#such is the necessary price for beautiful art

[sorrel-the-kabbage]

I haven't posted in forever (and I don't have access to a lot of my old art rn so I can't keep posting those until I do) so here's something I drew the other day!

Shinsou!!! This was originally just show/pose practice but I blinked and suddenly it was a fully shaded fullbody scene lol

[figsnpassionfruits]

Paint Away, My Little Dove

A/N: welcome to my very first imagine. This takes place right away the gang arrives at Horseshoe Overlook. It is somewhat canon but you will figure that out as you read. English is not my first language, so in case there is anything you notice, please message me! I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing this <3 word count: 2k tags: arthur morgan x fem!reader, fluff, age gap dividers by: @strangergraphics-archive pictures are from pinterest

Oh yes, the fields of Big Valley. What a sight they were. Each careful brush stroke you were making was an attempt to recreate the unforgettable beauty of the scenery in front of you. The love-songs of the birds around you filled the silence in the air as you dipped your brush into one color, then into another, to create the shade you needed for the details of the Bluebonnets. All day you’ve been sitting on your small wooden stool, your glutes and back slightly sore, but the will to finish this piece before the sun went down was stronger than the pain.  

Your two horses were to your side, roaming around the violet flower field. In order to make them comfortable you had removed them from your wagon and their reigns. Every once in a while, you would hear their hooves stomp on the ground as they were snacking on the fresh grass. Spring was just starting to come in. ‘The grass must be tasting sweet for them’, you thought to yourself.

Most of your days were spent like this. It included finding a pretty spot with different elements of nature, such as mountains, trees, riverbanks and forests. Then you would proceed to paint it on your canvases. Some paintings were small enough to fit into a saddlebag, others big enough to compliment homes. Your wagon was able to stash all your supplies and works. At the end of each day, you would pack up everything, set up a camp, and sleep, excited to see where the next day and trail would bring you to. After the soreness in your wrists starts to settle in, building up too much discomfort to ignore, you would go into the nearby town to sell your art. Earning a living with art is not necessarily easy, but it is most definitely amusing, especially when you encounter folks who do not really know about the value of it. Therefore you knew your target group: People with too much money in their pockets who do not question the overly-expensive prices. Sure, sometimes it would work, other times it would not. But it was enough to get you food to fill your belly and the supplies you needed to get by.

Scrunching your eyebrows, you swat away the bees buzzing near your ear, annoyed at them pulling you out of your focus.

“What’cha painting there?”

“Whatever is in front of me…” You mumbled. You couldn’t help but let out a tiny sigh, followed by small eyeroll, before turning around swiftly, facing the stranger who asked. “Could you please leave?”

“Excuse me?” He chuckled.

Placing your brush on the small wooden plate of the stand in front of you, you rubbed your temple. “I apologize-“ You giggled. “I just get so caught up in my work. Can’t afford no distractions.”

“Aghhh” The stranger groaned, getting down from his horse, “I get it. No apology needed.” He said, putting his hands up in a light-hearted way, as he kept walking towards you. By closing the distance between both of you, you allowed yourself to take a better look at him, analyzing his clothes, trying to understand who or what he was. Maybe a potential customer? What price range could you offer him, which would be enough to profit you, but not too much to the point of scaring him away. Or maybe, he was perhaps just a curious man, intrigued by people. In that case, offering him a price was maybe not a necessary thing to do. Weighing out your options, you decided to be blunt and tell him right away.

“Seventy-five for this one.”

The stranger took a step back, looking back and forth between you and the unfished painting. “Seventy-five?!” He exclaimed. “The yellow in that better be liquid gold.”

A small shrug with a self-satisfied smile is what he got in return.

He was indeed very handsome. Broad shoulder that stretched his shirt, beautiful light eyes that could reflect objects in his vision like a mirror and a mustache slightly longer than his stubble. He seemed like a well-groomed man. Well-groomed usually equivalents to a decent amount of money. Unless he was a con-artist.

“Beautiful horses ya got there” He nodded over to the direction of where your wagon was placed.

Following his point of direction, you turned around. Those horses really were beautiful, such as the bond you had with them. “Thank you.” You replied softly.

A small moment of silence occurred as you both individually took in the scenery and everything nature had to offer for you. It truly was beautiful. The way the snowy mountains up north were looking over the river, which was flowing through the flower field, seemed unreal. The combined sounds of the birds, bears, coyotes, deer and bees further blocked out your other senses. It was peace.

“How come you haven’t painted ‘em?”

“Hm?” You hummed.

A small giggle left his lips as he smiled, his eyes glued to his slightly dirt-covered boots for a split second. “Ya horses. How come you haven’t painted ‘em?” He repeated, kicking a few small stones around.

“Oh- I guess… I just like sticking to landscapes. Haven’t really figured out how to make the animals look good.” You admitted.

He nodded understandingly, his gaze roaming around the fields again. Unexpectedly, he took another step towards you, offering you his wide and strong looking hand. “Arthur Morgan”

You waited for a second yet flashed him a small smile right before you bit your lip. “Y/N L/N” The corners of your lips quirked up as you shook the hand in front of you with your own.

Arthur stepped away, tilting his hat down as a polite gesture. “See ya around, Miss.”

“See you, Mr. Morgan.”

..................................................

Valentine… What a lively little town. It had everything you’d need to make a home. A butcher, a store, livestock, a stable and even a saloon. Yet, this was not something you could think about. Having no one to lean on to was not the most uncomplicated thing in the world. But it does allow you to harden your shell and intuitively create different paths of survival. Travelling around was yours.

You had set up a small stand near the theatre, your paintings displayed for every passing person to see. Your horses were in the stable, getting treatments you could never afford for yourself. After all, they were the ones doing all the pulling and walking. If anyone deserves a day off like that, it was them. Strangers would pass by, some only glancing at your creations, others stopping for a few only to admire them. And then they were people who bought. The local folks here had already gotten used to you. This was a great spot to sell, especially during the tourist seasons. The hotel was never empty during this time of the year. The fancy and rich from up north loved the sun. So, to take advantage of those, you would come here twice a year. Anytime they would show up, you were here as well. Waiting for potential customers could get a tad bit boring but sitting on a nice cushion helped.

You were picking out the dirt from under your nails when precipitously the Sheriffs frame came into your sight.

“Miss L/N! How are you this fine afternoon?” He cheered as he walked past.

“Thank you, Sheriff, I am fine.” You smiled back at him, finally leaving your nails alone. Your eyes followed his strut, trying to block out your envy. He was a man after all. Being a woman in these times was not easy. A home was something you could only dream of if you belonged to a man, whether that is being a daughter or a wife. Legally owning property? That was not anything that women should even be thinking of.

The sound of wooden wheels rolling and cheery singing of female voices made you glance towards the direction it came from. It was a wagon, its back filled with women, each more gorgeous than the other, while the front had two men seated on it. Once the movement and tunes came to a halt, everyone on it got off, splitting ways on where to go. Yet one of the men came right towards you.

“Miss L/N.” Arthur greeted, trailing to you and your tiny gallery.

Attempting to block out the sun with your hand, you smiled up at him from your cushion. “Hello, Mr. Morgan. Changed your mind on the seventy-five dollars?”

“God, no.” He snickered, bending down to take a better look at one of the smaller paintings. The lake portrayed in it seemed familiar to him. ‘Of course’ Arthur thought. ‘How could I forget this place.’. It was the small cabin at O’Creagh’s Run, which belonged to the veteran he occasionally hunted with.

“You seem to like that one, though.” You pointed out.

“Ya didn’t say this was seventy-five. Scared me off with the one from Big Valley.”

‘Yeah, maybe that was a bit too much.’ You pondered as you clicked your tongue. Before allowing silence to settle in, you asked him what he was doing here.

“Could ask you the same thing.” He said amused.

Even though you only had two conversations with this man, it was fun. The back-and-forth banter was not something everyone could keep up with you, let alone a man who would not get offended by a sassy woman.

“I get by here usually twice a year. The tourists love the landscapes. Makes their homes look nice. You should try.” You suggested.

Arthur let out a small chuckle, this time thoroughly taking his time looking through your art. His gaze was fixated on the smaller canvases. One of those could fit nicely into his saddlebag. Not that he had the space for a bigger piece. Roaming his eyes between two, one that looked similar to the Dakota River, the other a smaller version of the floral area around O’Creagh’s Run. The positive association of his friendship with the veteran Hamish made him point at the second one. “I like that one.”

You turned, picking up the named piece. “This one I would give out for fifty, since it is obviously smaller. But for you, since we are now associates,” You giggled “I will hand it out for… thirty-five.”

Even though this offer was better than the other, Arthur could not help but shake his head, a smile not going unnoticed. “Alright, alright.” He pulled out the money from his pocket. “Only because it’s near a friends house.”

You took his money, whispering the numbers while counting. “Hamish?” You asked.

“Yeah.” It sounded more like a question than a statement. “Ya know the old fella?” Arthur questioned, while taking the painting into his hand.

You hummed, putting the money into your small leather purse. “He took me in one night while I was freezing up there. Sometimes a tiny camp is just not enough. Ever since then I see him as my pa. He’s the sweetest.” You explained, keeping eye contact with Arthur. This was the longest you have had continuously looked at him. His good looks you already have noticed the first day you met. But today, it seemed to sink in. The question of what he was- you still could not answer. “I will head back to him soon. Been out here for weeks now. He must be really worried, too.”

‘That makes sense.’ He thought. No wonder he has not seen you with Hamish before.

“Well, thank you for buying something, Mr. Morgan.” You smiled.

“Please, call me Arthur.”

- 🍯

[elysiansparadise]

Hi Elysian ! ✨

First I wanted to tell you that I really love your posts 💖

I have seen that you have your ask open and you haven't post about Neptune in the 2th house so can you please describe Neptune in the 2th ?

I have this placement and wanted to know more about it.

Thanks a lot/ Merci beaucoup ✨

Kiss from France 💖

Hello love, thanks for loving my posts. Of course I can describe this beautiful placement. A kiss right back at you. 💖

Neptune in the 2nd house

These people may not place as much importance on money, they feel that the money a person may have does not define their value and quality as a person. They care about money just enough and necessary to know that it is crucial to have a decent life in which they do not lack anything, but they consider that there are things more important or of greater value than this. They stand out for their generosity and altruism, being people who can seek to help those most in need or provide support to those who do not have enough money. They can really enjoy buying details for others without worrying much about the price. Since this is the house of values, the presence of Neptune here indicates that they place a lot of emphasis on their spiritual world, keeping in mind values ​​such as devotion, tolerance and empathy. You can spend a lot of time investing in your spiritual growth or expanding your knowledge in these areas. They are likely to pay for services such as aura cleansing, tarot readings or other things related to esoteric topics. Likewise, they can enjoy buying things related to art, paintings, notebooks or things that help them develop their creativity in some way, such as instruments.

This is a house linked to self-esteem, so it is likely that these natives are very humble and even shy people when it comes to receiving compliments, not knowing exactly how to take them. These people dream big with the idea of ​​having everything they once lacked, and not only in the material field, but also emotionally, especially that feeling of stability that they may not have had when they were young. These people should be cautious when lending money, because even if their intentions are good, they may more frequently encounter people along the way who will not pay them on time or who do not pay them at all. This house reflects everything we acquire since we were born, so it can represent those talents that we have since we were young. Many people with this placement may have artistic talents, such as painting, singing, music or some other branches of art. Likewise, it can tell us about spiritual gifts of any kind. It is likely that these people can use their talents as a way to generate or invest their money.

One of the things that these natives should be careful about is their disorganization, it is crucial that they be very organized, because they have a tendency to forget where they leave things, if Neptune is making multiple tense aspects [especially with 2nd house ruler or Venus], they can even forget bank passwords or they can even lose documents related to estate. They have a rich inner world, feeling very disconnected from the things or people around them, they may feel that they do not give importance to things that others usually do. They highly value the human quality behind things, they do not like to buy items or things that, for example, are experimented on animals or that affect or damage the environment. Another thing they value a lot is inner wealth, both their own and with others, as I mentioned previously, they give value to things that others hardly put emphasis on.

[kleinblue52]

It's been a little over a month since my second time at Next to Normal London and I have some thoughts

(note: this was mostly translated from a review I wrote in Italian so some phrasing might sound strange)

Like many of you, I knew Next to Normal thanks to several videos of the original Broadway production, while my first time live was with the good Italian adaptation directed by Marco Iacomelli. It’s a musical that I have always appreciated and admired, but for some reason, there had never been the emotional impact necessary to make me feel like it was mine. The original version was chronologically closer to the end of the nineties than any subsequent production and I believe that the influence of the analytical deconstruction of the American nuclear family so relevant in the culture of those years (think of American Beauty) greatly influenced how the musical was originally conceived. In the direction, in the performances of the original cast, in the visuals, I have always found a coldness that led the libretto towards biting and detached social criticism rather than emotional involvement. Obviously, I do not believe this is a flaw, on the contrary. I really appreciate the analytical approach to social criticism and I believe that in this Next to Normal was revolutionary in its genre. But a lot of time has passed since then and many things have changed in the way we perceive the concepts of family, social relationships, neurodivergence and gender. The thing that surprises me most, from a personal point of view, is that along with all this I also feel changed and the more the years pass the more I realize that intellectualism is not everything and that it’s so important to consume art that expresses pure and raw human experience, that shows open wounds without fear of being accused of excessive emotionality. Until a few years ago, the social attitude towards artistic experiences so shamelessly sincere in showing feelings branded them as superficial. Today, I believe, the trend is changing, the new generations are discovering the importance of sensitivity and fragility that doesn’t need to be hidden, which is no longer accompanied by a sense of shame and inferiority. This is the new Next to Normal. It is no longer the show of 2008, it is no longer a successful exercise in style that wants to say in music what Sam Mendes had said in film, what Jeffrey Eugenides and Sofia Coppola had said with their Virgin Suicides.

Next to Normal is now pure and raw life. It is the human experience that shows itself in all its incoherence, without fear of going straight to the heart, without fear of staging a melodrama in which there are no winners and no heroes, definitely without fear of making the audience uncomfortable. An audience that, if truly sensitive, will find something of their own personal chaos in the chaos of what is shown to us.

The price of love is loss, but still we pay, we love anyway. This, in my opinion, is the key lyric of this new identity of Next to Normal, a lyric that in its most intimate nature had not really found expression in the previous and more “clinical” versions of the musical. It is a sentence that for the first time truly speaks to the heart and expresses a chilling truth, which we must all accept as a rule of life and which all the characters on stage must accept by extension. You will always lose what you love, in one way or another. It is not just about the loss of Gabe. Diana loses herself along with her son, but she also loses the love of her life and loses the chance to be a mother to Natalie. Natalie loses faith in the possibility of changing and getting out of the unhealthy relationships of her family, ending up a victim, with the only glimmer of hope represented by Henry. Dan loses the girl he had loved and the boy he had been and, for the love of Natalie, he manages to save his sanity, but he loses the opportunity to know what it feels like to be a father to Gabe. Caissie Levy, Jamie Parker, Eleanor Worthington-Cox all have the ability to manifest the most intimate, difficult, disturbing part of their characters. They are people who are losing themselves and everything they believe in and like anyone with a heartbeat, the attitude in the face of loss is fear, anger, an extreme attempt to cling to what can be saved. It is not always pleasant to see, as I said there are no heroes on that stage and the three actors lose themselves into performances that seem to have no safety net.

Then there is Gabe. I have great respect for many of the actors who played him in the past, but theirs was the Gabe suited to that historical moment. He was the perfect varsity jock that every American soccer mom wanted: handsome, athletic, self-confident. With an unsolved mystery inside, which emerged restless and dangerous. In this new era in which sensitivity is the only weapon to counteract the lack of humanity that the world offers us, Jack Wolfe gives us a Gabe who is delicate, fragile, ambiguous, selfish and desperately attached to "life".

Every look, every gesture, every expression aided by Wolfe's enormous expressive eyes show us a Gabe who is not the projection of an ideal, but something much more terrible: he is the projection of disease, a shield that Diana uses to protect herself from reality, not by creating a perfect version of the son she never had, but by creating a codependent version of a son who will never leave her. Everything in Wolfe's Gabe speaks of a morbid attachment that Diana creates as the only way to ensure that Gabe never leaves her, using him to push Natalie and Dan away, shaping him in her mind as a boy who will never replace his mother with another woman. Just this morning I read that Michael Longhurst, the director, openly said that he took inspiration from his adolescence as a homosexual boy for his version of the character. The very strong queer-coding of this version of Gabe is perfect for this new vision of a codependent relationship and elevates the drama of loss to something heartbreaking and apparently with no escape. The other incredible aspect of the new direction of this new Gabe, and of the performance, is that for the first time the character made me feel uneasy. I thought after this second viewing that it would take very few changes to transform this production of Next to Normal into a real psychological horror in which the ghosts are pure destructive energy linked to the lack of a clear break with their life on earth. Because if we move away from the vision of Gabe as a projection of the disease, if we accept Gabe as an almost supernatural manifestation of unresolved mourning, the character in Wolfe's hands takes on frightening twists. His Gabe has the attitude of a newborn who has grown only in body. His needs are still the primary ones of the child he was when he died, his attachments are so strong and primordial that they lead him to challenge anyone who questions them. His need to have his mother by his side leads him to be destructive, but with all the naivety of a child who does not understand the consequences of his actions. From this point of view, There’s a World becomes a moment that really gives you the shivers, full as it is of all the need of a child who cannot imagine anything outside of his own needs. A child who, out of excess love, hugs his puppy too tightly and ends up suffocating it.

Finally, since I have already gone on too long, I just wanted to add how that hunger for love translates in this production also into a need to rediscover love for oneself, which however in the borderline situation described in the story becomes an unhealthy condition: the continuous parallels between Diana and Natalie, masterfully interpreted by the two actresses, show us the dark and self-destructive side of Diana, trapped in an infinite cycle of need to rediscover herself and need to love her daughter that transform into envy for the potential that her daughter still has ahead of her and that she has left behind. These types of parallels are often found between the characters and find a touching expression in the physicality of the actors, as in the choice to create continuous references between Diana and Gabe's movements, even before the audience becomes aware of the bond between the two. Every acting choice, every directorial choice, everything brings into that rational and linear kitchen (the Bauhaus poster is brilliant) the most twisted, confused, desperate and breathless aspect of the human experience. Next to Normal, in this version, is truly not just a show, it is a mirror.

[edenalieth]

i want to believe in forever

Pairing: Seungmin x reader

Genre: angst, hint of fluff

Warnings: none

Summary: Seungmin wants to move on from his heartbreak, however the colorful memories of you are holding him back. 

Words: 1.3K 

A.N: hello guys, cami in the building! it’s my first time writing a seungmin fic (@seungseung-minmin forgive me for not making a cuter one ;v;) it was mostly inspired by the song « the exit » by conan gray which i found really beautiful and true. sorry for the possible mistakes. hope you enjoy, feedbacks are always welcome! ♡ — 231217

He took another sip of the black coffee he was holding on his hand and grimaced. It was already half cold and far too bitter for his liking. For how long did he stare at those high limestone walls ? Apparently long enough for his coffee to turn bad. Spotting the closest bin, he threw the drink away, watching it fall as the lid opened spreading the brown liquid. The winter breeze made him shiver and he buried his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat, trying to warm them up. 

« You can do this, Kim Seungmin », the brown haired boy thought to himself. 

He climbed the stairs silently until he reached the ticket office. A young girl was reading. She was probably just starting her university course and needed this job to gain some money seeing her bored expression. She barely looked at Seungmin before nonchalantly putting down her book with a barely hidden sigh. 

« What can I do for you ? » she asked, visibly annoyed to be interrupted. 

Seungmin cleared his throat « Hmm, one adult ticket please. » 

He was tapping on the small counter with his fingertips, nervous. He was about to tell her that he had changed his mind and turn around but he had promised himself he would do this. It was necessary. Even if it hurt. He knew, he needed to detach his mind and feelings from this place and many others. 

« What is this book about ? » he said, trying some small talk while she was preparing the ticket. She put one out of the drawer of her desk and handed it to him, announcing the price. « Just a regular thriller. » Nothing more, nothing less. He paid and left without further ado. He was sure that, if you had been there, you would have managed to pick that girl’s interest, even just a little. That’s how you were, solar, attracting people around you like a magnet. However, you hadn’t been by his side for months now, he had to move on. 

When he entered the familiar hall, he was greeted by the unique scent of museum and all its splendor. Soon, he was surrounded by history and felt so little and insignifiant, as well as mesmerized by the beauty of those masterpieces he had seen so many times with you. When you used to call yourselves « us », you had made a ritual to visit this place once a month. The museum was big enough for you to always discover small details you hadn’t seen before or to explore the temporary exhibition. Since your breakup, he avoided this place like the plague. Yet here he was, feeling his heart clenching as he looked at the paintings. One of your favorite hobby was to tell him stories when you analyzed a canvas. Your imagination was overflowing and never missed to make him laugh, which sometimes made you incur the wrath of the visitors and security. No one was here to make him laugh today and loneliness weighed heavily on his shoulders. He didn’t have this talent. He would just skim through the description next to it. Colors seemed dull compared to the vivid memories of you, scarring his heart mercilessly. He felt his throat getting tight. He had chosen the museum to start his healing journey because he knew he wouldn’t be able to cry without being heard. He had shed tears more than he would even admit. Was it truly helping though ? Or what is it just him blowing on the embers of your lost love. 

He sat down on the leathered bench, facing your favorite art. It was a pretty simple one, a cottage on the countryside, using impressionism technique. The first time you saw it, you went strangely quiet. You were like absorbed by it. He remembered how you leaned on his shoulder, intertwining your fingers with his. « I can picture us living there. » you had softly whispered. « It would be the embodiment of our love, our safe place. Growing old together, laughs of our kids and grand-kids filling the rooms. Am I allowed to dream about this ? » your voice had seemed insecure, seeing you vulnerable like that was rare. « Yes and it will be our dream from now on. » he had replied, brushing his nose against yours before tenderly kissing you. Warmth had filled his body, his heart melting like ice under a scorching sun, your touch permanently marking his skin. A dream. Was it all it had been ? Just something made up by his cruel mind ? No. He still could remember the sensation of your skin on his, the scent of your shampoo, the little habits you had, the sound of your giggle. 

Recalling these memories was like torture. The grip he had on the bench became stronger, his knuckles turning white. If only he had noticed how left out you felt sometimes. Maybe, you would be next to him, still daydreaming about your perfect house. Or, perhaps, you just weren’t meant to build one together. This thought turned his vision into blurry shapes. « Shit ». He didn’t want to cry in public. He stood up hastily and looked for the exit. Wandering between the corridors, his steps echoing on the cold ground, the artworks seemed like moving stains. It was as if the walls were tightening around him and he was tempted to rush out of here to get some air. However, his run was abruptly stopped when the object of his obvious desire showed up. You. 

You were there. Your arm around the waist of someone who wasn’t him. His mind went blank for a second. It couldn’t be, right ? He swallowed the sobs that were trying to escape his throat, his hands shaking. He thought you were both sharing the same wounds, that you were still mourning your old feelings. His were surely not buried yet. Still, there was no mistaken. You looked happier now and you had already found someone to miss. He wanted to let himself drown into the abyss of his sorrow. He almost called out your name, every single letter which used to roll on his tongue like honey, addictive like a drug, tasted sour. He had to leash his heart not to break down and try to get you back again. He had tried but you already had built up a wall to protect your opened wounds. His were still raw. 

Were you going to tell this man the same stories you had told him ? Did your « I » became a « we » when you met him ? In fact, he didn’t want to know. He wanted to forget you for a time, to get strong enough to be able to talk about you as a young love that bloomed too fast and wilted in the process. He couldn’t blame you for getting everything you wanted. 

He stared at you, as your eyes spoke for you, full of some love that used to be his. Each step you took leading you towards your ideal. Deep down your heart, feels for Seungmin were still waiting to be set on fire again. However, the ones you had for your new lover were stronger and you wanted to cherish them. It was a painful sight for Seungmin and he wished someone would rip his heart for it to get numb. He had to let you go. He was still standing at the exit before he opened the glass door. 

Immediately, the cold bit his flesh, tears rolling down his cheeks and burning his skin. 

« I want to believe in forever » he thought, you just weren’t meant to be his. 

[the-radio-demon-blog]

Alastor, I’m giving you an explanation, but fair warning, you might be a little unnerved after reading this.

Well, you have what we youngsters call ‘simps.’

I hate to be the person explaining this to you, but it was gonna happen eventually.

You see, a ‘simp’ is a person who loves another person. But like on an almost excessive amount. There are different levels of ‘simpery’.

Level one: staring, basically just being hopelessly in love. (Example: Jake couldn’t tear his eyes away from Alice. She was so beautiful, he didn’t know how she woke up like this. Perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect…well, everything.)

Level two: I’m going to use you for this level. You see, when you simp for someone, you probably want to pat their head or brush your hand through their hair.

In your case, your simps want to touch your ears and know if you have a tail (let’s say you do for this explanation) The ears are pretty explanatory, they look fluffy, obviously you want to pet them unless you’re weird.

The tail thing…well it’s difficult to explain…basically, people write and draw…uhm…*couch* suggestive *cough cough* things about your tail. However, it isn’t always sexual. Some people use it for art practice or writing practice or just draw and write about it for fun! It’s like your ears, people think that it looks fluffy and want to pet it.

Level Three: *winces*…dirty thoughts…I’m not going to delve deep into this one, I know you don’t like it…but…people buy…body pillows with your picture on it…they imagine…doing you know what (*cough cough* sex *cough*) with you…and…other…ahem…suggestive things…heh…

Level Four: Obsession. This level is the most dangerous. Not only is the person experiencing all the previous levels, but they also cannot get enough of you. They want to do everything for you. They want to do anything for you, anything and everything. They want to be near you all the time. Basically a typical obsession.

So..yeah…that’s why you have so many people offering their souls to you for such little prices (hugs, ear pets, cuddles). They simp for you, on these different levels of simpery.

So there. And explanation as to why people want to pet your ears, cuddle with you, hug you…other things.

Sincerely,

A fan that regrets explaining this, but did it because it was necessary to have you maybe understand.

Simps?

Well, Level One appears to be endearing so far.

Ah, so is that why so many people have been obsessing over my ears? Well, I suppose that is slightly understandable.

Suggestive things about my tail? Why in God's name would they want to do that???

Alastor's eye twitches. People buy body pillows of me??? Dear God, almighty. Eugh. No, no, no.

Level Four actually appears to be somewhat useful. As long as it's not a Vox level obsession. Obsession is a resourceful tool when it is used correctly.

Hah! Simpery! What an interesting term! Well, I suppose its working out for me so far! I just...sincerely hope none of them are on Level Three. Alastor cringes with disgust. What a carnal thing to do!

I do appreciate the explanation, my dear fan. It was quite helpful. You know, Niffty loves to coin that term for me...wait.

Niffty calls me a simp? A simp? Ugh. I'm going to have to speak to her about this. I should've seeked out an explanation sooner.

[sunnys-aesthetic]

Greetings again!!

Thank you very much for the tutorial on adoptables, I understood everything perfectly and I'm already putting it into practice >:3

If you don't mind I have another question on the same topic, but this time related to the sales process...

After finishing the character reference(s), what should I do? Is it like selling a drawing already done? Is it necessary to make any modifications? Is there anything special that needs to be done??

Thank you in advance for your time and patience, hoping that this is not a bother. I wish you a beautiful day, week and month...!!

This isn't a bother at all! I'm genuinely happy about these asks KSDFGBHDKFGH BUT!!

After finishing a character reference/design/adopt It pretty much is! You're selling both your artwork AND your character design.

You can modify it however you want, but it's not necessary! but DO remember to watermark your art, and I can always give a few watermarking ideas if thats something you guys are interested in! ^^ But once you're done just remember to mention what type of payment you're taking, and how people should contact you! ex: paypal only/ DMS only

Also! pricing can either match the amount of work you put in/you are most comfortable at, or slightly match your personal rent necessities.

for example, my commissions match my personal bill necessities, so when they will open up in VGEN, they will be priced accordingly! To find out what that would look like for you:

take the max amount of people you are willing to take in a commission (lets say you can have up to 10 people in a waitlist) divided by your rent!

so 10÷your rent = Your minimum amount you should make per comm, or at least near it if possible!

It can either be a set price (lets say $45) or it can be up for bid, its up to you! It also helps the buyer to know the AB(auto buy) price when you are doing a bid!

And lastly, Don't ever let anyone tell you your art isn't worth the high prices. So long as you're pricing fairly and accordingly, you're doing just fine!

[goggles-mcgee]

Replaced: She’s Over You

Newest chapter in the story for @miner249er

Beginning

Last Chapter              Next Chapter

Summary:  Gabriel was eager to open the internship with his company, he looked forward to all the new talent and he especially was looking forward to Miss Dupain-Cheng's application. Except her application never came.

Gabriel Agreste was a man of many talents but like any man he could admit he had his faults. He was a gifted fashion designer but he secretly did not handle criticism well which in his industry, criticism was handed out just as if not more freely as compliments. Which is where his skill of masking his emotions came in so handy, and yet it worked too well as he often had trouble expressing himself if it wasn’t in a design or poetry that he had in a locked journal hidden away in a secured safe in his closet. Gabriel of course took pride in his designs, they were what made him successful, but Gabriel also had the unfathomable talent to sniff out the potential in others. It was how he got such a competent and efficient assistant like Nathalie, a tough and loyal bodyguard and chauffeur like Gerald, dedicated and determined employees and it’s how he had gotten a kind and beautiful wife like Emilie. He had seen her passion for acting, her raw talent in the art and her effortless beauty that would make any model jealous and he had fallen hard. It may seem old school to kids, the thought, but he knew at that moment he had to have her. She was everything he ever wanted.  

And Gabriel Agreste always got what he wanted.

He wasn’t some spoiled child that demanded things, no, he worked hard for his success, his happiness. His parents, Michael and Claire, such ordinary names for ordinary people that expected their son to be exceptional. Who expected their exceptional son to take care of them even after they had denied him so much, after they pushed him so hard. Needless to say there was no love lost between them once he was old enough to move out on his own, he had saved up as much money as he could from his odd jobs and his grandparents had helped however they could, even letting him rent out their attic at a very discounted price. Truthfully they hadn’t even wanted to make him pay but he refused to be charity, he refused pity so he paid. Many thought Gabriel was handed things but no, sometimes he wished that were true but then he wouldn’t be the man he was today if that was so. That was why he made sure Adrien worked hard. He didn’t want his son to turn out to be the person his parents wanted, or the person people had thought him to be. It’s why he made his son a model, besides his son’s obvious natural talent that he got from his mother. He wanted Adrien to learn about hard work.

He liked to believe that Adrien understood all that. The one lesson his son never seemed to catch on to was how to spot potential in others and surround yourself with those people. Gabriel saw this first hand when he met his son’s “best friend” Nino Lahiffe, self-proclaimed DJ who only had “gigs” because his friends hired him. The boy had no potential, even if he did it was such a small amount that it was practically nothing and therefore not of importance. So Gabriel saw no point in being polite to the boy, he was a subpar director from what he had seen when his acquaintance André Bourgeois had come over and showed him the videos from that year's Young Amatuer Director’s Competition. That girl, Alya Césaire, had some potential but she wasted it on the awful Ladyblog. She had a way with words and reporting the facts but Gabriel had akumatized her, had felt her emotions, heard her thoughts, and someone who just jumps into things without fact checking when wanting to be a reporter will not go far. For crying out loud she hasn’t even caught on to Miss Rossi’s lies yet!

Ah, and speaking of Lila Rossi. Gabriel saw great potential in her, potential and mayhem. It was a gamble to work with her both in and out of the mask but it was one he ultimately deemed necessary. Lila was a liar. That was a simple fact, but she was a believable liar. The way she lied about things, it made weak-minded people want to believe her, so they did. Gabriel was not above admitting that it was entertaining to watch her lies at work. They provided entertainment and more akumas than he could count. Though, there was always a flaw in something that promised perfection much like Miss Rossi herself. She had potential, but she wasted it on petty grudges, gaining popularity and overall inflating her ego. It was that ego he had to keep an eye on, she already used her lies to trespass into his home, it was only a matter of time she tried to get away with bigger crimes as Lila thought she was untouchable. The young girl believed she could lie herself out of any situation and that was a liability that Gabriel could not afford. 

She was useful though so he kept her on, she was more useful than Chloé. Chloé Bourgeois, he had had such high hopes for the girl. She came from a good background, her parents were influential, she was the exact kind of friend he expected Adrien to make. Though that was all she had, when she was younger she had had a small talent and eye for fashion, but then she grew into someone who would steal another designer’s work and claim credit. Gabriel had dealt with his fair share of those sorts of people, he fully thought Adrien would try and break off his friendship with the spoiled girl more than the one time he did try, if you could even call that an attempt. Agrestes had to know when to cut their losses, though Adrien didn’t seem to understand that just yet. Gabriel would only let the boy be sentimental for so long. Chloé may have been good at making akumas but none of them were particularly strong. So like most of Adrien’s friends, she was a disappointment. 

He didn’t know enough about that Couffaine girl but he did know she was in that odd little band that Adrien had wanted to join. The music was dreadful but he did appreciate the creative costume designs and he was in no way surprised when he learned that it was Miss Dupain-Cheng who had been the designer. That Lavillant girl also fell into the same space as the Couffaine girl, Gabriel didn’t really see any potential from them and yet they were making a name for themselves. It was an odd thing, he didn’t understand why people liked their music, but not everyone could have his expectations and taste. Like M Kubdel, he was a respected man in his profession and yet he let his children be utterly unexceptional, his daughter believed she had a talent in skating and his son, Gabriel couldn’t recall his name, at least had passion on his side. A little too much though, it was an ugly and pitiful sight. Having passion was well and good but it didn’t need to be on full display, he was glad he taught Adrien not to show too much emotion. 

There were other classmates and friends Adrien had but they hardly deserved to be remembered by Gabriel, though Max Kante and Nathaniel Kurtzburg had great potential, both were held back by emotion and those they called friends. If they didn’t cut their losses they wouldn’t amount to anything Gabriel was sure. Besides, the Kurtzburg boy would fall and fail fast if he continued to just write comics about that blasted Ladybug. At least Max Kante made an AI capable of emotion! But the boy wasted it on “friendship.” It was so utterly disappointing, they were all so disappointing. Except, there was one diamond in the rough. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had the passion, the drive, the determination, and above all, she had the potential. She was wasted on those she and Adrien called classmates, and though Gabriel did loathe her overly optimistic personality, he knew that it would be dampened by real work experience. 

Talent nurtured talent as they say, and Gabriel was prepared to do that. Marinette was talented and young and Gabriel knew if he didn’t get her working for his company as soon as he could, his competitors would snatch her away. Or worse, she would eventually turn into another competitor. Gabriel was confident in his designs but even he knew she would be tough to go against. That’s why he decided they were never going to compete, he would get her working in his company and there she would stay happily. He was sure if he offered her a couple raises and some mild promotions that she would be happy to stay whenever she thought she was ready to leave. It sounded backhanded and frankly in bad taste but that was simply business. Besides a high stake and high anxiety environment like a fashion company would be a beautiful place for an akuma to be birthed and besides her potential to be great in fashion, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had the great potential to be a truly spectacular akuma.

When he had tried to akumatize her before, he had felt her anger, her sadness, her pain. All of it was so raw, so powerful, it had him staggering every time he felt it, he needed that power to win, he knew it. Though aside from her potential of being his most powerful akuma ever, Miss Dupain-Cheng had tremendous ideas when it came to fashion and overall just creative projects. She designed for Clara Nightingale and Jagged Stone for crying out loud and she was still in collège! Gabriel himself won some small amateur design competitions when he was that young but he had never gotten commissioned by celebrities. He wasn’t jealous, he was impressed. She was already building a client list with very important, influential people. She impressed Audrey Bourgeois, the most difficult person to get a compliment from, and Gabriel would know. Despite them being “friends,” Audrey held nothing back when his designs displeased her and that had been often lately. 

That, and many other things, was the reason why Gabriel was even opening up an internship with his brand. They got tons of applications, Nathalie kept him updated from what she saw in the records, and yet Miss Dupain-Cheng had not applied. It baffled him. By all accounts she should have been one of the first to hand in her application, he knew first hand that she was a fan of his and he knew she was smart. She would know this would be a big opportunity for her and her future career. So really it made no sense for her application to be missing when they were so close to the application deadline. It got to him. It had him pacing his office more often than he would like to admit, he felt like some online shopper that made their purchase and eagerly awaited the delivery truck, checking for the package every hour despite knowing the thing they are waiting for hasn’t even shipped yet. 

He wasn’t eager, no, Gabriel was frustrated. So frustrated in fact that he had called Adrien into his office and told him to ask Miss Dupain-Cheng to their house as Gabriel wanted to discuss business with her. He did not fail to notice the hope and eagerness that lit his son’s eyes, nor the hesitation that crashed into the boy. But Gabriel had no time for whatever teenage drama Adrien was dealing with and he made it known that Adrien was to do said task as soon as possible. Thankfully whatever Adrien had said to the girl worked and she had set up an appointment with Nathalie for the next day. Gabriel had his office cleaned, artfully placed some designs he himself was working on and those he had to approve from his team. The final thing he did was have Nathalie print out the applications and made sure to place them on his desk where Miss Dupain-Cheng would no doubt notice them while they spoke.

So here Gabriel was awaiting the teen as he sat at his desk and did his best to look busy and uninterested. He was very good at looking uninterested, though that was more because he was never really interested in anything much since Emilie’s “disappearance”. She had brought this spark to his life like nothing else had and then the Peacock Miraculous happened and Gabriel regretted nothing more than giving that damned brooch to her. At the time he had thought it to be the perfect gift, Emilie had always had some weird fascination with the creatures and had many clothing pieces that had some kind of peacock motif on them. Gabriel shook his head to clear his thoughts, now was not the time to think of his wife, that would get him nowhere in this interview. 

A knock on his door helped fully pull him from his thoughts, “Gabriel, Miss Dupain-Cheng is here to see you.”

“Thank you Nathalie.” Gabriel said as his way of giving permission to enter his office. He watched as Miss Dupain-Cheng walked in, immediately he assessed the outfit she arrived in, what you wore was always important when meeting those you wished to impress or work with/for. 

The outfit wasn’t what he expected but it was certainly well made, though it wasn’t something he would have expected of the young girl. She wore high-waisted bell bottoms, the flares at the bottom looked to  have slight slashes in them but when she took a step he could see pale pink plaid stitched into the sides of the pants. A fold in the side of the pants hid the design until she walked, it grabbed your attention, it was brilliant. She wore a loose satin button up that was tucked into the bell bottoms, it was white with the flowers she always seemed to have in her designs embroidered on the right breast pocket. The buttons of the button-up were undone so he could see a black top underneath that had lace trim at the top edges, it seemed to be a tank top. Her black earrings tied the look together, as did the simple black music note choker necklace she wore. Her hair was done half-up, half-down with the up part fashioned into some kind of braid that he could see peeking from the top of her head. The biggest surprise was seeing the underside of her hair dyed pink, but it complimented her in a way he couldn’t hate on.

“Monsieur Agreste, it is nice to see you.” The young girl said with a small smile as she walked to his desk and held a hand out for a handshake. 

Gabriel abhorred physical touch so he merely nodded, he may want her to work for him but there was no need to inflate her ego. Though Miss Dupain-Cheng hadn’t even seemed hurt by the rejected handshake and that won her more of his approval. “Agreed Miss Dupain-Cheng. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.” 

Once they both took their seats, Miss Dupain-Cheng gave him another smile, though this one was more tight than the one before. “I will admit Monsieur Agreste, I was more than a little confused when Adrien told me you wanted to speak with me.”

“I will get straight to the point Miss Dupain-Cheng, I was surprised when I did not see your name among the applicants for the internship with Gabriel. Forgive me if this is overstepping but, this seemed like something you would be interested in and I have to admit I did expect to see your name among the others. Adrien told me you were a fan.” Maybe he laid the charm on a bit thick but he was curious and he had the opportunity to get answers. 

“Oh he did?” Miss Dupain-Cheng said, yes it was phrased as a question but Gabriel had a feeling it really wasn’t one. “Well since you were so honest with me, I will be honest with you Monsieur Agreste.”

“I did see you had opened your business up for an internship, and maybe once upon a time I would have been interested. Over the moon in fact, but to be frank I had no interest, have no interest and that’s why I never applied.” She stated like she hadn’t just thrown Gabriel for a damn loop and all with a sweet smile on her face.

“I’m…I’m sorry?”

“I mean no offense Sir,” that felt like a damn lie, “I had considered a career in fashion, working in a brand I mean, maybe even starting one myself but I moved on from that.”

Gabriel had to physically stop his jaw from dropping, all he could do was utter out, once again, “I’m sorry?”

“I thought I would be able to handle that kind of environment, and maybe in the future I’ll get back into it like I once was but yeah…I have to admit, fashion is no longer my number one passion. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, still do it, but I don’t think it’s my future anymore.” Miss Dupain-Cheng admitted like she hadn't destroyed every single one of Gabriel’s plans for when she joined the company. Like she hadn’t just broken all his expectations in the worst way. 

“I…I have to say Miss Dupain-Cheng you have surprised me. This was not what I had expected.”

“I’m sorry.” The worst part is he believed her.

“Can I ask why? Why you are no longer interested.” Gabriel clarified after he asked. He wanted answers. Why didn’t Adrien warn him?

At first Gabriel was afraid she wouldn’t answer, she just sat there with her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed but finally she took a deep breath in and looked Gabriel straight in the eyes. “You’ve been nothing but polite Monsieur Agreste, and you checked in with me and I feel like I at least owe you this. To put it simply, I wanted to be happy. And if I stayed the way I was that would never have been possible. Fashion is an incredible thing, but it is also a highly competitive field that is as stressful as it is rewarding if you find the right place. I thought about it, more than anybody will ever know, but I thought and it’s not the right place for me. Not anymore. I had drive. I had passion. But the thing is, people see that and cling to it, and sooner rather than later you get burnt out.”

“I burnt out and it was the worst feeling in the world. It nearly akumatized me. There were people in my life, people who used me, maybe they did view me as a friend once but it stopped feeling like that when they asked me to make them things last minute, or say they were going to pay me but it wouldn’t be till later but they promised, or just downright expected to get things from me. The messed up part is I did it all. I wanted their friendship, I wanted their praise, I tricked myself into thinking they were giving me inspiration every time they asked for things, I thought their compliments were genuine with no double meaning and I let that drive me.” Gabriel could do nothing but listen in horror, what had happened to her? He had wanted her to become akumatized yes, but not at the cost of her potential. 

“It became stressful, so stressful and the more it continued, the more I realized that that’s how the fashion industry is. No one is satisfied with one thing from you. They demand more things, better things. And I used to be able to rise to that challenge but I can’t anymore Monsieur Agreste. And it’s not just the demands and the stress and the challenges, I like being challenges, it’s the people. I thought I could handle the people.” Miss Dupain-Cheng chuckled roughly and shook her head.

“And as much as I want to sit here and say the only reason I passed up on the internship was because I don’t think I’m up to putting myself in the environment, I owe it to myself to be honest and I owe it to you since you were once my mentor whether you knew it or not. I used to buy your catalogs and whatever magazines you were featured in with whatever money I could save up.  I passed not only because of the environment but because of your employees.”

There was no shame in her words, he could feel no anger despite them either. There was no heart-clenching sadness either, not like he expected, there was sadness but it was dim, like the leftover taste of a too-small piece of bittersweet chocolate. “My employees?”

“Yes. Lila Rossi and your son. I don’t know if you are aware or not Monsieur, but Lila is a liar. You may not believe me and frankly I don’t care if you do or not, but it’s the truth. She lies to be the center of attention and she lies to make others look bad and I am not so disillusioned that I will sit here and believe she is the only model capable of that level of self-centeredness. I would rather pull my hair out strand by strand than subject myself to that all for the sake of fashion. And your son used to be a friend. A good one. But he knows she is a liar and did nothing and I deserve better than that and I got better. A healthy workplace environment does not mean letting someone walk all over your employees and it also means your workers feel safe enough to bring their worries of such things forward which is something I don’t believe happens at Gabriel considering who you have representing your brand.” It was as though she was trying to offend him, Gabriel felt like he should be fuming and distantly he knew he would be later but all he could feel was a pit in his stomach growing bigger and bigger with every word.

“So thank you for thinking of me, but I will not be handing in an application now or for the foreseeable future. I have a new mentor, and I’m really happy where I am now but I thank you for the opportunity.” With that Miss Dupain-Cheng stood and gave Gabriel a wave before leaving him to sit there like a fool. 

It would be an hour before everything hit him and he stood up in a rage, practically throwing his chair in the process. He vaguely recalled yelling at Nathalie to tell Adrien to come to his office. He was pacing when his son finally arrived and Gabriel had to take deep breaths to calm himself. “I don’t know what you and that class of fools did but you will fix this. I don’t care how but you will make Marinette Dupain-Cheng change her mind.”

“What? She…She didn’t apply?” Adrien gaped unattractively.

Gabriel sneered. “Of course she didn’t, would we be having this conversation if she did? Miss Dupain-Cheng has great potential in this field and I will not have her waste it because of silly teenage drama. So again, I don’t care how you do it, but you will convince her to take the internship.”

“Yes Father.”

“Good. Now leave me.” Gabriel felt like he had more pacing to do.

Next Chapter

[sky-liberte]

As you know, I quit a very stressful unloved job and finally want to devote more time to drawing.

So i thought... the minimum that will allow me to pay for the rent of a room and buy food for Ani (the cat) + the most necessary food - that’s four commissions per month.

And it seemed like a good idea for me - to do a progress bar for the month! It also helps me to evade from frustration about my poor-artist-fate ,D

🍁🍂 Today is the 1st of November, so I'm opening my 4 SLOTS!

🌑🌑🌕 🌕

🌕 - slot is open! 🌑 - slot closed

This can be:

surprise commissions (fixed price ~ 70$), a lot of beautiful examples: https://sky-liberte.tumblr.com/tagged/commissions any commission with your suggestions (it starts from 50$ for one character), you can see my price here: https://sky-liberte.tumblr.com/post/729427848547434496/sky-liberte-hello-my-friends-due-to-the-fact If you just want to support mу art, donations are also welcome https://boosty.to/hei_shin

I work with 100% prepayment on boosty (you can also pay via PayPal there). Work takes about 3-5 weeks.

Also we with my sis have OUR DISCORD SERVER! http://discord.gg/ZUxATQsE8f (there are some bonuses ,))

And thank you for your attention! DM me if you interested .3

[robinsceramics]

@catkin-morgs yeah, I've got tips! <3

First, it definitely does take time. Especially when you're just starting. It's not great to have a time limit while making sculptures, especially since one of the essential materials in ceramics is time. See, (I'm about to geek out for a minute feel free to skip this paragraph), clay is made of tiny flat particles ("plates") with water between them, and the water allows the plates to slide around over and under each other. That's why clay is moldable! But when the water dries out of the clay, the plates stick close to each other and are no longer moveable. So, while working with clay, time and wetness counteract each other. But you have to take time to make a sculpture look like what you're envisioning and less like blobs of matter. You have to get the main shapes into place and then smooth them out and refine them, and that takes time, man. In ceramics, you learn to make time your friend while it tries its best to be your enemy.

All of that to say, yeah, if you're rushed, it just won't work out that well. I'm glad you're thinking of trying again in a less regimented environment!! That takes some real bravery, to try again at something you weren't good at the first time.

Also, on a personal note, I know you have an eye for good Shapes and pretty Animals. That sense of physical proportion, posture, cuteness, color, and so on, will pay off in ceramics even if it takes a while to get your physical skills to match your eye for beauty.

If ceramics turns out not to be for you, that's fine. It took me years to get to where I'm at now skill-wise, and it's not worth the investment for everyone. And I have been extremely lucky. My dad had all the materials necessary for ceramics just. hanging around the house. when I was growing up. And he helps me fill the kiln, which he owns, which is not a cheap or easy investment. So: I acknowledge that I have been privileged in getting into clay. Please don't feel insufficient if you just Can't because the resources you'd need aren't worth the price of laying your hands on them. Ceramics as a hobby is Expensive :|

But there ARE resources! Community centers, public studios, and even private studios (on request) often have studio classes, studio hours, and kiln sharing available. You'll typically have to pay for that, of course, but I mean. it's way cheaper than buying your own $2000+ kiln and equipment and stuff. As a college 3rd year, I'm facing down what it'll look like for me to get my own studio equipment in the future, and man... at least until I've saved some more money, I think that getting membership in a public studio is the way to go for me. It might be the same for you.

Oh, and don't worry about buying your own materials if you go that route. A studio, whether public or private or university-owned, will typically provide all of the raw materials necessary to ceramics making out of the fee you pay to use the studio. You won't need your own clay, glazes, or maybe even your own sculpting tools depending on the studio.

Another resource is https://www.kilnshare.com, which is a worldwide network for potters to share kiln space! Oh, and if there are no studios in your area, depending on how much you want to invest and what your schedule is like, if there's a college with an art program, there's always the possibility that you could audit a college ceramics class. *shrug* just throwing anything out there that might help!

As for how to do the sculpting itself—you'll figure it out! I promise! Doing sculpture because you want to is way different from doing it for school. Put love into what you make, and it will be lovable.

[thatnimrodmusician]

im back with another playlist but this time its for charles

ferrari (the neighbourhood) - i love the neighbourhood and he IS ferrari

white ferrari (frank ocean)- he owns a white ferrari

ferrari (james hype) - i had to , its so him.

charles leclerc (alexander lewis) - literally named charles leclerc

die for you (the weekend) - "even though we're going through it and if it makes you feel alone just know that i would die for you"

monaco (lagos) - price of monaco fr

strawberries and ciarettes (troye sivan) - "headlights on me racing to 60"

king of my heart (taylor swift) - because he really is king of my heart , but also "cause all the boys in their expensive cars with their range rovers and their jaguars"

shut up and drive (rhianna) - the whole song is so f1 coded

miss americana and the heartbreak prince (taylor swift) - "my team is losing, battered and bruising, i see the high fives, between the bad guys" (specifically about 2022 ferrari)

skyfall (adele) - we've all seen the sunset lap x storm lap edit

the adults are talking (the strokes) - charles actually said this was his hype up song

we are (one ok rock) - "they think we are made up of all of our failures" + "anything they say will never break our hears of gold, when you're standing on the edge, so young and hopeless, got demons in your head."

out of my system (louis tomlinson) - i actually dont have a justification for this, the vibes are just there.

life is a highway (rascal flatts) - he's literally mcqueen.

dont blame me (taylor swift) - charles is very rep/lover coded

style (taylor swift) - "you've got that james dean daydream look in your eyes"

red desert (5sos) - you cannot tell me this is NOT the ferrarixcharles song - 'what a blessing to feel your love"

gold rush (taylor swift) - "what must it be like to grow up that beautiful?"

red (taylor swift) - "loving him was red"

starboy (the weekend) - "100 on the dash keep me close to god we dont pray for love we just pray for cars" and "p1 cleaner than your church shoes"

softcore (the neighbourhood) - "i might need room or I'll break, are we too young for this?"

art deco (lana del rey) - "you want more" + "you're so art deco"

here with me (d4vd) - "i dont care how long it takes as long as I'm with you I've got a smile on my face" (this is so charles and ferrari)

nights and days (citycreed) - "summer breeze and burning trees, by the fire just you and me"

daylight (taylor) - charles is just so lover + sun of maranello

hall of fame (the script) - no explanation necessary

history (one directon) - "we can live forever "

diamonds (rhianna) - "at first sight, i felt the energy of sun rays"

ghost (justin bieber) - "i miss you more than life"

long live (taylor swift) - no explanation necessary

[newkiqx]

Nearly every single modern computer utilizes cobalt, a mineral whose supply chain is so heavily dominated by slave labor that it's practically impossible to ethically source. Ignoring AI, it is even ethical to do digital art at all? The production of a drawing tablet is not a victimless crime.

I feel you when you want to reduce this to something as simple as a comparison. But bear with me (or alternatively, I put a tl;dr/conclusion at the end).

Much of capitalism is unethical - yes. I agree with this point completely. It's impossible to completely avoid unethical consumption in the world we live in. But it's good to be thoughtful of it and I think businesses and governments responsible for bad practice should be held accountable. Sadly I can't change the world on my own in any meaningful way, but i'll do my part where I can & vote people into power that care about this too.

Taking your comparison for a second, I feel like the art project of that OP was asking a much more direct "I bought cobalt I didn't need and then turned into a children's toy, could this be art?". And my reply was basically yeah sure it could be art, but was it worth it? My point is that I'm not sure on that last part, and leaning towards a 'no'. They specifically sourced it unethically and made that the center piece, which is distinct from the utilitarian nature of consumer electronics we need to get through our lives. Unethical sourcing of art can be a goal or statement (like here cw dead pets) but will then of course still be a part of it. I don't think ethics were considered for the post we're discussing though and it instead only discussed the very unproductive 'is it art' discourse. This, of course, matters about as much as my "dick" being objectively "long" or not.

Maybe getting a little sidetracked, but I also want to mention that cobalt is an extremely useful metal, whereas AI.. well.. i've mentioned the very human cost of mturk and the wholesale theft of the entire internet. There's also:

the power required

the jobs in art it threatens and therefore the skilled labor we stand to lose if we're not careful

the inevitable price hike and betrayal of the public as soon as alternatives are out competed (this will happen)

the risks of biases (racism, ableism, sexism) in an opaque weighted system like AI & the fact we cannot deal with this except for slapping some extra prompts in front

AI poisoning our actual collective knowledge with untrue shit. Recent cases in point being the hilarious fake mouse dick science being published and the ai generated inaccurate servals on google, but there's a lot more going on

the risks of companies and people in power using AI to more efficiently screw everybody over and hide behind 'machine told me so' accountability loopholes

the risks of AI being used in all sorts of malinformed use cases

But what are the gains? What do we stand to win? Call me cynical, but we already had an infinite amount of pictures at our fingertips, as well as all the mediocre writing you could ever want (but actually much better because someone loved writing it). I feel like all these general AI's are good for is filling the pockets of some very rich robber barons and grifters, as well as diluting everything that's beautiful and true in the world.

Quick sidenote - Some specialist AI have genuinely already improved the world, like with medical screenings, but even then it's hard to really call it a win because reverse engineering the reasoning of an AI is so fucking hard. And again, they're a slippery slope with insurance companies wanting a piece of that pie badly, just so they can apply their 'justified' penalties to people not even sick yet.

tl/dr; So in conclusion, no, I don't think your comparison holds up. I agree that it sucks that so much of necessary consumption is unethical in ways we can't easily fix as consumers. But one thing bad does not equate other thing good. If anything, it should inspire you to do better where you can make a difference and hold the ones responsible for the exploitation in this world accountable.

Don't let it eat you up though. I'm not even saying you can't use it for inspiration ever. But any art based on these generated pictures cannot be divorced from the ugly side we'd rather not see: the underpaid army of technically not slaves and the wholesale theft of everything.

also sorry but i couldn't not include this (source: matt bors)

[gallusquared]

When Stability Kills Your Fire

There comes a time when your dreams don’t quite fit inside your own skin.

You stand there, at the edge of a decision, watching as the world you imagined slowly slips into the cold arms of reality. You know it, even if you try to forget it. Your future isn’t just your own. Being in the Philippines, a third world country, you already know it’s tangled in the hands of your family, in the pressure of a system that doesn’t care about what lights your soul on fire but instead demands you to be useful. Necessary. A cog in its endless machine.

This is the curse of being born middle-class in a place where capitalism still smells like wet concrete, where dreams are fine as long as they don’t interfere with the business of living.

And here you are, about to walk the path that splits right down the middle: practicality or passion.

You could, of course, play it safe. The route paved with well-worn footsteps, steady, predictable, lucrative. Engineering. Law. Medicine. These are the golden keys — the paths handed to you like a life jacket in a storm, because who wouldn’t take it? It’s not just about you. There are mouths to feed, expectations to meet, the debts you didn’t even know you owe to the people who raised you, to the soil that grew you.

But deep down, you feel it. That gnawing. That small fire inside that whispers about more. About the things that could be if only you were brave enough, or reckless enough, to follow what everyone else calls foolish. Art, maybe. Or literature. Or music. The thoughts come in waves — quiet but insistent — reminding you that you were made for more than this.

Then comes the guilt.

Because what right do you have to chase beauty when others are chasing survival? Your parents tell you they worked so you wouldn’t have to struggle, but there’s an irony in that — their escape from hardship seems to trap you inside a new kind of prison: stability. Safety. The very things they fought for are the chains that bind you.

So you linger in the in-between. Trying to convince yourself that passion can wait, that you’ll circle back to it after you’ve become the person society demands you become. Later, you tell yourself. Once you’ve done your duty. But here’s the trick —the thing no one tells you: later actually never comes. There is no after. Only the life you choose now, and the life you leave behind.

You weigh the options. Practicality offers security — no small thing in a world that’s indifferent to your hunger. But passion — passion offers meaning, the chance to feel like your life is more than a series of calculated moves. It’s freedom, not just from the grind your ancestors passed down on you, but from the quiet death that comes when we ignore the things that make us feel alive.

And yet, the fear looms. What if you fail? What if you gamble everything and end up with nothing? Not just your nothing, but nothing that ripples out — leaving your parent’s sacrifices in the dust, disappointing the people who told you to be smart, be careful, be practical. To be anything but foolish.

But in actuality, no one can promise you’ll succeed if you follow your passion. In fact, they might tell you the opposite, that you’ll starve before you make a living out of something you love. But here’s another truth, what if you don’t try?

What if twenty years from now, you wake up one morning in a house you can afford but hate, with a job that fills your bank account but empties your soul? You look in the mirror and see someone who followed all the rules, ticked all the boxes, and still feels hollow.

Another thing that no one tells you is that practicality has a price too. It costs your wonder, your risk, your fire. It demands that you shrink your life into something manageable, something predictable, something safe. But what is safety, really, if you’re already dying on the inside?

The choice, then, isn’t between security and passion. It’s between life and survival. Between living your life and surviving through life. And though survival seems noble in its own right, there’s a difference between being alive and simply not being dead.

At the end of the day, the decision isn’t that anyone else can make for you. The world will keep spinning whether you chase your dreams or bury them. But remember this, as you stand at that fork in the road, with practicality whispering in one ear and passion singing in the other: you get one life.

One.

And it’s up to you to decide what it’s worth to you.

[haycoat-art]

Hello 👋 my ❤ friends !

I am asking you to support my newly created campaign to help my family survive the gruesome war over Gaza to safety and ✌️ peace.

Life has become incredibly harsh, tough and full of hardship and painful suffering. We lack all he basic living essentials and necessities such as food, water , medicine and other needs.

The war has made our life hopeless and desperate. My six-member family has been going through the hardest days they have ever experience for almost eleven months due to the disastrous war.

The war has taken every beautiful thing from us, leaving us homeless, displaced and jobless.

The rising prices of all necessary items of life has complicated our living conditions especially when all our savings were spent over the least necessities and needs.

So I am now asking you to lessen and minimize our burdens and loads of life through your contribution. You can help my family survive through donating whatever you can or reposting my messages.

Yours

Rewaa

https://gofund.me/07f652e2

Don't make me tap the sign people

Every one of you who come in my ask box single handily ignore this text.

Please stop.

I'm just an artist wanting to do art.

I don't want to have all of you come in my inbox, trying to make me, or others who just want to enjoy my art, donate to something I am 100% not sure about where it goes.

I just want to share art, make art and look at other people's art.

[migrantmaster]

Bulgaria Student Visa For Indians, Prefer To study In Foreign Lands 

Education is a necessary part of a person’s life and their growth. How a person grows depends on where they attained their education. That’s why students are very serious about their education. While there are many great options in the country, still many students prefer to study outside the country. Those students, want to live life outside their country and get an education from outside. There are many different options available for students. Each of the countries offers something unique. Choosing the right option depends on various factors, and budget is one of the most necessary parts of it. Bulgaria and Vietnam are some of the most popular countries available. These two places are quite popular among Indian students when it comes to studying outside the country. Bulgaria Student Visa for Indians is available easily as Bulgaria and India have friendly relationships. 

Bulgaria for students 

Bulgaria is one of the most popular countries in Europe. It is highly developed and has a higher standard of living. When it comes to education, the country has very popular Universities and a great culture of education.  It is a historical country in Europe with great festivals and an overall open culture that allows for the mind to grow. All the popular options such as medicine, engineering, and Humanities are available to study. The visa of Bulgaria is also available for a very reasonable price. Being a part of Europe, Bulgaria has an advantage in the reputation that it has. Anyone who is educated in Europe is regarded as a well-disciplined and well-educated person. The country is a decent place for studying liberal arts subjects such as history and music. Other options such as engineering and medicines are also available. For studying in Bulgaria, it is necessary to be accepted into a university first then a Visa has to be applied. Later on, a residency permit is also needed to live in Bulgaria for a longer time. All this process takes time. 

Vietnam for students 

Vietnam is another option that is very popular for Indian students, when compared to Bulgaria this country has a similar culture to India. Bulgaria is a small country that is available in Asia near Thailand. The visa is also very cheap and is one of the cheapest places to study. Vietnam Student Visa for Indians is easy to get thanks to the open and friendly relationship between the two countries. The country has historic cities like Hanoi that are beautiful and quite affordable. Every year hundreds of students from India go to Vietnam to study medicine. Vietnam can be a better option for those who are looking to study in a place that is similar to India and has a simple culture and weather. Overall, it all depends upon the choice of students and what they prefer is better for them. Vietnam is a cheaper option compared to Bulgaria but it is still in Asia and Bulgaria is a part of Europe so it is a different continent but is more expensive.

[nassorist]

FRANKENWEENIE's Books ~part 3

🇺🇸FRANKENWEENIE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL

Publisher:Disney Book Group (2013/2/12)

The content is truly depicted to the original movie. This is useful to draw because I can easily check the dialogue and background.

The art is beautiful with black-and-white thickly painted but the wide shot is rough. Toshiaki looks like a sweet bun.

.....Nassor????

🇺🇸FRANKENWEENIE: A CINEMATIC STORYBOOK

Publisher:Disney Press (2012/9/4)

ages 6 to 8. The book is a very concise version of the story. Or rather, it is not drawn to the end. The story ends abruptly after the children have revived the monster.

Few characters other than Victor and Sparky appear. There's no room for anyone to enter their worlds.

🇯🇵FRANKENWEENIE: DISNEY GOLD PICTURE BOOK

Publisher:KODANSHA(2012/12/18)

ages 2 to 4. The price is low.

The content may be difficult to understand if you have not seen the movie because the movie is forcibly summarized. This is difficult for children of the target age group.

Nassol, Weird Girl and Bob are not appear in this book.

🇯🇵FRANKENWEENIE : PICTURE BOOK

Publisher:KODANSHA(2012/12/6)

ages 4 to 6. This is much the same as the book mentioned above.

Nassor don't even exist. He isn't absolutely necessary in the story. Poor thing😢