#i've been getting back into drawing the last couple of days and I'm still learning a lot

[feyspeaker]

Hi! I made an account just so I could follow your work. Your art is brilliant and honestly and inspiration to where I want to be. I’m an older artist who has all the anxiety when it comes to improving my process. I’m trying to get into digital portraits and I have so many ideas in my head, but it’s frustrating because I’m not where I want to be to make this happen. What are some tricks that help you/software do you use? Of course, you don’t have to share anything that makes you uncomfortable. I currently have procreate and an iPad, but I feel a little lost. Wondering if I need a different writing tablet and photoshop. Not sure. I just eventually want to find that 3D, but also artistic look you are able to achieve.

hey there! thank you so much!!

ultimately, I will sound like a broken record but I always recommend you sign up for local figure drawing or painting classes. have people pose for you at home and sketch with charcoal and paper. go to the zoo and sit down in front on an exhibit for an hour and try to draw the animals in front of you as fast as you can and fill a couple of pages, move on to a new exhibit and do it again!

nothing is more powerful of a tool to learn than whatever writing utensil you have in your purse and the back of a napkin when you see something you'd like to capture. I've spent quite frankly my entire rememberable life doing this. I used to spend every single day in middle school/high school/my brief failed stint in community college with a pack of cheap sharpies and a beat up binder full of old worksheets and homework to draw on the backs of.

drawing/painting from life will teach you better than anything.

I use a very outdated version of Photoshop, and only got a "nice" tablet in the past 7 months.

Also, a huge tip to you and anyone else reading this: do NOT get too focused on a "style" that you want. Obsessing over that just ruined me for years and years. I wanted so, so, so badly to be the next Matsuri Hino when I was a kid. I copied her work religiously and it NEVER looked right. Frustrated me to no end. And you know why my stuff never looked like hers? Because I'm not her! You can't force your art to come out any way that isn't natural, and the sooner you can accept the art your hand wants to create, the happier you'll be and the easier art will get for you.

The past couple of years before I started diving into this more realism based work, I was just shoving myself through trying to make what art I envied of others. Very stylized/textured watercolor comic book style stuff. And I just was NOT getting any better at it. I have always been more inclined toward realism work, but I've hated it and yearned for stylized work. Yoshitaka Amano? God, I just drooled over that artstyle and beat myself up for never being able to capture it in studies or otherwise.

I finally essentially restructured my entire career around making the art that makes me happy instead of what I "wanted" it to look like. I was extremely depressed, my life was falling apart, and I still needed to make art to survive but I couldn't "art" if I was depressed and hated doing it, so I just had to step back and stop worrying so much about what I thought I wanted to make, and started making what felt most natural.

there's no easy way, and art can be a soul destroying path at times, truly. your software and hardware should come very last place compared to practicing from life (it doesn't matter if you want to paint cartoony stuff of realistic stuff, always start from life). naturally you will find what makes your heart sing the most.

I get a lot of messages from people telling me similar stuff "oh your art is EXACTLY what I want to do!" but I promise you that kind of thought process is chasing a dragon that is likely to harm or drag your creative process down. art style is such a deeply personal thing, so of COURSE it's important to find inspiration, but the second looking at someone else's artwork stops inspiring you and starts frustrating you, put it away.

There are some artists who I love, that I do not check up on often because their artwork ignites, like, serious bitter jealousy in me. It's the truth. I get so mad at myself for not being more like them, and it's such a poison. I think more artists should be transparent about this feeling because I KNOW the art community has a lot of jealousy and ugliness in it.

A fact of being an artist is that you will never be completely happy with a piece you make. You are always going to see the flaws, and that doesn't change whether you'd been drawing for 2 months or 20 years. Occasionally, you will get one piece that you are like "how did I make that???" and then get frustrated that you can't recreate it lol! It's a tough beast.

It's just really important to step back and work on yourself and where you are at, because at the end of the day, the way your soul wants to express artwork might be WILDLY different from what your brain wants, and it can be really detrimental to let those two go to war.

I hope this helps. I'm very passionate about this, and when I started out I ALWAYS ignored the artists who gave the same exact tips as above. I thought they were so annoying and unhelpful, but now I /get it/.

[wowbright]

Fic: Paper Boats

Fandom/pairing: Glee, Kurt/Blaine

Event: December Klaine Fanworks Challenge 2023 (sail)

Words: ~ 1350 words                                        

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: After Kurt returns to the United States, Blaine has trouble adjusting to a new companionship.

Notes: This is part of my Mormon!Klaine universe. It takes place after Out of Eden, which I am still in the process of posting to AO3. It’s among the likely possibilities for their future. Warning for situational depression, but the story ends on a hopeful note. Elder Nixon is Warbler Trent.

* * *

It had started as a beautiful, sunny day at the park, but now enough clouds had rolled in that the sun was blocked and the whole place had a gray, overcast vibe, which was not helping Blaine's mood at all. Just as bad, the floods of people walking through the park had slowed down to a trickle, which meant Blaine couldn't distract himself by striking up a new conversation with a stranger every few minutes.

He sat on a stone ledge a few meters away from the water fountain. There were a couple of kids walking around it, taking turns dragging a toy boat along the edge of the artificial pool by a bright yellow string. Well, he thought, that was one good thing. When the sky grew dark like this, colors grew more saturated. The chalk drawings he and Elder Nixon had made this morning with shades that looked almost pastel in direct sunlight were now full of deep, rich color. He stared at their depiction of the pre-mortal world lit by a rainbow sun. It was almost as bright and beautiful as an actual sunset. Blaine wished he was there now. In the pre-mortal world, he had never had to be apart from Kurt.

This mortal world sucked.

“Did you ever have one of those things?” Elder Nixon asked. He stood next to Blaine, nodding at the kids with their tugboat.

“No,” sighed Blaine. “There wasn't much water in Mesa accept for the reflecting pool at the temple, and I wasn't allowed to play in there of course.”

“We had a game we liked to play in the inflatable pool when we stayed at our summer cabin in Minnesota. Have you ever heard of Viking funeral?”

“I've heard of Vikings having funerals. Didn’t the rich ones get buried in their boats?”

“Maybe? This game may or may not have had its origins in actual Viking traditions. Basically, we’d make paper boats— Hey. Want to make some paper boats? We’ve got plenty of paper.” Without waiting for an answer, Elder Nixon sat down on the ledge next to Blaine and set the flyers he’d been holding in his hand between them. “There's more here than we can possibly give out. You learned to make paper boats, right? Even if they didn't let you float them in the reflecting pool?”

“Yeah,” Blaine said sullenly. “Not sure I remember how, though.”

"Well, I do. Here—" Elder Nixon demonstrated the first fold, and refused to proceed until Blaine copied him, and so on with the next and next, until each of them had a little paper boat with a stout triangular mast in the center. Blaine felt the memory reawakening in his muscles, so he made another one and then another one, each more crisply executed than the last.

“Now we to set them to sail,” Elder Nixon announced.

“Is that how you play Viking funeral?” Blaine asked, following Elder Nixon to the edge of the fountain. The kids were no longer there, having abandoned their toy boat in favor of dragging their grown up to follow a duck with them to the top of a grassy knoll.

“Not exactly. I don't have all the supplies for Viking funeral, and anyway, I'm pretty sure we could get in trouble for playing it here.”

“Oh?” Blaine’s interest was genuinely piqued. It was a feeling that had grown unfamiliar in the preceding weeks. He had managed to feign interest plenty, of course, and a few times he had almost managed to convince himself that he was genuinely engaged in talking to someone or learning something new. But then the black cloud would creep back in, and his brain would get foggy, and everything felt fake and unreal and pointless again.

“You put a birthday candle in the top of each boat and light it,” Elder Nixon said, recreating the motions on one of his paper boats before launching it on the water.

“Oh.” An image of dozens of paper boats floating at night on the same fountain, each topped with a single candle, popped into Blaine’s head. “But that sounds beautiful. Like Japanese water lanterns.” He set two of his own boats on the water.

“It was,” Elder Nixon said. “Except that's not the part we got excited for. Because when the candles burn down, all that's left to burn is the paper. So that was the fun part for us, seeing our entire fleet go up in flames. We would launch our boats toward each other’s to speed the process along. Oh, the beautiful destruction!” Elder Nixon chuckled at the memory.

And, for some reason, Blaine felt himself chuckling, too. He could imagine miniature Elder Nixon and his chubby-cheeked siblings, all looking like little blonde cherubs from the front of an old Victorian greeting card, standing around a poofy plastic pool and cheering on the firy demise of their entire fleet. Maybe it was the incongruity of it. Elder Nixon was so kind and sweet. It was hard to imagine him setting things ablaze for kicks.

“Hey,” Elder Nixon said with a fond smile, “you're laughing.”

“I guess I am,” Blaine said, and stopped.

“Oh no. I ruined the moment.”

“No, you didn't.”

“Yes, I did.”

"No, you really didn't,” Blaine said. There was something inside him that kept tugging him back to a baseline of gloominess, no matter what the people around him did. "None of this is your fault. I mean, I know I have a reputation as a ray of sunshine, but I can't shine all the time. Everything's just been so hard lately.”

“Since I became your companion,” Elder Nixon said.

“Not because you're my companion," Blaine said. “You help make it better than it would be otherwise. You’re patient and kind and you don't judge me. And I want to be more cheerful. I really do. And I thought I would be. But …” Blaine couldn't keep it a secret anymore. It was making everything worse—made him feel like he was sneaking around and had something to hide, and those things felt too close to shame to be any good for Blaine's mental health. He hadn't wanted to put this burden on Elder Nixon—but then again, why was Blaine thinking of it as a burden? Elder Nixon could do what he wanted with it. He could let it bring them closer together as friends, or he could report Blaine to the mission president. It was up to him. It was out of Blaine’s hands. “I just—” Blaine felt tears pushing against his eyes. That was probably a good thing. He hadn’t let himself cry in front of another person since Kurt left. “I miss Elder Hummel a lot.”

Elder Nixon put a hand on Blaine shoulder and gave it a solid pat. “I know. It's tough when a companion you really click with leaves.”

Blaine shook his head. “It's not just that, though. I miss him because I'm in love with him.” And then, because if he was in for a penny, he was in for a pound, he added with urgency, “I'm gay and I fell in love with my companion, and he loves me back, and half the time I just feel really stupid for staying here and not following him to Ohio. And if you need to tell the mission president, you can; I mean, I'd rather it be my own decision, but beggars can't be choosers—and anyway, I don't want to be a burden to you, and I feel like I have been, the whole time we've been working together.”

“You're not a burden, Elder Anderson,” Elder Nixon said, and he hugged Blaine, which was not a thing missionaries usually did in public, but they weren't supposed to have emotional outbursts in public either and, besides, the kids and their grown up were nowhere to be seen right now. “You're my friend. And I'm so glad you told me, because now I can be a better friend to you.”

[smartycvnt]

Charmed

Title: Charmed Pairing: Rowena Macleod x Reader Prompt: 7. "Come here, I'll keep you safe." NR WC: 917

There was an old saying your grandfather used to say about what happened when you went looking for trouble. It had done the trick of scaring your siblings into being good, but you had always been a bit of a wanderer. You liked finding the things that others were afraid to look for. Trouble didn't scare you, not really. You had been able to handle yourself, and over the years, learned of more effective and less alarming ways of doing so. The last thing you wanted was to draw the attention of someone like the Winchester brothers towards you. They weren't exactly bad guys, but you didn't want to find yourself at the business end of one of their weapons, something you were certain would happen if they learned who you really were.

Most hunters didn't know where you came from, just that you had your shop and you helped them when they needed it. You ran a safe space for everybody, no matter who they were. Usually, you could tell who walked into your shop before they revealed the information themselves. Demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, and hunters alike frequented your place of business. No matter who they were or claimed to be, you helped them as long as they didn't wave any red flags. Sometimes, there was a bit of trouble, but it was never anything that you couldn't handle.

The redhead set off nearly every single alarm in your head that she could. You could practically taste the power that was radiating off of her in waves. She was a witch, and an old one at that. She had magic that you were certain hadn't been seen since the days of your ancestors. You had always wanted to learn the magic of old, but the Grand Coven was nothing more than a joke. They were also judgmental bitches who had turned you away because of your "tainted" blood. Your magic was just as pure as theirs was, possibly even more so. You were a natural witch, someone that they had been scouring the world to find for years with little to no success.

"Where do you get your ingredients?" The red haired woman had been walking around your shop gathering things for the past 15 minutes. Occasionally, she would stop at something for a couple of moments, inspect it, and then put it in her basket. She seemed to be vetting the things in your shop for authenticity, something that most of your patrons didn't do.

"It's a custom here not to ask questions before you answer a few," you said as you leaned against the counter. The woman hummed as she flicked her wrist at you. You rolled your eyes as you were pushed back maybe an inch or two. The woman looked surprised, scared almost. "How about this, I'll answer your question if you tell me who you are and promise to play nice."

"Playing nice isn't exactly my forte, but if you insist, they call me Rowena. I am the leader of the Mega Coven," she said proudly with a little upturn of her chin. You had heard the whisperings of the Mega Coven among the few true witches left, but you had never expected the leader to waltz into your shop like this. "Now, I believe I asked where you get your ingredients. I've never seen such a collection before, it's truly remarkable." "Some of it I grew myself, but my family's reach runs deep. Here, they call me Y/n. Nothing more from me Rowena," you told her. She set the basket on your counter to be rung up as she stared at you. The longer she stared at you, the more nervous you got that she'd figure out exactly what you were. Rowena was a witch of old, and despite the fact that she was still after your bloodline's time, she was old enough to have heard the stories of your kind running amuck on the islands.

"You're not human," Rowena muttered under her breath. Your fingers curled under the marble countertop as you searched for one of the weapons you kept close by. "Don't worry, I won't go blabbing to any hunters. It's not like I'm in the business for helping out those Winchester boys right now anyway. I could help you though, your warding is good, but it can be undone."

"What do you want in return?" you asked her. If she knew who you were, then she knew that you were a very transactional creature. You didn't simply accept gifts, there was always something to be gained or lost in life.

"A partnership, just you and me. There are many people after my head, which is a rather nice one if I do say so myself, and I'd like to keep it." Rowena's terms weren't too outlandish, and you could stand to learn some of the magic of old, so you agreed.

"Come here, I'll keep you safe," you told her as you extended your hand towards her. She made a move to shake your hand, surprised when you grabbed her forearm, pulled her in close, and gave her a fairly quick kiss on the lips. "We have a deal Rowena of the Mega Coven."

"I think I've officially done all the things my mother warned me not to as a girl," Rowena joked. "I'll be back for you, keep your head down. I'd hate for these hunters to get word of a faerie in town."

[cheapsweets]

The aromatic Narngreg

My response to this week’s BestiaryPosting challenge, from @maniculum

Initial pencil sketch, lines in dark sepia ink using sailor fude nib fountain pen, and Derwent inktense yellow paint with a water brush.

I'm getting more confident with my linework (one of the reasons I'm using pen and ink is to encourage myself to go for it, and any mistakes I'll suck up and learn from), but it's still tricky keeping the fine lines where I want to focus on detail. I'll take a look through my pens and see if I've got anything with a (normal) fine nib and see if that's any good for drawing with (much as I've loved working with dip pens in the past, the convenience of fountain pens is very compelling!)

Reasoning below the cut!

There is an animal called the Narngreg, multi-coloured, very beautiful and extremely gentle. Physiologus says of it, that it has only the dragon as an enemy. When it has fed and is full, it hides in its den and sleeps. After three days it awakes from its sleep and gives a great roar, and from its mouth comes a very sweet odour, as if it were a mixture of every perfume.

This creature is extremely gentle, and has very sweet breath, so my first interpretation was that it was definitely not a carnivore (cats and dogs not being particularly known for their fragrant breath!). However, as mentioned in the last paragraph, this creature has very prominent claws, so how to interpret this?

One of the options was to consider that it might be insectivorous, or even mellivorous; I liked the idea of it having honey as at least a large part of the diet, as I could have interpreted the 'sweet' breath more literally! Bears and mustelids such as honey badgers (no spots, but fits the black and white colouration mentioned below) both use their claws to tear into bee nests, and anteaters, pangolins, aardvarks, etc all have impressive weaponry.

In the end, I actually took my main influence from a couple of extinct animals; chalicotheres and ground sloths such as Megatherium. This informed the general anatomy (including the longer forelimbs, barrel chest and even the shape of its head.

Since we know it is Very Beautiful (Very Powerful) I wanted to jazz it up a little, hence the absolutely gorgeous mane, cool beard, and tuft on the tail. The dentition (prominent caniniform teeth) is actually taken directly from (arboreal) sloths...

As cute as it would have been to draw a Narngreg all curled up and sleepy, it made more sense to draw it having just woken, and giving its 'great roar' - the lines could be indicating the sound, it's sweet breath, or both!

When other animals hear its voice, they follow wherever it goes, because of the sweetness of its scent. Only the dragon, hearing its voice, is seized by fear and flees into the caves beneath the earth. There, unable to bear the scent, it grows numbed within itself and remains motionless, as if dead.

I took a look at some of the other artists interpretations of this challenge after I'd drawn my piece, but before writing the description, and it seems like I've undergone a similar thought process to @coolest-capybara (though I feel like she's gone all in on the idea, whereas I only referenced it), by having some of the creatures from previous challenges appear. I skipped the birds (more down to time and how best to respresent them, because most of them were on the small side), but we can see a Kraegrat scenting the air, and further back an elephant from the Choglaem illustration. Raising its titanic head from behind a wall of trees, we can also see the Choglaem itself, though it doesn't seem very impressed; time to 'flee into the caves beneath the earth' methinks...

The Narngreg is a beast dabbed all over with very small circular spots, so that it is distinguished by its black and white colouring with eye-shaped circles of yellow.

I suppose three colours (black, white and yellow) counts as multicoloured... 🤔 I wanted to go for a more straightforward line drawing with this one, so didn't consider the colouration too much, but since the yellow markings were such a key part of the description, I wanted to include them. I went with more stylised eye shapes, rather than going with actual circles, mostly because it seemed a little more naturalistic this way (and more fun!). I tried to get the markings to wrap realistically around the body, but I'm not sure how successful I was there. On the baby, I opted for yellow dots rather than the adult markings, to link it to the adult but show a clear difference between them.

The female gives birth once only, for a good reason. Once the three young have grown within their mother’s body until they are strong enough to be born, they hate having to stay there any longer. They scratch with their claws at the womb which is laden with its fruit, as if it prevented them from being born. The mother, overcome with pain, pushes them out and after this the seed which penetrates into the scarred and distorted womb does not take root, but flows out again unused. Pliny says that animals with sharp claws cannot bear children often because they are badly wounded internally by the movement of their young.

I think that's a pretty big assumption Pliny old chap, any observation to back that up? 😜 Obviously the main thing we learn here is that these creatures (inlcuding newborns) have prominent claws, with (as previously mentioned) heavily influence a lot of the other design decisions. Thinking about it, I probably should have drawn three babies rather than just the one! (The rule of threes seems very prevalent amongst bestiary authors!). The baby is rolling around and having fun, since it doesn't need to worry because every creature (bar dragons) loves it!

As I'm sure @maniculum has already spotted, we also have some typical African (specifically, Egyptian) flora scattered around too... Those trees are fun and I'm definitely going to use them in the future!

[pinkykats-place]

Fantasy AU BakuDeku

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

Art is not mine! Credit to @novaneondream

None of the stories linked below are mine.

Some contain mature content so please read tags on AO3.

Note: If you read any of these stories and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

Playing with Flowers by SilentJo

Summary: “What is all of this? Are you a grown man playing with flowers?” Barbarian Prince Katsuki had asked after the herbalist Deku bumped into him and scattered his plants and herbs to the ground. Deku's fiery response draws Katsuki's interest, enough to initiate the courtship ritual known well in his country, Kamino. But Deku has no idea why he keeps getting head-pats from Katsuki.

One Shot | SFW

How to Train Your Useless Dragon by Mikacrispy

Summary: Bakugou Katsuki needs to kill a dragon to take its teeth and become a warrior of his tribe.

But, what? Why the fuck doesn't this dragon have teeth?

— — —

Written from the promp "What if Izuku was the dragon?"

Shamelessly How to Train Your Dragon inspired.

Complete | 30 Chapters | SFW

Forever, right Kacchan? by Anonymous

Summary: Katsuki met Izuku when they were 3 years old, and he knew he wanted to keep the green haired boy by his side forever. They were each other's first friend, so it was only natural the blond wanted to keep that bond for the rest of his life. Katsuki and Izuku learn what "forever" really means to them as they grow up.

Complete | 19 Chapters

Rated - Mature

The Other Side of the Door by Dontmindme9

Summary: Izuku becomes Prince Shouto's personal servant. Because Izuku has to follow him around every day, they get really close. When Izuku gets lost while on an errand, Shouto does everything he can to find him again. Meanwhile, Izuku is saved by a wild Bakugou. Inside the angry teen, Izuku see's a side of Bakugou that no one has taken the time to see. Both take a liking to the innocent green haired boy, and refuse to give him up.

Complete | 52 Chapters | SFW

The dragon @silverynight

Summary: Now, this golden dragon with red eyes could actually kill him, besides, he's already pissed because he's hurt, someone stabbed one of his elbows and he's bleeding a little. The sword is still stuck in his skin.

"Hello..." Izuku takes a couple of steps closer, knowing Iida (one of prince Todoroki's knights) would probably tell him not to get himself into trouble. It's a good thing he's not there.

The dragon growls, as a warning, but he doesn't use his fire against Izuku so he takes it as a good sign.

Complete | 2 Chapters | SFW

Show me your thorns, love by princejaelofbabylon

Summary: “You'll regret this,” Katsuki warns weakly. “I don't know how to… I've never been in a relationship with anyone before." He bows his head. "I might hurt you, even without meaning to.”

Deku scoffs, pulling back slightly. "You underestimate me, sir." Scarred hands cup his face, and when Katsuki looks up, he sees a fierceness in those green eyes, burning bright with a determination that takes his breath away.

“Tell me, Kacchan—do I strike you as someone afraid to bleed?”

— — —

Or, a sweet little story about a retired grumpy warrior who doesn't think he's worthy of love, and the kind witch who proves him wrong.

Complete | 2 Chapters | Implied Smut

Chosen by Phayte

Summary: Barbarian Alpha Bakugou must pick his future Omega from the neighboring Kingdom-- Midoriya.

Complete | 93 Chapters

NSFW | OmegaVerse

The Chosen of the Dragonborn by s_the_queen

Summary: "Katsuki."

"That's right!"

"Blonde, angry, loud. Violent. That Katsuki."

"Uh...yep! That's the one!"

"Is courting me?"

"Mhm!"

"I'm pretty sure the last time he saw me he said that he was 'glad to be rid of my stupid fucking freckled face,'" Izuku intoned dryly.

---

Four years ago, Izuku spent twelve days healing Katsuki after discovering him in the woods. When they parted ways, he never thought he'd hear from Katsuki again.

When Mina, one of the warrior fae of Musutafu, shows up on his doorstep—he realizes how insanely wrong he was.

Complete | 2 Chapters | SFW

One Snowy Night by silentsongbird

Summary: On the night of Christmas Eve, chubby elf Izuku Midoriya is walking home during the beginning of a blizzard. On his journey to the warmth and safety of his cottage, he runs into an injured Krampus. Unable to resist helping the beast, Izuku invites him into his home to tend to his wounds. The two end up snowed in and the poor little elf ends up trapped with the beast who just wants to show his thanks.

One Shot | NSFW

if the stars align, then for us they were meant by RunawayDeviant

Summary: Katsuki and Eijirou crash land in a forest to the south of their homeland. Injured and stranded, they befriend a local nature spirit, who is much more than he first appears to be.

Complete | 6 Chapters | NSFW

Love Potion Recipe by MellowWrites

Summary: Katsuki hates dealing with customers, but this strange barbarian keeps coming around and, yeah, maybe he likes him.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

You're gonna be the death of me (in a good way) by MiraChaDoodles

Summary: He looked down at himself and the fresh clothing Katsuki had changed him into before his freckled cheeks bloomed into a pretty pink. It was like the sun rising beneath the stars, and Katsuki found himself wishing he had time to count them. 

But then Izuku’s posture stiffened. “Where is my clothing?”

Shit.

--

Katsuki rescues an injured faery by the river and decides to keep him.

Complete | 4 Chapters | NSFW

The Littlest Things by Fantasticnic

Summary: Katsuki buys a farm where he can truly be alone but starts to notice signs of someone else around. Tiny signs.

One Shot | SFW

but the entrails are the best part! by supercrunch

Summary: The boy straightens up. He’s about half a head shorter than Katsuki, face soft and youthful and sweet. He turns to look at him properly. His dark hair shines in the dying light, basket of blooms looped over one arm and mouth quirked into a tiny half-smile. The sun hits his face and makes his eyes a bright greeny-gold, just like emeralds.

Katsuki likes emeralds.

“Pretty,” he says, reaching out and picking the stranger up around the middle. He’s surprisingly heavy, although Katsuki doesn’t mind. “I like you. Come see my nest.”

The boy hits him.

He’s stronger than he looks, turns out. Katsuki drops him and falls onto his back, pain blooming across his face. Birds sing. The sky’s a lovely shade of orange, clouds floating lazily by. The boy scarpers. He leaves his basket of flowers behind, footsteps thumping on the ground and fading away as he escapes.

The sun sets. Katsuki, lying flat on his back with a bloody nose, decides he’s just fallen in love.

One Shot | SFW

Series:Uncharted Territory by Esselle

Summary: It's Deku who decided Katsuki would be "Kacchan"; he wasn't born in the wilds, but Deku is his tribe, now. And because Deku named him, it's to him Katsuki is bound.

Katsuki has a right to him, needs to know him in every way, as intimately as possible.

Barbarian!Deku/Adventurer!Kacchan.

Two Part Series

All Was Golden In The Sky by CallMeCharles

Summary: Izuku was only ten years old when his best friend, the great Prince Katsuki, died mysteriously. With the king and queen gone, mourning the loss of their son, the kingdom falls prey to a gang of thugs. Twelve years later, everything is looking bleak when Izuku finds himself back in the castle he used to run around in as a child. A castle that is not as abandoned as he thought. 

Beauty and the Beast AU

Complete | 32 Chapters

The chase by silverynight

Summary: "OI, YOU PIECE OF–" the tall barbarian with blond hair stops once his eyes meet. He doesn't look like the friendly type.

Honestly, he doesn't want to get into any trouble today, besides, fighting could make him sweat and people will realize he's actually–

"Omega," the barbarian smirks. He smells like an alpha, a very strong alpha. "Listen, I don't usually do this, but I'll be kind to you this time, show me your neck and I'll forgive you."

Complete | 3 CH | OmegaVerse

Rated - Teen & Up

Tiny Nuisance by Mikacrispy

Summary: Elf Katsuki has been going crazy with desire over the small halfling Izuku. When his control finally snaps, the little one finds out the dangers of teasing someone twice his size.

One Shot | NSFW

Into the Dragon's Lair by bkdkwritingsdump

Summary: Prince Izuku Midoriya wishes that someone will come and save him from a political marriage to a woman he can't love, but he never expected it would be a dragon, much less that the dragon would be in love with him, and that he might... maybe... sort of... return those feelings.

Complete | 5 Chapters

Rated - Teen & Up

burn, pine, perish by kindaopps

Summary: Three things dawned on Izuku, as he stared at the slick flower petals scattered over the black words of his book: he has fallen in love with his husband, his husband did not love him back, and he is going to die.

{One Shot}

Contains Mature Content

Mark Me (I Won’t Let You Out Of My Sight Again) by SashaDistan

Summary: When Barbarian King Katsuki Bakugo hears his childhood nickname called out from the group of travellers, traders, and adventurers his people have just raided in order to protect them from their own stupidity, he thinks he is dreaming.

And then he sees just how much the boy-next-door has grown up and changed, and all the thing he's felt for decades rise up inside him.

One thing is for sure, he cannot let Izuku slip through his fingers a second time.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

Mine, If Only for One Night by red_sneakers

Summary: Katsuki'd give just about anything for one night on equal footing with his clumsy, ugly, good-for-nothing, idiotic, beloved nerd.

“I.. Izu.. “ he tried. His new voice was deep and rough, like a pirate who ate cigars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “I.. zu.. ku.” Katsuki’s chest warmed. Izuku’s name felt right resonating inside his own ribcage, as if it belonged there and nowhere else. “Izuku.” He smiled. “M-mine.”

--

The one where jealous possessive pixie, Bakugou Katsuki, gives everything for one night as a human, to make Izuku his.

Complete | 3 Chapters

Rated - Explicit

To Fall in Love with a Dragon by Mikacrispy

Summary: Barbarian prince Bakugou Katsuki falls in love with a Dragon shifter.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

oh, how quickly things change by SpicyJam

Summary: "… I was trying to find someone to /start/ a family with. But everyone's scared of me."

Katsuki snorts, breaking eye contact first. "You're a dragon."

"Mm…" Deku grabs his hand again, as if he's still deciding if he's allowed to touch. "… You're not scared of me, though."

Katsuki glances up. A feeling of heat pools in his belly at the smile that Deku is giving him.

"Guess not."

---

Katsuki is a dragon hunter, and Deku is the dragon that claims him.

One Shot | NSFW

[idk-ilike5sos]

Dear Will,

Before today, it'd been twenty-seven days since I wrote to you last. You’ve never received any of the letters and - as long as I don’t suddenly die before I get the chance to burn them all - you never will. But since eight am, I've already started and torn up five other first-letters-since. I thought it'd be easy to write down how I feel, let everything exist solely as ink on paper, but it's not. I'm learning recently, since you left, that I'm wrong about a lot of things.

This morning I got another letter from Eleven. It's probably the last one I'll get before seeing you both. It's still scary to think that, in a couple of days, we'll be face-to-face again. It's been so long.

One-hundred-and-ninety-two days, at the time I’m writing this. I wonder if it feels like it’s been that long to you.

But, anyway, in that letter, Eleven went over what she usually does: updates me on school, how she's adjusting so well without me, and she lets me know how you're all doing. Joyce likes her new job, Jonathan is stressed about college, and you're painting something you won't let her see.

She told me that you met some girl in California.

I bet she's pretty. She's got the nicest eyes you've ever seen, and you paint them all the time. You've memorized every shape of her face from how much you draw her. She probably has a nice laugh, but you'd tell her it's cute even if she didn't. Everyone loves her and always talks about how kind she is. She's at the top of all her classes. I bet she's popular and a cheerleader or some cliche-equivalent.

I hope she has dark, shoulder-length hair. I hope she has ugly brown eyes. I hope she has a lot of freckles. And I hope she's got "strong cheekbones", as my mom likes to call them. I hope she looks like me.

I know she doesn't. She's probably the complete opposite, which is what hurts even more. Not only do you not like me because I'm a boy, but because of every single little thing about me.

I was in shock when I found out Eleven liked me - because, I mean, it's El, you know?

She's awesome, and I know that. At first, I thought I’d somehow won at life, because I found this incredible girl and everyone kept bringing up how enamoured I was with her. So, I kissed her - and she didn’t even seem disgusted or anything! A little surprised, but not bad surprised, you know?

Then it got even better, because it turned out she liked me back. Isn’t that insane? A girl liked ME. It’s still hard to believe now. Sometimes, I feel like she’s lying every time she signs her letters with “love”.

In the end, I fucked it up anyway. It all started with a lie and I got so caught up in it that I was too scared to start telling the truth. And, contrary to popular belief, the lie that ruined our relationship wasn’t that my nana got sick. It’s that her feelings grew, but mine dissipated because it turns out they were never really there.

So this is me finally telling the truth, even if no one ever gets to hear it.

And the truth is I miss you. I miss us.

When you left, I kept telling myself you'd come back. At night, I'd hold back tears, whispering to myself that you're gonna come back one day. You'll be in Hawkins again, on that old ass couch in my basement - the one only a couple of feet away from me right now. We'd both look a lot older than we did the last time we were here, maybe even older than we do now, but at some point, we'd be back. We'd be as close as we used to be. It'd be like nothing ever changed. And the worst part is, I really believed it would all happen.

But it won't. You're not coming back. You might visit a few times, but eventually, our zero-contact thing will get tiring for you. You'll find a new Party, a better one. And this girl you like is going to be a part of it - because she's perfect, so obviously she loves all the things you love. She loves all the things that we love, that used to be ours.

I'm not angry. I'm trying not to be angry.

It's not easy.

I want you here. I want you with me. I don't want you with that stupid girl.

I hate her. I hate her so much.

Why am I not good enough?

Please, just tell me. I'd do anything to change. I'll be kinder. I'll be smarter. I'll be funnier. I'll give in to Lucas' ideals of popularity. I don't care what. All of it would be worth it.

And if I’m unveiling the truth, I might as well unveil it all. I like you. This letter has probably made that obvious already, but I had to add it. I think I’ve liked you for forever, even if I didn’t realise. Or maybe I didn’t and one day, everything changed. I don't know. Either way, I exist today with that truth. I like you. I like you and not Eleven.

I need you, Will. Even if it’s just as friends, I need you in my life.

I’m really glad you’re not reading this because I sound pathetic. And that’s because I am. I’m a stupid pathetic mess. The basement's a shit hole. My room’s even worse. My grades suck. I never see Dustin, Lucas, or Max outside of school, but I somehow see my family even less. So, I’m more than pathetic. I’m alone. And it’s my own fault.

I think California's been good for you. It got you away from Hawkins. It got you away from me. And it brought you to your dream girl. She must be pretty special. She's lucky. And if it turns out she somehow doesn't like you back, that's on her. She must've lost her mind or never had one in the first place.

If you ever need to talk about it, have a 2,000-mile-away-shoulder to cry on, I'm always waiting by the phone...

Love, Mike

[voidthewanderer]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged by @bury-me-standing for today! Thanks!

The sketch layer, just like the last post with this pic, is hidden because it's just nothing but chaos with it showing. I'm taking a little bit more time to study some of my favorite artists and how they draw ghoul noses because I really just gotta figure it out having a majority ghoul character line up. So yeah, working on Ripper holding his kid.

But also, here, have some of the draft from A Different Life because I've been working on it pretty religiously as well. Here's the first few paragraphs of the second draft of chapter three. It's supposed to be a little bit more of a feel good type story with some minor, more realistic everyday conflicts rather than some of the over the more major conflicts that happen less often.

“Arsenic…”

The ghoul gave a soft groan, rolling over slightly, though didn’t open his eyes.

“Arsen~”

The voice had a soft warble to it now, despite the roughness. A soft touch on his arm garnered another soft groan, his own voice reflecting his groggy state, “Babe…”

“Baby, wake up…” Another hum, the hand lightly caressing his arm. His muscle twitched slightly at the touch, him finally opening an eye, smile soft on his lips, “What is it, babe?”

“I’ve got a little surprise for you.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, tucking his elbows beneath his back to prop himself up, “Damn… we get engaged an’ I get t’ have ya back in my life again. What more could I get t’ make this even better?”

“Get up and I’ll show you,” Crow chirped, ducking in to peck his cheek; him humming softly at the affection. He stretched slightly before pushing himself out of the bed to get dressed. Nothing major, at least not for today since he wasn’t cooking; a plain tank top and sweatpants. As he turned back to face Crow, he’d caught their gaze wandering before completely adverting it when they noticed they’d been caught. A smirk crept on his face, “Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout, babe?”

“Just come on,” Crow turned and trotted out of the room before Arsenic could even take his first step, needing to widen his stride to catch up the the smaller ghoul. He could tell that they were still at least curious about everything, but was having a hard time processing their actual thoughts when it was brought up. It was a topic that they’d only discussed once and that had been the day they got together. Nobody knew what tragedy would happen eight months later…

Crow led Arsenic to the communal kitchen, holding a mug out to him, “Here.”

He glanced to it, confused, “What’s all this?”

“Well…we never really got to, y’know, start our lives as a couple. To really do things as a couple living together. I wanna start with this.” This raised a smile, his voice much softer than before as he carefully took the mug, “Of course, baby…”

Once Crow had grabbed their mug, the duo headed to the couch. Arsenic only had a moment to get settled before Crow practically curled up into his lap, hugging their mug close to their chest and pulling his free arm around their waist. He tightened his hold, shifting his legs so they were cradled against him, “There we go…”

They fell into a peaceful quiet, the warmth of just being together comforting. Some of the other ghouls started to shuffle about in their own morning routines before heading out to work. None of them paid any mind to the couple; though most feared that they’d probably get ripped a new one if they made a comment. Crow cuddled up more against Arsenic’s chest, him stifling a groan as they spoke, “What’d’ya think? Maybe we can get up early, make ourselves some coffee together and just… cuddle. I know you’re really not the type to but-”

“Shh… I’d love t’ keep doin’ this,” he chuffed, “Gotta remember, I was on th’ go for a long damn time. Don’t gotta do that anymore. Somethin’ small like this? It’ll be nice. This is my home. An’ I think it’ll be a learning experience for us both.”

[heckosart]

Heya

Fellow (albeit novice) fantasy cartographer here

How'd you get into making maps for people?

Hi!

I've liked drawing and making maps for a long time, and I used to make up maps for fun as a kid. The things that inspired me originally were mostly books, I read fantasy extensively and I've always loved following the characters around by referring to the map as I read. From that I started to draw maps of places in books as well ones I made up. I drew a lot of magical islands for a while.

I also got really inspired by the natural forces of geology/plate tectonics/weather/etc and how they impact the land. I use all of that interest to try and create fantasy maps that have a sense of grounded believability to them. I'm by no means an expert, but I'm always learning and trying to improve.

Obviously for most maps I do professionally there's already a general shape and layout my clients have in mind, but even then I often include small additional islands, give borders and coastlines extra wiggle and variation, and look for ways to incorporate natural and geographic barriers that would help inform political ones.

As art of my thesis at art school, I made a map for a personal fantasy project. I also made a simpler map for a friend, and with those examples I put maps into my commission info. Since that time (2020) I've probably only done about five maps for clients, so I don't usually get as many as these last two jobs back to back might imply. It is always fun to work on though, and I'm thinking about doing some new personal pieces soon since it's been almost four years from the last time I did one for me.

My best recommendation for getting into map commissions would be to get a couple nice samples completed (at least one of a budget option and one big fancy one) and to decide on a clear plan for base pricing. Currently, I have maps broken down into two categories of price.

Simple: $90 - Includes lines, one flat color for land and one for water, mountains and rivers, and typed labels.

Complex: $180 - Includes lines, terrain color variation, symbols/terrain textures/landmark drawings/mountains/rivers, and handwritten labels.

I can also add on sea creatures and monsters and custom compass roses for an extra charge.

My pricing is based on knowing how long it takes me to do the work, how much effort it takes, and the expectation that short deadlines not be imposed. Extra complex requests and tight deadlines (for maps I'd consider anything less than three weeks to be tight) are fully welcome, but will come with an added price to account for those requirements. I would also charge far more for a commercial client, all of my prices here and in my commission info are for personal use jobs only.

You probably know this already, but I always have to say it! Make sure, whatever you're charging, you're making above minimum wage. Ideally, you should make more than minimum because custom art is luxury service. Your skills are valuable, so treat them like it!

I also can't recommend making a TOS to protect both you and your clients' safety enough. Mine are very much not perfect, but I'm always happy to offer them as something for other artists to reference or even just copy when making their own.

Personal Use | Commercial Use

On top of all of that, I'm very persistent with my self-promotion. I used to only use Twitter for art, but post-Elon I've branched back out to Tumblr and made a Bluesky because suddenly it was really scary to notice that all my eggs (clients and followers) were in that one volatile basket. I'm not famous or wildly successful, but my followings on here and Bluesky are still a tiny fraction of on Twitter and that's scary. I try to reblog/retweet/etc my promotional posts once a day to keep eyes on them (but I forget pretty often too lol) and whenever I have a little drawing or something I post it. I'm not the most prolific artist, but I try not to worry about that too much.

Hopefully this isn't too much stuff you already know and hopefully some of it was helpful!

[thea-apianae]

↓ rambling

i keep running into this problem where i want to do music, but actually doing never feels right. i don't really try to make anything original anymore bc, y'know, that shit's hard. i stopped just when i was starting to get the hang of it -- the last time i made an original song was nearly a year ago (and even then, it was from a much older project file that was already pretty close to being done). sometimes i still open up LMMS to mess around but i don't have much motivation to finish anything these days. so i've just been posting song covers over the past year but even that's lost so much of its appeal. i mean when i was 14 i'd churn out like 3 covers in a single month, admittedly bc i spent less time on them (lmao) but also bc i was just a lot more enthusiastic abt making it. i think a lot of that was just the excitement of learning something new -- it was kinda the same when i started using a different program for my art, having to learn all these advanced features was actually rly good for getting me out of my major art block back then. and for both art + music i've more or less settled into a routine and so now i don't make like Anything. opening up synthv to draw some notes and type in lyrics isn't fun anymore. i've done this like a million times i already know what i'm doing (which is incidentally the same reason why i haven't been drawing much) and ofc as i've gotten better at these things (and older) i'm also a lot more conscious of whether or not what i'm making is good. but i think another reason why i'm specifically struggling w music is bc of all the new developments in vocal synthesis that i just Haven't been keeping up w. y'know, the AI shit. i dunno how i feel abt the ""morality"" of AI in vsynths (i think it's prolly fine in the case of official voicebanks, since the voice provider is fully aware of the AI use + receiving compensation? tho my opinion is basically worthless lol) but at the very least it's been somewhat demoralizing. i know it's not everyone who uses these programs but ig it's the same issue as w AI-generated art or writing -- covers take so much time + effort, so it's kinda frustrating to think that someone else can just feed a couple of .wav files into an interface and be done. (tho at the same time -- mixing still isn't fully automated, afaik, and the issue of "ppl making shitty song covers w vsynths and putting 0 effort into the mix" exists even w/o AI) but then also ppl who listen to AI covers might then assume i've done the same, that i don't spent literal hours just trying make the vocals sound right…….

i dunno. i've always thought music was rly cool but it just seems so far out of reach. learning music theory isn't "fun" for me in the way other things are, but w/o that knowledge i feel like i'm only "allowed" to make covers, since then i'm just building off of someone else's work that's already well-made.

anyway it's prolly the depression lol

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Edge of the World" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won't read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Do you want to know what impresses me the most about this season of The Owl House? Well, you see, I've probably mentioned this before, but I love how the writers introduced and juggled so many plotlines and stories in Season Two. Every episode, so far, has continued one thread or the other. Like Luz and Amity's relationship, Hunter's reformation, the Day of Unity, Raine's rebellion, Luz going home, and a couple more. What's even more impressive is how the writers know what stories they could combine in an episode and what to shelve for the time being.

Take King's story, for example. "Echoes of the Past" introduced this thread about King's life, bringing up a mystery of where he came from and what he is. "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" and "Eda's Requiem" then continued the thread through B-plots so others could take the forefront, and "Knock, Knock, Knocking on Hooty's Door" furthered the story while also shelving it by having Hooty EAT the thing that would keep things moving forward. And because we had to wait until Hooty...passed the letter, it gave a reasonable explanation for why King didn't continue his efforts in finding his family. Especially since he wasn't in the mood anymore during "Knock, Knock, Knocking on Hooty's Door."

But now? Lumity is canon, Hunter is traumatized and probably doesn't want to do anything, the Day of Unity is still a while away, Raine's rebellion needs some more building, and Luz probably lost her one chance to go home. In other words, these plot threads are currently shelved, so let's finally bring back King's with "Edge of the World!" Today, we finally learn more about King's life and heritage and will undoubtedly get traumatized because of it! Because this is Season Two of The Owl House, and holy s**t, is it not pulling it's punches!

So, let's take our lumps together, shall we?

Spoilers below.

WHAT I LIKED

King’s Dream: I love that this episode starts the way it does. On top of being wholesome as all hell, it shows us King's greatest desire. King wants to see his family again, but he also wants them to get along with Eda, Luz, and even Hooty. It's cute, even if it IS a bit on the nose that this was a dream.

Not to mention that it prepares us for the darkness ahead.

Luz Saying What Happened: On the topic of darkness, something tells me that the scenes Luz flashbacked to have been in her nightmares for the past few days. Or however long it took between "Hollow Mind" and this.

But, yeah, this was a solid way to recap events from last week. Unless you've rewatched the previous six episodes on Disney+, this brings you back to the pain we went through in "Hollow Mind." And BOY is pain the right word to use given how fast Luz starts panicking. She indirectly helped a genocidal maniac, leading him to get closer to destroying everything and everyone that she loves. I'd be having a mental breakdown too, and kudos to Sarah-Nicole Robles for nailing the fear, heartbreak, and self-anger that Luz must be feeling at this moment. It's top notch and OOF, does it hurt.

Eda Wants Luz to Hide: Thankfully, we have Eda being the protective mom that she is. Her kid is tied with Hunter as someone likely to be number one on Belos' hit list, so the first thing Eda thinks of is hiding her precious baby in a place where NO ONE will find her. It's an admirable mindset, showing, yet again, how much Luz means to Eda. And I'm always going to love that wholesome relationship.

Hooty Barfs Because of Lilith: Almost as much as I love a well-timed joke.

Seriously, Hooty, you might want to get yourself checked out for something if seeing someone you love causes you to barf.

The Plan for Going to King’s “People” (And Eda’s Objections): It's incredible how a later scene could alter how we view a previous one. Because, at the time, I was siding with everyone else. We learned that there was an entire civilization of warriors, making it sound like the ideal place for King and Luz to hide out and be safe, but in turn, it makes it the perfect opportunity for the characters to gain an army. So, it sounded like a foolproof plan for King, Luz, and Hooty to go on this adventure by themselves...and then the rest of the episode happened.

Yeah, given what we know now, Eda has a right to be cautious about sending the kids there on a perilous journey. I mean, King was about to be sacrificed! Those people are lucky that Eda didn't come with Luz and King. She might have burned the place to the ground if she did.

Still, it impresses me how well context can change how I react to a scene. I didn't understand why Eda wouldn't be all for going to a land of warriors to protect her kids, but after watching the episode, I'll end up siding with her on future rewatches. Because, in hindsight, who wouldn’t side with a woman so worried about her kids?

Eda Cries for Luz: Because, I mean, like...seriously. You're telling me you wouldn't side with a woman that's this worried about her children? Get out of here!

Ok, but jokes aside, this is perfection. There are so many kids' shows that just gloss over that the protagonist that does all of this dangerous stuff is a literal child. Needless to say, I appreciate that The Owl House features a moment when Eda breaks down over the stress that her child is in a lot of deep s**t. It's the same reason I love Steven Universe Future, despite its flaws. It was the first time a kids' show acknowledged that the child protagonist will have so much trauma that will last them YEARS of therapy. And it's just beginning for Luz, which makes me appreciate Eda's worry for her even more. It's an honest reaction any rational parent would have, eradicating any doubt that Eda doesn't see herself as Luz's mom. If she didn't, why else would she be crying over this kid she's only known for a few months?

But I’m sure they’ll have time to figure things out. I mean, the Day of Unity is only in a week–WAIT, WHAT?!

The Day of Unity is in a WEEK?!: That is...a VERY stressful timetable.

The genocide of the entire Boiling Isles is coming, and the characters only have a WEEK to prepare?! A week that's already passing fast as we speak?! Dana Terrace, you and your writers are...sick monsters. I do NOT need this stress in my life, Ms. Terrace!

Oh, man, I need to put my mind on something else...

Hooty Ate the Letter a Month Ago: ...I can work with this.

Ok, so Hooty ate the letter a month ago. This happened at least a few days after Luz and Amity started dating. So, this means that a few days before "Edge of the World," Luz and Amity MUST have had their one-month anniversary, which undoubtedly had roses, chocolate, and cute, gay adorableness.

There. Whenever something bad happens in the show, I can just think of Luz and Amity's one-month anniversary. Problem solved.

I know it's stupid and silly...but I need this.

Tarak: Alright, back to the bad stuff.

Because man...I liked Tarak! He was a cool dude that was so excited to have King around and was Bill's hype man. Not to mention how much King enjoyed being with Tarak. 

He saw him as his father, wanting to play catch and everything! And Tarak doesn't even hesitate in wanting to kill King after knowing what he is!

It's yet another instance where learning the context alters how I react to something. Because I remember feeling this spark of joy and happiness when I saw King so excited to have someone he saw as a father figure! Now all I'll feel is pain, knowing where it will all end!

Titan Trapper Island: It's the same thing here. I thought it was interesting that there was a community of people who hunted Titans. We know next to nothing about what Titans are, so it was safe to assume it was a good thing that there were hunters committing genocide on a species, to the point where we glossed over the fact that they committed genocide on a species (yeah, that was probably a red flag). But now, after learning what King is, it leaves this icky feeling in my tum-tum knowing he was practically a warthog dining with lions.

King Becoming a Titan Trapper Montage: Yeah, this doesn't help!

Seeing King get acceptance and respect from these individuals he thought was his kind was a nice heartwarming moment. Why does it have to be ruined now that I know where it's heading?!

Can we please have something to lighten the mood...?

Bill, the Grand Elder: ...Alright, I'll take it.

Don't get me wrong, this guy's a scumbag...but he's an entertaining scumbag.

Bill's psychotic old man nature is genuinely fun to watch, and it's pretty funny seeing this little gremlin boss around these noticeably bigger and fitter people. It's also interesting how he's not scared of Belos. I always find it intriguing how one villain doesn't consider the other a threat. Makes one wonder which one is actually worse.

I mean, it's Belos. It'll always BE Belos. But it's still fascinating how Bill thinks he's worse. And it makes sense why he's not worried. Their island is disconnected from the Boiling Isles, so if there's anyone who won't be hurt by the Day of Unity, it'll be them.

And there are...other reasons why they're not scared of Belos. But before we get into that, let's talk about the Titan in the room.

King’s a Son of a Titan: ...The winner for what is easily the biggest "What the F**K?!" moment goes to King being a Titan!

No, seriously, WHAT THE F**K?! Our baby boy's a Titan?!

Did...did anyone call this?! Hang on.

*Does a YouTube search*

Ok, f**k, apparently people called this! But it sounded like such a crackhead theory that I'm sure people who heard it just pointed and laughed! NOW, who's laughing?!

I'll tell you who: The sons of b**hes who somehow called this--HOW THE F**K DO YOU CALL THIS!?

Man, this show...

This! Show!

Every time that I think it gives us the biggest reveal, it throws King being a Titan at us. Not only that, but now he's surrounded by Titan hunters who will kill him if they find out.

Yeah, can we get him out of there, please? Before things get worse.

The Titan Trappers’ God is the Collector: THINGS GOT WORSE!

Oh...FRICK, did they get worse!

These guys might not be more of a threat than Belos is, but the reveal that they worship the Collector might prove the Collector is worse than Belos. Because if they managed to get a whole society to worship them as a god, then that does not spell nice things for our characters. After all, if you can turn an Owl Beast into a curse, you could possibly do just about anything. And...yeah, it's not great...And it somehow gets even WORSE!

The Ritual: Ok...Listen: King asking if they'll play catch after the ritual as a knife hangs over his head is...heart wrenching, to say the very least. It's a moment where King shows his age because the boy's just a child! He's just a child who wanted to play catch with a man he saw as a father, and NONE of them sympathize with that, nor do they look back at how he felt like a part of the community, and they treated him as one of their own. It shows how much blind hatred these people have towards King's species while showing how young King is for being naive to all of it. It hurts...and it STILL. Gets. WORSE!

King Preparing for a World Without Luz in it: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaah...

...

...Ok. I'm at my limit.

We already know that King doesn't want Luz to leave, but knowing that he's been preparing to live his life without her is just...WHY?! Why must you hurt me, Dana!

I just want my favorite characters to be happy! Is that so wrong to ask?!

King Waving Hi to the Titan: Well...at least King has a better understanding of himself.

His little wave to the Titan is like an...acceptance? Is that the right word? Because he acknowledges that he's one of it now. If it King didn't accept that, he would look away from the Titan in shame, but instead, he waves. It tells us that even if today has been...not great, he finally knows what he is, putting that story to rest. And I couldn't have asked the episode to end at a better--

The Emperor’s Coven at the Owl House, Ready to Strike: OH, COME ON! You could've closed the episode out on a semi-nice moment, but NOOOOOOO! You just HAD to end things on a scene that spells out doom and gloom for our characters!

THANKS A LOT, DANA AND FRIENDS! Your show is amazing, and I hate it!

(Joking, obviously)

WHAT I DISLIKED

Ok...I only have one issue...and that's the super-specific description of what a baby Titan is. I get that we want to clue the kids in on how King's a Titan, but using his personality traits to do it is kind of lame. It takes away what makes King unique if the entire species supposedly act as he does. We already have Bill saying they dress up like Titans. We don't need that extra step.

However, that's a very minor thing "Edge of the World" did wrong compared to everything else it did right.

IN CONCLUSION

"Edge of the World" is another A+ in my book. We learned so much about King, had some small development for Luz and Eda squeezed in, changed how I'll react to it in future rewatches, and kept the story chugging along at the perfect point. It's honestly perfect that "Edge of the World" came out when it did because with where the show's heading in the season finale, there wouldn't have been a better place to continue King's story than here. I look forward to what happens next, primarily because that ending just about left me on the edge of my seat.

[asmolweirdoart]

Hi :) Bringing my art blog back because I swapped to a new art program and digital art is fun again. There'll be more about me and this piece under the cut, plus a couple bonus images <3

I really wanted to have this done for Halloween, but alas, it's no longer spooky month. I've been working on this on and off for a month around school, and I'm very happy with how it came out! I did this to learn drawing in Photoshop, so there's definitely some wonk because of that (and also because I still have a lot to learn in general) but this is a great starting point for me.

Nightmare Balloon Boy is a scrunkly to me. He's my emaciated little clown boy who likes to cause problems and commit crimes. He gets 0 sympathy from me for his behavior. Jail for 1,000 years. I love his original design a whole lot, but I wanted to get a little more Concerningly Human in my piece, so he's a lot less robotic than he started. Is he still an animatronic at all? That's for you to find out! :)

On the subject of me: Hello! I go by Smol (she/her). I'm a theatre design major that dabbles in illustration like this. My passion for art is in the massive collaboration a theatre production is. All the moving parts coming together to bring a story to life is magical to me. This sort of energy is what I try to bring to my illustrations. I enjoy working digitally in a similar way to using ink and paint, while still taking advantage of the things digital does best. You can get more of me on my main blog (linked as a tab on this blog's page)! I won't be rambling like this in future art posts lol.

One last thing, here's a doodle I did in class the other day. Freddo Fazbear my beloved <3 Thanks for reading past the cut!

[pumpkin-spike18]

✨Weekly Progress 2022 #54✨+Demo 2.0 coming 1/28/23!

Colored 3 BGs

Colored 2 BGs

Made first pass of comments from proofreading

New list of remaining work for Jan.

Updated the BG +affected code in Demo 1.0 (basic changes)

This is it, new year starting soon. Will it somehow have 54 weeks again 🤔

I actually normally write my weekly progresses on Sunday, then schedule them for Wednesday so it looks like I have a post for every indie dev hour haha~ But since the last day of the year lands on a Sunday, I figure I can publish now.

And as alluded in the title, the release date for Demo 2.0 is set for 1/28/2023! More info on what the update entails can be found here!

I have all the art assets done, but as I made a list of all the things I have left to do, it was half a page. =v=; There's a few changes that I intend for the script since I finished writing it. Ideally, these changes shouldn't take long at all! But I wanted to be sure so I ended up extending the release date a bit.

2022 & 2023 ✨

While I'm at it, I want to talk about the past year and the next one too.

The past year really has been a whirlwind of fun 😁 I never expected SYVNH to be as popular as it has been and I'm really grateful for everyone's support so far! It has been my main focus for most of the year, but I spent some time participating in other jam projects as well! I took on a variety of roles for:

We Were Forever

Lachesis V Atropos

ALICE

Mythic Meetup

Nature's Lament

All of which can be found on my itch.io page!

I was hoping to do a little more for the full year, project-wise, but the scope for SYVNH blew up pretty fast on me. But I still did find time to write for a couple unannounced projects (that hopefully I'll be able to work more on 2023)!

Upcoming for 2023, of course, my number one goal is finishing SYVNH!

Other smaller art goals include:

Illustration sets

More fanart!

Make a short animated MV

Learn to use blender and live2D

General art improvement

I both love and miss drawing fanart for all my favorite series. I hope I'll be able to get back into it in 2023. Additionally, I want to spend some time making tutorials to teach others to do some of the things I do! Lastly, I want to improve my art skill. I've spent so much time on digital art that I've been lacking in things like painting and 3D craft making. So it's time to spend more time on that.

I haven't quite figured out how to split my time to complete all of that yet, but hey! That's what the new year's for, right? 😄

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for this year and I look forward to the next one!

[bread-tab]

i'm at the stage of the semester where i can only do so much to affect my final grade, to catch up, etc, and i find myself in an unprecedented state of serene reflection

i have learned so much from this class about what it means to go back to school as an adult.

which is weird because i went to college for 8-ish years straight as a young adult trying to get my damn associate's degree and i started to feel REALLY old by the time i hit 24 in that environment.

but as the big three-oh slowly draws nearer, and i come back to the ministrations of the education industry after a couple of very long gap years... i find myself in a different paradigm.

i've forgotten my old routine. i've gotten rusty at it. i didn't plan before the semester, or go carefully shopping for supplies; i didn't even go to the disability services office and ask for accommodations

(which in hindsight i should have, because they'd have let me use some expensive but very handy note-taking software for free and it's a little late for that now but i still need to catch up on recorded lectures)

i just. dived right in. and i handled it like a fukcing champ. i figured out new time management and mental energy budgeting strategies on the fly. i juggled making it to class around two jobs, a volunteer gig, and multiple illness flareups. i dropped the ball spectacularly. i had a couple very bad anxious breakdowns. and every time, i de-catastrophized and picked myself back up.

it's time to start work on the final essay. miracle of miracles, i got the reading done for it. now i have to do (shudder) research. my goal is to submit ONE structrually sound essay, edited, maybe even looked over by a tutor first—ONE good essay that i didn't write on the day of the deadline, goddamnit.

and even if i do, even if i get 100% on the final, i don't know whether i will pass the class. but i will continue giving it the good ol' college try right up to the last day.

(and unlike last time i did this—last time i decided i'm going to squeeze every drop of insight and integrity out of my stupid hard-earned F—this time i'm not stressing about it. i mean, i feel the stress, sure. but it's an order of magnitude less serious.)

this has been a learning experience. i don't know what the hell i was thinking signing up for the class i've historically done the worst at this semester, when i was out of practice with the entire concept of going to school, stressed, unmedicated, broke and stretched thin on time management already. what the fuck, January!Jack?

but somehow i've done the best i ever have in this class. i've done all the readings. i've read some damn decent literature these last couple of months. i actually participated in discussions without pulling anything out of my ass from a hasty skim-reading. inability to complete writing assignments in a timely manner aside... i at least started most of them. i cannot stress enough that i did all the readings, *unmedicated.* (coffee helps but is not an effective substitute.) i have no idea where this newfound ability to focus has come from... well, wait, i do.

i figured out how to make myself *want* to do all the readings.

all of them.

if nothing else, that's worth the $400 i dropped on this class even if i fail. i figured out how to fucking read again.

in short:

W

[cherokeegal1975]

Today is the last day I'm reposting this video. I get it. It's not that great. I knew it had problems, which is why it's posted on YouTube and not on Audible like I originally intended.

When and if I can get the money, I'll hire an editor first, then a reader next. Neither are cheap, so it'll take me a very long time before I can get that project done. I'm struggling to find work. It's really depressing.

So, after over three thousand views, only six likes and people only clicking on my audiobook and only listening to the first half hour and then likely never coming back, I get the message loud and clear. You hate it. Okay, fine. I was just bored and needed something to do. So, after this, no more reposts. I'll let it die.

Even though I know it'll never happen, I still think if Netflix produced this book as a miniseries, it'll work. I'll continue to believe in it even if no one else will.

I'll give you one spoiler, you find out that my main character's pregnant in chapter five. Is that the problem? You don't like listing to the backstory of my main characters for two chapters? This is meant to be a full story, not some fetish fuel crap. If you want that, go to DeviantART. Guarantee you, most of it is awful...and mind numbingly stupid too.

I also believe in my works because I know when something's good. I have produced two art journals in the past and declare them not worth spending your money on. They were good learning experiences. It's not that the artwork in them is bad, it's that I didn't know what they'd look like in print and made a lot of mistakes. Including some drawings that I later regretted placing in my for sale art journal because it would've been best not to have them shown to the public. Nothing bad technically, but I generally try to keep my graphic artwork G-rated for the public so if someone standing next to me looks over my shoulder, I'll have no reason to be embarrassed. I'm applying the same principle to anything I post online. I only leave the journals available for sale because I worked on them. That's it.

So, no, I won't say something's good if I didn't believe in it, even if it's my own work I'm talking about. In fact, I'll be the first to strongly criticize it if I feel that I did a poor job. I see the flaws...some of them anyway. I could try to fix them myself, but I want a more objective point of view in the editing of my novels. So, I got this hands-off policy until I can afford some professional help for them. And also, if I didn't think my work had really good potential after it was edited, I'd never bother to try to share it with the public at all. I've written a story like that that I never finished. Later deleted it. It was great practice, but total crap and I knew it.

If you can find the time to listen to my book, I'd love an honest critique. I know it's not perfect...and I don't have any illusions that it's highly unlikely that anyone will write anything. Got a couple of people who wrote back, but they tend to be years between comments and barely say much of anything of what they think. Anything is appreciated though.

Then again, I bet no one will bother to read this.

[artylo]

Revisiting New Vegas - Part Ⅰ

As a sort of reward for myself for getting through some bureaucratic bullshit, I've been replaying Fallout: New Vegas these last couple of days - maybe weeks at this point; I can't tell.

It's kind of the only game that makes me want to keep saying things like: "When I go old and senile, just put me in front of a computer that auto-runs this on boot, please." It really is just my favorite thing in the whole world to completely annihilate my day and compulsively ignore any biological needs with. I also keep saying that I'll only ever play it once every decade or so: A) because I know what it will do to me, and B) because it will have been a long enough time to where things are probably staring to get fuzzy in the ol' memory department.

All that to say, this is my second kind-of-proper big playthrough, in which I know I've left a bunch of things unexplored the first time around. I don't even have a stipulation to do anything really different each time - just do whatever makes me happy, you know!

This time around, I am just stunned by the sheer size of the experience. I feel that whenever I played this around the time it released, I was mostly just some kid beelining it to the next main quest and getting things done whenever I found something along the way. Now, I've been essentially ignoring the main path and dipping my toes into the absolute shitload of faction side-quests that seemingly always existed in there, but I never found.

There are these weird new impressions forming in my head, since I'm not really committing to a choice of faction in the big picture kind of sense just yet, but I am walking around the ranks of the big players and helping them out of sheer self-interest. This has earned me a reputation of being a "Smiling Troublemaker", which is new to me in a mechanical sense and in a personal one. I've learned that being an absolute baby-faced, blue-eyed angel isn't the only way to approach the sliding scale of characters' opinions of you in this game. You can be good to them, but also take your cut whenever they seem to benefit from your services a bit more than what they paid for.

I like to think that even before engaging the big players on the map, I've already made a name for myself and established where my ideology sort of lies, so that by the time anything actually important to the plot happens, I will have some sort of in-universe reference from which to draw.

Some of the things I wanted to try out this time were learning how to play Caravan, checking out some of the more obscure unmarked quests, and getting all companions, while completing as many of their personal quests as possible.

I already know what you might be thinking. You want to learnt the thing no one ever bothers to learn; You want to learn Caravan? I felt like I had to do it, because I keep gushing about how much I like this game, yet I ignore massive chunks of it. That and I like retaining niche and relatively useless information for potential financial benefit. Turns out, you can make a lot of caps playing Caravan - especially if you get good at it like I did. First couple of games were obviously rough, but eventually I stacked the deck in my favor and robbed a merchant of all their money the moment I bought a bunch of stuff from them. I went on a 37 game streak after that. I still go back to the Mojave Outpost every once in a while when I'm strapped for cash. I play the lady at the bar for all she's got, repair my stuff back to full and then pickpocket most of that money back on my way out - life is good.

Anyway, this post is getting longer and longer - definitely more than I set out to write - and I'm getting a bit tired of typing at four in the morning. I'll continue this line of thought tomorrow.