#5 senses zine

[ghost-bard]

Love being an arcane warrior in dao i love swinging a giant maul around and being in armour but also casting walking nightmare and horror on my enemies i think swords are cooler but the affect of a maul is funnier than big sword in my opinion. I have like 3 affects (at the minimum) going on at all times and then i do an aoe chug some lyrium just in case and bludgen some guy to death. What.

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Punk

The philosophy of punk is a distinctive blend of cultural rebellion, DIY ethos, and anti-establishment attitudes. Emerging from the punk rock music scene in the 1970s, punk philosophy has since evolved into a broader subcultural movement that encompasses music, fashion, art, and social commentary. Here's an exploration of the core tenets and influences of punk philosophy:

1. DIY Ethic

At the heart of punk philosophy is the "Do It Yourself" (DIY) ethic. Punk advocates self-sufficiency and creativity without reliance on mainstream institutions or commercial interests. This ethos encourages individuals to create their own music, art, and fashion, often using limited resources. It fosters a sense of empowerment and community, as punks produce and distribute their own records, zines, and merchandise.

2. Anti-Establishment and Rebellion

Punk philosophy is deeply rooted in anti-establishment sentiments. It rejects conventional norms, authority, and societal expectations. Punk often criticizes political systems, corporate greed, and social inequalities. This rebellious stance is reflected in the raw and confrontational style of punk music and the provocative nature of punk fashion, which frequently includes ripped clothing, bold hairstyles, and symbolic accessories like safety pins and leather jackets.

3. Individualism and Authenticity

Punk values individualism and authenticity, championing the idea of being true to oneself. It opposes conformity and encourages people to express their unique identities and beliefs. This focus on personal authenticity often translates into a rejection of polished, commercialized aesthetics in favor of raw, unfiltered expression.

4. Anarchy and Libertarianism

Many punk subcultures are influenced by anarchist and libertarian ideologies. Punk philosophy often promotes the idea of a society without hierarchical structures or authoritarian control. Anarcho-punk, a subgenre of punk, explicitly incorporates anarchist principles, advocating for direct action, mutual aid, and community-based alternatives to state power.

5. Social and Political Activism

Punk philosophy is not only about music and fashion but also about activism and social change. Punk bands and communities frequently address issues such as anti-racism, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmentalism. Punk's activist spirit is evident in its support for grassroots movements, protests, and various forms of direct action.

6. Cultural Innovation and Subversion

Punk is known for its cultural innovation and subversion. It challenges mainstream cultural standards and pushes the boundaries of artistic expression. Punk art, music, and literature often employ satire, irony, and shock value to critique societal norms and provoke thought.

The philosophy of punk is a multifaceted and dynamic ideology that encompasses a wide range of attitudes and practices. At its core, punk is about rejecting conformity, embracing individuality, and striving for authenticity. It promotes a DIY ethic, challenges authority, and seeks to create a more just and equitable society through activism and direct action. Punk's enduring influence can be seen in various cultural and social movements, making it a vital and vibrant part of contemporary philosophy and culture.

[clonerightsagenda]

I made a bunch of mutual aid zines this summer and still can't get my folds straight, but here's my contribution to the September podcast zine fest! Image text under the cut.

Page 1: Wolf 359 + Terrible Space Facts

Page 2: Space is terrible. No one should go there. Here are just a few ways the reality of floating alone in the middle of nowhere is even worse than described for the crew of the Hephaestus station.

Page 3: "I'm going to drown? In outer space? What kind of sense does that even make?"

Not just a wacky podcast plot! Italian Luca Parmitano almost drowned on a space walk in 2013 due to a fan pump malfunction.

Page 4: "And that's how you [BLEEP] in space."

0g bathroom breaks aren't easy and luckily (?) NASA loves training. On Earth, astronauts practice on a toilet with a camera in the bowl so they can watch themselves from an... unconventional angle.

Page 5: "Doctor Selberg took the cast off today. Looks like my arm's healing well."

0g is worse on bones than osteoporosis. Chances are Lovelace's arm never healed right, which may have contributed to her use of pain pills.

Page 6: "We're getting hit by another wave of radiation."

The atmosphere protects us from cosmic radiation, but less so as it gets thinner. Astronauts (and flight attendants!) are considered radiation workers. Several ISS astronauts have developed skin cancer.

Page 7: "I did mention the 'so you don't get poisoned' aspect, right?"

In cases of ammonia exposure, astronauts are instructed to remove all (potentially contaminated) clothing before moving to a safe area. A potential other reason everyone is cranky in "Constructive Criticism".

Page 8: Want more #terrible space facts? Visit www.clonerightsagenda.tumblr.com/tagged/terrible space facts for my full collection.

[thydungeongal]

Introducing the party

So, to pass the time I'm going to be playing some Old-School Essentials solo with the help of Hexroll.

I have done it a couple of times and am already aware of some of the workings of Hexroll, but I eventually realized that since 1st-level characters are so squishy true solo play is very swingy in Old-School Essentials. So I outsourced some dice rolls from the community and got a huge number of characters. For now I've made six. And here they are!

Jimothy @public-trans-it Str 13 Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 10, Con 9, Cha 11 Fighter 1 8 hp Neutral Leather, war hammer, hand axe, rope (50'), grappling hook, crowbar, backpack, tinder box, 1 torch, waterskin, 5 rations, 8 gp

Montgormery @treasonagainstatyrantking Str 9 Int 9 Wis 7 Dex 4 Con 10 Cha 16 Fighter 1 2 hp Neutral Plate mail and shield, war hammer, silver dagger, rope (50'), sack (small), backpack, tinder box, 5 torches, waterskin, 6 rations, 11 gp

Theophany @theresalwayspeng-blog Str 4 Int 9 Wis 17 Dex 10 Con 11 Cha 13 Cleric 1 5 hp Lawful Leather, staff, mace, wolfsbane (1 bunch), holy water, holy symbol, backpack, tinder box, 1 torch, waterskin, 5 rations, 9 gp

Chuckles @arcanehobo Str 8 Int 7 Wis 12 Dex 13 Con 15 Cha 12 Thief 1 3 hp Neutral Leather, sling + 20 stones, war hammer, lantern + 3 flasks of oil, sack (small), thieves' tools, backpack, tinder box, 4 torches, waterskin, 3 rations, 9 gp

Theodore @casualeviliris Str 9 Int 9 Wis 18 Dex 9 Con 7 Cha 15 Cleric 1 4 hp Chaotic Plate mail, mace, sling + 20 stones, stakes (3) + mallet, lantern + 3 flasks of oil, backpack, tinder box, 6 torches, waterskin, 2 rations, 8 gp

Stevelyn @professorscrublord Str 13 Int 9 Wis 7 Dex 10 Con 7 Cha 12 Fighter 1 1 hp Lawful Chainmail, pole arm, silver dagger, hammer (small) + 12 iron spikes, stakes (3) + mallet, backpack, tinder box, 2 torches, waterskin, 5 rations, 8 gp

I modified some stats according to the rules of OSE (a character's prime requisites may be increased by taking away points from other stats at a rate of 2 to 1, but the only stats that can be lowered are Str Int Wis and they can never be taken below 9) and for the equipment I used the quick equipment method from one of the Carcass Crawler zines. I then switched around some equipment between the characters to make it more thematically appropriate (Montgormery feels by his stats to be a nobleman's failson gone adventuring, so it made sense to give him the plate and shield and silver dagger I'd originally rolled for Jimothy, so I switched their weapons and armor rolls around.)

I also rolled alignment randomly by rolling a d6: 1-2 Lawful, 3-5 Neutral, 6 Chaotic

As these idiots meet their untimely deaths I will be replacing them with more characters rolled in that thread. But for now, let's see what happens!

Also, if everyone has a good idea for a tag I could use for this, let me know. EDIT: Have decided to go for "thysologirl"

[fswintersdelight]

Edit: We do NOT accept AI-generated art, writing, or other creative craft.

SIGN UP HERE

Winter's Delight: A Four Swords Calendar

Hi and welcome to Winter's Delight 2024: A Four Swords Calendar!

If you have participated before, welcome back, and if this is your first time here, welcome to a month of fan creation.

Winter’s Delight is an event organised by fans for fans. This is the third year in a row this event runs. Last year we experimented with zine and daily prompts, but it didn’t create the sense of joy, delight, and community we were looking for – so this year we’re returning to our roots in art+writing reveals.

Winter's Delight 2024: A Four Swords Calendar runs from the 1st to the 31st of December. In the months leading up to it, we invite artists and writers to prepare pieces of fanart, fanfics, or similar to be posted on Tumblr (and, if the participants choose so, to our Ao3 collection) throughout December.

Each year we have two themes. To represent the name of the event, one theme will always be WINTER. The other has been determined through submissions from fans and voting. This year, the other theme is LIGHT IN THE DARK. Any piece you create for the event must contain at least one of these two themes.

The event has a total of 31 available spaces for artists and writers. Spaces are made available on a first-come basis. To sign up, please fill in and submit the Google Form below.

Once the sign-up form closes, you will be assigned a number of days across the month of December. (The exact number will be indicated by yourself when you fill out the form.) You will be expected to create an individual piece of art or writing for each of your assigned days, and to post these pieces on the assigned days. When you post, please tag us ( @fswintersdelight ) so we can reblog your piece and help fans find it!

Please see the full extent of our guidelines below.

This year we will also trial a private Discord server for ease of communication. As this event is in the form of reveals, we ask that participants don’t share their completed piece(s) until their assigned day(s). You may, however, share little sneak-peeks (screenshots/photos of sections of an artwork or a few lines of text).

General Guidelines

One OR both of the themes has to be apparent in the art or writing. The themes for 2024 are: WINTER and LIGHT IN THE DARK.

The art or writing must include character(s) and/or setting(s) from either the Four Swords games or the Four Swords manga.

We do NOT accept mature or explicit content.

We welcome all ships and AUs.

All written pieces should be in the range of 500–8,000 words.*

Art can include short comics, crafts, or other creative expressions.

Music or videos are permitted, provided they are no longer than 5 minutes.

*If your piece is an illustrated recipe or similar, the text itself may be shorter than 500 words. We do, however, ask that pieces of this type be clearly related to themes and characters/setting, either via an attached short story or illustrations.

To share your piece on your assigned day, please do the following:

STEP 1

Create a Tumblr post on your own account, featuring your piece. (If it’s a fanfic, piece of music, or a video, a link to the piece is sufficient.)

STEP 2

Tag us (@fswintersdelight) so we can reblog your piece!

STEP 3

Use this year’s tags: #fswintersdelight2024 OR #fswd24

STEP 4 (optional)

If you would also like to post your piece to Ao3, please consider adding it to the appropriate Winter’s Delight subcollection. The subcollection will be made available from the 30th of November.

Deadlines and Important Dates

12th of September: Sign-up form opens.

25th of October: Sign-up form closes.

1st of November: Final assignments and Discord invites sent out.

22nd of November: Check-in for anyone assigned days between 1st and 15th of December.

29th of November: Check-in for anyone assigned days between 16th and 31st of December.

1st of December: FSWD24 officially opens.

31st of December: FSWD24 officially closes.

Thank you for spreading the word!

With your help we can make this December a kind, loving, welcoming, and vibrantly joyful month.

I look forward to seeing everyone's fantastic artworks, and to read all the fanfics you share for the event.

Hugs, spice, and all things bright,

Kalh

Contact

Tumblr: @fswintersdelight

Email: fswintersdelight@gmail.com

[txttletale]

bundletober #7: this party sucks

hello and welcome to bundletober, the numinous ritual that shall call down the damnation of angels upon our deserving heads. today's game is this party sucks by beating the binary

i won't beat around the bush: i was primed to not like this game much, which is maybe uncharitable--but games making a big deal of how 'queer' they are in their marketing copy always puts me off. this might stem back to my love-hate relationship with thirsty sword lesbians and that game's chronic tone problem, or i might just be a cynical bitch. but this party sucks surprised me in a good way. it's a pretty simple game: it's about a single protagonist (control of whom rotates around the table) going to a bunch of parties to try not to think about their ex, having a bad time, and then thinking about their ex. it's the kind of razor-sharp concept that i think TTRPGs should tackle more (or, rather, that the hundreds of TTRPGs tackling should get more attention) and imo it pulls it off well.

i've been talking a bit on the horizon machine blog about safety tools and which ones i like and don't like--this party sucks does something surprising and invents a brand new safety tool that i actually like a lot. i mean, it's by the author's own admission half safety tool and half play aid and half joke. but it does all those things really well

the IFCOBPC card is a really funny and fantrastic concept and it fits perfectly in this game -- it's a game about a queer awkward twentysomething and that also seems to be the obvious target audience, and it's a play and design space i haven't seen explored--a way to signal this kind of over-the-table emotional response without a complex mechanical framework or the extremely serious and weighty context of x-cards & the like

the other thing i like about this party sucks is that it's specifically three-player. this is a game for three people to play, there are three books, you rotate them round once each, and everything in the game is designed for that. i like this kind of restriction, because it's much easier to design tightly around three people than, say, '3-5' -- and it shows! the division of play roles into the Protagonist, the Venue, and Other People at the party makes perfect sense and gives everyone a fair amount to do. as someone who was a 'forever DM' back when i still played d&d, i now adore games that clearly delineate and distribute narrative power and responsibility.

one last thing--this party sucks has an epilogue mechanic, a real ending. and i love that! ending one-shot games in a satisfying way can often feel difficult, and having a set of prompts asking you to decide on what happens after the game is over is a great way to provide guidance for that. ultimately, though, as much as i talk about tight design, what really made the focus on queerness in this party sucks work for me when for the most part it doesn't in thirsty sword lesbians is the tone--there's a frank first-person tone, no attempt to put on a narratorial persona, only the designer talking about the game from what is clearly and unabashedly their own perspective.

if you want me to look kindly upon your game as a labour of love, talk openly about that love and about that labour in the game's text. you're allowed to do that--often, it will make that game better.

this party sucks is available for purchase as a digital download or a physical zine from itch.io

[cottoncandysprite]

Ok strap in for a stupid long Guillermo meta that made way more sense on discord. We're so fucking back (spoilers for the WWCITS zine [digital/print, sales end on 8/5!] and the sdcc panel)

I've been struggling to pin down exactly what Guillermo's arc will entail in season 6 from what we've gotten so far, but leave it to my iwtv-brainrotted brain to suddenly connect the dots while wondering what happened to Guillermo's Armand obsession.

In the WWCITS zine, Paul Simms mentions that this season Guillermo is heavily involved in a fandom for a procedural cable drama meant for dads. I figured this was a strange departure from his iwtv obsession, until I realized: he's romanticizing humanity the same way he did with vampirism, as a coping mechanism for the events of season 5. He's doing his usual response of running away and doing the exact opposite of what failed. Him working in an office, moving out, neglecting his vampire family the same way he did his human one, all in the name of so-called "self discovery." I'm willing to bet he'll say that all of it "needed to be done" for his "mental health" without being able to actually articulate why or what he actually wants out of it.

Which leads me to my next conclusion: Guillermo's arc isn't actually about self actualization, it's about balance. He's such a clean-cut, all-or-nothing character; only vampirism or only humanity, only good or only evil, only servitude or only independence. But the narrative keeps putting him in situations that require a sense of grayness. Him being a dhampir and a bodyguard (caught between humanity and vampirism), the gray morality of being a familiar, and his push-and-pull dynamic with Nandor. What he really needs isn't to pick a side, but to embrace being in both worlds at the same time.

And I think this season we'll especially see this with the vampires invading his workplace and trying to help him be more human. They want to be a part of that side of his life, just as I think if his human family warmed up to the vampires they would want to be a part of that (side note I really hope we get an episode that brings his family fully into the vampire world and finishes that arc on a good note). He'll try to push them away, try to quit them entirely, only to fail because it's impossible to just abandon that side of him. He needs the vampires just as much as he needs to reconnect with his humanity. There's a balance.

I really do hope they wrap this up satisfyingly in just one season, because it's such a fascinating direction to take his character, but he can be just as stubborn as Nandor in terms of character development. Just don't drag it out too long pleaseeeeeee

[netherworldpost]

SHOP NEWS NO DATES BUT PROGRESS IS BEING MADE

The Netherworld Post Office back office, handling private client work, did not have it's expected slow season. Which is good! Production testing is very expensive!

But also I worked myself ill, which was a bad idea!

I'll be fine in a few days.

Or depending on when you read this soon-to-be-pinned everywhere post, I'm fine now!

Over the last several months, I looked at the hard question "hey why aren't we open on the public side?" and it hit me:

Instead of following through with the plan, I was sneakily trying to re-create Evil Supply Co.

Side note: If that name is familiar, but this doesn't make sense, then the short answer:

@evilsupplyco closed in Summer 2019.

I am Atticus of Evil Supply Co. Hi!

I got into a traffic accident, the ensuing next few years Covid wrecked the world, life has been intense :)

The Netherworld Post crew is the same crew behind Evil Supply Co. and we changed/are changing the name because the new shop is going to be spooky-mail-focused as opposed to experimenting with... spooky... everything.

In September or so, just before our back office busy season started, I realized I had been saying "I'm going to focus on what we do best -- greeting cards -- and everything else is secondary."

I. Uh. Kept adding things anyway. To the... list. And making. New. Lists.

(gulp)

(learn from me, don't do that)

So in the depths of Intense Client Work and then laying on a couch for several days to allow my drawing arm to heal and my brain to slow down, I realized I had been violating what I set out to do:

Make a really fun, very inexpensive, greeting card company that sells the occasional zine, and has lots of useful downloads. Some pay-if-you-want (free if you don't), some a few dollars.

...this image... hurts my feelings... because it was this is what was happening to me.

I've learned a lot in the last several months --

I'm going to recover fully.

Send all the files lingering to test print one last time.

Then when they come back, the shop opens.

A handful of weeks at most.

I wanted to launch with DOZENS of greeting cards and A HUNDRED downloads and THIRTY ZINES and and and and and and and and --

-- and we're going to launch with about 10 greeting cards, probably 5 or 6 downloads, and zines will wait while we add more greeting cards and downloads etc.

I am admittedly REALLY EMBARRASSED to be preparing a shop launch SO SMALL after SO LONG.

(I'll get over it. We'll add new stuff regularly forever.)

mailing list: netherworldpost.com

Sign up! If you're already on it, the tech witches auto-sort to ensure you're not being bombarded with a million emails.

(Actual conversation with the crew. I wanted to draw all of this out and my producer Fang was like "hey why don't you instead use that time to work on the actual drawing list instead" and I was like "great idea thank you")

one last time, mailing list: netherworldpost.com

[42-clocks]

💚 a zine on aromanticism 💚

^an informational zine on aromanticism I made for Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week

feel free to share/print!

(pages and image IDs after the break)

Image ID 1: the front and back cover. The front cover reads, “informational zine — Aromantic: What Does That Mean? — by Peter Z.”

there are two simple arrow shapes between lines of the text pointing in opposite directions.

The middle of the page has a long stripe with the colors of the aromantic flag, which extends to the back cover. the back cover side lists what each of the colors represent: green — aromanticism; light green — the aromantic spectrum; white — platonic and aesthetic attraction; gray — gray-romanticism and demi-romanticism; black — the sexuality spectrum.

The back page reads, “more resources!

TAAAP.org

Aro Spec Week.com

gsrc.princeton.edu (SAM)

aromanticism.org (AUREA)

Elizabeth Brake (aromanticism)

Aggressively Aro Spec Tumblr

Aromantic Guide.com”

End text. Two gray silhouettes of lily flowers act as embellishment. End ID 1.

Image ID 2: pages 1 and 2 of the zine.

Page 1: “Aromantic — or just ‘aro’ for short — refers to someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction to anyone — or experiences it in a different way than others. Alloromantic is the opposite — one who does have romantic attraction.” The text is green and dark teal with light green boarders around the sections.

Page 2: small letters says “this might help to understand” and arrow points to the title “Split Attraction Model” — “a way of understanding attraction by separating it into types: sexual, romantic, platonic, alterous, aesthetic, etc.

“Sexual Orientations: bisexual, heterosexual, asexual. Romantic Orientations: biromantic, heteroromantic, aromantic. — sometimes they match, sometimes they don’t! Words like biromantic and heteroromantic commonly refer to both S. O. and R. O.” End ID 2.

Image ID 3: pages 3 and 4.

Page 3: titled “A-spec Community”. Below is a Venn diagram, the left circle labeled “aro”, the right circle “ace”, the overlap space “aro ace”, this is all within a larger circle labeled “a-spec”.

“Aromantic is not the same as Asexual (little to no Sexual Attraction to anyone at all). The identities and communities are related but distinct”

Page 4: titled “Myths” with dark teal flower silhouettes on either side. Myths include “hates all romance, childish “late bloomer”, not LGBTQ+, unemotional, wants to be alone, can’t be in a relationship, afraid of commitment, can’t also be gay/hetero/etc” End ID 3.

Image ID 4: pages 5 and 6.

Page 5: “Are you aro? some common experiences: made up crushes, flirting doesn’t make sense, hard to identify romantic feelings, dating isn’t a priority, don’t like romance heavy media, dating because you’re “supposed to”, rarely if ever “fall in love”, don’t have celebrity crushes. *these are not exclusive to aros though!”

Page 6: the top of the page has the shape of an umbrella, the text inside reads “the Aromantic umbrella”. The body has four microlabel examples;

“Gray-romantic — romantic attraction rarely or weakly.” Next to it is a small rectangular flag with 5 horizontal stripes: green, gray, white, gray, green.

“Demi-romantic — romantic attraction only after a bond has formed.” Rectangular flag with a wide white stripe, narrow green, and wide gray stripe, and a black triangle on the left side.

“Allo-aro — allosexual and aromantic, no romantic attraction, has sexual attraction.” Rectangular flag with even horizontal stripes: green, light green, white, yellow, dark yellow.

“Aro-ace — aromantic and asexual, no romantic or sexual attraction.” Rectangular flag with even stripes: orange, yellow, white, light blue, dark blue. End ID.

[hillbillyoracle]

What Made My Life Better in 2023

One of the things I'm thinking about a lot as I get ready for 2024 is what actually made an impact for me in the last year. It was interesting to think through because it was neither what I expected nor what I had always heard would help me. Instead it was often small changes that stacked into something much more helpful and interesting when put together.

I wanted to share them in case it's helpful for anyone else.

#1 - Adaptive Cleaning

While I still use elements of other cleaning systems, the base of what I do is firmly rooted in Sarah McGlory's Adaptive Cleaning ideas. I started implementing it about halfway through the year in earnest, though I stumbled upon it a year or two ago, and it's made a huge difference. This is the cleanest my space has ever been and the fewest flares I've ever had and I genuinely do credit her ideas for being a big reason for that.

#2 - My Care Kit

About halfway through the year I also threw together this care kit that I keep by my bed. It has everything I need to do my skincare, brush my teeth, and do my makeup - all without leaving my bed. While I've felt embarrassed at just how much it's done for me, I think it's a great example of "do what works." I just don't like get up once I've sat down for the evening. And it's easier to get up if I already have all that stuff done. Not only have I kept up with skincare and other habits probably the best out of any point in my life, but the mood and self esteem boost it gives me has allowed me to do more of what I want in other areas too.

#3 - 750 Words

I start using 750 Words on a whim. I had liked doing morning pages but could never really keep up with them, especially on days when I was really struggling with my hands. I wound up really taking to it and have only missed a few days since I started in November. I wound up paying for a year of it because I'm that certain of it's benefit. I've written way more for my zines, my mental health is a little better, and it serves as an anchor habit for several others. I love the simplicity of it. I can usually crank out my freewrite for the day in about 10 minutes - I like 10 minutes being my new minimum versus the zero it was.

#4 - Laundry Day

This might seem obvious or silly to you but as someone who has tried a lot of cleaning routines, I was so used to the a load a day rule that I never questioned it. That is until I read Dana K. White's book How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind. She talks about her laundry system and it just completely changed my perspective. Laundry day has given me so much of my time back and I more regularly do more of our laundry. I'm sure other people were aware this was an option but I guess I needed someone to tell me.

#5 - Connecting with a Sangha

I'd been putting off connecting with a Sangha for a while. I knew I wasn't going to be in a place to go in person (I'm about an hour and a half any moderate sized city) and only meeting online felt like a pale imitation. But I was wrong. I got connected with the Furnace Mountain Zen Center based here in Kentucky and started attending more of their weekday meditation sessions and at home day retreats as I was able. It really deepened my practice and has remained a touchstone to return back to when I got through times life pulls me away. I wish I would have done it sooner. If you're Buddhist leaning in any way, I really recommend finding a Sangha - even if it's online.

I hope this sparks some ideas for other people. None of the "productivity" stuff I tried this year "worked" in the sense of sticking or allowing me to do more. The closest was probably pomodoros on a visual timer, which are genuinely helpful. But mostly it was acts of nurturance, curiosity, and care that really elevated my life this year.

May 2024 be even better!

[habken]

Just- how long does it take you to just draw? Because the sheer amount of details you put and the coloring must take ages

I mean ofc it depends in the piece, but like aprox?? In a fully rendered piece?? Just how

It really does depend haha and I’m super bad at judging time, so I just have guesses and approximations on how long stuff took but I can try and give examples!

It’s long so I’m putting them under the cut

Usually sketches and the busts I do with a bunch of different expressions take the shortest amount of time, something like the nimona sketches I did took maybe an hour or two ? Sometimes takes a bit longer if it’s a character I’m unfamiliar with because I want to make sure I have their design right and also that I’m illustrating their personality in a more or less accurate way.

The drawings with Kaminari, I think those took 5-7 hours?? Again super hard for me to figure out exact times cause I don’t really keep track of it and I like wandering in the middle of drawing so my sense of time is real bad. The expressions probably were an hour or under, and the full bodies took a lot longer, cause there was posing, styling, shoe drawing, colouring etc. involved.

The domestic bkdk comic I did for the top tier zine took way way longer, I want to say anywhere between 40-60 hours lol. I worked on it for months so that’s about as accurate as I can give in terms of time spent. I got hung up on a lot of details with it and the colouring took forever.

The villain attack comic took about 35+ hours ? The backgrounds took forever lol, I was trying to get better with freehand perspective, I struggle the most with environments and I wanted to challenge myself with both that and with drawing a comic with more action.

Finally, the one with little bakugou and deku holding hands I think took somewhere around 8 hours ? I was trying some new stuff with colouring and also background stuff

[sobredunia]

My piece for the rpgmaker zine at @ophazines !! I love halOPE so much fr, the angel is such a cool character

@rottenkadaver @sansxfuckyou-deactivated20230515 @blacklight-system @beetroot-merchant @ashs-hellhole @h3xt0r @bree-sae @helloidkwhatimdoing-0

This piece kicked my ass in the adhd sense I had to do 5 wholeass backgrounds and then obscure them for the spotlight. Might reblog this with the unobscured piece so they're more visible idk

[5senseszine]

⭐FINAL DAY FOR APPS⭐

There're only 24 hours left to submit your contributor applications to the 5 Senses zine!

🎨Page artists | 📝Writers | ���️Merch artists

Thanks for shares! @zinefeed @zine-scene @welovezines @anizines @all-zine-apps

[purplehairedwonder]

2023 Fic Recap

This was quite a productive year for my writing! I contributed to multiple zines, continued working on my ongoing stories, and took part in several events. I wrote 157,450 words!

Here is a recap of my writing for the year:

One-Shots

One Piece

Gen Fic

"Summer Nights and Festival Lights" (PG | 1,200 words): On their trek across the North Blue, Rosinante and Law come across a town having a summer festival.

Written for the One Piece Summer Festival Zine.

"Heartfelt Welcome" (PG | 2,700 words): Jean Bart could see why the young captain was beloved by his men. He’d been on the man’s ship for less than a day and already felt a sense of loyalty toward him—and not just out of gratitude for freeing him. Yes, he was more thankful than he could ever put into words to Trafalgar Law for severing his collar, but it was the kindness and humanity he and his men had shown him since then that truly touched Jean Bart. He was quite aware of how rare such traits were among pirates.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 1 Prompts: Jean Bart and Scars

"Heart With Its Hands Full" (PG | 2,445 words): Shachi barely had time to register the blue dome spreading over him before he found himself face-down in a pile of snow several feet from where he had just been standing. He sat up, sputtering, while Law laughed. Shachi felt his own lips turning upward as he pushed himself to his feet; he liked the sound of Law’s laugh and wanted to hear it more. He was far more familiar with the sound of Law’s whimpers and gasps from nightmares, and if it took being the butt of a joke or two to get the kid to laugh, Shachi could handle that.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 2 Prompts: Shachi and Snow

"Restless Hearts" (PG | 2,568 words): "When I couldn’t sleep, I decided to come outside and just… see what it felt like. Being safe.”

“And? How does it feel?”

Law shook his head. “I don’t think I’m quite there yet.” He gave Penguin a wry look. “Besides, how safe can you feel when you’re on the way to take on an Emperor?”

It was not lost on Penguin, though, that Law seemed significantly less stressed on the way to Wano than he had before Punk Hazard. That, more than anything, was indicative of how Doflamingo had haunted Law. Still, Penguin hated the thought that Law, after finally putting his demons to rest, didn’t feel any measure of peace. If anyone deserved that, it was Law.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 3 Prompts: Penguin and Submarine

"A New Heart" (PG | 2,933 words): “What’s with those looks? You think I can’t do it because I’m a girl?”

Law rolled his eyes. “I don’t give a shit that you’re a girl,” he said. “I want to know what your angle is.” There was a small twitch in the girl’s eye, and Law knew he was on the right track. “Or maybe, more accurately, what’s your price?”

She glanced between the four of them before settling her eyes on Law. “I want to come with you when you leave.” Law raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want charity or nothing. I’m the best damn mechanic on this island. I’ll be your shipwright.”

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 4 Prompts: Ikkaku and Repair

"Touch-Starved Heart" (PG | 2,464 words): Law was incredibly touch-starved. He had a limited tolerance for physical contact with other people, and he would remove himself—or someone else’s body parts—with his devil fruit if those limits were breached.

Yet the Hearts were an incredibly affectionate—and tactile—crew. Over the years, it had become something of a competition to see who could touch Law with affection the most frequently or for the longest without being dissected.

Clione first became aware of the competition about two weeks after joining the crew.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 5 Prompts: Clione and Touch

"Home Is Where the Hearts Are" (PG | 2,011 words): Law survives Dressrosa and comes home to the Heart Pirates.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 6 Prompt: Home

"Hearts Adrift" (PG | 3,163 words): Over the years, Law became Bepo’s compass, pointing him in the right direction. Bepo might be the navigator of the Heart Pirates, but Law was his North Star. Standing next to Law as the captain ordered the launching of the Polar Tang, watching their crewmates hustle about doing their duties to put the submarine in motion, had become home, and Bepo finally understood why Zepo had gone out to sea.

And that’s why it was so hard to watch Law’s form grow smaller and smaller as the Polar Tang sailed away from Punk Hazard. For the first time since Bepo had left Zou, he would be sailing without his trusted compass guiding him, his North Star keeping him on track.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 7 Prompts: Bepo and Lost

"Of Hearts and Broken Trust" (PG | 2,495 words): “I know it’s been tense on here the last few days, and that’s my fault.”

“It’s not—”

“Captain—”

Law raised a hand, cutting off the protests. “I get it. I left, and no one, not even me, knew when, or if, I’d be back. I put my own personal vendetta ahead of all of you, and you have every right to be angry with me.” He looked around the room. “I broke the trust you have in me as your captain, and for that I’m sorry. What we’re going to do in Wano… it’s going to take all of us trusting each other without reservation. So, I know it’s going to take a lot of work, but I intend to earn that trust back. And to start to repair the trust I’ve broken, I have to tell you why I left.”

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 8 Prompts: Hakugan and Broken

"Heart Affords a Smile" (PG | 4,757 words): Contrary to popular belief, Trafalgar Law does smile. Sure, he’s more apt to smirk, and he doesn’t smile often or widely, but he does smile.

Or, five times Law smiled and one smile that inspired him.

Written for Heart Pirates Week 2023. Day 9 Prompts: Law and Smile

"Aftermath" (PG | 1,122 words): The aftermath of the fight at Winner Island.

"To Prove Worthy" ( PG-13 | 3,004 words): Drake met Sengoku’s gaze. “I want to become a Marine, like my father.”

“Your father, huh?” Sengoku murmured, his gaze going distant for a moment before he shook himself and focused back on Drake. “That’s a big decision to make, son, especially so soon after what you’ve experienced.”

But Drake was shaking his head before Sengoku finished speaking. “I’ve wanted this for my entire life. I’m more certain now than ever. Please, let me enlist.” Now that he’d started talking, the words wouldn’t stop tumbling out. “I know what my father was at the end, but he was once a good man. A good Marine. Let me honor that legacy.”

Or, after the events of Minion Island, a grieving Sengoku takes in the orphaned Drake.

Written for the Dark Waters One Piece Angst Zine.

"A Fall in the Woods" (PG | 1,497 words): While on their trek through the North Blue, Rosinante trips and sprains his ankle in the middle of the woods. It's a good thing he has a doctor as a companion.

Written for The Corazine.

Lawlu

"The Heart Is a Thing to Be Broken" (PG-13 | 5,514 words): The Straw Hats learn about Winner Island.

"Hold Fast to Dreams" (PG | 3,073 words): Law was nine the first time he had a dream that wasn’t his own. He was in a forest on an island he’d never seen before—the plants and trees were the wrong color for one thing—and he was running from an old man he called Gramps, only the man had looked nothing like either of Law’s grandfathers.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 1: Soulmates.

"A Fleeting Moment (When the Sun Can Kiss the Moon)" (PG-13 | 4,356 words): Once upon a time, the Sun fell in love with the Moon.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 2: Sun and Moon.

"The Heart Asks Pleasure - First" (PG-13 | 2,022 words): When Luffy was certain Law was looking at him, he said, “Take my heart.”

“What?” Law asked dumbly. There was no way he’d heard that correctly.

“Take my heart,” Luffy repeated, leaning forward. Though they were still a few feet apart on the balcony, Law suddenly felt like Luffy was looming over him. “And I’ll take yours.”

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 3: Promise

"Hurricane Heat in My Head" (PG-13 | 2,916 words): Five times Luffy didn't like the way someone was looking at Law and one where he did something about it.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 4: Possessive

"Healing Hands and Healing Hearts" (PG | 1,488 words): Law might be a doctor, but Luffy, Law realized with a sudden flash of clarity, was a healer. Law had put Luffy physically back together after Marineford, but Luffy had put his own soul back together. And, two years later, he’d taken one look at Law’s pain and had extracted the poison from the wound that had been festering in Law’s soul for the last thirteen years.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 5: Healing

"My Heart in Your Hands, My Hands around Your Heart" (PG | 1,908 words): In Luffy's lowest moment, Law takes Luffy's hand and promises that his story will not end.

In Law's lowest moment, Luffy takes Law's hand and promises the same.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 6: Hand Holding

"Your Heart, Broken in My Chest" (PG-13 | 3,661 words): Luffy was far from an expert at having someone else’s heart in his chest, but he was pretty sure what was happening with Torao’s heart wasn’t normal.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 8: Hurt/Comfort

"My Heart, Fragile in Your Hands" (PG-13 | 2,380 words): “I failed them,” Law whispered, and it felt like a confession—like at church in Flevance. Confession was supposed to absolve someone of their sins, right? He doubted there was a god anywhere who could absolve him of his. And yet, he confessed at the altar of Luffy. “They were my responsibility, and I failed them.”

Or, Law wakes up in the Sunny's infirmary after Winner Island.

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 9: Reunion.

"Our Hearts, Made Whole in Each Other" (PG-13 | 2,312 words): Luffy cupped Law’s cheek with his hand, softly grazing his thumb over a yellowing bruise. “Torao is so pretty,” he said quietly, a note of awe in his voice. Law flushed. “Torao’s heart is beating so fast.”

“Yeah,” Law agreed, swallowing. “It is.” Luffy’s, despite a few flutters, was beating steadily in Law’s chest. Law, on the other hand, felt pinned to the spot, one hand holding Kikoku and the other in Luffy’s grip.

“You should stay.”

Law blinked. “What?”

“You should stay,” Luffy repeated. “On the Sunny. With me."

Written for 10 Days of LawLu 2023 Day 10: Confessions.

"Amid the Falling Snow" (PG-13 | 6,672 words): During a supply stop on the way to Zou, Luffy convinces Law to join him in looking for a local legend. But when their search is interrupted by a blizzard, they're forced to ride out the storm together.

Written for Truffyfest Secret Santa 2023

Dark Rise

"Remorse Is Memory Awake" (Will/James, Sarcean/Anharion | PG-13 | 1,740 words): Sloane’s head hadn’t even hit the ground before James was dropping to a knee, Ettore’s sword slipping from his grip. He screwed his eyes shut as image after image flew across his mind’s eye, overwhelming him, entrapping him in a whirlwind of sensation, every sense assaulted at once. He threw his hands over his ears as if he could block out the sudden onslaught, but it made no difference.

He gasped as he realized what he was seeing—not images. Memories.

Anharion’s memories.

His memories.

Multichaptered (Complete)

"To Call Myself Beloved" (Lawlu | PG-13 | 13,202 words): Betrothal Chase: A longstanding courting tradition between pirates in which a pirate who wants to marry another must catch the object of their desire.

Now Pirate King, Luffy declares that his next order of business is getting Law to marry him. Law drunkenly snaps that Luffy will need to catch him first, thus unwittingly setting a Betrothal Chase in motion. While Luffy is all-in, Law is, unsurprisingly, a bit of an idiot.

Written for Truffyfest 2023

WIP

"Hearts With(out) Chains" (Dubcon Doflaw, Eventual Lawlu | PG-13 | 24/? | 3,223 words written in 2023): Law is reclaimed by the Family when he’s 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law finds a strange connection to Monkey D. Luffy, which offers a glimpse of something he’s repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

"(I Made My Mind) A Sunless Space" (Dubcon Doflaw, Eventual Lawlu | R | 13/? | 38,080 words written in 2023): In another life, Minion Island goes a bit differently: a gravely wounded Corazon is recovered by the Marines while Law is taken back into the Family. Years later, Rosinante teams up with Monkey D. Luffy to rescue Law from the clutches of his brother and set him free for good.

"From the Ashes" (Gen | PG-13 | 3/? | 10,811 words): Blackbeard takes Law and the defeated Heart Pirates captive after their defeat at Winner Island.

"The Night Is Darkening Round Me" (Lawlu | R | 5/? | 21,728 words): After Law purchases a house sight unseen, he starts experiencing things he can't explain: footsteps when he's alone, a coffee mug falling from the middle of the counter, flickering lights with no electrical issues. He's a skeptic, but his friends convince him to call in a group of paranormal investigators: the Straw Hat Paranormal Group.

Of course, nothing is ever what it seems, and Law is haunted by more than just spirits in his new house.

[wisteriablossomszine]

🪻CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT

🌷Introducing: Shenbug!

♡ My name's Shen, I'm a 27 yr old uni student (currently doing my masters degree in Social Sciences) while also juggling my love for art and drawing on the side. Ive been a proud fandom artist for KNY for almost 3 years now (5 counting when I started the manga) hence my hyperfixation is one of the biggest reasons Ive been interested in wanting to contribute to this zine. Ive participated in two other zines before this as well (one with my friends featuring our KNY ocs, and one for Bite Me! zine featuring Genya).♡

🌷Instagram: shenbugart

🪻Twitter: shenbug

🪻Favorite thing about ShinoMitsu? 🪻

♡ They're one of my favorite lesbian pairings and parallels in the sense of insecurities, colors and personalities! I've always felt that they'd compliment each other so well and find comfort in one another as the only two females among the Hashiras who feel they don't fit in due to their own insecurities. GIRL X GIRL POWER! :D♡

Get excited for her stunning rendering adding a sweet touch to our zine!

[thekingofgear]

'Wall of Eyes' Film and Zine Gear Updates

On January 18, The Smile and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Wall of Eyes film collection was premiered at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square, London. The first piece in the collection is a silent film showing the band recording Wall of Eyes at Abbey Road. We initially see the band playing and talking in the live room at Studio 2, but as it progresses we also see them giving direction (and reacting amusingly) to the London Contemporary Orchestra (a slight surprise as Jonny usually record strings at Air Studio’s Lyndhurst hall).

As you might expect, most of the instruments and gear used by the band is similar to what they brought on the road. In an interview with Lauren Laverne for the BBC, Thom mentioned that the songs were mostly written very quickly, some on tour and some in studio. “Especially with Tom [Skinner], he’s super quick… so we could have an idea, and suddenly it's off the ground within like half an hour, and we started getting into this habit of like — take three was like ‘that’s it, move on.’” So it makes sense that the band would use much of the same equipment as on tour, if only to speed up the recording process.

However, there were a couple of surprises in the silent film. One shot showed Jonny with an Eventide H9 pedal floating beside his pedalboard. Previously, only Thom had used the H9, and Thom used it as a vocal effect. Another shot showed Thom playing his black 1963 Fender Jazzmaster. Thom’s old big-box Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail could also be seen beside his pedalboard, though it wasn’t plugged in.

The Wall of Eyes Zine

In addition to watching the film by PTA, attendees could also purchase a “zine” full of photos taken by Sam Petts-Davies during the recording of the new album. The zine is printed on newsprint, reminiscent of Radiohead’s Universal Sigh and The King of Limbs newspapers. The zine mostly shows the same gear seen in Sam's previous photos of the session, and some of the photos were previously shared on social media. But there are still plenty of new details to take in!

Jonny with Thom/Nigel's worn sunburst Fender Telecaster Standard. You might mistake it for Jonny's Tele Plus given the wear on the "horn" of the guitar, but the pickups and the white binding show that it's the Tele Standard that Thom first played for AMOK touring in 2013 (it was still very worn back then).

In one photo, we can see Thom playing a Martin acoustic, perhaps from the recording of the single Wall of Eyes. Another photo shows a be-speckled Jonny on a couch with Thom/Nigel's worn sunburst Fender Telecaster Standard. But before you assume Jonny has abandoned his Les Paul, he can be seen playing his (plugged in) natural finish Les Paul Standard in the studio's control room in another photo. Jonny is also seen with the Les Paul in photos from the live room at his home studio (the grey-blue painted room from which the Smile have previously shared rehearsal footage and photos).

This photo by Sam shows Jonny with his natural finish Les Paul Standard in the control room at Abbey Road Studio 2. It's very similar, but not identical, to the photo included in the zine. This photo was posted on the band's twitter on Oct 9, 2023, but it was most likely taken in March 2023, and only posted in October to help publicize the band's fall 2023 tour. If you want to look around the control room, a 360º view is available on 360cities.net, but it appears the room has been renovated slightly since that was taken.

A wide view of the live room at Abbey Road Studio 2, taken partway up the stairway to the control room. Some particularly notable bits of gear include the Prophet 5 REV4 between Thom and Jonny's stations (presumably for shared access) and the Elektron Analog Rytm (partly blocked by Thom's head) on top of the Rhodes electric piano.

One of the largest photos in the zine, spanning two pages, shows a nearly full view of the live room of Studio 2. On the left, we can see an impressive array of synths resting on top of the grand piano, including Thom's Moog Matriarch and one of Jonny's Oberheim SEM Pro synths. Clearly the band prefer the sound of upright pianos for this project. While the grand is used as a synth table, there are two mic'd uprights just behind Thom's area. Jonny Sequential Prophet 5 REV4 is also visible on a stand between Thom and Jonny's stations, suggesting it's getting a lot of shared use. On tour, Jonny used his Studiologic MIDI pedals to play synth lines on the Prophet, and the synth can be heard layered with strings on the new studio recordings. The MIDI pedals aren't visible in studio photos, so presumably Jonny decided to play those parts by hand for the studio recordings.

Thom is seem sitting at the Rhodes piano, playing a guitar or bass. On too of the Rhodes he has a sheet of (presumably) lyrics, and also his Elektron Octatrack (which Thom previously used on the album recordings for ANIMA) Elektron Analog Rytm drum machine (which he used heavily on Tomorrow's Modern Boxes and (at least on tour for) Anima). Behind him, his phone is visible resting on top of his favorite amp for the past seventeen-ish years: a fawn JMI Vox AC30/6 from 1962 (the pre-Top Boost version).

Tom Skinner is seen playing in one of the two isolation booths for drums. Another isolation booth is set up in Jonny's section, but instead of Jonny it's Robert Stillman recording in it (at least, one can only assume Stillman based on the saxophone horn visible through the booth's window). Jonny himself appears to be sitting hunched over near the couch and coffee table — it's unclear if he's playing an instrument, or perhaps manipulating a Max patch on his laptop.

Stillman is visible recording saxophone and clarinet in other photos from Studio 2 as well. He's credited for clarinet on Read the Room, and for clarinet and saxophone on Friend of a Friend, Pete Wareham, who previously played with Skinner's past band Sons Of Kemet, is seen recording flute in another photo from Studio 2. Wareham is credited for flute on Teleharmonic and Read The Room.

This photo of Tom Skinner in Studio 2, previously posted on the Smile's twitter page, was also included in the zine. It appears to have been taken during setup: the isolation booth isn't fully set up yet, and a ladder can be seen on the right.

Another photo (above) shows Thom's guitar and bass pedalboard. The first row of pedals (closest to him) are all favorites from the past few Smile tours (check his pedalboards page for more info). On the second row, EarthQuaker Devices Sunn O))) Life pedal has been squeezed between his EQD Afterneath and his Telenordia Kompressor. There's also an array of (unconnected) overdrive and fuzz pedals resting on the riser at the top of his board (we saw many of the same pedals arrayed there in a previous photo from the session).

In that photo, we also see Thom playing his modified 1960s Gibson EB0 bass guitar through an Ampeg B-15 Portaflex combo amplifier. The EB0's original single coil pickup is replaced by a Kent Armstrong Tele Dual Rail pickup (thanks to Makoto for pointing this out) on a custom plate, presumably a mod by a previous owner. Jonny is a big fan of the Ampeg Portaflex, having used a 2000s Portaflex B15R for sessions with Radiohead and Shye Ben Tzur, and also for the Smile’s debut live stream from the 2021 Glastonbury festival. The original 1960s Ampeg Portaflex was favored as a recording amp by American bassists like James Jamerson and Donald “Duck” Dunn — both notable influences on Jonny’s brother Colin.

It's interesting to note that none of Jonny's ondes Martenot are visible in the photos from Abbey Road. On tour, it's understandable that Jonny doesn't play the monophonic Ondes, because he almost always needs to play many notes at a time to fill out the rhythm section on the Smile's songs. But the the bridge/coda of the Wall of Eyes single prominently features Ondes Martenot (though it's often layered with strings). Perhaps Jonny overdubbed those parts at his home studio, or at another studio during mixing.

This photo of Thom in the control room of an unknown studio was posted on the band's twitter account on August 30, 2023 (photo by @sampettsdavies). It's definitely not from the control room in Abbey Road Studio 2. Perhaps it's the mysterious "StudioFour" in London, which is listed as the mixing location in the album's liner notes.

This photo of Jonny on stage during a soundcheck with The Smile is also included in the zine. It was posted on the band's twitter account on Sep 5, 2023 (photo by @sampettsdavies). It, like the photo set posted 4 days earlier, is probably from the band's July 2023 tour.