#but lately i've been following people i... don't really know. not that it's necessarily a bad thing; but it makes me anxious

[inaconstantstateofchange]

Who Builds Theseus' Ship?

This ties in to a greater discussion about Larian's changes to the game post-Full Release, and whether you consider those changes to be a good thing or a bad thing. Personally speaking, the quality-of-life and gameplay mechanics improvements were appreciated, while the direct changes to characters and especially characterization were not so much.

In such discussions, I often see people downplaying the actual changes to characterization that have been made thus far as "minor" things, but I often see one of the most glaring examples of a characterization change left out, because so many people aren't even aware of it ever happening:

Halsin.

For those who don't know, if you were romancing Halsin at the time of the original full release, and for almost four months afterward, if you took him with you to Act 3's orgy scene in Sharess's Caress, he would open up about a situation in his distant past. He would tell you about how he had briefly been "something between guest, prisoner, and consort" in a drow House, and been kept there for three years before escaping.

He stated that this was something that happened "a long time ago", when he was "a foolhardy young druid", which would mean it would likely have been between ages 100 and 245 — or at minimum 105 years ago, and at (likely) maximum 250 years ago. He closed the discussion with a line that really struck me, and that gave me such an appreciation for his character, and for the writers who had created it:

The passage of time has a strange way of polishing even the most arduous of memories into precious keepsakes.

As someone in their late-20s, with a number of traumatic events in my past, this resonated so much both with my experience of those events – once harrowing and haunting, now just simple happenings that do not affect me the way they once did – and as an inspirational message, that hurt would not necessarily linger forever.

Not only that, I really valued the insight it gave into Halsin's personality, further showing him to be someone who was deeply complex and meditative, always looking for meaning and something to take away or learn from any experience. It also served to showcase the likely reality of the relationship elves and druids both would have to the concepts of time and memory. (Another example of this is the experience of Shadowheart's father compared to her mother at the hands of the Sharrans.)

I started playing the game almost immediately upon its release in August, and was intrigued by Halsin from the start. He was someone who was kind and heartfelt, but also very settled in himself and with a simultaneously rigid and very flexible moral code. It was that complexity that drew me to him, and I appreciated the inclusion of a character distinct from the Origin companions, all at close to the lowest point of their lives.

It was to my surprise to find that this appreciation for his character and perspective on his Act 3 revelation was not unanimous. As it turned out, there was a vocal group of people claiming that this writing was problematic, and that Halsin clearly didn't even realize he was actually traumatized, and that Larian needed to fix it. Not everyone joining in with this crusade had even played the game.

And, ultimately, in a pattern they have continued to follow, Larian responded. They fixed it. At the end of November, as part of Patch 5, they uploaded an edited version of the scene with new dialogue, where the player could express this "reality" to Halsin, in one of the most gallingly patronizing statements I've ever seen.

Sounds traumatic. You may need to reflect on that.

(If someone said this to me after I had opened up to them about my trauma and my experience of it to them, we would not be maintaining a cordial relationship afterward.)

Halsin's new response to these dialogue options is a cringing, self-deprecating cascade of how the player is of course right, and he should have known better, and time could "prove to be a trickster on one's recollections" and that perhaps he had "lost perspective".

Quite frankly, it is a completely different character answering, and an almost directly opposing overall message about the role of time in healing, and the path forward when it comes to trauma. No more "one day these events will not hurt to recall the way they do now". In its stead: "only healing that looks a specific way and follows a specific path is acceptable - anything else and you are simply a poor fool lying to yourself."

The following quote is from a comment left on a video of Halsin's original dialogue in that scene, before the changes, and is just one example of how much that representation meant to more than just me to see:

That said, Halsin is trauma recovery goals for me absolutely. Being able to remember without actually being triggered? Being able to fully and freely engage HOW ID LIKE TO instead of being fettered by trauma responses? Goals. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there 100%, we don’t get elven lifetimes irl, but his level of healing brings me hope.

Ultimately, this post is not meant to argue that you should agree with me that one is better than the other. More so, I want to highlight that this existed — for many people, this was their experience of events and characters, and that is not so easily redacted. And I also want to just state, for the record, that Larian's way of approaching narrative and characterization changes to their full-release game has been incredibly frustrating. I did not agree, in August, to play an Early Access game with the inherent understanding that any potential narrative aspect might change at any time. I purchased a full-release game, and immersed myself in the story and the characters, to get to know them as the writers had originally presented.

And when Larian makes these changes based on fan feedback, they are explicitly making decisions about which fans matter, and specifically, which fans matter most. Rather than allowing everyone to experience the story they decided to tell, and draw from it what they take away, and let that spark discussion and engagement, they made the decision to defer to some fans over others, and prioritize their experience of the narrative — something that, no matter how well-intended, is always going to leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

#voidling speaks #bg3 #bg3 meta #my meta #it feels insane to have to do archival work for a six month old game #but here we are #halsin #larian #larian critical #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 halsin #meta

[gummilutt]

250 followers Custom Memory Bonanza

It's finally time! To thank all you lovely people for your support, I have been working hard to get this ready for upload and here we are. Today I am sharing my custom memory object, and my library of a whopping 201 custom memories. Based on the wonderful Tattered Diary by DiLight over on MTS, and the tutorial she shared of how to make your own custom memories.

I've always cared a lot about memories, to me they tell the story of the Sims life. Some of you from MTS may recall when I did the whole several year rebuild of my hood, replicating every last detail of the original. I'm memory crazy, okay? And when DiLight gave me the power to make my own, I may have gone a tad overboard. Or just the right amount, you get to decide :P DiLight taught me most of what I know about making custom memories, and the base BHAVs are from her, but as I've learned more I've added some bells and whistles that I hope you will enjoy. It's a new clone and separate GUID from the original tutorial object set up by DiLight, so if you have your own you can have mine too without issues :) Found in misc/misc, costs 1 simoleon.

Download on simfileshare

Features - Brand new form, created by me. Resized BV photo album with new mapping and new texture (seen above, in game pictures at the end of this post). I wanted something that was uniquely mine, and that you don't necessarily have to hide away in the attic or under the foundation. If you don't like it, you also have some additional model forms you can switch between through the pie menu. - Adaptable dynamic menu. Thanks to a really neat trick from @picknmixsims the menu reflects the memories you put in your downloads. If no file with the correct guid is found, the option for it won't show. Which means that although I am crazy enough to have 201, you can go ahead and only pick your favorite ones and the object will automatically detect and adapt the menu to that selection. - Memories all have a custom icon, that's made from game icons from TS2 or TS3. Some I am quite proud of, some are admittedly not great. Not everything is easy to convey through game icons, but I've tried my best, I hope the effort shows. 5 memories have icons that are not from the game, but I tried to match them to the aesthetic as best I could. - Memory subject menu shows only relevant age groups. For example, if the memory is about having a baby, only baby/toddler Sims will show as options. Goal being to keep menu as concise as possible. If you wish to assign memories retroactively, please see jonasn's excellent Memory Commander object, which has support to add my custom memories without age limitations. As well as a whole lot of other useful memory-related stuff. - Extensive documentation detailing everything you may need to know about the memories (text, icon, background, who can get it, who they can get it about, repeatability, where to find it on the object) to help you select the ones you want for your game, and familiarize yourself with them. - English and Swedish translations of memories, and object menu. If someone wants to add their language, that would be great but it's a lot of work so I don't expect it. You are welcome to share your translated versions directly if you wish, or you can send them to me for me to update files shared here :) If you want to learn how to translate the files directly, Episims has a great tutorial found here.

Examples of types of custom memories included - Extended family members memories (got cousin, got aunt/uncle, got sibling, got twin sibling, got great grandchild, got stepparent, got stepchild) - Birth related memories (pregnancy, becoming parent, late in life parent, had multiples birth, premature baby) - Marriage related memories (divorce, parental divorce, custody things, alimony) - Relationship related memories (fighting, breakups, additional love memories) - Woohoo related (memories for specific woohoo locations, repeatable generic woohoo/public woohoo) - University degree related (declared major memories, got a minor degree memories, got a major degree memories, for remembering having studied multiple things and being able to see what major your Sim chose without looking at their diploma) - Loan related, for remembering taking and paying off loans of different types - Moving memories (first apartment, child moves out, various memories for sims moving in with others) - Kids related (child's first day in school, got their own pet, nursery rhyme, giving up for adoption, living at orphanage)

Mods automating delivery of my CC memories (more to come) Learned nursery rhyme from - Found here, by me Wrote restaurant guide - Found here, part of jonasn "Novel Writing Improvements" mod

Credits: DiLight, @picknmixsims, @morepopcorn, @latmosims, @joplayingthesims, maxon, @keoni-chan. For detailed info on how they all impacted the creation of this, see readme :) Policy: Give credit to DiLight, beyond that, totally open. Enjoy!

#gummiluttmods #ts2 mods #ts2 gameplay #ts2 cc #ts2 custom memories #gummi memories

[tyran-the-tyranical]

Baldur's Gate & The Human Condition

I want to rant about the themes in bg3 because I've been stuck thinking about them for a while, so now I must rant.

*Also just a recap on the definition of the human condition (haha rhymes)

"The human condition can be defined as the characteristics and key events of human life, including birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, morality, conflict, and death."

I think on the surface it's very clear that there is let's say a motif of breaking cycles or behaviors, liberating oneself from perpetual toxic cycles put upon the characters. From the beginning, I definitely could see that, but furthermore, I think it all comes back to the human condition and its importance throughout the story (Also, yes, the human condition doesn't need to strictly relate the humans as a species or race in bg3)

Time and time again we see these higher powers abuse their subjects or followers; Mystra, Cazador, Shar, Vlaakith, and so on. The common throughline with all these people is that in some way they have lost their humanity or never had it to begin with, and that's where they inevitably fail, and why on the other side our main characters can succeed.

If we look at the good endings for the bg3 cast, when they do not ascend or go back to their masters/leaders they end up much better and perhaps not perfectly but still it's the best endings for them since they still managed to keep their humanity and experience the human condition. If we look at Gale or Astarion, if you choose to ascend them, they're clearly not the same people anymore, they lost some integral part of themselves that allowed them to understand and I suppose emphasize with humanity, with mortals. Though now, if they lose that ability, they are doomed to repeat the faults of their predecessors, incapable of becoming anything more or seeing what they once did, they are forever changed.

On the other-other side of this, we see that even if the characters don't ascend, they're still doomed. Lae'zel is sacrificed, Karlach burns out (tho both of her endings are kinda glum), and so on. There are some exceptions since Wyll still can keep himself (unless u kill Mizora and doom him lol) but at the cost of his father's life and having to replace him when he really doesn't want to anyway.

We are shown these people in a higher power and not even necessarily supernaturally higher either, like the dead three, since they're still all well mortal. Each of them could've kept themselves but each of them couldn't see past themselves, past their sight for power, grief, and desire for destruction. They were either blinded to their human condition or chose not to acknowledge it, which is what enables them to perpetrate the will of their gods without any remorse. They could be seen as victims, especially in Thorm's case, but at the same time, they inevitably chose what they chose with full knowledge of the consequences.

The difference between the Dead Three and our main characters is that our main cast can let people in, they can depend on each other and be vulnerable. They allow themselves to express their fears and thoughts and let others know about their past and their pains. I think it's interesting that the dark urge is probably the only one of the chosen that even comes close to this, as seen with their relationship and affinity for Gortash as well as their later self-reflections throughout the game.

I also think it's cool that the cast longs for connection and can both do so figuratively and literally since they all have the tadpole and can actually mentally connect with each other.

I hope this makes sense and doesn't just sound like absolute shite, or maybe it was already super obvious and I only realized it late lol, I just never put it together that it was the human condition lol.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #Baldur's gate #bg3 astarion #bg3 gale #bg3 lae'zel #bg3 karlach #enver gortash #bg3 durge #bg3 rant #I'm actually so cooked #teehee

[unreliablesnake]

Someone like you (Joel Miller x reader)

Note: Just a little something I had in mind. / If you want to know when I post new stuff, follow @unreliablesnakefics and hit the get notifications button. I don't have a taglist.

Warning: female reader, age gap

You were an addict, just like so many other people in Boston. You were young. You'd never been outside the walls of the QZ. You weren't necessarily the smartest person around–you were street smart, not book smart. And you were inexperienced in a lot of ways.

But for some reason Joel took a liking to you.

You had no idea why, but his brown eyes usually softened whenever you began to talk to him. You didn't always know what words left your lips, you just wanted to talk to him, hoping he would stay with you and listen. Sometimes you joked, and sometimes he even smiled at your silliness.

"Why do you like me?" you asked him one day after taking one of the pills he just gave you.

Joel watched you in silence, and you couldn't decide if he was about to answer or walk away. But then he took a deep breath and said, "Because you remind me of a girl I used to know."

"Oh. Who was she?"

"The girlfriend of a guy I worked for before the outbreak," he replied with the hint of a smile as he looked away. "We were building a guest house for him and she was usually at home when we were there. She always brought us drinks herself instead of sending a maid, and she often invited us in for lunch."

His voice was so different now that he was talking about this girl that you wondered if he still thought about her often after all those years. "Was there something between you?" you dared to ask after a while.

"Not really, we were just flirting with each other."

"But you wanted more than that, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," Joel replied with a laugh that certainly stirred something inside of you. "She was so young and so fuckin' beautiful. But she never crossed that line."

And you reminded him of that girl? Strange. "Well, I'm young, that checks out," you said quietly.

Before you knew it, he was standing in front of you, one hand grabbing your chin tightly to make you look up at him. "Trust me, sweetheart, you're just as beautiful as she was," he assured you, his voice raspy from dryness.

The softness disappeared from his eyes and it was replaced by something else, a strange gleam you hadn't seen before. He was watching you like a hawk, following every little movement with an interested look on his handsome face. Your brain knew what this was all about, and you really, really wished it was true, but a part of you urged you to escape his magnetic field.

"I should go," you said quietly.

Joel's hand moved from your chin, brushing along your jawline as it made its way to the back of your neck as he spoke up. "Why? I have time to talk."

"It's getting late, curfew is about to begin."

"I live nearby. You could stay there with me tonight."

"Why?" you asked hesitantly when he leaned dangerously close to your face.

"Isn't it obvious? I've been dying to fuck you for so damn long." You gulped loudly, having no idea how to react. "The better question is, do you want me?" This wasn't something you had to think about. You nodded without missing a beat and he smiled at you in response before giving you a soft kiss. "Good girl."

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #the last of us

[epiaphany]

So there’s a bit of misinformation going around claiming that Taylor Swift is suing a college student for tracking her jet. This is not the whole story. While I’m the first to admit that Taylor Swift deserves to be criticized for multiple things (including her carbon emissions) this isn't necessarily one of them. Here’s what’s actually happening:

Meet Jack Sweeney. He's not a poor, young college student, which is what many media outlets would have you believe. He's an adult, with an estimated net worth of .5-3 billion, and made the 2024 Forbes 30 under 30 - Consumer Technology list. Notice how all headlines say that "Taylor Swift is suing this college student" to make it seem much worse than it is? It just simply fits their narrative better.

He was not (only) trying to make people aware of her carbon emissions, he was posting her real life location to his 80k followers on twitter. Technically, his twitter does say that his trackings have a 24 hour delay. But still, considering Taylor's many instances of stalking, this is understandably scary. Also, this is not only happening to Taylor herself, but to the people around her as well. Like what happened at Jack Antonoff's rehearsal dinner last year. (Not saying that this is Sweeney's fault, just explaining why Taylor's team would want to protect her and her friends from all kinds of stalking.)

It wasn't a lawsuit, it was a cease and desist. You can read the whole thing here. Yes, a cease and desist is typically followed by a lawsuit if ignored by the recipient, but it is still "just" a warning of potential future legal action.

Also, there has to be ways to track her carbon emissions without posting her location to thousands of people. I know that private jet flights are public information, but it is not easily accessible public information, and him posting her flights to his twitter does put her in a lot of extra danger.

Again, I'm not saying that she doesn't deserve criticism, or that her safety is the only motivation her team has for pursuing this. I'm sure they care about her image as well and don't really want the general public to know just how much carbon emissions she is responsible for. I just wish people would use their media literacy skills before spreading rumors.

(sidenote: I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes or if anything I said didn't make sense. I also know that I don't have all the details (feel free to add any information you have). It's late, I've been at work all day, and I have a headache that's killing me, but my stupid adhd brain won't let me focus on anything other than this so I just have to get it out of my system)

#taylor swift #i also havent written anything in english in ages so im a bit rusty

[johannestevans]

Hey, I'm a big fan of your work and longtime follower, and I have a question re: navigating hookups while having Issues if you have the time and feel like you can answer (or want to toss it out to your followers.)

Basically, I have some pretty extensive csa trauma, and I haven't had a lot of sexual experience. I've been doing a lot of self-discovery lately and have been really intensely craving and fantasizing about getting to know and play with some cocks. I'm in the process of doing therapy for the trauma and extracting myself from a shitty relationship situation, and while I've had some fun exchanging pictures and videos online, I want to try dipping my toes into exploring irl hookups...

...but I'm not sure what the best way to navigate the potential trauma timebomb is! I genuinely don't know whether or not I'll end up getting triggered when I'm actually faced with a real cock in front of me, because I've never been in that situation as an adult. I'm not looking for another relationship, although I wouldn't mind an ongoing casual fooling-around-buddies type of thing. And while I'm okay with fantasy talk and exchanging pictures/videos, right now at least I'm not comfortable actually letting someone else touch/see my body when we're together - I pretty much just want to find someone who has a dick who is cool with letting me play with it for a while.

I'm not sure what the most, I guess, graceful way of communicating "I've had bad experiences in this area and I'm trying to experiment and really want to just touch someone's junk for a while without any reciprocation at all, but also I don't really know what I'm doing, and also there's a nonzero chance that trying might freak me the fuck out" - I have a pretty good idea of what I know are firm boundaries and where I suspect there could be problems, but I'm just not sure how to go about communicating it in a hookup app type environment without telling random strangers way more about my life and business than I want to.

So I was wondering, since you've also mentioned dealing with similar experiences if not having exactly the same type of issues bc of it, if you had any suggestions for when or how to bring it up in a way that communicates the necessary information without getting into the nitty-gritty details?

Honestly, Anon, I think you're overthinking it a little - you don't ever need to explain anything at all, let alone get into the details.

You don't even need to focus on not wanting to be touched - you can put the focus on wanting to touch and play with the other person without a need or desire for reciprocation.

Some people want to just show up and give someone a handjob or a blowjob with no reciprocation, and it's the most normal thing in the world - lesbians have stone butches, gay men absolutely have similar equivalents where like...

Someone might not want their dick touched because they have erectile dysfunction; they might be in a chastity cage, or have an agreement with partners or doms that they not be touched below the belt; they might be celibate, semi-celibate, or ace; they might be very sensitive and prone to premature ejaculation or immediate; they might be going somewhere else later and don't want to come too soon; they might be insecure about the size or shape of their genitalia; they might be poz or have lasting anxieties around HIV or other infections and thus prefer only giving oral without receiving anything or doing other forms of penetrative sex; they might, like you, be traumatised or otherwise touch-averse. They might just be in the mood to suck a dick!

I think your brain has jumped to the explanation part when like...

I don't think a lot of people would necessarily ask in the MLM cruising scene? Like.

If I've showed up and said, "listen, I just want to suck your dick then hit the bricks, that cool?", I doubt that you're gonna go, "Hey, why only the dicksucking? Why don't you want to do something else?" because like. We met up for the dicksucking thing, and I already said I didn't want to do anything else. People are generally chill with that because like I said, there's a million reasons why.

To use an example, like... I frequently tell hook-ups I'm not interested in kissing on the mouth, or that I don't like kissing on the mouth, which generally, I don't - I'm quite picky about it.

People have expressed disappointment when I've said I don't like it, or gone, "Aw, okay," or similar. No one, out of dozens of men, has ever asked me why I don't like it in response to the boundary as I set it - a few have asked about it after we're done, and it's always been in a casual way that's curious and just interested in what makes other people tick.

The thing about the MLM cruising scene is that a lot of us are having a lot of sex. We're having sex with different people, we're learning what we like and what we don't like and what our quirks are, and in the process of that you become quite comfortable setting boundaries or asking for the specifics you like without worrying so much about if they're odd or weird or esoteric to other people - not wanting to be touched reciprocally when you're just interested in dispensing a blowjob or playing about with a dick is barely odd at all in the scheme of things, and even if it were, a lot of people wouldn't necessarily ask the whys and reasons for it. They'd just say "yes" or "no" as to whether they want to be involved.

And same for tapping out, like... Any reason, at any time, you can just say, hey, sorry, I'm not feeling this, and head out. It happens all the time!

#musings #anonymous

[nyehilismwriting]

Hey! I wanted to ask for your advice. I was a minor part of the IF community, specifically the COG community, back in 2020. Mostly as a reader, but I dabbled in sharing some of my own writing too. For... reasons we are both well aware of, both in regards to COG, the larger IF community, and the start of COVID I eventually quietly left. Now, three years later, I've been quietly picking up writing IF again as a way to share my story with others. I was wondering if you think, in your opinion, it's worth officially re-joining the IF community on tumblr. On one hand, I feel like things have improved in that the larger community has matured (somewhat). I would like to make more friends, get advice, and maybe even share some more of my art. On the other hand, my project as it stands is... very non-traditional compared to a lot of other IFs (IE: No character customization, no romance, focus on a singular story with emphasis on worldbuilding, etc.). So I don't know if I would even be able to build a community around it even if I did officially rejoin.

I've followed your blog since 2020, including Project Hadea (although I think I originally started following you for your urban fantasy project, although I cannot for the life of me remember if that was you or another author!), and thought I'd come to you for your advice.

I chose to send this ask publicly so that you could choose to answer it privately, if you wished, since it is a longer ask. But I'm okay with you posting it publicly if you would like to! Additionally, no pressure or obligation to respond. Have a nice day!

hi there!! thank you for thinking of me - and welcome back! i'm glad to hear you've been writing again<3 it's such a good feeling, especially when you haven't been able to be creative for a while.

i think i'll start by addressing your game itself. personally, I think this community could do with some new blood in the form of games that are non-traditional; some of the best IFs I've played, ones that have really stuck with and inspired me, have been ones without romance, or cc, or otherwise outside of the typical format that gets popular on tumblr. honestly, i think we could all stand to get a little weirder with it. having said that, there is a very clear type of game that gets popular on tumblr (long-form, narrative-driven, usually with romance, usually with some kind of emphasis on character creation), so if you're a number-go-up kind of person (or someone who is susceptible to that mindset), I would be braced for your audience to remain small, particularly when you're just starting out.

that's not necessarily a bad thing. while I do agree with you that this community has grown and changed shape a lot since the late 2010s, and in a lot of ways for the better, it's definitely not perfect. I can't, in good conscience, say that this is the friendliest or most comfortable community: lots of people are absolutely lovely, and very very kind and enthusiastic; however, and this is absolutely not limited to IF but endemic to any online community, there are ongoing issues with Boundaries, and Respect, and the ways people interact with work and authors they're fans of. certainly, when you share your work you're giving up some control, but it's hard to predict exactly how that's going to go, and how the audience are going to react.

not saying this to put you off, but it's something I think everyone needs to be aware of before deciding to share. it's good to remember that you're not beholden to anyone. this is tumblr dot come, and you're quite free to start a blog, decide it's not for you, and delete; you're free to turn off anon, or asks altogether, or to never post anything save for updates; this is not a corporate space (and while there are considerations if you plan to open a patreon etc, but if we're just talking tumblr) and you are not obligated to do or provide anything you haven't promised.

my other bit of advice - and i think one of the ways to keep any interactions as pleasant as possible - is to be honest, and transparent, and manage expectations. if you make it clear what kind of game you're writing, you're less likely to get people who are disappointed that it's not what they were expecting and taking it out on you. likewise, setting boundaries is important.

i can't really tell you if it's 'worth' rejoining: i've definitely questioned if it's worth it, myself. i've seen some people, ostensibly in the same community as me, doing and saying things i find utterly reprehensible, and i've made some incredibly close friends who i adore and wouldn't give up for the world. and, after all, i am still here and answering asks, so i can't hate it that much. communities are made up of people, and like any group, there's gonna be people you can't stand and people you can. it's about finding your corner, and making it a bearable space for yourself.

i can't tell you if you'll have a positive or negative experience; I can't tell you how to control that. all i can say is that this is an online community, and ultimately you can control when and how interactions occur.

finally - again, i'm glad you're writing again! if you decide not to step back into the IF scene on tumblr, there's plenty of devs who keep purely to itch.io or the cog forums and seem to do fine; sharing your game does not necessarily mean sharing anything else. do what makes you most comfortable <3

#i hope this is...helpful #it's not a simple answer; personally i am proud of the work i have done and the interactions i have had #and i definitely can't leave a glowing review for the IF community as a whole but i have my friends and i have my game #and i am happy with those things #there's also always discord servers - the interact-if server might be a place to start if you're looking for more immediate interactions #pyrrouge #long post #anyway i'm flattered you thought of me and i hope this gives you some kind of. idk. something to think about #even if it doesn't fully answer the question

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Hi! Happy lukewarm Tudum day, I hope you're having an okay one :) all things considered... If you're taking asks right now I'd love to hear your thoughts. I've been reading again about attachment styles (secure, avoidant, anxious, and I think another I'm forgetting right now) and it got me wondering about ST characters and how they might fit in these categories. I remember kaypeace21 mentioning attachment style in an old post (the one about parentification) but it wasn't a focus. Any thoughts? Thanks either way! ^_^

I haven't really been keeping up with Asks, to be honest. The past school year was very rough, as I keep getting additional responsibilities as I'm there longer (without decent pay, of course). Now that it's summer, though, I suppose I have no more excuses. I think I knew I'd never be able to just walk away from this community.

So, attachment styles. This is a difficult thing to really get into since we know very little about most characters' early childhoods. Attachment styles are rooted in the attachments developed with caregivers in infancy, though they develop from there. That is to say, someone who forms an insecure attachment in infancy isn't doomed to treat all social relationships that way forever. These initial bonds do often tend to influence later bonds, though.

This is going to be a long one, so the rest of the post is under the break.

The attachment styles you mentioned go back to the work of Ainsworth in the late 70s. She devised the Strange Situation observational experiment, which involved an infant child being introduced, separated, and reunited with a caregiver and an unfamiliar adult. Attachment styles are determined based on how the child reacts to these situations, demonstrating how much security they derive from their caregiver. What constitutes a caregiver can vary based on culture and individual circumstances, so it need not be a parent/guardian.

The four attachment styles based on this theory are as follows:

Secure Attachment: To the child, the caregiver is a secure base from which they feel safe to explore unfamiliar situations. The child is upset when the caregiver leaves, but the bond isn't damaged, and the child is fine when the caregiver returns. This is the result of a healthy bond between caregiver and child. Funny story, in grad school my classmates and I got a look as to what this might look like in dogs when my professor brought his dog to class. The dog enjoyed coming up to all of us as long as my professor was there, but he left the room for a minute to fetch something, closing the door behind him. His dog stopped sniffing around all of us and immediately went towards the closed door. My professor walked in a moment later, and the dog's tail was rapidly wagging. I'm not aware of any research into whether this theory holds for dogs or other animals, but it was an interesting thing to watch given that we just learned about attachment styles.

Insecure Avoidant Attachment: The child avoids the caregiver, interacting little with them, and not being upset (or even noticing) their departure. The child may avoid eye contact when the caregiver returns. The bond, if it was ever there, is not re-established on return. This is generally the result of a caregiver not being emotionally available to the child. It's can be, but is not necessarily the result of abuse or neglect, as an emotionally reserved caregiver can unintentionally withhold affection. These children often come to see attempts at bonding as being met with hostile or dismissive reactions. A child like this could grow up to see self-sufficiency as the only way to go, as they don't expect emotional reciprocity, and will avoid getting too close to people, favoring more casual relationships.

Insecure Anxious-Ambivalent (originally Insecure Resistant): The child becomes very distressed upon separation, clinging to the caregiver, usually while crying. However, upon return of the caregiver, the child resists reattachment, sometimes to the point of kicking and yelling. This can be the result of inconsistency in the caregiver-child relationship, resulting in the child being confused as to how to navigate it. The child essentially never knows when anything will be ok, resulting in great distress whenever a situation is unfamiliar. A child with this attachment style may be afraid of abandonment, and could continue carrying that fear with them as they grow up if the situation continues that way. They may feel unworthy of love and need regular reassurance.

Insecure Disorganized: The child appears confused and/or afraid. The child shows some aspects of both avoidant and resistant styles, but there's a marked difference in intensity. The child may actively fear their caregiver, and it can be a sign of an abusive caregiver and/or childhood trauma. As a result, there's a real lack of any clear pattern of behavior relating to the child's relationship with caregivers. Survival could be a matter of reacting to individual situations without any real underlying schema having been formed. A child with this type wants love, but has no idea how to get it.

I dare say that most of the cast probably has a Secure Attachment style based on their behavior in the show. There are some exceptions, however. I will not be trying to classify El, as her, ahem, unique socialization complicates matters.

Mike Wheeler: I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he has an Anxious-Ambivalent style. He can be very emotionally reactive and sullen, and he does seem to have a fear of loved ones leaving him. This could potentially be the result of Ted's lack of emotional reciprocity. Karen was likely a very loving mother during Mike's infancy, but Ted being closed-off could have resulted in a lot of confusion for Mike. Mike gets clingy, suspicious, and jealous with loved ones when he suspects things aren't going well. This comes from his fear that he's not good enough for their love, and, as a result, he's deeply touched by Will's reassurance in the van, likely owing to his low self-esteem.

Will Byers: He's a tough one. He doesn't seek out relationships, which suggests Avoidant, but he has one loving parent and one asshole (later absent) parent, which suggests Anxious-Ambivalent. At best, Lonnie was emotionally distant, if not outright abusive. However, we know Will has great bonds with Joyce and Jonathan. I suppose it could be argued that there is still a lack of consistency, as a result of Joyce having to work a lot and Jonathan being a kid himself, but we don't know enough about how that worked in Will's early childhood. He does lack the emotional reactivity that goes with Anxious, though. I'm going to lean towards Avoidant, though, as Will does seem reluctant to get too close to anyone. His first friendship was with Mike, and Mike made the first move there. We don't know how he met Lucas and Dustin, but I can't see him taking the initiative based on what we know about him. He also befriended both Max and El because his friends did. He seemingly made no friends in Lenora, and, unlike El, he didn't seem to care much. His focus seems to be more on not losing his current relationships, particularly Mike.

Jonathan Byers: Insecure-Avoidant. He's very similar to Will, only he's had to serve as the caregiver for Will, which might complicate things. I'd say he's definitely Avoidant, though. He has no real drive to form relationships. His relationship with Nancy developed only because he spent a couple very traumatic weeks with her where they pretty much had to bond to survive. He did genuinely like her, but he likely never would have attempted to get into a relationship with her under normal circumstances. Now that he's in it, he's terrified. He's in too deep, and he has no idea how to handle that. He's afraid it's going to turn out like his parents' relationship. He's friends with Argyle, but it seems to be a largely casual friendship (up until recently, anyway). Argyle being an outcast stoner is probably what made him an appealing friend for Jonathan, as he doesn't have to worry about emotional closeness.

Steve Harrington: Insecure-Avoidant. We know he doesn't have a good relationship with his parents, who never seem to be around. He's confident and easy-going, likely the result of having to learn to fend for himself emotionally. He's had several shallow relationships, both platonic and romantic, owing to his fear of getting too close to someone. We only see him get close to three people: Nancy, Dustin, and Robin. All three of those relationships we can see Steve get antsy about being too close. He fears that Dustin is choosing Eddie over him. He was devastated by Nancy saying their love was "bullshit." And he's almost afraid as he confesses to Robin that he developed feelings for her. When he pushes through his fear, he's able to really click with people, but it always requires a real feat of courage from him.

Ok, I can't do anymore than that, I don't think. There's others who would be interesting to look at in regards to attachment, but, like El, have too many complicating factors. Hopper has had trauma in his past with Vietnam, his daughter dying, and his marriage collapsing. We don't know how he was growing up. Max has dealt with divorced parents and an abusive stepbrother, so it's hard to determine what might be the result of attachment style and what might be the result of her own traumas.

I do enjoy your thought-provoking Asks, though. I've missed doing these types of psych analyses, which is a bit ironic considering it's largely what I based the blog on when I originally created it.

#stranger things #attachment styles #mike wheeler #will byers #steve harrington #byler #jonathan byers

[dear-alex-chill]

An update

Lately I haven't been active and it's spanned much longer than I intended. I originally thought it was the Team Science Zine sucking up all my energy (that zine was awesome but a beast to make) but I now realize that may have been me trying to convince myself of an untrue reality. I've been exhausted all the time with no time for me. I'm also dealing with more personal issues and being in a period of transition uses a lot of spoons. Hopefully I'll resolve some issues through therapy or other means but it's a lot to balance and I don't necessarily have the resources to take on everything. Unfortunately, art and writing has taken a backseat for the time due to everything going on. It is what it is, I hope to create again one day. However, the end of DAC as an account may be nearing.

I know I've been silent/quiet for months. I know I've not finished anything. I have few WIPs but they're limited in development and not something I want to post. Overall the Dear-Alex-Chill account is fading on all fronts and I'm not sure I want it to revive. I know my stuff rarely shows up in places, in part because of the niche I drew myself into, but also a lack of relevancy in what I produce. I honestly haven't touched digital art in a while, I do miss it. However, I'm exhausted constantly or I'm under the perception I'm too busy to do it, carving time is hard right now. I am considering leaving everything up and just sorta orphaning my account, I would never delete my writing and I don't like the prospect of deleting my art, but actively maintaining a social media like that is taxing and not something I can do right now. DAC might turn into an archive of sorts and when I'm ready I'll start anew entirely with a new name and page. Or maybe I'll come back in a while ready to get going again, I'm not sure.

Some of the lack of desire to revive was a slightly toxic culture. When things blew up around me (not really at me though but like Tumblr? Yk) I felt the need to step back and a part of me just never wanted to return. Moots, I love you guys, you're the reason I stayed so long. But sometimes it's hard to want to engage in a community of people that dislike you and that you generally dislike, it's tiresome. Wacky and Sikyu especially, you guys were awesome to talk to (I'm just mentioning you two specifically because I feel really bad for leaving you guys with no context after months of hyper-dumping hcs and ideas. Anyone I've repeatedly dmed or shared my hcs with and talked to, I do miss you all. Everyone is owed an apology but that's a lot of names to write.) It's hard to stay in a place you don't want to be, especially when you feel you're leaving those close to you, but I think it's of my best interest to step away from DT and TtS/RTA.

To my followers, I'm sorry you haven't gotten what you followed for.

To the anons and haters, cool. Have fun with your lives, I believe in karma but don't act on it, it's not my job to enforce karma, that's the universe's job.

To my mutuals/friends, I haven't forgotten you all and I do think about you. It's just hard to reply or I feel bad reaching out after so much silence. Hopefully I'll be chatty again or return to some normalcy later and I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you earlier.

Overall this just serves as a message/wellness check. I'm still here, I still lurk, but I don't really know if I want to stay active. When I decide to either orphan or revive, I'll let you all know in a new post, but for now here's what's been happening. I love y'all.

See ya later.

(yes this was on insta in slides form, Tumblr hates me uploading more than 3 photos at a time)

#slight vent ish??? #idk I'm trying to explain everything without directly venting everything #its prolly not working but thats ok

[bugbyte]

Starving Artist Conundrums

I need to figure out how to try and expand my income streams, which you would think would be fairly simple as an artist because there (should be) are tons of ways to sell an image, but not necessarily. I'm tired of constantly playing games with SNAP and healthcare couple of months because I have no safety net if these things fail. This month is getting really, really close to losing it all, through no fault of my own, it's just one person who won't answer their phone and keeps "losing" documents. So, somehow, I have to figure out how people do this. For everything I learned in art school, there wasn't a moment of business education, which is wild considering how many of us were like, painters or sculptors. I was neither, but, how. The irresponsibility of it.

I've had to weed out Society6 and Redbubble from my circle of shop sites because of the weird fee structure they both implemented. I don't have the energy to figure all that out. I'm starting to put things on Threadless, which I've had for a while but haven't used much. I've been investigating Inprnt which I've heard mixed things about lately. Teepublic has done good by me for the most part, but since they're part of Redbubble I don't know how long that's going to last.

I would really like to get back into streaming, because I'm theoretically like halfway or better to a Twitch payout, but I need a few things to make a setup that works for my pain situation, namely a long-ass ethernet cable so I can keep up a fast enough connection. I used to have one, but I think it got given away when we moved for bonkers reasons I cannot remember. Anyway, I have one on my wishlist now that should be the right length, I hope: https://throne.com/radiochio

I really need to knuckle down and finish Follower Volume 1, not that it'll save me financially (probably the opposite) but at least there's the hope that I can at least make, like, a little grocery money from it now and again, or pay the phone bill.

All of this is complicated by the fact that my drawing days are limited/unreliable until I can get my pain under control, which is totally at the whim of doctors' referrals ending up in the right places and/or people actually calling me back as they're supposed to. Also on the medicine working, which thus far nothing has. Let me tell you, it is deeply frustrating to go to appointment after appointment and repeat that no, even tripling the normal dose of ibuprofen doesn't touch what I have happening and I don't want to destroy my organs so I just. Don't deal with it anymore. I am begging for help and no one cares or believes me.

Anyway, life's rough when you're physically pretty limited and perpetually broke. At the very least the new meds they gave me don't make me want to sleep all day, instead they just do nothing at all. Is that a win? I'm not sure.

#healthposting #blog #artist problems #artist thoughts #pain management #tw medical #wishlist #art business

[tamelee]

hi! I really enjoy your art, it has a very unique touch to it that I really like. do you sell prints of your art anywhere?

I've never been much of an artist myself, but lately I've been feeling like I would really like to try and learn how to draw. I know it takes a LOT of practise and that some have a more natural touch to it than others, but do you have any tips for a beginner? where should I start? I have tried reference pics and stuff like that but I never seem to get them right. how can I keep myself motivated when nothing I try turns out the way I imagine it?

sorry if you've already answered something similar to this, I would love to read that too. sending you good vibes and many thanks in advance ✨

Aaaahh thankyou so much! 💕 I don't yet but will soon I'll update on that 🎉🫶

Absolutely!

And wow that's great to hear! I'm really excited for you honestly because it's really fun :3 Well, my ways have always been a little unconventional but most teachers would tell you to pick up a pen and paper and.. just start drawing/doodling with whatever reference you have. Or if you have a pen tablet already, explore the program you're working with. Any kinds of brushes, try them out, try functions the program has- see what it does, make it a fun experience because you can't make any mistakes. It isn't something you have to deliver to anyone, this is practice and this is for you. Put on some music or watch a show on the side that's easy to follow (not one you have to pay close attention to) and just scribble away. You can use an extra program like 'Pureref' (which is free!) that allows you to drag in any references you need on top of your drawing-program or create an extra window where you can drag in any images and rearrange everything just the way you like it, like this:

And then let's try a Sasuke sketch in that pose upper-left corner.

I usually flood the document with a bunch of references in case I need it. (It's always more than I need but I hoard my files a lot 😂.. I think it's a fear of it not being enough "just in case"- but it's okay.) When I'm coloring a sketch, I think of colors beforehand but it kinda depends on my mood. Most of the time I don't bother until I get to the lighting stage. If you feel like you don't really got the hang of using a pen-tablet yet, there is a good tutorial with exercises here. And don't worry at all!!! Because it'll get much easier and easier overtime, just please take care of your hands and stretch gently always. Remember it is never supposed to hurt.

Honestly the way to improve fast with art is... just get obsessed over something 😂 and draw that. Find something you like and enjoy drawing it at least from my understanding that is what happened to many people. For me it's.. well.. If you want to get inspired, go to places, preferably professional spaces and make a board with art in styles you really like. (Or a folder for example!)

This way you can use references to make something and it's a good start/practice ^^! At least it was very helpful for me! If you feel like nothing turns out the way you imagine it, then don't worry about it please.. creating something involves so many steps it is nearly impossible.. or it is impossible actually to have something turn out exactly as you imagine it beforehand. It is more important that the end-result is something that is satisfying which has more to do with the actual process itself. And I know that is not something you might want to hear now but I guess you'd have to experience it? At least for me, every new art I make involves something along the lines of "oh I kinda liked that" or "ew, no, nope, no, not doing that ever again" it's a constant process. Here are some helpful video's for beginners because I think visual inspiration would be more beneficial for you than just a bunch of text from me!

5 FIRST STEPS TO LEARN TO DRAW

HOW TO DRAW SIMPLE FACES

HOW I STUDY DRAWING

Advice for Starting your Art Journey

Extra (not necessarily for beginners):

Why BELIEF Is More Important Than TALENT

How I Reduce TOXIC Perfection As An Artist (Best Drawing Exercise TO Do)

What to do If you aren't Improving

Why it takes so long to get good at art

I hope any of this is helpful to you and I hope you have a nice day 🌷💕! Happy drawing!

#asktamelee #art tips #art tutorial

[mermaidsirennikita]

I've been reading some somewhat older (late 90s to early 2010s) historical romances lately, and like... they were so much sexier?

And it's not that these books were soooOOOOOooo explicit, because they aren't, necessarily (although it's not like they're tame, either). They don't get super creative in terms of kink, or even acts like anal play.

But it honestly feels way less self conscious, in a lot of ways. Stephanie Laurens is famous for writing loooong sex scenes, but her sex scenes just also... it never feels like she's COUNTING. She's not self conscious. It never feels like these scenes are things her characters wouldn't do. Scandal's Bride has like... legit somewhere around 7 sex scenes in a 400 page paperback, with many alluded to scenes otherwise? Whereas in the preceding book, A Gentleman's Vow... it's still a lot hotter than many historicals today, lol. But it's not as many sex scenes, at all. Because how could Vane and Patience, who are unmarried and in a house full of people looking for scandal, have sex whenever they want? Like they do it a lot, but while Richard and Catriona in SB are married fairly on in the book, they aren't very good at talking about their feelings (whereas Patience and Vane are better at expressing their feelings, they just aren't on the same page) which leads to them expressing their emotions much more... physically.

And the thing is that there is zero self-consciousness in Laurens's writing. It doesn't feel CONSTRUCTED. Although there are absolutely many writers who do write great sex scenes today... In some cases, I feel as if they are either being restrained, or writing sex scenes simply to create a BookTok Moment. And neither approach really works for me, because in both cases they are unnatural. If you're holding back because you want your book to be safe for the hesitant romcom crowd, you're not writing what you want to write. If you're creating a moment just to be a Moment, you're not writing what you want to write. Nor are you following what the characters would do.

Like I said, there is a lot... of activity... in Scandal's Bride. But it's absolutely consistent with the tone of the story, the humor, the way Catriona and Richard interact. It's GREAT. It's funny, it's ribald, it's entertaining. It is true to Laurens's style.

I can say the same of the MacKenzie books by Jennifer Ashley. The Duke's Perfect Wife, for example--Hart and Eleanor just do things... to do them. They're passionate about each other. I see this book critiqued because we get a lot of previous allusions to Hart's "tastes", but the novel ends with him just introducing Eleanor to his preferences--which makes sense, because she's inexperienced in general (and another reason which makes his restraint pretty understandable). To me, this felt totally natural, and consistent with his insecurities, his fears of scaring her off, and again, her level of experience. Eventually, they will clearly be freaks together. The novel never shames him for his interests. But they're not quite ready for the level of intensity that I think readers have become used to because of this need to have A Moment, and I think Ashley was honestly following the natural path there, versus being encouraged to tone it down (and again, I think agents and publishers ABSOLUTELY have encouraged authors to tone it down in some cases--I know of one specific case. But I don't think that's ALWAYS what happens.).

As I wrote all of the above, I thought of a book that is totally unrestrained, wild, and maybe? Over the top compared to the heroine's experience--Kresley Cole's Lothaire, which does feature a virgin heroine getting preeeeetty intense pretty early. But like--the degree of things that lead up to the Big Thing ramp up, she's not actually a babe in the woods, and this is a paranormal romance about a certifiable vampire. That's part of it all, to me. You're not just trusting the character beats, you're trusting and aligning with the tone of the books. Kresley Cole can go crazy with her paranormals because the rest of the book is crazy (and Scandal's Bride has a similar thing, imo).

I do think that as romance has become a more competitive, heavily saturated market, there is this struggle and pressure to stand out, which has created some artificiality re: Moments. And that's why these older books ring truer for me.

#romance novel blogging #romance meta #i guess? #romance novels #WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!!! #and for the record i think great books are being published right now #but this element seems more consistently strong in the days of yore

[monkberries]

This might not be an entirely sober thought but I've been thinking a lot lately about how the Beatles was such a cornerstone of Paul's identity and it left him lost and broken when it went away, and I'm starting to think it was kinda like that for George too but in reverse? Like it dominated his life from a young age same as paul but the thing is that Paul's role in the Beatles family system was sort of a golden child and George's was more like a forgotten child (not a perfect description but that's kinda the gist of it) so when that part of their identity went away it was like getting the rug pulled out for Paul but more actually freeing for George. Like pop goes the 60s on yt did an analysis of George presenting atmp to Paul and John and it was really obvious that George thought it was kinda bad and not worth doing, but then something must have changed for him when he went solo and I wonder if that something was just getting out of a preset role as the forgotten child and seeing himself (and his music) in a new light. It's interesting because in my family system I was the golden child and the parentified child and that used to make me feel very used and unloved, like I was constantly taking care of my brothers and yet resented by them at the same time, but as I get older and wiser I see my brothers' side of things more... they were probably more capable than I imagined, but I couldn't see that and they followed my lead as the golden child who can't be wrong. And in parallel to that I used to only relate to Paul and how he worked so damn hard to keep them together and gave EVERYTHING to his friends (which still breaks me heart), but over time I also see George's side of things better, that idea of always being second best and both believing and not believing that you're no good and the anger that that engenders. Though to blame the golden child for that isn't necessarily fair -- though idk if he did, I don't know enough about it. I think my point is just that analyzing the Beatles as a family system, or specifically my own family system, has been really eye opening over the years even if it's technically not accurate. I do wonder how many people gain insight into their own family via the Beatles. (Also to be clear things are probably much more complicated than meets the eye and I'm three shots deep so I'm projecting like crazy.)

Beatle tumblr will get drunk and write phd theses on anon for fun

#anonymous #paulandgeorge #not much to say to this. agreed there’s definitely a family element to the Beatles dynamic though you’re also right that it’s #more complicated than that

[hella-hannah-art]

I've really been thinking lately about how much I wish I had pursued art as a possible living when I had the chance.

I'm in STEM now after studying biology in college (another big interest of mine) and it's not necessarily something I regret. I have amazing friends and have met many cool people and had many cool experiences with the path I've chosen. However, it still feels like something is missing and I think it's that after all this I just want to create.

I don't post much of what I make, and I don't even really draw in my sketchbook as much as I used to - which makes me very sad. I want to be able to share my art and have people see it so that maybe I can get that motivation to do more of what I love.

I know it's more complicated than that since most of what I am lacking is the time to do these things, but motivation to push out of my cyclical day to day routine of 'go-to-work-go-home-go-to-sleep' has been really hard for me lately.

All in all, I am curious what people want to see! I've really thinking about making my own stickers lately, but I'm not sure anyone would buy them since my following is so small. I might do it anyways just to have fun and maybe go to a little market sometime, but I want to do other art to. I think my dream going forward is to one day be able to have a little business out of my art and to make it more of a priority for me than it is now.

#hannahs ramblings #long post #i dont actually speak on here a lot either which is something i think i want to change too #i want to seem more approachable and personable #and i want mutuals! so we can hype each other up!!! #sorry for never speaking and then all of a sudden typing paragraphs strangers who follow me LOL

[bloggingboutburgers]

Heyo again! I wanted to say that your comics are lovely to read, Keep it up!

You don’t need to respond to this but I also want some advice from ya, its been pretty bumpy road for me on my art Journey, The good and the bad stuffs, I started drawing again in last year for almost 3 years and I have been improving my art style, I have a small but lovely followers on two social medias, I enjoy making that I love and even making my own artwork but sometimes I feel like I am not artist enough or interested enough, so I maybe ask you for some art advices? Any advice is fine but I want to do a story to draw and tell but I’m not good at writing or experience at least, I also want to start commissions if possible if anyone interested in my artworks but I don’t have a payments yet for now,

I probably search up these things but I want wanted someone who experience just before possibly

You might not understand this submitted question cuz I don’t know how to Express my thoughts and feelings if that makes sense, and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to if this isn’t your thing, that’s all from me hope you have a good week

Hi bean! Sorry I'm replying so late! Don't worry, I think you were pretty clear in formulating your question!

I just am not sure if I'm the best person to answer or give advice on that because... I'm not that good an artist at all. I have trouble sticking to discipline, I only ever draw what I like without challenging myself too much unless I REALLY want to, and... Yeah. No wonder I'm at the tiny level I'm at in my 30s, to be honest. The only reason why my art ever gets positive reactions is because I happened to draw something that people liked enough, and even that is super dependent on timing and other factors. It's very tough to get noticed, so I've found, or if it IS easy, then I must be a bit dumb, because I haven't figured it out.

One thing that I feel HAS positively helped me a lot though, has been entering art challenges and contests, and there are plenty of those out there, which is good! If it's anything that can help me practice more towards my goals, then it's a good experience. Be it a writing challenge, a drawing challenge on a specific theme, a comic-drawing challenge or whatnot... Personally I find they always give me an opportunity to develop ideas in a way I like, and to end up with a final product which I don't necessarily always like, but which at least showcases my progress.

I really don't do commissions often because I don't need the money that much, so the extent of my experience goes to IRL stuff and iterances where someone has specifically seeked out a commission from me, so I'm also not the best at giving advice regarding commissions either TwT But if that's something you want, I'd really recommend to go for it! I set up a paypal account to receive payments when I was about your age for translation gigs, it's tough at the start but then it pretty much rolls off pretty easily, and I've only sworn by that, but I'm sure there's many other trustworthy options out there as well! (I really don't have that much experience in that sense, haha TwT)

But yeah... Also overall, I guess, no matter how hard impostor syndrome tends to hit when you're an artist, especially when you're still developing what you want to do and all, it's definitely important to actually go out there and show yourself out. Dare to say "Yeah, I make art, so I'm an artist, let me in on the artist scene." If you want to make art and show your art, overall, nobody has a right to tell you not to, or to tell you you're not an artist, no matter how much societal pressure there is against that. One's gotta have the courage to say they're an artist, or at the very least an aspiring artist, if they wanna be one, it's actually a key part of the process. (Arguably I haven't been good at it lately. I haven't put myself out there much for art gigs or challenges and whatnot. I should really go for it more.)

But yeah TwT Sorry, I feel like I've been writing a whole lot not to say that much, but I hope it's been a little helpful at least! Also from what I can see, and especially from the first years I've known you, your art already has improved a ton, so from my point of view, you're doing good! Don't give up, do your best not to be scared and to fight off that voice in you that tells you you're "not enough of an artist". And hopefully you can keep having fun drawing what you want to draw, that's super important, at the very least to me, I've kept swearing by that, whether what I like drawing is popular or not.

(PS: Listening to music and imagining situations to it and reading new comics that speak out to me are two surefire ways to get my inspiration going too, in case that helps!)

#lazybearzlol #...but yeah seriously i don't have much valuable advice #i'm kind of a failed artist if you consider the whole extent of when i've been drawing in my life #but i hope it's been helpful at least a bit TwT #artist on tumblr

[boundlss]

[ src. ] Which muse(s)s did you have the biggest inspiration for lately? / Why did you choose to make a multimuse?

Which muse(s)s did you have the biggest inspiration for lately?

well! that is not a simple or short answer because it's usually a lot of them at once. for one, there's shiroe---in no small part due to having become mutuals with you, but i do also generally just tend to have a lot of inspo for shiroe at any given time. i've said this before but he's the muse i absolutely relate to the most out of any of them so he tends to always be pretty high-activity and easy to write for.

jet (avatar) is really up there right now, as well as striker (helluva), who are really kind of the same general character archetype in two different fonts. i've also been thinking a lot about five pebbles today in particular, and dandelion. then there's always cyran azerrad kapral, ankita culathene, aurilis ayeva, yanna lazaros, and finnegan twelve---well, they're all ocs of mine so it's only natural my mind would be on them pretty often but it IS on them specifically pretty often.

not necessarily on this blog, but i also think about mark twain ( @antisatiric ) more than i even really think about shiroe, which is a tall order! and i've been doing some pondering over ronny schiatto, dallas genoard, pamela mccall, nader schasschule, and laz smith ( @drfeelgreed ) lately too. i've been meaning to get back to those baccanos but i don't exactly have the audience required on either of the aforementioned blogs to really, um, run a functioning and active rp blog.

Why did you choose to make a multimuse?

people who have followed me for a long time will probably know this but when it comes to what characters i feel like writing at any given moment in time, i can be extremely flighty. i get really anxious only focusing on a few characters at a time and it's sort of always been that way with my writing.

it just ended up being the most comfortable for me to have a bunch of characters i wanted to write all in one place because of that. there have been some muses i've strategically placed on singlemuse blogs---twain over on antisatiric is one of them---because i knew they'd get more interactions that way, and sometimes it actually is very hard for me to see people who run singlemuse blogs getting a lot more attention for characters i *also* have just because they only write that character, but i'm really not capable of changing the things about me that make multimuses easier, so ...

multi questions. / eagerly accepting!

#it does feel like complaining over nothing sometimes but i did actually really struggle a little while ago when it comes to #the position of multimuses in the rpc #it can be hard to feel less valued than people who dedicate most of their energy to one or two muses when i know i love everyone i write! #i don't let it bother me as much anymore though. #out of character #ervaurem #tysm for the question(s) :)