#NOW THIS IS QUALITY D.VA CONTENT

[kyuuppi]

help, my boyfriend has no sex drive! (4)

Pairing: Kenma x reader (f)

Contents: smut; heavy exhibitionism (streaming); jealous sex; possessive Kenma; light praise kink; degradation; use of "slut"; soft dom Kenma; unprotected sex; established relationship; slight hurt/comfort

Word Count: 4.3k

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

Kenma has always tried his best to be supportive of you. 

Even for your most outlandish ideas, when none of your other friends or family seemed to agree with you, Kenma made sure he was right behind you to cheer you on every step of the way. 

This is why, when you expressed your desire to start your own streaming career, Kenma was completely on board.

He had diligently helped you rearrange your small shared bedroom into something aesthetically pleasing, giving you some of his own Overwatch Funko Pops and an extra strip of LED lights he didn’t need. He had purchased a high-quality microphone and webcam for you to use, claiming he was going to purchase those things anyway so you would be helping him out by testing them beforehand (he absolutely wasn’t—he just knew you’d refuse to allow him to pay for your things if he didn’t have an excuse).

He had even offered to advertise your account on his own social media and give you a shout-out on one of his streams. Naturally, you had refused. It just wouldn’t be fair and having thousands of people watching your first streams right off the bat would make you nervous anyway.

When the time for your first official stream finally came Kenma felt slightly disappointed that you had chosen a time he had already made plans with Kuroo as he had wanted to watch you but you were adamant that he shouldn’t stay.

He left you with a few words of as much advice as he could—it was difficult considering he didn’t have the typical streamer personality —he just quietly played games and answered the occasional question yet somehow thousands of people still watched his streams religiously (it’s totally just cause he’s hot).

Instead, the first time Kenma was able to actually watch one of your streams live was nearly two weeks later.

His own stream had ended early, the result of an unexpected server maintenance on the game he was scheduled to play. The fans were disappointed but understanding and Kenma promised he would be back as soon as the servers were back up. 

You had purposefully chosen a streaming schedule similar to his own, claiming it would be more convenient for you both since there would be no risk of you accidentally interrupting each other. 

Through the wall separating his office from the bedroom, Kenma could faintly hear the sound of your laughter. Recognizing the perfect opportunity to finally see you in action, Kenma wastes no time in clicking the Twitch search bar on his desktop.

You hadn’t explicitly told him your Twitch username but he had known you for long enough to know the handful of names and variations you used on every site so he was able to find you rather quickly.

Within seconds his screen was filled with the familiar scenery of your shared bedroom, tinted a warm pink hue from the LED lights he had helped you paste to the walls. You’re seated on your pastel D.Va gaming chair, a gift he had given you a while back for Christmas after you had mentioned liking her character design in passing. A large part of him had hoped the gift would incentivize you to play Overwatch with him more often but your busy school schedule along with his own classes, streaming, and business schedules had made the sentiment little more than wishful thinking.

As you sit in it now, giggling over something you read in the chat while wearing a familiar pair of striped thigh highs, Kenma can’t help but recall the female streamers that occasionally raid his Twitter feed: busty girls with bright pink hair and equally pretty pink backgrounds who spend more time flirting with fans that actually playing games.

You look nothing like them—neither in appearance nor personality—but he can’t help but think he understands how the fans who leave feral keyboard smashes and descriptive praises in the comments feel. It’s difficult to focus on your Genshin Impact gameplay when your lips look so soft and the crinkle of your eyes when you smile sends his heart into a stutter. Not to mention the visible swell of your bare thighs above the top of your stockings—

Kenma silently curses himself for his perversion, feeling his cheeks heat up in shame before he shifts his attention to the chatroom to distract himself. 

It is then that he quickly realizes he is not alone in his admiration for you. 

[xxsunarin] God, she’s so pretty… [tsumoo] if she slapped me i would thank her [hi_toka] Ahhh she mains chongyun!! [bokut04] y/n pls crush me w ur thighs

Kenma feels his chest clench as he recognizes where your chat is going, even as you complain about the enemies on screen, seemingly oblivious to their requests. 

[xxsunarin] I’ll subscribe if you do ahegao for us [grandking] does she do cams??? [sa_tori] she kinda sux at playing but i guess it doesnt rlly matter when her tits are that nice.

Kenma quickly closes the chat box, suddenly feeling slightly queasy.

He should be prepared for this. The internet can be a cruel, careless place. Female gamers are consistently dehumanized just for turning on their microphones in the game, and female streamers who show their faces even more so.

Kenma knew comments like these were possible—he had even warned you about it—but faced with it in reality, seeing strangers sexualize and flirt with his own girlfriend makes his stomach roll with disgust and his chest burn in anger he’s not used to feeling.

For the rest of the stream, he pointedly avoids reading the chat, focused solely on your animated expressions and gameplay. He attempts to take mental notes of things to compliment you on later or suggestions for your builds but his mind continuously drifts back to those messages he had read earlier, especially when you occasionally pause to answer questions, laughing softly at some of the more risqué messages you happen to catch. 

“Take off my top?” you read aloud. “Mm, I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate that, haha.”

Kenma assumed hearing you mention his existence would make him feel better and maybe deter some of the inappropriate comments, but it did little to quell his irritation, and by the time you were saying your goodbyes Kenma felt like his blood was simmering in his veins, threatening to burn him up completely until nothing is left. 

Distractedly, he notes that he’s received an email notification. The server maintenance is finished, it claims. He can resume his own stream as he promised his viewers he would. 

But he hesitates—he won’t be able to focus on anything until he talks with you first, just to reassure himself; you’ve always told him communication is important in a relationship. 

When he approaches you you’re in the kitchen pouring a glass of juice, oblivious of his inner turmoil as you hum softly to yourself. The moment he’s close enough you startle at his sudden presence. 

“Oh—Kenken, hey. I thought you were still streaming,” you greet, grabbing an apple from the counter. The energy required to maintain an engaging stream always seems to leave you hungry. 

He doesn’t verbally respond, seeming distracted by his own thoughts and you pick up on it quickly. 

“Hey—are you alright? I think one of my streamers mentioned something about that game you like being down today, were you able to—”

“I don’t think you should stream anymore.”

Both of you pause, equally shocked by his words. Kenma hadn’t meant to say that—he didn’t really want you to stop streaming...or did he? If you stopped it would certainly put an end to the lecherous comments, the dirty requests, his own insecurities—

“Why do you want me to quit? I thought you said it was a good idea...” 

Kenma refuses to meet your eyes, suddenly unsure of what exactly he’s trying to say, what exactly he wants. 

“I just...I watched your stream today and I saw the comments people were leaving. They were really gross,” he mumbles out, “they were objectifying you and...I didn’t like it.”

You huff lightly, seeming mildly amused and it forces Kenma to glance up at you, slightly perturbed by how unconcerned you look as you sink your teeth into the apple. It was like you weren’t taking his words seriously at all, weren’t taking him seriously. Maybe there was a reason you enjoyed streaming...

“Kenma, they’re just randoms. Your fangirls are exactly the same—I just ignore it.”

His response is immediate. Curt.

“It’s not the same.”

You pause, meeting his gaze. You two stare at each other for a moment, expressions unreadable before your demeanor shifts completely, brows scrunching and posture tensing as you set the fruit down on the counter.

“How is it not the same? I’ve watched your streams, Ken, every other comment is about how hot your hair looks or begging you to wear your glasses again. I’ve spent over a year watching strangers flirt with you and I’ve said nothing about it.”

Kenma ruffles at the accusation. 

It’s not the same. It’s not even relatively similar. Those comments mean nothing, he hardly even reads most of them. He’s not nearly as attractive as you are, not nearly as experienced, not nearly as flirty—

“It’s not the same because I’m not intentionally seducing my fans.”

You look genuinely taken aback and he immediately regrets his words. You open your mouth to respond, seemingly like you’ll raise your voice at him but Kenma beats you to the punch when he steps back, retreating.

“My stream starts in a few minutes, I have to go.”

It is not a lie—he had promised to stream as soon as the servers were back up, but he can’t help but feel like he’s running away from the problem. Because he is. 

He always does. 

No further words are exchanged between you two as Kenma ducks back into his gaming room, softly closing the door behind him and settling into his chair.

As he boots up his streaming program he feels vaguely hollow. 

[a.kaashi] Is it just me or does kodzuken seem off today ? [tsukki] Yea hes even more quiet than usual [hi_toka] he looks so angry i wonder if somthing happened…

Kenma tries his best to focus on the enemies on screen to not let his team down or cause his viewers to ask any questions. However, his mind strays and he frequently loses focus. He misses easy shots, bombing his K/D which only serves to frustrate him even more. 

His most recent match has just ended when he hears a faint knock on the door behind him.

You enter the room without waiting for a response—not that he would have thought to offer one to be honest. He sits frozen in his chair, head turned in the direction of the door to watch you enter with wide eyes.

Your expression is the definition of sheepish, brows furrowed and smile hesitant as you walk towards his desk with full hands. Once close enough you set down a mug of black tea and a small plate of meticulously carved apple slices, the red skins cut to resemble bunnies. 

It’s childish but charming—in many ways, it reminds him of you, and his heart squeezes in his chest. 

“I’m sorry for earlier,” you whisper, mindful of the microphone on Kenma’s headset.

He manages to nod dumbly, feeling disoriented by the turn of events, and you’re already turning on your heels, attempting to leave just as quickly as you had entered. 

Kenma has nearly forgotten about his stream when his golden eyes happen to flit over the energetic chat room text. 

[levittome] Kodzu’s gf is so sweet… I wish I had someone like that :( [shoyoyo] o.o he like never talks about her i cant believe she finally made an appearance [hi_toka]  She looks familiar… [bokut04] OMG isnt that y/ngames??? I watched her stream a few hrs ago..shes so hot

Kenma feels a lump form in his throat as he reads, already having a feeling where this is going but unable to look away from the increasingly inappropriate messages popping up on the screen. 

[tsumoo] shes so cute when she starts losing. id give anything for her to say my name. [xxsunarin] Ikr her accent is so sexy [kuroooo] Guys stop, kudzu is gonna ban yall lmao [grandking] do u think she has an onlyfans? Her ass looks amazing—

He presses a series of keys and stands up before he even realizes what he’s doing, intercepting your path just before you can reach the door. 

You look up at him, wide-eyed and understandably confused but Kenma doesn’t bother explaining himself—he can’t even explain his actions to himself. 

He wordlessly corners you, trapping your warm body between his own and the sofa just behind his desk chair. You’re forced to reach out and grab the front of his soft black hoodie just to keep from falling onto the piece of furniture.

“K-Kenma, what are you doing?”

Instead of an answer, Kenma presses a bruising kiss to your lips, forcing his tongue into your mouth until you’re forced to submit. He kisses you hard, using his tongue to dominate your own and render the both of you breathless within minutes.

When he pulls back your gaze is half-lidded and hazy, nearly making his knees give out. His hands rush to grab your hips, briefly groping blindly before he finds the hem of your shirt and can slip them under, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind as he reaches your supple breasts. 

“You always tell me I need to be more selfish,” he pants out, faces close enough that his lips brush against your own, “so this is me being selfish. I don’t want to share you with strangers on the internet—you’re mine. Only mine.”

His uncharacteristic possessiveness makes your thighs squeeze and you can only follow obediently as he pulls you down towards the couch, lips reconnecting and clashing messily along the way.

It is only when he pulls away to properly lift your shirt over your head that you notice his computer still on, camera light blinking and screen reflecting your own stare back at you.

“W-wait, Kenma, your stream!”

He glances at his computer monitor only briefly, seeming completely unbothered before his heated gaze shifts back to you. Something in his golden eyes makes you squirm and a small smirk seems to tug at the edge of his lips. 

“Isn’t this what you wanted? Thousands of strangers watching you?”

Your breath catches in your throat at the implication.

“Or maybe you just wanted to get my account banned, hm? Is that why you came in here all dressed up like this?” 

One finger slips under the elastic of your thigh highs to tug pointedly at the fabric.

“N-no,” you attempt to stutter out, feeling wholly lightheaded and overwhelmed. 

One hand shifts to push your bra over your chest, leaving your top half indecently exposed to the camera just over Kenma’s shoulder. Your face flushes with shame as you see your own reflection on screen in the corner of your eye but your panties only dampen further.

Kenma dips down to envelope one of your hardened nipples in his hot mouth. Your hand shoots up to grab at his hair—whether to pull him closer or push him away you’re not sure. He makes sure to pay both breasts equal attention, switching sides to suckle at your other bud while one hand gently massages the unoccupied flesh. 

Kenma pulls away all too soon and you consider complaining but then his hands are roughly tugging down your panties and you find yourself no longer willing to complain.

Your boyfriend’s gaze is sharp as he watches himself removing your garments, focused in a way that reminds you of when he gets competitive in a video game. When those catlike eyes flicker up to meet your own, you freeze. 

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? You like being watched by thousands of strangers, knowing they’re using you to get themselves off.”

You shake your head, stuttering out a denial. That’s not true at all, you’re not a slut —but your weak protests fall on deaf ears as Kenma lifts you up, repositioning himself so he is seated on the couch with you in his lap, bare back pressed against his clothed chest. 

In this new position, you become acutely aware of how the camera has an unobstructed view of your bare body, perched on Kenma’s lap. Through the monitor you watch as his eyes rove across your skin on the screen before landing on your eyes, causing your breath to hitch.

“You’re so pretty,” he murmurs, voice soft but purposeful in the way you’re more familiar with him speaking. 

The sentiment makes your chest flutter before his next words send a rush of heat to your nether regions. 

“Gonna show everyone how wet this pretty pussy gets for me,” he promises, one hand drifting from its hold on your waist down to your crotch. 

Kenma wastes no time in gently running two fingertips through your folds, the digits collecting traces of the slick you had—shamefully—already started leaking.

He hums as he pulls his hand away to examine it, seemingly satisfied with the mess before he goes back in, this time focusing on the bud nested at the top of your folds, rubbing on it with much more confidence than he had your first time together. 

Your upper body falls back against him for support, softly mewling your satisfaction as he picks up to a pace that makes your legs twitch. 

Within moments his other hand shifts down, making its way directly to your empty hole, already twitching with the stimulation on your clit. He uses one finger to gently prod at the entrance before it sinks in almost embarrassingly easily, your walls fluttering invitingly around the intrusion. 

Kenma withdraws his finger completely only to add a second the next time he pushes in. Your hands grip the first thing you can—one hand on his shoulder and the other grasping the fabric of the couch as he pumps his fingers in and out.

Within minutes his fingers are soaked, a testament to how turned on you are by the situation. The green camera light glares back at you almost tauntingly as Kenma removes his fingers. He ignores your disappointed whine in favor of reaching for his own sweatpants, lowering them just enough to free his erection.

He positions himself, head brushing against your entrance to make you shiver before he pauses, looking up at you in silent permission. 

Eagerly, you nod. 

You tense in anticipation as he pushes in. He doesn’t stop until he bottoms out completely, the delicious stretch leaving you breathless and teary-eyed as Kenma lets out a pitched moan of his own. He pauses for a moment, attempting to pull himself together before he unwittingly releases way too quickly in your suffocating heat. 

“K-Kenma,” you mumble thoughtlessly, eyes locked on the screen to see the place where your bodies connect. 

You feel lightheaded, rendered delirious by the notion of being watched by so many people—the thousands of fangirls and boys who undoubtedly wish they were in your place.

Some part of you can’t help but feel a sick sense of satisfaction as you recall the praises and thirsty comments they leave on his stream. How disappointed they must feel now, watching their beloved Kodzuken balls deep inside of you. 

Your thoughts are cut short when Kenma abruptly moves, lifting you up as he pulls back before dropping you back down on his length. The position allows gravity to force him so much deeper than usual, his tip nudging something inside you that makes your toes curl and an embarrassing sound escapes your lips. 

Your eyes fall shut and your head begins to roll back as you begin to lose yourself to the persistent drag of his length against your walls but Kenma demands otherwise. 

“Eyes forward,” he chokes out, pace faltering when you unintentionally squeeze down. 

“I want you to watch yourself.”

You can do nothing but comply. Even as one of Kenma’s hands slips down to circle at your swollen clit, you keep your blurry gaze locked on his monitor.

You watch the way your breasts bounce, the way the meat of your thighs—still clad in those blessed thigh highs—jiggle with each of his harsh thrusts. Most of all, you watch the way he fucks you—you watch how his thick, pretty cock stretches you open before pulling out almost completely and slamming back in. Cloudy strings of arousal paint your inner thighs and connect you to him, making shamefully loud squelches as he ruins your cunt.

Kenma momentarily fumbles, grip on you slipping with his exertion and causing him to hit a different angle, one that makes you keen and tighten around him.

“F- fuck! ”

You aren’t sure whether it's you or him who lets out the expletive but it hardly matters when the fingers on your clit rub faster, his thrusts increasing in speed as your gut clenches in anticipation.

Through the monitor, you can see how fucked out you look, mouth agape as you repeatedly mewl some variation of Kenma’s name. However, it is your boyfriend’s appearance that sends heat rushing through your core. His usually smooth hair is a wild mess, strands sticking to his forehead and flushed cheeks with sweat. 

“I want you to cum,” Kenma suddenly announces, slightly breathless and sounding nearly desperate, “cum on my cock in front of everyone.”

The implication sends you over the edge, walls clamping down on him as your back arches, vision going hazy. Your physical reaction seems to affect him as well. Kenma stutters out your name as his pace fumbles, abandoning your clit in favor of holding you still as he thrusts deep.

You feel a sudden burst of warmth as he spills himself deep inside of you, your spasming walls milking his cock as he thrusts just a few more times before the sensitivity becomes overwhelming and he’s forced to pull out. 

For a few minutes, everything is silent save for your harsh pants as you catch your breaths. You can feel his cum beginning to leak from between your thighs and you squirm with discomfort, catching his attention.

“Are you okay?”

You look over to see Kenma already sitting up, eyes wide and glancing over your body in concern. You can’t help but smile, touched by his concern even after acting so boldly and saying such obscene things in front of thousands of—

You gasp, sitting up in a panic that has Kenma even more worried. 

“Kenma—the stream—you’re going to get banned! Oh my god, your career is ruined, we should have never—!”

The male interrupts your panicked shrieking easily by pulling you back into him, forcing you to lie against his chest while he presses a chaste kiss against your temple. 

“Don’t worry,” he murmurs simply.

You frown, unconvinced. 

“Kenma...you are being way too calm about this. We just fucked in front of thousands of your fans and—”

“I turned it off.”

“...huh?”

You push away from your boyfriend—much to his unspoken disappointment—to read his expression but he avoids your gaze, ears slightly red in embarrassment. 

“Before we started...I turned the live off,” Kenma explains, “I just thought it would be... fun to pretend.”

A few breaths go by in silence with you blinking at Kenma dumbly as you try to process his words and him continuing to avoid eye contact at all costs, face steadily getting warmer.

Suddenly, you’re filled with mirth. It takes everything in you not to completely guffaw and embarrass your boyfriend even further. 

“Wow, I didn’t expect little KenKen to be into something as scandalous as an exhibition kink.” 

“Ugh, stop, you sound like Kuroo.” 

This time you do laugh. Kenma pouts silently.

The two of you fall back into a peaceful, sleepy silence after your chuckles die out. One of his hands subconsciously traces the skin of your back, nonsensical shapes, and occasionally something that resembles a heart. However, you can sense something tense in him. His golden gaze is distant in a way he only gets when deep in thought about something. Before you even have the chance to ask he speaks up, voice hesitant.

“I’m sorry for what I said before. You were right; I was being a hypocrite. And...if you want to keep streaming, I will support you.” 

Your smile, heart warmed by his sincerity and maturity. It was one of the many things that had first attracted you to Kenma—he was leagues ahead of your exes in terms of maturity.

Despite his aversion to people—or maybe because of it—Kenma has always been honest and fair. While most people would stick to their guns out of stubbornness or spite, Kenma was quick to admit when someone else was right. 

“I appreciate it, Ken, but I think I’ll leave the streaming to you. It was fun but...it’s a lot more work than I expected.” 

Kenma’s lips twitch in a poorly suppressed smirk at your words, clearly prideful at how you admit his work is difficult. You were well aware of the bias most people held against streamers, assuming they were just paid to have fun and that it wasn’t a “real job.” 

As much as you love seeing your boyfriend feeling proud of himself, you can’t resist the urge to tease him. 

“Hey, maybe if you get tired of being a Twitch streamer we can become a cam couple,” you joke.

A pause. 

“Ah. Yeah, I think we could make a lot of money.”

You freeze before shooting up to send him an incredulous look, gaping like a fish at his serious response.

“K-Kenma, I was joking!”

To your disdain, Kenma offers you a devious smirk before pulling you back into his chest and holding you close.

“I’m joking too,” he assures, “you know I don’t like sharing.”

[emsysquared]

Top 10 Things I Learned From Artist Alleys

Hi guys! I thought I’d write a post on some things I’ve learned from selling my own art at artist alleys over the years & talking to fellow artists, as it’s something I’ve wanted to discuss and thought people would be interested. This isn’t really an Artist Alley 101 guide, as I wrote this in mind for both for beginners and veterans, because even if you’ve been tabling for years, there are things about the artist alley scene that can keep changing, or things you never knew about. Hope this helps!

LONG POST IS LONG WARNING

10. Bigger doesn’t always mean better – people keep thinking this, but it’s not always true.

Smaller conventions are easier to talk to attendees/artists because there’s often slow periods, and are good if if they’re local and you need a place to start. You can also get away with having only a few things to sell and if it doesn’t go well it won’t be a huge loss. Smaller cons tend to also have a lower table cost, and because the artist alley is smaller, it’s easier to “stand out”. Probably because of this, I’ve heard some cases where some people have made the same amount of profits from certain small cons vs. big cons, meaning, they actually got more sales per person at the smaller con.

Bigger conventions CAN command big bucks and keep you busier with sales because there’s more attendees and potentially more money to go around. However, they are also more competitive: if all you have is ONE print when everyone else around you has huge displays, you risk people passing by you because they may think you don’t have anything of interest to offer. As an example, maybe at the small con, your Overwatch solo D.Va print was the only one there and it did well, but at a big con, 20 other artists could also have similar D.Va prints and are now competing with each other, which is something you should consider.

Every con is different so when researching, you want to take into consideration the ratio of artist/vendor tables available in conjunction to attendee count, events/guests, and the con environment.

With both cons, if you frequent the same ones, try to keep things fresh and make new stuff or else you risk oversaturating your market and having people come up to your table thinking “I’ve seen that same poster 3 years already, and I already have it. What’s new?”

9. Just because something is popular doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll sell right away – there’s a fine line between “it’s popular so fans will buy it” and “it’s popular but it’s oversaturated because everyone and their mom drew it and it won’t sell unless you differentiate your work from everyone else”. I’d argue if you’re passionate about a series and it just happens to be popular, go for it! You should draw what you like, because it’ll show in how you interact with other fans and the effort you put into it.

If you’re only drawing for the popularity, well, there’s a bit of debate about this. And let’s be honest, some of us need to pay bills. I’ll argue if you ONLY draw whatever is popular to sell out, it can reflect in the quality of your work and make you unmemorable (and you can still risk it not selling), but hey, you do you. But drawing only niche things may also be tricky, since the fans are probably very passionate, but few in number. Sometimes finding a balance between both can work, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide what path you want to take. Most artists start out doing fanart as it’s easier for someone to walk up to your table if they recognize their favorite character than a table full of random OCs standing in a backgroundless void. But that’s not to say originals can’t sell because....

8. Originals sell! Don’t be afraid to make original content – this might shock some of you but original merchandise DOES sell, according to many successful anecdotal stories from artists and art friends who’ve done it, and a lot of people have said it is very rewarding, especially when you consider how prevalent fanart is. However, originals can be harder to sell – it will highly depend on the subject matter you’re drawing and attendees at certain cons may be more or less receptive to them than others, so you may have to try different cons to find your market. What has worked for others may not work for you. You might even need time to develop a consistency with your work so people know what to expect from you.

There are also a few conventions out there, such as Otakon, which do require you to have a certain % of originals when you apply for their artist alley, so there’s that.

7. Have stuff with different price points at your table – my personal opinion is “Do not do print-only tables” but I know there are artists out there who DO command good profits only selling prints and posters of their artwork.

But why I say this is because (especially at anime cons) there are usually younger kids who don’t have much disposable income or don’t have a lot of wall space and thus, can’t always afford big $20 posters, which is where having smaller items like charms and buttons can help as impulse purchases. It may take you 10 purchases of $2 buttons to reach that equivalent amount, but if you do get enough sales they’ll add up. Plus, it’s easier for some people to make use of charms and buttons. 

Prints are still good because the profit margin is better and they're a way for your audience to see your "portfolio" and art style from afar. At larger cons where there’s a sea of artists, having many prints can help others see what you have or help find your table from a distance. Try and stick to common print sizes such as 11x17 inches, 8.5x11, 4x6 or 5x7, mostly on the basis that they’re easier to frame.

One thing - unless you plan on traveling to many conventions in your life, you do NOT need to print 50+ copies of each print if all you do is table at your small local con once a year. You will regret it and be stuck with them until you die (I’m not kidding). Unless a piece has proven to you it’s a best seller, I recommend printing 5-10 copies a print, 2-4 if you aren’t confident. You can always reprint more if they sell well, or replace them with newer prints.

Comic cons I hear are a little different, as their audience is usually older, but I can’t say much about them since I never actually vended at one before.

6. You gotta spend money to make money – You wanna make cool stuff like charms, lanyards, enamel pins? A button maker to make your own buttons? A dealer’s room spot instead of a regular artist alley table? Travel to cons outside your city? Heck, just buying table display stuff and getting new prints? That all costs money, bruh. This might require you save up, and some people I know even use their day job to help fund them to afford nice things. But artist alley IS also a business, and if you want your business to grow, you’ll need to take risks and invest in it. However, know that this should happen gradually over time and NOT overnight. If you literally have no previous experience selling your art and knowing what worked for you, do NOT carelessly throw down money to make every fancy merchandise imaginable.

5. Talk to people and engage with attendees! I say this because I’ve seen quite a few artists who are great at their craft, but aren’t good at business at all. Even if you aren’t confident about your work, still strive to be as professional as possible. And be your own cheerleader/salesman to your art! If the con is slow, don’t ignore customer’s questions by playing mobile games on your phone. People get energy off of you, and if you happen to seem like you hate people, attendees pick up on that. A lot of people who go to anime cons can be introverted/shy as well, so just saying hi and ask how they’re enjoying the con is a good start to engage with them! If you notice they’re cosplaying a character, tell them you like their cosplay or happen to have that character as a button! You’d be surprised some people may not know you offer a product because they overlooked it.

I usually let customers browse the table without bothering them, as people get uncomfortable if you’re being too desperate with sales.

4. Displays and Table Placement matter- Your table placement at a convention can dictate a HUGE majority of your sales, and how you display yourself also counts as well. You could have amazing art, but maybe your table is in some back corner where it’s not getting enough foot traffic compared to the people in the front. Additionally, if you have merchandise hidden behind other merch, other people can’t see it as they walk by. Presentation is important, there are so many possibilities you can do to make your table look nice.

The most common way people display their prints are usually either by using grid cubes, photography stands or PVC pipes with clamps. All of these have their pros and cons, and some artists even use a combination of the 3.

3. Cons are extremely volatile. Artist alley is NOT a place to “get rich quick” – To be blunt (and unfortunately, speaking from personal experience), you can’t predict when you’ll get dicked over by a badly-run con. No two cons are the same, and the same convention can even vary from year to year, depending on things like how it was run by staff, its location, when it was held, etc. At one con, you may sell out of prints. At another, only your commissions do well. Even something as simple as a venue change and increasing the amount of artist/vendor tables can affect sales. You can only prepare as much as you can and hope you survive the rainy days.

I used to think as you got older and sold at more artist alleys, your profits could only go up and boy was I wrong with that notion. The realest piece of advice I’ve learned is seeing seasoned veterans (who are used to making 4-digit profits or artists who have done this for over 7 years) having times where they hit a bad con and don’t even break even. If you’ve never had a terrible con before, you are either very lucky or you have not vended at enough different cons to experience this. 

A lot of different factors can come into play, and while some you can’t control, think of the ones that you can – was your setup bad? What do you see other attendees buying? Or maybe was this your first con in a completely different area and it caught you off guard?  If you feel your art was lacking, don’t lose confidence. Look at it as an opportunity to find yourself again, and work hard on your craft so you can show everyone at your next event “hey, this is the new and improved me! Look at how far I’ve come!”

2. Artist alleys can be stressful and are getting more competitive, but it’s important to develop a thick skin to keep moving on – I should clarify this, AA should NOT be a sea of cutthroat competition because every con has its mix of those starting out, the veterans who have been doing this for 10 years, and everyone else in between. And everyone has something different to bring to the table. However, the fact is… artist alleys are getting competitive each year just to GET IN. At some popular cons, there’s always more applicants than tables available, and you can’t take it personally when 1,000+ people are in a lottery for 90 tables.

As artists, we are always our worst critics as well, just because art can be highly personable to us. There’s a lot of things that can go wrong in the moment. Maybe you got more commissions than you can handle. Your new merchandise didn’t arrive on time. Or you worry your art isn’t “sellable”. All of these can be pretty frustrating and question your self-worth as an artist. But just know you are not alone, all of us have had those moments at least once, maybe even multiple times in our lives. Sometimes you just have to keep marching on, despite things. And if you need time to step away to take a breather, go ahead and take care of yourself first.

1. … But you keep wanting to do them because they are also one of the best experiences you can have as a creative – despite the above, artist alleys have been an integral part of my growth as an artist. Seeing what everyone has to offer has challenged me to keep improving my art and helped me meet fellow artist friends thru our comradery of shared experiences, interests, and stresses. It’s very easy to feel dejected, but if you can keep pushing thru, you’ll probably benefit the most than those who give up at the slightest hint of being butthurt. The artist alley life isn’t exactly easily, but it’s heartwarming when you have moments where “doing what you love” and “drawing what you like” feel like it paid off.

Don’t feel bad if your first shows don’t go logistically or financially great! I never realized how lucky I was that my first AA, I broke even AND made profit, because many apparently don’t. Go into it as an opportunity to market your work, meet other artists and customers, and figure out what people like about your art. Artist alley is not for everyone, but if you find that you’re growing to love it despite the hiccups, keep going! My AA experience isn’t as extensive as others, but I hope with this, this is my way of giving back to the artist alley community that helped me grow as an artist.

 If you’re still worried if you’re “good enough” to do artist alley, here’s my final advice: just do it, bruh. 

[anotheroverwatchwriter]

for the character thing: sombra, zarya, and reinhardt

Sombra

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: her fashion sense Her ability to read everyone. Maybe she doesn’t get it all the time -how was she to know Genji’d mellowed out as much as he had?- but most of the time she’s very emotionally aware.worst quality: Using the above quality for evil. Well, to be fair, given her background I doubt she ever really learned to care about others, but still, she definitely knows when she’s being cruel.ship them with: Symmetra, Zarya, Katyabrotp them with: Talon Squad!needs to stay away from: Zenyatta, Bastion, and now Orisa.misc. thoughts: I think it will be very interesting to see how her character changes, and how her interpersonal relationships work. We know she worked with Los Meurtos when she was a child, and according (Kaplan? Chu?) someone she sees Widowmaker and Reaper as ‘real’ friends. What is her understanding of friendship? How would that translate into a closer relationship?

Zarya

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: Her courage! She’s completely willing to put herself on the line for her friends and her country. And yet, she never flinches, always willing to fight as hard as she can!worst quality: Her beliefs don’t leave much leeway -even Genji, who isn’t even an Omnic, gets flak from her. I understand why she wouldn’t like Omnics in general, but where does she draw the line? If it looks like an Omnic, does she hate it?ship them with: Mei, Sombra, Pharahbrotp them with: Roadhog, Pharah, D.vaneeds to stay away from: Once again, Bastion, Zenyatta, and Orisa... and maybe Genji, too.misc. thoughts: Discourse time: she’s futch. 

Reinhardt

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: He’s such a genuinely good person, he wants to help others until his dying day. The cruelest thing anyone ever did to him was make him retire. worst quality: He’s not always the most in touch with reality. He puts himself -and Brigid- in danger on the regular, and he could probably use someone to balance him out more.ship them with: Ana!brotp them with: Torbjorn, D.vaneeds to stay away from: Hmm.... I can’t think of anyone in particular. Reaper maybe, if only because it might be a little traumatising for him.misc. thoughts: I kinda want more young Rein content. Don’t get me wrong, I love how he is now, but I really want to see like... cocky young Rein, and how he got how he is.

[puckish-saint]

Heya! I was wondering i would like to hear your opinion on how ahem mr. chu write the lore do you think he is doings a good job? Ps. Plss mr. chu don't make anything that will cause another shipwar btw you really are doing a good job I really like the dominant reader!! *kisses*

Hon, you asked the right person because I have capitalised Opinions.In the interest of fairness though, I have to say this.I talk a lot of shit about Chu (and Kaplan and all the other writers for Overwatch) but I do think they would be better writers with a different employer.For Blizzard as a video game developer the lore is wrapping for their new expansions and gameplay developments and they don’t give a flying fuck if it’s good. The writers work long hours (like anyone in that industry) and I don’t know how much they get paid but I doubt a significant portion of Overwatch’s budget went to them.Basically they get told by Blizzard: Hey guys, we want to make an FPS that we can market world-wide in professional e-sports but that attracts casual players as well. Do something with that.Reaper was gameplay first, character second. And the fans often aren’t making things easier. We as a group have some incredible insights and ideas that would in my opinion greatly benefit the lore as a whole, but there is also a very vocal portion of the fanbase who sees ‘the Lore’ as a tool to make their ships canon. Personally, I would hate to have any canon ships before all the characters individually had their chance to shine.Like, I would do unholy things for a Lúcio/Symmetra endgame but I’d much rather have them get character development and stories first, get the major plot (another omnic crisis! Vishkar! Talon! whatever!) out of the way before we whip out the romance.For all that I accuse especially Chu of putting out bad writing, he has an extremely challenging job putting it all together and keeping it together for any amount of time. 

That said, it’s still bad writing. And he and his team could do a lot better. 

Their characters and plot-lines are clichéd and bland and they don’t seem to be interested in changing that. They have their favourites and the other characters are left out in the rain.We have a ton of content for Genji. He has already two meaningful relationships with other characters through his backstory (Hanzo and Zenyatta). Now we have the questionable decision of Gen/cy, before Mercy was ever shown to have her own plot or agenda. In contrast, we have other characters with almost no content.Mei is vaguely hinted at having known Winston before she got deep-frozen but she isn’t really connected with the characters. We don’t even know if she knows about the recall or answered it or how she feels about Overwatch coming back (or how she feels about its fall from grace for that matter). We don’t even know how exactly she got unfrozen.Lúcio, same thing. Does he know Overwatch is a thing again? Would he join up given the chance? The game isn’t canon and so far he hasn’t met a single person of the entire cast.D.Va. We know she fights kaiju in her Jaeger sorry, omnic sea monsters in her MEKA every few years and that she’s a pro-gamer. But that’s her career. What does she want? What are her motivations, her sorrows, her fears and hopes? Is she going to join Overwatch or does she see them as a nuisance, old ghosts who should let her do the job they couldn’t?And that’s just a few. All three of them are incredibly interesting characters but so far the writers have done little to nothing with them. And even the characters they like aren’t really thought out.Why does McCree dress like a cowboy? For that matter, why does Hanzo dress like he just escaped a historical reenactment of 15th century feudal Japan?And Reaper, god Reaper. He’s on his best way to become an all-evil no-redeeming-qualities B-side villain with no further motivation than R e v e n g e. 

I realise they don’t have the time or budget to give us intricate well-plotted animated shorts about every single character, plus comics, plus 50 additional in-game voicelines. Some characters are going to have larger roles than others and they need to focus on combining Overwatch the game with Overwatch the lore. And I do realise they’re never going to put out Lin-Manuel Miranda levels of writing because if they could, they’d be idiots to waste it in the video game industry.But at the end of the day, the lore has a lot of potential that gets swept aside in favour of trite storytelling and some definite streaks of Mary Sue-isms.

[crowtrobotx]

Thanks @va-fail :D As I've said before I love talking about myself and my many admirable qualities.

Star sign: Scorpio

Height: 5'6"

Time Right Now: 4:05pm

Last thing you googled: The nearest donut shop to my office DON'T JUDGE ME

Last book you read: I finished "Kraken" by China Miéville a couple weeks ago--highly recommend.

Favorite music artists: I always say "if the band is a bunch of bearded dudes in flannel playing sad music on acoustic guitar/banjo, they're probably a band that I like."

Last TV show watched: Portlandia

What are you wearing right now: Navy blue pants, white converse, a gray sweater and a black scarf. Plus my earrings that just say "weirdo" on them. I'm a mess.

When did you create this blog: This is hard because I've been on this site for probably... 7 years? This particular tumblr is only about 1 or 2 years old because I've had to delete TWICE due to out of control exes finding my blogs. :|

What kind of stuff do you post: Mostly video game content... the occasional shitpost... just another messy multifandom blog. :')

Do you have instagram: I do but I rarely update it. I don't take cute pictures.

Do you have snapchat: Snapchat confuses the HELL out of me dudes. I've got it downloaded and people send me snaps but I have no idea what to do with them. I am a dinosaur.

Do u get asks regularly: Not super frequently. I'm pretty dang friendly though so feel free to send me anything.

How did you choose your url: True story: I forgot my password one time and I was just going to quit and make a new blog, and the "suggested" username was noisywerewolfglitter. It spoke to my soul.

Gender: CIS female.

Favorite color: Purple! Specifically plum colors.

Average hours of sleep: 8-9 hours. Sleep is thankfully one thing I've never had trouble with. (Thanks, depression!)

Favorite characters: Oh boy. Let's organize this by fandom: Witcher: Roche and Phillipa OBVIOUSLY my grumpy husband and wife... also Yennefer, the queen of everything.

Dragon Age: Blackwall, Sten, and Isabela

Mass Effect: Mordin, Jack, and Garrus

Star Wars: Kylo Ren, General Grievous, and Han Solo

Overwatch: D.Va, Hanzo, and Mercy

Harry Potter: Tonks, Sirius, and Lupin (yes the last 3 books were horrible for me thanks for asking) LotR/Hobbit: Boromir, Eowyn, and Thorin

....I'll stop before I hurt myself.

How many blankets do you sleep with: I have one uber fluffy throw that I always use--otherwise I get way too hot and cranky.

Dream job: My degree is in anthropology and I foolishly thought that "underwater archaeologist" was a viable career path in my youth... in a perfect world I'd still love to study pirate ship wrecks.

Random: I'm PETRIFIED of moths.

I’ll tag whoever wants to do it--I feel like I'm part of an awesome circle of people who are always tagging each other so I don't want to double-tag and annoy the hell out of anyone.

[noirsongbird]

d + h + n !!

This ask meme!

D: A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

McGenji or, on a more basic level, McCree with anyone but Hanzo/Hanzo with anyone but McCree. Sob. I’ve never OTPed as hard as I accidentally OTPed them. Other ships with them seem to have Quality Content!! I want to like it!! I just caaan’t.

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)?

Oh, god, I’ll devour just about everything, but top three would probably be movies, video games, and anime. Coincidentally, also the three most recent mediums for me o/

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

Hmmmmm.

This is hard for me, because I know some of the stuff I don’t see is because of my aggressive sandboxing - I have a corner and I don’t leave it - but! I can pick out a couple things, just speaking in terms of the parts of - specifically Overwatch - fandom I see:

-More acknowledgment of D.Va as an adult and a soldier; yeah, she’s young, and she’s in a war she should no be in, and it’s awful that she was a child soldier, but wow, there’s a lot of casual infantilization of her, and that bugs me.

-More ladies in general; Overwatch fandom is pretty good about this but hell, I’ll always want more.

-I can only think of two right now do I get partial credit

Thank you!

[violetgamesjournal-blog]

Heroes of the storm 2.0

So heroes of the storm. The MOBA game the defies all MOBAs. Be it the lack of last hitting, a global level for your entire team or the random pick of a map you get each game, it's hard to call this game “standard”. Maybe it is for that exact reason that, despite the game basically being one big attempt at fan service, it isn't doing anywhere near as good it's big competitors, League of Legends and DOTA. Acquiring new champions is a chore, the maps take a lot of time to get used to, the cosmetic items seem expensive and overall the game has been directed towards the more casual player. Some of these qualities really seem to clash with one another, despite this being, what I find to be a very fun game.

Enter Heroes of The Storm 2.0, a big update aiming to change progression and introduce a bunch of new, Overwatch themed content as well as launch a new cross promotion between HOTS and Overwatch. You will notice a heavy focus on Overwatch here. In fact, even the new HOTS progression system is designed after it, even if it is in some way worse. But let's look at HOTS progression pre-patch 2.0.

Originally, the game mimicked the progressions of other games of its genre. It was separated into 2 different leveling systems. You could level up individual heroes, which in turn unlocked various rewards for you, often hero specific including skins and profile icons. You could also level up your account as a whole, which gave you access to additional stuff and that capped at I believe level 40. That... was basically it. Not much to it. Unlocking heroes only happened by spending gold that you acquire from wins and daily quests, and some could cost ludicrous amounts (though I'd argue that's a problem in the genre as a whole) and most skins could only be bought with real money.

In 2.0 they decided to adopt a more “Overwatch” approach... and mess it up a bit. If you're unfamiliar with what Overwatch does, let me clue you in. The games makes all of it's heroes available to you at all times for free. You can obtain cosmetic unlocks including skins, animated emotes, sprays, voice lines and others by opening loot chests which you obtain by leveling up. The game has no level cap and each chest gives you 4 random items. Now here's what they did in HOTS. The removed the account level cap, and made it so the account gains a level every time you gain a level on a hero. They basically turned heroes into a kind of exp bar in and of itself. With each level you gain a loot chest, of which there are 3 varieties, some of which guarantee that you get an item of a higher rarity. They keep all heroes behind a pay wall, sadly, though they did allow players to choose one of four bundles that contains 20 heroes for free, so it could be worse. Because they didn't want the chests to just give everyone skins, they of course added a whole metric shit ton (excuse my french) of new cosmetic items that most people don't actually care for like sprays, banners that are placed in place of destroyed turrets, hero specific chat emotes, voice lines, announcer pack and more, HEAVILY bloating the pool from which you gain new items. What I'm trying to say is, if you're looking for a specific skin, you're probably better off buying it.

Which brings me to my next problems. Blizzard decided to take the League of Legends approach to currency,, because now we have three. Yes, three different currencies to spend on various things. We have the gold, as before, used to buy new heroes. Then we have shards, an item you will sometimes receive in loot chests, other times getting it when you get duplicate items, Those are used to “craft” (read: buy) various cosmetic items once you've accumulated some insane amount of them. And lastly we have gems, which are basically what you buy with real money now to then buy whatever you want with. Of course, since now you have to first convert your money into gems, you're not really thinking much about spending this virtual cash, since it doesn't feel like you're actually spending money once you're buying skins/ heroes/ whatever. This is of course a practice we are all familiar with, considering free to play games have been doing that for forever, but that does not mean it's good.

As I mentioned before, there's a big focus on Overwatch with this. This is true with things other than the inspiration for the loot system. Blizzard has released a new map titled “Hanamura”, which is the Heroes of The Storm version of a map of the same name from Overwatch. In said map you have to push a payload into either the enemy base or a designated spot, which is taken straight from Overwatch. On top of that, they just released Overwatch hero Genji, and another one, D.Va has just been announced. Now I have nothing against this. Overwatch is in my top 3 games of 2016 and I welcome any content inspired by the game. I just find it amusing how almost ham fisted it seems.

All in all, I'm ok with this update, I guess. I like that we're given the opportunity to gain cosmetic items without spending a dime, but it's clear Blizzard has done everything in their power to make this all the harder for us. Oh well, that's fine. Now excuse me, Hanamura is calling and my green cyborg ninja dude cannot wait any longer!