#scatterbrained rambles

[scatterbrainedart]

Okay but like misogyny and gender division aside, I really like how lovers used to call each other friend. Soulmate, boy/girlfriend. Even married couples could say stuff like “ever your friend” and it wasn’t seen as friend zoning or lesser, but rather emphasising their bond and good standing with each other. Just gets me, man

[randomness-is-my-order]

thinking about the “single-plank bridge” and how wei wuxian’s circumstance becomes all the more heartbreaking when we contexualise the kind of person he is. wei wuxian is never shown to be an isolated entity from the very start of his story. even when he lived on the streets, he had a way of connecting with those around him and wheedling shopkeepers into maintaining his daily sustenance. quickly after he came to lotus pier, he formed bonds with jc and yanli. wei wuxian was genuinely interested in people and forging friendships with those he liked. his junior disciples loved him. he was canonically one of the most popular young guys in the cultivation society. he frequently interacted with the common folk in yunmeng or anywhere else he happened to visit. at the guest lectures in the lan sect, wei wuxian was able to inspire multiple disciples (not just nie huaisang) into following his shenanigans. he is also able to befriend some of the wens, prime among them are ofc wen qing and wen ning. for a story as heavy in interpersonal conflicts as mdzs is, it is a given that people and their relationships will be centre stage and wei wuxian isn’t in the least lacking in these relationships. we see this even after his reincarnation that wei wuxian, even when he tries to stay disconnected, forms new bonds with ease. the juniors that are first wary of him soon come to deeply admire him and wei wuxian in turn becomes protective over them.

in short, wei wuxian is defined by his relationships as much as he is by his actions and convictions and thoughts. never once are we made to believe that wei wuxian’s ideal choice would be the “single plank bridge”, that he would be completely at ease with his isolation, that he would ever want to pick that option as a preference. in fact, the single plank bridge ideology has never been one that wei wuxian is shown to inherently gravitate towards or recommend/preach to other people. but that ideology is a last resort.

it is a choice made when his hand is forced, when no other comfortable option is allowed to him, when every door is shut in his face and isolating himself from the people he has known is the only avenue left with him. the single plank bridge is about sticking to his beliefs and not giving up, about doing the right thing no matter what because someone needs to take that stand and wei wuxian has never not been that someone.

i think that it is so crucial that the single plank bridge wasn’t so much a choice that wei wuxian made than a choice that was made for him simply because he refused to give up on the wens.

he was denied alternatives. he was denied help. sometimes, the anti-culture discourse overcorrects itself into painting every heroic act that happens to be sacrificial as a default ‘hero complex’ and self-sacrifical tendencies, ignoring the build-up of those difficult decisions and how, in this story, in mdzs, wei wuxian wasn’t foregoing the crowded broad road but that the crowd on the broad road had foregone him.

[clairvoyantly-inactive]

isn't it funny how one thought leads to another and another and another until you're thinking about something completely different from what you started out thinking about

[scatterbrainedart]

The main thing for me was to trust myself, and trust the process. I KNOW I can make beautiful art by refining and reworking until it looks alright, and I need to accept that it's not going to look it right off the gate. It can be SUPER discouraging, and drawing may feel like a sisyphean task of editing and failing, but it DOES work. You WILL get there if you have the patience. Which is really all it is. A trial of patience (which is unfortunate for my own ADHD brain).

During those tougher periods where my frustration didn’t allow me to see anything through, like on the verges of burnout, I started tracing photos a lot. Which was absolutely awful for my imposter syndrome, instead. I knew I could draw those things on my own, in the same quality, but it would take triple the time. And often, I change the proportions and features to make it look like the character I’m trying to portray. And, use the photo simply as guidelines, applying my own style to the piece, so it doesn’t end up looking very similar at all in anything besides the pose. Still, I poster syndrome is freaking out, because that’s not how it’s done! You draw my sitting down and struggle through it, damn it!

It helped me to allow myself to use these tools. Because if I didn’t, when I felt like I needed to, I would either make nothing at all or burn out trying. There is no shame in tracing photos to speed up the process, as long as you do know your fundamentals. I started to worry that I relied too heavy on tracing, so I would start to freehand more and more often (still, with references close by) to remind myself that I DID in fact have those skills.

That in turn helped me to be more confident in my process, so I feel the need to trace a LOT less often nowadays. But I still heavily rely on references for everything besides headshots.

I found that photo bashing is really effective, though. It helps me visualise what I want a piece to look like without spending a bunch of energy and time on sketching out the idea. Much as if I were to picture it in my head! Make them less abstract.

It also helps with keeping the creative process alive for the reference gathering as well (and keeps some of that imposter syndrome at bay)! I would hugely recommend it, especially for bigger more elaborate pieces. It’s very helpful, and very fun!

Also, I should also specify that when I talk about tracing, I do not mean tracing other people’s art. And I don’t really mean tracing every bit of an image entirely as it is. These examples above are both traced from these photo bash references, and I think they highlight what I mean by “tracing”.

And, here’s my own Pinterest pose board, which I use religiously and update regularly. It’s pretty neatly categorised for easy finding. Well, as easy as you can make it, at least.

Idk who needs to hear it but if you have Aphantasia you can absolutely do character art. Don't let it discourage you. Especially since a good portion of art advice won't fit you and will leave you feeling like its your fault.

I have Aphantasia, its super hard to put characters in poses from my mind. I cannot draw cartoons or exaggeration well, its very hard because I do not see the drawing until it is on the page. I use so many construction lines and blocks of color and always need a reference to base my character poses on. I cannot imagine things artistically before they're on the page and it is super frustrating.

You can still do it with Aphantasia though, it just takes practice. So many of your sketches without references are going to look awful despite you knowing the proper proportions of the human body, it doesn't mean you don't know what you're doing.

It just means you need to give yourself extra help. You're not lesser or bad for not being able to draw on a whim or not having these intricate details. Trust me, I've struggled with thinking that.

The best thing you can do to work with it is collect so many references, use a pose software (like magic poser), and absolutely screenshot and collect art that has a creative element you struggle with. (For me its color, backgrounds, and splash text.) Also, maybe practice abstract art. You have a brain unhindered by a visual expectation, I recommend it. For me I like to do surrealist/abstract pictures of water and space. It takes technical skill but everyday is a good day to start practicing.

Having Aphantasia is a neutral thing. It's not bad or good, it's just there. That bad part is not acknowledging that you work differently so you need to adapt differently.

[subaru-meteorlight]

bridon arc ep1 makes me crash out cuz ughghhhhh lu guang is so.... so lonely.... so sad.... i cant imagine it, going back and resetting your bond, erasing everything youve loved, building it back up from scratch- you experience everything again, sure, take great care to build up your life exactly as how you remember it, but isnt it so lonely...? its not the same, itll never be the same again, you'll never be the same again, youre the only one who still holds the memories of the love you shared, and all youre doing is reenacting everything again, trying to artificially inject that same love into others so that you can recreate, manufacture again the life and home that you lost, that youve overwritten....

all this, and- the one you save isnt your cheng xiaoshi, get it? your first love, the one you shared your first experiences with, the one you first laughed together with, the one you left behind and failed to save- hes not here anymore.

its also so ironic how lu guang keeps pressing on with his "no matter the past, dont ask about the future" but hes literally mr living in the past and tormented/trapped by knowledge of the future. my favourite hypocrite. my favourite liar. hes all schedule, down to the second, the next move that should happen, how youre expected to act, how youre expected to feel. this is their first time, bonding with you, experiencing life with you, but you cant share in that with them. are your feelings even real anymore? everything you do and say is on a script. bored? you already know whats going to happen. you know how youre supposed to act.

[strawbbybnuuy]

Anybody ever think about like. An AU with Uldren/Crow but like his personality and function in the beta build of d1 where he was basically a mercenary/han solo guy. Cuz I have.

[scatterbrainedart]

Do them and redo them and redo them as many times as you want. Gosh, I've worked on the same story for like 4 years because I keep improving as I go and starting over. And that's okay! That is, despite how little it feels like it sometimes, progress!

Do the thing! If it turns out less than favourable, do the thing again! Learn from your mistakes. Sometimes you will only improve by doing. And that's a lot more rewarding anyhow

'art idea that's above your skill set' and 'writing idea that's above your skill set' are tortures I wish upon absolutely no one man

[nightklok]

I’m getting followers from my LADS post so hi! I will be making an intro soon once I fix things! I am nightklok on twitter where I’m more active but slowly coming here too. I main Rafayel but love the other boys! I am always down to talk about the boys here or my discord if u want it!

For now I will share the unhinged Sylus and Raf I’m writing of them going to karaoke together

[scatterbrainedart]

People who draw Drawtectives being domestic and homely ily ily ily ily

[nutmargaret]

i just love your art it's so expressive and adorable. you're so talented!!!! 💗 what art program do you use, and what motivates you to draw??

Hi!! Sorry to answer this so late, but thank you so much ❤️ I use Procreate for iPad Pro! As for motivation, it’s the kind of thing that varies depending on what I’m working on, but at its core I’m driven to create things I want to see for myself. Like, oftentimes I have my younger self in mind. I also like to make things to make myself laugh lol. Maybe it’s a selfish reason, but it’s the sort of impulse I fall back on even when I’m burnt out from making art my career. I let myself be self-indulgent with my art, and it almost feels like I’m playing (at least that’s what I always strive for). Learning new things and pushing myself to get better helps too. It���s daunting but exhilarating knowing that there’s always something to learn, that this is a skill I can never master. Hope that makes sense!

[belee-art-dump]

He truly is prettier than the flowers ✨

-

A fun little WIP I’ve been chipping away at

..It’ll be good to focus on inking this weekend, instead of wondering endlessly about the dOC WITH A GLOCK

The Spring and Flowers event still has me in a chokehold, and I think it will for some time

All the soft and nostalgic Barbie vibes we were fed was truly healing for the soul, angsty undertones be damned 😌

-

Back on our lovely doctor tho, ???? BRUH??

I’ve got so many thoughts tumbling around in the old noggin’ that I don’t even know how to articulate

As we know from some of his animations, this mans knows how to properly hold a firearm, so unless infold is going fully for “rule of cool” just for the aesthetics of the trailer…

Is that our traumatized mans.. in the flesh?

Screeching.

Don’t know if it’s from the anxiety of the guaranteed angst regardless of what the answer turns out to be, or the hype of pOSSIBLY MORE DAWNBREAKER.

Brain is vibrating. Frothing at the mouth, in fact. The update can’t come soon enough LMAO. I’m a LORE FEEN

[monprecieuxx]

See the thing is, to me, Twins at the heart of it has become about loneliness. Regardless of how much they’re explored or present on screen, every character is so painfully alone. By choice, by circumstances, by accident, just so crippingly lonely.

Sprite is alone by circumstance. He’s alone because no one prefers him, alone because Zee is a better bearer of their mother’s expectations. He’s the older twin and overlooked and he still tries, my goodness he tries so hard that it makes me wonder how anyone in his life can see that and not adore him to pieces. He’s so lonely he thinks his brother’s known nemesis is his closest confidant. In this team full of people who hate the one who wears his face he would rather tackle trying to befriend First, that it is the best choice. Idk if it’s naïveté or just unchallenged confidence he built up as a way to survival but it’s so audacious, it’s kind of brilliant.

And it works, it wears First down, he manages to get these people to like him but at the end of the day, it’s not him they like. This timed repose of belonging but only when he is standing in for someone else. Holding onto Zee’s life while his falls to pieces and for what? No credit, no appreciation, not even a hint of understanding from his mother, his father, even Salmon or Tan.

First is similar in the sense of never getting afforded the favouritism Zee enjoys from his father and his sister being a Zee stan just adds salt to the wound. The only people who prefer him are the team and even then they are so factioned he’s part of the in-group and still stands alone.

Zee, see Zee is so interesting to me cause his loneliness is self-inflicted. Maybe it started when the twins were split, maybe when he became part of the team we don’t know. We’ve only seen the worst parts of him until now and he seems to be content functioning in that window too. He’s thrust into this life w/o any input, seems to be doing it right and he’s still miserable. He has the recognition, he allegedly has the skill, he (undeservedly, in a way) has the girl and he still vows to take over Sprite’s life? And do what? Wreak havoc as him? Permanently replace him? Just hang around to fuck w/Sprite?

Idk where im going w/this, just ruminating about characters from this silly twin swap show.

[bitingdrivers]

Now I'm trying to search for what na'vi dicks look like 😔

Back to alien science boy Daniel, how do you think their first meeting would go? presumably months before the whole........... mating demonstration

*googling na'vi's dicks* it's for research I swear!

do inform me on what you find though 👀

agh my brain always blanks on direct questions. I'm learning I work better with suggestions 🤔

anyway I think Daniel doesn't really like Max at first? What does this (weird but kind of handsome) kid (Max is at least 24) think going around acting like he knows everything?

like I said, I think Max comes from the army but after getting this assignment or however this job works he spends some (a lot) of time researching and learning about na'vi and pamdora. and so maybe Daniel is like a well known scientist or he has conducted some very fun interesting research and Max thinks. he's sooo cool.

so yeah Max in his own awkward blunt way tries to befriend Daniel. it takes them a little time to really connect but after sharing a few stupid jokes and long laughs they become good friends.

maybe when Max gets his avatar he shares some new interesting knowledge with Daniel about how na'vi body and/or culture works. so they really focus on doing this specific research with each other and spend more and more time together

[fluffydice]

I'm bored so I'm bothering you. Do you have any Saiki K psykickers headcannons you feel like sharing? It's ok if not 🥰

What have you done,,,

I don't have any specific headcanons, but I can talk a bit about their dynamics because I've thought (and written) about it more (and we'll inevitably get headcanons mixed in!)

The Pyskickers are interesting characters all on their own, but when you put them together, you get a mess that really shouldn't work as well as it does. Which is. The same for most ND friend groups asdfghjkl

A big thing that's important to me about them is that they have to be able to work without Saiki. Maybe not be functional, competent humans—especially because, like all of Saiki's friends, the more they group up the more braincells they lose—but they need to work as a friend group. Saiki, unlike with his other friend group, doesn't always feel the need to babysit the Psykickers. Toritsuka, maybe, but he's in a weird spot since he joined so early. Saiki and him were the only ones for a while, so he's kinda an in-between. But for the most part, Aiura and Akechi are usually actively helping Saiki with something. Toritsuka, too, even if 7/10 he's being threatened and/or bribed, 2/10 he's trying to help but failing—him succeeding that 1/10 already puts him in a separate category than most of Saiki's friends.

I went on a tangent there; point being, Saiki isn't constantly mother-henning and helicopter-ing them. Ergo, Saiki can't be the only reason they stick together. I don't want Saiki to be the only reason they stick together in my writing, mainly because I do like reinforcing the fact that not everything is about him—even if it's subtle. Things happen around him that Saiki is not always privy to, and this includes his fellow and honorary psychics' dynamics.

Akechi and Aiura are easy for me. Funnily enough, despite likely having the best relationship, even including Saiki, I have little to say about them. It's likely because they lack a lot of the complexity the others have: they're just really fucking cool with each other, and get along swimmingly. Honestly, when I write them, it's often with at least a hint of a romantic undertone. They're comfortable with each other physically and emotionally. Akechi trusts Aiura's judgement on when he should keep it short out of necessity, not because he's being annoying. Aiura thinks Akechi is wicked as hell, and also trusts his value judgements on people and situations.

From a literary standpoint, Aiura as a character tends to get in over her head and overly emotionally-invested in things—Akechi can provide a good counterbalance to ensure things can remain on track in the story, as well as help avoid any potential mini-conflicts that might arise from characters clashing due to simple communication incompatibility.

Speaking of communication incompatibility, Toritsuka and Aiura are full of it. Despite them seemingly being the most similar on the surface-level, their motivations, intentions, and moralities conflict. A lot. Take this scene I wrote of them, for example:

“Of course they were mad! You can’t just act like you don’t have emotions whenever you feel like it. Or, if you do, you can’t get depressed when they start treating you like it.” “If you don’t shut up,” Aiura hissed, grabbing a fistful of his sleeve. Toritsuka yanked his arm away to no avail, then settled for glaring at her. “I’m gonna—"

Here, we have Toritsuka actually making a good point about something; it's his wording that muddles it up. Aiura is quick to defend against him because she's protective of her loved ones, and is also aware that their beliefs differ sharply. Neither are quite in the wrong here; or, neither of them are any more right than the other. Aiura is right to assume the worst because that's typically what Toritsuka shows. Toritsuka is right to point things out about the situation. These are the mini-conflicts that Akechi smooths over by being essentially a bridge between their ways of communicating:

“Wait, Mikoto,” Akechi piped up. His fingers were in front of his mouth, his thumb cupping his chin, in a classic sign of thinking. “The wording was harsh, admittedly, but Reita is, in fact, not wrong.”

At the end of the day, though, they are friends. Aiura might be a tiny bit more willing to admit it, but both her and Toritsuka do care about each other. When they work together, big things happen. They just need a bit of oil to help smooth things along between them. Most of their dynamic, however, comes from their utility in stores:

From a literary standpoint, Toritsuka helps balance out Aiura's optimism to a reasonable point. Saiki's cynicism is often a big contributor to conflicts in my stories—he's unreliable, both in dialogue and in narration. Toritsuka is a milder version of that cynicism (albeit rough around the edges). Aiura can't always be right about the way of things, but Akechi is too prone to taking the middle ground; essentially, pointing out all the benefits to her way of thinking while also providing the downsides. Sometimes, though, it's necessary to just have someone completely shut it down, and fast. That's where Toritsuka comes in.

Also, Toritsuka and Aiura often act as the representation of the doubts and hopes of Saiki, respectively. They're essentially foils to each other, which is helpful when your main character is a hot-and-cold tempered little bitch. A sort of good-cop bad-cop for him, if you will. By having them verbally duke it out, it helps guide the reader a bit about what's true about Saiki's view and what's distorted by his way of thinking. Chances are, if they manage to agree, it's a lesson he's going to have to learn.

And finally, Akechi and Toritsuka. Though they're comfortable with each other to an extent, they lack the romantic undertones I put in for Akechi and Aiura. Akechi makes Toritsuka uncomfortable: it's hard to argue with him, for one, and he often calls out Toritsuka in a way that's hard to hide from. Akechi is the most successfully mentor-like to Toritsuka out of the rest of them—Aiura is too automatically competitive and Saiki can smother. There's also the fact that Toritsuka can sometimes trigger his trauma in certain ways, so Saiki tends to lash out. Akechi, however, is patient and steady. Anything Toritsuka says rolls off of him like water. Akechi is hard to catch off guard with words or actions, and deep down, Toritsuka really does need stability and an unwavering personality to help him grow as a person. I think Toritsuka is fascinating to Akechi as well, as I don't think Akechi is a naturally sexual being. He's not averse, but the kind of brain-rotted attraction and horniness that Toritsuka often exhibits can teach Akechi a lot about other people. The biggest thing that Toritsuka offers Akechi is a better understanding of other people. His down-to-earth nature can help Akechi connect his practical knowledge about psychoanalysis and anthropology to actual people.

From a literary standpoint, Akechi acts as a milder reign for Toritsuka. Aiura may be right to disagree with him, but sometimes a defter explanation is needed than Aiura's often emotion-driven responses. This is where Akechi comes in, especially because Toritsuka's language and laziness can make it seem as though he's not to be trusted as a rational view. He is, and Akechi helps uncover that.

Also, Toritsuka can sometimes act as the audiences natural reaction to Akechi's tangents. Akechi obviously likes to ramble, but Aiura won't interrupt him and Saiki won't confront people. Toritsuka cuts through a lot of that easily and naturally, which helps keep them both in character while still allowing the story to move on.

Overall, it's kind of easy to see what utility I get out of these characters. Akechi is an intermediary who bridges gaps of understanding, both between characters and the audience and the happenings of the story. Aiura is the outgoing one, the one to get things started. She provides a force against Saiki's heavily biased world-view and acts as a moral compass for her group. Toritsuka helps cut through a lot of bullshit and acts as healthy dosage of reality these personalities need to keep their heads on straight.

Plus, I think they're in an unofficial QPR. So.

[ekster--exotic]

Doctor Midas’ Disquisition: Prolegomenon

   As seen to on the night of October 17th, 2024, at 20:40, I acquired a specimen of large interest. (Now known to me as the Lepirkian race.)

    It was a swift procedure of obtainment: I simply followed the target to a secluded space, then aimed a taser at his neck. (I’ve found that Lepirkians are easily incapacitated by electricity. Individual was unconscious almost instantly.) I approached with stealth and speed, however I was still detected by the specimen. His reaction time was impressive, but I was faster. (This is most likely due to the individual’s plumose antennae, which sense vibrations in the air. Further research have yet to be conducted on this attribute.)

Specimen Name: “Talisman”

Gender: Male

Height: 6 feet, 3 inches (190.5 centimeters)

Family and/or affiliated group:   Hepia Lepirkian Tribe

Specimen seems to have the closest resemblance to Tolype velleda, or the large tolype moth. Wing patterns are near identical, along with a substantial amount of fur-like scales located on his neck. 

Legs are bipedal, much like humans; however they take on a lightly curved and almost digitigrade appearance. 

Arms take on a humanoid form, albeit a few inches longer than the average person. Lepirkian hands are five-fingered and clawed. As observed on the specimen, Talisman, hands seem to fade into a black color at the fingertips. 

I have recovered a small sample of the  Lepirkian’s wing. Next, I plan to obtain a blood sample. (Wing procedure was painless and will not hinder his ability to fly in the future. Although, specimen was visibly distressed. I recognize that there were likely better, less upsetting ways to obtain wing sample, and I will try to avoid such outcomes down the line.)

Sample was observed under a compound microscope, and the results were fascinating. The wing scales showed clear similarities to smaller moth counterparts- although the scales themselves were more resistant and durable than a usual moth’s.

Hopefully I will learn the secrets of these creature’s near-immortal lives. It’s pivotal that I keep the Lepirkian specimen alive, as he is the only source of information I have. I’m in uncharted territory, and every bit of knowledge will count towards something greater. 

—Doctor K.E. Midas

@c-large-pancake-with-holes @l3m0n-c0r3 @azrael-1121 @s7nnydrop-flower @w1llow-w1sp @teddythetriceratops @stickmandennt @analoghorrorisyummy

[good-beans]

Accomplishments!!!!