#text wall questions

[cottoncandy-cult]

Text Walls

I got a comment on my Ao3 that said that it was easier to read if the paragraphs were broken up, while I was fixing it I noticed I tend to text wall a lot. It got me wondering if I should be breaking up my paragraphs more, I learned to do 5-7 sentences minimum for a paragraph in school so it's become a habit of mine to make bigger paragraphs.

Drop your opinion down below about how many sentences feel comfortable for a paragraph.

[cinnasalmon]

→ Zevlor SFW Alphabet

Various SFW relationship (mostly romantic, but some platonic too) headcanons, one letter at a time! Very long. Sorry not sorry. I have a lot of thoughts

NSFW Alphabet here !

→ A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Doting to the mf MAXIMUM. It's almost sickening. He's not super into PDA, but he will always have a hand on the small of his partner's back and be the first to open doors so he can hold it open for them. This has a risk of other couples in public to start arguing because “how come you're not like that with me?” 

For real though he is so affectionate, and it's always the little things, too. Like if he's on his way back from the temple and a food cart is offering a free sample of something, he asks for another to bring to his sweetheart.

→ B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Mom/Dad/Parent friend. Overly responsible, always offering to help, and it's one thing when someone comes at him sideways—he can take the heat (begrudgingly)—but it's an entirely different thing when it's one of his buds. He has an extremely small friend circle, and he considers them family.

Friendship progression is slow and really only happens if he sees them regularly: a regular at the temple or they work together there, they're his neighbors, etc. He's got trust issues out the wazoo, though (thanks Avernus/Elturel). So be very, very patient. 

→ C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

YES goodness gracious yes. He loves cuddling, or any kind of physical touch. Big spoon, little spoon, it does not matter to him so long as he's in physical contact with his partner. 

Though, he prefers as much of his body flushed against theirs (the more skin-on-skin contact, the better); we're talking arms holding each other, legs tangled, heads buried in the other's, etc. If his partner is also a tiefling, their tails will be intertwined as much as possible. If his partner is a non-tiefling, his tail will be coiled around one of their legs.

→ D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He's been wanting to settle down for decades. But, a Hellrider is for life. His career was always to be his priority: even if he had a family at home, even if his own life was in danger. 

But the moment he can finally settle down, soldiering days behind him, you can bet he'll be pitching in happily to the household chores. He may not be the greatest cook, but he'll tease he can chop the hell out of a vegetable.

→ E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Oh this is a nightmare scenario for him. He'll exhaust every possible option of salvaging the relationship before resorting to this. Once he commits to his partner, he doesn't let go easily. But if it comes down to it, he'll plan it out and whip out the ‘ol “We need to talk.” 

From being a commander in the past, he's not afraid of confrontation, but he'll still be gritting his teeth as he bites the bullet to end it. 

→ F = Fiancé (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

As stated above, once he commits to his partner, he's locked in; he dates with marriage as the end goal. Whether he's been married before or not, at his age now, this is it. So, he'll take his time before deciding to pop the question. Buuut he doesn't wait forever, though. He's a classic romantic, so no games or leading someone on. If his partner reciprocates with the same enthusiasm? Well he'll be down on one knee in no time.

→ G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Paladins who swear to an oath of devotion follow a set of tenants, one of these is to aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who prey upon them (labeled under Compassion). A sturdy and strong hand to slay enemies should also be capable of being soothing and with great care to those the paladin is sworn to defend. Zevlor is no exception to this. Even if his oath is broken, it's still in his nature to be like this.

As far as emotions? Much as he may try to appear stoic and calm, he wears his emotion on his face. And despite having the flames of Hell sat on onyx for eyeballs, they show a lot. I personally love the headcanon that the flames will brighten or dim depending on his emotions and I will stand by that proudly.

→ H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

As stated before, physical touch is something this man wants at nearly all times. So it's no surprise he gives great hugs. They're so gentle and calming, and even if the person he's hugging is taller or bigger than him, they'll feel enveloped by his touch. And being a tiefling, his body temperature runs higher, so his hugs are nice and toasty. 

He'll embrace his partner often, and he particularly loves hugs from behind (both giving and receiving). People hug from the front all the time, so coming up from the rear is quite a bit more intimate. He craves closeness in every sense of the word.

→ I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

He'll want to say it much sooner than he finally does. This is sooo cheesy, but he'll be staring at the side or back of his partner, feeling that wave of nerves, butterflies in his stomach, and the swells in his chest, but those short little words are caught at the top of his throat. His partner will notice him and curiously ask, “What are you looking at?” and he will say, “Sorry, I… was drifting in thought,” until one day his partner will once again curiously ask with an accompanied chuckle, “What are you looking at?” to which he will blurt out “I love you.” 

→ J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

This man will  n e v e r  admit he's jealous. But boy does it show. His words are short, blunt. He won't look his partner in the eye. They'll have to coax it out of him. Simply asking “Wait, are you jealous?” will not work. In fact, it will likely send him further into painfully obvious denial.

Since his oath and faith were broken and lost, his ego is um… quite fragile, moreso when it comes to things in his life he believes he doesn't deserve. Like his partner. Especially his partner. 

→ K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

His kisses are so sweet your blood sugar levels will skyrocket. 

So, so gentle and loving. He can certainly be rough when the time calls for it, but overall he's slow and even methodical a bit; he kisses like each one could be his last.

In public, he'll give a peck here and there, but at home? Showers his partner in kisses. Everywhere. It's one of the easiest and simplest ways to show how much he truly adores them.

He doesn't really have a preference where he likes to be kissed, but he blushes a bit and feels soft and mushy when it's anywhere on his face (especially cheeks, temples, and forehead) or any of his infernal features on his body. If his partner kisses the back of his hand, he'll freeze for a moment, then the bashfulness comes out.

→ L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He loves kids! I'd like to think that if asked what he would be if not a Hellrider, he would answer a schoolteacher (shout out to Early Access). He sees children as limitless potential with an insatiable curiosity; they are the future. And of course, he's always wanted children of his own, and perhaps a part of him still wants to try…!

→ M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Slow and easy. Decades of being a Hellrider waking up before dawn to report for duty? He is over it. Now he can finally take his time and savor the mornings.

If he's up before his partner and isn't helping out at the temple that day, he'll stick around and read a book until he hears them stirring awake. Once they're awake, it doesn't take much coaxing to get him back in bed. 

If both end up sleeping in, they're not leaving that bed for at least an hour after they wake up. Just cuddling and chatting, enjoying each other's company. Afterwards, they always make breakfast together.

→ N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Evenings are typically relaxing. After dinner, he'll read or write a bit (he loves his poetry), have a glass of wine or two with his partner, or any other similar winding-down type of activity. 

He has insomnia and frequent nightmares, and no matter how many nights his partner will be adamant to stay up with him, the warmth radiating from his body as well as the soothing baritones of his voice guarantee that will never happen.

→ O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

He harbors a lot of secrets and stress within him. He's very wise, but oftentimes wisdom is formed from hardship. He's reluctant to share much aside from surface-level tidbits until the relationship matures and he feels safe and secure enough to let his guard down. Even then, he's definitely someone who will still reveal things about himself years into a relationship or friendship.

→ P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He has a temper for sure, especially if a soft spot was hit. That being said, he's also quick to calm himself. Being a leader—a leader in the military, at that—he cannot let himself get caught up in the heat of the moment; he has to catch himself before it gets to that point, even if his anger is justified (see: the confrontation with Aradin).

→ Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He's got a pretty good memory, but when it comes to his relationship? Almost nothing will need to be repeated to him. Hell, he'll write it down on scrap paper and tuck it in one of his journals if he has to. 

If his partner works at a busy place in the city, he'll remember every co-worker his partner complains or raves about. Our man stays on top of the work drama: “Had a long day, darling? Was it that Galawyn again?”

→ R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

I think Zevlor's favorite moments in a relationship would be the little moments. Hearing his partner's fits of laughter, how peaceful they look asleep next to him, the way their eyes light up when they see a poster that their favorite traveling bard will be performing in town soon. 

And of course, it goes without saying his all-time favorite moment would be the classics: the wedding day and/or the birth of their child!

→ S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

HAh this man is a guard dog. Even before they become a part of his oath, he's adamant to protect his person, his one and only. During the budding/honeymoon stage of the relationship this will be extremely obvious. Lots of, “Dear, please be careful with that,” or “Would you like me to accompany you?” As if they didn't personally kill the Chosen of the Dead Three along with a Netherbrain. 

But for Zevlor to be the protected one? On the outside, he'll insist he's fine and that he can hold his own just fine, he's a grown man, etc. And he is right. But on the inside, he'll be so relieved to be tended to. So relieved, in fact, that he actually feels a bit guilty (but that's a whole other can of worms).

→ T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Oh he'll remember. He keeps track. Never will need to be reminded of something. He's someone who has that uncanny ability to bring his partner a random gift and they'll respond “How did you know I wanted this?!” and the bastard will shrug and smirk. He knows. He just knows. 

→ U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

His biggest one is he will easily and nearly automatically put himself down at every opportunity. Early in the relationship it's to the point he doesn't even realize he's doing it until it's pointed out. He's always had this mindset to a degree, but even still, he was a much different person in Elturel as a Commander vs. now. The trauma from Avernus combined with the aftermath of being blamed for it (and then subsequently exiled), as well as the events of the Shadow Lands, all did a number on his psyche.

I'm also not gonna lie—he can be a little codependent, especially if the relationship is new. It's easy to fall down that slippery slope when you want to serve others, especially loved ones. He may occasionally have to be reminded he can be “selfish” and accept the fact his partner can do things for him that he doesn't need to reciprocate!

→ V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Not terribly concerned. Well, not terribly concerned unless his partner is young and/or considered attractive by others (though he will always believe they are the hottest in all the land), then he'll feel very self-conscious and in need of some validation and reassurance. 

He does like to maintain good hygiene and prefers to wear simple, clean, and comfortable clothes. 

→ W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

He's a sappy romantic at his core, so once he finds his person, he will absolutely say they complete him.

While he had his comrades in the cavalry, all who were extremely close-knit and loyal to one another, they couldn't fill all his wants and needs. When they were able to take some leave, many of them had spouses and children waiting for them to come back home, and Zevlor had always lamented that.

→ X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

We got a nail biter over here! I recently saw this front-view of an idle animation as he stood over the map of Elturgard, and while it very well could be a generic idle animation not specific to him, imo, the shoe fits perfectly I'm afraid. 

He holds his hand over his mouth somewhat nervously, and you could say he's just pondering but I don't care! He's biting his nails okay!!!

→ Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

In a partner: if they're non-committal. No guessing games, wishy-washy, flaky nonsense. However, he is willing to wait if they want to take it slow and work through some stuff (and he'll be happy to assist them in any way he can). He just doesn't want to be with someone who treats him as a backup or if he feels like they're just settling for him.

In general: I have 0 evidence for this but I think he doesn't like tight spaces. Claustrophobia, if you will. Perhaps it's a lack of an easy escape or is limited in his movements, but he haaaates it. Even being in a crowd makes him uneasy. 

→ Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

After canon events, he takes naps frequently. All that stress and his nervous system stuck in survival mode for the past several months will catch up to him, and to try and recover, he'll feel sleepy a lot. Known to begin to drift to sleep while embracing his partner, even while standing (he will deny this if confronted).

He also snores. Not loudly by any means, but it's a dead giveaway that he actually made it into a nice, deep sleep, as he's normally a light sleeper and has some gnarly insomnia sometimes. Almost always falls asleep after his partner and wakes up before them in the morning.

———

If you made it this far congrats! Also I encourage you to fill out this alphabet too, for Zevlor or whoever!

[sergle]

what was the leash training thing❔

Omg so a houseline isn't leash training Per Se, but the basic idea is that you keep a line on your pup at ALL times, for the early part of their training. For Hugo (and most dogs) that'd be a leash that you cut the handle off of, so it can't get caught on anything. For smaller breed dogs, I've seen people use very lightweight stuff, like macrame rope lol. It might sound like it's a strict thing, but dogs don't really give that much of a shit abt it, and you can correct behavior much much more easily. Puppy careens toward a pill dropped on the ground, you don't have to actually catch them, you can stomp on the line! You need them to come to you, you don't have to play a game of chase, you just reel them in. Someone opens the front door unexpectedly- stomp on the line. Puppy is jumping up on people, you can use the line to encourage them to stay on all four feet. Etc etc etc. Training tool, safety tool, convenience tool. I definitely think it saved me and Hugo from a lot of moments that could've been a lot worse. Another thing about the houseline is that it keeps you from fucking up the process of getting the dog used to being handled and touched. Without the line, there are a lot of situations where you need to GRAB the puppy all of a sudden, and maybe it's scary. A lot of dogs are Hand Weary. So there's no negative association attached to your touch, and you don't run into a situation where the puppy is reactive to being Reached towards. The leash that's always been attached to me forever and ever and is sometimes directed by, idk, god? Not scary. Big hands reaching towards me very suddenly? Scary! Anddd that's why Hugo has a raggedy leash on in every puppy photo!

[justalilstar]

asks for night terror!

💥 (Collision) - What’s your OC’s combat style like? Do they adhere to any particular code of honour or ethics in a fight, or are they totally unfettered by that sort of thing?

and also i keep asking this one everywhere because i think starstruck just wants to be friends soooo baad but:

💌 (Love Letter) - How easy are they to befriend? Are they more of a social butterfly or a lone wolf?

I haven't drawn comics in a very long time, but I hope these answered your questions!

[sunnys-aesthetic]

I have had this certain itch to say this. I'm surprised you never got mad or despised Naff for being more well-known about a dca detective au and people stealing your designs to make fanart for her

I had to think over how to respond to this ask because by all means I didn't want to give a quick answer and dip without leaving things properly, genuinely answered or explained. I'd like to minimize any misinterpretations or misunderstandings :<

I think the best way for me to properly address this is to section it into 2 parts? One part for how I feel about Naff and the second part for how I feel about some of my designs being used without credit! Also sorry for any messy typing as admittedly I'm nervous typing all of this out after so much time has passed and I haven't really thought about this in eons FHSKJDHFSDGJKHJF

Long body of text warning So I'll place down a 'keep reading' down here! v

I want to answer this ask truthfully on my experiences and how I overcame this, what my mindset was then, and what it is now.

So! First part- Naffeclipse! Right off the bat I want to say that, no, I don't hate or despise Naff. Yes, I used to feel hurt by how they used my work, but I don't feel that way anymore. I think you're the first ever person to have asked me anything regarding this in almost two years. If I'm honest, no one online has ever made a comment regarding this so I was a little surprised! I began the DCA Detectives and dubbed it "Sleuth Jesters" in my original post back in mid-June 2022. And from there the concept's popularity kinda exploded.

I'm proud of Naff for the wide range of followers, love and support that they've cultivated using my au, and I don't want to take away from the fact that yes, the story, the world, the character interpretations they created was all their own work! That's something i want to make known first and foremost. That is all 100% their own hard work and skill as a writer. And I never want to take credit for that.

Now, I know this may look really unfair and believe me, within the first few months of Sleuth Jesters taking off from not my own platform but from another persons, I thought it was too. I was possibly going through one of my roughest periods, as all of this was very new for me and I had a lot of IRL personal stuff going on at the time. The main reason I hadn't made any remark or mention aside from one post asking for credit the same day I had talked to Naff about it privately in DMS is because I inadvertently developed imposter syndrome with the whole situation, and I privately decided to not work on that au of my own volition and lack of want to continue it on my own terms!

Why did you have imposter syndrome? Well! Because for me personally it was a feeling of 'hey! I know you racked up tons of followers and created a big platform, and you personally put the work into it, but can I please be credited for your hard work? Because they're my initial idea and designs?' was essentially my mindset for months back then, it was a sticky tricky situation! ^^; and it was not very healthy for me.

However I don't want to dive into too many details on my emotional & mental wellbeing during 2023! I was a new artist, and I was absolutely scared I would be the one who would make or initiate the first large discourse within the DCA community if I spoke up about it, possibly receive unwarranted hate or backlash, and I felt the pressure was really on me to keep the peace because as far as I had known, the DCA community hadn't had any 'big drama' since its making during that time.

But! At the same time all of this was happening I moreso delved into making my oc cloud drop + being with friends and having fun, and I simply personally didn't want to continue the AU anymore. It was not entirely due to Naff's usage but also because I simply just didn't have the time or energy for it! That's all there was to it. I struggled yes, sure! but,

What matters to me is not how or what i think or say, but how I choose to act or deal with situations that can be stressful or uncomfortable in the general sense. and despite any negative feelings I may have had, I think kindness can live a lot longer than any hatred ever could. I don't physically have it in me to hate someone or hold a grudge for too long, even in the heat of the moment, and I hope this mentality can be applied to anyone who reads this as well ^.^ Communication is key to me in any relationship, even if i know you or don't know you! And if you are not willing to make that effort in talking or speaking up it will negatively affect you in the long run. And I made that mistake by waiting for too long! sorry that was cheesy haha but its a personal mindset i live with.

So to answer the first part of the question, yes I used to be upset, but I'm not anymore.

What about the people who used your design(s) to make fanart for her?

wwweell, ill admit this was actually one of the bigger things that hurt me the most at the time, Nowadays I am being more properly credited, even if there's a few people who forget to credit me I wont take it personally. It's a much better improvement compared to when I hadn't spoken at all about it.

It's already gotten to a point where its thousands of people who associate the fanart to their fiction, and even if it wasn't with my permission at the time, it is now! We can't really force or change what happened in the past but at the v least I hope those who will make fanart are a little more aware of who to give their credits to! I still enjoy seeing everyone's art! ^^

tl;dr, i was really sad and hurt by it at the TIME, and yes it messed me up but not once did I despise Naff as person at all. Everything's all good now and I'm doing much better and all I can ask for now is the continued credit for at least my au and my designs ♡

And i very VERY VERY much urge you all TO NOT give any animosity towards naffeclipse as I already know they did not mean any of this in any ill will at all since the beginning, and we both already talked about it mid last year c:>

[battle-subway-ghost]

>> Paris...? has connected.<<

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

I feel like Lightning's favorite icecream flavor would 80% be based on if he likes the color(s) of it or not. I also feel like he would never admit to what his actual favorite flavor is because it would break the scheme even if he would go on a whole tangent about why he likes it.(Absolutely do not check the back of the freezer with the small pint that is probably buried under some bags of frozen vegetables)

[tadpoles-and-daydreams]

hi hi! kinda new to the helpol crowd so i was wondering: what is it like when a deity contacts you? do you see an image of them? hear a voice in your head? or do you have thoughts that are distinctly not your own? are their messages more direct or indirect? what are the messages usually about? how do you feel when you recieve them? which deity do you get contacted by the most?

Heyo! So, first, obligatory UPG disclaimer: this is all only my own experience, and has no basis in mythology or anything like that. Also for the sake of transparency; I'm not a Hellenic Polytheist. If you've been around my blog and you vibe with the way I work with deities, then cool! But I do feel the need to say that I'm a witch who works primarily with Hellenic deities (and then there's Loki) so I don't follow the same traditions as some of the helpol community! (The best example being the concept of miasma. Some helpol people swear by it, others don't, and as for me it makes me wildly uncomfortable.)

Disclaimer aside, I'll just answer all these as best I can! Thank you for the ask^^

When it comes to how exactly I receive whatever they're saying, I feel like it's... a weird mix of all of your examples. Sometimes, especially if I'm not particularly tuned in, it's absolutely a thought that just isn't my own. Sometimes I even mistake it for my own at first, and then go "I have absolutely no reason to think that what the hell was that about-?" (ex. naming Loki's playlist "Loki's shit music taste" or giving an offering that has no association with them, pausing bc what the hell no, and then realizing that was them.) Other times I get words and images, although now that I think about it I'm not sure they have distinct voices? I "hear" them in my head, and some of them have clear voices sometimes, but it just depends on how I'm feeling. They essentially communicate however I'm able to receive it at the moment.

I feel like right now, it's more direct than indirect. Obviously this isn't the case for everyone, and I feel the need to say that it's not something anyone should ever feel bad about. It's not better, it's just different. As for what they talk about when they do... uh, everything? I don't know how to word it any better XD Sometimes it's about offerings, sometimes about genuinely serious stuff, but usually it's just... them popping in because they have something to say about whatever I'm doing. My work with them is fairly casual, so it ranges from "YOOOOOO your sleep schedule is so good right now I'm so proud!" to literal memes and no I'm not joking. But that's less the Hellenic deities I work with and more Loki.

(Although, I am reminded that Aphrodite and Loki are an absolutely wild comedic duo. They all do have a sense of humor lol.)

So for the most part, as weird as it might seem since I'm talking about deities that a lot of people view as above humanity, I.... just feel like I'm talking to friends most of the time. Maybe parental figures, since I literally call Hades and Persephone my "underworld parents" lol. For the most part, it's just a nice feeling like chatting with someone I know and care for and that I know cares for me.

And last but not least, right now Loki- although I know they're not a Hellenic deity, so they may not be the answer you were looking for lol- is the most active in my life. They're very loud, very much so prone to the clearest signs and clearest direct communication as well. Apollo and Aphrodite are a close second, though. Apollo has been fucking thrilled that I'm starting to finally successfully change my sleep schedule, and Aphrodite has really been nudging me towards self-care lately.

[smute]

nothing like being asked to take my hat off indoors. listen, buddy. the earth is a rock orbiting the sun. it's one of many rocks and assorted non-rocky planets orbiting the sun in something called the solar system. the sun with its solar system is one of several hundred billion stars in the milky way galaxy. the milky way, the andromeda galaxy, and the triangulum galaxy together form the local group (along with their many satellite galaxies). the exact number of galaxies in the local group beyond the 3 largest is unknown, but estimates range from 50 to 80. the local group is part of the virgo supercluster, a concentration of at least 100 galaxy groups. the virgo supercluster, however, is actually just a subpart of the laniakea supercluster, as defined in 2014. the laniakea supercluster is home to approximately 100,000 - 150,000 galaxies, each containing billions of stars with their own planetary systems. the laniakea supercluster spans 160 megaparsecs, or 520,000,000 light years. (one light year equals 9,460,730,472,580.8 km, or 5.88 trillion miles.) the laniakea supercluster is located in the pisces–cetus supercluster complex, a galaxy filament measuring roughly 1,000,000,000 (yes, one billion) light years in length. the number of superclusters in the observable universe is estimated to be 10 million, each home to its own galaxy groups and galaxies and stars and planets and rocks. but the earth is not just a rock within an inconceivably large universe. it is a rock that happens to be very wet. and the reason why the rock is wet, is that it happens to orbit its star, the sun, at the perfect distance for peak wetness.

one unfortunate day between 4.3 and 3.7 billion years ago, this very wet rock spawned microbial life. until the cambrian explosion 538,800,000 years ago, most living things were very simple organisms, but during this period, life diversified rapidly and complex organisms eventually ventured beyond the oceans. the first known footprints on land date to 530,000,000 years ago, and the earliest dinosaurs appeared 225,000,000 years ago, along with the first mammals. the last common ancestor shared by the genera homo (humans) and pan (chimpanzee and bonobo) is estimated to have lived anywhere between 13,000,000 and 5,000,000 years ago.

the earliest appearance of members of the genus homo dates back to about 2,600,000 years ago. fire was discovered 2,000,000 years ago and has been in habitual use for at least 400,000 years, although it may have begun as early as 1,000,000 years ago. the control of fire had a lasting effect on the human diet and, according to the cooking hypothesis, it was an essential element in our evolution as it led to a large increase in energy acquisition while reducing the physical challenges of eating and the amount of energy that had to be spent on digestion. it also allowed innovations in tool making and the creation of art and pottery. it even helped develop early societies. fires required organized cooperation as they had to be maintained, and they offered gathering places for increased social interaction. the use of fire extended the waking day into the evening hours and changed humans' circadian rhythms. in addition to cooked food and artificial light, fire offered protection from predatory animals and cold temperatures, allowing humans to survive in temperate regions.

neanderthals and anatomically modern humans first appeared between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago - the former in europe, and the latter in africa. about 50,000 years ago, modern humans started colonizing the other continents, eventually replacing the neanderthals and all other hominins. the domestication of dogs began around 35,000 years ago. at the end of the last ice age, around 12,000 years ago, modern humans (and their dogs) had populated nearly the entire planet. the agricultural revolution began soon after in west asia and resulted in more and more humans adopting a sedentary lifestyle in permanent settlements with increasingly complex societies. the gradual accumulation of knowledge and technology eventually culminated in the industrial revolution, which began about 250 years ago and resulted in an unprecedented rise in population growth.

between 200 and 100 years ago, the global population of humans nearly doubled – from 1,000,000,000 to 2,000,000,000. within the next 50 years it doubled again, and then again in the 50 years following that. half of the 117,000,000,000 modern humans that have ever lived, lived in the past 2,000 years. only about 9,000,000,000 people, or less than 8%, lived in the 200,000 years before the agricultural revolution – about the same number as the current living human population. 7% of all humans that have ever existed are alive today, still sharing that same rock that happens to be very wet, in that same inconceivably large universe. billions of years spent developing sentience and sapience, on a very wet rock in a very large universe, and you're worried about the fabric covering my skull? take a step back and reassess the situation maybe

[crescentfool]

5, 9 and 16 for that artist ask meme!

5. favorite little detail in a drawing you did

this one was kind of hard to answer because i lean so much more to simplification over 1:1 detail... that said, i really loved these ones!

the bag from the top photo is from here, minato nui on left is from some con-related draws, the ballpoint splatling on right is from a vintage draws compilation!

i just really enjoy drawing little objects and props, and as much as i'm allergic to backgrounds, i hope to overcome that next year because my friends know i love getting obsessed over random objects for a few days...

9. any new art mediums youve tried (or overall styles if you havent tried new mediums)

i haven't gotten to do much mediums outside of digital art unfortunately.... but i would say this year was the year of chibification! i turned so many characters into little guys this year (shoutout to the nui tree!). which is really ironic because i also realized this year i find full illustrations more satisfying to work on throughout the process, despite the "simplicity" of chibis.

i did some limited color styles too! (blue, purple, and red + b/w). hopefully i can do more deliberate color palette stuffs though. i think it'd be a great exercise.

stylistically wise i think i could've tried more, but. its ok! thats what 2024 is for. yipee!

16. favorite piece of art from someone else (if you have one)

it feels like a cop out answer to say this but any gift art i got of my splatoon character... LOL... i didn't expect to get so attached to him (i changed my name in game to minatoast a JOKE!!!!). um. drops this gallery link here and scuttles away. im so very grateful. you're telling me people actually took time out of their day to draw my little guy? incredible!

ocs aside, i'd like to take the time to highlight some art from people on twitter (kitaro havers rise up!), since i do consider the things i reblog to be art i'm very fond of...

this art from tin of ryomina with flowers is so. oh my god. i was SO BEWILDERED AND HAPPY!!! i was minding my own business and then saw this rt'd on one of my friend's pages... i forget who lol but i was like "WAIT TIN Kick_TheeCan DREW RYOMINA??? I LOVE THEIR ART OF THE P3 PROTAG WHAT." i feel like i got pushed down a staircase in tartarus (positive)

and this art from chris (str3wberryy), my god, the composition fucks severely. i want to eat it. he also has an alt account on twitter (@/makotoyukilover) if you want to see more of their p3 protag arts :D

i also enjoyed seeing p3 arts from yamad_125, BSZZOWL, and elulit2. im so serious if you like ryominaigis you'll probably like taking a gander at these artist's media tabs! i find my way to see the twitter arts one way or another, nothing can stop me 👁👄👁

[imwritesometimes]

I cannot stress enough how I was just trying to find tips on adding ingredients to a bundt cake recipe.........

[sanstropfremir]

I'm curious to know your thoughts on riize? I know some people think they don't feel like an sm group but tbh I think they are being similar to like 90s era kpop groups. Anyway I actually have been enjoying their music and wow watching them dance impossible choreo is so fun.

love them! i really like the musical directions they've gone in and how they do embody the feeling of early boyband much more than most other groups have managed to. unsurprising that they do some challenging choreo, bc how could you not with shotaro right there, and i'm really glad impossible got the full house treatment bc i crave the fancy footwork like choicest of drugs. i'm also a big fan of all the music that they've released so far, and i love how their new ep is so delightfully dated (complimentary). that being said, i DO agree that they don't have the full sm sound, simply because yyj isn't there to help produce them. i've said it before and i will say it again, he was so fundamentally instrumental to the 'sm sound' and even to the sound of kpop itself, that now that he's gone no group is ever going to sound like that again. it's just the truth. i think the current a&r team are doing a great job with riize (we will not speak of any other groups.) but we could have had so, so much more.

[codexbrainhasbrokenfree]

Yay that's a great question and observation @samuraiondo-mace-1177 !

The way Y7 talks about the legally gray areas of society is very interesting to associate with the theme of light and shadow, symbolizing the duality between the two worlds (that i talked about in this other post)

(this ended up being STUPIDLY VERY long because i want to be sure i get my point across without risking being misinterpreted. talking about politics is hard)

It is explicitly stated in-game but i'm going to repeat it here for context : the gray zones are literally a "place" in between the worlds represented by light and shadow, "technically illegal but society looks the other way because it's traditional". In the game, those zones are depicted as the last thing preventing "people who have fallen through society's net" to be lost in the shadows. The gray zones in Ijincho, as well as the artificial stalemate between the Ijin Three, were purposefully created by Ogikubo in order to create "a safe heaven" for those people.

So the gray zones in this game aren't just the LITERAL "in-between" light and shadow, they are also something that the main characters try to protect because they see the world as more than "black and white" : a criminal isn't always a bad person, and someone who is well adjusted to society isn't always a good person - individual success, socio-economic situation and ability to conform aren't factors to determine the morality of anyone, WHICH means that "the people living in the shadows of society" deserve as much consideration as anyone else (hence the quest to maintain Ijincho's mostly safe and stable gray zones). Viewing the world like this with more moral complexity, accepting that things can be "morally gray", allow for a better conception of how the world actually works, and helps finding actual solutions to improve society, rather than ending up simplifying the societal problematics sociaty faces like Bleach Japan does.

Bleach Japan confronts this ideology by stating that (paraphrasing) "it is the criminals' fault for relying in the gray zones for so long", basically attributing the responsability of their situation to THEM, despite the fact we clearly see in the rest of the game (or in the rest of the RGG franchise as a whole) that living in the gray zones, living a life of crime, is NEVER a choice anyone makes. And by blaming the people in need of help for their own situations, they are justifying their dehumanisation and the violence inflicted on them.

and more specifically, Ryo Aoki explicitly call the people living in the gray zones "trash", and has no problem ordering for their mass deportation out of the country where they will all probably die without any support network to rely on.

Bleach Japan wants to oversimplify the moral complexity in the problematics they claim to be solving, they want to erase the very notion of "morally gray", so that they can oppress people without having to think too hard about their actions. And this is represented more literally in the game through their fight to bleach all of the gray zones white, literally erasing the one thing that most efficiently demonstrates the existence of a morally gray area in the debate they want to have.

Bleach Japan's political agenda would benefit from an entirely "black and white" world, without any nuance to be had. This is also represented in their logo, which is entirely black and white.

So yeah, by bleaching the gray zones white, Bleach Japan is forcing the people who lived in the gray zones to now live in the shadows, and this includes Ichiban.

But i also think it goes a deep further than that. Bleaching the gray zones white (or simply treating the gray zones like a threat to society like we see Bleach Japan do) results in forcing a dichotomy in society between white/the good guys (light) and black/the bad guys (shadow), without anything in between. And sure, this leads people like Ichiban to be considered as a "bad guy", even though we know he's the exact opposite, but I'd say it also works the other way around.

We know Aoki's motives are mainly ideological and political, but maybe his quest to snuff out any moral complexity could be also motivated by his necessity to be perceived as the "good guy" of the story. Clearly, Aoki is not a good guy, and I would even argue he BARELY qualifies as "morally gray"..... even though the game takes a lot of time to also explain the "hows" and "whys" of Aoki's situation, a lot of them being out of his control (it's implied through dialogues and parallels with Y1 that he didn't CHOOSE to change his name and identity to get his surgery, for example), drawing a parallel between his situation and the situations of the people living in the gray zones who also didn't get to choose their fates.

(This is something very delicate to talk about because I'm pretty sure the game itself leaves the question kinda open-ended, with Ichiban during the finale directly pointing out how it DOESN'T MAKE SENSE for Aoki to have ended up as the person he is, so on one hand we literally have the main character, someone who as the player we're supposed to believe, stating that NOTHING in Aoki's life or situation should have led him to become as irredeemable as he is, but on the other hand we have all of his backstory about internalized ableism and identity dissociation and masking and suicide etc... so i think even Y7 itself is confused as to wether or not Aoki is to blame for everything he's done, or if the problem is more systemic and doesn't stop at Aoki.)

SO FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, let's listen to the game and conceive Aoki as a morally gray character : if he wanted to erase the very notion of morally gray, to impose a black and white dichotomy on society, maybe it was as an effort to consider himself as being the light. Maybe he had some awareness of how much of an hypocrite he was, and believed erasing the gray zone, erasing the concept of "morally gray", would by default propel him into the light!

So ONCE AGAIN, MAYBE one of Aoki's actions was subconsciously motivated by self-preservation before any other political convicitons or what-not

And yeah, lastly, I'd like to come back to chat you said about Ichiban calling Aoki and himself "light and shadow", even though morally speaking, it should be the other way around.

I think it's fascinating to see Ichiban calling himself "the shadow". We know that when he says "light and shadow", he uses it as a metaphor for everything we talked about ; he says Aoki is "the light" because he "always had everything he didn't have" (socio-economic/family situation), and is pointing out how, as "the light", he should have become a good person (association of "light/shadow" with "white/black" morality). So basically, Ichiban is calling himself the bad guy here! Or at least (and most probably), the guy who SHOULD HAVE become the bad guy according to his social background and everything else defining him as someone living in the gray zones. Which is crazy coming from Ichiban, the man who called himself a Hero!

I have a lot of thoughts on this specific exchange, but this post is already way too long as it is so I'm going to shut up until I feel like writing 10 new pages on that dialogue (the ones i already wrote are outdated, I found new stuff to be crazy about in that dialogue yayy)

[kebriones]

Hi! I am thinking of taking commissions. Any idea on how to get started?

Hi! :DD here's a list of things:

STARTING: -Choose 1 or 2 types of commissions you are confident you can do. (example: Just colored fullbodies and headshots, or just icons, or just uncolored sketches. Much easier to organise and advertise and potential customers won't have to go through a whole list of what you're offering) That's just if you're now beginning, later you can branch out.

-Set up your payment method (paypal, kofi? Getting direct bank transfers is not advised and most customers won't do that)

-Have good examples of the type of art you're offering at hand, and prefereably arrange them on a single image that will show what you're offering and the prices. Many people use carrd to list commissions but it's more complicated and if you're just starting out a menu-like image or two is fine.

-Figure out your Terms of Service. This includes what types of use you allow for your art (usually you'll mention that for commercial use of your art there will be an extra fee), how often you will give updates and how many updates of the process you'll give (usually you at least send a rough sketch for the customer to approve of and ask for changes before the final product), what methods of comunication you prefer, when you want the payment to be sent to you and things you do not feel comfortable drawing etc.

-Don't take too many commissions, in fact I would recommend starting with just one at a time.

-Don't undersell yourself, but also understand that if you're just starting out, maybe you won't be making as much as you would've liked. You can always slowly increase your prices. Also keep in mind an estimate of how long it takes you to finish a piece and price it somewhat accordingly.

Some tips on the overall process:

-If a potential customer asks for something that's beyond what you feel comfortable doing, say so. Do not take commissions you do not feel 100% sure you can handle. It's already stressful, don't make it even more so, it's gonna suck.

-this is kind of vague advice but be nice to your customers and build a good relationship with them. Not only are they more likely to treat you like a person and not a machine in return, but you also want the overall experience to be pleasant for both parties. You can have the best art in the world but people will be reluctant to commission you again if it was unpleasant to do so overall. It's like as if you're in a store, like a bakery, and you have to smile and say hi and thank you and all that to customers who come in.

-If you find yourself struggling to work on a commission and it's taking you a long time, don't leave your commissioner hanging. Simply sending a message of "hi, I was struggling/got busy but I am working on your piece, thank you so much for your patience!" Is enough to put them at ease that you haven't forgotten about them.

-This last one is maybe controversial, but I would recommend, especially if you're starting out, to not take payment in advance. This is going to make the people who commission you more confident, if you don't yet have many examples of already delivered commissions to put them at ease, and it's also going to motivate you to work quicker, because the "reward" is at the end. Send low-res files along the way, and ask for payment right before delivering the finished, high-resolution piece. It has worked for me for years and only once I had a person who due to irl emergencies couldn't pay me and delayed it for a couple months. Especially if you're not offering extremely expensive commissions, this works in my experience.

[cognitiveleague]

A complaint about the Neurotypicals:

Do those assholes know how much more time and effort it takes me to send a short email with inadequate information than to just write down everything they could possibly need to know in response to a question, hit send, and move on to the next thing I need to get done????? Inefficient. Impractical. Inelegant. Poor prioritization vis-à-vis time management. Are they sure I’m the one whose brain doesn’t work ‘right’??

I’ll work on bearing in mind that it’s “overwhelming” when I do my job quickly and thoroughly, though, I guess :|

[omg-snakes]

Is it weird that I hope the extra timy baby grows like Clifford? (Not THAT big. But, yeah)

It'd be weird if you didn't hope that, honestly.

If anybody remembers Scout, the extra itty Amel babe who was a ravenous devourer of worlds, outpaced her siblings in growth, and ended up going off to a great home, that's pretty much the ideal teeny-wee scenario.