#hope this helps anon :) Thanks again!

[sasanka-27]

The oil under Impala mystery 🔍✨

(Inspired by the lady with expert wife tips from tiktok)

[kiruamon]

*Picks moon up bridal style and just walks away with him.*

Well, let's see how this goes.

Step 1. Picking up Moon. Yes, yes, this is looking good so far.

Step 2. Walking a- Oh. Hmmm... not sure what this lovely smile is telling us.

Step 2. Walking away. Stealing Anon. Looks like Moon is pulling the uno reverse card on you.

[sinsydia]

Your art makes me really motivated to continue drawing — was in but of a slump but looking through your page and anatomy skills made me wanna be better and improve <3 ty for being u

YES PLEASE CONTINUE! whenever im in a slump i just do anatomy studies. Or whatever i think i need work on! Please reach out to me if you ever want to talk about art!

Also im glad my drawings have motivated you to draw! Thats freaking awesome. 🖤🖤🖤 your little anon message helped motivate me to draw too!

[batbabydamian]

Hey, I started reading Robin son of Batman because of your recommendation (I literally have a print of your post on my phone to not forget lol). Honestly? One of the best things I ever read!!!

Thank you for opening my eyes! Damian has been one of my favorite characters for over a year, but I didn't read/watch much of him because of school, life (and probably an executive dysfunction in the mix).

Maya is incredible. I loved her.

I haven't finished all the issues yet, but do you have any other recommendations?

WAH this makes me so happy, i'm glad you still gave it a shot even with how busy life is!! ;v;

i’d love to give reccs, and i’ll try to go a beginner friendly route! tbh you can pick up whatever here, but since you've read R:SOB i’d immediately follow up with Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8! this first arc is what’s referred to in Maya’s introduction, and it's just. so good.

Main Books

Batman and Robin (2009)

Dick as Batman with Damian as his Robin!

#20-22 Tree of Blood: Dark Knight vs White Knight arc is done by Tomasi and Gleason, the team for the next Batman and Robin series

*Batman and Robin (2011)

Bruce and Damian figuring out their relationship as both Batman & Robin and father & son

imo you can enjoy the ride and read straight through this but i’ll add context to avoid as much confusion as possible since there’s the occasional tie-in or offscreen events, like Damian’s death nbd

Batman Incorporated (2012) #1-10

events leading to Damian's death - affects Batman and Robin (2011) from issue #18

kind of a tough read especially with how Talia's written, but a lot of iconic bits like Batcow, Damian's vegetarian declaration, Alfred the cat, "We Were the Best, Richard."

Robin (2021)

another self-discovery adventure, particularly after Alfred’s death and a fallout with Bruce (and questionable writing choices from his last Teen Titans run)

Batman and Robin (2023)

currently ongoing! after a number of events, Bruce and Damian are back as a duo

Damian Dynamics!

Batman: Streets of Gotham (2009) #7, 10-12

arc where Damian meets one of his first Gotham friends, Colin Wilkes

Batgirl (2009) #5-7, #17

Steph and Damian dynamic! "the bad cop, worse cop" dysfunctional duo

Red Robin (2009) #13-14

early Tim and Damian dynamic that of course includes fighting haha. funny enough, accidentally my first intro to Damian LOL

Teen Titans (2003) #89-92

Dick!Batman has Damian join the Teen Titans. Start of Damian and Rose Wilson dynamic that’s extended in Robin (2021)

Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)

Damian meets Cass and has a brief team up

Gotham Academy (2015) #7

Damian meets Maps Mizoguchi! they have a few other meetings, but outside of that the series itself is a great read!

Robin War Event (2015)

Robin War (2015) #1, Grayson (2014) #15, Detective Comics (2011) #47, We Are Robin (2015) #7, Robin: Son of Batman (2015) #7, Robin War (2015) #2

Duke and Damian dynamic! not exactly beginner friendly but these are the main issues in order for the event! you can also read the TPB version for everything including Tie-Ins

Nightwing (2016) #16-20, #42, #43

#16-20 Nightwing and Robin arc!

#42 Dick on a mission to save Damian! the one appearance of "Wiggles" the dragon

#43 Dick, Roy, and Damian team-up

New Talent Showcase 2018 "Catwoman: Pedigree"

Selina, Damian, and Alfred the cat

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding - Robin vs. Ra's Al Ghul (2018)

Selina, Damian, and Cheese Viking - Damian's fav game shown in Nightwing: Rebirth (2016)

Monkey Prince (2022) #1-4

Marcus Sun Shugel-Shen's main comic, but Damian features as a fun dynamic here before they're in more serious circumstances in Batman VS Robin (2022)/Lazarus Planet event

Superman (2016) #10 - 11

the beginning of the Super Sons! featuring Maya!

Super Sons (2017)

solitary arcs but there’s a few event tie-in issues later

Adventures of the Super Sons (2018)

literally more Super Sons adventures lol galactic shenanigans yeehaw

Challenge of the Super Sons (2020) 

Super Sons time shenanigans feat. the Justice League

Robin 80th Anniversary (2020)

"Boy Wonders" - brief Damian feature as Tim considers his next step in life

"My Best Friend" - Jon's thoughts on Damian and their dynamic

"Bat and Mouse" - refers to Damian's unfortunate Teen Titans (2016) run at the time of release which follows up with Teen Titans Annual #2 where Damian briefly gives up Robin

Extra Comics!

Superman/Batman (2003) #77

Kara and Damian in a Halloween team-up! also the appearance of "Li'l Matches" lol

DCU Halloween Special '09 "Cavity Search"

Damian out on a solo mission for Halloween night. Immediately after is Tim's Red Robin story "Then and Now: Our Father's Sins" which is more somber in contrast but also a good read!

DCU Halloween Special 2010 "Robin the Vampire Slayer"

a Dick!Batman and Robin story featuring the vampire Andrew Bennett

Cursed Comics Cavalcade (2018) "The Devil You Know"

Halloween themed comic with a sweet short story of Damian alongside Solomon Grundy

DC's Terrors Through Time (2022)

"Trick or Treat" a Super Sons Halloween story

"The Haunting of Wayne Manor" Damian and Deadman story - in the end, Boston kinda refers to Nezha's possession of Damian in Batman VS Robin (2022) which was happening at the time of this release

Batman: Li'l Gotham (2013)

lighthearted series that instantly makes me smile with the silliness and Dustin Nguyen’s art i love this dearly

Secret Origins (2014) #4 "A Boy's Life"

a retelling of Damian's origin story

Detective Comics (2016) #1001-1005

Batman and Robin vs the Arkham Knight (unrelated to the game)

Truth & Justice (2021) #6/#16 - 18 Digital First version

cute story of Damian’s birthday! Juni Ba’s art is so fun!!

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration (2021) “Special Delivery”

short story about Damian! and poisoned pizzas. completely forgot the artist Sami Basri drew Rebirth Damian here before catboy Damian lol Cass’s story “Sounds” is also cute! Marcus makes his first appearance in "The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes"

DC VS Vampires (2021)

Damian makes appearances throughout this elseworlds book, but the one-shot DC VS Vampires: Hunters (2022) is vampire Damian-centric!

Batman: Black and White (2021) #5

“Father & Son Outing” short story written and drawn by Jorge Jimenez!

Batman: Urban Legends (2021) #20-23

#20 “My Son” Talia and Bruce focus

#20 - 23 “The Murder Club” 4 Parts

Tiny Titans (2008) #33, #39, #45, #47

a few appearances but SO CUTE, LOOK AT HIM

*Batman and Robin (2011) reading guide

i'm mostly trying to avoid the "what did i just walk in on?" kinda feeling when i first started reading comics LOL i'll list the comics where events take place, but you don't necessarily have to read them to go through this book since things are usually explained as quickly as possible in the first page or so

#0 Someday Never Comes

Talia and baby Damian before he grows up to meet Bruce

#1-8 Born to Kill

just an incredibly solid arc for Bruce and Damian!

#9 Court of Owls Tie-In Issue

Damian VS a Court of Owls Talon. While Bruce is occupied with a home invasion of Talons, Alfred makes a call for allies to protect targeted Gotham public figures from Talons. During Batman (2011) #1-11

#10-12 Terminus

Damian challenges the previous Robins sans Steph

Batman Incorporated (2012) is occurring at this time where Talia has placed a bounty on Damian and there's small mentions of that

#13-14 Eclipsed/Devoured

mostly solitary arc! end of it leads into the Death of the Family event

#15-16 Death of the Family Tie-In Issues

Damian and Joker face-off... Alfred's been kidnapped by the Joker, and Damian goes looking for him. During Batman (2011) #13-17

#17 Life is but a Dream - Death of the Family Epilogue

a sort of subconscious check-in through the dreams of Damian, Alfred, and Bruce. Nightwing (2011) #17 features Damian encouraging Dick after Death of the Family events

#18 Undone "Requiem"

Bruce dealing with Damian's death from Batman Incorporated #8

other reactions to Damian's death: Dick in Nightwing (2011) #18, Tim in Teen Titans (2011) #18

#19-23 Denial, Rage, The Bargain, Despair, Acceptance

Bruce through the stages of grief with some batfam appearances in each. also introduces Carrie Kelley into continuity as Damian's acting tutor.

Batman (2011) #19-20 also addresses Bruce's loss

#23.1-23.4

these could be skipped - villain stories, also related to Forever Evil event.

#24-28 The Big Burn

optional Batman and Two-Face/Harvey Dent arc, #23.1 is part of this story!

Damian's resurrection and return

#29-32 The Hunt for Robin

Ras took Talia and Damian's bodies from their graves, and Bruce goes after him.

-> Robin Rises: Omega

continues events from #32. if you don't want to jump to this, basically, Glorious Godfrey and a bunch of parademons from Apokolips are here for a chaos shard which Ra's put in Damian's sarcophagus. at some point, Bruce gets a hold of the shard where he sees a vision that leads him to believe Damian can be resurrected. Godfrey ends up taking the shard, along with Damian's body since it was emitting the same energy.

#33-37 Robin Rises

Bruce hellbent on retrieving Damian from Apokolips and reviving him

-> Robin Rises: Alpha

necessary to read and continues events from #37! Damian's back with a bang lol

#38-40 Superpower

Damian adjusting to having superpowers and being alive again

Annual #1 2013 Batman Impossible

sweet (and funny) one-shot of Damian sending Bruce on a meaningful scavenger hunt around the world while Damian gets to be the cutest Batman for a bit

Annual #2 2014 Batman and Robin: Week One

one-shot takes place during Damian's absence. after Bruce and Alfred find a mystery gift left for Dick, Dick recounts a story he had told Damian from his Robin days.

Annual #3 2015 Moonshot

one-shot Batman and Robin adventure on the moon!

...and of course after Batman and Robin (2011), Damian's story continues in his first solo Robin: Son of Batman (2015)!

[cepheusgalaxy]

Oh you're Brazilian, correct? *saw ur bio*

I was wondering if there's anything I should or shouldnt do when making a Brazilian OC.

Oh hi!

First of all, thank you for the ask :) I'm very happy you decided to make a brazilian oc, whatever is the reason (if any at all lol) 👍 Keep up the good work.

Now, generally, what you should avoid are the most common stereotypes assossiated with latin people in general (like the Latino Lover stereotype), and some specifically assossiated with us a lot:

The Soccer Player ("every brazilian [black] guy obv plays soccer"), the Samba Dancer ("every brazilian black girl dances samba"), the Sexy Brazilian (everybody has their preferences ig but try to step away from fetishization--also falls into the latino lover a little) and the Carnival Party Person ("brazil is a very big carnival party all of the time") are some examples of stuff you should avoid.

Some things I would advise you to consider aside from this are A. Their race, B. The area they're from and C. Cultural differences (I'm gonna list them in a bit).

I mention race here because a very common thing in Brazil, actually (at least if you don't consider the South/South East) is the miscigenation phenomena. Long story short, some centuries ago, the colonizers had an... "idea" of toning down the population of black people in the country, so interracial relationships were very incentivated to "breed" lighter skinned black people. Results: On this day, most brazilian people in the Northern areas are not 100% black, but very very mixed (like me). A lot of people have dark skin, though.

Now, the area where they are from would also play a big factor in the things you want to consider, because Brazil is big, so we generally divide it into five areas (this division was made in 1969 i think, by the IBGE--the brazilian institute of geography and statistics): The North, North East, Central West, South East and South. If you search for a map with this categorization you'll be able to see it.

Culturally, these areas are very different, but I'll go through them briefly here.

North - most of the indigenous folk are concentrated here (for many historical reasons) and here is also the Amazonic forest (a bit of it is in other countries' territorries but I don't remember exactly which). The demographic density (which is the amount of people per say, mile) is very sparse, and despiste it being the largest area out of the five it isn't the most populated. Indigenous cultural heritage is the strongest here.

Nort East - warmest area in the country. The majority of people here are black or brown (for a lot of other historical reasons i unfortunately can't go on about here but they are very interesting if you wanna search up) and African cultural heritage is the strongest here.

Central West - has a very little amount of states here, and also the Federal District--aka the capital, Brazilia (fun fact: Brazilia isn't localized in any state, like the capital used to be, it is separated, so that's why we say Brazil has 26 states + one federal district). I don't know a lot about this one, so I'm gonna rely on Google a little, but basically:

That's the only area that is not bathed by the Atlantic, so no sea here at all, and back in Colonization Days, it was a very explored area for mineration (one of the states here, Minas Gerais, was named because of that, fun fact). Most of the population here is white (50,5%) and brown [mixed race] (43%) source (wikipedia page for the Central West in portuguese).

South East - as we go down here, the areas start getting cooler and whiter. The biggest cities of the country are here: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. White population, as I said before, is strongly concentrated here, because Back In Colonization Days, a lot of europeans (mainly italians and germans i think, although i might be wrong on this one) migrated to there and the South because the climate is more like in Europe than in the northern areas. This is probably what most people think when they say 'Brazil' (that or the amazonic forest, ofc), because media wise, it covers mostly carioca Carnival (Carnival from Rio de Janeiro) or the super urban city of São Paulo. Fun fact: One of the Seven World Wonders, the Christ The Redeemer statue is located there, in the RJ.

South - smallest area in the country. There are literally just three states here. It's also the coolest area out of the five, and there is even snow here! The European heritage is very strong here, also because of the migration from a few centuries ago.

If you want more insight on a certain specific area for your character, I'd be very happy to help! :) I myself am from the North East, so I have the most information about that, tho.

Now about the cultural differences in general.

A few important things that really differ are:

The culinary (depends of the area, though: up north it will have more african and indigenous dishes, down south there will be more european dishes and stuff)

The climate (if your character is from the northern areas, they will have a hard time adapting to any cool areas they might be in now--in the North East we're used to an average 25º C, or 70º F, for example, so if things go cooler they're gonna want to be very warm)

The measurements (celsius degreees vs farhenheit, miles vs kilometers, centimenters vs feet and inches, etc.)

The calendar: In the South Hemisphere, unlike in the North Hemisphere, summer is on the last and first months of the year and winter is in the middle. Basically, the seasons are inverted up there in relation to here

The school year also works a bit differenly, for that matter: Janurary and the first week of February are summer vacations, and then the year starts. A few weeks later, we have a few more weeks off for Carnival, so no school then too, and *then* you could say the year actually starts. In June (winter), we have a 10-day break for São João festivities (at least in the North East because São João is a cultural "festival"--if that's the right word), and then summer break starts around the end of November or the end or December, depending on the exact school.

Oh yeah, and one more big difference your character might find strange assuming they're in the US or a similar country now: In Brazil we have a thing called SUS - the Unique Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde), which is a free health service for everybody, funded by taxes. I heard that in the US all medical care is private, so I wanted to highlight that in Brazil we have free public healthcare and then also the private hospitals, so that could cause some cultural chock, lol

Same thing for college: There are a lot of public universities. There are actually many differences between usamerican and brazilian education system, but the main ones are that.

If you have any further asks, feel free to send them, I'd love to go deeper into one single thing if you want it. Good luck with your oc <2

[mitcheechee]

Hey, new follower here! (I'm actually in the wrong account so please don't mind me being anonymous!) I really love your art and I mainly wanted to say that your art and style is amazing and beautiful! Secondarily, do you have any tutorials or tips on drawing bodies, hands and I noticed you do blood? I understand if you'd rather not answer that; if so just only the first half! Love your art! Thanks for existing (if that makes sense)❤️

wah... first i just wanna say tysm!!! youre so sweet 😭

i unfortunately dont have any tutorials or anything made already and i dont really want to make any as of right now because i feel like i have a long way to go in terms of learning how to properly draw a lot of things. since i don't know what im doing id feel really lousy putting out a tutorial when i dont even have a lot of the basics down yet...

im gonna blab under the cut about tips (not really tips on drawing bodies themselves as a guideline, but what has helped me practice and thus allowed me to get better at drawing bodies in my own art), so u dont have to read all that if it doesnt interest u! but regardless thank u again for being so sweet!!! sorry i couldnt give u what u wanted.. maybe one day... 😭

again this is just how i practice, but its GENUINELY helped me get so much better.

all i can say as far as tips is to definitely practice with references as much as u can, it really will help u improve. i know people often dont like that advice too much but its really true... every time i use references to practice for a bit i can tell it helps me, and looking back at older art i know its true. i dont often use guidelines (i really need to...), or at least not in the sense that i do in most of the guides i see so i feel like i cant give much else in terms of advice tho, other than that.

anyway, its one thing to just use a reference, but really trying to get it down and learn it (learn the body, anatomy, how to draw it all) so u carry that knowledge on is sorta different, for me

what has helped me to really learn is this method of practice where i

draw a reference photo based off what i see

trace the photo

overlay both my trace and the first drawing i made

go back and choose key points on the photo/trace where i was very off and mark them as a little dot/line and then try to fix the original sketch with those dots/lines to match the photo (look below to understand what i mean LOL sorry)

try and draw it again from scratch based on what i see visually

and for number 4, what i mean is this:

lets say the 2nd is my visual (rough) drawing based off of the original

overlaying my original sketch on the reference i can see where a lot of points are off!

ill make note of a few of the areas that were very off and mark them, then get rid of the reference underneath. ill still look at it as a guide on the side, but overall try to just change the original sketch to match it instead of directly tracing!

i feel like this may not have been exactly what u mean as far as tips for drawing bodies, but ive found that in order to grasp them better in a way that helps u draw them on ur own, doing studies like this really helps! for me, at least, it allows me to better store things in my memory--because looking at the image and practicing doesnt feel like it really CEMENTS any knowledge, but seeing where i went wrong and then working backwards to try and alter it shows me where im lacking in skill, and helps me use that information later!

doing this allows me to understand how bodies take up space. it has helped me to see the body as more of a tangible thing while i draw freehand, and do it more accurately as well, instead of it feeling like its. a limp noodle i cant grasp LOL

i will say, tho, that for hands especially i almost always use my hands as a reference for what i want. like i dont even have a guide for that in terms of what i do to draw them out or guidelines i follow, i just straight up draw them based off what i see or imagine, i dont really do those step by step guidelines...

im sorry again i couldnt rly give u what u wanted, i just dont think im at that level where i can truly give any advice since im not good enough (yet ! we hope) for a genuine tutorial. if u mean something as far as like... body shapes and stuff im still not rly there yet either. i hope this helps even a tiny bit tho, if u read this far!!!

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

You are such a good writer, it actually somehow breaks my heart when a story ends. How did you get so good? Any tips or tricks for people who want to start writing also?

anonnnnnn T_T you’re so so sweet. that means the world to me !!!! i love you !!!!!!!!

honestly i . still have a Lot to learn when it comes to writing so i don’t know if i’m very qualified to give tips </3 but!!! as basic as this answer is, i really do think the only ways to improve are through reading and writing. writing is obviously vital since you won’t get anywhere without actual practice, but so is reading!!! it’s so important to observe and notice different writing styles, and to find out what kind of writing you enjoy. by reading different works, no matter what they are, (my biggest writing inspo source is a video game lol) your brain will naturally store up words and expressions and techniques :3 it’ll make writing so much easier, i promise.

also, remember that it’s more than okay to imitate, especially when you’re starting out!! no one finds their writing style immediately. it’s totally fine to latch onto your favorite authors and try writing like they do — that’s what i did too!! (thank you richard siken + hit award-winning indie rpg disco elysium 🙏) so just try to have fun with it and experiment !! i believe in you!!! <33

[whereismyhat5678]

Give us your silly headcanons about anyone. I want to eat them

WHERE DO I BEGIN

Anyways- Silly mode activated

A lot under the cut, but it’s all Gus headcannons-

(I’m so sorry, Gus was all I could think about at the moment!! 🙇‍♀️)

- I’ve seen someone also say this and I NEED this to happen where he rocks back and forth in his feet, sometimes he goes on his tippy toes and just likes to fidget with his fingers a lot

- HE LOVES COLORS, yeah he mostly takes to brown (and….. red……❤️‍🩹) but, while he’s a gnome (a bit of backstory) gnomes always loved to spread color everywhere they went, figuratively with just how absolutely wonderful they were (they were literally the sweetest creatures in the forest, a bit mischievous but sweet) but also literally with just how much they loved using color on everything-

Because of this Gustavo still likes to use colors on stuff and LOVES to go to festivals with so much color (it reminds him of home…..)

- He had a sister!! (Little, 3 years younger)

- He had quite a strict mother but a very carefree father, I’d say Gus is like a mix of both parents, not to strict but not to carefree y’know?

- He HATES Pizzards…. (They scarred him so bad….)

- When he first came into town, god was he naive- poor thing kept getting scammed and it only stopped cause Peppino was with him to go shopping (it happened the first few weeks he was there for context-)

- I mean that when I said he was naive, again he really hadn’t been to anyways except the forest so he was WAY to nice to everyone, Peppino gave him some lessons on how things work- it was a whole month of teaching-

- He LOVES animals, he wanted to befriend Brick but. Brick attacked him right away, Gustavo kept shouting, and I quote: “PEPPINO HELP I’M BEING JUMPED- I’M BEING JUMPED!!!”

- Everyone in the tower (except Noisette) was skeptical of him, how he was “too nice” and frankly didn’t like him, (they also planned on jumping him) but after Peppino saved them they gave him a chance, now they love him 💕💕

- Gustavo learned that Peppino had a restaurant and felt it’d be an honor if he worked for him (Peppino didn’t have anyone at the time so he was thrilled he had Gus)

- For a short time Gus called Pep “Boss” because he heard everyone did that at work, but since Pep knew him he said it was okay to call him by his name ❤️

- And one more, he’s very talkative!! And in turn he’s a GREAT listener. He especially loves talking about friends and just in general animals. Baby loves it when you talk about friends since he absolutely awes all of his 💕💕

Okay, that’s it- Generally Gustavo was the first thing that popped in mind for headcannons since- I love him- and also cuz’ he’s the one I have THE MOST headcannons for, relating to his species (I have so much to list but I won’t list them now-), to his background, to his personality (which is my favorite-)

Thank you so much for letting me ooze my heart out on this, I really appreciate it, thank you 🫶🫶 (And sorry it was just Gustavo-)

[coffeeshib]

Hi! I’ve recently visited your page again, after a longer tumblr break and saw your posts about people’s comments on your fics. It made me both sad and angry. Sad because they’ve managed to take away your joy for writing Supercorp and angry that people feel like they can type out any hurtful thought that goes through their head, for a thing that is absolutely free and made with so much passion and care. 😒🤬

For what it’s worth, I always loved the way you write both of them. AND the fact that you don’t ignore Kara’s trauma and struggles. “i’m spilling all my words (but you keep 'em to yourself)” will forever be one of my favorites. Thank you for the hours of joy and fun you have given us! I hope you know that for every entitled commenter there are ten times more people who love your works! 🫵🏻🤘🏻

ahh thank you so much, i appreciate this. i have to say, sc still has me by the neck, i do plan to finish that fic & maybe write some more but it won't be anytime soon. i had hoped that the fandom would calm down with the kara hate after the show ended but i was wrong, it still hasn't changed.

when you've been writing for sc for so long, the frustration builds up, & there have been many times where i felt like i needed to (& did) restrict myself when writing them. it stops being enjoyable when people are constantly calling kara 'stupid' & insult her in many different ways for not being the happy sunshine kara danvers who takes care of lena all the time.

personally i love reading & writing the reverse situation (lena who's being the patient loving one & also the shoulder for kara to lean on) because the show didn't give us enough of that. unfortunately, people don't respond well whenever kara is struggling with her issues & lena isn't the one who's being comforted.

i write what i like & that's what i'm always going to do, but this build up of frustration over the past years & always anticipating kara hate every fic/chapter killed the joy a lot.

i've seen some authors speak about this too & it's genuinely sad to see! people can like & dislike whatever but it's important to note that there are readers out there who don't realize that their personal feelings against kara also affect authors & their love for writing supercorp

[lokh]

re: fake dating troubles, maybe it doesn't /have/ to be a viable plan?

i'm not in this fandom yet so idk how in character would that be, but maybe they/one of them could realize later that oh shit, this will NOT work, and then they'd need to navigate the political mess along with whatever stage of relationship they'd be in at the time.

if one of them is too smart for that then he could be unaware of the exact circumstances. or maybe just at first not care that it wouldn't work

ohhh thats a good point... thats a good point.... if we keep the original premise (that maizuru is the one that started it and not either of the two actually involved), maybe she didnt Need it to work out - the fact of their 'going out' at all was enough to satisfy the requirements for succession (ie being 'interesting enough')... but then when it becomes real they actually DO have to navigate that mess....

[corrodedcoughin]

eddíe coming out to steve as genderfluid - or, well. he won't know the name for it until a few years later, but after he tries to explain it and steve listens and asks questions and seems to understand it well enough. but eddie's not out yet to anyone else, sticks to he/him pronouns and they don't mind being seen as a guy per se, but they'd be way more comfortable if people knew to use she or they when talking about them. but steve wants to help, so, using the skill he learned from el, he makes eddie bracelets. every color he can find, thin enough to be hidden or passed as a gift from kids. so eddie can choose which color means what and they can wear how they feel for when steve can't ask them, or when they're around other people, steve can distract the kids from calling eddie a guy too much when he's wearing blue (not pink. fuck stereotypes, eddie said, earning a kiss from steve, because they both know steve loves pink), or try to steer the conversation away from eddie completely if they're uncomfortable. when to call him a beautiful boy and when it's simply a pretty baby. eddie thinking it's equally amazing and terrifying to be loved like this, so much that whatever eddie thinks are difficulties or faults are actually the parts steve loves most. because eddie won't survive if steve ever stops loving them, but steve always looks eddie in the eyes, and it's always with endless patience and certainly when he promises, "don't worry. i won't ever stop."

Something about Eddie being so unsure of how to navigate this space, when he's always been so loud and ready to put on a show. This though? This uncertainty in himself of how to be who he feels he is? It rattles him down to his bones. He spends god knows how long contemplating the nature of who he is and how that changes depending on the week, day, hour.

He feels on unsteady ground when he brings it up with Steve but knows he needs to, if for nothing else but a sounding board. Eddie is tired of this rotating in a morbius loop in his brain. He gets ready to run before the conversation even starts, plans an escape route, any excuse so he can avoid looking at any feelings of discomfort in Steve's eyes.

The thing is, it never comes. Not once. Eddie fumbles his way through trying to explain how 'she' feels good sometimes but so does 'he' and some days the thought of being referred to as a man, woman, girlfriend, son, makes his bones feel like they belong in a different body. That somedays he just wants to be Eddie and can't that be enough?

Through it all Steve holds on, quietly listening with his thinking face fully in action. That's how Eddie knows this isn't going to go sour, the way Steve is sitting, chin in hand with a finger stroking over his top lip. Thinking.

When it's all said and done there's a silence that Eddie can't say is encouraging but then Steve gets up with a sigh and wraps Eddie up in his arms from where they'd been pacing a groove in the floor.

Eddie ventures out a quiet 'are we okay? I'm not too much?'

to get a muffled response into his hair 'never enough if I'm being honest'

And somehow? somehow it's as easy as that

[arty-ffxiv]

💖Just a gentle nudge to remind you that you're not just existing—you're thriving, even on days when it doesn't feel that way. You're a one-of-a-kind force in this world, bringing light and love in ways you might not even realize. You've overcome so much, and you should be proud of every step you've taken, no matter how small. The world is better with you in it, and you've already made such a difference just by being you. Keep going, keep growing, and never forget how important you are💖

Thank you, who ever you are. This message warmed my heart and has been a well needed reminder ♥

I've not advertised it much, but I've been on a FFXIV/ Tumblr hiatus for the past ~5ish weeks; this blog has been running on old, queued content since then. I'm feeling quite drained and burned out, and frustrated as I'd just gotten back into my creative outlets again.

It's the longest time I've taken away from the game, and I didn't want to step away so soon from the FFXIV Tumblr community again after returning from another long hiatus.

Putting more under the cut, for those interested in IRL stuff. Otherwise, please know that I'm ok, just taking a break.

I've been in a bit of a strange place mentally, since before Dawntrail dropped.

In the week leading up to the expac's early access release, I was made redundant from a job role that I really loved. I'd been in limbo regarding my role for a number of months, and hadn't anticipated any movement or news for at least another few months- things move slowly in the community services world.

I had a week of annual leave booked for the expansion release- I was keen for the break, and excited to be going into the new adventure with the new friends I'd made within the Tumblr FFXIV community.

2 days before I was due to go on leave, I was told I was having a meeting with HR and my line manager. I was advised to bring a support person.

My anxiety sky rocketed, and the next day I was given the news of my redundancy. I was given some options to mull over for the next few days- redeployment to another site, putting in an application for a more senior role with no guarantee I'd be successful, or to leave the organization.

As you can imagine, this put a big dampener on my excitement for Dawntrail. I'm grateful that the news came when it did, so at least my leave was spent with something to focus on instead of just moping about, but it just fucking sucked.

I was spending most of my time on leave in game, trying to keep my mind off work and the mess of emotions and confusion I knew I'd be coming back to. I enjoyed the expac- at least the first half. I wasn't emotionally prepared, or ready, for the second half.

I won't be going into details for those who have yet to finish the MSQ, nor to upset myself further.

The second half of the story was just too much; I spent my time in the last zone consumed with the thoughts of I'm not having fun anymore, I'm not enjoying this, let's just rip this fucking bandaid off and get through it, we can process all the feelings this is dredging up for us later.

Since finishing the MSQ, I've not really done much else in-game or really logged in again. I've been reflecting on it, and I think the ending of the expac triggered some deep-seated traumas for me. This, coupled with the grief and mixed emotions of moving into a new work environment, has really exhausted me.

I'm 5 weeks into my new workplace, and I'm enjoying it but am just so exhausted. While I'm still in the same organization, my workload is more than it was previously and I've lost the motivation I'd only recently gotten back for FFXIV and creating.

Hopefully now that I've gone through the motions of resettling and learning the ropes in this new space, my creativity will begin to come back. I can only hope.

[staticscreenz]

do you have any art advice for beginner artists?

thank you for reaching out! i really do appreciate that you'd ask me this. i'll do my best to provide a brief but comprehensive answer.

i'd also like to preface this by saying that i am a disabled, self-taught artist without any formal training, so any advice i give will be through the lens of that experience

make art out of passion. this is the most important piece of advice i can give. if you are making art with the purpose of satisfying an invisible audience, or with the vague goal of "fame" or "success", you may never truly enjoy what you do. it may sound selfish, but i believe in making art because you like to and because you want to, not for the enjoyment of others.

don't be afraid of making "bad" art. "bad" is subjective; my favorite pieces are those that look "unfinished" or "unprofessional". but most people tend to think their art is "bad" when they cannot execute a concept, or when the result does not match the one in their head. i cannot promise you that art will always be easy; in fact, it can and will be extremely frustrating at times. but it will always be rewarding to have tried to work with new concepts, even if for the purpose of learning to better apply them in the future.

use references and tutorials as-needed. a lot of beginner artists feel like this is cheating, but i can assure you that even the most professional of artists use and have used references or tutorials to get where they are now. if you're unsure of where to start, i have a whole pinterest board with these things that i update fairly regularly.

there is so much more i can say, but then this post would go on forever. i hope this is helpful, and if not, my ask box is always open.

[inkykeiji]

I've been doubting to send you this, but I'm going to give it a shot with the best intentions.

There's this app called Finch. Which can help you to get through the day. You set goals and with fulfilling those goals, you grow a bird. Like tamagotchi, only this one doesn't die, fortunately 🤭 -🦒

oh wow, that’s super cool!! thank you so much for sharing this with me, sweet giraffe! ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ and for inadvertently sharing it with the rest of my blog, too!! it’s rly rly rly cute; i love self-care apps that gamify the process and try to make it fun and engaging, because doing the work can be so extremely hard sometimes, and being able to nurture a cute lil pet and watch it grow as you work on yourself is such a lovely lil metaphor :3

[j0ss-4rt]

what programs and brushes do you use? your art is so good (sorry if this questions been asked before)

ahhh first of all thank you so much <3!!!!! it’s absolutely no problem since my program and such have changed since I last answered this question! I’ve been converted to using procreate, though the brushes I use change frequently. Here are some of my favs for sketching/lining/shading

i also use the regular studio pen brush with a higher stabilization when I’m doing 2000s cartoon-inspired drawings

oh!! I also like to scan stuff from my sketchbook (for procreate I just set the layer with the drawing to multiply) which kind of helps give it a textured look, I recommend

[erabu-san]

was wondering if you ship any of these guys with anyone since they weren’t in your ship list

yaoyao (understandable if you don’t ship)

heizou

zhongli

xinyan

yanfei

Mmmmh romantic ship about Yaoyao Yanfei Heizou, I don't have specific ship

But I don't mind seeing Heizou x Gorou, Heizou x Kuki Shinobu, Yanfei x Yelan I guess??? I just saw post about them and "why not" ? I remember I saw Yanfei x Kuki Shinobu once and it is cool too (Heizou give me such bisexual vibe omg or whatever you HC him but sorry he is not straight 😔/hj /lh)

For Zhongli, I used to enjoy Zhongli x Venti buuuut if I have to choose between their romantic dynamic or platonic friendship, I would more tend on platonic. (HC both of them Agender Asexual 😔✊️ but rex lapis who lived as man and woman before decided to stay as man named zhongli, gg for your transition old man !!)

I also follow an artist who draw Zhongli x Guizhong ? Idk if it counts

For Xinyan, I like Xinyan x Xiangling but I also don't mind Xinyan x Yunjin !

But yeah, all the ship I mention is not something I will search alone in my free time haha

SORRY I AM JUST SUPER NEUTRAL WITH MOST OF THE SHIP