#im really thinking of posting a bit more about what im writing

[hypherr]

1. painting is ass and hard

Crazy idea @ me: What if you used your blog to blog sometimes like that might be insane huh yeah thought so

realized this is a BLOG wherein i can TALK ABOUT THIGNS and RECORD MY STRUGGLES with ART!! So here we go today i am saying art is ass and hard that's all bye (jk)

EDIT: SOZ I FORGOT TO PUT PAGE BREAK HOLY SHIT SO SORRY THIS MUST HAVE BEENNSO ANNNYOIGNGNKSJFKOW

i'm not the greatest artist, that's fine, i'm good with that, but the intrinsic GRIEF i feel upon struggling to draw a fuckin head correctly or some shit gets my goat and hucks that bih off a cliff. it's so infuriating. i can't draw legs either. i get so nervous and make the figure look nervous and like they have backwards knees. it sucks. i feel so frustrated that i cant just DRAW the damn thing, especially since i can only see flashes of things in my head and i can't really hold an image there. if i'm writing a story, i can see what's happening until i stop narrating. it's super dumb and literally i should have been traded in for a refund bc what is this shit im an artist that can't see things in my head?????

BUT THEN, i figured out une solution: print shit out and just, like, have it around, AS SEEN BELOW

This is to the right of my main monitor:

This is to the left (dont judge me for a) the lack of things on it and b) the fact it's miguel like stfu it's a beautiful man and i love him!!!!):

i have my oil easel behind me, too, and it has a load of refs as well DON'T LOOK AT THE ARES STUDY IT'S ACTUALLY SO BUSTED AND UGGO OK I LITERALLY JST STARTED WOEJFAWIEJ:

I'm still ass at what I struggle with HOWEVER I can feel that, when I'm stuck, I just have to disengage from my art and look at some of the refs i have posted around, and my brain un-noodles a little bit. it's kinda epic. pretty cool.

it's helped me a lot with painting and drawing faces, too, though I'm still not happy with how I do that. I did the below study (july 29th) from some statue i found online, and i wanna light it on fire and throw it out the window:

Don't look at the Verso monstrosity behind it. That's actually none of your business, weirdo!!!

Anyway, it's really not that horrible (the statue painting) but I was still frustrated w how it looked.

Yesterday (july 30th) I did two more studies on similar teeny tiny canvases that I cut from some old, failed painting tests. I slapped a million layers of acrylic on the itty bitty canvases to cover the old art and to leave an absorbent (is that a word?) base for the oils to s e e p into and whatever. it's basically just priming it, but i prime with gold, shiny acrylic bc it's neat and i like shiny things like a pigeon:

THESE ARE BETTER. they are still loose-ish and they are done alla prima style, and they're kinda uggo BUT the values are pretty okay I think. Good progress very wow im not total ass i guess!

I found it really interesting how the bottom painting's eye shadows were so bloopy and had a shape i never really expected. that helped me get a bit of an AH-HA moment with how the shadows behave around the eye socket in top-down lighting.

Today (july 31) I decided to (gulp) do another portrait but this time from memory and in CSP bc i didnt' wanna get up and sort out my oils tbh. Plus, I'm warming up to continue comms. Here's the result of that:

i cant believe i put 2024 instead of 2025. i forgot what year it was already. insane. anyway it's from today not last year oh my god lol

the things i really tried to remember whiles drawing this was the way the shadows were falling over the fulcrum and onto the cupid's bow/lips, and how the eyebrows are angled on the face, AND how close the eyebrows actually are on a lot of men's faces. I think it's pretty alright. I've been trying to draw my OC but have had crippling anxiety over doing i and have failed exponentially everytime I've attempted, but I like how this looks. hoping I'll be able to draw his older version now that i have a baseline of his younger version that feels correct.

ANYWAY I HAVE TO WORK NOW OK BYE WEEEE

[areyoufuckingcrazy]

Hiii! I just wanted to say I love the way you write Tech! You got me giggling and kicking my feet🤭. Im currently watching bad batch and I LOVE THAT MAN.

That being said, I was wondering if I could request a Tech x fem communications officer. She was assigned to the group just so the kaminoans can keep tabs on them a bit. But also to provide background to the cultures and planets they visit in case the information becomes necessary for a mission. When she first met the group they weren't all too welcoming (especially crosshair) and so she was very monotone and matter of fact with them. Only talking to them when she needed too. She first opened up more with Tech because he became interested in her cultural and planetary insight. The others followed soon after. Eventually the batch considers her family and she them, but it was never spoken aloud so she still kept a bit of distance (not noticeable to them) just because she wasn't sure where exactly she stood with them. Maybe reader gets kidnapped and it's casually mentioned that they think of her this way and she's like "really???" And they're like "Yeah? Did you not know???".

Basically just platonic bb x with romantic Tech undertones. Or it's can be more explicit with the romance idc.

Sorry if this is too long, I just love love love your writing.😍

~🩷🩷anon

“Did You Not Know?”

Tech x Fem!Reader

The first time you stepped onto the Havoc Marauder, the air felt tenser than a vibroblade pressed to your throat. Four sets of clone eyes took your presence as a challenge. Tech greeted you with a polite nod. Echo gave you a once-over and a quiet, uncertain smile. Wrecker offered a booming “hello” before Crosshair scoffed and muttered something about “babysitters.” Hunter didn’t say anything, just studied you like he was deciding whether or not to trust a live grenade.

You weren’t surprised.

Your Kaminoan assignment hadn’t exactly come with a ribbon and warm welcome. You were there as both an observer and a communications specialist, officially tasked with planetary intel and cultural decryption. Unofficially, the Kaminoans had made it clear: “Monitor Clone Force 99. Provide regular status updates. Do not interfere.”

So you kept to yourself. Spoke only when necessary. Dry, clipped facts. No emotion. No opinion. You were an outsider with a headset and datapad.

But Tech… he didn’t ignore you.

At first, it was simple things. He’d request clarification on language variations. Cultural norms. Historical patterns of behavior.

You’d answer plainly. He’d nod and file it away in that brilliant mind of his.

But slowly—curiously—Tech began to linger in the little moments. Ask more than he needed. Test the line between ‘communication’ and ‘conversation.’

“Why does the Mahrik tribe insist on gifting bones to visitors?”

“Symbolic tradition. Death is seen as sacred, and bones represent peace. You give your enemy what they fear.”

“Fascinating. Morbid. But fascinating.”

You snorted at that, the first sound of amusement you’d let out in days.

He’d smiled. Actually smiled. Not just the twitch of a lip. A real one.

That was the moment it began to shift.

Wrecker started pulling you into post-mission meals. Echo began trusting you with decryption codes. Crosshair still made dry remarks, but he no longer sounded like he wanted you gone. And Hunter… Hunter seemed to soften, nodding in silent approval when you’d give mission briefings that saved them time and pain.

You never asked to be “part of the team.” And they never said you were.

But somewhere between Tech sketching hyperspace maps and you annotating planetary trade rituals beside him, it started to feel like home.

Even if you never said it out loud.

Even if a part of you—just a sliver—still kept one foot out the door.

Because you didn’t know if they’d catch you if you let yourself fall fully in.

⸻

You didn’t remember the explosion. Just the searing heat. The sharp, acidic sting of your rebreather failing. The blur of your surroundings as rough hands dragged you out of the dust and into a rusted speeder.

You came to in the back of a transport. Disoriented. Tied at the wrists. Your headset smashed. Blood crusting the corner of your mouth.

The bounty hunters that had taken you were talking about tech specs and payout credits.

You bit the inside of your cheek. They’d separated you from your team mid-mission. They wouldn’t have time to realize you were missing until the extraction point—and that was three hours away.

You hoped Tech had noticed. That someone would.

You doubted they’d risk much for someone whose role was “support.”

⸻

When the door blew off the transport and Wrecker stormed in like a krayt dragon, you genuinely thought you were hallucinating.

Crosshair shot clean through the cuffs at your wrists, muttering, “Took you long enough to get kidnapped.”

Hunter was already beside you, hands checking for wounds, voice firm and low.

But it was Tech’s voice that made your chest ache.

“You are late for our debrief.”

You blinked at him, stunned. “You… you came for me?”

He adjusted his goggles, blinking with mild confusion. “Of course we did.”

“I just— I didn’t think—”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Echo asked, genuinely puzzled as he checked the stabilizer on your hip.

“I thought I was just the comms officer. You know. The observer. The outsider.”

Wrecker looked genuinely offended. “You’re part of the squad!”

Crosshair scoffed. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”

Hunter nodded silently. “We wouldn’t leave one of our own behind.”

You blinked, throat tight. “Really?”

Tech tilted his head at you. “Did you not know?”

You laughed—choked, half-delirious, but real. “No. I didn’t.”

“Well,” Tech said, gently adjusting your damaged headset, “allow me to be clear: We consider you family. And speaking statistically, family is rarely expendable.”

There was warmth in his voice, carefully cloaked in logic. But it was there.

You looked at him for a long moment. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he said. “Preferably under less perilous circumstances.”

⸻

Later, on the Marauder, after the adrenaline had worn off and your hands had stopped shaking, you found Tech at the nav console.

You sat beside him, quiet for a while.

Then, “Do you… mean it? That I’m family?”

He looked at you over the rim of his goggles.

“I do. I don’t use the term lightly.”

You nodded, eyes fixed on your own hands.

“And… if I wanted to be something more than that? To you?”

Tech’s head snapped toward you. He blinked rapidly, lips parting like he’d overloaded for a moment.

Then—

He reached for your hand, hesitant but steady.

“I believe I would be… receptive to that.”

You smiled. “You’re a terrible flirt.”

“And yet,” he murmured, eyes warm behind his lenses, “it seems to have worked.”

⸻

[vladimpale]

love the way i went full circle with washijo's character in my fic

scum of the earth -> maybe he's not that bad, he was trying to help in his own fucked up way -> yeah no he's the worst

[nerdrooikat]

drabbles about the deer imagery in The Secret History (specifically in relation 2 Camilla) because her becoming a deer/believing that she did stuck in my mind (although this post will mostly take Camilla and the other's recollection of events to be as they recount it – if i examine it in it's effect as an incorrect account, that would be in a separate post)

Obviously there's, on a meta level, an irony to it – Camilla and Charles are named to make fun of the Princess Diana scandal that was happening at the time, and so ironically Camilla transforms into an animal sacred to Diana.

There's also a parallel that I think could be interesting to make between Camilla and Taygete, who for anyone unfamiliar, was turned into a deer by Artemis to protect her from Zeus' sexual advances. Although I think that what happened in the Bacchae was concensual sexually, I think it could possible be indicative in Camilla's narrative role as the "wanted"/"desired" one within the greek class – by Charles, Henry, Richard (although he wasnt there) and even Francis, although he wants to be her more so than actually wanting her.

Additionally, outside of how it actually functions within the story, her transformation into a creature associated so closely with innocence, especially in relation to Diana/Artemis' virginity, might perhaps be tied to Richards view of her as this "pure" and "virginal" person – obviously we know this is far from the truth, and he himself learns this later, but I think it definitely ties into this flawed angelic idea of her he so covets.

I think this interpretation ties into the myth of Actaeon (in terms of "deer transformation myths") although its very interesting to me that they different at key points – Camilla, the "virginual" character, is the one transformed, rather than the sexual transgressor (Charles) or the one who introduces miasma (Henry). But, like Actaeon, she is pursued and hunted – which, another key point – Actaeon is pursued and killed by his own hunting dogs, and Charles returns from the ritual with a bite mark, perhaps tying him into the myth thurther?

[dreamsy990]

hi i wanted to draw my own au so have a snippet of scene i rewrote like 12 times and will likely rewrite again

[skitskatdacat63]

Fernando Alonso & His Relationship With Cards

I'm sure we're all familar with the cards on the back of Fernando's Vegas GP helmet by now, but did you know his relationship with cards goes a lot deeper?

I. Magic Tricks

You've probably seen or heard someone at least mention Fernando's propensity for card tricks. As far as I can tell he was doing them(publically) as far back as 2003 all the way to as recently as 2018. Even once performing a card trick, with a condom and a teddy bear(!??!?!??!!), in front of Valentino Rossi who said "How was that possible?"(x)

But how did this start? According to James Allen, "Fernando admits to having been heavily influenced by his grandfather, a mercurial figure, who taught him magic and card tricks, still one of his passions away from the race track."(x) And I'm not sure the validity of this one, because I couldn't find an actual source, but apparently he once said: "My parents are responsible for the two things I like doing most - driving and magic tricks. They bought me my first go-kart and a magician's kit."

In several interviews he described it as his hobby off track, and that he loved learning new tricks and surprising others in the garage with them! So clearly cards are pretty important to him both as a hobby but also to who he is as a person since they've been with him just as long as racing has.

II. Card Symbolism in His Helmets

This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first. As I said, we probably all remember the cards on the back of his helmet in Vegas, but did you know that wasn't the first time he had cards on the back of his helmet?

From 2008-2013, he used to have a pair of cards on the back of his helmets. The symbolisms of the cards themselves as well as the evolution of their design is really fascinating to me! Even more so with the recent development of the card choice in 2023.

Fernando said he wanted to reference his two titles in some way on the back of his helmet and after his friend sent him several ideas, he decided on having two cards(an ace of clubs and an ace of hearts, sometimes pictured with 05 and 06 on them as well), saying: "I picked the cloverleaf [the ace of clubs - Ed] to give me luck, but the only pity is that it doesn't have four leaves!"(X)

2008.

Here's the very first appearance of the cards! They're displayed flat, with the 05 and 06 clearly visible

2009.

Very similar to 2008, but with a slightly different design, and they're maybe a bit more straight with less shadow?

2010.

This is the first major change! I was sad they didn't have the years on them anymore, but then I realized they're sparkly to match with his signature lightning bolts on the top of the helmet!!

2011.

Honestly I'm still somewhat unsure if this is the actual 2011 helmet? It's pretty difficult to find clear photos of the back of helmets from older seasons. It's easiest to find them on replica sites or auction sites so I'm not 100%? But anyways, I like that this has the championship years on the underside of the cards

2012.

This is when I started getting weirdly emotional about the helmets. Do you see how they've progressed from being a centerpoint to being curled up and sad at the bottom of the helmet? Not listing the year anymore??

2013.

Same thoughts as 2012. And after this season, they cease to exist (just like his ferrari chair in the garage, WOAH CALLBACK), until cards make a reeappearance in his Vegas helmet, albeit in a different form

2013 Monaco(Honorable Mention):

For some reason 2013 helmets were easier to find proper pictures of, so I happened to witness this absolute beauty. The creativity of this helmet genuinely blows me away??? Wanting to keep the card motif, but making sure to incorporate it into the rest of the puzzle piece design?? Mwah! There was another special 2013 helmet but they didn't change the cards at all so I really applaud this one

2023 Las Vegas(The Return of The King):

The magnificent return! But look! The cards are different cards! Instead of being two aces, it's now an ace of hearts, a four of hearts(his driver number of course!) and, the, now iconic, representation of himself as a Joker. I literally could not believe my eyes when this helmet was released and I saw the Joker card, what a fucking silly old man....I really wonder if he felt nostalgic having cards on his helmet again or if he didn't think about it all and was just like, "ah cards because Vegas!!!"

III. Why Does This Matter?

*The rest of the post was factual, this is moreso my personal thoughts on the symbolism of the cards/designs

This post spawned from me recently watching the 2010 Bahrain gp and noticing "hey wait a minute...are those CARDS ON THE BACK OF HIS HELMET!?" It's a really tiny detail that's unfortunately covered up by the HANS device pretty much whenever he's wearing the helmet, so it's really difficult to spot! But I became fascinated with the fact that he had cards on his helmet before that recent helmet, and now here we are!

There's something to me about how the design of the cards evolves over the course of six seasons from the cards being front and center to being smaller, more folded up and closer to the bottom of the helmet. As I said, the 2012-2013 ones genuinely made me depressed because it feels, symbolically, like his hopes for getting another Ace are becoming more and more unlikely and falling away until they eventually fall falt and fade away entirely after 2013 and disappear for basically a decade.

But when they return? They're not the same cards! Instead of representing Fernando's championships, they now represent him as a person, displaying his driver number and his persona of being a Joker!! Though I do think it's interesting he happened to keep the Ace of Hearts, even though he talked more about the Ace of Clubs before. I'm not sure it's actually this deep in reality, but I like to think that it's him not letting his championships(and the lack thereof) define him, but rather letting who he is as a person shine and be the centerpoint instead! But on a sadder note, as @suzuki-ecstar said to me, maybe the Aces aren't there anymore because he's lost all hope for a chance at a third Ace entirely :(

[2kinkycubangemini]

.

[poisonousquinzel]

also clarifier skdjsksks regardless of how I'm currently feeling about the relationship writing for Harley and Ivy, it changes nothing when it comes to me shipping them in general.

I don't think they're being super well written when it comes to their relationship side plots as of this moment. I think a lot of narrative steps have been skipped or ignored, and in Ivy's case my issue is primarily with Janet, how Janet is written and how others are written specifically when in a scene with her.

@harlivycentral has a really really great post about Ivy's characterization, in gen and in these situations. It's a good read! The bit about the stuff with Bella really makes sense and personally I could definitely believe that, I just struggle to fully believe it's an intentional writing decision. 😭 (But as we all know there's a lot of great comic bits that're definitely not intentionally written skdjdkks)

So regardless of the creative intentions, it does make digesting and even understanding why Ivy may be reacting in certain ways a lot easier. so like truly, ty

Creative intentions wise though, it never feels like the narrative treats the "romance" infidelity side plot in her comic with the severity the actions would realistically cause. Harley doesn't react in character most of the time and frankly she's not really well written in #14/#17.

And personally for me Janet comes off as having a lot of biphobic stereotypes in her characterization thus far, characteristics that gww has had sole control over since her creation, Janet is her original character. And it makes enjoying her overwhelming presence more and more agitating to experience the longer I think about the fact that she's perpetuating harmful stereotypes about my sexuality, and no one seems to give a damn outside of folks here.

The way gww has decided to write her up until this time (regardless if she fully realizes it or not) is that of an irrational, pushy, promiscuous and impulsive bisexual woman who continues to romantically pursue and kiss the people around her without them giving any indication that they want her to and being self-assured that these mostly nonconsensual encounters were legit Romantic Moments between herself and these people. (this view is not challenged by the narrative)

She has described herself as a seductress, a femme fatale and a homewrecker. And apparently believes her relationship with Ivy can be partly summed up with "person you sleep with when you're bored".

This line from the chapter released a few days ago continues to give me no hope that the writing is ever gonna acknowledge or have Janet acknowledge that nothing that's happened between her and Ivy (or her and Harley) have been real Moments in the published product we have been presented. This was an issue in #23 when Janet said as much, to Harley's confusion.

Ivy did not sleep with Janet because "she was bored". She was High. She unknowingly consumed drugs and said herself that she "stopped resisting" the hallucinogens and JANET. the idea that what happened in #10 was because of boredom is actually absurd tbf.

the next kiss in #11 is unsolicited. her kiss with Harley in #14 is unsolicited, one that she does after immediately insulting Harley. and Harley makes it clear in #17 that that is exactly how she views the interaction.

but even that rude, unsolicited moment in #14 was mentioned in the summary with the statement that it was potential cheating.

BACK IN GOTHAM CITY! As Poison Ivy investigates the inner workings of a strange new skyscraper in Gotham, she finds herself up to her neck in a surreal and slimy mystery. And at its center? A brand-new villain in the Poison Ivy pantheon of rogues! Plus…is Janet-from-HR cheating on Ivy?!

even her kiss with Croc was unsolicited, and I'm glad they seem happy and all, but Janet is acting like she's gotta hide this from Ivy as if they're not just friends. Why the hell would Ivy care 😭

The overall idea from the post linked above about Ivy potentially self sabotaging after the reunion and thats why she slept with Janet is a really good one that I think could have worked in the published product if the narrative was treating the encounter as just that. If it spent more time with Ivy's personal inner workings, feelings and thoughts about the situations, and less time focusing on Janet and attempting to legitimize her factually incorrect takes about them having a Thing when Ivy told her minutes after their hook up that it was a mistake sjdjjdksksk 😭😭

I also don't think that this thing between Janet and Croc is going to end happily :(( given the way gww has talked about it on her bluesky. she's also kept silent on anything about Ivy's relationship with Harley despite people asking.

So I wouldn't be surprised if DC is pushing to have them in a very separated, "open relationship" again.

Thankfully comic characters and ships always tend to have great highs and low lows, unfortunately I think we're just dipping down again.

And, remember it's been a very good few years for them, having their relationship be made more public and irrefutably Romantic. they've been allowed to kiss on the lips countless times now and be openly gay and in love on comic covers. Harley has said the actual word bisexual in reference to herself!!! We've had a lot of incredible progress.

The main timeline harlivy is also not the only one that's canon, so while this may be coming into an arc / few years we're not gonna particularly enjoy writing wise, there's still numerous other universe harlivy's to appreciate and latch onto in the meantime if the current writing is making enjoying the harlivy ship difficult for you. ❤️

BTAS, DCeased, Injustice (comic) Bombshells, DC Superhero Girls, The Strange Case Of Harleen & Harley, Wayne Family Adventures, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting some skdjsksks

[vladimpale]

love the way i went full circle with washijo's character in my fic

scum of the earth -> maybe he's not that bad, he was trying to help in his own fucked up way -> yeah no he's the worst

[faziiku]

duo so good that i physically cannot separate them (when one spawns in, they bring the other. help, theyre multiplying.)

[bmpmp3]

i do wish i was better at communicating with people online and through technology. i wander into conversations and make new ones all the time irl with random people and its fun but im like hyping myself to type out a single response to a Post. and to say nothing of how difficult it is to get me to say something in a discord server

[tanicus-caesareth]

guarana drama, damage control

[luscinai]

there's something about lu, in terms of being an individual with layers and layers of masks, that makes me really sad because the thing with most people with masks is that there's usually something underneath it. her? not really. to elaborate. we understand fundamentally the concept of no one's ever born bad, but simultaneously, nobody's born good either, because you haven't even done anything as a child. you just ... were. this puts lu in a rather strange position where, at least in dc, when raised as a person and eventually evaluated psychologically, the psychiatrists concluded that she just is. no good, no bad, no real sense of self—merely a mimicry of the toddlers all around her. not particularly happy or upset about anything. her sense of self and personality doesn't develop after years and years of effort from her family and friends. even then, there's always something a bit more hollow about her. less human and more beast, more feral, not fully understanding humanity and what all it entails, including emotions. she'll play the part required, sure, but she won't be able to tell you what she is if you ask. she'd like someone else to tell her one day. still not too sure if she wants to hear that answer, though.

[unnonexistence]

an important writing question to ask yourself is "how much time and effort do i want to put into figuring out what this character's legal documents would look like"

[bronzefuryfic]

the joy of writing the fic you want to read is reading the chapters you’ve finished. The curse of writing the fic you want to read is YOU have to write the next one.

[orcelito]

Just finished rereading ITNL chapter 2 again

Yknow, it's long felt like a weaker chapter to me, especially compared to chapter 1. It's a Necessary chapter, but it's basically an entire chapter of introspection. Add in the fact that I wrote it in a single day and was half falling asleep by the end of editing it, but pressing onwards anyways bc I wanted So Badly to get it out that night...

The Legato part was the weakest for that. I remember staring at it and breaking my brain just trying to make it sound better before just giving up and posting. But when I worked on my full-fic re-edits about.. a year ago now? A year and a bit. I think it was October ish of 2023. But I focused on that part again, trying to get it up to my standards to be satisfied with it.

Coming back to it after some number of months, my brain relatively fresh, I think I actually did a pretty decent job. Despite being an introspective chapter, it really drives home how Wrecked vash is about it all. I like to say that chapter 1 is like a thesis to the fic, where you get vash's goals laid out pretty clearly (him picturing the things he wants to fix + him picturing his dream of having all the people he loves around a table with him, including Knives. It serves as motivation for him jumping back in time in the first place and it remains his driving force throughout the fic). In contrast, chapter 2 is... almost a secondary thesis. We see his doubt, his fears, his panic. We see the things that he's going to be struggling with throughout the whole fic. His wish to handle it all on his own, as well as how overwhelming it all is to him. Chapter 2 is the necessary second side to chapter 1's thesis, showing the weakness in his own strength and drive.

The cracks in his own unstoppable force.

Idk it's just interesting to me. Having been away from it long enough, I think I really do appreciate chapter 2 after all.