#well i am happy to know that my art is some of my most popular

[lonereaper]

I posted 3,435 times in 2022

That's 1,015 more posts than 2021!

252 posts created (7%)

3,183 posts reblogged (93%)

I tagged 1,574 of my posts in 2022

#mh - 151 posts

#megainsp - 67 posts

#marble hornets - 53 posts

#hlvrai - 43 posts

#asks - 30 posts

#st - 28 posts

#ap insp - 27 posts

#art - 26 posts

#tf2 - 23 posts

#insp - 21 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#yes i get it sydney you think differently than the rest of your class but why can’t you think the same as the rest of your class for 2 secon

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

601 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

#4

611 notes - Posted September 6, 2022

#3

2,366 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

#2

2,969 notes - Posted May 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

3,225 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[akanemnon]

Last question before I once again leave you to rest and recuperate for the rest of the hiatus.

Do you know color theory by any chance?

(And if so, can you teach me some techniques…? /nf)

Your most recently posted piece is so amazing that I can’t even put it into words. It’s cool how you can switch between styles like that. However, I hope you’re taking of yourself in the process!

If there’s anything to learn from the anon attacks, it’s that even though some people unfortunately don’t see it, being an online influencer of any sort is more of a sacrifice than it looks, and it can the tiring to the creator when others don’t understand. Im not half as popular as you are and I too am starting to feel the effects of posting almost everyday for the sake of the fans.

You’re probably the first online artist I’ve been a BIG FAN of. Not just because of your AU, but because now I’m know I’m not the only easily anxious artist out there. You’ve really inspired me, and lots of other people too, but to keep up the good work, you have to make sure you’re also okay.

Take care!

- The Kogetai Kiddo.

I know some color theory in terms of creating designs. For painting, not so much. It's a pretty complicated subject to explain, so that might take quite a bit to get into...

And no worries, I am taking care of myself and take plenty of breaks in between when I'm getting too frustrated. As for the style thing; I like to try different things once in a while to prevent stagnation. I can switch between styles thanks to practice, but changing mediums does take some getting used to. Digital painting is not exactly something I'm that good at because I don't do it that often. It takes a lot of time and energy. But it's a good challenge.

Honestly, I don't want to be titled as an "influencer" or "content creator". I'm just some person who likes sharing their work and comics that people seem to like them a lot. I'm no authority figure and I don't like seeing myself as something greater than others just because of some numbers. Numbers don't mean anything. It's the person that matters. I just wanna make art, and if it happens to make people happy, I'm happy too. Still anxiety and internal pressure can make things hard. There IS that underlying feeling of having to perform and do well. Because those are your own standards. In the end, you are your own worst critic. Anxiety is the worst, and it's an endless struggle against it. But it's possible to live with it. At some point, taking a step back and realizing you need a break is the right call.

Hoping the best for you and all the other anxious artists out there!

And with that'll be off on my last few days of break. Asks are closed now. See you back on Sunday!

(Little teaser from the next page for good measure)

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Jade Leech - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Jade: I see this art museum not only has many art pieces depicting tales from the surface, but also from under the sea.

Jade: I suppose this may mean that just as there are merfolk fascinated by land, those on the surface may have garnered interest in the ocean as well… Oh?

???: These are the two moray eels that served the Sea Witch. And yet, their expressions…

Jade: I believe they look quite kind and gentlemanly. Do you not agree, Riddle-san?

Riddle: …Oh Jade, it's you. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with your opinion there. That's because…

Riddle: In this painting their grins look as though they are plotting something untoward, not unlike how you and Floyd tend to look.

Jade: Oh my, for you to say we resemble the great Sea Witch's subordinates like that… Fufufu, I am honored.

Riddle: That wasn't a compliment. However, it's true that their numerous benevolent acts have been passed down through history.

Riddle: I'm sure I'm only mistakenly seeing them as sinister, but in reality, they are kind moray eels, just as you say.

Jade: Indeed. I'm elated that not only are the tales of the Sea Witch widely known on land, but also that of her eels.

Jade: Back home, there is a very popular folktale in which those moray eels present a challenge to a mermaid who had fallen in love with someone of a different species.

Riddle: Oh that's… Are you talking about the mermaid who made a contract with the Sea Witch in order to be with the human she had fallen in love with?

Jade: That's right. The incident where they flipped the boat that the mermaid and her beloved were sitting in in order to test their love is a particularly popular tale…

Jade: It is said that their bond was strengthened thanks to the quick thinking of those moray eels.

Riddle: If I recall correctly, that mermaid's contract with the Sea Witch was conditioned on blossoming that love from her own efforts…

Jade: That is true. And yet, they continued to monitor her after she made the contract, and even provide generous support… They truly are most benevolent.

Jade: Now, speaking of boats…

Jade: Do you know of a strangely shaped boat, one that is completely different than the small rowing boat in this tale?

Riddle: Strangely shaped?

Jade: Indeed. For example… Think of a boat shaped like a bird that is rowed by pedaling your feet.

Riddle: Ah, you mean the swan boats.

Jade: Yes, that's it. Whenever I would poke my head out of the ocean, I would see many boats that were rowed with oars, and yet…

Jade: I had never seen one quite shaped like that, ever. I was quite shocked the first time I came across one. It is rather unique.

Riddle: If you like unusual boats like that, the Queendom of Roses have some in the shape of flamingos.

Jade: Is that so? I would like to ride one of those one day, as well.

Riddle: …As well? Are you saying that you've ridden on one of those swan boats with Azul, or Floyd…?

Jade: No, I rode alone.

Riddle: EH, YOU RODE ONE OF THOSE BOATS ALONE!?

Jade: Yes. It was too narrow for my legs to sit comfortably on one side, so I had to pedal the boat with one foot on what would normally be each person's pedal.

Jade: That was truly a fickle vehicle to maneuver. I had enough trouble trying to steer in the direction I wanted…

Jade: While I was riding it, that aforementioned anecdote of the boat and the moray eels came to mind.

Jade: I thought to myself… If somehow there was some creature bent on capsizing this boat, it could be quite the ordeal.

Jade: Have you ever ridden a swan boat, Riddle-san?

Riddle: No, can't say I have…

Jade: Well, that is a pity. It is very enjoyable, so I fully encourage you to experience it. We can ride together sometime.

Riddle: How could you possibly believe that I'd agree to do so after all we talked about just now…? I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be some other creature capsizing us, it would be you.

Jade: I would never. And even if we were to encounter trouble and capsize, it would be quite easy for me to swim us to shore. Fufu… Does that not help you feel safer?

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Jade: This is a painting depicting the myth of the child of a god who aspired to be a hero alongside his friends.

Jade: It is said that he trained his mind and body in order to become a hero. Perhaps this specifically depicts a scene from one of his training sessions.

Riddle: It seems so. From the look on his face, his training must have been going well.

Jade: I remember back while I was learning self-defense, I was also just as elated as he was in his painting whenever I perfectly executed a specific technique.

Riddle: Oh, so you know self-defense.

Jade: That's right. My father taught me.

Jade: He also taught me how to free myself if tied up and pick locks if I am locked up.

Riddle: EH!? Why would your father teach a child such things…?

Jade: Simply put, my parents are overcautious. After all, they do say "providing is preventing," right?

Jade: In fact, it is because of my self-defense training, that I've been able to avoid many an incident.

Riddle: Incidents in which your self-defense training was useful? That seems somewhat disturbing.

Jade: I wouldn't say that… Back in the ocean, there were a few sharks that had refused to honor their promises.

Jade: As I was entreating them to fulfill their duty, they all decided to bilk their promise altogether.

Riddle: That is absolutely unacceptable. If they have broken their promises, they should pay the price.

Jade: Yes, I thought the exact same. THAT IS WHY I USED MY SELF-DEFENSE SKILLS AND TURNED THE TABLES ON THEM.

Jade: Even though it was the result of their own actions, I couldn't help but feel some semblance of pity for them as they screamed every time I twisted their fins.

Riddle: I'm having a hard time believing this… I fully assumed that that kind of dangerous task would be more Floyd's specialty.

Jade: That was just an unusual case. I am usually reluctant to resort to such tactics.

Jade: When resolving issues, it is best to come to an amicable conclusion via communication, not fists.

Jade: However, that does not mean that there will never be a time in which those self-defense techniques will need to be used on the surface.

Jade: Here on land, it would be impossible to use any technique that requires the use of my tailfin. My human body still lacks the right experience.

Jade: I am hoping to strengthen my skills in order to be as proficient in my self-defense techniques on land in this body as I am in the ocean.

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Riddle: This is a painting of the Fairest Queen of All. In the background, we can see her peacock feathered throne.

Jade: Indeed. It looks as if the Queen is majestically spreading her own wings… What spectacular composition.

Jade: Moreover, that box she is holding up so delicately…  It draws my eyes with how vividly crimson it is.

Riddle: Seeing that it has a lock on it, it may be her treasure box.

Jade: A treasure box, hm. I remember I used to stuff as much as I could in a big, beautiful box of my own when I was younger.

Jade: At one point, I had collected so many various accessories that humans had dropped into the ocean, that I wasn't even able to close the lid.

Jade: I would take strolls every day just to search for possible trinkets, at times going to places so far out a round trip would take me a whole day.

Jade: Once in a while, if I came across any coins, I would give them to Azul… Fufu, that brings back memories.

Riddle: When you say accessories, you mean rings, or necklaces, yes? I'm surprised that you were interested in such jewelry.

Jade: I suppose so. I don't often choose to wear accessories as much anymore.

Jade: Although, I do recall collecting a few hundred pieces…

Riddle: A few hundred!? If you had collected that much, then I'm sure there would be some that still suit your tastes now…

Jade: Perhaps. However, I have since disposed of all those accessories I collected back then.

Riddle: Disposed all of them…? Even though you had so fervently collected them?

Jade: Correct. Keeping things that no longer interest you is simply a waste of space, wouldn't you say?

Jade: Ah yes, actually, there was something that caught my attention when I came to the surface, as well.

Jade: It is nothing unusual, and in fact can be found pretty much anywhere on land…

Jade: Once I took note of them, I could really feel the intention behind those that made them, as well as their various designs. It is profoundly fascinating.

Riddle: Hmmm, nothing comes to mind. What is it that caught your attention that much?

Jade: Fufu, well, that would be… manhole lids.

Riddle: Huh, manhole lids!?

Jade: Some lids are designed to show off local specialties or attractions.

Jade: Of course, there are no manholes in the ocean. So my interest was piqued as I was searching up on what use they could possibly serve…

Jade: For a little while, I did find myself collecting a few hundred various merchandise of manhole lids with unusual designs, as well.

Riddle: So, regardless of whether it's accessories, or manholes… I see you get truly invested when you decide you like something.

Jade: Indeed. Once I've taken a liking to something, I seem to be the type that becomes completely absorbed by it.

Jade: However, I will say that those investments don't last too long.

Jade: In fact, my fixation has shifted from manhole lids to mountains already.

Riddle: It's good to find something to be invested in, but remember that a student's duty is his studies. Regulate your time with your hobbies so as to not neglect that.

Riddle: Well then, I will be heading to view paintings of the Queen of Hearts, so, farewell.

Jade: Right, see you later. …Well, now that Riddle-san has left me, I wonder what painting I should look at now… Hm?

Jade: Is this a painting of a shrimp…? No, a crab. How wonderful, he looks so terribly elated.

Jade: It's usually these sorts of folk who would be in need of reprimand for not paying the price after signing their contracts. Fufu…

[queengiuliettafirstlady]

Love Booth Challenge

Love Booth for underrated characters.

Ikemen version

Hello and welcome to my first challenge. I am proud to present to you the Love Booth challenge, a month long exploration of love for the underrated characters of the Ikemen games.

General Rules

Works and art of all forms are welcome! Fanarts, fanfics, headcanons, moodboards, playlists and everything you can manage to think of is included. 

Limited to Ikemen fandoms and to certain suitors, due to popularity of some characters more than others I have decided to host a challenge exclusively for the less appreciated.

I had this idea since forever what took me so long to post it was the creations of the prompts I created in association with my lovely friend MO @xxsycamore.

I did my best to include most of the less loved characters from the Ikemen games exclusively with an English version.

That said if you think about other less popular characters, belonging to one of these games or to other Ikemen games that are not out in English yet, You are allowed to use these prompts as inspiration.

The main focus is to show love to characters not so loved by the fandom/game all year around without limit for this reason I won't make a masterlist.

When posting your works, use the tag #love booth challenge - you can as well tag me @queengiuliettafirstlady in your posts! It will help find other creations for those interested to check them out.

Posting to other sites is allowed - as long as you mention the challenge and its creators.

Reblogs are appreciated!

Content Rules

This challenge features a list of prompts, and dialogue prompts which you can match to your liking, if you want to. You can create more than one work for the same prompt, too!

Under the cut, you will find the prompts linked to the characters included in the challenge, that can be mixed up with prompts from other challenges happening around the fandom in the same month.

Any additional rules are up to the artists. You are free to choose the rating (make sure to mark your NSFW works accordingly, and if you’re minor, make sure not to interact with such!), and also the genre (the challenge’s main focus is romantic love, but it is not obligatory for your work to be of such genre), all characters and ships included are up to you (OCs, character x MC, character x character, etc.)

You’re free to take requests from your audience using these prompt lists, again please make sure to mention the challenge and its creator.

You’re absolutely free to post your works for this challenge whenever you feel like.

The final and most important rule is to have fun and not pressure yourself about full completion of the challenge. Do only as many works as you wish! :)

Here is a free-to-use banner/header for the challenge!

If you have any additional questions, I’ll be happy to help. There is no such thing as a stupid question, so don’t hesitate to get in contact with us! I wish you happy creating!

THE LISTS

Ikemen Vampire

Dazai - Storyteller - A walk under the cherry trees.

Jean - Monster - "I am not worthy of love."

Mozart - Music - "You are my muse."

Sebastian - Secrets - "My composure is an act."

Shakespeare - Bard - A poem for my lover

Faust - Alchemy - "Behave for me."

Charles - Obsession - "I wish we could stay like this forever."

Isaac - Scholar - "I don't understand people at all ... yet I found myself quite curious to know everything about you."

Ikemen Prince

Keith - Duality - "Trust me."

Luke - Bear - "I will protect you."

Jin - Sweets - "All I need is our love."

Rio - Pet - "I will love you always and forever."

Sariel - Discipline - "It will do good to remember I am quite a strict tutor."

Nokto - Facade - "Were the truth lies ?"

Licht - Scar - "No matter what I do this scars will not heal, but your presence made me forget about them."

Yves - Fashion - "Would you like to get ready together ?"

Ikemen Revolution

Zero - Identity - "I am human because of you."

Harr - Magic - "I only want to keep you safe."

Loki - Abandonment - Seeking comfort on a rainy night.

Blanc - Gentleman - "Do you remember what I warned you about when you came in Cradle?"

Mousse - Dreams - "You are the subject of my dreams. I want to know even more about you."

Dean - Strict - Stern gaze softening upon an endearing sight.

Dalim - Flirt - "You shouldn't have trusted me."

Oliver - Creativity - "The best part about my creations is seeing you smile."

Ikemen Sengoku

Kennyo - Revenge - "You make me feel complete with your love."

Ranmaru - Loyalty - "I will always be there for you."

Sasuke - Companion - Fanning over the fanboy.

Mitsunari - Knowledge - "Let me take care of you."

Yoshimoto - Beauty - Admiring art together.

Kanetsugu - Strategy - "I found quite difficult to keep my composure when you are around."

Hideyoshi - Devotion - "You're my number one priority."

Ieyasu - Teacher - Collecting herbs together.

Once again Have fun and Happy Creating! I can't wait to see all your creations. 🧡💟💌🤗

[rmoony12]

Representations in the Riordanverse ☆༉

We all know that Rick is trying his best to represent in his books as many groups as he can, and I am sure he has done a proper research about all of them.

The thing is, every group says that some things he put in those characters are a bit problematic, like Samira showing her hair to all of Valhalla because "they're her family".

I am sure there are problems with more characters and more representations, but I am going to focus on Lavinia Asimov.

When we first meet Lavinia, Apollo tells us she wears a star of David necklace - the most popular Jewish symbol.

(the OG art)

Lavinia is one if the main characters in ToA3, but we get nothing about her jewish identity or her backstory at all, just that her dad is a russian dancer.

Rick knows to do research about groups he isn't part of, he knows to write a pretty good representation if he wants (Samira, Hazel, Ana from daughter of the deep, frank ecd), but in this case he didn't do that and it's obvious.

There's no reason for Lavinia to wear a star of David necklace if she is not connected to her Jewishness, especially in new rome. And is she is connected to her Jewishness, why isn't it talked about in the book?

As a Jewish Riordanverse fan, it's very harmful to see how well represented other communities are and realising that my community is "less important" for Rick to represent it well in his books.

Even outside of the pjo universe, Rick had managed to represent a second Muslim character + an Indian main character. I am happy for you if you are part of those groups, but I am also hurt that I didn't get that representation.

I think we all need to put this in mind, because these kind of things are very important to a lot of people.

[twstinginthewind]

A fan event, starting on September 3! Our story begins with a summons from Headmage Crowley....

“I do suppose you’re all wondering why I called you in here.”

Headmage Crowley sat at his desk, his fingertips steepled beneath his chin as he smiled benignly at the small assemblage of students in front of him. Lilia Vanrouge. Cater Diamond. Kalim al-Asim. Ah, the bright, shining faces of youth! He lowered his hands to the desk. “As you all know, I am more than happy to be able to lend an ear to the distinguished students of Night Raven College, and I have called this meeting with you three to facilitate all of that. How beneficial and foresightful of me! What generous use of my very limited office hours!”

“.... is this about our club, Headmage?” Kalim asked, a bit hesitantly. “I thought that it might be that, since otherwise it would be really weird to have the three of us together here. Oh! Unless we’re all going to be getting an award! Do you think it might be for an award? I do like award ceremonies!! Maybe we can have a little parade first, and we can plan a feast, and—-”

“I’m certain it’s for the club, dear Kalim,” chuckled Lilia, holding up a hand to stop his excitable friend. He leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. “Sadly, the school might not be able to plan an award ceremony of quite the scale you’d envision! The elephant budget’s already quite strained.”

Cater sighed. “Hashtag major bummer, that would have been so ‘cammable. So!” He straightened up in his seat. “What is it that the Pop Music Club can do for you, Headmage? Or is this about membership requirements again…?”

Crowley’s eyes flickered behind his mask. “Ah, Mr. Diamond, you wound me, even as you strike directly at the heart of the matter. Yes, just like the beginning of last year, your membership levels are still shockingly low! There must be some way to encourage participation in your group… and as such, I have the pleasure of presenting you with a magnificent idea, one that will both have potential new club members come to you in droves, and will also prove beneficial to the college. And its financial coffers!!”

“Knew it.” Cater turned to Lilia. “You owe me a can of juice.”

“We have an elephant budget?” Kalim squeaked.

“Of course, Kalim. Do keep up. What is this miraculous idea, Headmage?” Lilia raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Not that I wouldn’t upend the entirety of Twisted Wonderland to protect our club. Our friendship, the time we spend together, is so very, very precious to me!”

“The idea is thus: our precious Pop Music Club would be in charge of setting up a campus-wide music festival! You can recruit acts from among the student body, set up a spectacular main stage and some less spectacular side stage areas, arrange for merchandise and concessions stands, and of course, be the final headlining act! It would be an excellent way to find new club candidates, and keep your numbers high enough so that poor dear Kalim won’t be left floundering and clubless next year when you two juniors leave for your mandatory fourth-year internships! Is it not the most brilliant and spectacular event you could possibly think of?”

“Yeah, pass.” Cater looked back at his phone.

“I’m inclined to agree. No, thank you, Headmage. That seems like such an undertaking.” Lilia stretched out his arms, and got ready to stand back up.

“But guys!!” Kalim turned to his upperclassmen, looking at them with huge, sparkling eyes. “It’s a festival. Just for us!! Wouldn’t that just be the most incredible thing? We’d even be stars for the day, and everyone can dance and party and be really happy that we made it all happen! I’m already excited about it!!”

“And I have already secured the technology to… what is it that is all the rage with the youth these days, the stream? We will be able to place it in the stream.” Crowley crossed his arms over his chest confidently. “Certainly, it will be a very popular draw; our sporting events are always well-received. But perhaps the arts are not so popular as athletics?”

Cater looked up. “... about how many views for those, Headmage?”

“They number in the millions.”

Cater took a deep breath. His leg bobbed up and down beneath the headmage’s desk. “Hmmmmmmm. And would we be able to attach our own personal online accounts to this stream?”

“Oh, naturally. Why, I would leave that in your hands, or the hands of whomever you decide to assign it to. I’m surely too busy for such a thing, and have no real knowledge of it, despite my years and years in academia.” Crowley tilted his head. “Surely you young, tech-savvy students would do just fine, though…”

“It does seem quite a lot to arrange, though. Isn’t it a lot for three students to be responsible for? Especially when we have so many other responsibilities and shining moments of youth to consider! We can’t be expected to lay all of those aside, can we?” Lilia said all of this with a straight face, but he turned to his fellow club members and gave them a subtle wink.

“But this is your chance to show what a powerhouse of organizational skills the Pop Music Club can be!” Crowley stood behind his desk, a hand on his chest. “Why, it would take a true master tactician to pull off such a feat. Gathering your volunteer forces, setting the goals, planning out each aspect to perfection, you’d—-”

Lilia laughed, interrupting the headmage’s monologue. “Oh, I just wanted to see you go into full dramatic mode. I think we’re all in.”

Kalim’s jaw dropped. “I thought you were against it?!?”

“Oh, not at all!” Lilia giggled into his hand. “I was ready to go ahead from the first word. I just wanted to have our wonderful, generous, erudite headmage really sell the idea to us.”

Crowley pursed his lips. “Well. In any case, gentlemen. I shall expect a show from you three that is truly worthy of Night Raven College and our longstanding dedication to the arts. And also, you need to increase your membership by a minimum of… let’s say thirty-three percent?”

Cater squinted for a moment. “Oh Em Seven. You just need us to get one more member?”

“At least one, yes.” Crowley nodded. “And make the arrangements for the music festival that we have on the campus schedule for some reason, of course.”

Before the others could react, Kalim jumped up out of his seat. “YAHOO! Of course we’ll do it! And we’ll make it shine! The best music festival that Night Raven College has ever had!!”

“THAT is the spirit I want to see from you boys!” Crowley smiled at Kalim. “Now, go prepare, boys, it won’t be long before the big day is here!”

“When is this big day, anyway, Headmage? Y’know, so I can announce the livestream to my followers and all…” Cater opened up Magicam, his thumb poised over the phone.

Crowley sat back down, poised. “A month from today.”

“A what?” Cater and Lilia spluttered together, while Kalim just nodded, bright-eyed as ever.

“A month, my dear students, from today. Thirty days.” He didn’t move, just kept smiling a smile that never quite reached those unsettlingly bright eyes. “Such a generous soul I am, to give you so much advance time! Now go, boys, and give the inaugural Night Raven MusicFest the gala treatment it deserves! Here, I had special shirts made for you. Have fun with it!!” He snapped his fingers, and three brightly-colored tie-dye tee shirts popped into existence on the desk in front of them. “I expect a progress report in a week. You’re dismissed, gentlemen!”

EVENT DETAILS TO FOLLOW ON SEPTEMBER 3! Keep your eyes open!

[the-vegetarian-artist]

Asking you about your ska troll concept! They look so cool and I would love to learn more about them

@shadow-ray4 thank you for asking, genuinely was positive that no one would ask 😅😣 but I am HAPPY to share! To start here are the full refs I've done so far and explain as much of the concept as I've developed in my brain lmaooo (ALL MAJOR DEETS undercut cause its gonna be LONG)

@goldendaydna also helped with this and lowkey a concept we are semi working out since her sona Golden Tempo is an Urbano Troll (a recently named concept lol)

Ska Trolls are Big, Bright, and BOLD. Together, these elements create an energetic, highly danceable, highly vibe-able troll genre. They also explode into confetti and confections when excited or surprised. Dont worry they pop back up as if nothing even happened leaving a pile of candy and crepe paper on the ground. (Ska trolls are super popular with the kids.) They practically live for the music, known for dancing for several days straight with hardly a rhyme or reason to stop.

*Like even the smallest of surprises just make em POP! (Bonus Branch doodle cause why not??)

Adara, my sona, is a 4th Generation Ska Troll (her father being a 3rd Gen while her mama is a punk rock troll) so TECHNICALLY shes Ska-punk, but she still has the appearance of your standard Ska Troll so it's more a music specific.

Her great great grandparents being a reggae leaning funk troll and a rocksteady leaning funk troll who formed The Underground after being seemingly left behind along with other alt/subgenres of the main 6 kingdoms when they split. A place for alternative trolls like herself and her friends could live and PARTY HARD without micro judgments against their music. It's a haven for other trolls who feel they dont quite fit a specific genre or even one at all, but also HELLA secluded from the rest of the Trolls so they look different and SOUND different. (Cave acoustics and all) The surface likely gets trimmers and even earthquakes from their raging parties. (I'm still fleshing this out but I have this piece of "concept art")

*Its literally a bioluminescent shroom town. Like glowing mushroom homes, food, ect- glow worms on the cave ceiling like stars in a night sky. All the various alternative genre of trolls have like a glowy eye thing that allows them to just see naturally in the dark too-

*these were some posters I took heavy color influence from for Adara's pallet (I know they arent all ska, but punk, reggae, and rocksteady aesthetics were an addition)

Obviously I took most inspo from pinatas, party/confetti poppers, and the sorts mainly because the funk trolls poop...well. baked goods and I wanted to play off that but lean into the crazy evolution the trolls have canonically in the universe that foam at the mouth for 👀 🤲 But I wanted to make sure her colors and patterns gave off not just Funk influence, but also micro subculture influences that are within The Underground. (This including but not not limited to, how closely Ska Trolls were to the Urbano Trolls communities within The Underground)

*Exchanged tassels and stringy fur textures for more paper textures. Like literally walking, talking, breathing pinatas fr

*Queen Essence I love yuuuu

They are bigger than the average Funk troll and have very similar features to them, but texture and color wise are very different. They much more vibrant and staturated. Giving a mix of felt and crepe paper. They have tails as sortve as an evolutionary trait but also it gives maximum party mode as it can hold objects and act as an extra hand. Their ears are also longer and slimmer, making it harder for them to lift or perk up so they stay droopy unlike their funk counterparts. They are all naturals at brass instruments (mainly trumpet) and ALWAYS have a hop in their step.

*edit if the pics keep messing up... imma have to just remake the post 😭

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A couple of replies, a longer one about fandom.

hadesdancehall asked:

BOKU NO RISOU NO ROI DE POISON DE WA I'M LOSING MY MIND OVER TETTERE!ROOK

YESSSSS YES YES I AM SO HAPPY YOU GET IT LOL Rook and Tettere are the same, the idea of this crossover was driving me crazy, I had to draw it. Look at him go, singing about continuously loving every single person until he finds the one…

Fun fact about this sketch: we have no idea why I drew Alte-Rose!Malleus there. It’s been a while since I drew this sketch, and I completely forgot… I guess she had to deal with this Tettere too, so it kind of fits lol

Anonymous asked:

I know you aren't really type to give information just gorgeous art. But in your last reply post you said you do traditional art and just coloured them digitally.

So I'm wondering... How do you do it!?

Because everytime I try to do that it looks so weird. I can't seem to get the colors as vibrant as I can when I'm only doing digital.

Thank you for praising my art! But Anon, I do give information :c I wrote a reply about this exact topic just a couple of days ago which is filled to the brim with links about everything in my art process + have a guide about exactly this topic.

Your colours might seem off for a number of reasons, it’s hard to tell exactly why by just guessing. It can be related to your software/display or directly to your choice of colours.

Anonymous asked:

Ryu, your dissatisfaction with Twisted Wonderland's age rating is very understandable! The game is allegedly a joseimuke game aimed at adult women, especially in light of the fact that this is a gacha game and that adults—who earn a regular income—will be the true target market. It's a little frightening that adults who play these kinds of games have to be so careful about how we express our affection for the characters lest we be labelled as predators or worse, p*dos. Making adult gamers feel bad for enjoying these "children" who are clearly meant to be adults. They're fictional, and most of them definitely don't look or act like boys their age. Some characters appear so mature; this really struck me as being university attendee coded. It's not like the ensemble is exclusively comprised of children, you know? The game revolves around attractive anime boys who are intentionally created to appear older than they actually are. Unfortunately, despite the fact that i enjoy Twisted Wonderland, it is the first fandom where i experienced Ageism in a fandom.

Trey is, if my memory serves me correctly, one of the most well-liked characters in the Japanese fandom (i remember there used to be a JP poll asking which character in Twist was the most loved). Most likely due to his personality, which again makes sense given that the majority of Twist users are grownups and Trey's portrayal of a character who, despite being a young adult, is quite mature.

Furthermore, even though I realise I'm going to sound like Idia, I detest how the "Normies" entered Nerd/Geek spaces after gaining popularity and then pretended to be uncomfortable with what they saw. You came to OUR space, dude! What did they expect?!

Anon! Sorry for replying late, and thank you! You’ve made so many very good points.

It really is an obvious joseimuke in how the game is written, how the game operates (the gacha system, like you mentioned) + even the type of merch that exists for this game. If you think about it, this is probably the best way to determine the actual target audience of any piece of media: just like Prince of Tennis is technically a classic Shonen Jump series, but all the merch they have is clearly aimed at adult women (purses, perfume, etc).

So yeah, even if that wasn’t the case, calling people predators over shipping themselves with Azul would be a bad thing to do, but in this situation especially it’s absurd to call people out for interacting with TWST pretty much the way it was indented…

What you said about the characters’ age and Trey specifically is so true. To be fair, this could be said about any joseimuke-like title with a big ensemble of boys, Prince of Tennis included. All the characters there are 12-15 years old, but god some of them look over 30.

I think it is important to keep in mind the intended age to a degree (= I dislike how the EN translation tries to dance around mentioning the boys’ age), and Twst does a good job at keeping these boys authentic when it matters, but it doesn’t mean that people won’t ship them with other characters or themselves. And no one questions it and no one finds it weird because it isn’t. It’s not that deep, it has nothing to do with how real teens look or act, this is a fantasy in people’s heads, it’s escapism, it so different and so far removed from the regular boring life it’s insane. It’s so difficult not to sound like Idia, SO I FEEL YOU ANON.  Someone called it the moe factor that some people just don’t get. So I guess it really is about people being normies sometimes lol I wish they would leave already.

[katapotato55]

my theory as to why doomers exist (and how to break that mentality to be a better writer)

yesterday my sibling texted me "hey can you list me what major historical events you experienced in life for an assignment? " of course I listed the big ones like COVID and other depressing shit I went through in my life but most of the ones i listed were not super depressing. here are some of them: -the rise of steve jobs and the popularity of modern OS -the rise of smartphones -new technology completely changing the world that I thought I would never see in my lifetime, like VR and self driving cars. -massive cultural impacts such as spongebob being created affecting pop culture -the start of facebook and modern social media -pluto being declared not a planet yknow stuff on the top of my head that I thought would be interesting to write about.

then my sibling came home to tell me that most of what I sent was not helpful at all and that they meant "world events" And i asked "how the hell is the invention of the smart phone and the beginning of modern social media not considered "world events" by these standards" they said "idk just not that"

I think what they meant to say was "my teacher only wants the really depressing miserable shit the media thinks is headline worthy"

You know, I think this is why my generation is full of so many doomers. God forbid we have a positive outlook on this world and try and look at the bright side of things. god forbid we try to be optimistic for both the future and our current lives. we seem to have this thin veil of maturity that depressing=mature somehow. That the only way to make anything of nuance is to basically spam "look how shit everything is! look how enlightened I am" like you are Steve cutts.

well you know what ?

I hate art like the stuff steve cutts makes, and I hate this redundant "look how shit the world is" mentality

I plan on making an analysis post later on about Mr. Cutts, but for now let's stay on point this mentality is redundant and helps no one. yes. we do need to be aware of the bad parts of life. But being a pathetic miserable sod and ignoring the upsides is just as immature and childish as an aggressive optimist thinking the world is all sunshine and rainbows. you know why I like undertale so much ? Undertale knows when to be optimistic and has a mature take on a happy ending. Undertale ALLOWS itself to be happy. enough with the rick and morty level of writing where everything sucks and "fuck you in particular for being hopeful" only edgy 14 year olds think being depressing is the same as being mature. Maturity is understanding that there is nuance to everything and understanding that things are what they are. Do you want to be a good writer ? stop overly relying on being a sad doomer. Even the darkest writers in history like Edgar Allen Poe knew how to lighten the fuck up, because you need to understand the positives in life to effectively create dark writing.

thank you for reading this ironically negative rant, I plan to expand more on the subject later on.

EDIT

ngl i was honestly scared this post would open me up to harassment. I was genuinely terrified of attracting the psycho political crowd that treats politics like religious doctrine. first of all, shout out to this person:

I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about my struggle with depression as an artist and the stereotype behind it. the stereotype is that only the best artists are emotionally tortured people constantly struggling in agony and putting that into their art. now as someone who has been battling depression for 10 years let me tell you: that mentality is a load of horse shit. the greatest artists in history such as Van Gogh were not great artists because they were depressed they were great artists because they had a combination of passion and unique life experience. It just so happens that depression is a unique life experience to go through. being depressed does not make you deep, it just makes you feel empty and possibly sad depending on what flavor of depression you have. all the great stories about depression are not great because its about depression, but because its about the writers personal experiences and the love and hard work that went into making it. if Van gogh got treatment for his mental health issues, he would have still created art. Yes he created art as his job, but he also did it because he loved it and put his personal feelings and passion into his work. the biggest reason why I detest Steve Cutts is because there is no passion nor personal experience in his work. yes he is talented but most of his animations are just regurgitating all the bad things he could think of and nothing personal is going into it. (again I plan on making an analysis post about steve cutts sooner or later) What makes the art of Van Gogh deep and Steve Cutts as deep as a dry puddle is the fact that you can tell who put their own soul and personality into their work. heed my warning new artists and writers depression =/= deep all depression does is cripple you. Seek out life experience to be the best artist you can be.

[laurfilijames]

"I'm gonna say something. Are you listening?"- Frankie "Catfish" Morales, Triple Frontier

Good. Thanks Frankie.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.

About fandom in general, interactions or lack thereof, how something you can feel so happy and passionate about can make you sad at the same time.

The idea of no longer sharing my fics has also been something that's crossed my mind on numerous occasions, but at the end of the day I WANT to share them. I am proud of them and I figure if they make me this happy, I hope they can make someone else happy too.

I continue to trek on, trying to compartmentalize my feelings and press on, creating fics I think others will enjoy as well, and praising the gorgeous man who plays gorgeous characters whose stories I love to change or extend.

Recently, I've felt guilt. Guilt that I haven't been creating and posting enough things for you to indulge in. And then I remember that in the last 4 weeks, I wrote and posted 3 fics.

3 fics where a majority of the reblogs are my own, and most of the notes are likes.

I'm feeling this way because of the lack of interaction. I'm not blaming or pointing fingers or trying to extend any guilt to any of you (and thank you endlessly to those who do reblog and comment and send messages and have conversations about them 💗) But I can safely say that this is a widespread issue across all fandoms alike.

It's disheartening. People leave and give up and have their creativity crushed to the point they no longer participate or share their wonderful art.

I came across a post that I reblogged yesterday that added another level onto all of this.

Artists and writers having to "market" and promote their work in hopes it'll help drum up excitement for what they have coming up.

As if taking the time and energy to create that fic of piece of art isn't enough, now we have to work like a full marketing team in hopes we will get a few more reblogs or comments.

I have seldom participated in tag games where you share snippets of WIPs etc because more often than not, the response to them are *crickets*. It's embarrassing and gives off that "no one is interested so why bother sharing it" vibe.

We shouldn't have to work that hard to get feedback on the things we share.

I know, and respect, that some people experience comment anxiety, but I promise you that if you're able to, whether it be a string of emojis or keysmashes or even a gif, you will be making a difference.

This happened to me yesterday.

Right when I felt like it's all fruitless, someone swooped in with a comment that gave me hope and reminded me why I do it. And it was on my least popular (and personal favourite) series to boot.

Because of this simple act of communication, my hope and motivation has been restored.

Now I know I'm going to get people saying "you should write for yourself" (I do) and I shouldn't rely on others to keep me motivated (I don't, I have Charlie Hunnam for that) but it's such a key component to all of this and I think most creators can agree to that.

So please, for the love of fandom and the things you love (the actors, the characters, the shows or films) PLEASE INTERACT WITH THE ARTISTS AND WRITERS WHO CREATE INCREDIBLE ART AND FICS FOR THEM.

You may not realize what an effect you have, but I promise you, you do, and it may even help save your favourite artist from abandoning it all.

[master-ray5]

Twenty Questions for Fic WRiters

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @iwrestledavongonce for nominating me :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

31 (minus the 2 from other authors I used my account to repost)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

After I subtract the word count of the ones that weren't mine: 284, 848.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sailor Moon and a Doom/Animal Crossing cross over.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Royal Affairs: It really is my most popular story.

Prison of Hair: A short little fluff piece that will give you cavities.

Date Night on Ice: My first gift exchange.

The Anguish of Chastity: My first fic.

Pralabhana: Written for Dark Endy Week 2022

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes and no. If it contains a question I always make sure to answer it or of they raise a good point I also respond. I don't give a thank you to every comment thought.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably "Slave Maid Witch Queen" I went right up to the moment where Beryl turned evil and attacked Silver Millenium.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I usually try for happy endings but happiest...I don't know Prison of Hair.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yes. More so on FF.net than AO3 but some people didn't like how I ended "Ghosts of Yesterday."

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. M/F, usually with couples.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

My one and only crossover fic is "His Slice of Heaven" which features a crossover between the Doom Slayer and Isabel from Animal Crossing. When you think about it, the pairing is pretty crazy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Co-written? No but @iamcharlotte88 worked together for insert art for "Man in the red dress."

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Usagi x Mamoru forever! That being said, since Sailor Moon Crystal, I have fallen in love with the Senshi x Shitennou pairings.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a good feeling about being able to finish Choker of Love, Royal Affairs, and a few Innocent Royal Affairs. Dating a Married Couple though...I wonder.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. I personally think I come up with some witty bits of dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Honestly? Writing Smut. Yes, I know a lot of people have complimented me on my smut scenes but they are without a doubt the moments that take the longest for me to write. I want to make sure things aren't just over in a paragragh.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Well with translation through Google, I don't see the problem.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Sailor Moon.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Probably Royal Affairs. It's my most popular and its my love letter to showing the sexy marriage adventures of the King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo.

As for who I recommend to give this a shot: How about @iamcharlotte88 and @danni-bunny.

[katyspersonal]

(Responding remaining asks for the ask post in a bundle)

Thank you 🥺 But hey, you only won't have more Soulsborne knowledge than me with THIS attitude!! You gotta believe in yourself! XD

_____________________

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Also I feel like I know who you are XD

That guy, honestly.. I remember giving him some thoughts and analysis that I am still proud of even back in time before I was aware of finer details and translation errors. He felt like someone very real and full of nuances even in my "sounds like creep" era, and then first character I wrote a good analysis on! I take credit for popularising the knowledge about English localisation completely skewing him, because despite LP's document being in access for years nobody fished out THOSE details from it until me!! It took deliberate searching with the purpose of learning THE character!!!! 😎

I miss my more "unalloyed" version of Gehrman though, such a real cold dead-inside man, saved and adopted from abusive house but with the demons inside left forever, whose lack of empathy made him perfect hunter and whose sole true positive emotion in life was meeting Maria but then he took a massive L fsdhdsh I blame @fantomette22 for softening my general perception of him though by just standing there!!! You and your soft ass! GET OVER HERE-

_____________________

^ This one was sent during me typing this post! Thank you very much, this is a lot of praise.. т.т I am self-conscious about my art and feel like the only way to improve is to get a teacher, which can't be organised any time soon, but I am happy you enjoy it as it is still!

(and I am sure your personality is great as well <:3 )

_____________________

Which 'hot' takes? My takes at cooking that chicken @heraldofcrow JUST right? Well this makes sense I guess dfshhsd

fdjhshdsf okay seriously, thank you XD I am not good at dignified, intelligent way of describing my theories that sounds like telling a sad tale or a scary legend that I see some people do both in text and podcasts.. Hell, some of such posts sound like small fanfics! And I sure as hell don't want to accidentally slip into the unapproachable, humourless "let me educate you peasants" tone (it is hard to not even notice)! So the only option left for me as a wordy kind of loredigger was to unleash my inner clown!! I heard people say that adding jokes and cursed memes in the middle of sharing a theory is actually relaxing, so I am glad I am this way <:3

Also really not tryna become a "contrarian" kind of user, we do NOT have a shortage of blogs that throw a shade at the fandom trust me! But what do I do when I also have a lot to say... 🙄 Aren't we all just people who desperately try to not be Hunters until beasts come at OUR doorstep?

_____________________

This is what you see in a Petri dish you've put me in after 2 minutes:

Yes I know I used this image today already you just made it VERY hard to not do it again sdhhfsdsd Anyways, thank you!!

_____________________

Thank you! I hope you still like them!!

I'd actually say that anyone can make really unique headcanons and interpretations! My secret is actually to minimise exposure to the takes in the fandom until I've came up with my idea to offer! It helps me to jump into a metaphorical pillowfort with @val-of-the-north when a character or a question interests us and brainstorm the ideas; I do the suggestions, intuition, right questions and imagination part, whereas he does finding the most obscure gameplay consequences, finds obscure images from the furthest corners of the internet and remembers literally every detail that could help or debunk like a supercomputer! *sets the 'days since praising Val on public' counter back to 0 AGAIN fhsdhds*

THEN I hop on Tumblr and offer my idea and look what other people say (with rare exceptions about smaller things). Key word is, 'THEN'! I've met many people who were shocked when I informed them that what they assumed was canon in fact was just a popular fanon! Many people make the same mistake: they see many people doing [thing] and just assume it has to be legit then and never double check for selves! This ensures less variety of interpretations with all (designs, ships, story, portrayals and takes) which is a bit disheartening! Just remember to 1) look at the source material with clear eyes, only consulting wikis and reference videos, for example to know about questline or item you've missed 2) communicate with the fandom about a topic when you DO have your own idea already, this will me mutually enriching for both and 3) never simply take majority's word as canon! And then you will be like me! x)

You will ALSO be like me if you add Spongebob meme within a serious theory and organise dash wars with your mutuals but that's for another story fdshfhsd

[tmntkiseki]

I'd say it's been probably... almost two months since I became an active participant in the TMNT 2003 fandom? And while there have been some ups and downs, overall I have been enjoying myself.

The biggest adjustment is the size. Most of my previous fandoms have been relatively niche JRPGs and while TMNT 2003 isn't the most popular animated TMNT iteration, the fanbase is still much, much larger than what I'm used to. More people talking, more fanart and fanfic being posted, and definitely a lot more, ah, discourse. Not that discourse wasn't a thing in my smaller fandoms, but I stumble across it quite a bit when browsing tags, and there's also a lot more variety to it as well. It really is weird what kind of stuff people will get their underwear up in a bunch about.

As far as interacting with other fans goes, I try to keep a relatively open mind when discussing the show and characters. I know some people can be very trigger happy with their block buttons, but I try not to block people simply because they disagree with me/I disagree with them. If I were to block someone on the grounds of their opinion being different from mine, it would be because they were being aggressive of how right they are while I'm completely wrong to the point of literal harassment over whatever is being discussed. Which, you know, fortunately I haven't had to do something like that yet. Most people have been very kind to me thus far, even when there were disagreements.

I am pretty happy with how things are turning out, even though it was a bit rough in the beginning when I didn't know anyone and felt like an outsider. A lot of people have expressed thanks for the fact I've been posting the official model sheets and concept art from the show, and as long as people still want them, I'll keep uploading them until I've run out because hey, I can personally confirm that the turtles are fucking hard to draw, and even the lowest quality reference can do wonders. This is also the fandom that inspired me to dabble in video editing and gif making; still not the best at either of them, but much like art, it's a learning process and the most important thing is that I'm having fun. My brain hasn't been this entertained learning new techniques for making things in a while, even if it can be frustrating at times. (Those damn shells are the worst to draw, man.)

So.... Yeah. All I can really say at this point is thank you to everyone for making this fanbase experience enjoyable so far. I'll probably be around for a while yet!

[percyscart]

Hello! I wanted to say that I really love your stories and that they bring me so much joy!

Your works have been so much of an inspiration for me to do what I do and I really want to say thank you for that.

I'd like to ask, what advice would you give for new artists who are interested in opening their own art shop one day?

Aww, I’m really happy and honoured to hear that!

As for advice, here are some things I would have told myself when I was starting, everything is subjective and depends on the individual so do take it with a pinch of salt!

1. Start small!

It’s tempting to make large quantity orders because some manufacturers provide bigger discounts, but it’s very risky at the beginning because you don’t know what will sell. I personally rather sell out than have large stock that takes ages to sell preventing me from trying new things since you learn and change a lot at the start!

2. Draw what you love, not what is trendy or popular (eg drawing characters/relationships you love vs popular characters)

Personally, things that I draw out of love and inspiration are those that not only am I more proud of, but also sells better. If you’re passionate about it, it’s likely there’s people out there who are as passionate, and that’s where you find your niche and audience. Additionally, popular characters will most likely have well-known artists that draw for them already, so it’s difficult to breakthrough if you’re not passionate about it. If what you love overlaps with what’s trendy/popular, that’s fine!

3. Use social media wisely!

It’s the most useful but tiring tool to use. If people don’t see your stuff, they won’t know it’s out there, but don’t be too focused on numbers! Low numbers does not mean rejection, high numbers do not mean success. I’ve had plenty of reels/tiktoks with have high views and engagement that do not reflect the sales number. Don’t take data personally, consider it more as food for thought.

“why did this artwork not resonate with people? how can i improve it/showcase it better?” “why did this artwork (yours or others) resonate with people? how can i emulate this more?”

On the same note, photos/videos of your products always need to have good lighting! Sun and your phone camera is enough to start with. I recently enjoy taking photos holding my stuff against greenery.

These are some smaller thoughts:

- Try to post tiktoks only after your items are available to order (unless you’re just gauging market). I’ve had a video go viral (1m+ views) long before it was available online and when I did release it online, most people didn’t see it because that’s just how tiktok algorithm works :’) your followers are less likely to see your stuff, compared to twt/insta, imo.

- Many of my first customers became returning customers, so do ensure you treat your packages with care so they have a good experience! (i personally prepare thank you cards hehe)

- Keep packaging minimal so they are lighter and less waste. Additionally, I’ve started using less flashy packaging (brown instead of coloured) because I’ve heard coloured ones may be at risk of theft (unconfirmed). I keep decorative packaging inside only.

All the best to your endeavors!

[hillerskalibrary]

Event poll results!

(summary version)

So last week I opened a poll to check what kind of YR fandom events you guys wanted to see and the respondents were... how shall I put it... "very excited" is most applicable I think? ;)

Because I'm a nerd who likes to analyze the results but also doesn't want to chase her entire following away, I'm going to make two result posts:

This post, where I will summarize the results as succint as I can, and address some of the remarks and suggestions that I received. I'll also make a conclusion on what I would suggest to do - feedback on that is certainly welcome!

A second post (which I'll link when I finish it, most likely tomorrow or even after cause I'm slow as fuck) with some more graphs, percentages, observations, cause I don't know shit about statistics but that won't stop me from having fun with it!

Fair warning - it's pretty long. I just find it easier to explain a little about the decisions I'm (not) taking, both to invite discussion and because I don't want this to be a black box blog that does whatever and you never know why. That being said...

Ready? Let's go!

RESULTS

I received 72 responses, 36 writers and 36 readers.

The top 3 most wanted events by READERS is: Big Bang (89%), Theme Week (86%), and Weekly Challenges (83%). The event they were least excited about is Author Interviews (56%).

The top 3 events writers most want to PARTICIPATE in is, in order: Author Interviews (69%), Theme Week (64%), and Fic Exchange (61%). The events they DO NOT want to participate in are Author Interviews (25%), very closely followed by Big Bang and Advent (both 22%).

READERS were (very) slightly more excited about a Wilmon theme week rather than a general YR week. WRITERS clearly preferred a general YR week. For both groups, a YR women week comes in third, and rarepair week is fourth.

All types of weekly writing challenges suggested scored similarly.

(I know some of these seem contradictory, which I why I'll make the second post explaining how I calculated these rankings and why -for example- Author Interviews are both the most AND the least popular event for writers ;) )

SUGGESTIONS

A lot of people wrote in suggestions, which I was SUPER happy about (I closed the form now but if you have any more, please just hit my inbox or DM me at @hilliska). A few people also offered to help, which I'm definitely gonna hold you to when decisions are starting to get made! ;)

Many people were excited about possible collabs between writers and artists.

"What about a "finish your draft/wip" or "write a new chapter on a wip". I have so many languishing WIPs…" I think this is an EXCELLENT idea tbh - though we could incorporate it in the big bang by allowing wips as well. Also, as an FYI, there is also a (non-fandom-specific) Finish Your Shit-Big Bang that takes place every year (though this year's round is close to posting already) ;).

"I’d also love to see more Podfic in this fandom, but I don’t know how that could be an event." I have zero experience with podfic but this does sound (ha!) like it could be fun. Maybe someone has experience with this from a different fandom? (honestly I'd love to experiment with this so hmu)

"Authors sign up to take one shot requests or readers get to write a prompt. Or if readers could submit or vote on prompts or something? Or readers submit a song and author writes a one shot based on a song. Something like that where readers can be involved too :)" We could also easily incoporate this in a big bang - do a prompt bang or a reverse bang (fic based on art) for example? Or maybe involve readers in the weekly challenges, by suggesting tropes/words/... ?

"Write a comment on a fic-week!" Yessss!!!! I am like... 95% sure there is a tumblr-wide event for this already but I can't for the life of me find it. So I could signal boost that or yeah, we could just pin a day ourselves :).

"Group chat/watch" I'm afraid I'm not the right person to organize this kind of thing, but if you've been thinking of doing this and you were afraid no one would be interested - this is your sign!! ;)

"live writing event" Same as above - though I do think there's some discords where this happens already?

"Some sort of collab, where authors get to write a fic together." This could definitely be fun! There is currently one that originated on Twitter called Unlabeled - I don't know all the writers but I recognize at least @yourdemiurge, @skydragon05, @1-life-to-give, and @in-amor-veritas. Which obviously doesn't help if you're a writer wanting to collab, but at least there's people with experience in this fandom ;).

"Maybe a poetry week?" I don't even write poetry but I'm obsessed with this suggestion. Could also be a writing challenge? Not sure about a whole week either, but there's World Poetry Day in March so maybe that can be a mini-event?

"Something not fic centered? Like fanart, edits, cosplay etc." This is one of those things that I'm throwing out there for other people to run with, maybe, because. Well, I'm a writer and I know fic, but I really don't know much about the rest... Which is not to say I don't want to (help) run anything like this because it definitely could be fun, but it's a little out of my wheelhouse. But maybe @youngroyalsfanartarchive can help or knows people who would?

And now what??

Consider the below not as a definitive list but as a stream-of-consciousness conversation starters, so don't hesitate to send me your thoughts.

I will definitely do a Big Bang. Prompt-based or art-based or wip-based or something else remains to be decided, but this will happen. It will not happen NOW, however, because we don't know when season 3 will air. Big Bangs are big events, they ask a lot from writers, and if the s3 premiers at any time between signups and publications, it's going to make everything more difficult. But there was sufficient interest by writers to participate, so once we got a s3 date I want to put a timeline on this.

I'm talking with people about a possible YR women's week. The general/Wilmon week scored higher in the polls, but since we already had that in spring I'd like to switch it up a little.

I would like to do *something* for the anniversary of s2. Don't want to go regular theme week for this because of the above possibility, but maybe the not-fic-centered event could be good for this - we could do favorite episode/favorite non-wilmon character/... which are things that non-content-creators can also participate in by writing a short paragraph, reblogging gifsets/art of that episode/character, ... "Finish your wip" would also be a good one for this though :)

The people behind the 2023 Secret Santa will not organize one this year, but I don't really want to jump in that, necessarily, because there's enough other possibilities and they might be back. But a Valentine fic exchange could maybe work?

The advent calendar idea drew mixed reactions (maybe because it's less well known?) and while I do think it could be fun, there's enough other things that people are excited about, so I'm putting it in the freezer for now.

The weekly challenges also drew mixed reactions - both readers and writers were excited to see them happen, but only a third of writers said they would definitely/probably participate. Then again, half of them said they would POSSIBLY participate. Maybe because it's an ongoing thing, so they don't want to promise they'd participate EACH WEEK but only sometimes? So I'm not sure about this (also because it would significantly up the time required to maintain the blog). So I'd love more feedback on this to see which shape or form you guys would like this to take.

Fic recs scored solidly in the middle of the possibilities for both reader and writers. I wanted to include it because I was curious, but I'm a little hesitant to really do something with it, mostly because it often ends up being a popularity contest and. Well. We already know how to sort by kudos/comments on AO3. So I'm curious to hear other people's experiences on how to maybe circumvent that.

The Author Interviews were the most contested event - even (or rather *especially* among writers (and I secretly think it's hilarious the most wanted event by writers is the one that doesn't require them to write at all :D). I do think it could be fun (though I admit this is a format mostly geared towards writers) to help other writers to find other people to collaborate with, find betas, learn about different writing processes, ... And a self-rec feature would allow for fic recs without the popularity factor. So I'll most likely run this as a (bi-)weekly feature alongside the other events.

[bitsandbobsfromrandomfandoms]

Listen. Rap music is far outside anything I feel I can relate to. Rap culture is Hip Hop culture and Hip Hop belongs to Black America.

Geographically speaking, it is a world away from my world. I understand that even if I were to dip my toe into this culture, it would be as an observer and a guest. Most of the art was not written or created for me and it would also take a significant effort on my part to deconstruct it, understand its history and empathise with it.

If I'm being honest, I've also never been partial to a culture that seems to have such strong ties to misogyny. It's why I didn't feel inclined to make the effort even though I understood Hip Hop's cultural significance and its popularity. I just decided a long, long time ago that it wasn't for me and that was that.

Fast-forward to now when the only rapper I listen to is NF, who is an outlier in the rap community and knows it. And a few tracks from Eminem that were inescapable that I really really enjoyed.

There was nothing besides that. If you were to show me pictures of famous rap artists, I wouldn't know who they were, they'd just be people to me.

I was blissfully and somewhat willfully ignorant until the cataclysm of this rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar washed up on my door-step about a week ago.

I've spent the past 3 days watching video after video on YouTube trying to understand the full scope of this moment in Hip Hop history.

I don't think this is "beef".

It feels biblical somehow.

It feels like these two men seemed to be engaging in some kind of subliminal warfare with each other for the better part of a decade, most of which the public wasn't privy to or got to see until all the diss tracks started to drop like rapid gunfire.

Until Kendrick dropped a nuke ... and then a second one to make sure Drake was dead dead 🤣

It's not just that I'm fascinated by someone's downfall as I always am when I get to witness a narcissist get their just deserts. It's more than that. I'm equally fascinated by the idea of the meeting between these two polar opposites.

Imagine it, two opposing forces — one who has authenticity writ into the fabric of his bones and the other — a grifter, a culture vulture and a predator in the many, many senses of the word.

Witnessing this was like seeing something out of a Batman movie.

I don't know if Drake will recover from this. Most likely he will work on music from different genres for a while before he goes near rap again but if nothing else, at least his reputation has taken a massive hit. And if the sad, empty excuse of a human being decides to stay in the hole he's hiding in, well, good riddance!

Congratulations to Kendrick. If I could speak to him directly I would say:

"You handled that shit both admirably and masterfully and you know what? A little schadenfreude isn't a bad thing.

Drake was/is a bad person and you Delivered like the Hand of God you are.

Much respect to you and your work. Wishing you even more success in your career, more happiness in your personal life, more moments for your resilient spirit to rest and most of all more healing and stability because I know that, with time, it will ripple out of you into your community.

Peace be with you.

God be with you.

God bless you."