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miapcain · 2 months

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I feel like you've probably read a lot of medieval history stuff. So have you, and if you have how do you think it impacts your work on vesna? p.s. I'm reading a Medieval Life by Judith Bennett and its an awesome read so far can't recommend it enough

Hello! Thank you for the ask!

I read a lot and have for a while. Vesna is the composite of a LOT of interests of mine, many of them specifically historic and regional. I've always been interested in the medieval period, and I loved Pillars of the Earth when I read it as a teen (still like it, the second book especially, though I take issue with some of Follett's character work). Name of the Rose too, naturally. Recently I've enjoyed Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman, and the game Pentiment. I like the ASOIAF books, which are obviously less interested in intricate medievalism than tone and complex political and personal interplay, but imo aren't any worse for it.

In terms of non-fiction, currently reading "Felix Austria" by Stephan Vajda on that front. I love The Once and Future Sex by Dr. Eleanor Janega too. A lot of my process for Vesna involves researching specific points, though- I was trying to find out how exactly rushes worked, and stumbled on a 19th c. text which documents rush-bearing in certain parts of england and goes into the history, for example. I try to read as much of this stuff as I can. The region Vesna is set in doesn't get much materialist history done to it. It's very hard to find out what sort of agriculture was practiced in the hills at the time, for example. Even Felix Austria, a pretty hefty book, mostly brushes over it and says "life was on the whole easier and fruits and crops more abundant than in other parts of europe at the time," which is a bit meagre.

Visually, it's influenced by whatever visual art I consumed recently. I read Dungeon Meshi and fell in love with Ryoko Kui's solid figure drawing and character designs. I read Berserk and fell in love with Miura's landscapes and shading. I played Dark Souls and fell in love with the intricate architecture and tranquil emptiness. I visit ruins and castles here in Austria whenever I can, ideally one a week, and forests and rivers even more. I already mentioned Pentiment, but I have a huge reference folder of 13th century art on my pc. My biggest artistic influence is probably Socar Myles, who does better hatching work and dark fantasy illustration than anyone I've ever seen.

For the character work I would have to point to my best friend Digital Poppy's work. I liked her games before I knew her, and actually getting to talk to her about them (and helping make them!) opened my eyes to what you can have characters do in a story.

I hope this answered your question! Sorry i don't have a specific text to point to!

bonus: Vesna appearing in one of Digital Poppy's games

#asks #vesna asks #vdtwof meta #thank you newarc

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adyophene · 2 months

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Hello ! I just have a little question, how do we start drawing ? I want go draw but idk how to start- any suggestion ? Or, if for starting it's better to do it with tutos, any tutorial to recommend ?

Have a great day !

Oooh, this is a tough question to answer! I suppose one the best pieces of advice I have is to figure out, before anything, what you are hoping to draw. What style, what tones, what media.

I have a feeling this might get long, so I will throw the rest under a readmore.

For me, when I started taking my art a little more seriously (I never went to art school or anything) I just focused on finding both tutorials on the fundamentals, and finding tutorials that focused on the aspects of art that interested me, which were animation and cartooning!

They go hand-in-hand, after all, and you'll find you end up honing in on the tutorials that coincide with your interests! IE- I ended up doing a lot of figure, and expression drawing because they would help me express emotion and movement better! I also spent so, so long just training my hand to be a bit more confident with drawing steady lines just because I loved the look of clean line-work!

So try to identify what your personal draw towards art is! By doing both something you like, as well as focusing the basics, I found that, at least in my personal experience, it put me in a positive feedback loop where I could keep seeing results in exactly the type of art I was interested in! And, once you start to feel confident, that is when you start adding in little bits of study from fields you might struggle with! A 90/10 split on what you're comfortable with and then what is new is usually a good way to go about it! Weirdly enough, though I don't watch him, I saw that the youtuber pewdiepie actually had a really good set of videos where he started from being a complete beginner and improving his art over 100 days. I believe its an absolutely great watch for a new artist, because he really does a great job in showing what a brand new journey into art can look like, and explains what he thinks each day. I think my favorite line was, 'after 24 days, I was finally having fun' because that can really sum up the new artist experience. It will absolutely be a slog at times, and can be really disheartening, but when you start to see progress, becomes so, SO fun.

Here is the link to the first vid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLEudGbxQk and his second https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDtQTTAogk

ALSO- this was just the first video that came to mind because I watched it recently. I would recommend finding other videos about people learning to draw, or doing 30-100-365 day challenge videos. As for my personal favorite channels for art tutorials (though keep in mind, I haven't watched them in a few years ;-;, I need to study again);

There were a number of others that I wish I could link as well, but I am struggling to remember them. I hope any of that is helpful. My own art journey has been very long, and non linear, and I have to say, I'm not even satisfied with my own art! Its a endless mountain to climb, but it is so worth it to do! And lastly, I want to say thank you so much for sending this ask, you've made me dig back in to artists I used to study, and made me want to really focus back in on my own improvement!

#not art

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buccaneeering · 2 months

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Anyway, un-proofread writing under the cut.

Featuring a poor attempt at digital art. Erik was made in the animal jam masterpiece game, and Julien was on my phone 🥲 with one layer.

The head of the scenic department was a stern and strict man.

His eyes were small and beady, almost like two little lumps of coal staring back at him with overwhelming disapproval.

The man cleared his throat and spoke in an impatient tone;

"You are the artist they hired, correct..? You will be tasked with painting the walls for "Le Cid". The colors are mostly beiges, browns and reds. If you finish early, you will help with the backdrop. I'm SURE that won't be too much for you.." The head had a sort of cruel glint in his eyes.

"I believe myself to be entirely capable, Monsieur." Julien offers the man a chipper smile... But it leaves his face with an awkward laugh when the man looks more frustrated than before. He scampers off for the paints required.. Beiges.. Browns.. Reds.. Likely some golds..?

He wanders aimlessly for a bit, never having been in a place so large as the Opera before.

It must've taken ten minutes just to find the dusty little closet, and more to get the lantern in the closet's center lit so the paints were decipherable.

Julien sighs exasperatedly as the match, from the box in his breast pocket, fails a third time. "He isn't a very paitent man, you know?" He whispers to the match, "I need this job.. And to keep it, I need you to work with me."

As if that worked. The next time he tried, the match split in two.

He retrieves another, growing more panicked by the second, but, thankfully, this match heard his pleas and did its job.

Conveniently, for once, the paints he needed were all in places that were easy to gather, and he walked out with a stack of paints about as high as his head.

He heard a voice, though from exactly where he couldn't tell.

The closet? No, he was just in there. Surely he would've noticed another man in the closet...

It was a charming sort of voice, the type one finds himself deeply lost in, and Julien was no different.

"Hello?" He calls.

It spoke once more from a bit closer; "Hello, Monsieur.."

He was taken aback by the formality. He never saw himself as a formal person.

"Hello!" He says again, then facepalms.. That was stupid! I already greeted him..

In an attempt to move on, "May I ask where you are..?"

Could the voice see him? He hoped not, the stress must of done a number on his rather plain appearance.

"Ah, yes you may ask, but I will not tell you.."

The voice's response was almost playful, with something of a tease in it's tone.

The voice seemingly came from every corner of he looked, and it left Julien spinning in circles, struggling to balance the cans of paints, which he eventually set down.

"Oh." He manages a laugh at the humor, but his face felt uncomfortably warm, and it grew more so with every sentence the voice spoke, "Okay.. Uhm, may I know your name?"

He looks around the dimly lit hall for signs of movement, but finds nothing.

The painter is quiet for a moment.. "Mine's Julien." He hoped introducing himself first comforts the stranger into doing the same.

The voice giggled, finding humor and something perhaps endearing about Julien.

"What, have you gotten lonely? No, I will not share my name with you, not yet at least."

"Maybe I am lonely." He admits, eyes trailing across the floor.

"I doubt it's me you are lonely for."

"Oh, maybe not.. But your voice is company enough, Monsieur."

I can't believe I said that outloud.

"You... You can keep your secrets.. I don't mind.." He looks around again, now taking a seat on the floor, criss-cross applesauce.

"May I really not have a name to call you by?"

The man remained silent for a moment, then asked questions of his own:

"Why, are you so eager to know my name..? Is it that you have grown fond of me this quickly..?.."

A soft breeze washed over him from some place unknown, almost as if the wind itself was whispering to him, caressing him from the shadows.

It sends shudders down poor Julien's spine.

"It's... Your manner seems familiar, is all. You speak like the notes I've been reciev--" Had he said too much?? "-- I, I do try to be cordial with everyone." Had he said too much?

"And what did these notes say...?" The voice asked, curiosity still lacing his tone.

His mouth opens to reply, "... It was just so--" he heard his name shouted by the stern man from earlier.

"JULIEN DE AUCLAIR."

That jolted his mind from anything he planned to divulge. He scrambles to gather the paints, and then hastily makes his way down the hall.

"I'm sorry. I have to go!"

He was entirely oblivious that the charming voice he had just spoken to was the one writing those notes.

Julien could hear a faint goodbye of sorts from the voice.

Oh, he hoped they would speak again.

He hurries out of the hall and back into the auditorium, where he is met with an angry face..

"I'm so sorry, monsieur.." He says: the cans of paint wobbling in his arms and brain wracking for a reasonable excuse.

No one would believe him if he said the walls were speaking to him.

"I.. It took me a while to navigate, and.." He swallows, "..The uhm.. Paints were a bit hard to find aswell..? I'll get to work immediately, I swear it." He knew that bit about the paints didn't sound confident.. But he hoped it wouldn't catch the man's attention.

"Fine then, I suppose." He says with a glare. "But do refrain from taking so long in the future, Auclair."

"Yes. Absolutely." With that, he hurries to the stage. It takes him a moment to get into his element, but, once he has found it he works for hours.

One hour become two, and two became three.

By hour four, two eight by fours were almost entirely done, he'd gotten so caught up in the task he hadn't considered eating..

He wipes the sweat from his forehead, which leaves a smear of red paint in it's place.

But what struck him as he returned to his senses was how quiet it all was.. And dark.

How late was it? He had surely worked overtime..

Had no one bothered to tell him?

His heart sunk a little.

No, he tells himself, I probably just dismissed them, is all... Even if they did leave me to do the work, I shouldn't mind. It's best I be useful if they plan to keep me here.

He turns to reseal the paints. After this, he would return to his room, not only to rest, but to see if O.G. had left anymore notes.

#phanfiction #phantom of the opera oc #art #the phantom of the opera #erik the phantom #canon x self insert #self indulgence at its finest #erik poto #leroux erik #writing #wait #I actually wrote something?#I did a thing!

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planet-poptropica · 3 months

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⋆ So....I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and I saw one those fav character charts, and I thought it would be fun to make my own! ⋆

⋆ Poptropica mutuals, tell me about your favs, not just your main favs, your side favs! I will include the transparent version below, and my explanation to my choices down below if you are interested! I'm interested to see your choices. ⋆

⋆ Tada! Have fun! ⋆

⋆ Now, an explanation to my choices: ⋆

⋆ Your Favorite: Director D ⋆

I think it's no surprise to ANYONE that knows me that Director D has always been my favorite, since day 1. There was a moment where he was almost replaced by Binary Bard, but he is a close second. Director D is my favorite because he is associated to my nostalgia of a time when I was obsessed with being a spy or ninja when I was a kid. (Spy kids may have played a BIG role in that.) Playing as an agent in that island was so exciting for me, but I do remember having trouble with certain parts like the decoder. (In hindsight I probably would be horrible spy XD.) Now that I'm older, his island is still one of my favs for that reason, but it's not my number one. I wish we could have gotten a bit more backstory for him, but, what can you do. (But create a backstory for him and I have.)

⋆ You Relate To: Black Widow ⋆

Black widow is a character I don't really talk about or draw like....ever, which is crazy because she's probably the character I relate to the most, just like many other artist do too I'm sure. I relate to her in the way of being jealous of other people's art success, and the constantly comparing yourself to others. They say you are your worst critic after all. I don't so much anymore. I'm actually proud of where I am in my art journey, but I used to do that a lot when I was younger, especially when I just started doing digital art.

You won't catch me stealing or ruining other people's art though... girl what-

⋆ Your Favorite Design: Ringmaster Raven ⋆

Look at him, 'nuff said. His design is amazing. I love the color palette, the mask used to cover his true look, the raven theme with the wings and mask, the hat with eyes, everything. His design is the best because it matches with the overall theme of the island, it being a MONSTER CARNIVAL, and he is the Ringmaster. I remember how hipped I was when his island trailer released. One of the best islands for sure.

⋆ Is Underrated: Count Bram⋆

Yeah, remember when I was constantly drawing him for a short period of time? It's for a reason. I love my vampire peepaw who's confused about everything. I'm curious, do people consider him a villain? I kind of don't for the reason that he kidnapped Katya because he thought she was Anabelle, and once he was cured and was bought back to reality, he apologized for it because he didn't know. You want to talk about villain? Christopher is the real villain, you can't change my mind. Anyway, I was looking at the old art I drew of him, and he looked familiar to me. Then it all came together. You know who he reminds of? Exactly? Simon Petrikov, you know, Ice King from Adventure Time? Not only do they have the same hair style and would have the same personality, but they were both humans at some point with a partner, and once they became what they became, all they thought about was their partner, aka Anabelle and Betty.

Poof, mind blown. Vampire peepaw deserves more love.

⋆ You'd get along with IRL: Amelia ⋆

Amelia is another character I don't really talk about or draw, mainly because I associate her with the new era of Poptropica. But, I don't think that's fair. Amelia is actually a very sweet character that I think little me would have appreciated if she came to the game sooner. I would probably get along with her really well, considering how silly, and nice she is. Not to mention, her love for cute stuff. Imagine her unicorn bedroom but replaced with bunnies. That's my room right now. I think that even traveling with her would be really fun. She would have gotten under the "you relate to" category too but I didn't want Amelia on here twice. XD

⋆ And finally...Your Favorite Side Character: Dr. Spyglass ⋆

I... do not know how to explain this one. Dr. Spyglass only gets a few words of dialog, and we know nothing about him in canon, besides him working for HQ, and being an eye doctor. I won't lie, I actually had a crush on this guy years ago, hence why I shipped him with Muddy. (I cringe at that ship now. XD) Probably because...he looks like Director D...with a lab coat. >_> Look at both of them and TELL ME they are not related, I dare you. My version of them are. I love the idea of this silly scientist being hired by his brother after failing the entry agent exam, not because he pitted him, but because he understood how incredibly smart he was and is. Constantly being compared to his brother and what he could have been. So, you can say I like MY version of him... a lot.

I should dedicate a post to him some day, eh?

#poptropica #favorite character chart #this post made me realize that my favs are characters #that don't have any backstory XD #just things I made up #besides widow and raven #i wouldn't consider widow a fav though #darn #i should have included one that said fav character because of their island #binary bard would fall under that category #dr. hare is a fav too and he would have gone into the favorite design category because #bnnuy..#but raven has the best design overall in my opinion #feel free to draw them if you want #or be lazy like me hgdhsj #i just want to learn your favs #tell me everything 👀

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innaillus · 10 days

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Hello! Fellow artist here! I’m a traditional artist that has recently gotten a tablet for a graduation gift from my parents since they knew I was expanding my art to digital, I have been doing it for a couple of months now but I feel I could still use some tips, help, app recs,ECT or really any kind of help. (I love your art btw it’s so beautiful🥺🩷)

Hello and welcome to the digital world! Congratulations on your graduation!

This is a very good question, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it, as it's been a while for me since I transitioned to digital art.

I think the best advice I can give is

keep it simple (brushes, especially!)

remember the basics - you actually only need a piece of paper and pencil for this (don't be like me and forget to use traditional media completely... im about to get back to traditional sketching myself)

if you are a painter, going digital is probably easier, however, if you only used pen and pencil like me... well the advice I'd give my old self is to start with color theory (and other basics you need to solidify, also depending on your niche)

follow tutorials from PROFESSIONALS. The channel that taught me the most is https://www.youtube.com/@YTartschool, even though I don't use his art process anymore. Another one that gives universal advice that can be applied to many styles is https://www.youtube.com/@conceptcookie/videos

Straight up copy artworks of artists you like (once again, professionals that already work in the industry, such as concept artists, or classic masters) If you would like a list of names, I'm happy to expand this post later. (Leave me a comment!)

That's all from the top of my head. I hope I didn't say anything too trivial and that any of this was helpful.

Good luck!

#thank you #art tips

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thefearandwonder · 3 months

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Psychopunk: Only Cancer is Immortal (2nd Update!)

Whoa, what a month! I wrote 14,279 words in about three and a half weeks! The leap year was nice, gave me an extra day to tinker with the art you see here!

I know, I know, I'm not exactly a professional digital artist, but I love to dabble (as a treat). Good news, though! My wife, who IS a professional digital artist, agreed to help out once a month with this kind of thing!

This month's section was a ton of fun to write. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story goes, aren't you? Stick around!

Available for all supporters on my Patreon! Just $1 a month for some of the wildest sci-fi and poetry selections!

#poetry #novel #cyberpunk art #solarpunk #oceanpunk #post cyberpunk #blair nishkian

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ciipher-arts · 10 months

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How did u get so well at drawing? For me I usually do traditionally but even then I’m still trying to get good at it and I want try digital so badly but I’m having a bit of hard time trying to make what I’m drawing look good, so what are your tips, advice, etc for all this?

I hope this is a good enough explanation! I'm bad at explaining my process, especially since I feel everyone's process is unique to them, even if they might share some similarities. I'm not great at tutorials/advice but it's pretty fun to do!

Something I forgot to include: being an artist comes with its struggles, and sometimes you might hit a bump in the road.

Impostor syndrome/comparing your art, drawing something a bunch of times and it still looks off, just generally feeling rough about your art... it happens, I can't just say that it doesn't. Not everyone may have all of those problems, but these ARE problems that a lot of artists I've met have. I feel that way about my own art sometimes.

So when it comes to that, my best advice is this: don't worry about being perfect, don't worry about your art not being exactly the way you want right now, and don't worry about what others think (though always try to be open to constructive criticism).

Your journey is unique to you, and it requires a lot of patience. So you need to be patient with yourself, and learn to build your confidence. Allow yourself to express yourself. And most importantly, enjoy drawing! It needs to be fun for you too!

Good luck! :D

#my art #asks #ciipher rambling about art #ciipher's art tutorials #starscream #g1 starscream #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #might as well tag them cuz of the doodles #tutorial #art advice #artists on tumblr #ciipher-arts #ciipher arts #ciipherstatic

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lucy-the-demon · 7 months

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Lucy goes on a ramble about character designs and how Harveys character design sucks in comparison to others

Hear me out.

The best character designs in my opinion are designs that tell you something about the character, very few times deviating from that actually work

Let's start by comparing Raymond to Harvey Both work in an office of some sort, they're similar looking, but Raymond has more personality and looks way better then Harvey (in my opinion)

Raymond is a smug villager from animal crossing, they're charismatic, snarky and full of themselves.

Harvey Is there.. but let's talk about what little personality i can see with him. He's anxious, he's quiet but he's apparently kind and extremely patient

Theirs a reason why people were in love with Raymond in 2020, overrated or not the character is well designed.

When i look at Harvey, I see a serial killer or a creep, intimidating perhaps, not an anxious guy who's sweet and extremely patient with everyone. His older designs looked more like that than the final design.

When I look at Raymond, I see a snarky charismatic, office worker. Which is exactly what he is

And Sdv has great character designs,

Like Shane he looks disheveled, he looks tired, his hoodie has holes in it and it's stretched out implying it needs to be replaced, it's been overused. his hair is oily, it implies that hes messy and doesn't care about himself which is exactly what he is. It's amazing character design, it's absolutely fantastic and it makes me absolutely go feral

Sam is another great example, his collar stands up, showing he's rebellious, his clothes look like something a rock star would wear, but his color palette is bright and welcoming which makes him look friendly and approachable, charismatic even, which is exactly who he is, he's very friendly to everyone he meets it seems.

I could go on forever about all the great Stardew valley character designs (Elliott, Sebastian, Maru, etc..) but we dont have all day.

I'm very passionate about character design if you can't tell.

But Harvey's character design says nothing that explains his personality, it says nothing, it shows the opposite of kind, patient and friendly, he looks intimidating to me, I don't think that's what concerned ape was going for when he made him as I said his older designs portrayed that anxious patient and sweet personality more than his final design does.

This really is a shit post and a half but I don't know what to say really, i just wanted to talk about character design and how Harvey's character design isn't very good. In my opinion at least

Disclaimer:

Even though I don't like Harvey, I won't shame you for liking him as a character, I like to poke fun at fans of Harvey but that's just it, just poking fun. It's a joke, I like to make jokes but whether they're funny or not is up to you, but this is a genuine thing I feel, that his character design doesn't reflect him as a character and it doesn't make him feel approachable or friendly to me, he freaks me out really and scares me away. His character design poorly reflects his personality to me at least.

The artists of this fandom do better work reflecting his character with than the game itself does despite the poor design he was given, but that's just the magic of art style and expression it's probably hard to reflect his personality despite the design he has. It can be done, I've seen people do it very well but sadly the game did him dirty I'd say at least in the design category. No offense to concerned ape though, most of this game is very well done and absolutely beautiful, honestly i could never do pixel art as well as he can and i won't even attempt it honestly, I'll stick to my mechanical pencils and paper to sketch and my tablet to digitalize it.

But that's all really I gotta say here, I'll see ya later..

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tangibletechnomancy · 6 months

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The problem with AI and the entertainment industry in particular is that...okay, fine, technology marches on. Digital art made physical ink-on-cels animation into mostly a hobbyist novelty (though boy howdy did it ever make it an impressive one). Photography turned portrait painting into a luxury, rather than something everyone who could afford it saved to do at least once for every family member because it was the only way to keep their likenesses alive. Photo editing has gone through so many changes that it's almost unrecognizable compared to what it looked like as recently as the 80s and 90s, and the older methods are, again, super impressive hobbyist passion projects now. Digital painting made physical painting less viable in an economy of scale, but way more impressive as an art form. These kinds of changes always really fucking suck for some people, but you can't really prevent them without stifling human development in general.

But.

The entertainment industry wants to make it suck way more than it has to for everyone but their executives and shareholders. They want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to take advantage of the inherent marketing power of celebrity culture without ACTUALLY involving, let alone paying, the people whose names and likenesses they're using. That, I hope we can all agree, is vile.

Now, the logical endpoint of this is that we push back against that, and as an alternative we get more fictional celebrities in the near-ish future, and as a Vocaloid fan, theoretically, I dont see much of a problem with that. Theoretically, at least. In the best case scenario, I think it could be a lot of fun! But the problem is, well...

See, in the early days, Vocaloid producers tended to take a very backstage role. Very few people were fans of specific producers; they were fans of Miku or any other character. Eventually, though, producers just kind of came more into the spotlight on their own because everyone has their own style and taste. We still love the characters, but we all started to notice when half our favorite songs by Miku were produced by the same person, well, perhaps we were fans of that producer as well!

But in American-born entertainment culture...

You may notice that CGI was conspicuously absent from my Technology Marches On breakdown. That's because while, yes, it has made for an interesting highlight of practical effects, with love for the work and nostalgia for their jank the same way other new art media has shone a spotlight on its predecessors, it hasn't actually gotten to be recognized as an art form the way the others listed have. We've barely moved on from the attitude that got Tron disqualified from the Academy Awards for SFX because "the computer did those effects, not you" (in 1982). In fact, I'm strongly of the belief that if Disney were a halfway decent company, they would be bragging about how they're pioneering photorealistic animation, rather than trying to pass off 90+% CGI animated films, usually (but not always; see: The Lion King remake) with live celebrity actors' faces composited in, as "live-action". Instead, they treat the VFX department as mindless dancing monkeys, and perpetuate the idea that VFX is just "select material, press button, get polished scene" - because to brag about it as its own art form might imply that the people doing it are skilled artists who deserve to be paid fairly and treated like human beings, and oh, we can't have THAT, now can we?

VFX labor is all hidden; very few people have a favorite VFX artist or director, instead we treat the artists, who put the time and effort into wrangling code and semiconductors and routines and layers into creating a professional-looking end product, as just part of the machine themselves, to save the companies some money - and culturally, I fear we're well on the way to regarding AI exactly the same way but worse.

As such, I fear that we wouldn't have the same effect with any digital idols produced by Silicon Valley.

Now, I don't fear virtual celebrities being able to fully replace human ones. Half of the draw of celebrity culture is the illusion of human connection. As much as the word "parasociality" has grown to be associated with only the negative effects of this, in reality, it's also the driving mechanism behind why representation matters. It's fun to be able to feel a connection to a fictional celebrity, but it doesn't replace the feeling of knowing that your fave is a human being with a real life - ...whether you use that knowledge for better or worse.

What I do fear is the fight against using AI to replicate real humans without their input, or with their manufactured consent, being long and drawn-out and doing a lot of harm before we can fully put a lock on it, and virtual celebrities being used to hide the work that the human directors and producers put into them for the sake of saving a parent company a buck.

#not art #it's always #ALWAYS the damned devaluation of newer art forms that causes all the problems

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the-s1lly-corner · 6 months

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HIIIII! (sorry if you're not taking requests rn) I was wondering if you could do a Jax x Reader who's like Spot from We're Lalaloopsy on Netflix? [fem] (specifically the Netflix one there's multiple Lalaloopsy shows/movies and they're all different) if you've never heard of we're Lalaloopsy, Spot is the best artist in the show, she loves painting, sculpting, anything like that. Spot is pretty innocent, always super energetic, but I would also like to add that the reader isn't upset by his jokes. Easily flustered, like, really, really easily. sorry if this was too specific 😭 Irrelevant note; I'm posting this anonymously because if my friends found out I made this request they'll bully me forever (I don't even think they have tumblr but wtv) again sorry if you couldn't understand this request, or if you can't do it. no rush!! <3

Jax x Spot (lalaloopsy)!Reader !

I know you likely mean that your friends would tease you for acting like this; but truly if its something you like and they make you feel bad you gotta let them know, unless you already have and they dont listen

In that case leave em!

I know you're likely being lighthearted but I will not stand for bullying RAAAAAAAH!!!

That said I hope you enjoy YAHOO!!

First things first, the fact that you're unbothered by jax's antics and pranks only fuels jax to keep trying to at LEAST get you a little annoyed

Thus leads to the two of you becoming closer; be it platonic or romantic ! Honestly at some point he starts stopping by your room just to chat with you

Sometimes watches you work on an art piece; I think I had a post recently with the cast x reader who draws and crochets.. and if memory serves me correctly I think I said jax would personally not be into it but wouldnt exactly turn you down if you offered (will blow you off if you guys are not friends, though)

And I think the same applies here; like sometimes he'll watch you work away and chat with you during the process but he wouldnt be too keen on making something for himself

Though I think if you got him to sit down and doodle with you he would draw some "scary" stuff (I.e. crude things or things that he can squeeze past the digital worlds censors) to try to bug you

But it doesnt really work; actually if anything you probably compliment him which totally throws him off

Attempts to ruin your innocence and naivety (not in a NSFW way ofc, this has been and always will be a SFW blog but the amount of NSFW reqs I've received over the past year is nuts and I feel I need to specify I mean this as SFW)

Like trying to introduce you to how horrible things can be

But it doesnt

Ruin you, if anything you show empathy

Just a sweetheart

Honestly the fact you're energetic is a good thing for jax since he can be all over the place, so if you can march his energy you guys can have a solid relationship, even if you dont match his mischief

Oh and hes definitely gonna exploit the fact you're easily flustered; casually slips in flirts and pickup lines when talking to you (if this is meant to be romantic), and flooding you with compliments just to get you all beet red

Little menace

But hes your menace

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #jax x you #jax x reader #jax imagine

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starseneyes · 8 months

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New York, New York - A Union Town

This weekend, I went on a whirlwind adventure up to New York from Virginia on Sunday and back down on Monday. Why? I went to walk the picket line with my Union.

Why go through 8 excruciating hours of driving up, one brief night of sleep, 4 hours walking 10 miles, and another 8 painful hours driving back in less than 40 hours? I'm glad you asked.

I joined SAG-AFTRA in 2001. I started acting as a kid, but it was then that I had the opportunity to join, at age 17.

It was just AFTRA back then, which is why I still have never had a SAG card. Maybe after I catch up on my dues, I can solicit one, but I'm two years behind due to Pandemic and *waves hands* all this. Those who read this blog often know life's hit us with problem after problem, but we soldier on.

So, why the hell waste money going to New York? Well, first of all, I didn't. I told my husband that I felt like I needed to be there during the first day of negotiations. See, yesterday AMPTP finally met with the NegCom to negotiate a new contract.

The old contract is antiquated, leaves us vulnerable to AI, and has made it almost impossible to make a living as an actor in the current landscape. There was a time voice-acting was a third of my income. Those days are long gone.

It's important to have as many people on the line as possible during negotiations to send a clear message—we're here, and we aren't going anywhere until you give us fair contracts.

I originally was going to bum a night in a sleeping bag on a friend's cat-filled house while freezing because they don't believe in turning on the heat at night. I'm allergic to cats. Still, the idea was the only one I had.

Then, a client of mine (I'm a Digital Marketer by trade because writing and acting don't exactly pay the bills) said she wanted to cover my room.

We should note that I know writers don't need actors to write. I meant that they needed actors for the Fall Season, and I was having trouble thinking and typing through my tears. Anyway...

That settled, a Twitter friend I've never met in real life reached out offering gas money. I was so thankful, cried again, then quickly packed on a Saturday night for a Sunday morning departure.

I drove up with one stop to relieve my bladder, grab a kids meal (keeping down costs) and gas up.

I tried to sleep Sunday night, but I'm rubbish at going to bed early. I am good at getting up, early, and was ready for the lines. I put on my WGA East hat a WGA member handed me when I walked the lines back in July. I think they thought I was going to die of heat exhaustion, I was so red.

Instead of politely explaining that I don't temperature regulate and only sweat after I'm already in danger of heat stroke, I said, "Thank you".

I brought it with me this time in case Netflix was a sunny location. Spoiler alert: It wasn't. I didn't need the hat, and I didn't mind one bit.

Also to note: It's not that I was rich in July. No, a dear friend who passed (see blog on Cheryl Anne Marek) gifted us with a little money and said she knew we'd find something good to do with it. We rented a lake house in New Jersey for a vacation with the kids (though I brought my work and worked every day) and I took the train in one day to walk the WGA line.

I lamented that a heat wave shut down the rest of the week's picketing back in July, and always wanted to get back. So, I was ready for walking yesterday!

I was nearly a half hour early, and remarked that my mother's an IATSE 798 Journeyman makeup artist and I'm very used to being there before actors. I received a polite nod and asked if I could help at all. No, they said, they had a system.

So, I took this picture which strangely got the most attention on Twitter. But, it was a call to action—"I'm here and signed in! Where are you?"

"On our way", came the response. And people came. Our initial group of 20 or so became well over a hundred in under an hour. They kept expanding our walk way, and we marched, sang, and chanted along to the beat of our five percussionists. Yes, people with drums. Actors do not hold back when we're asked to go all-out. We go all-out!

Shortly after we got started walking in our tight, little circle, a friend of mine found me. Well, Peter and I have been Zoom and Twitter friends for ages, but we finally met. And when we hugged it was like old friends who hadn't seen one another in a few years. Fairly accurate, really.

We're both Pre-WGA—an often polarizing term that simply means we'd like to be WGA someday and are puttering along with spec scripts and screenwriting competitions until our dreams turn real. Being the realist I am, I know my odds are next to null, but the optimistic corner of my brain says not to surrender hope. So, I don't.

We stepped out of line for a quick photo, then back in to dance, chant, chat, and make noise. And while Picket Lines might look like a lot of fun from the outside, I was in a mad amount of pain.

See, I have a lot going on medically. Chronic pain is an old friend. And smiling through it, second nature.

So, if you saw me singing and swinging my hips, that wasn't just the beat. That was me trying to keep everything from locking up and telling myself I could make it just a little longer without a sip of water. And, yes, they handed us waters. I never say no to a proffered (sealed) bottle of water.

Because Picket Lines aren't just about the dancing, singing, chanting, and chatting. So many people out there are exhausted. But Actors are really good at finding our way through lean times, and Writers are, too, dagnabbit. Several WGA folks were out on the line with us, and they're standing alongside us as we stood alongside them.

Solidarity matters. We stand together, and it's not just Writers and Actors. I've seen IATSE on the lines. I've seen Teamsters on the lines. I've seen vacationers who decided to skip seeing the Empire State Building and come march with us instead. I've met film students (and history students) out on the lines who said they knew this mattered and they had to be a part of it.

I drove 8 hours there. I know people who've driven far more.

We are Actors. Writers. PAs. Teamsters. Makeup Artists. Hair Artists. Grips. Electricians. Craft Services. Camera Operators. Directors of Photography. Costumers. Best Boys. Boom Mic Operators. Editors. And more.

We—not those few billionaire, decision-making CEOs—create the bounty of beautiful films and television shows that illuminate people's lives. We are the dreamers of dreams.

Throughout the walk, I was struck by the care of the Captains. They made sure we knew where to walk and not. They brought out coffee (regular or black), bagels with cream cheese, cold waters, chips (or crisps, if you're across the pond), and more. These folks are volunteers who believe. We are all out there because we know this matters. But the sacrifice they make cannot be under-represented.

I got a new Strike shirt at the line, and decided to wear it on the drive home. It was far less smelly than the one I'd worn all day, and I was going to be trapped in a small tin can with me for hours, after all.

When I stopped at a service station, a random woman pointed at the shirt and told me she liked it. I smiled and thanked her. It always warms my heart when people see our fight and stand with us.

I drove home listening to the Good Omens audiobook (have about 41 minutes left, now) I borrowed via my local library (Please support yours. Libraries are amazing!). I was so bloody tired, but the voices of the actors filled my car and the story kept my mind awake. It's bloody brilliant if you've never read/listened.

It was after 9PM when I pulled up to my house. My three children (ages 9, 9, and 6) were still awake.

6yo: Mama, what did you do?! Me: Walked in circles for three hours. 6yo: Walked in circles?

While the twins have a fairly firm grasp on all this, she's six. I pulled her in my arms and hugged her close as I tried to explain a little better.

Because I believe in what we did. I am no influencer or celebrity. I'm simply a girl who believes in her Union. While I've been a Twitter warrior (one WGA guy I met said, "I think I've seen your tweets!"), I wanted to do more. I have been to a rally in Wilmington. I've walked the lines with WGA. But I wanted to walk the lines with my Union, too. It felt like the right thing to do.

My hips were killing me last night. And I admit I worried about my chronic pilonidal disease flaring up. But, I know what to do after a decade of living with it, and today I'm just fine.

Folks, WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been out here fighting for the rights of workers. We're all workers. That's what we are. Most actors and writers aren't famous or rich. We're simply people working our asses off doing what we love, and hoping to make enough to live. It's as simple as that.

I never wanted fame or fortune, even in my youth! I simply wanted to write and act and earn a living. Doesn't seem so strange, right?

Anyway, please do post your support for SAG-AFTRA, if you feel so inclined. If you can make it to a picket line, good on ya! If you can't, no worries. We all have different parameters to what we can and cannot do. And we're all in this together.

Here's to new contracts, a better future, and worker's rights. Onward.

#sag aftra #sag strike #sag aftra strike #screen actors guild #Picket line #sag aftra strong #strike solidarity #actors strike

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