#there's lots of neat things you can do that you can't with traditional art

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

hello everyone, as your resident annoying spaniard currently playing pokemon scarlet and violet i wanted to make posts talking about references to my culture within the games!! i don't know how many of these i'll make but yeah, i'm just very excited about all of this, i've been playing pokemon since emerald and i've always wanted a region set in my country :)

i'll post all spoilers under the cut but i have yet to make a tag y'all can block (suggestions are welcome!)

the first obvious reference is of course the players house! even though from the outside it feels more latinamerican than iberian to me (gamefreak has fucked up in some extense regarding that, i'll talk about it don't worry), the inside is clearly spanish

everything from the paintings resembling a flamenco dancer and manchego windmills to the mounted plates (my grandma has some very similar ones, they're always white and blue or white and red) to the tiling in the kitchen screams spanish. you can even feel the popcorn walls (funnily enough the walls in my house are also painted in red and white/beige).

the next references can be found in nemona's mansion in the form of paintings:

the first painting mimics joaquín sorolla's style, while the second one does the same with joan miró. also, and i'm gonna say this a lot but i can't get over it... the floor tiling. it's literally that. i've seen that exact tiling irl.

this is a very obvious thing... but bocadillos / sandwiches lol

specifically this scene, of your mum giving you a bocadillo to have as a snack, is something repeated every day in the country; school and high school kids normally pack a bocadillo (or other snack) to have in the playground at break.

the worker trainer class looks exactly as workers in spain do, same outfit!

now we go with more obvious ones, food!!

first pic: paella (not with the traditional ingredients but it's something i guess); the 'juice with fruit' thing is most likely just sangría; escalivada is a vegetable dish from eastern iberia; tortilla de patatas (my personal favourite spanish dish); and finally the last food probably references gambas al ajillo, prawn with garlic and paprika basically.

second pic: patatas bravas can be found everywhere in spain, mostly as tapas or appetizers, and they're incredible. alfajores are usually associated with latin america, but it's true that they're also prepared in southern spain, usually around christmas time. coffee is a must in any spanish bar, it is a coffee country and café con leche is loved throughout spain. about quesadillas... those are mexican. pokemon slipped up with that one.

third pic: coming from the city that's most associated with churros in the country (one of the inspirations for mesagoza lol) i'm so happy they are in the game!!!! i love them and can't wait to get them in december dipped with hot chocolate, as it's traditional (i believe what we call hot chocolate is hot cocoa in other places?) i'm sad that there's no porras tho, that would've been a cool addition.

i imagine there'll be more dishes in other parts of the region, and i can't wait to find them all!!!

this one's very neat, the mailboxes are exactly the same as in spain :)

the academy classes look pretty similar to public high school classes, the distinct green desks and chairs are particularly noticeable

i'm not sure how this will be adressed in the english version so maybe this only makes sense in the spanish one, but it seems that the academy students are divided into sciences and humanities/social sciences/arts, just like irl spanish high schools

once again... floor tiles. the floor game in scarlet and violet is off the charts, the one in your character's room is one of the most common tile design in spain

that's all for my first day playing the game!

here's next post btw !!

[badsalmonella]

SGATGK getting 'er done.👍

TLDR: some neato historical/fantasy drawing references, I like character design would be neat if someone paid me to do that someday, I have to trick myself into being motivated to finish anything like one tricks a dog into taking their meds by putting it in the wet food, tales passed down for centuries are cool.

Why did I do this? : Because I'm obsessed with art books and design bibles and it's what made me want to study animation in the first place. Portfolio pieces like this, this and this were always something I wanted to do, I think they are so inspiring.

Unfortunately you like have to put in a lot of effort to get something like this done, and as I have learned from a semi-failed attempt to do this with Hadestown it is very easy to get too precious about the art and restart 80 times and essentially never get anything done. I'm out here chanting "finished not perfect" to myself in the mirror like a mantra maybe one day it will seep into my bones and I will fully embrace it. Full disclosure, one of the circumstances that led to me actually finishing this is that I have way too much free time on my hands atm, like I don't think I would have gotten this done (or gotten it done in a timely manner) if I was also balancing full time work, but I was tryinggg to squeeze some lemons out of a less than ideal situation. Second thing, on top of trying to do this for 4 years with Hadestown, I alsooo initially tried to do this with the musical Camelot/ the Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere love triangle part of the Arthurian legends but found I was once again too obsessed with the thing, and getting too precious about the art to get anything substantial done. I did get these Guinevere runaway bride drawings done though. Phillipa Soo high cheekbones Guinevere will always be important to me!!

So I switched gears and chose an Arthurian legend I liked well enough, but not so much I would sike myself out of getting it done and went with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It's also a story that adheres to a pretty traditional fable structure. A young guy goes on a quest, he experiences trials in threes, he comes back a little changed having learned a life lesson, etc. Also designing The Green Knight comes with a fun 'cool' factor that I like. The Arthurian discord server run by queer-ragnelle on tumblr is full of really nice, and wayyyy more knowledgeable people who pointed me in the direction of Simon Armitage's translations of the poem so that's what I read to get started. Another great resource I liked was Queer as Fact's podcast episode on the story. Something that I found really interesting was that they discussed Gawain's kissing game with the Bertilak's being something that brought on both queer positive and queerness as a sort of cautionary tale that was encouraged to be turned away from interpretations*. Interesting that you could take away two opposite readings from the same text, but also really framed the experience of staying with the Bertilaks as something that is otherworldly and treading into unknown territory for Gawain.

*I wanna add that 1. just because I acknowledge the two conflicting interpretations doesn't mean that I think one cancels out the other's validity 2. Just because I acknowledge it doesn't mean that it's one that I like or agree with. Obviously these stories are so old we can't ask the author what intent they were writing with so we'll never get 'the right answer', all we really have is interpretation. So like why not interpret something positive out of it, especially if you can back it up with the text.

I got pretty tired of using Google images for research, and actually went to the library for most of my drawing reference. This was also good because it got me out of the house yay! It made me feel like those movie behind the scenes featurettes I love, where people go on their little research trips, like OoooO I'm making the fake movie in my brain!! I unfortunately never wrote down the titles of these books I was using but there were some great illustrated book of clothing worn throughout history. I wanted to keep Gawain, and the design of Camelot fairly close to something historical.

I loved this book especially because all the art was so colourful. I think a lot of people have this idea that medieval costuming should be dull/dark colours but I definitely didn't want to go in that direction. I love bright colours!

I really took inspiration from this illustration I found for Gawain, even though people typically associate medieval knights with full plate armour, in the story Gawain is going on a lengthy journey to find the green chapel, then accept his beheading so I actually felt something lighter like this chainmail outfit with robe on top was the way to go to make him feel mobile. Also Gawain really lays on the self deprecating sauce thick when he volunteers himself up to participate in the Green Knight's game, claiming he is of no great importance, he's just a little guy, it's not a big risk if he gets hurt. (that's not a direct quote. That just the vibe) So I also snuck in the small detail that his clothing is a little oversized, not quite arranged straight, but he grows into it by the end of the tale :3

I also used designing Gawain as the chance to lock down what artstyle I wanted to move forward with. My brain told me 'oohhh storybook!' but go into a bookstore and give it a peruse and you will quickly find there is a wide array of storybook artstyles. So that was not specific enough. I tried simplifying my art style, I liked Cartoon Saloon's stuff (good catch everyone who commented on it's influence in the post's tags) but felt it was a little too simplified and stylized for what I wanted to do. The big lightbulb moment for me was when I found this art by an-old-lady on tumblr. I really like how this artist's work is pretty stylized but sticks close to recognizable human proportions. So I put this one my inspiration board, while still trying to keep it distinctly mine. not really my call to say if I succeeded at this or not lol

But yes Cartoon Saloon's influence is still there, especially with backgrounds,

and I also really loved looking towards the art of Sleeping Beauty. Really amazing use of colour in this art, also the way they simplify nature into easy to read shapes, then pack in all the detail there is something I loved.

me doing my best to harness that Disney concept art power

(Side note one books I can name from all this research is this one because I would like to own it some day. Fantastic resource for not only showing the classic art and architecture they are taking reference from, but how you can apply that to something a lot more cartoony and simplified. Seriously the side by side comparisons of medieval book artwork next to their Sleeping Beauty storybook scenes are masterclass mwah)

From there something I really wanted to drive home was this contrast between Gawain's world and Lord Bertilak/Green Knight's world. The Green Knight comes with lengthy descriptions about his odd (but hot *wink*) appearance, and there is definitely an aura that something unknown has entered King Arthur's court. While I tried to find inspiration for Gawain's armour from old artwork, Green Knight's outfit I was looking more to fantasy influences like Lord of the Rings, House of the Dragon, Renaissance Faire costumes, etc.

When you look up medieval fashion you get a lot of reference for these crazy cool headpieces

Lots of head coverings too for women (lots of it done for modesty reasons. Also a little bit for hygiene reasons) so I kept that consistent with the women of Camelot

Also even though a lot of medieval media associates the revealed shoulders and the sleeves with interesting cutouts with woman's fashion at the time, a lot of actual historical imagery I was finding has a full coverage layer underneath known as the kirtle (mostly for hygiene purposes......though I'm sure modesty is also a factor)

( Alicent where is your underlayer?? Cringe.)

But for Lady Bertilak I went full medieval fantasy and whipped out those sleeves that I always associate with princesses and gave her long flowing hair. Also interestingly I remember the story once emphasising her ~flirtatiously~ revealed shoulders. I wonder if that was a fashion choice still made back then, or if this is fantasy detailing, sort of like how the trash doctor drama TV show Doctor Odyssey will have doctors doing work on patients in full cocktail party attire a decision that is not based on any sort of reality but maybe hundreds of years from now if the media is preserved humans might assume that was how the doctors of our day dressed. HM!

Lord Bertilak actually gave me a hard time with his look. I went in really only knowing I wanted to give him that Hozier inspired bun hairstyle. My reasoning being that like Lord Bertilak loves going hunting he's a kind of man of the woods.....but he's also supposed to be this hot Lord who is making Gawain question if he wants to join a very unchristian open marriage and when I think of man of the woods but make it glam I think of this dude

but other than that I had no ideas on how to approach this 'same shape as the Green Knight but make him more warm and approachable' look I was trying to achieve, so I just made lots of sketches that got trashed pretty quickly. Also at the time I didn't know what colour scheme I wanted for these two yet, only that I wanted green as an accent colour to hint at his true identity (also because plot relevant green girdle) but not the MAIN COLOUR of their colour scheme. So anyways that's how you get this funny drawing of Lord Bertilak looking very Curious George's Yellow Guy vibes.

Then it hit me in the most unexpected of places....

You're probably wondering "hey there is literally a fantasy historical King Arthur musical you are OBSESSED WITH why are you not turning to that for inspiration?" or maybe "why would you reference House of the Dragon earlier but not the much more famous Game of Thrones?" and the answer there is as cool as those costumes are they are taking a LOT of inspiration from modern runway fashion and that just wasn't the vibe I was looking for. But then one day as I played the Camelot bootleg as comfort background noise (normal behaviour) I found inspiration from THE UNDERRATED FASHION ICON SIR PELLINORE!

I just really loved the long sleeveless drapery situation he had going on. I added the fur along the neckline for Lord Bertie though to make him more top heavy (like his Green Knight counterpart) and as a nod to hunting. but yes big props to Pellinore. ty king!

The contrasting shape language I used in the character design then informed all the extra prop details surrounding these characters.

But to keep things consistent I tried to keep some similar design principles for costumes. They like drapery. They like big sleeve moments. Bold colours. Girdles to break up dress forms. Tunics that generally fall close to knees in length.

I think the coolest bit of research I did was I visited a church in my city and got some good pictures as reference for the green chapel. In the poem the green chapel really ends up being a grass mound but that's not really an impressive drawing to put in your portfolio so I got the idea to have a chapel so old that nature has overtaken it and there's a structure in this hill. The church is open to just look through for free without attending a mass, it's a bit of a tourist destination for good reason it's really well kept, I'd been telling myself to go check it out for years of living here now but this project was what got me to finally do it.

I sketched some random object in there (this can be helpful even if you don't draw these things in your actual project just because it fills up your design bank in your brain) I also wish I took this picture but they had what looked like one of those office water coolers but it was labelled 'Holy Water' and I just thought that was funny. Sorry just wanted to share.

and I am HORRIBLE at drawing backgrounds, I really hate doing it, I find placing the horizon line/ vanishing points incredibly hard to do, so if you are like me but you wanna push yourself TAKE YOUR OWN PICTURES OF PLACES. AND TRACE OVER THEM. THEN ADD WHATEVER CHANGES NEEDED. IT'S NOT CHEATING I PROMISE. YOU CAN LITERALLY DO ANYTHING YOU WANT EVER IT IS NOT THE SAME AS PLAGIARIZING OR TRACING ANOTHER PERSON'S ART AND IT WILL SAVE YOU HEARTACHE. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Anyways this has been my incredibly long advertisement for your local library, your local tourist spots, cool art books, cool cartoons, The Green Knight poem, the kirtle, to try your best to make the art you wanna make because it will fill your heart with joy. Don't be precious about your art in a design project, just sketch like your life is ending in the next couple of hours, it's cool if you draw something like this

There's definitely stuff I wish I had drawn, more props, something more to indicate Lord Bertilak's hunts (I also suck at drawing animals oop) and maybe those things will be drawn in the future, but I am happy to call this done for the time being :)

Did you get this far? Well thanks. ilu 🫶🏼

[mysticstarlightduck]

OC Smash or Pass

I was tagged by @writernopal (here)! Thank you so much for this fun Tag! I think I might do a few of these for my OCs, because I adore this tag game (:

Rules: pretty self-explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc)

Augustus Grimmure

Description (I haven't completed his character art yet): Augustus is a tall young man with dark skin and long, curly ashen brown hair - which he usually styles into a very neat ponytail with a purple ribbon. He has hazel eyes that can glow red or purple depending on which magic he uses. Augustus usually wears a long dapper suit/coat (in the colors of either white, dark purple, green, or charcoal black), along with a silk ruffle tie and other Victorian-style clothing, he also has dark circles under his eyes and may wear gloves from time to time. Has a sharp smile. He is heavily near-sighted and often wears spectacles/glasses (when possible) reinforced by magic - which might be because I wanted a glass-wearing protagonist in this book because I personally can't see shite without my glasses IRL (:

Basic Facts:

Height - 6 ft (around 1.80m)

Age - 19, soon to be 20

Gender - Male

Pronouns - He/Him

Occupation: Necromancer

Sexuality - An extremely hot, very romantic, Asexual straight man

Pros:

HUGGER! Once he's grown to love you that is. Augustus loves to show how much he cares by holding hands, cuddling, running hands through your hair, and (especially) hugging. He wants a relationship to be something special.

Augustus is very brave, and it takes a lot to faze him, especially since he is one of the most powerful beings in Ansburke, but even if he weren't he doesn't hesitate to face risks if it means doing something he considers right - especially when it comes to protecting the one he loves.

Dark Academia aesthetic (more like Chaotic Academia lmao) incarnate, and very gothic-coded. A romance with him has strong Gomez/Morticia vibes (this is legit the best way I could describe it), it's all about finding love in the dark and even macabre. He's also hopelessly devoted, and quite the romantic underneath his chaotic exterior.

Intelligent and witty, with a wild sense of humor. Will not hesitate to pull a carefully thought-out prank on someone if it makes you both laugh. Is also known for his clever comebacks, especially to those who already have it coming.

A good listener. Even if he is not particularly interested in whatever it is you are talking about, he will lend you his attention and let you finish your vent, however long it may be. He's also very good at problem-solving, having a scholar's mindset.

Neutral Facts (that may be pros or cons to some):

Augustus is somewhat inspired by the story of Victor Frankenstein (this character was born of the question I once asked myself - "What if Frankenstein wasn't insane and was a sorcerer instead of a scientist?"). This means he inherits a bit of a mad scientist's disregard for rules and tradition.

He doesn't enjoy sexual intimacy or acts of that nature at all, even though he isn't particularly sex-repulsed - he's asexual, and personally just finds sex a useless and slightly disturbing waste of time. That doesn't mean he doesn't like other kinds of intimacy - as mentioned before, once he gets truly close to someone, he's quite the hugger. (Btw, his love languages are Quality Time and (non-sexual) Physical Touch.)

Cons:

Has severe trust issues. While on the surface Augustus has a very personable and polite behavior towards anyone that doesn't personally irk him (when he isn't feeling particularly petty), he believes that "everyone is out to achieve their own personal goals at all costs" and that in their cutthroat world, everyone is looking to get the upper hand on someone else, so the walls around his heart (beyond a superficially friendly relationship) are quite tall and armored. He would never betray someone who trusts him but is constantly expecting to be personally betrayed. It takes a lot to prove that you truly care for him with no strings attached, but it is worth it when you finally do!

Extended lifespan - while it means no human can truly kill him (whilst he is under the constraints of his contract to the Deathbringer, a fae demon he made a deal with) during your adventures, it also means that you, a human, will eventually get older much quicker than him and die long before him - unless he's broken his Oath, which would return his lifespan back to a normal human's.

Does have a bit of morbid/dark humor natural to any necromancer so, while it can lead to funny and slightly unhinged interactions, he doesn't quite understand why some people consider his deathly jokes as inappropriate (even though he means no harm, that's just his sense humor and how he views te world).

His devotion has a "dark side" (to him) that comes out in the form of self-sacrificial tendencies and will fight Gods if prompted, with no second thoughts about his own safety, if it means keeping the select few people he trusts away from harm. Has no qualms about killing his enemies to achieve that as well.

Tagging (gently, no pressure): @lassiesandiego, @oh-no-another-idea, @writernopal, @tabswrites, @rickie-the-storyteller, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @little-peril-stories, @clairelsonao3, @jasperygrace, @jay-avian, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @aziz-reads, @doublegoblin, @gummybugg, @autumnalwalker, @olivescales3, @junypr-camus, @ashen-crest, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams, @bardicbeetle @talesofsorrowandofruin, @mitchell-nihil, @pluttskutt, @saltysupercomputer, @stesierra and @dreaminggoblin

[notabeanie]

You know. There are a lot of things you could say about the original scott pilgrim comics, and I find myself profoundly uninterested in saying most of those things. But there is one thing I will say and that is that for all the whatever you wanna say about it I still find the way Brian Lee O'Malley writes women pretty compelling and I think it genuinely changed my life for the better.

Like ok this doesn't mean that much in 2023 because the world is different now. But like imagine it's 2008 and you're 15 years old and you still think you're a girl because you won't figure out that you can be trans for like another decade and a half and up to this point your entire context for gender roles has been the cast of fucking Friends, and someone has given these comics to your brother who is Not A Reader in a desperate bid to get him to Read Something and he remains Not A Reader but you are a voracious little bottomless pit for words and for neat pictures and so you're like ok maybe this mine now.

And you open it up and here are all these girls that are WEIRD. Girls with spiky hair and punky boots. Girls who wear tracksuits almost exclusively. Girls who are surly and don't care if you like them. Girls who have ex girlfriends. Girls who disconsent to sex. This seems normal now, but in 2008??? This was RADICAL.

And not only are there all these weird girls, but the weird girls are DESIRABLE. They're the dream girl. They're the competing love interests. They have exes who are billionaires and movie stars. The main character is melting into a puddle of pathetic goo left and right for all these women who are so decidedly not traditionally feminine. Like these are not Zooey Deschanel "look I have big eyes and brown hair haha aren't I quirky" women these are "we defy the bounds of traditional womanhood and we don't care what you think about it but we will still kick your ass" women.

And like do you know what that can do to to the psyche of a 15 year old whose main gender role model up to this point had been the Totally fucking Spies?? Huge. Enormous. The blasted landscape of gender is unrecognizable as any semblance of what it once was.

Not to mention that thanks to BLOM's art style, people of all genders are drawn basically androgynous and squarish. Sure there's a little tiddy but nobody is stick thin or hourglass curvy or with huge breasts busting out of blouses. It's not exactly body diversity sure, but these are normal ass looking women with completely rectangular legs and they still get to be sexy and wear leather and lingerie and fishnet stockings and be rockstars and dream girls and that was really fucking cool, to me, in 2008.

When I was a senior in high school I got a pair of big fuckin boots and some tights. In first year university I cut my hair like Ramona Flowers' with safety scissors in my dorm room in Toronto. I clomped down Bloor Street past the old Honest Eds and all these hyper local references directly from the books (it was Canadian! Nothing was ever Canadian!) and it felt like I could do this. This was a kind of girl I could be. Scott Pilgrim had opened up whole new vistas for gender expression that I had not previously even known were possible.

Like maybe there was a little roughness around the edges. But there was goodness there. It did good. It helped. It changed me. For a new generation who are looking at those books and can't imagine why they meant so much to someone I just wanted to explain.

[azure-blaze92]

So I was requested by @thatbloodstainfromcaleb and @apple-blood-tea last night on Voice Chat to write a Wittebro one-shot that was Halloween-themed, and the idea of how to write this came to me at work today; consider this a Tumblr exclusive, one shot that takes place during some part of 'A Young Candles Flame.' ^_^

~ ~ ~ ~ 🪶🕯️ ~ ~ ~ ~

Philip was sweeping outside their house when he saw Caleb approach with a broad grin, holding a pumpkin in his hands.

“Philip! Look what I have!” Caleb exclaimed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Philip raised an eyebrow and looked at Caleb with a confused expression. “ Caleb, It’s a pumpkin; what’s so special about it?”

Caleb's excitement was undeterred. “Evie showed me a tradition from the Boiling Isles.” Caleb watched as Philip's expression changed to a look of disapproval. “Pip, Don’t be like that. Listen to me before you judge.” 

“She's a witch. Why would I approve of anything she shows you?"

“This is neat. Trust me on this, Pip.” Caleb said.

 Philp sighed, leaning the broom against the house, and stood there, his arms crossed defensively. “ Go on, I’m listening.” he motioned with his hands for Caleb to continue in an annoyed tone. 

“So, Evie showed me that they carve these on the Boiling Isles. Well, it's not exactly a pumpkin, but something similar!“ Caleb exclaimed, his eyes bright with wonder and excitement. 

“Why?” Philip asked.

“Well… She says you carve faces or other things into them, and it is supposed to ward off spirits or something. I don’t know, but it's something else I can carve. Oh, and get this! You put a light in it to make it glow. They use light spells in the Isles, and I can't do magic, so a candle will have to suffice. This will be so much fun!” 

“So it's witchcraft?” Philip questioned.

“No, It's art that may or may not ward off spirits.” 

“That's witchcraft, Caleb,” Philip said straightforwardly. 

“No, it's just harmless fun. Besides, Evelyn is our friend. Not everything she does is sinister."

“Correction, your friend,” Philip added bitterly.

“ Awww, come on, Pip, don’t be like that, help me carve one. Who knows, you may enjoy it.” 

“ Caleb…” 

“Please, for me,” Caleb begged, his eyes pleading with Philip. 

Philip sighed, defeatdly.  “Fine, sure,” Philip said before muttering. “It's not like I get to spend much time with you anymore. Might as well take what I can get.”

“What was that?” Caleb questioned. 

“Nothing. How about you carve, and I observe? you know I want nothing to do with this stuff."

“Suit yourself,” Caleb said before setting the Pumpkin down on the porch and beginning to carve while Philip sat on the steps and observed his older brother. Philip hadn’t seen his brother smile like that in a long time, and he couldn’t lie; it hurt. Why couldn’t he make Caleb happy like that? Why couldn’t he make Caleb smile like that? A couple of hours had passed before Caleb put down his carving knife; a wide and excited grin crossed his face as he admired his work. “Philip, close your eyes!” 

“Why?” Philip asked. 

“It's a surprise.” Caleb happily exclaimed. Philip rolled his eyes and did as Caleb requested. “ Alright, open them!” Caleb exclaimed a few moments later. Philip opened his eyes and his gaze landed on a pumpkin, its face carved into a rough silhouette of a skull with two slender, horn-like branches emanating from the sides. The candle inside illuminated it, making the carved eyes shimmer eerily. 

“Caleb, you carved the same design as my mask?”  Philip questioned,

“I did. I thought it would be fitting, and since you weren’t too fond of me carving the pumpkin. So, I thought I would carve something that you would like. I know how much you love that mask and what it means to you.” Caleb said, smiling. 

“Thank you, Caleb, that means a lot,” Philip said, a small smile forming in the corner of his mouth.

“You are more than welcome, Pip,”  Caleb said, placing his arm around Philip and pulling him into a hug.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Earthspark Thoughts

First off, I finally got around to watching earthspark, and I have to say while I did end up skimming most of it because I have the attention span of a toddler, it was fun. Very different from TFP, but fun.

I like the show and how it goes about its storytelling. I really appreciate that while we do see Optimus and Megatron, they aren't hogging the screen or duking it out every time we see them. It is also nice to see that both are respected and not thrown around or made dumb in order to make others characters appear more mature (I am looking at you RID).

The new cast and their unique outlooks on the world is refreshing and interesting. But I also really like that the veteran bots like Bumblebee, Elita-1, and others are also given a chance to give their input. You can see how their lives of struggle and warfare have changed them, especially when compared to the freshly forged earthsparked bots. It really makes me happy to see some humans and Cybertronians getting along in family units instead of precarious political and military alliances.

It is also neat to see how old grudges and faction ties affect the bots after the end of the war (just look at Soundwave). You can tell that a lot of hate is still present, but that old wounds are beginning to heal with the arrival of the earthsparked bots. For the veterans it is a sign of new beginnings, a fresh start on a new world with new allies.

Twitch, Thrash, and the others are such unique characters and I really can't wait to see how they will develop considering their nearly entirely human upbringing.

However on this same train of thought, there is only one thing I would really like to see happen in the show.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like that we get to see some bots actually intergrade into human culture without the weight of the sins of their people weighting them down. However, I think that the earthspark bots would do well to learn some things from Cybertron. Skills, tradition, language, art, history, and other simple things that would at least give them a taste of what their people's homeworld is like.

Not only would it help them learn about themselves and where their people originally came from, it would also allow us the viewers a chance to see some of the little things that were never given much attention in other shows because of the war. I would like to see little cultural things being taught to the earthsparked bots, things that would be alien to them. Bumblebee is already teaching them combat, but maybe the older bots who didn't grow up in the war could teach the earthsparked bots how to do more wholesome things.

I personally would like to see Megatron try and teach the earthsparked bots how to write in Cybertronian. And Elita-1 could teach them to speak the different Cybertronian dialects (she seems like the kind of bot to know a thousand languages for no good reason) Optimus could give them lessons in history, or depending on his backstory in this universe, teach them about the fall of Cybertron and the politics behind it.

It would be cool if the human kiddos could get involved too. The bots are already learning their culture, why not let them learn a little about Cybertron too? I don't know if I am just being picky or what, but I really just want to see the veteran bots teaching to earthsparked bots things about Cybertron.

Well those are my thoughts for now. Maybe I will post something else about earthspark later once I have finished accepting the fact that it exists and the TFP has been over for a decade and I should move on and enjoy the new stuff without constantly comparing it to TFP.

[possumcollege]

I am begging people to do any amount of research before jumping on the "this is what they took from us" train. OP found a photo of an object from olden-times, then Googled the dumbest modern analog and memed them right up without considering for a dang minute that the neat thing they found may have been:

- A unique, bespoke, or commissioned object. Common folk rarely have these. No one took this from us. We couldn't afford it then. Can't afford it's equivalent now.

- Part of a larger collaborative work like a private home, church, or public building. That fancy downspout or door took weeks to make, and was probably paid for with taxes or by rich patrons.

- A luxury item. You can still get fancy things. They cost a lot of money though.

- Extremely out of context. Average people did not have grand folding steamer trunks because most people could not travel for fun and when traveling, had to carry their own bags and keep them in smol rooms. These wondrous objects are often mad impractical and not fixtures of everyday life. They survive often because they are unusual examples.

- Fake. This is I need to expand on because it's fucking important.

People love to romanticize the past and will happily ignore the fact that a lot of history around objects, traditions, costumes, weapons, and places is almost entirely fictional, rooted in propaganda, pop culture, or racism. The original Statue Guys (usually dudes online with statue icons who never shut up about the superiority of times that are not now) were "scientists" who wondered if race-mixing was why people didn't look like Greek sculptures anymore, but wouldn't consider the idea that the ancients just liked having statues of hot people. People will cite the metallurgical perfection and lost art of the katana, and its critical importance in the history of a proud warrior culture without interrogating the fact that this history was written by or about a privileged minority within a strict social heirarchy. A class that you or me would have been statistically unlikely to be a part of. Like most revered artifacts, a lot of the information we have was written well after other technologies rendered them obsolete and elevated them to status symbols. That sword required expert handling because it was fragile enough to shatter. It was the weapon of an elite warrior because the warrior was a member of an elite social class and it was expensive and time-consuming to make. The most common weapons if its heyday were undeniably spears, bows, or guns, but the sword carries the story of the story of brave, individual warrior of exceptional status.

Old stuff is really cool. It's neat as hell. Unfortunately, the majority of people online holding up old-world craftsmanship as evidence that we have been robbed of our own wonders think the reason we don't still have nice things is race-mixing, environmental regulation, multiculturalism, or a Jewish conspiracy instead of say, Capitalism working tirelessly to sell you cheaper and cheaper things while perpetuating the idea that the Best Things are the things average people can't afford. Be skeptical. Research the things you think are neat and consider resources that are critical of the mythology. Seek context.

History can turn any object into a puppet, speaking the values of the people who collected it, bought it, sold it, dreamt about it more loudly than the reality of the world that created it.

[frenreyfire]

Intro Post Yippee!!

Who am I?- How I tag things (+ Trigger Tags) - Boundaries- Before you Follow

Who am I?

♡ We are a system. The main people on here are Sunny/Travis and Mimi. Noëlle is also here sometimes.

♡ Previous Usernames (pink is for tumblr names): spacekids, gummieshark, angelthlng. I use minthardcore on other websites.

♡ Sunny uses they/them, it/its, ny/nym pronouns (ny/nym is basically just he/him pronouns but replace the h with n and the i with y). Mimi uses she/it/they. Noëlle uses she/her.

♡18

♡ I primarily post digital art (I use Procreate (or IbisPaintX, not super often tho) w/ an I Pad + Apple Pencil or I use jspaint with a trackpad), but I do a lot of traditional art (graphite, colored pencil, gouache, pastels, collage- basically any medium I can get my hands on. Primarily graphite though). I also knit and dabble in other physical arts like that. One of my favorite projects I've done is making a lithograph print. I’ve also made a long furby and my current pipe dream is to make a BJD.

♡ Games/Books/Comics/Shows Interests- Half Life but the AI is Self Aware, Half Life, a lot of other Half Life extant media, TF2, Dungeon Meshi, Comic Girls, DND, Fin fin (on teo the magic planet), I have no mouth and I must scream, the Bible/Christianity (I am not Christian I just think it's neat), MLP, Portal, Mouthwashing, Elden Lied

♡ General Interests- Angels, Armor (specifically medieval european armor), Wizards, biology, conservation, activism, aliens, plushies & dolls, furbies and extant media. I like Nu Metal, 80's-90's pop, K&J-Pop, Country, Rap, and a lot of other genres! I love music and listening to things.

How I tag things

♡ Not Mine- Self explanatory. Posts that are not mine that I’ve reblogged.

♡ Mine- Writing, drawing, or other things I post.

♡ Sorta mine/kinda mine/stepchild post- Usually a reblog response/ collaboration that I feel I haven’t contributed to enough for it to be mine.

♡ Important/Fundraiser- Important resources or fundraiser I encourage y’all to check out.

♡ Travid Art- My Art

♡ Travid Doodles- Doodles/WIPS

♡ travid barks- Random thoughts I have

♡ Textpost- My textposts

♡ Good shit- Stuff I really like!

♡ I have other things I tag a lot but they’re pretty inconsistent. I go through cycles of tagging random stuff.

♡ I only put fandom tags on my own original posts, not on reblogs.

♡ Trigger/Content Tags I use- blood, gore, firearms, artistic nudity, suggestive, nsft, nsft text, flash, flashing, eyestrain, suicide joke

Boundaries

♡ Likes w/ no reblogs- Absolutely!

♡ Rambling in reblogs- Please! I love to hear people’s thoughts on my stuff :)

♡ Tagging me/Messaging me about stuff- Sure! If you think I’d like something, lmk!

♡ Using my art as a PFP or banner (or as anything else)- Please ask and credit me.

♡ Reposting (not reblogging, re-uploading my stuff here or on another site)- Ask me and I might make an acceptation, but usually no. If you're going to do it at least credit me and link my post though.

♡ Venting on my posts- Unless it’s a vent post itself, No.

♡ Requests- Sure! If I like your idea I might draw it. If your idea doesn’t interest me I won’t draw it. You are not entitled to my time. I am not going to draw your dog. Unless it’s cute.

♡DMs- Sure! Again, you are not entitled to my time but if you want to DM me, feel free.

♡ Critiques- Sure! I’m always looking to improve and if something looks weird, lmk! Art is a hobby for me. I do not have a lot of time to spend on it. Do not be rude/condescending and do not be mad if I don’t follow your advice.

♡ I am not responsible for anyone else’s mental health. I am not an art machine. I am not a therapist. I do not owe anyone anything. You do not need to know everything about me. I'm fine sharing about my personal experiences, but if I say "no" I mean it and I will block if pressed.

♡ I struggle a lot with social cues. If I do something that makes you uncomfortable, let me know!

Before You Follow

♡ I can't really control who interacts w/ me, so this is purely a b4 u follow/ DNF (i'm using this acronym. i'm sorry to all who know).

♡ Don't follow if ur under 16- I post weird shit. Get outta here.

♡ DNF Pro-Israel people, Eco fascists, people who actually like Joe Biden, libertarians, radqueers and radfems- just don’t follow if you’re a dick. Also goes for bigots & rightwingers obvi.

♡ I feel like i shouldn't have to say this but pedophiles, zoophiles, necrophiles, and folks into real incest hard DNF.

♡ If you self-identify as a proshipper/profic person DNF. y'all have rancid vibes I don't want to deal with.

♡ Also softer DNF if you think that like. Extreme kinks are problematic? Like as long as everyone can consent and the real world equivalents aren't hella abusive I literally do not care.

♡ I'm uninterested in discourse, interpersonal drama, or debating ppl about my boundaries. I don't have to talk to you. Why do you even want to talk to someone who doesn't want to talk to you? Goober.

♡ I don’t care what media you like. I am highly critical of certain medias, and I am not responsible for warning you about that. If you will have a meltdown over criticism of your favorite show, assume I hate it and don’t follow.

♡ If you're going to get up on my ass about media I like, do not. I will not engage in that. I was a DSMP fan when I was 13. I have been to too many rodeos to care. I'm usually pretty good at acknowledging faults in medias I consume. If u want to point out something I miss, go ahead! But I'm probably aware of, like, the weird undertones of Elfen Lied.

♡I engage with NSFW creators. I might reblog explicit or NSFW posts. I might not tag them because my bar for explicit/NSFW content is pretty high (I went to art museums as a kid so nudity isn't inherently erotic to me and I'm bad at reading intent). I tag explicit stuff with "NSFT" and related tags. If you have a problem with that, do not follow.

♡ I'm not going to post explicit NSFW, but I draw nudity (not full frontal nudity, just topless stuff :P). I will tag it as such but be warned.

♡ I also do a wee bit of horny posting (horny tagging? idk), so beware.

♡ I block somewhat conservatively, but I do block people if I dislike them enough.

♡Ik DNI lists are sooo last season but I'm mainly putting this here to cut my losses. I don't really check the pages of ppl who follow/interact with me, but if I catch a whiff of this stuff I'll block. So yk. We can prevent this from happening if you dont follow me or if you block me first <3.

Updated- October 29, 2024

[todd-machine]

@milekael tagged me so I thought I would hop onto this!!! TYSM FOR THE TAG MILES UAHAHAHA

are you named after anyone?

Not really! I mostly just picked some random things I vibe with tbh.

when was the last time you cried?

I can't actually remember :'D it couldn't have been awfully long ago tho, for some reason

do you have kids?

nope! I don't really plan on it.

do you use sarcasm a lot?

I think so, once in a while. If I do I normally tend to clarify tho, it does tend to pass over my own head a at times so if I notice it happening to others I'm usually quick to explain myself.

what sports do you play?

I've not been so active in recent years, but I used to love taking dance and swimming classes when I was younger tho! I've also dabbled in martial arts and ball games (football and basketball) over the years and I still really like a good walk or run.

what’s the first thing you notice about people?

Usually? Honestly the way people dress or their mannerisms like hand gestures and stuff, since I sometimes gravitate there to understand how people are speaking.

what’s your eye color?

Brown n green on both :3

scary movies or happy endings?

I'm usually not fond of jumpscare/shock horror and I'm more into the suspenseful or slow type really. Happy endings are sweet and very neat ways to end a plot but depending on the case they can sometimes leave me wanting more, idk.

any special talents?

Can measure out a perfect portion of rice by eye for some reason

where were you born?

That one I'd rather not say here. I have lived the majority of my time in England though 💀

what are your hobbies?

Aside from drawing I like... drawing XD but in all seriousness, I really like doing observational drawings from time to time, it helps clear the mind after spending so long animating for uni! I also love working on some short stories slowly, I collect stamps on the side and I've been really getting into cooking lately. I'd love to pick up traditional art to a more serious level once I have the time, too!

do you have any pets?

I don't :'D I'd love to once I can afford to and have the space to keep them though. Thinking mainly of cats honestly.

favorite subject in school?

Probably history! Art was fun too just wasn't so fond of the programme structure there. At least we had some great field trips for that though.

dream job?

Not really sure! I'm close to graduating from my animation undergrad though, hopefully, and I'm hoping to take that into short form stuff or TV within the industry eventually, probably as an animator. I'd love to be able to improve my skillset over time, though, especially in terms of technical and people skills, and maybe do some animation lead or directing at some point. At some stage later down the line I'd love to spend more time on my bigger personal project's production as well.

Augh tags- uuuhrbmrhrm idk @helio5 if u wanna do it go ahead, no pressure tho ofc!!! Anyone else who wants to pick this up as well feel free (sorry for not directly tagging many people, I simply get nervous easily XD)

[fierceawakening]

Yeah no, people are just on a hair-trigger on the internet and are probably incorrectly pattern-matching you to the kind of a-holes who say "if you can't provide a logical reason for your traditions (that dont hurt anyone) they're unnecessary so we aren't gonna accommodate them". And anyhow they are being way too narrow about what being Jewish is, I'm secular Jewish and I only follow the traditions that are meaningful and valuable to me, I don't do or want to do All The Things right now

Thank you! That makes sense to me. Like the actual Jews I know, including the ones I follow on here, seem when they tell me what they’re actually DOING to be picking and choosing like I am. But then they make these broad info posts that make it sound like the only people in the world who question tradition are ex Christian atheists, and that we’re only doing it because we’ve experienced religious abuse. And it just feels super rude to me?

Like yes, part of why I vehemently defend anyone’s right to depart from tradition if they want to is that I’ve been in coercive groups! Sure. Guilty as charged your Honor.

But! That’s also had a positive side. Looking at traditions with a critical eye isn’t always about being upset! Sometimes it’s about noticing something is meaningful to you and thinking in depth about why, and realizing neat things about yourself along the way.

Like, I never thought that I’d go back to Christianity. But when I really thought about what religious practice HAD felt good to me, I realized that actually, for myself personally, I want spirituality to be about believing everyone is redeemable. Religion gives me a place to put that, as a higher value, without it being my personal duty to forgive when I find I can’t or feel unsafe.

Which led me to the idea that what I wanted was modified Christianity actually. I already understood and knew the traditions of a religion that did that, and the only thingsstopping me were 1) worry people would find out I don’t literally believe in god and 2) feeling like I’d be giving in to the man.

With 1, I realized that actually a lot of practicing Christians ARE functionally atheist. People don’t say it too loud, but if you look into a lot of art and writing, you’ll find “if there is a God, I pray that…” I realized this is super common! You can find people in Ancient Greece saying things in this way! If it’s common, then… people know about it already, and they only avoid saying they’re agnostic out of neurotypical social conventions. Which I’m not good at, so I say it openly.

Which means there are a whole lot more me's out there than a lot of people think, and that was ultimately enough for me to decide I was True Scotsman enough.

With 2, I realized that I’d become hugely invested in finding something cooler, but that I really didn’t have a concept of what this was. So I was posturing, when I already knew there was a community I would like and fit well into. So, you know? It was 2016 and I was scared and fuck it, I wanted to feel better and I didn’t care anymore.

But is that “I dunno I’m Christian because I just am lol?” It could be said, yes! Likely the reason I went back to how I was raised is in part that it’s how I was raised.

But I would not answer the question that way.

Instead, i would say that I spent a long time suspicious of religion in general, and ultimately thought about what purpose I wanted it to have in my life, so while “practicing Christian “ PROBABLY describes it, I mean something very personal and not generalizable about what I decided religion should be for.

I would be really surprised if some people’s relationship to their Judaism isn’t similar! But the narrative Tumblr has latched onto for dear life is “only Christians are like that. If you think it’s common for adolescents to have concerns around religious identity you don’t know what an ethnoreligion is.”

Which is ESPECIALLY galling to me. Yes I know what an ethnoreligion is, many of my relatives are Greek Orthodox.

Greek, the ethno, is right there in the name!

[nightmaremp]

What is your Process when it comes to making Art? Do you start digtal or traditional? Cause I see you do both, just curious ( also I love your art so so so much and your an inspiration 💜💜🦷🎸🎹🥁🎺🎷🎸)

I start traditional a lot and sometimes I will take a photo and make it a digital.

for traditional drawing, I have sketchbooks to hold my drawings. I first sketch the drawing with an ink pen. (Red, green, pink, yellow, any light colors really)

I don't like to use pencils a lot because I offer ruin the sketch because I lay my hand on the paper because that is how I draw. I mostly use gel pens.

I use a micro tip brush pen or just a black pen or any black markets to outline my drawing.

I use alcohol markets to color my artworks on paper. I do use color pencils sometimes, but I don't like using them because I can't blend them. I use a Gelly roll white pen to do highlights on the drawing.

For digital artworks, I usually take a photo of a drawing on paper then outline it in ibisPaint X (The app I use for digital artworks)

I use a glass pen to outline. a dip pen (hard) for some designs or markings. I use hair brushes to do the hair then make that layer lighter to blend into the hair.

I use a lot of layers to keep things in order and can make it unseen so I can add more details or shading. I use the paint bucket to color the drawings. I use other brushes or pens like a tree pen because trees are hard to draw sometimes.

sometimes I use a pencil (#1) to sketch a drawing and do the same thing to a drawing I take a picture and make it digital.

I mostly do paper drawings, but I do like to do digital art too.

Thank you for asking!

Aww thank you! :)

I'm glad that my art is inspiration. I like your art too! It is a nice art style and your take on the band. The way you draw lips on characters is neat and your art style is just nice and neat to me.

Also, your oc, Odyssey is cool, and I like their design.

I hope this answer your question. Have a wonder day or night. :)

[akpaleyreblogs]

Can I ask how AI art genereters are tools for artists? Do you mean just using it as a base? Or as a refrenc photo? Or what? If the first then, sorry but you will probably learn nothing. Like I'm genuenly want to know how well the ones who use AI art genereters as a base can draw. And plus many artist like puting on music, a podcasts, or something whaile drawing everything from the start. Sorry if I sounded rude.

You're good, I appreciate the genuine question. I'm going to try to answer as clearly as possible, but will request some amount of grace since often written stuff comes off more tonally sharp than it's meant.

As a starting point, to be clear: I absolutely do not use AI art generators as a base to draw. I don't have a moral issue with that, but it's not a way I would ever recommend anyone learning to draw. I think it's probably a pretty bad way to learn to draw if drawing is something you're interested in doing well. What I have done is taken some abstract images that were just kind of mashes of colors and shapes created before AI art could successfully simulate anything a human would make and thought "there's something compelling in that composition or those colors, what if I interpret that and use it?" That isn't to say that people can't use it as a base to paint over. I haven't been able to do much art in a while, but I've definitely seen things created by AI art more convincingly and thought "there's something compelling here, can I capture and enhance specifically what's compelling about this image to me?" I think that's the way that basically everyone endorses using AI art, if you're going to? Like I don't think anyone would be mad about it if they didn't feel like it was competing with people. Back when it was more primitive I saw a lot more positivity towards AI art models, and I think that's why. That said.

There are a bunch of different stakeholders involved in this conversation. Some of them get conflated with one another regularly.

I am a recreational artist. I take commissions occasionally, but I don't do this professionally and I don't expect to make a living at it. I enjoy the process of making something and finding whatever I'm drawing or painting through the process of drawing or painting it. I like the process. I am invested in having the time and ability to practice that process and an audience to show the things I make. When I need art for something, I can draw at least an approximation of it. I am in the category perhaps the least affected by AI art in either good or bad ways.

But here's where your question gets complicated: there are two groups that are very positively affected by AI art: non artists and AI artists.

I am in the somewhat controversial camp that AI artist is a real thing. This is because I've used a lot of AI models. My partner works in machine learning (though not in image-based stuff) and so I've gotten to play with a lot of these things as they have emerged. It is very easy to convince an AI art generator to make something neat. It is very hard to convince an AI art generator to make the thing that you want it to make. If all you want is something neat to look at, great. But if you have a specific vision for what you're creating, it is very very hard to convince an AI art model to produce that. It is a real skill. This is a real art tool that can be used to do real art by people who are willing to build that specific skill. That skill has nothing to do with drawing and everything to do with how skilled you are at figuring out how AI will interpret language. I do not have that skill. My partner does not have that skill. But there are definitely people who have that skill. If I believe these people are artists, and I do, AI absolutely creates tools for artists. Just not my kind of artist.

Think of it as a different genre of art with a different set of acceptable tools. Think of the kind of paint overs that I might consider doing as a sort of digital (or even traditional if I wanted to print things out) mixed media. It would be ridiculous for me to take a photo and claim it was a drawing, but it's not at all ridiculous for me to take a photo and draw over it and claim that I've created art. It is also, frankly, not ridiculous for me to be a photographer and claim that I've created art.

Professional artists see serious economic threat from AI art. I'm not going to tell them it doesn't exist, it very clearly exists. Professional artists also saw serious threats from photography when it first emerged, which were also not unfounded. But that doesn't make it not art or not a useful art tool.

You'll notice that I haven't talked about non-artists, because that's kind of its own ramble, it's very long and ethically complicated, and it's only tangentially related to your question. So I guess this is a standing offer to get into that if you're interested, but only if you actually want me to. As is, I want to keep the photography parallel going, because same way amateurs can use a camera to take pictures and capture something, amateurs can also feed AI prompts and get something neat back. It's still real art. But the tool is being used casually by someone who doesn't care deeply and I wouldn't call that person an artist anymore than I would call myself a photographer.

EDIT: Just to be clear, when I'm thinking of AI as a tool I'm thinking of Dall-E and midjourney and stuff like that. There are a bunch of apps that stylize your photos that are becoming very popular right now, I'm not really talking about those. I'm also not talking about AI that's been trained specifically off of certain artists without their permission. In general I think that's bad etiquette and not a good thing in the same way that copying someone's work and posting it as your own is typically bad etiquette and not a good thing, especially if you're making money off it.

[orangepanic]

For the fanfic asks! 24, 31, 50

(I can't believe how much you write and whenever I check in it's incredibly high quality if not quite what I'm looking for right now - I hope this comes across as the compliment it is meant as. Do you have a long game or are you "just" [non pejorative] having fun?)

Ooh, tough ones. Neat. Here for it.

24. What’s the meanest review you’ve ever gotten? Do you think the reviewer intended it?

I once got a comment in the middle of a 100-chapter Irosami fic along the lines of "wow, you're such a homophobic piece of shit." Just that one line, right in the middle. Nothing homophobic had happened in that chapter (I think General Iroh made a sandwich?) or, hopefully needless to say, in the rest of the fic, other than that it was a S2 canon divergence where Asami wound up dating Iroh. I replied asking for context, then spent two weeks combing over what I was writing, questioning everything, wondering what I'd gotten so horribly wrong to warrant a comment like that from a reader. I was new to fandom. Now I know better. That person was just an asshole. And yes, they 100% meant it.

31. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?

I thought really hard about this one. The glaring answer is, I think, Aang. In that for a show called Avatar: The Last Airbender I've never once written Aang as anything more than background, and very seldom at that. He appears once in a brief flashback where he has a snowball fight with little Iroh, and once in a short canon retelling of a scene from Appa's perspective. Now a lot of this is because I for the most part write in a time period after Aang is dead. But I've written 15 ATLA fics, too, and he's never there. I've given considerably more lines to Firelord Ozai's hairdresser. My conclusion is that I find Aang very difficult to write and so I think I avoid him on principle.

50. Has writing fanfic had a significant impact on your life? Would you say it’s entirely positive?

Boy howdy did I not want to answer this one. But here it goes.

Yes. And no.

I started writing fanfic in 2020. I'd never written much prior, and never fanfic. I didn't read fanfic. I'd never been part of a fandom. But life as I knew it pretty much ended at about the same time ATLA and TLOK popped up on Netflix and I think those things just coincided at the right time. I can't even begin to tell you how much joy fandom and fanfic writing and has brought me since. It's a super cathartic creative outlet for me in a way hobbies that take up physical space, like traditional art, never could be. More than anything I love that it's limitless, public, and completely private. I can create whatever deranged (or sappy) shit I want and people look at it, but not people who know me or judge me in real life. It's so freeing. I'm the kind of artist who usually burns her stuff, and now I don't have to. Plus of course the deranged, sappy people I've met along the way, many of whom I consider friends in any literal interpretation of the word despite having never seen their face. But I wanna talk about the downsides, too.

The downside is that I've always been imaginative. I've never felt so seen as when I read Calvin and Hobbes. That's me. I'm Calvin. And if I let it, the whole world could be nothing but rockets and dinosaurs and murderous snowmen. I'd go on fake adventures with my fake friends and not do my homework. Which, when you're an adult, is bad. I know since I've started writing I read a lot less, and have even less time than that for other creative content like television shows. I'm less on top of chores, and frankly abysmal at work. I weigh outings with friends against lost writing time. I'm far more likely to sit on the couch and write than go for a walk, let alone exercise, and because it's writing I tell myself that's not lazy, even if "writing" winds up being answering tumblr asks. Why do anything hard if you can imagine fun things instead? But what's crazy is I LOVE to read and watch shows and go for walks and see friends and play games with my partner - and doing those things isn't "taking away" from fandom. So as we emerge from the pandemic I'm working on reclaiming some balance in my life. I love fanfic and fandom and the friends I've made here, but I don't want it to be the only thing that I do, either.

As for your bonus question, no, no long game. Unless I win the lotto, that is. And I'm incredibly flattered you still check in on my works and think they're good, even if our specific interests diverge :-)

Ask me stuff about writing

[opinions-about-tiaras]

I mean. You're right that it comes down to "make," but... I guess I disagree with nearly all of this? Like on a fundamental philosophical level, right down to the microwave analogy.

(Of course microwaving something is cooking; you started with food that wasn't cooked and used the microwave to cook it. That's cooking!)

I just... the thesis here seems to be that effort has some sort of inherent virtue; that there's a certain threshold of labor you have to put into making something before you can be said to have made it, and if the tools you are using allow you to get results without a lot of effort, you haven't, as you say, "made shit."

And I suppose I just reject that, wholly and completely. Effort has no special virtue. It just... doesn't. There is not some arbitrary level of difficulty that must be overcome in order for something that isn't art to be numinously transformed into art. It seems a lot like saying "your tools have gotten so good that it doesn't count anymore." Some of the best writing I've ever done was something I barely put any thought into at all.

And that's what the machines are; tools. They can't do anything on their own; people use them to do things. UItimate responsibility for what happens when the button is pushed, which means credit if the result is good and blame if the result is bad, accrues to the person pushing the button.

We never say "the switch turned the lights off." We never say "the hammer drove the nails." We say "I turned the lights off." We say "I drove the nails."

(Sidebar: Interestingly, we do seem to assign agency to the machine if its some sort of separate entity. People do say "the Roomba vacuumed the room" because its a little thing clearly scuttling around. But would we say that if we could hit a button and the room were invisibly vacuumed? I think in such a situation we'd go back to "I vacuumed the room.")

Regurgitating other peoples artistry has a long and proud tradition; some people have gotten very rich doing just that. I just don't really care if we've now developed tools to let people do this very easily and quickly; I don't see how it makes the outputs "not art" in some meaningful way, or that the people creating those outputs haven't "made" them.

For that matter, I don't think the "guy says to an author you write my idea and we split the revenue" analogy is doing what you want it to do, because... it literally works that way? Like by law and custom, if that guy tells you his idea, and you go and write it, he gets a cut. People have gotten multi-million dollar settlements, and were right to get them, because they could prove "I had the idea, and this guy ran with it and tried to cut me out of the loop." The idea-haver is considered to have contributed substantially!

Heck, I've been active in various fanfiction communities for years and years, and one of the common writing exercises there is "give me a prompt and I'll write X words for it." It is considered polite to always credit your prompter; they are considered to have a share of the creative process despite the fact that the only effort they put in was "I had an idea."

So yeah, I kinda think the people making this stuff have a right to caterwaul, when they go "look at this thing I made, I think its neat" and immediately get hit with a million "you didn't make that, you liar" "kill yourself" "learn to draw" assholes crawling down their throat. That's a legitimate gripe. I genuinely do not think "I don't think you put in an arbitrary amount of effort here, so I get to say this isn't art and you aren't an artist" is a true, or justified, stance to take. "Putting in the work" has no especial virtue; most of human history is us developing better and more clever ways to not have to put in the work.

Especially since we're now getting hordes of would-be inquisitors demanding people "prove" they're not using Stable Diffusion or whatever.

My god my girlies

MY GIRLIES. I am still crying, I am still crying about this. Every day I cry about this.

You bitched so hard about being forced to read 1984 in school when it’s so problematic (tm)

Maybe you should have actually paid attention when you read it

Because all these AI fics

You are LITERALLY MAKING THE GARBAGE NOVELS FROM 1984 that are written by machines

You have literally recreated the worthless soulless machine-made books

Literally,

Literally. Every once in a while it hits me in a fresh wave of disbelief and anger. You have literally created the dystopian book from the dystopian story about why dystopia is bad, and you are passing it around like it’s this amazing thing. I’m crying, I’m crying.

[funarisjournal]

The Beginning: Drama Edition (Pt 1)

I would've come out with this essay a lot sooner, but a lot of stuff has happened. I only just finished re-watching this episode a few nights ago, after so many pauses...but I have a neat topic to write about today!

So, we're looking back at the first episode of the drama, but from the POV of a viewer who has seen the rest of the show already and putting that knowledge back into what we saw, back before they even got to know each other. However, this first part is just everything leading up to (points at pic) this point in the episode. Sit back, have a snack ready, because it's a long one!

Leading up to this fateful meeting, both ladies have pretty much been living a dull, routine life. Kasuga doesn't mind it, as we eventually learn this was the independent life she personally chose, but it certainly affected Nomoto. No friends (though we are treated to a pre-friendship interaction with a unnamed Sayama in this episode), no family nearby, no one to try out her true cooking prowess on. She is a starved artist, figuratively. Starvation, in this case, means no means to produce the stuff you want to create. Whether it be a lack of paints, or a desk to place your work on...or having people to actually share these large meals with. Eventually, it leads to less art and may become dormant for the sake of just trying to get by. But the urge to create just keeps building up...

Nomoto wakes up, heads to work, goes home and cooks small portions because that's all she's limited to, thinks about the what-ifs of making her dream portions but knows she can't, goes to bed and repeats it again. It dampers the soul, you know!

So what happens when a starving artist is finally given an opportunity to create? (aka being told that party-sized set of food is for only one person, and she's looking right at them)

YOU WANNA DEVOUR IT, OF COURSE! Or, in this case, you want to make ALL THE FOOD for this person you barely know! I mean, Nomoto all but salivating at the thought of making huge portions of food during this moment...

But no, no wait. Good on Nomoto for trying to hold back. Scarfing things down doesn't go well in the long run, after all. She tries, anyway. But the next day at work didn't go so well for her. She's reminded of what she's heard for so many years whenever she talks about, or shows off, her love for cooking: That traditional viewpoint that she's totally ready to be wife/mom material. It's like telling an artist who happens to draw in one style that, because they can draw cartoony things, they can totally get into the graphic design field.

Cough cough, I wouldn't know a thing about that, though. Ahem.

Like an artist who can't Take It Anymore and just starts drawing on a napkin or something, the dam finally breaks. There's this impression we get that she has done something like this before, especially if she hears the annoying "societal standards" talk from people. She HATES that! She was pretty much riding the path of the doldrums, going through her daily motions, until she got hit with with it again. She needs to cook so she can cope. Who cares if it's a lot of money, who cares about the consequences of making so much when Nomoto herself can't finish something like that. She needs to cook a ton RIGHT NOW.

Here's where the drama starts differing from the comic. The first episode of the drama actually mixes the first TWO chapters of the comic to give us a proper introduction to both women, and not just Nomoto. So, as we shift our focus away from Nomoto and her predicament, let's do a quick review of Kasuga at this point in her life...

As previously mentioned, Kasuga is also living a pretty routine life. She does her vendor work, and while she can cook some simple meals, she is shown to eat out a lot as well...and as we learn later, it's because she want to enjoy ALL the food the world has to offer. Cooking at home with her limited knowledge only goes so far with that, you know?

But she has her downsides, too. Like people assuming things for her because of her size and/or that she's a woman. I mean, look at that pitiful bowl of rice! I don't eat as much as Kasuga can, but even that wouldn't fill me up! Come on!

She does, at least, speak up and gets the situation corrected, but you eventually learn why that is - she was never allowed to speak up before, and she lived in such a horrible situation where she couldn't thrive...to the point of near-starvation, especially for someone her size. She was a growing, GROWING tall girl in her childhood. You know, the period where you definitely need the nutrients your body needs to develop healthily? It was a horrible time, and Kasuga does NOT want to relieve it in any capacity, even in a situation like going out and having some food at a sit-down place.

Another thing that the drama does a little different is how they portray Kasuga at the beginning here. She still has the same personality as her comic counterpart. She's quiet, keeps to herself, still a gentle soul. However, the drama doesn't really show how Kasuga can seem intimidating without trying to be (almost like a self-defense mechanism to avoid confrontations)

But I guess it's because it's hard to have piercing eyes that look down at most people when heights are little more realistic in the drama. Her actress is the tallest of the eventual main cast (S2), and she is tall in general (have you seen group pics with Emi Nishino towering above fellow musicians??), but the height differences are much smaller gaps in comparison. She can stare at someone with some scariness when she needs to (you'll see in a bit), but it's no unconscious intimidation maneuver like Comic Kasuga. What does that mean for us, though? It means we get to see the soft side a lot quicker. She's not cold, she's not aloof. She's just quiet.

Anyway, here's where it gets fun, folks. To blend the two comic stories together for this episode, we are treated to a unique scene taken in two POVs. For the first third of the story, it's in Nomoto's POV:

She hears the footsteps of her neighbor...Her neighbor that recently had all that food just for herself...

After Kasuga's third of the episode finishes up, we get treated to her POV of that same moment:

There's a whiff of that good-smelling food that her neighbor's always cooking up...

...And then, I caught these two particular screenshots and realized they basically happen at the same time between the two POVs. For this, I christen this moment as a special, drama-only Fateful Moment.

Nomoto having second/third/nth thoughts about her ideas right now, Kasuga briefly slowing down her gait as she passes by that good-smelling food...This was, honestly, a "Now Or Never" Moment. This moment, if decided incorrectly, would've doomed our pair to continue on, alone, with something (someone?) perpetually missing from their lives.

Unfortunately, Kasuga chose to continue her walk back to her apartment. After all, she has no connection to her neighbor, and they had a rather awkward conversation in the elevator beforehand. It would be strange to knock at her door and ask "What's cookin'?" No no, totally strange. Just keep living your life like you have been, Kasuga. It's safe. (and away from her trauma)

HOWEVER! We know Nomoto took the plunge. During her POV of that moment, she was frantically pacing back and forth, literally wondering "Should I? Maybe not... But maybe yes??" Upon hearing Kasuga's door close, she made that choice. It was impulsive, it was brash but here she was, standing in front of her neighbor's door and she already rang the bell.

She can't turn back now.

And now, for the most awkwardly awkward silence to have ever graced my screen (can't say the same for everyone, but it's definitely been for me!). This is the one time Kasuga really stares at Nomoto with defensive annoyance. The slow, single nod she gave in response to the question made it even better.

But...there was no turning back now. Kasuga decided to humor Nomoto's request, and now they're in the latter's apartment!

Kasuga is still on the defensive here. She is preparing herself for some sort of catch. Maybe her neighbor is taunting her after that encounter in the elevator. But ooh, that food sure smells good... Unfortunately, she doesn't make these thoughts known to Nomoto. Instead, Nomoto is treated to just one clarification-type question and then nothing but silence (and staring).

Now, Nomoto is regretting her choices. She let the impulsiveness win again, and now she's looking like a total creep and fool. Anxiety takes over as she starts rambling to explain why she invited Kasuga over without sounding even worse, but then just couldn't take it anymore and started to take the dish back...

And that was when Kasuga noticed her one chance at having something so HUGE offered to her, homecooked no less, was slipping away. She cuts Nomoto off, so quickly(!), to finally say:

This is just unheard of to Kasuga. This has never happened in her life before - someone offering her a mountain of food. For FREE. No catch!

For Nomoto? Now she's eager again. She really could've avoided the earlier moment by just saying "Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying [to eat all this food]", but it's done. Now she can't wait for a reaction. Someone's actually going to eat her cooking!

A cook finally gets to show off her skills. A gourmand finally gets to eat something that will suit her appetite...

....and that's where I'll stop for now. Join me next time as I actually dissect about 3 minutes' worth of show into another long essay (lmao)

[raw-law]

Oh wow you boys are heartwarming really, such high praise after being criticized by me? That definitely takes a strong personality hahaha! Thank you so dearly Ryuzaki, I'm always so fascinated by your answers. Ahh this is very flattering for sure.. I do admire that your answer hasn't really changed for the both of you. I never judged that initially, I just wanted you to actually understand the question. I think I could actually write a book on this subject hahaha just have a lot to say about it, but I definitely do not want to disturb your followers just in case someone is a bit icky about this topic so I'm afraid I can't share a lot more than I already have. I do want to add that not every encounter that disintegrates into eroticism is about sex, so perhaps your view on it still isn't loose enough.. Too traditional and bound to how society views eroticism. It's not wrong to view it as an art form.. It can be, but that's not the case for me personally. I like the approach though. After having so many years of experience, of course it's a bit hard to disassemble and understand my own brain, but rather than artistic value it mostly has psychological and therapeutic value to me, especially when the person I'm with can mirror my intelligence so I like to be with therapists, lawyers, engineers, etc etc. I am not interested in people who don't value themselves and waste their potential. Lack of confidence is highly unattractive to me, so when I.. Well, have these people devoted to me and my will, I want to be sure it is as cathartic for them as well. This is why an asexual relationship could not work for me, it's less the physical interaction that I "need", and more the fact that I am not particularly interested when the other person's desire for my lifestyle equals zero. I guess you could put it that way! As mentioned, I do not want to disturb anybody so maybe Light and Ryuzaki are interested in dming about it just in case one day I'll be so kind as to reveal my online identity. May work with... Lots.. of encouragement.. Hahaha

Though I do think Light would seek out something ecstatic like eroticism a lot more if he wasn't a mass murderer. Do you agree Ryuzaki?

Thank you for your attention, highly appreciated! Amongst the more.. chaotic.. anons, I wanted to provide something, hmm.. Refreshing? Outstanding? Though it's always funny and sweet to see you two reply to humorous people.

-🩶

L:

first i need to apologize in advance for the high possibility of my response being even more incoherent than the previous two seeing as it is 3 am as i write this and the running off of 4 hours of sleep for the past 3 days or so is only now catching up to me but i still want to respond to this before my train of thought gives out. this is a compliment by the way if that's not clear. it probably wasn't. anyways basically i'm putting your thoughts on my sleep deprived pedestal that's all you need to know.

as for the actual response bit: i'm glad you enjoy our responses, even when we're clearly less versed in this subject than you are, haha. the feeling is mutual for the knowledge you share back. i may currently be computing it at a very slow rate but i do heavily enjoy being able to learn more about, well. things in general. it's not everyday i realize i'm not as educated on a subject as i'd like to be, and along with there being somebody who's willing to share their thoughts and put up with my own bullshittery at the same time. handshake-handshake, mmm yes professionalism. real true business men. respect.

i don't know why, but for some reason the idea that eroticism isn't always rooted in sex never completely crossed my mind. this really is neat to learn about. i mean i suppose i had a surface level understanding that they're not always connected, but i never dwelled on it much. i really do have a lot to ponder on now. y'know you really should write a book on these things. i'd read it at least. my mind exists in a constant state of a six year old repeatedly asking "why" and i think it would finally be satisfied with a book, hah.

i think i also somewhat understand that last bit now. it seems similar to how i view intellectual relationships in general. i never considered it could fall into a more sensual category as well. that's really interesting to see. and if you ever did reveal your identity, all you'd need to prepare for (on my part at least) is probably a random swarm of questions at 3 am. other than that you're safe though. probably. no promises for whatever light-kun does.

and yes i do agree that he is absolutely a mass murderer. i find it amusing that the question if him being a mass murderer isn't even on the table, it's just fact. (which it is). for the actual question though, from how light has been responding and the general knowledge i have on him, i'm not too sure. i'd have to wait and see how he responds. don't worry i'll be prodding him too you're not the only suffering from my incoherent rambling.

i think that's just about all i can rustle out of my head for now. thank you for indulging me. and hopefully whatever the hell i wrote above this is somewhat coherent. i enjoy chaotic asks, but it's certainly refreshing to see these kind of things every now and again. so thank you, again-again. (note, by Light: what does again-again even mean?)

i'm off to sleep bastard land. ciao. i'll make light proof read or whatever goodnight tumblr.

edit: ... it's next morning, i read over this. i'm too ashamed to change it. i apologize profusely.

note, by Light: edited very slightly for clarity.

Light:

Well...I'll admit that your asks are certainly rather interesting to read. I'm always up to learn new things.

On to my answer: Honestly, I've still only gotten a vague idea of what eroticism is like, and I'm still rather unclear about the whole situation, but I think I understand it better now than, say, a few days ago. At least I understand where you're coming from better.

I do agree that the views I held on eroticism can be...traditional, and apologise for the culture differences on the subject. And I can understand where you're coming from; in that case, it honestly seems like we share similar preferences for standards of (romantic) relationships. It's interesting to see how that could be interpreted erotically and also how you choose those who express those characteristics through having a physical relationship. I'll admit that I never really thought of things being like that before...it certainly makes for a rather interesting discussion to have.

And for that matter, if you ever do happen to reveal your identity, I'd perhaps ask you a few more questions on the subject, just to understand it a little better. Also, no, I am not a mass murderer...and I honestly don't think I'd ever turn to eroticism. It's just not a way where I'd choose to express myself through, personally.

Thanks for your ask, though, and I look forward to having further discussions on this.