias towards fruit)

💼 - What do they do for a living?

(before Frankie died, she was part of a recon squad called the Four Corner Recon Squad. basically her job was to go either by herself or with a partner to planets that have been discovered but not explored, hang around there for about a week, and then report back so it can be decided if proper explorers should be sent.)

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

(i feel like she might like casual dancing if she tried it, but that's probably because i like to imagine characters dancing XD might also be leftover Olimar vibes)

(otherwise, i'm not sure!)

🎯 -What do they do best?

(in a way, i think one of the things she does best is try to hold herself together under stress. there're things that will inevitably break her, but she has a surprising amount of resilience for someone who's easy to unnerve.)

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

(Frankie loves to swim and relax in water! it's genuinely her favorite thing in general, but especially now that she has gills and has all this clean water. she likes ferrying a small amount of non-blue Pikmin across water too, as a lot of them haven't been anywhere near water before.)

(she hates having to sacrifice Pikmin for... obvious reasons. she also hates having to run away from a fight she started because she thought she could take it.)

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

(a day she spent with her grandpa on Koppai when he took a week off work for once! she was 9 years old, and they met up with her granduncle, Drake. It was her first time boarding a ship, seeing Koppai, and eating fresh fruit all in one day.)

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

(the day she got the news that her grandpa, Omi, had officially been declared MIA. she was 14 and took it extremely hard, especially when her mother told her rather bluntly. Frankie shut herself in her room for weeks...)

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

(sort of? she was created with a specific suit design (both pre and during PNF-404), but for pikposting canon she's now wearing a Rescue Corps suit. so technically she has a "new design" but not a full ass redesign)

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

(i actually have an extremely specific answer to this one!)

(Frankie was originally inspired by this animation meme of the Pikmin 1 bad end set to Bloom by j^p^n. i don’t remember how but she just kinda came into my brain as i listened to the song on loop a lot. the animation of Olimar falling with a broken helmet helped inspire the way she died.)

(she was also born from my want to explore the original pikmin hybrid Olimar, and then Pikmin 4 came out and punched me in the face lmao)

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

(fantasy, psychological horror, adventure, i think!)

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

(she's a stealth trans woman and straight!)

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

(none! closest she has is her 14 cousins who she doesn't know about lmao)

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/ their parents like?

(she didn't know her dad before he died. with her mother, they didn't have much of a relationship, but Frankie tries to remain optimistic(?) that her mother was the way she was (neglectful and aloof) for a good reason.)

(overall has the opinion of "she's not bad, she was just trying her best". ...That doesn't stop her from moving out later, though.)

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

(her story, i think. just the way she's had all these ups and downs and that she's a captain and tries to stay strong but she still has things that'll break completely break her down)

(i also like that shes very easy to use for vents because she deals with self dehumanization and the feeling of being disconnected)

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

(not as often as i'd like! mostly because i'm kinda burnt out on long formal rps and the amount of informal rping i do makes me not feel like drawing her. i do have ideas, just. not the energy.)

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

(i technically already have/am, but she's been revived twice and will get revived again, so that doesn't exactly count. otherwise i dont think so! it'd be really difficult for her to die anyways though, there's two Wraiths and several Pikmin who definitely wouldn't let her.)

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

(Doctors. even before she becomes very "scientifically interesting" she has a phobia of doctors. i have no reason for this, she just does lmao. maybe it's a holdover from gone home au, idk.)

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

(in a way you could say Tion/@tion-posting is, though i'd describe her as more of a foil than being an outright rival, though she's also a bit antagonistic towards Frankie at times.)

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

(according to her Toyhou.se profile, Frankie has existed for two months! she was created on August 9th)

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

(19! i'm currently 20.)

[bigjimbopickens]

Hi! I wanna say I love your art first of all! I just read the message under your last post about Kevin’s art video and you said you’re mostly self taught - I’m curious about how you get into that? I’d love to learn to draw but have no idea where to start!

Sorry for getting back to this so late I am not as active on Tumblr. And yes, I am mostly self-taught because of my circumstances growing up. To those who don't know, I am SnowfallWarning/Big Jimbo and I am currently an animation student. I do 2D animation, concept art and character design and I graduate this year (hopefully). I am disabled both physically and mentally which is why I mostly do digital art. I have a coordination disorder (dyspraxia) and am blind in one eye but that doesn't stop me. For my entire childhood I was discouraged from drawing as I apparently wouldn't go anywhere with it or that I was terrible. Where I lived most of my life had no opportunities for someone like me so I had to leave to continue pursuing art. Because of the poor access, the only things I had was notebooks, school supplies and an old iPad mini to draw with growing up. I learned everything I currently know now from using those. I don't know what got me into drawing still, may have been Warrior Cats and dinosaurs. Like what Jose said in Kevin's video, art comes from the soul. It is human expression and we've always been doing it. Anyone can be an artist and we all start somewhere, trust me. Here's some stuff I usually tell people because I do get asked this often (I'm also not the best teacher): 1: Experiment. Find what works for you. Be messy with it, not every piece needs to be perfect. If you are a digital artist then also trying different programs can be helpful too. Maybe you're better at drawing landscapes, characters or abominations that defy God. 2: Use references if necessary. Not sure why for a while it was considered "cheating" to use references. Everyone in the industry uses references, I would know. If you also want, you can try tutorials but I found I learn more from references. 3: Take inspiration. I'm always adding things I see in other people's art to my own style if I like it. Though try not to copy them. 4: Tracing. I believe tracing is okay for learning purposes. It's how I learned to draw humans after doing exclusively furry art for years tbh. I tend to stick to real-life references for this, this is a great site for practice: https://line-of-action.com (if you're not okay with nudity then do remember to turn that off). "But where do I even start?" Grab a piece of paper and pencil (or open a blank canvas on a digital art program if you prefer that) and just start doodling whatever. If you have an idea then go for that as well. Every class I've had in college so far has started with drawing and rendering a bunch of shapes to see where everyone was at and to get a feel of our styles. So maybe try that too. Draw random shapes with different materials/brushes, colour them in and add details like shadows and highlights. I know it seems ridiculous but I do it every once in a while to experiment and try different methods. You probably won't improve overnight. Hell, it took me 7 years to get to where I currently am. A lot of people quit because they think they're not good enough when pretty much every artist is only proud of about 10% of their work. Definitely the case for me. Not every piece is going to be a masterpiece and the imperfections can be what makes it special, so please don't be so hard on yourself. Don't be discouraged because other artists may be better than you either, they've probably been doing it for longer. So please, if you are dedicated enough, keep trying. I'm sure you will get somewhere :) So basically, - Use whatever material you got and draw what comes to mind, even if it's terrible it is a great start. - Experiment with your style and/or materials. - Reference, take inspiration and trace for memory. - Don't give up but do take breaks to avoid burnout. - Try not to be intimidated by other artists, we also don't really know what we're doing tbh (and just as afraid of you as you are of us).

I hope that all made sense and was somewhat helpful :)