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#now I'm trying to remember how to hold stylus
xandrikart · 20 days
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The most beautiful thing about Drawtectives is that you can choose any combination and you will be right. But no way I'm ignoring a beautiful garb next to York.
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cherrypikkins · 8 months
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hello! I found you through one of your art tutorials and absolutely loved it, it's really inspired me to try it. I was just wondering, not being familiar with digital art, what set up/ app/ tools do you use (or recommend)? do I need a fancy tablet? thank you :)
I'm so glad to hear it! I hope wherever your drawing journey takes you, that you will keep having fun along the way :)
I am always glad to show my setup!
Let's start with the hardware!
Nowadays, I use a Wacom Cintiq 16, which I purchased this year for around $800 CAD.
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This device very much on the fancy side but as someone who has done digital art for 20+ years, it has helped me complete my works in a much shorter amount of time. The Cintiq surface allows me to draw directly on the screen.
Before that, I used a tablet - the Wacom Intuos v4 S, which I received as a gift from my Dad. It held up for 10+ years and was still working excellently when I gave it away for my Mom to use. :) In 2009 I believe it was priced around $250 CAD.
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The surface was a lot more matte when I purchased it and has since gotten shinier from all the abrasion and usage and skin contact. I remember it had a protective transparent sheet which I tore off on the first day of use. LOL
My desktop PC is i7 processor @ 3.20 GHz with Windows 10 64bit, 16gb, with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 video card. Monitor is 24". Notably I use my PC for other activities such as gaming.
Now let's talk about drawing programs!
My software of choice is PaintToolSai v2! It is very lightweight and has a smaller toolset compared to Photoshop or Clip Studio.
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I favor it because I feel that it has a better response to pen input, which helps create higher quality lines. It is very stable and performs very well - I don't think I've ever had any crashes while using v2, which is still in development. The smaller price point helps. The current price is 5500JPY, which should be around $50 CAD these days? The price was lower when I purchased it years and years back, and I was able to upgrade to v2 without any additional cost.
As for what I recommend for a beginner? I admit, it's a little hard for me to say - the landscape of digital painting has changed so much over the past ten years that so many new tools and software have come out while I was still using Sai and my Intuos!
But if you start shopping around, there are some things that may factor into your decision. Please note that I will be speaking as someone who uses mainly desktop systems and tablets for digital art.
Price: The price of a good-quality drawing tablet can range from the $100s to the $1000s. If you are a beginner, you may not experience the benefits of a professional-standard tablet right away, so it's ok to start small! For software, there are quite a few free options to get you started, such as Medibang or Krita. If you have an iPad, Procreate is available on the store for $9.99, though you may need to invest in a stylus.
System Specs: If you have a laptop or a PC, be sure to double check your specs to make sure it can support the hardware and software of your choice! The requirements are less stringent than gaming, so at least i3 with 8gb RAM will work! You will also need to make sure you have enough storage space to hold large files. I've read that the sweet spot for storage is 128GB. If you are a beginner, you probably won't hit the limit in a short amount of time - just be aware that file sizes for digital art can reach 100s of MB depending on size and complexity.
Pressure Sensitivity: This is a measure of how sensitive your tablet is to pressure changes so that you can vary between solid/translucent and thin/thick lines as you are drawing. The recommendation for newcomers is 1,024 levels. Any less, and the experience may be lacking and the results less than satisfying.
Display Size: Tablet size can vary! Wacom Tablets in particular come in Small, Medium and Large. Make sure it can fit on your working space! I've had no problems creating art work using the smallest size, though it has caused a bit of wrist strain.
A monitor/display screen of at least HD quality with a resolution of at least 300dp is recommended! Screen size will also affect your experience. So, similar with gaming, consider what might be most comfortable for you!
Learning Curve: If you are drawing on a screenless tablet for the first time, then it may take some time to get used to the feeling of drawing the tablet surface while keeping your eyes on the monitor. Don't be discouraged if you're not getting the same results as you would using pen and paper! It will definitely feel different, but with time and practice you will gradually get accustomed to it.
Each software comes with its own toolset - some larger than others! For complex programs like Clip Studio and Photoshop, the number of features and the level of customization available can be overwhelming! That said, most software programs for digital art come with a standard set of basic tools, such as Brush, Select, Straight Line, Erase, Zoom, Copy + Paste, Undo etc. So it is perfectly feasible to get started using a complex program, familiarize yourself with the basics, and try some of the more advanced features once you get confident.
(Meanwhile, I am terrified of Clip Studio's seemingly endless features whenever I open it and usually find myself running back to Sai for safety lolol)
Public Opinion: Take caution when watching Youtube reviews, as artists (especially popular ones) are known to accept company sponsorships. Ask around if you can, take a look at the best, worst, and average customer reviews, and check out a public discussion like Reddit where opinions may differ! Take note of the good and bad experiences. And, where invited, ask artists like or not-like me. :)
I should note this far that I'm not sponsored by anyone or anything. ;;;; I swear on my Mom I'm not a Wacom plant. (That said I will gladly continue to sing my praises of PaintToolSai for free. It is an excellent program and please consider supporting the smaller devs!)
That's it! ...I think? I'm almost certain that there are at least one or two things that I've neglected to mention, but so far, those are the points I can think of, so I hope you find it useful. :)
Each digital art journey is different, and so your mileage may vary with the factors above! I do hope that as you get started with creating stuff digitally, that you have a fun and enjoyable experience.
I also invite other people to share their opinions, agreements, and disagreements to the points above! Especially if there is anything important that I may have missed. I hope this is helpful and thank you again everyone for your positive comments on my tutorials. :')
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dreamcrow · 1 year
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(re: my latest gay activity)
THANKFULLY @arcaneorderships i managed to exert some measure of self-control this time 😂 i don't actually know any languages written in cuneiform, and i successfully refrained from trying to learn just for a soft silly doodle. but i do think a lot about how the order might have seen/received/participated in the discovery of various human technologies, including writing! so if u don't mind: gay little headcanon time Φ ᆺ Φ
for my order, it starts with bellroc. it's not the most elegant system, just little scratch marks or symbols at first to keep track of an ever-expanding collection of materials for their alchemical projects. think very very early cuneiform, probably not yet even crossing the border between "picture" and "symbol." but in those days they are still more or less interacting with (very limited) segments of human societies. while i do think they come up with their own writing system at some point (cries in worldbuilding...), i think they'd also naturally become familiar with these other systems just because they end up learning to read them, and so they end up cribbing a lot of ideas. the gold thing bellroc is holding in that picture is meant to be one of these things: a kind of two-pronged stylus, one point with a wedge tip (for making cuneiform marks), and the other a smooth/dot tip (like a pencil). they might write mostly (though not only) in their own language, but rather than reinvent the wheel, so to speak, they just adapt a system they already know works well.
my skrael. is a weird case. i basically just recycled this headcanon from an earlier and much more embarassing fandom oc, haha. i think the term i learned then was aliterate—not "illiterate," but just. not concerned with writing and written text to the (massive) degree most human societies are now. basically: he's not quite dyslexic (i don't think), but he largely doesn't read written text unless he has to. even then, it's mainly a nuisance: he either has to pay a lot of attention OR "just magic himself to be able to do it." (and as you may remember from bellroc, i'm very fond of "migraines following over-use of even the best assistive magic.") so while he can read, he just...generally Does Not. hence gently bullying bellroc to read for him, instead. >:)
i do love the thought of the order + writing though, so in return for giving me the excuse to write up this little post:
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"wow crow that outfit looks awfully similar to the one you did for double date night ship week art" after staring at that picture for two straight days i 100% forgot the embroidery on his cloak and yes, several months later, it still HAUNTS me :')
one day however... One Day... i'll get to the fic i designed this outfit for and then the whole order will be fancystuck for ever and ever aMEN
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chaeiimimi · 3 years
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Chilly
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Akaashi Keiji X Reader 
Genre: slight angst 
Tokyo has always been a busy city. A lot of people walking down the streets, some were talking on the phone, some were anxiously staring at their watches and some were just having a peaceful evening walk. 
It was the holiday season, so there’s no shock that the busy streets of the city was filled with couples more than usual. Two people in love with each other, being in each other’s arm as they stared at each other with love-struck eyes. Love seemed to fill the air of Tokyo and the giant tree in the middle of the city made it even better.
But then there you were, a single salary woman who can’t get into a relationship after her break-up three years ago
you stared at the window of the café you. were staying in, looking at a diversity of couples that walk by every few seconds
“geez even grade schoolers have dates” you mumble to yourself as you took a sip of your latte
It’s not like you haven’t tried dating, you’ve met up with a lot of people, every gender but you can’t seem to find someone who can satisfy you, even your friends had to get involved in your dating life, making profiles for you on online dating apps and even setting you up with people they know ranging from their friends to their colleagues and even their family members, but nothing clicked.
after trying for two years you eventually gave up “the right person will come at the right time” you told yourself over and over again
well seems like that person is taking their precious time
"wow talk about looking miserable*
Your head jolted up and saw non other than Bokuto Koutarou standing in front of you with about six different kinds of cake
You scoffed at him as he sat down in front of you
"I think Iwaizumi wouldn't be happy if he sees you eating that Kou" you pointed out to your athlete cousin
"don't worry I'll do extra workouts at home" he says as he begins to dive in the chocolate mousse cake
After being tied with him since like the day you were born, you are now convinced that Bokuto Koutarou will never grow up
"By the way, are you coming next friday?" he asked as he takes another bite of his cake
You tilted your head in confusion
"Akaashi's enggagement party" he looks at you eyes held a hint of worry
"yeah" you nodded
A comfortable silence engulfed the two of you as you stared at the couples passing by again
Do you ever think about me?
"Keiji, what do you want to do for christmas?" you asked your boyfriend who was immersed in his book
He quickly looks up to you his eyes soft
"whatever you want to do love" he said this with the most gentle voice
"but I want you to enjoy the holidays too" you whined and plopped down the couch beside him
"being with you is already enough for me" he says as he leans in to you and gave your shoulder a kiss before resting his head on your shoulders as he continues to read
You smiled ruffling his hair your heart beating a little faster and louder than usual because you knew you felt the same way
When she ain't around, is your bed cold without me?
"Keiji let go I need to make breakfast!" you try to pry your boyfriend's hands off your waist but he just held on to you tighter
"but its a weekend~" he whined
You sighed, he's always like this when he's sleepy especially in the mornings
"but we need to eat, we have plans remember?" you try to convince him
"but I want to cuddle more"
imnotgivinginimnotgivinginimnotgivingini you replayed this pharse for a hundred times in your head now
"how about you stay in bed while i make breakfast yeah?" you try again
Manz quickly shook his head "don't want, the bed's too cold without you"
Well that crumbled your resolve, you just went "screw it" and laid in your bed nuzzling your face on the crook of your boyfriend's neck
Yeah you ended up starting your day two hours late than your original plan
Does her love feels just the same?
"Keiji you need to rest! You're going to get sick!" this is the sixth time you tried to tell him that, you try to pry off the stylus pen on his hand but he just swatted you away
"I need to finish this" he says plainly and continues with his task
"no Keiji, you are not pulling a third all-nighter, I'm not gonna let you ruin your body"
"geez can't you just leave me alone?! you're always nagging and it's very annoying, unlike you, I care about my career"
His sudden outburst made you quiet, you knew that this project was important to Keiji, but he haven't had sleep in like three days, he barely eats and has already consumed a lot of coffee
You only wanted him to take care of his body is that too much to ask?
Your boyfriend's eyes suddenly widen at the realization of what he said
"I-" he couldn't form a form a proper sentence, it seems like fatigue was already hitting his system
You stepped closer to him and gently carass his face "I know love, we can talk about this later, but you need to sleep right now, please, I'll wake you up so that you can finish it on time okay?"
He looks at you, eyes tired, tears threatening to fall down but still had the softness that was only there for you
He nods and encircled his arms on your waist pulling you closer as he nuzzled his face on the crook of your neck
"c'mere big guy, lets get you to bed"
Is she the one to take your last name?
You were cooking dinner for you and your boyfriend who will arrive any moment now
You hummed to yourself as you stir the soup you were making
Too occupied to notice the arrival of your boyfriend, you only noticed when you felt strong arms encircling your waist
"Keiji don't scare me like that!" you scold him
He chuckled and kissed your cheeks "i'm sorry love, you just looked too perfect, I can't wait to marry you"
Whatever the case, I'm glad you're happy
"So this is it huh?" you stared at your now ex-boyfriend tears streaming down your face non-stop
"I'm sorry, things are just not the same anymore" he was also crying
How you ended up this way, nobody knows
"don't apologise, it was the best five years, i hope the best for you, I'll be packing my stuff now" you ended the conversation abruptly not trusting your voice, you immediately got up and entered your room making sure to lock it, only then were you able to let out the whimpers and hiccups you've been trying to hold in
You sighed, it happened three years ago, you were already over it
You stared at Akaashi who was now greeting some of his visitors with his fiance in his arms
His eyes landed on you and you gave him a soft smile, lifted your glasses and mouthed "congratulations"
He also smiled at you and nodded proceeding to talk to more of the guests
You looked down at your drink and let yourself sigh for the second time, your ex is getting married and here you are still single as a pringle
After catching up with some old friends and a little bit of drink you decided it was time to head home
As soon as you stepped out of the venue, the chilly air greeted you, you immediately shivered, you were wearing slacks and a thick long sleeve top and your house was like three blocks away so you didn't feel the need to bring a coat
"geez i forgot its December" you said to yourself as you rubbed your arm in attempt to keep you warm
This was stopped when you felt a coat drape over you
You looked up to see where it came from and a sight of a tall black-haired boy greeted you, judging by the way he dressed, it was clear that he was from the party as well, he also looked very familiar
"uhm-" you were about to take off the jacket when he said
"keep it on, you look like you need it" you decided to not take it off because he was right and he didn't look suspicious but you were still on guard
"thanks" you gave him a small smile
He just nodded but a hint of redness was evident at the tip of his ears, you assumed it was just because of the cold
"I'm Y/N by the way, L/N Y/N" you introduced yourself
"Kageyama, Kageyama Tobio"
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omoi-no-hoka · 4 years
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Hello! I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but how do you become proficient at handling conversations in Japanese/handling grammar very well? I read your post on the JLPT, and it addressed issues I have been tip toe-ing around--indeed, passive actions such as listening or reading are easier than the active ones. How did you go about that? Did you write a bunch of sentences daily? Did you have a conversation partner? What would you rec. to someone who lives outside Japan? Thank you!
This is an excellent question, and one that I get asked a lot irl by Japanese people in particular. Let’s talk about gaining fluency and the ways we can go about it!
How to Gain Fluency in Japanese (and Other Languages)
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Speaking Fluency versus Accuracy
Language proficiency is divided into two separate categories:
Fluency: Although there are no widely agreed-upon definitions or measures of language fluency, someone is typically said to be fluent if their use of the language appears fluid, or natural, coherent, and easy as opposed to slow, halting use. In other words, fluency is often described as the ability to produce language on demand and be understood.
Accuracy: Correctness of language use, especially grammatical correctness and word choice.
By the above definitions, a “fluent” speaker may make grammatical mistakes, but they can speak without having to stop and think too much about conjugations, word choice, etc.
An “accurate” speaker can speak with nearly zero grammatical/word choice mistakes. However, the speed of their utterances isn’t generally taken into account, so it could take an “accurate” person twice as long to articulate the same idea as a “fluent” person. 
Ideally, you need to strike a good balance between these two qualities when speaking. I have a boss, God bless him, who is 100% fluency and 0% accuracy and…man is it hard to understand what he’s saying sometimes, but he can generally get his point across just barely. I have another coworker who is 100% accuracy and takes about 3 minutes to form a sentence because he wants it to be perfect. 
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How to Increase Speaking/Writing Accuracy
First, let’s talk about the easiest thing to improve, which is accuracy. It’s also (in my opinion) the least fun thing to improve, because it means grammar books and vocabulary memorization. 
You can only use a language accurately if you know what is correct and what is incorrect, and you can only learn that by studying grammar and vocabulary (or if you’re a native speaker and picked it up innately, you lucky bastard).
So here’s some things you can do to increase your accuracy:
For example, if you’re having a hard time using the passive, you need to review that part of your textbook and find some exercises to drill it into your head. 
Say the correct thing aloud. Lots. Sometimes I just walk around my apartment and narrate everything I see/do like a crazy person, but that’s good practice. 
Write example sentences using the grammar you’re struggling with and say them aloud too. 
There’s a bunch of cool apps that connect you with native speakers that can help correct you too! I used to use HelloTalk, I think. 
If you’re a creative soul, when I was studying for the JLPT, I took 1 grammar point and 5 vocabulary words from my JLPT study books and used them to write a 2-page short story about the adventures of ネギ, a stray black cat that smelled like green onions because she napped in an onion field. Then I had a Japanese friend check it over for me and mark mistakes. I hand-wrote them to improve my abysmal handwriting at the same time. It was really fun! I sometimes think about doing it again just for funsies.
When someone corrects you, don’t feel like your entire life is over and you’re a failure and you’ll never get it right haha. I’ve seen people fall into that hopeless mindset, and that’s just nonsense. It’s a good opportunity for learning and nothing more! Say the correct thing you’ve just been taught out loud, then write it down if you can. And, if possible, find a chance to use it in conversation asap.
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How to Increase Speaking/Writing Fluency
Now this is the hard one. Especially for those learners who do not have native speakers nearby. 
I’m going to be dead honest with you. I started formally studying Japanese at uni, and I had a Japanese roommate/best friend since year one. I had a 4.0 GPA in my Japanese classes (and only my Japanese classes lol) because I was and still am a MEGA NERD about it. 
...But it wasn’t until I studied abroad in Japan my 4th year of uni that I gained fluency. 
There are a lot of things that can hold us back from fluency. An interesting thing I’ve noted is that Foreign Language is perhaps the only subject in which a student’s personality can directly affect their progress. To gain fluency, you have to go forth and speak, but if you are naturally a shy person, that is going to hinder you. If you are the kind of person who takes mistakes/failures poorly, you will be less likely to take risks and try to say harder sentences. In contrast, you can get full marks in math regardless of the above personality traits. 
I’m not saying that you have to be an outgoing explosion of a human being in order to gain fluency. But what I am saying is that you have to be willing to seek out conversations, and you have to be willing to take chances. Get out of your comfort zone. Use that new word you picked up the other day. Try to explain something that is difficult for you. 
My problem was that, while I lived with a native speaker who would have happily taught me anything I asked, her English proficiency was much higher than my Japanese proficiency. And when I struggled to say something in Japanese, I’d fall back onto English. And when she told me something I didn’t understand in Japanese, she’d repeat it in English instead of Japanese, because that was easier for us both. The same thing happened when I was in Japanese class as well. I always had the assurance that I could fall back on English.
But when I elected to study abroad in Japan for 3 months, I knew that this was my big chance. So on the host family form in the “other requests” area, I wrote that I specifically wanted a host family that could not speak English. I was setting fire to my crutches, and I was scared but excited to see them burn. 
By the end of my three months in Japan, I had gone from “Chotto matte kudasai” and needing a minute to form my reply, to “Okay, yeah I see that movie too and I liked the action scenes, but I didn’t care for the story little.” (I’ve underlined mistakes that I would have made in Japanese, to show you that I sacrificed some accuracy to obtain higher fluency.)
So, in short, the easiest and quickest way to increase your spoken fluency is to throw away all the crutches you can and use the language as much as possible. Every single day. Even if you’re just having an imaginary conversation with yourself! And like I said, there are a bunch of cool apps that connect you with Japanese people who want to learn English and you can do language exchanges with them. I had a lot of fun with those in the past. 
As for increasing writing fluency...well. That’s a tough question with Japanese, because I can type Japanese at like 100 wpm, but my Japanese handwriting fluency is at a 10/100. I can read and type at the level of a native Japanese high school student, but I can only write the kanji that 7 year old can write. That’s no exaggeration.
The big reason for that dichotomy is that my work is paper-free. 100% of my work is done on screen, so about the only time I have to write out something is when I’m filling out a form, which includes my name (katakana), address, and maybe occupation. 
If you want to increase your Japanese handwriting speed, just keep on writing. Write those little short stories about ネギ like I did, or find some writing prompts (I just started a side-blog with writing prompts yesterday btw) or keep a little diary. Make opportunities to write. 
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How to Have Nice Handwriting in Japanese
Okay, full disclaimer: I am the absolute LAST person qualified to talk about this, because I have awful handwriting in Japanese. 
Unless you have prior experience with a different language that uses kanji, or you lack the keen eye of an artist, you will likely struggle to develop neat handwriting. 
Personally, I really like using this app called Japanese Kanji Sensei. It’s on Android (not sure about iOS), and if you pay just a few bucks you can make your own kanji sets and stuff. Anyways, it will show you how to write the characters prettily. It gives you a good frame of reference for what nice, pencil/pen-written characters (versus calligraphy characters). It has hiragana and katakana on it too!
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I get a stylus and write out the characters on this app for the muscle memory, so my hands remember the sensation of writing a certain character. (The muscle memory is different if you only use your fingertip.) This muscle memory and repetition is how Japanese people learn how to internalize kanji as well. I really enjoy and recommend this app. I’m sure that there are others out there like it too.
Summary
TL;DR: Review your textbooks, take risks, use every resource available or make your own, and just have fun with it! 💗
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flaine · 3 years
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Ok update: I've asked my brother to try making that mashup bc he's experimenting with making music anyway and he might actually do it!
Also if you're not too exhausted I'm in dire need of some good vibes so... pls ramble about finn or rutherchang or literally any au/hcs u have
Kurtana gif for some extra serotonin
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okay finished some stuff for school so now i can ramble for you 🥰
(and kurtana!!! angels!!!! look at them 💖💞💗💝)
i’m gonna talk about some hcs for finn as a kid bc it is one of my favorite things to think about…. i know he was such a tiny disaster for carole to deal with but i know she loved him very much!!! (will include some pinn too bc they were definitely childhood best friends!)
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first of all i found this out on the glee wiki… & i am absolutely taking it as canon bc it’s very cute 🥺 finn went hard for little league!!! he probably based a lot of his tiny identity on it as he tends to do w/ anything he’s involved in. he always looked forward to practice & games, esp after he made friends with puck :)
he was a nintendo boy!!! puck let him try his gamecube and after that finn begged carole to get him one for like a year until she did, & he would spend way too much time on it! i think he played mario w/ puck (and was always forced to be player 2) but on his own he preferred pokémon (was never great at it tho, was in it for a good time), super monkey ball, and donkey kong. once the ds came out he was obsessed with it even tho he definitely lost his stylus like a week after getting it. carole got him a lot of those weird one-off ds games that nobody remembers and they still hold a special place in his heart
literally survived off of dinosaur chicken nuggets. and chocolate milk. and smiley fries. and apple juice. and gushers. carole would’ve wanted him to eat better but it was easier for her considering how stressed she always was with work… plus even when she tried that child would not put a vegetable in his mouth :(
the one thing he was always happy to eat was clementines…. splitting them with carole or puck always made him very happy 💕 it’s the simple things!
absolute nuisance on the school bus. especially when he started going to school w/ puck in middle school. he was that kid who sat in the back so he could be launched in the air when the bus went over a bump, and was also just so loud and annoying <3 on the days he was feeling down, though, he’d just stay in the corner, put his backpack on the seat next to him, and whip out his ds and focus on that for the ride to distract himself
rain was one of his favorite things… he used to get scared by storms but whenever he did he’d always run to carole’s arms, and that association turned rain into something super comforting for him. (see: his fascination with “drizzle” :) ) & the sound still calms him down. he also just liked splashing around in puddles :)
puck brought over some of the vinyls his dad left once and him and finn listened to them together. bruce springsteen was their favorite & kind of become their thing :)
would always be found asleep in the most random places. like carole would walk into the house after a long shift all tired and then would smile to herself bc finn is somehow asleep halfway up the staircase, or on the floor right by the tv. & also he very often told himself he was gonna pull an all-nighter and then lasted until like, 12:30am at the latest before he plummeted asleep. sleepy boy !! 💕
definitely attempted to run away once because carole scolded him one (1) time. he got like one block down before he realized he did not pack nearly enough in his backpack and he already missed his mom so much n then he ran all the way back home basically in tears
okay i think i’ve rambled enough… baby boy… i love him 💞💓💞💞 i hope i’ve successfully delivered those good vibes to you & you feel a little better <3
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