#from a hobbyist tho

[i-bring-crack]

Chapter 12: Let Us Return

Ah ha ha ha ha ha

Oh HA HA HA HA HA

IM ALIVEEEEEEE

Hah

And here it thought I wouldn't make it, truly a sad fest for all, truly an unreasonable fest for all those who thought I would die! Those including my family but thats about it— ANYWAYS NEW CHAPTER~~

Hell yeh.

And I got not much to say about historical things now.

I do however got a new routine and some advice while doing my own scandalous research through internet. So I may share if anyone is interested.

BOOKS: okay I went too hard but yeah, if you want to make a setting in a historical setting, historical novels or books that actually tall about that setting is really good for you to learn from. In my case I got the books from Stephen Turnbull, especially that samurai sourcebook because it has content in which you can draw from and maybe get to know more about it. As for novels I used Taiko and Musashi, two historical novels made by Eiji Yoshikawa—but why? Why not only use the Turnbull books that give out true information on battle formation, lives of samurai and more? Why go to novels? Because.

Novels are important: Reading upon other's works and especially when that work comes from people who are of the same ethnicity or native to the place you are doing research on will help a lot, in this case it is also easy to find things that you probably need but can't find it anywhere, for example, I got stuck trying to find what kind of drinks normal people would drink, and the books for research I found would only tell me what the samurai ate. There is the internet sure but sometimes the information is found with no sources or links and you are just like? Do I trust it? Not? So instead of wasting time, you can go to your novel, find out a page in which talks about what they eat and bam, problem solved, and if you don't trust it then that's fine because now at least you have a point from where you can research from, instead of just going blindly to Google asking what kind of food the lower class ate in 1590, you can go asking when was <this> dish made, or when did <this> drink get introduced. Far easier, I recommend it alot.

YouTube and Wikipedia: I know, kill me later but hear me out first. No I'm not asking you to have all your sources from here, let's be honest that would be way too trusting and too difficult to draw your conclusions on em. What I am saying is, study upon the basis of which this time period was set on by taking a few summaries at hand, what happened here, who where the people that fought and why, what was their economy like, how where their battles like, stuff that will let you gather more knowledge about what the character will deal with and what could be their motives for doing this and that. It could also help for your characters to be based around real people and battles. Like I said before, I used Tokugawa Ieyasu as Kagaya's basis of character and Muzan as Oda Nobunaga because their characters seemed to fit with who they are cannonically. Tokugawa is smart but a tranquil and patient man, he knows when to draw out the line and how to truly negotiate as we see him do so for the las battle at Sekigahara, so the man whose entire lifeline has been waiting for centuries to take down a demon king will certainly have almost the same traits. Meanwhile Oda was ambitious, wanting to unify all of Japan under his control, and creating terror over his enemies while also being smart enough to break even the great defenses of the Takeda clan, along the fact that he was also an innovator taking in everyone who seemed useful to his side, so the Demon progenitor Muzan whose entire goal was based around finding the blue lily no matter the cost would fit him nicely. And then the rest fall on and fall on.

Learn the lenguage: if you have time that is, because something great about that is the fact there truly is no barriers to stop you from learning much more about the reality of what happened in that period. You get to read from the first hand account of historians who have studied this over the years and the mistranslations can't stop you because you know full well what it's meaning is now.

Trips: once again only if you can, and if you don't then looking at common people's life through YouTube can be helpful, the same with watching historical dramas, especially those once again made by the ones who speak the language and have studied more about the time period. In my case, instead of watching movies like The Last Samurai, I went for the recommendations of Akira Kurosawa's movies because 1) he Japanese, 2) great director, and 3) has done quite a lot of movies that centered around the sengoku period so he had been known for that. And in the end I quite enjoyed it seeing the choreographed fights which helped me write fighting styles better. I also got to notice some things in the background that made the story all the more lively [i.e. the onlookers, the streets of people, the large ricefields and farm fields they used to grow other things that weren't rice, the geography, the scenery, the fights oh boy the fights of peasants and bandits—Just go watch Seven Samurai if you are interested, it's a good oldie for a reason.]

This are just from a hobby perspective, It can help if you are trying to make essays or work for your actual classes, but I don't recommend it fully trusting all of my advice for big things like research papers. Except for that thing about books, they are good. There are other people with more helpful advices down there but if you want to go all out on making the story as accurate as you wish, this was my advice and what I used while also not having to rely on a lot of research papers because, let's be honest, reading all the time can be absolutely boring.

Finally a big thanks to @daneesoro for all those fanarts! Like seriously they are so cool and gorgeous, hope you like the next chapter cuz some of those images might have gotten my brain inspired hehe :3 Yall can check em out here, here and here.

[welcometogrouchland]

I understand that literature nerd Jason Todd is kind of overblown in fanon compared to it's actual presence in canon (a few issues during his pre (and post?)crisis Robin tenure that highlight it) BUT consider that I think it's hilarious if the unhinged gun toting criminal has strong opinions on poetry

[godofsmallthings]

Which film camera do you have bestie? I'm looking for recs skdjskjd

i believe it's a nikon fm10! it was my parents' old camera from the 90s but i haven't really used it much since it has some issues with the light meter and the dial that tells you how many pictures you have left (idk what it's called lol), so definitely not the person to get recs from. i know a couple of my friends that shoot film really like cameras that are partially digital, so that might be a good place to start if you're just transitioning over. posting this in case anyone has any recs for anon or me!

[sanchoyo]

prob won’t get to watch more arc v until the middle of the week at the soonest so I’m holding back my in depth thoughts on the eps I watched last night until I have time to type more and think on it more but like. Can I just say.

If I learned there were alternative dimensional versions of me and I got called the ‘standard’ one I’d be SOOO mad. You mean there’s a cooler version of me that can duel on motorcycles and I have to do it on foot like some kind of fucking normie? A cooler emo version of me? And an evil version who has cuter eyebrows?? Dude I’d be so so so mad if I was yuya he’s basically the default character in a game before u unlock the cooler customizations 😭

[beeseverywhen]

I just think that if someone's paying their rent and they are using the land you rent to them for its intended purpose (growing food and flowers for my households use) what does it fucking matter how they do it. Like please. What is the point. Chill the fuck out

[saintjosie]

i’m not humble bragging when i say im pretty and passing. i’m hot as fuck.

when i brag, i brag with my whole chest, and i don’t do it often. so let me brag for a minute.

i am an excellent photographer and i worked in professional photography and videography for almost a decade and have traveled all around the world to do so. left image taken in milan, right image taken in thailand.

i hold one of the top scores on rush pinball on record. 25th in the world last i checked and i got this score five months after picking up pinball.

i try new hobbies all the time and almost always pick them up at an insane speed. on the left, first time painting since high school on the right, first acrylic pour.

after two weeks learning archery, i shot a regulation 140, better than many hobbyists do after shooting for years. image taken from my first day of shooting and shooting at full range.

i’ve dabbled in makeup art. this was after three weeks of learning how to do eye shadow.

i can sing, play guitar, bass, piano, drums, can improvise on all of them except piano and i write, produce, mix, and master all of my own music. i started learning music production four years ago from online videos and have 100s of thousands of streams and am working on a full album. this was my spotify wrapped for 2023.

other miscellaneous things

i have a masters degree

i learned how to lockpick in seven minutes

i’ve been world top 500 demon hunter in diablo 3 multiple times

i cleared slay the spire on my first run

i have cleared every song on guitar hero 2 and 3 on expert 100% (yes even through the fire and flames), and could clear more than half of them either blindfolded, left-handed, or both. (not anymore tho lol)

i taught myself how to cook, i make up my own recipes frequently, i can improvise recipes using whatever is lying around, i can guess how to make a recipe without looking it up, and many people have told me that my cooking is the best thing they’ve ever eaten.

i took a data science bootcamp and then worked at a fortune 500 tech company for several years and i also turned down job offers from google twice.

strangers regularly come up to me and tell me i’m unrealistically gorgeous and that i have the best skin they’ve ever seen.

i’ve turned down several men in the mainstream music industry who tried to slide into my dms

oh and i can dance at bars, have a good time, AND look sexy while doing it.

so like 🤷‍♀️

[sexhaver]

In my niche kink/fetish community the "kink can be not sexual" people are using it to justify why they want to write about doing it with kids, or more disgustingly, talking abt it to kids. (bc theyre pedos). They make "nsfw dni!!" blogs where they use exact kink lingo and imagery, but somehow it's "sfw". (and minors are welcome to interact, if course). Also sometimes they want to post abt being into incest but not catch any heat from people weirded out by it. I don't really know why other people claim that tho.

tbh i feel like this specific flavor of "sfw kink" discourse that you're describing is mostly endemic to online communities centered around fantasies that aren't really possible to act out irl, like inflation and vore. since they're fantasies, they're also much harder to participate in non-hornily, since the only way to participate in the scene is to... fantasize about it, which, like, im not saying it's impossible to spend hours each day thinking about getting eaten or stepped on or blown up like a tire in a non-horny way, but i am saying it's happened maybe a dozen times ever in history. then you mix in the standard "inviting minors to discord to DM them about sexual stuff while telling them it's not sexual and they're so mature for their age" playbook and stuff ends predictably.

what's more interesting to me are the people making this claim about irl community spaces like the oft-bandied-about "nonsexual BDSM parties" or "platonic shibari" or what have you. setting aside for a moment the logistical issues with ensuring that everyone at these events is on the same page wrt the horniness (see that anon i got the other day about someone who gets aroused by BDSM tying up people who want it to be "nonsexual"), specifically referring to these meetups as "kinky" instead of "hobbyist" despite the nominal absence of sexual arousal gives me the exact same vibes as those pole-dancing fitness classes that try to separate themselves from the existence of strippers (NO I AM NOT SAYING POLE-DANCING IS A KINK). they want to have their cake (calling themselves "kinky"/having the allure of being Sexually Deviant) and eat it too (make sure everyone knows they aren't actually horny about it unlike those devious Sex Perverts who are just trying to get off)

[potato-lord-but-not]

Just wanna say that it's a little ridiculous how these anons are treating you like a corporation required to hit a quota of girliepops vs malewives. On pride month too. In all seriousness, I hope you don't feel pressured to draw whatever you don't want to. You're just a hobbyist artist and it's upsetting seeing people treating you poorly and demanding content from you. Sincerely - a girliepop who also draws malewives

I mean I would like to draw women more just in general! But that’s a personal thing I’ve been meaning to do for a bit. Sometimes I take it a bit personally just cus I get into that “content creator” headspace instead of the “guy who draws” one. Other than that tho I definitely don’t feel pressured ! I just think it’s hilarious that they seem to think I’ve never drawn a woman before in my life lmao

[psshaw]

You have been one of the most unapologetically yourself artists Ive come across and I dont mean that in the cliche way I mean like... your idiosyncrasies seem particularly unstifled. Your art is purely yourself and the mainstream isnt gonna go for it but the audience you do speak to gets to feel like an alien finding someone else from their homeland. AI image gen feels like a beautiful cake with flowery frosting and when you cut into it its actually frosting all the way down and has nothing of substance. I obviously can speak only in metaphors lol so I just wanted to say I appreciate reading your thoughts on AI and tho I feel strongly abt it I have a hard time putting exacting words to what about it is so worrying to me. As an artist it energizes me when I see artists who are wildly unique and expressing themselves without a care to their skill limitations or personal strangenesses (read: mainstream unmarketability). Manga artist ONE and his charming and funky style is a great example. Anyway I love your thoughts and wanted to say thanks and also throw words at you

FUCKIGN DAMN DUDE, ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME CRY? Why is the weather getting misty on my face specifically. Thank you. My most contentious trait is that I keep forgetting to care what people want from me.

It's really interesting following people who are very honest but more mathy than me, because the way they talk about art and AI lately has gotten... increasingly callous. Even bitter. It's partly justified, because artists tend to suck at defending themselves charismatically. ("AI art isn't real art"; the "AI can't do hands" thing was always destined to age badly) But also, I can't stand the sheer selfishness of people who claim to be rational but don't seem know how to investigate what art at its best is for and why they view it the way they do. When I read "AI is great for hobbyists" I'm like. 95% of the time, I'M A HOBBYIST... I would never generate a script, or music... javascript maybe, but I'd feel guilty about it... but the excitement? I think some guys are just looking to suckle on a feeding tube. Cos they were done a disservice by thinking they had to stop visual art after fingerpainting!

I don't think AI NEVER has substance, but the type of person who gets excited about AI doesn't tend to do interesting things with it. And what really bothers me is that I can never tell exactly WHAT they did, versus how much was a coin flip. This is useless for understanding your voice as an artist. I don't care to see more by you.

ONE is a perfect example. His style MAKES that story. The manga and the anime feel so different. That's why I hate when people say that hating AI is discriminating against people who can't draw, cos like... if you can't make something intentional and real without using what's functionally a search engine, why would I believe you're having ideas worth the cliche conceptartdotcom overrendered AI polish at all? Not to be a dick, but like. In terms of rate of return on my attention investment, so far I'd do better by sitting at a craps table.

[insertsomthinawesome]

Sorry if this doesn’t make sense but how do you… art? Like from looking at your art, there’s just so many different fandoms and it’s all fantastic!! How do you not stick to one or feel like you *have* to stick to one? Sorry

Aw Friend! No need to apologize! :D You asked your question plenty politely! That's a really interesting question actually, and I'm fascinated to be asked it! Because I actually do know the kinda thing you're talking about! or at least I have experiences that feel like they line up with what you're asking. A lot of its... growing up? I guess? And not in the sense of like. becoming an adult. but the non-stop process of growing and learning more about life. When I was younger, an actual child, I just Did it. I drew whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I didn't question hoping to a new interest or drawing different fandoms. I just did it. But the older you get the more complicated a lot of things get right? 😔 That was true for me.

I actually spent several years terrified, of moving on. Of leaving old fandoms behind. There was one fandom I actually forced myself not to leave for like... 2 years? Because I was afraid of all the projects I wouldn't complete, all the stories I wouldn't tell, all the art i wouldn't make. But honestly that was a horrible decision? It burnt me out of the specific fandom SO BADLY. Its only been around this last year that I've been able to enjoy things around it again without an overhanging shadow of stress.

I was still scared to fandom hop after that incident tho. Despite having gotten burned by caving to my own fears. It wasn't until I got into Trigun that I actually started to get less scared. A friend I met in that fandom, someone who was older than me, told me that... things have a way of coming back around. If you know the song "Everything Stays" From Adventure time? She said it was like that song. You will inevitably get older. But these things won't be gone. And you can always come back to them :) That clicked in my brain... and it took a bit longer, a bit more time of accepting that fact for me to find peace... but honestly? I kinda have now. At least for this moment in time. I wouldn't be surprised if the fear comes back around again, fear is funny and insidious like that. But I have the tools to beat it now :) The other two things I would mention are these: For starters: this might be obvious? But I'm a hobbyist artist. I don't make money off of my art, I don't sell it, I don't need numbers or clout in order to pay my bills. I'm completely free to do my own thing! Ain't nothing wrong with making a living off of your artwork and if that's the path that you want to walk GO FOR IT. But that path does have its own challenges. Because I don't walk that path, I am free to make whatever I want, without worrying about how it might reflect on my finances. The other thing is...

PERFECTIONISM...

THIS, NASTY LITTLE VILE COCKROACH, WILL RUIN YOUR ART LIFE SO BADLY ITS INSANE. It will ruin your NORMAL life super fast too 😔 it is an insidious little shoulder devil telling you, that you will be happier if you just do it the "perfect" way. IT IS SO SO SO SO SO SO WRONG. That is the key to the door of endless procrastination and broken dreams. SFLJSLF to get less metaphorical about it though: If you're always waiting for the perfect moment to make art for a fandom, to leave a fandom, to join a fandom (in this case i just mean "Get into the thing that interests you" when I say "Fandom") or create literally anything, you will be waiting forever. I know because i have been :') And its made it very hard to draw both in my past, and right now this very day.

Truthfully i'm still working on that one??? I've had some epiphanies recently that have helped a lot with my perfectionism... but I haven't tried drawing since having them? (drowning in the new Honkai Star Rail Patch WHEEZE) So uh. Not sure If I'm over that hill yet xD But yeah, if that's one piece of advice i could give you to take seriously, its don't chase perfection, in ANYTHING. Especially art. It will never be enough for you. And if you're doing it for other people, it will never be enough for them. Art is wonderful and messy, and human. And that is okay.

Its taken me a lot of soul diving and thinking and a lot of help from outside influence and kind people for me to figure this stuff out too. So don't feel bad to ask for help kay? We all need help. A lot xD I'm still not like, the king this stuff either. There are a lot of smaller, more niche, fandoms, I want to draw for, but still haven't, because of my own anxiety and embarrassment. There are fandoms I haven't drawn for because I don't feel like i have the adequate amount of information to be, ""allowed"" too (which is totally a fake standard btw, there is no barrier to entry for when you're "allowed" to draw something). I'm working on these problems every day.

Oh actually one last note: People can influence how hard it is for you to draw for a bunch of fandoms too. If you know you'll get made fun of for drawing something, its hard to draw. If you know you'll get praised for drawing something, sometimes that makes it easier to draw. Both of those things can mess you up BAD. Constantly drawing for other people (when its not a deliberate gift) can make you feel really upset and angry, and dissonant with your artwork.

But it can be equally as hard to realize nobody will share your enthusiasm if you don't draw what they like. That's not a judgement against anybody's friendships, we all got our own interests, and nobody can be 100% Invested in everything their friends enjoy. But It can make it a bit more emotionally challenging sometimes. And it can be hard to like?? Emotionally deal with that? in a way it makes art that you know will perform well, either with your friend group or online, like... "Candy". Its tastes good, but it doesn't give you long term energy (ie there's nothing wrong with it, but its not sustainable as your only form of sustenance) Meanwhile making art that is purely self indulgent is like eating a full and healthy meal. It gives you that long term energy of personal satisfaction, and your enjoyment and happiness also doesn't inherently hinge on whether or not other people appreciate it like you do. Obviously there's no issue if what you genuinely want to draw would also do well online/with your friends!

ANYWAYS, yeah, I'm still maturing and learning and growing with a lot of my opinions and perspectives and emotions on this stuff? Its definitely easier said than done, and while from the outside it looks effortless... I understand why you'd be struggling anon. I hope you can figure it out for yourself too! Best of luck :D also i could go on and on and on about this topic for years because alsjdfaksjdflJSDJGSD ooohhhhhhh boy I have learned and witnessed and thought many a thunk.

[deepseametro]

let me start with that i’m coming from the ai post but with zero disagreement with your point and not even asking about ai, one of your comments just made me think about something i wanted to ask your take on. i agree that designing your stuff and having it sent off to be manufactured is by definition bourgeois, but it does make me wonder about people who have day jobs where they work for a wage but do that kind of thing as a side gig and how one would analyze their class position. also, since you mentioned hand painted stuff, is that meaningfully distinct from having a print shop do the final step? would i not also be profiting off the labor of the people who made the canvas and paints that i use the do the hand painting? i don’t mean this in a defensive way to be clear, i get that you are identifying the position of certain activities wrt production and not saying it’s evil to sell something you made using things you bought at michaels or to have your work up on inprnt or whatever LOL it’s just something i had never really thought about so i’m curious (also doesn’t affect me personally, i don’t monetize my art hobby. i just do know people who do). i realize that there’s absolutely no way people haven’t already written about this kind of thing because it’s not unique to the sphere of hobbyist artists on the internet, so i totally understand if you are disinclined to answer and will also do some digging myself.

i mean the fact is people have been debating this exact thing for a while i think lol. theres a reason some people dont think "petite bourgeoise" is a helpful term At All! (i disagree but ymmv).

i think there is a meaningful difference here though between "selling the fruits of somebody elses labor" and "buying tools" - like, mechanics arent bourgeoise because somebody else made their wrenches, yknow? everything comes from somewhere else on the supply chain and that cant rly be helped. to me the distinction is about what youre actually selling - i'm not buying the labor of canvas-makers to sell my paintings, yknow? but i am buying the labor of t-shirt makers or print makers when i sell those things (even though your own labor was also involved).

as for having a wage job AND doingthis on a side - idk. i think personally id still classify them as proletariat with bourgeoise aspirations, but it would really depend on like.... how big an operation we're talking. like, what makes the most sense to classify somebodys class position as for analysis, yknow? or honestly, maybe id just classify them depending on what we're discussing - proletariat when the topic is wage labor, other when its not. it rly comes down to whats the most useful and sensible way to describe somebodys class position in the context yr discussing it. i think ultimately tho if somebodys primary source of income is wage labor, theyre proletariat for the point of analysis.

[dabookgoblin]

I don't say this to start fights or anything, but I've been watching a lot of booktube videos lately by creators I'm new to and I've been hearing a lot of the same complaints-- and MAYBE this is bc I honestly haven't been on top of the latest releases (in my niche or outside) the past two-ish years-- but every time I hear people talking about how samey publishing is, in particular for the romantasy and romance genres... I feel like it's bc none of y'all complaining are actively reading as diversely as you pretend to be.

I read queer fiction/sci-fi/fantasy almost exclusively and there is a lot of diversity in that genre (tho it is a niche not without its own criticisms) I see people who read a lot of these 'book-tok darlings' that are all these cis-het allo-normative books by (predominantly) cis white women and then complain how everybody is "using the same tropes" "every romantasy is just a SJM clone" "romance books are just thinly veiled erotica anymore" and how even the online book community/creators all fall into the same ruts and like, BABES. YOU ARE LITERALLY READING ALL FROM THE SAME POT.

I'm in the community, I read a lot and often, I was even on (queer) booktok and my experience could not be any different. If you just went out of your way to follow people that promoted and read things that are different LO AND BEHOLD they often don't fall into a lot of these issues and complaints???? Like at all?

I'll be listening to these people vent and even tho they talking about books and the community I feel like I'm only allegedly in at this point, it always feels like finding one of those rant/gossip videos from some niche potting hobbyist community you've never even heard of.

IDK, I want to hear what other people think.

[marinesocks]

writeblr intro!!

hi hi!! i'm helena/danger (she/her) and i'm new to tumblr but i saw a bunch of people doing writeblr introductions and wanted to join in!! i'm a bit shy when it comes to reaching out but if you interact with me at all i will like. 100% respond!!! ok here goes!!

about me

i am a:

adult,

lesbian,

ADD haver,

third culture kid,

hobbyist reader,

psych major,

avid dog enthusiast,

wannabe artist,

horror movie fan,

ecology nerd,

and, as you might have guessed,

a writer!!

i'm not incredible at it but for some reason i cant stop doing it so here i am!!

favorite genres/niches

fantasy mostly!!!

i like to think i like plot but honestly i'll like anything if the characters are good enough

HUGE mythology and folktale fan!! i have very strong opinions on how to incorporate those into a novel tho, so only ask about that if you dare!!

surprise creepy concepts and crapsaccharine worlds are like my favorite of all time. i 100% support lying about the contents of a project to keep that twist extra shocking!!

romcoms might not be my favorite but im a sucker for cute couples, especially if they are LGBTQ+

psychological horror is excellent, one of my favorites (even if i'd never dare to write it)

depictions and representations of mental health is probably the thing that's most consistent throughout my work? maybe its just the psych major talking but i find that stuff endlessly fascinating

i've lived in various places overseas for most of my life, so i enjoy stories set in unique locations absolutely DRENCHED in culture!!

current projects

i feel a bit awkward sharing these because again, i'm not a great writer, but i like reading about other writeblr's projects so i figured i'd give other people the option of seeing mine! warning for pretentious titles for very straightforward and basic concepts

WIP - flowers that mean "we'd miss you" - a short story I wrote while testing out subtext, character dynamics and prose!! the basic run-down is that a boy wakes up in the hospital and now he and his friends have to navigate a very difficult conversation. the subject matter definitely requires a content warning, and it has a few gaps i still need to fill, but overall i really like the direction it's headed!! out of all of these projects, it's probably the one i have the least issues with.

in the ataraxis of aftermath - this one is a novel i wrote for NaNoWriMo 2020! it is post-apocalyptic with elements of fantasy, slice-of-life, and romance, specifically lgbtq+ romance. it's about a girl exploring what remains of her flooded city when she suddenly finds another survivor. despite the genre, this novel is very slow-paced and calm, relying more on the character dynamics and emotional journey of the protagonist instead of traditional story beats and plotlines!! i finished the whole first draft that november (and without any real outline to guide me, so altogether it's a bit of a mess), and i plan on rewriting it after i finish the two following projects!!

WIP - the owl's wish - originally intended as a short story for just a friend and i, this project is quickly expanding into a full-on novel!! it's a haikyuu!! fanfic, but i've been told that the story is well enough removed from the show that it can work even if you don't that context. the only summary i can give without spoilers is that it's about an owl spirit with amnesia who finds a friend, and together they set off to get their wishes granted by the mysterious Lady of the Yellow Springs (but it's about more than that, i promise ;) ). it's set in ancient japan, and i referenced a few traditional fairytales when drawing up the outline, but otherwise it's a completely original folktale that can hopefully be accessible to anyone who picks it up!!

WIP - currently titled ouroboros paradox - this is a novel i am currently plotting, so honestly i'm not so sure how much i can say!! this is a fantasy novel coming from my intense passion for large creatures, horror elements, and norse mythology. as far as i know now, the story will follow two protagonists in the city of jörmungandr - one from the past and one in the present - as they try to navigate life, religion and ethics in a world where murdering living beings lengthens your lifespan. i plan on finishing my outline before this november, so i can try to hit 50K for nanowrimo this year!!

where to find me

Instagram, Wattpad, Art Fight, AO3, & Toyhouse! If you would like to read my writing but don't have a Wattpad account, i've linked the google docs directly to the titles :)

and that should be it!! if you read this far imagine i am giving you a very firm handshake with very watery eyes. if you'd like to reach out, ask questions, or share some of your story tidbits with me, please do!! i'd be so happy to reciprocate however you'd like :) have a great day!! drink some water!!!

[sombersaturn]

Introducing: Will Wünder! 2/4 of my OCs and the perspective protagonist!

I'm posting the characters in no particular order tbh

- He's the new kid in town with a (former) interest in horror, the paranormal and strange. Has since distanced himself from it due to personal trauma from which he gained the scar from

- 17 years old and 6'2, people think he's older though due to his raspy, nearly unused voice making him sound older than he is

- Writer and hobbyist true crime researcher (likewise as above, now distanced from it)

- Has little willingness to make new connections at his school after being homeschooled for over a year, but that doesn't stop the plot from crashing into his life

-Afro-Colombian with a 1/4 German in him (just in case you wanna know where that last name came from)

- Wears makeup often to lessen the attention to himself. He despises attention and his scar doesn't help (he gets more confident tho dw your little baby head, darling). Also his hair is dyed white for the purposes of this illustration only his natural hair is black!

Here's a playlist that is a mix of his vibes and what he would actually listen to!

[duplicityvn]

10 Character Facts ::

Just to break up all the updates, I thought I'd share 10 facts each about the characters I've already shown! (❁´◡`❁)

Griffin Wells:

🔹Was adopted from overseas

🔹Has a natural charisma that makes people like him

🔹Is a hobbyist photographer, but he has made money from doing shoots of other things (like weddings and stuff)

🔹Works as a pharmacy tech, but isn't really interested in becoming a pharmacist

🔹Definitely uses his job to drug you

🔹Has an irrational hate over seltzer water (for lore-specific reasons actually lmfao)

🔹Always wears the locket in his ref, even when showering--it hasn't been opened in years tho

🔹Hates watching TV or movies, just will not ever.

🔹Big romantic uwu

🔹Lies about everything. Everything.

Nina Ironheart:

🔻Native American/Indigenous!

🔻Has 2 younger sisters that she raised

🔻Did so well as a model that she became a fashion influencer on the internet

🔻If you betray her trust, there's no second chances, she's completely done

🔻Will stick up for you and her other friends and sisters, but has trouble sticking up for herself

🔻Competed in Youth fancy dancing in her early-mid teens

🔻Absolutely loves cats, but is super allergic, actively has to have people restrain her from holding a kitty

🔻She latched onto you as your best friend (her words) when you were entering high school, and later she was the one that 'adopted' Tris into the friend group

🔻Graduated valedictorian to prove her parents and everyone else wrong, but didn't feel like taking it further, and had the opportunity to model

🔻Has the best ghost stories!

Tris Solis:

🔸Wealthy, rich spoiled kid, this hasn't changed

🔸Still an asshole, but mostly to people he doesn't know

🔸Fucking spoils the shit out of you, and won't take no when it comes to giving you gifts (certified lovebomber fff)

🔸Hated Nina at first but wanted to be your friend, so he grinned and bared it until she eventually started growing on him

🔸Also danced competitively, but a different category of dancing

🔸More of a general fact, but the Solis family is responsible for 90% of technology developed and used in Rosemuth

🔸Throws money at things instead of fixing them (like he'll buy a new phone if it cracked instead of fixing the screen)

🔸Loves the color yellow

🔸Likes animals, but doesn't want pets ever

🔸His full name is actually Tristan Solis Buenaventura, following the Spanish format of First, Father's Last, Mother's Last.

[starrysharks]

OK, first-time follower and asking a question, but from what I see, you use ibispaint X how many layers do you have and for what?, Does drawing take forever for you??, Last question, but I'm trying to get into digital drawing. I'm a first time drawer but I wanted to ask how does someone professional like you draw??ps LoVe your art!!

when it comes to ibispaint x the amount of layers really depends on the art being made. for small colored character sketches, it's usually just 5-7 layers - for example, the bella pavona illustration i posted yesterday is 6 layers, one of which is a ref image.

meanwhile for larger pieces and illustrations the layer count ticks up significantly. this recent comm for example was 43 layers, tho around 4 of those were ref images.

drawing doesn't really take forever for me. once again it depends on the piece. the bella illustration for example only took 2hrs, and other character sketches can take even less time (around 30minutes) especially when i'm not designing the character in real time as i draw. meanwhile that full illustration took nearly 14hrs, and one comm that i can't release right now took around 24hrs! so it all depends on scale.

also, i'm not a professional AT ALL!!! i have zero understanding of non-cartoon anatomy, could not draw a realistic person if there was a gun to my head, and have no experience with any other art program save for ibispaint and MSpaint. i just happen to like drawing and take 3D art in school. i wouldn't consider myself a hobbyist tho. i draw for fun the most, and to build a portfolio for myself in the future. i draw just like any other digital artist really, though my art is cell shaded unlike other people who have far more detailed styles (if that makes sense). digital drawing is super fun once you've gotten the hang of it, so i hope this helps you out!