#but there's not gonna be much until i get a new art journal

[rexscanonwife]

HEHEHE kicking my feet and giggling I had a dream about Utonium last night so this morning I'm watching one of my favorite episodes before work and GOD I STILL LOVE HIM SO MUCH DON'T I 🥺🥺🥺💖💘💖💘💖💘💖💘💖

[ahllohehn]

Gem's area ,or whatever the Oracle has, has two kinds of decorations cute cottagecore stuff, and spooky stuff like skulls and stuff

An excerpt from the Camp Oracle's Journal:

"I put some fairy lights and curtains around the cave to make it seem homier. I also made a really wide tent filled with blankets and pillows to add up to the comfiness. After all, it was going to be my home for the next few weeks until I had to go back to school. Actually, it’s gonna be my home for the next summers to come!

There’s not much yet, but I hope to add more soon. Grian’s sister, Pearl, came to visit for a while to get a look at the new oracle (aka me). She was really nice! She helped me out on setting up the decorations around my cave and even gave me an old plushie of hers to add to my tent.

It was a well-loved wolf plushie, if the way the seams were already threatening to burst from just how much it’s been hugged, probably.

I didn’t want to take it at first because, you know, sentimental value! I couldn’t just take away her childhood plushie! But she was really adamant about giving it to me. She reasoned that Tilly (the name of the plushie, by the way) would be safer with me than it was with Grian.

Pearl couldn’t take the plushie with her because she’s always on the move with the goddess Artemis, Hunters of Artemis duties and all that. “It’d be a shame if it got lost mid-expedition,” she said.

And who was I to reject after that reason, you know? So now I have little Tilly living with little Gem in the super comfy and cool Oracle cave!"

Thank you for continuing to read! Have a tour of what's inside of Gem's cave:

COMFY CORNER OF THE CAVE

Cat beanbags and plushies - The cat beanbag is customized to look like Jellie. It was mainly put there during times Scar comes by to hang out with her so he wouldn't have to stay for too long on his wheelchair while visiting.

Seawater rug - Personally sewed by Xisuma after hearing that Gem had interest in marine biology. He wanted her to feel happier when resting in her cave since the cave was too far from the shore and the sea.

Aquatic animal plushies - Impulse and Skizz excitedly came over to give her fish plushies as a welcome gift. The clownfish is named Skizzy. The shark is named Impy, named accordingly to who gave which.

Small foldable table - Gem doesn't fold it often as she keeps her art stuff on it. She draws and makes the pins here.

BY THE WALL

Skull-shaped fairy lights - Not always green in color, but she keeps it green to make everything feel creepy. She had normal fairy lights before this but Cleo jokingly replaced it with string lights she bought during Halloween. Gem liked it so she kept it.

Worn out sword / Worn out shield - Not hers to begin with. They're actually normal weapons Etho had forged as practice before. He gifts them to Gem everytime she wins a spar against him to act as 'spoils of war.'

DESK / CURTAINED SIDE

Desk - There's chairs facing each other on each side of the table. This is where she mainly meets the campers for personal prophecies.

A line of potted plants along the wall - Bdubs offered to give her plants he thinks Gem would like to care for. There's mostly small sunflowers and succulents along the wall. One of the potted plants grew a particular one Gem never saw before. It was only when Pearl came over and questioned why she had a moonlace flower in her cave that she realized she was growing a magical plant. Bdubs never answered as to why he gave it to her.

TENT

Where Gem mainly sleeps. In here, you will never feel uncomfy as she's probably got 20 pillows and 5 blankets in there. Pearl's old plushie, Tilly, lives there with her. Grian asks to come in and cuddle with it when he has a particularly rough day.

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[monstress]

hii. if u dont mind, could u please share that "change of attitude" towards journaling? i feel like i really need that.. since i myself changed my attitude towards drawing and have been much more productive and happy doing it this last year. however Writing About Myself its another beast completely.. hope u r having a nice day! 🍃

hope you're having a lovely day as well! anyways as i was typing this up, what starts as a small tidbit has gone off the rails so i suppose this is my blanket advice as a newbie in journaling:

the materials!

choosing the titular journal aka notebook:

soft vs hard cover - i didn't realize this is SUCH a deciding factor until much later. most people prefer soft covers since journals can get massive with use but it's very subjective. be tactile - if it just don't feel right in ur hands, it's not gonna be something u reach out for when u have free time.

size - the most common sizes are A5, A6 or regular aka travelers notebook. you have to think abt who you are as a writer. do u have a large handwriting that takes up pages and pages? do you like space or are you overwhelmed by a blank page? do you travel a lot and do u want something unobtrusive in your bag? choose something that will reasonable work as a part of your daily life.

paper texture - paper that is smooth to write in are a great source of pleasure. notebooks with 100gsm paper is a good benchmark.

price - pleaseeee do not break the bank to purchase a fancy notebook. an expensive notebook can become an unloved one. you'd be too stressed to ensure every entry is perfect and pretty enough and the notebook eventually becomes too intimidating for you to fill in. check out your local hypermarket or online stores for quality notebooks. moleskins are overrated--in my country, they are v v expensive so don't feel pressure to buy a certain stationary just bc you see them often on ig/tiktok like my journal cost me approximately RM10 (USD2.34) and my new one w 100gsm paper cost me RM17 (USD4) like affordable options are out there!

build a connection with your notebook - listen...this sounds strange but having an attachment with your journal and making it inviting as possible is a great source of motivation. personalize it: add stickers, doodle or paint the cover. get a fabric/pvc cover to keep it clean if you'd like (you can add lil papers/stickers on ur actual notebook cover before putting on the pvc cover! very cute and easy)

and your pens:

again: less is more! use any relatively cheap pens you like - be it for the ink or smoothness. if you want to journal a lot, expect to lose a few pens during traveling or just around the house lmao

for fans of darker inks like me, i use Uni-ball Signo Broad, M&G R3 retractable gel pen and my favorite: Faber Castell RX Gel Pen 0.38mm - which cost like RM1.49 (i dont wanna convert - it's change money in america)

final note: i don't use fountain pens so i'm afraid i'm not well-versed enough to advise in that department but i deeply respect (and a little in awe) of journallers who use them 🫡

the tenet!

purpose: what do u plan to use the notebook for? daily journal? art journal? planner? all three? it's your life! live deliciously! since i have a 9-5 job, i know i can't keep up with more than one journal so i've been using mines as a diary and i dump my daily activities/thoughts/reviews of all kinds of media i'm currently obsessed with and it fills up quick!

don't be too hard on yourself: if you missed a day or two of journalling, it's fine - take it back up. write down anything memorable you'd like in the past few days. if you come across a certain blank page your brain is blanking to fill, perhaps after a previous dark entry, skip the page. skip two pages if needed. don't be scared of blank pages. if it needs to be blank, let it be.

it doesn't have to only be words! add stickers, dried flowers, receipts, ticket stubs, other ephemera you collected in the day. be artful! go crazy on page decoration!!

if there's anything you take away from this post, it's this: if you truly want a journal that is used up quickly, do not have plans to share it on social media. personally, i find once you are in the mindset of sharing your journal for an audience's consumption, you get worried whether it's "aesthetic" enough or is it too boring or too ugly or too dark or that you don't upload regularly enough. social media can be inhibiting your creativity or motivation to journal like let your animal brain ruminate in private! stay free from the shackles of responsibility!

[hwere]

I’m not gonna lie there’s a lot of weird projection going on. No one said Carmy was an evil irredeemable person who doesn’t deserve support, we just don’t want Sydney to be a punching bag for dysfunction 😭. To question someone’s morals and compassion over a tv character is going too far. If you feel personally attacked by people being angry at Carmy then you need to log off and journal or something idk it’s just unnecessary. We are literally playing with our Barbie dolls and making them kiss it was never that serious. 👀

Long ass reply ahead, so sorry.

Addressing the Carmy in the room. TL;DR: Shred to pieces this widespread mentality that the art you like defines who you’re as a person and any “attack” on that is an attack on you personally.

Here’s the thing, Anon: just like there’s a lack of balance in our favorite fictional restaurant, there’s a lack of balance in fandom when it comes to relating to fiction and fictional characters. I’m not trying to be all mighty here, since I’m also very much guilty of projecting into fictional characters, but for your own sake you need to find balance between relating to fictional characters and realizing that when people talk about your favorite comfort character, they’re not talking about you—as an individual real person—but how they themselves relate to that specific character.

The same way people talking “shit” about a character you like can trigger a response in you—because of how much you see yourself in that character—there are people who felt triggered by the character’s actions itself because they have dealt IRL with someone like this. So, shit can be serious sometimes. I’m not about to dismiss that.

But you need to understand where fiction ends and you begin.

I see a lot of myself in Carmy.

Growing up with an alcoholic parent is fucking hard and, unfortunately for me, I inherited all of my father’s bad traits and propensity to addiction. Every single day I wake up and try to be a better person, but I’m still fucking things up all the time. I’ve ghosted so many people in the past. I’ve a difficult time maintaining long term relationships of any kind because my fucked up brain always win in convincing me that people hates me and they’re better off without me. I’ve hurt others in the exact same way I’ve been hurt before.

But I understand that love doesn’t conquer all, that people can be damaged beyond repair sometimes. I also understand that everyone has the right to walk away not only from me, but from anyone else who’s doing them more harm than good.

This doesn’t mean that I seriously want Carmy dead in a shallow ditch (that was a joke). This doesn’t mean that I want him to be alone (I don’t). This doesn’t mean that I believe he doesn’t deserve love and/or to be in a relationship until he’s fully healed (I don’t).

And I don’t think those who are criticizing Carmy’s actions want or believe any of this. Let’s take a deep breath.

If you scroll through my posts, you’re gonna see that I, personally, have barely addressed Carmy or even SydCarmy. My main criticism this season has been about the writing of every other character and their lack of development. I already expected Carmy’s regression this season and I found it interesting to see this new side of him, but although the show started with Carmy, it doesn’t end with him.

I wanted to see more—and I will eventually write about the things that I loved this season—but these beautiful moments doesn’t compensate all the time spent on cameos, new irrelevant white characters, Claire and all the fucking Faks.

A lot of time was wasted on bullshit and people are scrambling around here to make sense of an average season, much more preoccupied with whether or not SydCarmy will happen and losing the plot about how Storer pissed all over the show to assert his domain. Is giving me war flashback of Twin Peaks: The Return.

I still love this show and Carmy very much, and I honestly hope the team gets their heads out of their asses and things get better in S04.

[celestiall0tus]

Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 26 - Reverser and the Return of Evillustrator

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            Alix stared up at a blank wall. She tossed a spray paint can in her hand as she raked her brain with ideas. She felt eyes burn into her that flared her annoyance. She sneered under her mask and latched onto it. She put the can down and reached for the red. She covered the blank canvas in it before she went for the black and tagged the red canvas.

            “Well, this is… something, Miss Kubdel,” Mr. Monlataing said.

            “Is there a problem with it? I thought art was supposed to be an expression of the soul,” Alix countered.

            “It is, but why is your soul so angry? Violent even.”

            “A long list that I don’t have the patience, energy, or fucks to give to go through it.”

            “I see. And just how long have you been penting up all this rage?”

            “Why do you care?”

            “Because it’s hurting you, isn’t it?”

            Alix tsked. “It doesn’t matter.”

            “Alix-,” Mr. Monlataing started.

            “Excuse me. Mr. Monlataing? Can I get your input on this?” Nathaniel asked.

            “Hmm? Oh, yes. What do you have here, Nathaniel?”

            Alix glanced over at the recent page of Nathaniel’s Bloody Bug and Chat Noir comic. She noticed a new character that looked exactly like when Nathaniel was Evillustrator.

            “It’s Bloody Bug and Chat Noir teaming up with their latest companion, MightyIllustrator,” Nathaniel said.

            “You mean Evillustrator?” Alix asked.

            “He changed his name after Bloody Bug saved him. Now he fights for justice.”

            “A bad guy that becomes a good guy. I like it. You’re getting better at your storytelling.”

            “Too bad the rest of his writing sucks,” Alix remarked.

            “Miss Kubdel, I’ll allow a lot of things in my class, but we don’t bring down other artists. We must give them the confidence to continue their craft,” Mr. Monlataing scolded.

            “And when does that encouragement feed into arrogance? Do we stop then, or do we keep going until we have an insufferable monster?”

            “Sounds like someone is projecting,” Nathaniel retorted.

            Alix snarled. She reared back her arm and threw the spray paint can she had, but Mr. Monlataing caught it.

            “Alix, I think you should head to the counselor. Whatever is going on is clearly eating away at you. I think you should talk to someone who will listen.”

            Alix opened her mouth when Rose ran over.

            “Mr. Monlataing, I have a better idea to help calm Alix,” Rose said.

            “Oh, this gonna be good. What do you have that could help me?” Alix mocked.

            Rose smiled, took her headphones off, and put them on Alix. Alix opened her mouth to complain until she heard the rock music playing. Alix snorted, rolled her shoulders, and took a seat on the floor. Rose took a seat next to Alix and scribbled on the notepad, then showed it to Alix. Alix tilted her head as she read it.

            I’m sorry, but I had asked Adrien if you were ok. You have been angrier these past few weeks. He didn’t say much, just that you needed time to dwell and not talk about it. I don’t understand what is going on, but I’m here to help in any way I can.

            Alix’s face softened as she smiled. ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed.

            Alix leaned against Rose and Rose leaned against Alix. Rose wrote down song lyrics while Alix watched the room. Mr. Monlataing went around the room, checking on everyone and their projects when a new kid peeked in through the door. Marinette ran up and dragged the guy in and introduced him to Mr. Monlataing, then Nathaniel. Alix watched them until the guy ran out.

            Alix hummed, curious of what that was about, but ignored it. She jammed out to the music until she saw Marinette return with a black journal. She raised a brow when Marinette erased something in it, then gave it to Nathaniel. She furrowed her brows as Nathaniel lost himself to the book. She took off the headphones to confront him when the bell rang. She growled and handed the headphones back to Rose.

            “Thanks again.”

            “Alix, would you like to join Mylene and me on a walk after school? It’s been a while since we’ve talked. But only if you want to.”

            Alix considered then nodded. “Ok. I’ll see you after school.”

            Alix headed out to her next class. She moved through the rest of the day on autopilot as has been her norm for the past few weeks. It worked well enough until someone annoyed her, which wasn’t hard to do. She didn’t like how easily agitated she could be, but it was the price of all this. If she was to get to the root of her problems, she needed to face it alone. No amount of talking was going to help her.

            The final bell rang, and Alix made her way outside. She waited until Mylene, Rose, and Ivan joined her. She was hugged by Mylene and Rose while she fist bumped Ivan. Mylene and Rose each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her along as Ivan followed.

            “I hope we weren’t going for a long walk. It’s really cold now,” Alix remarked.

            “Oh, not at all. Just a short one. We wanted to hang out with you and, well, make sure you’re alright,” Mylene said.

            “I’m not, but I appreciate it.”

            “Adrien said you didn’t want to talk about it. Why is that?” Rose asked.

            “I… it’s stupid.”

            “C’mon, Alix, nothing is stupid,” Ivan encouraged.

            “Fine. Look, I… I want to get better, but I can’t. There’s this… issue at my core that has a death hold on me. I’m trying to get to the root of it, to confront it, but whenever I talk, I feel like I’m running away from it. I can’t let that happen anymore. So, I’m not going to talk as it festers so I can reach it.”

            “But look at what you’re doing to yourself, Alix,” Rose chided.

            “Something needs to be done, Rose. I need to get to the root of all this. My anger, my trauma, everything. Talking hasn’t helped, so I’m not talking anymore until I figure it out.”

            “Alix, you’re going to self-destruct if you do that. And when that happens, Hawkmoth will make you his pawn like he did with all of us,” Ivan warned.

            Rose and Mylene nodded.

            Alix stopped and turned on her heel to face Ivan, Rose, and Mylene. “Do not put me in the same group as you lot. There is nothing Hawkmoth could offer me that would convince me to become a villain. At least, no more than I already am.”

            “Alix, you’re not-!” Rose started.

            “Don’t lie, Rose. I know better. I’m a little monster. I don’t need an Akuma to make me one. I’ve done nothing but hurt and turn on the people that try to get close to me. And when I think I’ve let someone in, they turn around and betray me. I just… there’s just no point. I’m a monster and that’s that. Nothing will change that.”

            Rose, Mylene, and Ivan all exchanged glances while Alix trudged on ahead. They followed behind her as they arrived at Places des Vosages. Alix glanced over to see Nathaniel and the new guy from earlier. She looked away, then back at them as Nathaniel held up the black book and tore apart the pages, devastating the other guy.

            Alix’s eyes widened as red threatened her vision. Her attempts to fight it were in vain as she caved to the rage. She turned into the park and up to Nathaniel. She pushed him down as he tried to leave.

            “Hey! What’s the big-!” Nathaniel yelled.

            Alix grabbed Nathaniel’s coat and pulled him up to her face. “You fucking bastard! What did you do?”

            “I don’t see why you’re yelling at me. That fraud toyed with my feelings with his stupid scribbles. Then has the gall to want to work on my comic with me.”

            “That’s not true. Marinette said she’d help me, but I didn’t want to do this because of this exact reason. Everything is ruined now,” the guy said.

            Alix’s temper wavered seeing the guy’s distress before it ignited again as she glared down at Nathaniel. “You are nothing more than an arrogant little fucking bitch. You are the fraud here, not that poor boy. I think you need to cool the fuck down, bitch!”

            Ivan, Mylene, and Rose yelled out for Alix to stop, but she ignored them. She grabbed Nathaniel’s arm and threw him over her into the fountain, soaking him to the bone in the freezing air. Mylene and Rose stepped between Alix and Nathaniel while Ivan helped him out. Marinette came running to help Nathaniel.

            Alix took several deep breaths as she glared at Nathaniel. Memories resurfaced and mingled with the present as she saw Nathaniel as she once saw Chloe, beaten, bloody, and battered. Her rage shifted to terror as tears fell from her eyes, her heartbeat quickened, and her breathing came in short, rapid gasps. She turned and ran away. She heard them call her, but she ignored them. It happened again. She told herself she wouldn’t let it happen again, and she did. She had to get away to keep the others safe from the monster that refused to be caught.

~~

            Adrien arrived home and headed up to his room as he got a call from Rose. He raised a brow and answered it.

            “Hey, Rose, what’s up?”

            “Oh, Adrien! Thank goodness. Alix is missing! Something happened, she got mad, and then she ran off and we don’t know where she is!”

            Adrien’s eyes widened as he heard yelling in the background between multiple parties. He opened his mouth when he heard screams tearing through the air.

            “Rose? What’s going on?” Adrien demanded.

            “There’s a pair of-!”

            The line cut off.

            “That’s no good. Plagg, Stompp, we have to go. Plagg, claws out!”

            Plagg disappeared into the ring and transformed Adrien. Chat Noir jumped out the window and searched the city for the villains when he came across a guy in a black and white outfit riding a personal paper airplane.

            “Who are you?”

            “I’m Reverser. You’re a strong, fearless hero, but not for long.”

            Chat Noir’s eyes widened as Reverser summoned a small, black paper airplane. He readied to attack it when a green shield came in and destroyed it.

            “What the-?” Reverser yelled.

            The green shield rebounded and knocked Reverser off his ride. Chat Noir beamed when he saw Carapace.

            “Perfect timing, dude!” Chat Noir yelled.

            “Always, my dude. Where’s his Akuma?”

            Chat Noir looked down at Reverser’s ride. He grabbed and broke it, releasing the Akuma. He activated Cataclysm and destroyed the Akuma.

            “Carapace, can you bring the boy that Reverser was. I believe him to be one of a set of Akumas.”

            “Uh, I can, but I need to help some dudettes out first. One of their friends ran away and they can’t find her.”

            “Is it Alix?”

            “Yeah. How’d you know?”

            “Because that’s part of why I’m out here. It was also in response to the Akumas.”

            “Heard. Well, let’s look together.”

            “I actually know where she’d be.”

            “What? Then lead the way. Let’s go.”

            “Give me a minute. I need to recharge.”

            “Oh. Right. Go on, dude. I got the Reverser boy. Just don’t take too long.”

            “Don’t worry, I didn’t plan on it.”

~~

            Alix lay curled up on the freezing ground of her mother’s grave. Tears froze to her face and sealed her eyes closed. Tikki and Ziggy tried to get rid of the ice, but she swiped them away.

            “Alix, please, you need to get home, or transform. You’ll die in the cold,” Tikki squeaked.

            “I don’t care,” Alix muttered.

            “What? What did you say?” Tikki gasped.

            “I. Don’t. Care. I lost it again. I hurt someone again. The monster came back out and retreated before I could stop it. All because I am that monster.”

            “That’s not true. You were caught in a moment of passion. You defended that poor writer from that awful red-haired boy. You weren’t a monster. You were a hero.”

            “But a hero doesn’t hurt people. A monster hurts people. And you can’t say if it’s for a good cause, then it doesn’t matter. The means never justify the ends. And in the end, I was a monster.”

            “I stand by what I said, that’s not true. You are a passionate person, and passion burns bright. Sometimes too bright, yeah, but bright nonetheless. You did the right thing.”

            “No, I didn’t, and nothing will change that.”

            “But-!” Tikki started.

            “Just go. Leave me alone.”

            Tikki and Ziggy exchanged glances before they crawled into Alix’s hood.

            “We’re not going anywhere,” Ziggy stated.

            “That’s right. We’re here and you can’t get rid of us,” Tikki said.

            Alix opened her mouth, but let out a choked gasp when Evillustrator grabbed her and thrust her up.

            “There you are. I’ve been looking for you, Alix,” Evillustrator hissed.

            “Nathaniel?”

            “Not anymore. Evillustrator is back, and I’m here to make you pay for your insults.”

            Alix’s breath caught. Evillustrator’s threat struck her but filled her with sickening hope. Bile rose to her throat as the promise of seeing her mother crossed her mind. She tried to fight it off, to live, but the desire consumed her. She let her body go limp as she stopped fighting him.

            “Make me pay,” Alix begged.

            “Oh, I will, but only in a way fitting a monster like you.”

            Evillustrator threw Alix over his shoulder and headed back to Place des Vosages. He scared off the people in the park as he erased it and replaced it with a giant fountain.

            “Let’s see how much you like being plunged into ice cold water in the middle of winter.”

            Evillustrator threw Alix into the bone-chilling waters. Alix’s body seized up as the cold shocked her entire system. She stared blankly up at the dim winter sun as she lost the feeling in her entire body. Darkness closed in around as the water vanished and she felt herself on solid ground. She saw the figures of Chat Noir, Gallic Chick, Porcelet, and Carapace. They yelled at each other until an Akuma slipped by them and into Alix’s wristwatch. Their yells were drowned up and replaced with the voice of Hawkmoth.

            “Timebreaker, I am Hawkmoth. You face death, but it need not be like this. You can reset everything back to the moment with your mother. You can save her and see her once again. All I ask in return is Bloody Bug and Chat Noir’s miraculous.”

            Alix spurted and coughed. “I don’t… need you. I’ll see my mom soon… in death.”

            “What? You can’t-!”

            “I’ll see… I’ll see her soon. Good-bye, little butterfly.”

            Alix let out a gasp and her body went still.

            Alix opened her eyes to a dark road with little light. She roamed around it until a blinding light shone brightly. She shielded her eyes and blinked against it. It faded as her mother’s spirit stood across from her.

            “Mom!” Alix called.

            Alix ran down the road to her mother, but slowed when she neared her. A lump caught up in her seeing the disappointment and sorrow in her mother’s face.

            “I’m here. We’re together. Everything is as it should be.”

            Alix’s mother shed an ethereal tear as she looked away.

            “Wait, please! I miss you. I need you. Please, don’t leave me!”

            Alix’s mother ignored Alix’s pleas, walked into the darkness, and vanished.

            Alix cried out and reached for where her mother’s spirit once stood. She was stopped as she heard the crow of a rooster. She turned as a majestic, fiery rooster wrapped its wings around her and pulled her back to the world of the living.

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[little-cat-press]

Hello, you have found my bookbinding blog!

and you may be wondering, what is this? So I have prepared a list of questions and answers that I think people may be wondering

Q: what's bookbinding?

A: bookbinding is the process of making a book! Starting with a piece of text, typesetting it, printing, folding the signatures, sewing them, gluing, trimming, and casing it in.

Q: do you sell your books?

A: Nope! Most of what I bind is fanfiction, and it would be ethically and legally complicated to find a way that it was OK to sell a fanfic binding, so I'm not gonna bother touching that. These books are either for me, or gifts. I strongly believe in the gift economy of fandom.

(the morals and legals around selling blank journals or public domain stuff is much simpler, but I'm not very interested in doing that either. Maybe if it was a cool and fun project)

Q: Who do you gift books to?

A: Close friends and family, primarily. I also often like to offer a book to the author, though whether or not they accept has been a tossup.

I also have participated in a few gift exchanges in the Renegade Bindery group.

Q: I'm an author you've approached. What would this offer entail?

A: Hi! I love your writing! I will need an adress to send the finished book to, and then I will mail it, and then you will have a book!

Q: how long do you take to send author copies?

A: It varies greatly. I've been trying something new lately called "asking the author if they want one AFTER I've finished the typeset, instead of when I put the book on the to-bind sometime eventually list", because then all that's left is to print and physically assemble the book, and thus the author is not additionally waiting the time until I start on that particular project.

But also I make books slowly, frequently with long pauses between the various stages, so again, it varies.

Q: why do you bookbind?

A: Several reasons. It started with the desire to have the Trust series (@alittleblogoftrust) on my bookshelf. (and thus starting the longest author's wait so far, as it was the first offer made and not yet fulfilled... Those books are going to be thick, and somehow that means they are an intimidating project and I have not made much progress on them) And then I discovered that the process of bookbinding is simply very fun! I like making books!

And there are so so many excellent stories that I can put on my bookshelf and read in book form.

Q: I'm interested in bookbinding. Where can I start? You mentioned a renegade group?

A: Renegade (@renegadeguild) is an excellent bookbinding collective. We have a big discord group full of folks interested in the art of bookbinding, and if you have any questions, someone there almost certainly has an answer.

For other resources, I really like DAS Bookbinding on youtube. He explains things in a calm, soothing manner, while demonstrating. He doesn't get into typesetting much, mostly focusing on physical construction.

He has a Getting Started playlist, though I think I actually started with his Case Bound Book playlist.

Q: You tag thoroughly and systematically. What's the system?

A: it's all listed out on this post

Q: I have more questions

A: Okay! You can put them in my askbox if you like

[gamchawizzy]

Life update!

I haven't been drawing as much for the past few months bc of big life changes that left me too exhausted to be creative.

Lots of things happened, a lot of bad, some good, mostly weird-but I'm opening a new chapter in my life which is that I'm now employed 😳

It's a bag of mixed feelings, but for one thing I'm glad I'm now able to rest from art for a little bit without guilt.

But! I don't plan on stopping art. In fact, I'm excited because I'm able to focus on making better pieces now that I have stable income.

It's going to be a choppy period for the first bit that's for sure. But I can feel myself healing now :)

I'm gonna finish everything I owe to my current clients (thank you for being so patient with me!), then start working on changing my comms sheet to reflect my new sched

I rarely talk about this on main but it's been a very difficult time for me to balance finances and art nowadays, esp since the beginning of 2022. My personal life and my health aren't in the best of shape, so I feel very lucky to have landed a job that allows me to work safely

Endlessly thankful for everyone who's supported me thru the years-your support literally saved my life as well as my family's- I'm not going to close my comms but rather take them more slowly this time as weekends may be the only times I can get to them.

That being said! I'm excited to draw for myself again too! I have SO many ideas for my ocs as well as for bb + club penguin and I'm so excited to sit down and just study things without worrying about making finished works immediately.

I started keeping a journal to track down my ideas n brainfarts outside of my sketchbook and it's been helpful at keeping pressure off making art. I'm excited to put my art back as a hobby again. It's been a fun time but I felt burnt out and this is the next best thing so I don't start hating it, and that's completely ok!

I had dreams of going pro, and I also worked in the industry here n there, but maybe that's for another time. I still have the rest of my life ahead of me, and for that to happen, I need to start loving art again. Until then, I'm good w this :)

Long post but thanks for reading if u came this far! I just wanted to bare my heart out a bit now that the dust's settled. Excited to share art with you all again soon!

[mistydeyes]

Hey, I love your writing! Would it be possible to get a MWII pair up? :)

I’m 5‘2, fairly skinny and with blond hair at chin length and brown eyes. I may be short but my personality is definitely not, I’m pretty outgoing and a people person but also need time to recharge alone. I love reading and journaling and right now my hyperfixation is everything occult like Tarot or astrology. I’m a Pisces who loves to cook and be creative and I renovate my place all the time with little DIY projects. People tell me I’m pretty funny with my rather dry humour but I’m also a good listener. Not really interested in small talk I wanna know what makes people tick.

Really curious what you’re thoughts are gonna be! Keep up the great writing ❤️

Johnny "Soap" Mactavish

a/n ahh thank you so much for requesting and your sweet comments! hope you enjoy :)

How you met: Civilian An objective from Laswell had led Soap and Ghost into the busy Saturday morning streets. What initially started as a simple "snatch and grab mission" had gone completely south. Now, both men were hurriedly navigating through an art and flea market to capture their target. "You got eyes on them, Lt?" Soap spoke through hurried breaths as he pushed civilians out of the way and tried to keep up. "He's going South," Ghost responded and Soap changed his trajectory. Unfortunately, the new change of direction led them to a denser area filled with small booth and artisans selling their craft items. Soap eventually caught up to the man and dived into him, crashing them both into a table. You put your hand to your mouth in shock as you. saw your merchandise spew across the floor. What made it worse was that this was your first time ever running a booth like this and months of work were gone. "Oh my god," is all you managed to say as the two men got up. Soap handcuffed the swearing assailant as Ghost finally caught up. "Sorry," the Scotsman whispered as he picked up a few items. You were still in shock and could feel a few tears begin to prick as you looked around at the destroyed area. Before Soap could apologize again, Ghost decided to put him to work. "I'll get him to Laswell, you help them clean and pay whatever we broke."

A peek into your relationship: "What are you doin?" your boyfriend, Johnny, asked as you leaned over your living room table and a stack of new tarot cards. This was your latest fixation and it hadn't taken you long to get a hang of it. "Just reading my future," you said as you examined the way the cards were facing and their meaning. He immediately sat down across from you with an excited smile on his face. "Read mine!" he exclaimed and you lightly laughed before shuffling the deck for him. "Alright so this is a 4 card spread for love and relationships," you said, watching him take a card and place them down. You started with the first card and noticed it was the hermit. "What does that mean?" he questioned and you flipped through the book before reading. "Your person is one who resembles 'The Hermit'' you began and he intently listened, "they are uniquely in touch with creative outlets and expression. They are gifted with such clarity as to not depend on others to achieve their vision and are able to express themselves in various ways." As you finished, you could hear him burst out in laughter. You joined in with the contagious chuckles until you asked what was going on. "I think these cards are just you trying to say you're the one for me," he flirted and you couldn't help but laugh harder in response. "Yeah try again, Mactavish, I'm pretty sure I hated you for a long time after we met."

[iffoundreturntosea]

January 1, Day 1

1 day 2015

I've stared at that card for the past 7 months wishing the new year would get here already & it finally has. I have kind of a big resolution that will probably take all year but I want to get off all the medications I'm on, get myself healthy & back to living and enjoying life! #wishmeluck #newyears #resolution #goodbye2014 #hello2015 #project365 #day1

I started project 365 because I needed something to keep me going. I was bed ridden at the time due to medication induced vertigo. It was awful and I wanted to die. It lasted months and my doctor was no help. I was hopeless. I starred at this card that a friend of my mom had made her for months just wishing for a change. That change was me.

1 day 2016

Today was a nice chill day! (January's theme is blue!) #shadesofblue #chill #relaxed #january #hello2016 #picoftheday #project365 #day1

By the time I hit the second year I was ready to mix things up and add a theme each month. Each month in 2016 had a different color scheme, starting with blue!

1 day 2017

Happy New Year! 

#newyear #2017 #hello2017 #mayancalendar #january #circleoflife #picoftheday #project365 #day1

1 day 2018

#keyhole #cutout #klaus #dog #pup #bassethound #hound #lazyday #rest #newtheme #differentview #january #picoftheday #project365 #day1

Klaus isn't with us anymore but he was such a good boy!

1 day 2019

I remember last year like it was yesterday...Happy New Year!

This year I’m going to try a new challenge. I’m going to attempt to photograph the National Day calendar for my 5th year of #project365 Should be fun! 

#hello2019 #2019 #timeflies #justme #happynewyear #yearfive #letsdothis #create #challenge #live #experience #share #learn #january #newyearday #nationalday #nationaldaycalendar #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #hereigoagain

I did different monthly themes until 2019 and then I did the National Day Calendar. I was so excited for this year!

1 day 2020

The next year I did a weekly theme to recover from the previous year!

It is Time to start year 6! This Time I’m aiming for a weekly theme! Try to guess 

#glitter #sparkle #pocketwatch #watch #clock #timeywimey #time #year6 #week1 #january #january1 #2020 #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #herewegoagain 

1 day 2021

The 2 years after that were whatever the heck I wanted!

One day I’m not gonna do this anymore but I guess this is not the day! Year 7! No themes! No restrictions! Whatever the hell I want! This is the only picture I took today! Cheers to less stress and more fun! 

#nature #outdoors #bug #insect #grass #pecanshell #morningdew #year7 #herewego #nothemes #lessstressmorefun #whateverthehelliwant #january #january1 #2021 #picoftheday #project365 #day1

1 day 2022

The purrfect way to start the year!

#Leo #kitty #cat #furbaby #snuggles #create #artsy #color #fun #january #january1 #2022 #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #year8

This past year I was ready to try monthly themes again.

1 day 2023

A great start to the new year with an early morning hike with Dad, Dana, sister, fam & friends. Then a delicious meal made by Dana and our little christmas celebration together. Love family time so much!

#grateful #aloha2023 #litebrite #january #january1 #2023 #objectofthemonth #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #startofyear9

I got this mini lite brite as a stocking stuffer from Santa! It is so cute!

1 day 2024

It's a new year and the start of my 10th year doing a picture every day! This year I've partnered with my mom, we'll be drawing themes each day. I will continue photographing while she will be working in her mixed media journal. Today was "stones". Which one speaks to you?

#hello2024 #year10 #dailytheme #stones #color #create #art #january #january1 #2024 #picoftheday #project365 #day1

Alright! That is day one of this year. I officially can't stop now!

[angelkiller666]

Where i had been. (APOLOGY and UPDATE)

ok....so, imma just get straight to it and say that i am VERY sorry for my long unannounced Hiatus, a LOT of personal stuff has happened within my family, and i ain't gonna get too personal or else this will be too long to type. just know that i am DEEPLY sorry for my absence, i'm alive, i'm ok, nothing SUPER horrible happened, but do understand that i may STILL be in Hiatus after this, so please bare that, but do understand that i'm not going anywhere, and just took a mental break that ended up becoming more than just for mental reasons. also MASSIVE BROKEN BONE/SURGERY TRIGGER WARNING!!!! if you are sensitive to broken bones, surgery, stitches and blood, idk what to tell you but to just skip the pics that will be presented here on this journal, and i'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but please bare with me and take my advice, if you can't handle it, i understand if you don't read this update, it's fine. but please don't come after me for it. alright, onto the first part: depression's a bitch! and so it art block and burn out, especially when your family's struggling with a lot of stuff and you gotta be there to help them out. which is exactly in my case. my mother (gonna keep it vague and quick) was getting sick multiple times and she was on high risk of possibly not living another year after her diagnosis. (spoilers: SHE SURVIVED and is not very sick anymore! she's alive and well!) so during the time she was sick, i had to do many house chores, dinner and sanitizing in the house because my mom obviously really needed it. but it's hard to do that when you have a schizophrenic and NARSSISISTIC sibling who REFUSES to help out and make you do all the work while lazing on their ass all day.....which was also my case. (also spoilers: my brother has gotten better now and has sought treatment from the mental hospital and isn't as bad as he was anymore. i'm not dunking or hating on him, just understand that there are issues that went too far, but were thankfully handled well by the professionals.) so through out most of the time, i was just struggling to keep everything together and has at least succeeded in such.....until one day, about....3-4 or maybe 5 weeks ago, i broke my ankle while i was in the middle of exercising. (idk how long, this is just a guess on my part) (DOUBLE WARNING AND TRIGGER WARNING REMINDER!: if you are easily triggered or uncomfortable at the topics of broken bones, stitches, surgery, blood or any of that, SKIP THE PHOTOS or STOP READING if you are not able to handle it. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)

i won't get into too much details, but just know that i went through hell for a bit. here's where i first broke my ankle:

in total, i broke my ankle in 8 PLACES! i know, i have no idea how either, i guess i just had shitty luck i guess: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/901237515577618506/1205540327855882300/SPOILER_IMG_6101.jpg?ex=65d8bdec&is=65c648ec&hm=85c626e0d90ae067952a9653ac37767253156fe55905de373ba51f5d05cb4cd5& i had to wait a whole day to be admitted to surgery, which sucked as hell because i couldn't sleep thanks to the pain. but hey, at least i get to finally get some rest with the pain killers after surgery. (i think it was 7 or 9 screws welded into my bones at the moment) https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/901237515577618506/1205540514678571069/SPOILER_IMG_6098.jpg?ex=65d8be18&is=65c64918&hm=6befdf49153a8bd4895d43baf9613f211b600bfa60b8a98587b5c3d775a9dfd3& i spent the next 2 or 3 weeks in a cast (and still am, just a brand new one, it feels more comfy than the last) but i finally get to stay in bed without feeling like utter shit and got to sleep a lot to gain back my energy: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/901237515577618506/1205539682251706518/f1028ba1-e18d-4edc-b1a9-289b3ad7e588.jpg?ex=65d8bd52&is=65c64852&hm=28bf9a0626cea54467a02863815c5a528d60e24fb54a799b3d27ae38b38bf3b7&

last week, when i got to get a new cast and see how my leg was doing, i had a BUNCH of stitches, and even though it barely hurt when they took off my old cast....it was a sight to see:

i don't have a pic of the new cast, but i'm doing well, thank god. this week is when i get my stitches removed and maybe after another few weeks or so, i'll get the metal and screws out soon, but i just know i'll be in a cast for a LONG while. ok! so that's what was going on during my unannounced Hiatus. a lot of things happened, but i had been doing rehab in walking in my walker and scooter to get around the house, i don't feel pain as much as i do anymore, mom is doing a lot better and so is my brother. i am planning on returning soon, it just may take awhile. thank you to those for reading and understanding my situation, i promise, i got new art in the works and soon, hopefully, i'll finally be able to celebrate my 500 follower milestone! (in Deviant Art) i hope you all have been doing well, and can't wait to start posting again!

[screechthemighty]

Okay so because I've seen people talking about these books and it seems like there's an influx of new fans/creators into the fandom...hi, this is just my opinion, but here's whether or not I think you should spend your time/money on certain tie-in works for the Norse cycle. Under a cut due to length, and there may be some stuff I've missed, but here's my assessment of the stuff I have consumed!

God of War: The Official Novelization

Pros: There are some nuggets of new information here, some of which are pretty interesting. Alistair Duncan AKA Mimir narrates the audiobook, which is the sole reason I got the audiobook lmao.

Cons: I'm gonna just say it: it's not a good adaptation. Any new info isn't worth sitting through a story that seems to fundamentally misunderstand the source material. I tagged my liveblog posts for it as "screech listens to god of war" if you want to see all my complaining, but there's something that's just...off about it.

Conclusion: If you can get the audiobook for free and you like listening to Mimir talk, may be worth it. But don't pay money for it.

God of War (comic) and God of War: Fallen God

Pros: Some of the dialogue is funny in an inadvertent way. The first God of War comic is a historical document because it was, up until two months ago, the closest thing we had to seeing what Faye looked like IRL and not as a drawing on a wall. Atreus is in the first one and Fallen God has a Hippo Kaiju. So that's cool.

Cons: The first comic is mid at best and Fallen God actively wasted my time by being the same conflict repeated over three issues with one (1) interesting issue to start. They're also basically the same plot (Kratos doesn't want to be a rage monster but life keeps forcing his hand) and Ragnarok explored that concept way better. For real, Fallen God pissed me off so much I actively re-wrote it (the fic now known as "Firestorm"), so that's the level of spite I'm operating at. The first comic just didn't do anything for me besides baffle me as to why Kratos was written Like That.

Conclusion: Save your money and pray they give us better comics one day.

Lore & Legends:

Pros: Okay this one has two really interesting chapters of Atreus journaling before the game and during Fimbulwinter and I actively enjoy both of them. They expand on his viewpoints, his psychic abilities, his relationship with his parents, etc. so those parts were cool. The art is neat, there's a timeline for the events leading up to the game, and it's a good reference material overall.

Cons: The book DOES get repetitive when they start touching on creatures, places, and people from the game. Like it's straight up just lifted game dialogue/codex descriptions. So if you're like me and you've played the game for over 100 hours, then yeah, this part will feel a little superfluous.

Conclusion: Worth buying if you're a hardcore fan and want a solid reference book, but the bad news is I think the physical edition might be out of print. :( There's still ebook copies out there, though!

The Lost Pages of Norse Myth:

Pros: It's a podcast, so it's easily accessible and free. The stories are pretty neat (AND two of them made game-canon status!) and the interviews give you a look at the creative process.

Cons: The interviews make up a majority of the episodes so this is really more for people who are interested in details about the game on its own versus the lore goblins. (Not saying one is more valid than the other, but y'know, keep that in mind going in!)

Conclusion: I mean, it's free, so yeah, worth it.

B is for Boy:

Pros: This is it. This is the best one. It's a better adaptation of the game than the novelization. The art style is cute. Kratos is peak tired pop pops energy. This is still my favorite one.

Cons: I'm pretty sure it's out of print, which hurts my heart.

Conclusion: If you can find a copy you should definitely get it, this is my favorite one and I sincerely hope they make another one.

Art Of Books:

Pros: So much gorgeous art and really interesting looks at the game-making process. Not to mention discarded concepts, while not canon, are basically free real estate for fanfic authors looking to spice things up. (I've only just started the Art of Ragnarök but there's some REALLY neat stuff in the Atreus section towards the beginning that I'm sure someone would have a field day with.)

Cons: Art of books are expensive as heck, and again, this is less for the lore goblins than it is the people interested in how the game was made.

Conclusion: Great for hardcore fans if you can afford it (for real why are art of books so expensive. Will this stop me from buying them, never, but ow my wallet).

[sailor-toni]

I posted 545 times in 2022

That's 355 more posts than 2021!

109 posts created (20%)

436 posts reblogged (80%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ii-zi

@moonlightsdreaming

@13thcat

@sailor-toni

@auroraphantasma

I tagged 128 of my posts in 2022

#art - 48 posts

#danny phantom - 39 posts

#writing - 21 posts

#fanfiction - 20 posts

#reading journal - 18 posts

#youtube - 13 posts

#journal - 12 posts

#bullet journal - 12 posts

#book journal - 10 posts

#video - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 54 characters

#three studies for figures at the base of a crucifixion

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

The Grandfather You Never Wanted

You can also read on AO3, FF.net, and Wattpad

“Danny? Danny! Danny I can’t understand you. You're gonna have to use actual words,” Tucker said, his phone pressed up against his ear.

“Walker, and my Mom, and him! And ME!” Danny sputtered.

“Is Walker also after your Mom? How many ghosts want to bang your Mom dude?”

“What! NO! Ugh!” Danny took a breath, before restarting his tirade. “I was in my attic with my Mom, and we found some old photos of my Mom’s side of the family, and and and I saw my grandpa, I mean I’ve seen him before but like I’m pictures and such but I know him Tuck, he’s in the ghost zone -”

“Your Grandpa is in the ghost zone? That’s awesome, maybe you can get in more time with him or-”

“No Tuck, my grandpa is Walker.”

The Casper High library was quiet, it’s maroon walls and wooden bookshelves look like they jumped out of the 70’s. Wherever there could be, that shade of deep forest green penetrated the room.

In the far corner, jammed between Emily Dickinson, and the complete 1967 collection of Time magazine sat the trio. Holding a thick scrapbook.

“Your Mom never told you Walker was your grandpa?” Sam said.

“She mentioned him a few times. Like his name isn’t walker but Daniel, and that he died in a prison riot. Also one Christmas he almost burnt the house down with Christmas lights but not much else,” Danny said.

Sam held the picture of Walker up to the scrapbook image of Daniel Walker Smith. In the image he held his wife’s hand as balloons and streamers rained upon them. The next image showed him with his daughters, one looked uninterested to be there, the other had a diamond in her eyes. A shiny new first place trophy in her hands. Walker held them both, a big smile on his face.

“It’s so weird to see him like that,” said Tucker.

“Alive?” replied Danny.

“No, the smile.”

“Walker has never smiled before.”

“Not like that.”

“True.”

“What if you showed Walker this?” Sam spoke up, “Maybe it would jog his memory? Get him to be nicer to you? Or give you a free pass?”

“Oh! Hey Sam's on to something here. Maybe you can pull a few strings and we could finally get somewhere without a ghost map,” Tucker said.

“Yeah, but what if he doesn't care and wipes the floor with me again?” Danny said.

“You never know until you try?” Sam

-----

            The cold stone, polished to resemble a large granite wall. Its walls were void of any crack or crevice for one to shove a foot or hand into.  And bare of any markings or signs of age. It was the ghost zone eternal prison, where rule breakers could stay for the rest of their afterlife. A dismal existence for sure, and one Danny did not want for the remainder of his mortal life.

What was he even doing here? Even if Walker had forgotten most of his human memories, like some ghosts did, he wouldn't suddenly turn good. Maybe?

Danny envisioned Walker in a pink Hawaiian vacation shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and flip flops with socks on, walking to see Danny's science fairs, or treating him and his sister to a movie, or just hanging out and sneaking him money. Like what Sam's grandma did. But instead of him being dressed in all black, he would be glowing, and floating a few inches off the floor.There was a fat chance of that ever happening but if there was a chance, Danny would like to know if this man was actually his grandfather. Does Walker know already? Does he know and just not care? That would match up with how his Mom described him. 

A scream from the prison echoed across the stone walls, the sound bounces off its surface. Danny cringed. Maybe he wouldn't be like that, but if he knew, maybe he would do crazy stuff like frame him for kidnapping the mayor. Actually no, this was a horrible idea. Danny's thought, as he retreated from his grandfather's castle of nightmares. Why would the guy who did that? ! Suddenly try to become grandpa of the year? This was a dumb idea and he knew it.

“Hey who’s there?” Danny froze, behind him was a guard, green oily skin, red eyes, and a face that only a mother could love. Floating there, a baton charged with energy in his left hand. A flashlight in the next.

“Freeze! Ghost boy!” Danny flew, his feet were swept off the ground by his own flight response, their ghostly trail trying desperately to catch up with his torso.

See the full post

90 notes - Posted November 3, 2022

#4

Watch me do a speedpaint of this picture here!

91 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

#3

The Danny Phantom fandom is cool and all. But it really feels like the people in here would willingly stomp you to death in order to maintain the image of a small peaceful, no issue fandom. An example might be "hey, can you not say you don't like ghost hunger fics? B/c someone who really likes ghost hunger fics might become discourage and leave the fandom. Thanks and try to be a better person next time! 💖🥰"

Fam, people are allowed to leave fandoms for whatever reason no questions asked. Its not a social club, its a bunch of random people online who like the same 2007 children's show. If someone wants to leave after such a cold take. I would let them. Why force them to stay in a place where even a slightest disagreement makes them wanna run?

104 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

#2

You were only 14 when you decided to fight the world.

Ectober day 6

150 notes - Posted October 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Am I the Asshole for trying to ask my college sweetheart out after her husband disfigured me?

I (42M) was friends with (names changed for privacy) Molly (42F) and John (44M) in college. John and I were good friends and we both had crushes on Molly. I was going to ask her out on a date, when during an experiment John dumped the wrong chemical down the hatch and the experiment blew up in my face, disfiguring me for life. I spent the next ten years in the hospital fighting for my life. While John asked Molly out. They are now married and have two kids (16F and 14M). I have mostly recovered and have reconnected with my friends. While they never visited me in the hospital I have forgave them. I still have a crush on Molly so I asked her if there was any change between us. Her son overheard and now the family won't talk to me. Am I the asshole?

EDIT John claims he never meant to disfigure me EDIT 2 Some of you have been asking why would I ask a married woman out? I feel like my life was stolen from me and the least they could do as my friends was give me a chance.

172 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[butternutrisotto]

6/30

Helloooo! I know, I know that I’ve been busy recently so I don’t have any time to write anything in this blog. Some things need to be done right away and now I am coming back to be writing and sharing something really personal. You know it’s really personal when it’s talking about getting to know deeply about myself. Something that I haven’t figured out just because I don’t know how to write it out. Something that I should’ve written long ago. Something that I think it’s the right time to figure out what I truly love about myself.

And I’ve come to give this an idea to write it like a love letter to myself. Omg this is really amazing! I’ve never done and written such a love letter to myself or even anyone out there just because… doesn’t it sound so cheesy? At least for me HAHA. As you may already know, this writing journal is the thing that helps me out to finally understand who I really am. And I guess it’s better to maybe give myself a simple yet meaningful love letter despite the fact that this is gonna be too personal for the first time. I am SO excited!

Okay, let’s begin!

Dear Dinda,

This letter is the impression when I look at you — remembering how wonderful human being you are. For now, I wanna take a moment to express my love and appreciation for you. The way you light up and brighten your day — it gives so much hopes to those who need it. So, in this letter I wanna show you how grateful I am to be able to see you grow to the woman you have become. In this journey of self-discovery and growth, I’ve realized there are so many reasons why I love you. Here we go:

As the girl who has now turned into a beautiful lady, through every challenge and setback, you’ve shown incredible strength and perseverance. Your ability to bounce back and keep moving forward is truly inspiring. You’ve never given up with your dreams, you keep holding onto it until you’re proud for achieving it.

To the day I keep getting much deeper to get to know you inside and outside, your kindness and empathy towards others create meaningful connections and bring light to those around you. You truly have a heart that genuinely cares. I believe people out there are very lucky to have been chosen to be your best friend, so is yourself.

Your constant quest for knowledge and new experiences keeps life exciting and full of possibilities. You embrace learning and growth with open arms. You are so open with new challenge, new experience, even if it hurts you so much — you still think positively that whatever things may come to you and you keep believing that it brings new lesson for you to learn to be a better person. And it’s been shown how wonderful you are.

The way you see the world and express yourself through art, words, or ideas is unique and beautiful. Your creativity adds color to life. The idea and love you’ve put into your dishes is something that I really appreciate. The way you give a soul in the work you’re currently doing and people can see how you have a really great work ethic.

You are true to yourself, embracing your quirks and imperfections. This honesty and authenticity make you genuine and relatable. I know that some people may have wronged or misunderstood you but you stay true to your own beliefs and you let them regret to their behavior towards you.

When you set your mind to something, you pursue it with passion and dedication. You drive to achieve your goals is unwavering. No matter how hard or challenging it is, you strive to give the best in every aspects in life. You always give more than anything. That’s why I love you.

In the face of change, you remain flexible and open-minded. When people have different perspective with you, you tend to keep listening and respect with what they have in mind. You clearly are giving your honest thoughts so they are able to at least know what kind of message you want to deliver. Your ability to adapt to new situations is a testament to your resilience and strength.

People always see this kind of side of you: cold, grumpy, or someone who doesn’t give any shit to anything. But one thing that they barely know: your sense of humor brightens even the darkest days. Your ability to laugh at yourself and how you easily find joy in life’s moments is a gift.

You appreciate the little things and find joy in everyday moments. Your gratitude for life’s blessings keeps you grounded and content. I love seeing you gratefully embracing every small wins in life. What an adorable person I’ve known!

Last but not the least, and this is the thing that you need to know most importantly, you’ve learned to love yourself, flaws, and all. This self-love is the foundation for all the other wonderful qualities you possess.

Thank you for being YOU. I promise to cherish and nurture these qualities, continuing to grow, and love myself more each day.

With all my heart,

ME <3

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 23

Spies! Josh Hartnett! Perfect 10s! They all made multiple appearances in July. This summer has churned out one of the best crop of blockbusters in years, and even though this Round Up is a bit shorter than usual, it’s a stacked lineup. Whether you’re looking for big thrills, big emotion, or big art, July had it all. 

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

A redux of the 1996 original Mission: Impossible in all the best ways. Whatever you think of Tom Cruise, you can’t deny his commitment to the audience experience. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

This is the kind of movie that you can tell within in three minutes isn’t totally working but it’s hard to tell why. It looks pretty good! There’s loads of style! Jason Statham is one of the best action leads in the biz! Every actor is doing something fun! (Especially Josh Hartnett, validating my major crush in his Pearl Harbor days.) But not a single character has an arc, and we should’ve opened on an action sequence introducing our heroes and villains so we don’t need so much dialogue to explain our characters or the inciting incident. But you know what? Call the butcher because I love a good ham! I had a great time with this cast doing the Guy Ritchie thing, which means I am gonna watch this so hard again on cable.

3. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift (2023)

My attempt to swing last-minute tickets to the Eras Tour in Denver for less than $1000 was a no-go, but the treats that are “When Emma Falls in Love,” “Timeless,” and a Taylor Lautner music video cameo softened that blow. The article “The Unprecedented Weirdness of Taylor Swift” in The Washington Post captures some of the unique joys of her re-recordings.

4. Barbie (2023)

Is Barbie an instant classic? Perhaps it’s too of-this-moment for that kind of longevity, but it’s a comedy that made me laugh so hard I cried and also just that made me cry, which I don’t remember ever happening to me within a single movie before. Read my full review for ZekeFilm, and then be sure to listen to the soundtrack after seeing the movie. Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Tame Impala, Haim, Billie Eilish, and Ryan Gosling(!!) made some bangers! Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. Do You Like Apples Podcast

I’ve recommended the Do You Like Apples newsletter, and now I’m recommending Billy Rock and Drew Wendt’s new accompanying podcast. I may be biased since they invited me to join their Barbie discussion, but because I like filling my earbuds with thoughts on Wes Anderson’s oeuvre and the best of Harrison Ford’s career, I’m a regular listener beyond our collab. Listen to our discussion of Barbie and then browse through their rapidly growing feed about the world of movies.

More July Crowd-Pleasers: Airport (1970), Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023), Zoey 102 (2023)

July Critic Picks

1. The China Syndrome (1979)

Another ‘70s conspiracy thriller FTW! Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, and Jack Lemmon are getting suspicious at a nuclear power plant, and their investigation lands on my lists of favorite journalism films and movies that have made me cry. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. BlackBerry (2023)

Product-inspired films are still rocking and rolling in 2023, and BlackBerry is one of the best. It owes a lot to The Social Network, but it learned all the right lessons. I would love to see this cast in conversation for Oscars this winter, but until then, the rage-at-the-corporate-machine soundtrack is keeping me going. Crowd: 8/9 // Critic: 9/10

3. Oppenheimer (2023)

On average, me every 7 minutes in this movie: "Oh hey, I love that guy!” This cameo-packed historical epic/biopic is a clearer-eyed version of A Beautiful Mind, and perhaps most impressively doesn’t feel three hours long. The review in The Federalist and Vox’s analysis of the history of nuclear cinema are excellent companion pieces. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

4. Suddenly by BØRNS (2023)

Like the rest of us, it sounds like BØRNS has been going through some stuff in the last few years. After a five year hiatus, he’s back with his lachrymose synth-pop in a six-track EP. My only complaint? I’m ready for a full album!

5. The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson (2021)

Haven’t I already recommended The French Dispatch as the best film of 2021? Yes, but because I’m a woman of limited interests, I’m now recommending the published screenplay. If you’ve ever wondered just how Anderson and his collaborators create their idiosyncratic stories, reading the complex script gives a new insight into their overlapping minutiae, much of which I missed just by watching.

More July Critic Picks: The Merry Widow (1934), Christmas in July (1940), Some Came Running (1958)

Also in July…

At the start of July, nine writers for ZekeFilm picked our top five movies of the year so far. You can read our individual lists as well as our aggregate top five in our “Best of 2023 (So Far)” piece. 

I checked out Haunted Mansion, which was…at least better than the Eddie Murphy version? Read my review for ZekeFilm, which turned into a long list of theme park-inspired films for Disney, and watch more on KMOV to see me correctly predict that Barbie would dominate the box office yet again.

Thanks to a holiday break, I had a little time to finally add a few Best Picture Project pieces. Keep scrolling on the home page to read reviews of The Apartment (1960), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Rain Man (1988), Dances With Wolves (1990), Million Dollar Baby (2004), and 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Until August wraps, you can follow what I’m watching on Letterboxd and the site formerly known as Twitter

Photo credits: BØRNS, DYLA, The French Dispatch. All others IMDb.com.

[ftkd-arts]

Crystal Quin

My Nextgen is confusing these days. I think I'm recalling Scorpan from it, and changing the Twilight ship. My ships are changing a lot, alongside their children. Despite, I thought long and hard about Luster Dawn... Canon threw me a bone with this one, but I couldn't decide who would be her parents.

@lopoddityart threw her in as a Flashburst Nextgen, to WanderingPegasus Twilight and Sunburst were her parents, a majority in the fandom thought of Luster as a Sunlight kiddo... I liked Flashburst, Twiburst was cute, and I headcanon Starlight and Sunburst as stepsiblings.

Then this idea fell to me. At first, it was just Cadence, Shining, Flash and Sunny. I slowly thought to throw Sombra in later. These characters are what have their friends/family dubbed as the Crystal Quin.

Sunburst was quickly assigned to be Flurry Heart's nanny after her crystalling. He and the Crystal Couple grew close, as her ever-protective, tired caretakers. One night after the three had finally gotten Flurry to sleep, they all collapsed on each other. When they woke up, to their blushing surprise, the three were tangled in the married pair's bed. Their relationship took a swift turn. Shining Armor, Cadence and Sunburst kept the romance private from their subjects.

Flash Sentry was soon ordered as Flurry Heart's loyal bodyguard. They spent a lot of time together, nervously watching Flurry and taking care of the alicorn baby. Sunburst developed a crush.

His boyfriend and girlfriend encouraged Sunburst to ask him out. Hesitantly, Sunburst squeaked out the proposal to Flash. He accepted with a smile. Not knowing Flash's opinions of polyamorous herds, Sunburst left ShiningCadence, keeping their relationship under wraps from Flash Sentry.

After a few dates, Flash was his official boyfriend. Sunburst did fall in love with him (quite quickly), but at the same time, he dearly missed his former partners. Sunburst had to confess this to Flash.

Flash Sentry gave him a confused smirk and said, "Why can't you have all three of us?"

Long story short, Sunny had two boyfriends and a girlfriend. Cadence insisted they all hang out together for Sunburst's sake. Slowly but surely, the four fell in love.

And then Cadence found a shadowy figure traveling near the outskirts of the Empire. A frail and scrawny hornless Sombra, purged from the dark magic that craddled his mind, seeking shelter from the barren, icy wasteland. Cadence swooped down and took him back to the castle, under strict evolution from the Equestrian Princesses.

Princess Twilight and the foster child of Friendship, Cozy Glow, pleaded for Sombra's Reformation. Shining Armor was woefully against giving the evil Umbrum a chance to escape. Cadence was cautiously optimistic. Sunburst and Flash Sentry were divided with their stance on the matter. Before the two could make a choice, Celestia ordered for Sombra to be released, but kept under lock and key. She charged Cadence with Reforming the ancient King.

Cadence thought she was helping him. Sombra was genuinely ashamed for the things he had done. He took up extra community work around the Crystal Empire, forgoing sleep and eating in the name of being helpful or brooding in his dark depression. Slowly, the more time she spent consoling him, learning about his life and loneliness and guilt... The more she found herself surprised by his kindness. He warmed to her. She was the only creature he would smile for.

During this, Cadence saw Shining Armor less and less. Their interactions often ended in spats. Anytime the two weren't arguing, their words were filled with passive aggressiveness and tension. Boyfriends Sunburst and Flash Sentry were always on their hooves, running to get them to get along with no success.

Cadence grew frustrated of her husband not believing in her and her boyfriends urging her to see his point of view. That night, she sought comfort in her only friend. The only one on her side. Sombra.

She woke with him. Instantly, she raced to her partners and pulled them into a private room. Still dazed from the early morning, she confessed what she had done. The betrayal shocked them. Cadence begged for one of them to say something, to do anything.

Sunburst broke out into tears. Flash and Armor swept closer to him, Flash putting his wings around the orange unicorn and Shining stepping forward defensively when Cadence tried lending her hoof to Sunburst's face.

The five didn't talk for a few weeks. They lived together, ruled the empire, helped their subjects, took care of Flurry Heart... but all five kept their distance.

Until Cadence came up pregnant... with the child of Sombra.

Finally Shining broke, barging in to Sombra's confined bedchambers and screaming for a reason. At the very least, an apology. Sombra wouldn't give it. He should have believed in his wife's abilities, Sombra reasoned, or else she wouldn't have felt alone and caught feelings for him. He loved her, he said. Sombra didn't waver. Until the rest of them rushed in, and Cadence again awkwardly admitted that she was with child.

Cadence and Sombra entered a real relationship. Shining Armor was still her husband on the outside, but behind the closed doors of the castle, she loved Sombra, and Shiny loved being alone. Sunburst and Flash soon realized that their perfect little quad had died out. Hopeless, they resigned to being only each other's, and acted as Flurry Heart's parents in this time of frustration.

When Prince Valentinus Amor (meaning "Strong Love") was born, Cadence couldn't hide the truth from her subjects anymore. She declared that the child was Sombra's, and they would be raising the baby as a couple. (Disgruntled and disgusted, the Empire quietly sided with Shining Armor with little knowledge of what exactly had went down.)

With almost everything out in the open, Cadence and Shining readied the official divorce papers. Soon came the day when they had to sign it. They sat, alone together for the first time in months, waiting and meekly breathing... Until eventually, they fell, hugging one another and desperately sobbing.

Worried by the noise, Sombra, Sunburst and Sentry entered the room. Cadence wrapped the yellowish boys in her wings, rambling half-intelligible apologies, and Shining Armor and Sombra reluctantly talked things out. The night ended with the quin drunk, crying and in love again.

The Crystal Herd happily married, and soon opted to have a foal that was biologically the child of all of them. Thus, Princess Luster "Lucy" Dawn was born...

To Be Continued.

Here's some sketches of their designs I did before, in-between and after the poly drawing.

I buy into (@DeviantArt's) Eeelt's headcanon that Shining Armor has natural pink highlights in his blue mane and @lopoddityart ’s Lunacorn headcanon. I imagine Shining has golden flecks on his almost-all white body, the most prominent ones on his ears and shoulders. He has big fangs that are blunt, good for raw fruit and roots; a frugivore-looking horseboi.

Few bite-sized hcs; Shining Armor is shorter than both Cadence and Sombra, has ADHD, is dyslexic, goes alpha-male when family/friends are in danger, can hold a grudge for as long as he damn well pleases, is a lover of pastel, still Capt. of the Crystal Empire's Royal Guard, drag queen buddies with the Mane Six's brothers (drag names of "Orchard Blossom" for Mac, "Gleaming Shield" for Shiny, "Saphora Gale" for Zephyr), occasionally crossdresses, totally draws on his eyebrows, eight years older than Twi (he was a carefully planned pregnancy, while his kid sister was born due to a malfunction in their mom's birth control pills. Twilight wasn't planned, but after the initial shock and panic of a positive pregnancy spell, she was quickly welcomed as part of the family. after this Night Light got a vasectomy)

Flash Sentry is always running on black coffee, sleep deprivation and lust for eyeshadow, making his mane wild and his aura to give off an old rock band vibe. Is definitely a more relaxed, laid-back pony, a welcome source of casual advice for his children and partners. Shortest out of them all.

Sombra has a long snoot, and at the end of that snoot, rests his shaggy goatee. He also has sideburns, shaven sides, and a very messy manbun. Has bags under his eyes (much like Flash, he's an insomniac; you can find the pair cuddled up and reading when both are restless), wears gray eyeshadow, a red scarf, a sparkly tie for his bun, and golden horseshoes. He's simultaneously bulky and scrawny.

[highabovethecloudssomewhere]

tips/resources that taught me how to Art as an Adult - a masterlist

Four years ago I decided that “I’m too old to learn how to draw” is a pointless lie I’d believed for too long and you’re never too old to learn something new. I still definitely consider myself a novice and a learner but I’m at a very happy place with my art and I’m having a ton of fun so I thought I’d pass along the tips/resources that helped me get started and kept me motivated. 

I’ll get into resources under the cut, but here are personal tips I lined up for myself that helped during the early stages of frustration and wanting to give up. obviously they won’t work for everyone, but they really kept me going

fill 14 sketchbooks. if you still want to give up after that you can (I’m currently at 13 sketchbooks and could not imagine ever letting it go)

what specifically do you want to be able to draw? For me my goal has always been characters and cats. I’ve added things to it here and there, but starting out overwhelmed with how much you don’t know isn’t great. find a handful of things you really want to draw and see where it takes you.

get yourself a sketchbook fancy enough that you feel cool as heck but cheap enough that you don’t mind absolutely destroying it. Personally, I love EXCEED bullet journals. the dotted paper keeps me from being too picky but are less intrusive than lined paper. From my experience, EXCEED bullet journals takes acrylic and ink like a champ, and they’ve got nice covers that just make you “feel” cool. confidence is important!

acrylic paint and post-it notes are great ways to cover mistakes. I personally love anything that makes my sketchbooks feel “sketchbooky” so this is super fun. 

it is okay to “waste”/”ruin” pages. one time I was in “I’m a failure” artblock and so I poured black coffee onto my sketchbook. (it was gonna get dumped out anyway and I was Very frustrated with my art.) then when the pages dried I just kept right along using it. taught me a lot about not being perfect. sketchbooks are about learning and love, not about perfection.

try drawing in pen. seriously, draw in pen. it’s scary as frick to not be able to go back on mistakes but that’s what the post-it acrylic-paint tip is for, and it’ll help with all sorts of stuff like lineweight and line confidence. it takes some of the stress off too because, you screw up? oh well! Try again! it encourages “try again” over “meticulously nitpick until it’s perfect” and has done wonders for me. I started out my first two sketchbooks in pencil before making the switch and I’ve never gone back. 

(also sketching in highlighter and lining with pen is super fun and cool and satisfying!)

the first page doesn’t matter. I usually just use the first page of the sketchbook to write my favorite songs at the time and then do the same thing on the last page. first page jitters begone. 

(starting in the middle of the sketchbook also gets rid of those jitters pretty nicely. I tried this a couple times and personally still prefer the linear front-to-back but it was fun for a while.)

picking a color theme for your sketchbook can make it feel more “sketchbooky” too. I usually go with blue or orange- blue acrylic paint, blue post-it notes, those cheap blue BIC pens, etc. I like this bc it makes the sketchbook feel like a sketchbook and is very satisfying.

And figure out why you’re doing it. I did it because I always wanted to make cool art and draw my characters, but if you’re doing it for a career then obviously the path to that looks much different. Don’t compare yourself to others. Be inspired by people who are better than you. Acknowledge where you need to grow and where you’re strongest. Lean into those strengths. Adapt to those weaknesses. Be proud of being a beginner- you won’t be one for long. 

Now: some of my favorite creatives and resources!

///

CREATORS:

"Kasey Golden" Mostly traditional art, mostly watercolor, cartoonist, art challenges

"DrawingWiffWaffles" Mostly traditional art, alcohol markers & pens, semi-realism

"LavenderTowne" Digital art, art tips/tutorials, cartoonist

"ABD Illustrates" Digital art, speedpaints, semi-realism

"Proko" (or "Stan Prokopenko") Realism, anatomy tutorials, free complete "Anatomy For Artists" series- basically as hogwild as you can get learning hyper-realistic anatomy

"Ethan Becker" Digital art, ex-DreamWorks employee, tips/tutorials, "Perfect Practice"

"Sinix Design" Digital art, anatomy tips/tutorials, general tips/tutorials, realist

"Oliver's Antics" Digital and traditional art, tips/tutorials, speedpaints, semi-realistic style

“Nerdforge” Traditional art, painting, metalwork, woodwork, bookbinding, building, seriously these people do everything they’re incredible

///

FOR GESTURE DRAWING:

Line of Action Gesture drawing, figure drawing, optional timed practice sessions

AdorkaStock fantastic line of unique reference poses

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Aaand that’s about all I’ve got! there are so many resources out there and so many amazing artists to be inspired by. just have fun with art! art is freedom. be proud to be a beginner and be excited for how you’ll grow. I hope these tips are helpful for someone out there! <3 

Here’s my first digital artwork (April 2019) up against my latest (August 2022)

April 2019:

August 2022:

best of luck to you all. I believe in each and every one of you. <3 happy drawing!