#we've been meaning to make milestone art for a while

[classy-thief]

🌻🌺 THANK YOU GUYS FOR OVER 2K FOLLOWERS!! 🎉🎉

Here's a drawing we collabed on to celebrate and to show our appreciation! Thank you guys again!! <3

[crescencestudio]

2024 Recap & 2025 GOALS

I'M BAAAAACCKKKKKK

Well, well, well.... Look who it IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hello my friends.

It is I!!!

To say it's been a while since we've really talked would be an understatement. This bitch rly went fckn off the radar that second half of 2024. But I'm happy to say I am making my debut once again and I am back on the scene!!!

I hope the start of 2025 has been going well for you all <3 I'm happy and excited to say that after a grueling 2024 and relaxing holidays, I'm finally back and ready to get to WORK on Alaris! I thought a nice way to get back into things would be a big 'ol yappy post in true Crescence fashion so that you all know exactly where I, and Alaris, are at as we enter the new year :')

I'm excited to say that while I don't have a set date yet...

Alaris WILL be releasing this year even if it kills me.

Just as my big year goal in 2024 was to graduate and I used every ounce of inner strength to make that happen, finishing and releasing Alaris is my big goal this year. I've kept you all waiting long enough, and I'm confident that Alaris is at a point that we'll be able to do a release this year. Of course, if this changes, you all will be the first to know. But I'm very hopeful that we can make a 2025 release happen ^^

That being said, I think it might be nice to do a 2024 recap so we can see just how far the project has come, even if I was shoved off the face of the earth in the later months of 2024 \o/

Last year, we actually finished ALL the writing for every route except for Aisa's! Meaning we reached 300k words of writing for the game and only have 50k words left YEEAAAAAA. And all routes are written up except for one! This was a huge milestone for me since I still remember when I finished the first 50k for the game with Kayn's route all the way back in the beginning. And we're finally nearing the end.

I've always considered writing the hardest part of game development so to have finally reached a point where almost all of the writing is finished was a huge achievement for me last year.

We also made HUGE progress on the art front last year ^^ Not only did we finish all of the backgrounds for the full game, we also got a new GUI, updated sprites and CGs, and a new promo piece in anticipation for the release of the new demo.

We also made progress on CGs for the full game, which I will not be showing because spoilers and those are special nuggets Patreon and Kickstarter backers get access to hehe. But we made about 16 finished CGs last year, getting us to a total of 22 CGs and about halfway through our CG count!!

Last but definitely not least, we actually had a good amount of releases last year (considering I got fckn bodied in the second half of the year) ^^

a moment for Van

In 2024, believe it or not, I actually released the extended version of Intertwine! It featured new music, slightly more polished programming, and almost double the writing :') And with this release, we saw Intertwine get a lot more love throughout the year and actually reached 200k plays and 1k ratings (crazy numbers I never thought I'd see in all my days). So thank you all for continuing to love my fated child <3

a moment for my whore child

We also released the enhanced demo for Alaris last year, featuring a polished script (with some revised dates), partial voice acting, custom OST, new GUI, new BGs, updated sprites and CGs, and much more! This was an exciting milestone for me since it felt like we finally were approaching a release that reflected what the full game would feel like, and I couldn't have been happier with the release :') It meant so much to me that old and new players enjoyed it as much as they did and really gave me the motivation endorphins to keep chipping away towards full release

HE.

And then, perhaps the most exciting of all, Alaris entered its BETA ROUTE ERAAAAAA!!!! We kicked it off with Kayn in honor of hot girl summer, but made our way through half of the LIs with Kayn, Fenir, and Druk each getting their own moment to shine \o/ The reception to these routes was super motivating since players finally got to experience content I'd been working on and keeping to myself for almost a year, and I've been so happy seeing people fall in love with the LIs in in different ways :')

Usually I do a little recap with fanart I make of games I played throughout the year as well, but this year I wanted to do something different and dedicate this little section to YOU ALL!!

In 2024, the Alaris community was blessed with fanart, memes, character questions, and more :') For some reason, 2024 was the year a lot of you decided to really show your love for the game, and it's one of the biggest things that's maintained my sanity, and the reason I love working on the game. While I can't show all the fanart everyone made, I wanted to take a second to show some love

credits to: @/egginthepit, @/nanapop, @/stimulatory, and @/dreamtydraw for cracked fanart

I know I dropped the ball near the end of 2024, but I hope you all know how much seeing fanart and people engaging with Alaris means to me. Every time I see a new piece or a new character ask in the inbox, it genuinely makes my day. I hope this year I can be better at recognizing and fostering the love in the community for all of our LIs, and I can't wait for another year with you all!

credits to: lily of @/lavendeerstudios, bestie maguna, @/starlitplum, and @/fignia-kakay-to

Here's to a new year that is hopefully filled with more excitement for Alaris, progress, and an eventual release (eek!!!!). Thank you all for sticking with me for another year!

[galdra-studios]

Hi everyone!

Spring is here! Which of course in Denmark means it's time for the last annual snow storm ahah! Our poor flowers... Hopefully they will get the sunshine they deserve soon.

With a Kickstarter campaign looming on the horizon, most of our efforts right now are focused on putting together a great demo for everyone to enjoy. We've been working on the game for a while now and created a lot of content, but it’s when you connect all that content together to make something playable that the struggle truly begins xD 

Here’s a little game development fun fact: There’s a saying when you make games, that making the last 20% of a game takes as much time as the first 80%, which is why you end up cutting 10% ^^0 We’re still only making a demo, so the things we cut now might still make it into the final version. 

However, since we’ve already done this once before, we’re a lot more conscious about rating tasks as essentials and nice-to haves in case we don’t have time to finish everything. For example, a pretty CG image showing a scene can-be temporarily replaced with descriptive text and the story will still make sense, but a character needs to have at least one sprite, otherwise it will just be empty air talking - not ideal ^^

One of the most time-consuming art tasks we have is creating the player character sprites. As the player’s representation in the world, they are basically on-screen in every scene, and therefore need to be of the highest quality. 

For the original Arcadia Fallen, we ended up redrawing the female body type three times to make it perfect, but that was also because my art skills improved while we were working^^0 This month, I’ve drawn expressions for the androgynous body type and I fear I might repeat the same pattern again, because I still think I can improve them. That will have to wait until after the Kickstarter though. 

For now, the sprites are in the game, which is a good milestone to be at. I’m not sure we’ll have all three body types ready for the demo, as there are other tasks that have higher priority, but the plan is to have the same three body types with two hairstyles that we had in the first game by the time we’re ready for launch!^^

Another cool thing we worked on this month is the player’s dorm room. Josefine did a wonderful job designing a room that changes depending on who you choose as a roommate. Can you guess which one is Soren’s and which is Nina’s? :P

Jesper is in full swing composing music for the demo, so here’s a sample with this month's header image speed paint!

That’s about it for this month, so we’ll just leave the pre-launch page for our Kickstarter here if you still haven’t seen it. We’re almost at 200 followers!^^

Thank you so much for following our journey! And we’ll see you in May for another DevLog!

Cheers!

- The Galdra Team

[genopaint]

Onto week 5 and the first week of February for the Daily Dragons!! We've already made it to the second month!

In case you're curious, my personal favorite for January is probably still the Scavenger Dragon! Thank you all so much for your support in January! It's been a rough month, and February is gonna be BUSY for me! I'll try to keep it up though cause it's fun!

Wish me luck everyone!! Only 331 dragons left!

As always you can follow me on twitter where they’re posted daily

And read more info on each of them below the cut

Day 28 - Lavodon

A silly dragon with a loving and warm personality. Their body is filled with lava that courses through their body and their shell is essentially a red hot oven! They're popular in cold regions so people can cook on their shells.

Day 29 - Galbo

Some of my favorite Kirby enemies! They're so shapely and cute. I also found out while making these that they've gotten new subspecies over the years like a poison sludge one? I'll absolutely have to draw that. I like 'em

Day 30 - Cotton Candy Dragon

Cute as a button and twice as sweet, Cotton Candy Dragons get their name from... well, their resemblance to cotton candy! As beloved as these dragons are, they don't make particularly good pets because their fur gets incredibly sticky.

This was an idea suggested by my younger sister! I thought it was a very cute concept, and it's the first dragon suggestion so far! Neat!

Day 31 - Grace Grand

Grace Grand is January's most popular dragon! (by likes+retweets AND by popular vote!) To celebrate her victory, she gets brand new art! Nothing too fancy, just something simple of her relaxing at night listening to music. What's she listening to?

Day 32 - Three Frilled Clovradon

A small dragon that lives in heavily grassy areas. It disguises itself like a plant to lure in smaller prey to eat. And yes, very rarely, they can be born with 4 or more frills!

Day 33 - Frostogon

Cousin of the Lavodon, after years of living in cold regions a lot of them adapt to the cold and become filled with a Liquid Nitrogen like fluid that makes them incredibly cold. As you can guess, they're great for storing food around!

Hopefully this doesn't seem TOO lazy lol. I just kept seeing Lavodon in my notebook and there's something so charming about it to me lol. So, an ice version seems like a no brainer right? This is the first dedicated alt form dragon I guess. I'll TRY to not do more Lavodons lol

Day 34 - Dragon Girl Green

Day 34 is a little piece to help celebrate me reaching 1,900 followers on twitter! It genuinely means a lot to me! I always do art for these follower milestones so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to draw a cute Dragon :)

[pnkq]

i saw this somewhere

"You know, it's been a while since we've done one of these..."

"...so let's go for it!"

"Here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day!" "Sometimes when I talk to people who are impressed by my writing, they say things like 'I could never do that'."

"It's really depressing, you know?"

"As someone who loves more than anything else to share the joy of exploring your passions..."

"...it pains me when people think that being good just comes naturally."

"That's how it is with everything, not just writing."

"When you try something for the first time, you're probably going to suck at it."

"Sometimes, when you finish, you feel really proud of it and even want to share it with everyone."

"But maybe after a few weeks you come back to it, and you realize it was never really any good."

"That happens to me all the time."

"It can be pretty disheartening to put so much time and effort into something, and then you realize it sucks."

"But that tends to happen when you're always comparing yourself to the top professionals."

"When you reach right for the stars, they're always gonna be out of your reach, you know?"

"The truth is, you have to climb up there, step by step."

"And whenever you reach a milestone, first you look back and see how far you've gotten..."

"And then you look ahead and realize how much more there is to go."

"So, sometimes it can help to set the bar a little lower..."

"Try to find something you think is pretty good, but not world-class."

"And you can make that your own personal goal."

"It's also really important to understand the scope of what you're trying to do."

"If you jump right into a huge project and you're still amateur, you'll never get it done."

"So, if we're talking about writing, a novel might be too much at first."

"Why not try some short stories?"

"The great thing about short stories is that you can focus on just one thing that you want to do right."

"That goes for small projects in general - you can really focus on one or two things."

"It's such a good learning experience and steppingstone."

"Oh, one more thing..."

"Writing isn't something where you just reach into your heart and something beautiful comes out."

"Just like drawing and painting, it's a skill in itself to learn how to express what you have inside."

"That means there are methods and guides and basics to it!"

"Reading up on that stuff can be super eye-opening."

"That sort of planning and organization will really help prevent you from getting overwhelmed and giving up."

"And before you know it..."

"You start sucking less and less."

"Nothing comes naturally."

"Our society, our art, everything - it's built on thousands of years of human innovation."

"So as long as you start on that foundation, and take it step by step..."

"You, too, can do amazing things."

"...That's my advice for today!"

"Thanks for listening~"

[fyeahdpr-cream]

Interview Panorama

To you for you with: DPR Cream

Before meeting the DPR collective, he was seriously thinking about abandoning music. He had no one who was interested in him or his work, and this had deeply affected his self-esteem. However, when he joined the Dream Perfect Regime in 2015, shortly after the release of Till I Die, everything changed. The DPR offered him a collaborative and stimulating environment that rekindled his passion for music.

Kim Kyung-mo, known as DPR Cream, is a multifaceted artist: producer, composer and singer. He debuted as a soloist on July 5, 2019 with the digital single The Voyager 737, a milestone that was initially not in his plans. Initially he focused on composition and music production, but his songs affected the DPR so much that they pushed them to propose that he also debut as a singer.

Cream's musical journey began with vocal training: he graduated in singing and has been singing since he was twenty years old. However, a crucial moment in his career came when, during a session, someone suggested that he try to compose. This advice marked the transition to musical production, where he distinguished himself by mastering the piano and experimenting with innovative sounds.

One of Cream's distinctive techniques is the "zero gravity state," a sound design method he created himself. It consists of a gradual transition from a strong and dynamic sound to a more minimal and quiet one, often used to add contrast and depth to its tracks. Among his inspirations are artists like Prince, and he appreciates music for the emotions it conveys, even without understanding the lyrics, citing Frank Ocean as an example. DPR Cream has become an essential part of the sound and vision of DPR. His journey, from insecure musician to established artist, demonstrates the transformative power of collaboration and perseverance.

How does it feel to perform in Milan as part of the Dream Reborn tour?

CREAM: "It's the first time I come to Milan and I was curious to know what it would be like to perform here. Walking around the city, I saw how beautiful it is, and now I'm even more excited to see the fans and how they will react to the show.”

As one of the visionary artists of the DPR, what does the DPR collective mean to you personally?

CREAM: "Family. For me it's like a family. Whatever I want to do as an artist, I know I'll have their support. I know that around me there are people willing to help me, to support me and to do the art I want".

Can you tell us about a particular moment of the tour that seemed surreal or particularly powerful to you?

CREAM: "This is my first tour, so every time I hear fans sing my songs with me it's a surreal feeling. In every place I had these moments when I thought: "Wow, it's really happening". As the tour progresses, the crowd becomes more and more numerous and their energy makes me feel proud and grateful".

What are the biggest influences that shape your music, both inside and outside the DPR?

CREAM: "Frank Ocean. But I love all kinds of music. Today I really like dance music, house music, techno, everything is always so different. Thanks to Artic, we've worked together many times lately and so I'm discovering more and more. And what I love the most is mixing. So I can say that within the DPR I am very influenced by him (DPR Artic)”.

How would you define your music if you had to describe it to someone who has never heard it?

CREAM: “The growing pain of evolution”.

The others start laughing and Ian comments: "In practice, puberty". Everyone laughs while Cream, who laughs hidden by the cap, shakes his head.

Earlier you said that the DPR is like a family. Can you share an anecdote that illustrates your connection with the team?

CREAM: "There is a Korean proverb that says: after a heavy rain, the soil dries up and becomes stronger, firmer. (The Korean proverb to which it refers is "비 온 뒤에 땅이 굳어진다" (bi on dwie ttang-i gudojinda), which translates to "After rain, the soil hardens") This perfectly reflects our path as a DPR. As Ian said, we went through heavy rains, moments that put us to the test. But those challenges have only brought us closer. The bond we share now is closer than ever, built on the strength we have acquired by overcoming those difficulties together. We also welcomed new team members who joined this solidity, making us an even stronger and more united collective. It's as if the ground beneath us is more solid than ever.”

How would you describe yourself if you had only one word available?

CREAM: "Savage".

Last question: Can you give your fans an idea of what they can expect from you in the future?

CREAM: "I'm working on my next album, but it will be more of a mixtape. And Artic and I are working on something together, I hope we will be able to create a compilation".

[seyaryminamoto]

Gladiator's Tenth Anniversary

Against all odds... we have made it! Not only is it crazy that we've managed to keep going for ten years... it's also really crazy that my internet survived over 12 hours worth of uploading the project. I was very much terrified that it would collapse at some point, but somehow it didn't, and thank the universe for that.

While I'm definitely rejoicing in Gladiator's big milestone... I also admit I'm grieving a major setback that was dealt against me and my life plans earlier this week. It felt bad enough that I nearly lost all my drive to finish what I was doing... but I didn't spend the last months working non-stop on this project in vain. So, as hard as the road ahead might be, I'll keep going in the hopes of finally finding a better future for myself and my family in due time. Gladiator can keep me somewhat sane in the mean time, I hope (?)

I'm really stoked to have endured the hurdles and challenges that have run parallel with my telling this story (as well as the challenges within the story itself, too...) so that I could be here today to say... that I'm really grateful that I chose to go all in on this journey ten years ago. Gladiator has changed me and built me up, perhaps more than anyone knows, even myself. I'm not quite where I want to be in life yet... but Gladiator has fulfilled some of my most ambitious dreams as a writer, far sooner than I ever imagined it would. I'm really glad I've come as far as I have... and I'm also grateful to all of you who have accompanied me on this journey so far. It has been an extraordinary experience, one that many aspiring writers dream of but aren't always lucky enough to live through. I certainly was fortunate to find my way to this story when I did, knowing I was making a huge commitment and knowing that, as long as I gave it my everything, I wouldn't regret it.

Thank you for sticking by me as I carry us forward through Gladiator's Part 3, all the way towards what I hope will be the most epic conclusion I could bring to this massive story. I hope you enjoy the video <3

(... also, all the new art in the video shall be posted, at full resolution, in my Patreon in due time, in case anyone wants to see it in better detail... :'D)

[2jaeh]

milky way | youngtaek

you find unexplainable comfort in the words of your favorite poet, but he has a deeper connection to you than you think.

genre: fluff, a little angst

word count: 1.4k

author lin

Your favorite part of the day was curling up on the couch with a hot beverage, scrolling through your phone and having the television on low, offering great background noise so the apartment felt less empty. When the clock struck 7pm you knew you would be receiving that notification from the one person on Instagram that you cared enough to keep up with.

They were a poet who went by the name April and they were quite popular on the social media platform, despite never revealing any information about themself save for what deep feelings were incorporated into their poems. You found a great sense of comfort in their work and you were always anticipating to read their poems.

That day, April had revealed a poem titled 'Milky Way'. The post contained a plain white canvas with the words scribbled in black ink on the left side and a relevant drawing on the right - the standard format for all of their works. For this particular poem, the drawing was of a shooting star with a tiny person looking up towards it.

The poem described a relationship between two people that was so dazzlingly perfect that everyone around them was envious of how perfectly they were made for each other. Alas life moved to a point where the narrator could barely contact their lover and they slowly drifted out of each other's lives. The narrator still had lingering feelings for that person and could never truly move on. The final words of the poem read, Nothing without you, nothing without you… 

April's poems always hit close to home and prompted you to think about your own life and experiences, but Milky Way in particular felt as though you yourself was the narrator in question. A few years ago you had also been in a relationship that was so full of bliss. The boy was named Youngtaek and you always joked about how he set a standard for any other guy you would ever meet, but it was true. 

He was an aspiring songwriter and rapper and often wrote songs about you. He was someone that you could tell anything to and he would never judge. He always showered you with compliments that helped you find confidence in yourself. He encouraged you to try new things and a lot of milestones in your life involved him. Your first kiss, your first time and even your first experience getting chased out of a movie theater because he screamed too loud at the horror movie onscreen.

People who claimed the honeymoon phase didn't last forever clearly did not see the three years the two of you spent together. However, all good things must come to an end. Youngtaek left for Japan to further his studies while you stayed behind. You stayed in good contact for a long time, until you both started to live your own lives with different friends, different timezones, different lifestyles. It was a mutual decision to just end the relationship and move on, but your feelings for him could never disappear that easily.

Since the poem had tapped into an integral part of your mind, you decided to leave a comment. You never did leave comments on April's work - it was quite pointless considering they were so popular and your comment would just disappear into the swarm of others - but you were running on sentimentality at that point. 

@______: Thank you for this, I wonder if the lover will ever know the impact they had on the narrator… 

You left your phone aside and turned the television volume up to watch whatever game show was going on. Despite your eyes being on the screen, your thoughts were still filled with Youngtaek and the poem. The only thing that was able to snap you out of your own world was a chime from your phone. You grabbed your phone and opened up the notification. 

@aprilpoetry: @______ I think they do now… 

Your eyes widened at the comment before contorting into a confused frown. First of all, April didn't reply to their fans often so the interaction did catch you by surprise. Second of all, what did they mean by that? The message was so short and vague, but you didn't want to read too much into it. April was notorious for trolling and pranking their followers so you shrugged it off.

Your notifications were flooded with people liking and leaving congratulatory words on your comment. It was so overwhelming that you almost missed a direct message notification you had received. You opened the message up and you couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped your lips upon seeing it was from April. 

@aprilpoetry: As you know, I will be releasing my first book this Friday. We'll be having a small party to celebrate and I'm looking to invite some interesting fans to join us. Would you be interested?

@______: Me? 

@aprilpoetry: Of course. Your comment piqued my interest. 

@______: My comment? 

April was typing for a long time and you didn't know why you were becoming nervous. You couldn't even believe this conversation was happening. Your phone pinged and you looked down to see details as to when and where the party was being held. 

@aprilpoetry: I hope to see you there

+++++

After days of deliberation, you finally settled on just going to the party. The interaction with April was quite strange and your curiosity really got the better of you. You arrived at the venue - a sleek dining hall decorated in black and white and adorned in pictures of the art that usually featured alongside April's poems.

You floated around the room, taking the drink that a server offered you and inspecting the snack table for anything you might like. Everyone else was already engrossed in their own conversations, presumably about April's poetry. You felt somebody stand next to you, but your eyes stayed fixated on the pink drink in your hands. 

"The mini pizzas are really good." The person next to you spoke and you almost shuddered at the familiarity of their voice. 

You looked up to see Youngtaek smiling down at you. He was wearing black turtleneck with a black blazer thrown over his shoulders. He looked older and much more mature than from when you last saw him. His hair was dyed bright red and his ears were adorned with pretty piercings. He still had the same sparkly eyes that you had adored so much.

"What are you doing here?" You asked in a small voice and he chuckled lightly. 

"It's been a while hasn't it?" Youngtaek ran his fingers through his hair with a sheepish grin on his face, "well actually, we've been closer than we think." 

"What do yo-" 

"I'm April, ______," he cut you off and your eyes widened comically, making him laugh, "when I saw you comment on my post I couldn't believe it was really you. 

"I actually refused to believe it was, so I invited you here to find out," he let out a nervous sigh, "I'm… I'm really glad you're here and you read that poem." 

"I've read all of your poems," you admitted and now it was his turn to look surprised, "I've always followed your account and I… really love your work… Milky Way just hit very close to home." 

"I missed you, every day," Youngtaek admitted, stepping closer to you, "every time I'd think I moved on from us but then you'd cloud my thoughts all the time, just like what I said in Milky Way." 

"I missed you too," you smiled at him when you saw his eyes light up, "I guess it's fate that we found each other again." 

Youngtaek grinned at your words before leaning closer and placing his lips on yours. It felt so familiar, the feeling of kissing him while soft music sounded from the speakers, yet butterflies still fluttered in your tummy. His hands came up to cup your face as you gently held onto his wrists. He pulled away just a few centimeters away to admire your flustered face as his cherry lips curled into a smile. 

"So are we doing this again?" You laughed lightly. 

"Only if you want to ______." Youngtaek grinned, softly running his hands down your arms. 

"Of course April Poetry." 

[sunaluvs]

i shay!!! congrats on 1k!!! i’ve been following you for a little while now and you’re writing is so wonderful. i always love when you post, so congrats again on your well deserving 1k :)

i wanted to ask for a matchup from haikyu! so i’m 19, 5’4, and i am a libra and i love being a libra lmao. i’m an also an art major! i’m studying illustration now and plan on designing for magazine and book publications in the future. ive always been drawing since i was a little kid, and perusing it as my career just makes sense to me. part of my career is moving around a lot, which is something i really enjoy. i get bored easily, so i will definitely be moving from place to place until i find somewhere i really want to settle. but i want to see the world! as for my style, i love earthy tones because i feel they look best with my dark hair. i wear a lot of jewelry and skirts too. my personality can change pretty drastically depending on the situation i’m in. i’m definitely introverted and it takes me a while to warm up to people. one of my many negative traits is being too independent for my own good, so when i feel connected and comfortable with someone i usually stick. i like knowing people deeply and like to take a lot of care of my relationships! i always look for that balance, of having fun and being carefree versus being honest with each other. i feel like i’m very carefree with dates, i’m always down to try something once. but i feel like a dream date of mine is to go on a ghost tour with someone! especially on like a first date, i feel like that is so cute and such a good ice breaker! as for love language, mine is definitely physical touch and acts of service. i love being close and i love doing things for the people i care about. just enjoying the little things that make the human experience!!!

thank you again for doing this, i am so excited to see what you write! and i am so excited for your future works. once again, congrats on your well deserved milestone!!!<3333

YOU'VE BEEN MATCHED WITH... SUGAWARA KOUSHI!

⤷ reading your description, he was the first person that came to mind and stayed after going through all the other options. i just think he'd go perfectly with you!

⤷ being a naturally charming person, he knows how to draw people out of their shells, so being around him feels comfortable and light, and you often find yourself laughing at one of his jokes or rambling on about one of your projects with him listening intently.

⤷ he's also someone who loves connecting with people on a deeper level, and knows how to do it with an independent person like yourself. i see him as someone who always tries to be as honest and upfront as he can, so communication is something he consistently works towards in a relationship. he lets you know when you've been keeping to yourself too much, and is always patient with any difficulties you might have.

⤷ from what we've seen, he's also rather comfortable with change, or at least someone who can adapt quickly. while he might not always accompany you every time you move, he'd always find ways to visit or make it work, and he'd definitely be there once you finally decide to settle down.

⤷ also loves hearing you talk about your projects !! something i see happening a lot is you both cuddling in bed, his head on your chest, while you excitedly talk about the new piece you're working on and showing him all your past art pieces. he'd get so into it, asking questions behind the processes and meaning of each piece, and what you were trying to convey with it. honestly he gets just as excited as you !!!

⤷ overall, it's a very comfortable and communicative relationship. you both get to know each other on a deep level and maintain an easy bond of trust between you, but it's also exciting and fun enough to never lose your interest.

[monikadotchr]

label ch30_39

"You know, it's been a while since we've done one of these..."

"...so let's go for it!"

"Here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day!"

"Sometimes when I talk to people who are impressed by my writing, they say things like 'I could never do that'."

"It's really depressing, you know?"

"As someone who loves more than anything else to share the joy of exploring your passions..."

"...it pains me when people think that being good just comes naturally."

"That's how it is with everything, not just writing."

"When you try something for the first time, you're probably going to suck at it."

"Sometimes, when you finish, you feel really proud of it and even want to share it with everyone."

"But maybe after a few weeks you come back to it, and you realize it was never really any good."

"That happens to me all the time."

"It can be pretty disheartening to put so much time and effort into something, and then you realize it sucks."

"But that tends to happen when you're always comparing yourself to the top professionals."

"When you reach right for the stars, they're always gonna be out of your reach, you know?"

"The truth is, you have to climb up there, step by step."

"And whenever you reach a milestone, first you look back and see how far you've gotten..."

"And then you look ahead and realize how much more there is to go."

"So, sometimes it can help to set the bar a little lower..."

"Try to find something you think is {i}pretty{/i} good, but not world-class."

"And you can make that your own personal goal."

"It's also really important to understand the scope of what you're trying to do."

"If you jump right into a huge project and you're still amateur, you'll never get it done."

"So if we're talking about writing, a novel might be too much at first."

"Why not try some short stories?"

"The great thing about short stories is that you can focus on just one thing that you want to do right."

"That goes for small projects in general - you can really focus on the one or two things."

"It's such a good learning experience and stepping stone."

"Oh, one more thing..."

"Writing isn't something where you just reach into your heart and something beautiful comes out."

"Just like drawing and painting, it's a skill in itself to learn how to express what you have inside."

"That means there are methods and guides and basics to it!"

"Reading up on that stuff can be super eye-opening."

"That sort of planning and organization will really help prevent you from getting overwhelmed and giving up."

"And before you know it..."

"You start sucking less and less."

"Nothing comes naturally."

"Our society, our art, everything - it's built on thousands of years of human innovation."

"So as long as you start on that foundation, and take it step by step..."

"You, too, can do amazing things."

"...That's my advice for today!"

"Thanks for listening~"