#trying to do new poses...new perspectives...it’s Hard...

[accio-victuuri]

March CPNs

this month’s banner theme is tennis boyfriends! lol. when i saw it, i knew it would fit, cause this month was also when WYB went for the lacoste show and most interviews was him talking about tennis. and who is the other actor who mentioned this sport too? another coincidence! why is it always them? 😂😂😂 from new au pairings, coins, similarities and kadian drama— this month delivered the goods to us!

time to review and look back at the delicious candies we ate this month:

• the bone necklace potentially getting replaced because of some anti rumors and what it means.

• circle elements in xzs vlog is a nod to cpf comments that have yellow circles

• lacoste and bjyx

• yibo shows cpfs some love at chanel pfw

• here are some other pfw minor clownery. 🌸

a nice detail seen in his clothes/jacket are red and green flowers. you all know how we feel about red and green in this fandom. yeah, this must be a stylist’s choice blah blah blah but that just how cpns work. and it’s so cute too!

descendants of the sun parallel! please! you all know i’m weak for this shit. chenwei will always reign supreme, but what if chen yu decides to go full on army or whatever.

i also found it funny how fans are noticing the difference with their clothes. xz was revealing in his own way & wyb was all covered up. of course these are two different brands so the clothes and everything will not be the same. but that’s actually what’s good about them, how different they are. and yet— they complement each other really well and have the same values in life. they try and learn what the other person’s interest is so they can have a better relationship. 🤍

posing with their female seatmates 🤣🤣🤣

• a similarity we noticed too was that wyb was on his phone before the lacoste show, and it reminded us of how xz was doing the same at gucci mfw. i think we went 👀 because for xz, we were already clowning that he was messaging wyb or reading message from him then something similar happens to wyb. it could be a completely different thing and who can blame them for checking their phone while on “downtime” — but let us be with our fake story from these two incidents 😌😌😌

• on 3/5 chang feng po lang released a new character poster for wyb’s character wei ruolai. because of it, a new AU pairing was born. wei ruolai x patient #5. i swear. their characters look good together! some also pair wei ruolai up with xiao sa or chunsheng 😂😂😂

i have to say younger chunsheng before he went to military and ruolai match so well together!

• same answers on fashion week interviews: comfortable dressing & the color black

• another perspective on the coin that appeared in zz’s vlog - relation to wei ruolai and war of faith trailer this is further “proven” when wei ruolai’s character posted was revealed and he was tossing a coin. look, i know it’s highly unlikely that the whole concept was a way to tease us with WYB’s drama. but it’s a nice double meaning and more! 🪙🪙🪙

• since there is a new character out for one of them, another new AU pairing was born! wei ruolai x xiao chunsheng 🤍🤍🤍

• the two of them being featured at vogue website as stand outs during their respective fashion week appearances. it’s not really cpn but more on them being the power couple 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 and i’m just so proud of them. years later, they still shine so bright and it has no signs of even fading.

even with weibo engagement, both of them were on top during their respective events. no one could even come close. and why, it’s so hard for them to work together, or why no one would allow that to happen cause it will be game over. lol.

• our dearest tennis couple 🎾 ; this has become more prevalent in the fandom because of wyb’s lacoste ad!

• the inception possibility - tbh i’m just desperate to relate this movie to them and a cpn 😂😂😂

• the collab between cotti and dove - this is most likely a business movie that has no input from xz and wyb. these are big brands that take care of their company but what’s sus is how cotti posted the announcement of this collab at 10:05. you would think dove would be the one to do that since xz is their endorser. or they could use 10, 10:10 or 10:30 posting time which are equally usual time slots for brand announcements. but no. it feels intentional on their side to use that association. of course it led to some drama but we still made some lemonade out of it by going through some old endorsement CPN examples that was funnily enough, dug out by solo fans who are clowns themselves.

• some are clowning (slightly) over WYB’s alleged kadian a day after the cotti drama when he FW the post for olympics because it read a (14:38) lifetime zhanbo. but you all know how picky i am with kadians. the vcr was shared 14:30 so i guess he only had a narrow window to share, not sure if intentional or not. for me, personally, not everything is kadian. considering the topic too, this is a national/international event. i don’t think it should be used for cpn. i’d like to think WYB is more professional than we are. but who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️

• this bts video from war of faith! it shows wyb being active — moving around and doing some exercises. reminds us so much of how xz was like during SBMS bts that was released. they are so similar!

• GG’s weibo post the night before WoF premiere

• adding this to the list of brands they both use for their wardrobe: NANS. as usual disclaimer, these are clothes used in brand shoots and may have been chosen by hired stylist of the brand or their own. who knows. i just like archiving stuff like this, especially for lesser known brands that seem to only be worn by them. some examples below:

lesser known because XZ/WYB are so popular so you would expect them to wear name brands. if not, a company that the general public likes. on weibo, the brand only has 132k followers which is pretty low and they don’t repost photos of celebrities who used their clothes— nothing about WYB or XZ or anyone else.

• 3/21, premiere date of WoF, WYB shares a new trailer for the drama. The weibo account of WoF posted @ 9:58 and WYB on 10:06. So the CPN is, did he miss? was this supposed to be 10:05? considering what XZ did the day before with his post. Personally, i’m relieved that he didn’t do it 10:05 to prevent drama with his so/os because this time is crucial. we can’t afford these sensitive ass fans turning away from him and not supporting his work. he is too smart for that, he knows all too well how these things go.

I like this interpretation from cpfs that he didn’t miss, it’s yibo, if he wants to do it 10:05 he will. but he has limits right now, those who know (us cpfs) will get the meaning and understand him. and we do. we always do 💛

•xz molsion live show clues: lego/puzzles, camping and chasing dramas

• xiao zhan calling wyb lai lai ( fake rumor )

• 3/25 XZS post where the 380 yuan fan makes an appearance and the 8th picture significance

• 3/26 fake rumor 🗣️🗣️🗣️

wls wants xls to call him “gege”, xls didn’t, so wls tickled him, xls had no choice so he called wls “gege” softly, after he said it he blushed so hard, and wls didn’t allow us to look 👀.fake rumor don’t believe it

• 3/27 IQIYI livestream/ watch-a-long event with WYB and him smiling when the host said side by side in the snowy mountain part one . part two 💛💛💛

• 3/28 we got to see a VCR of ZZ and his style looks similar to Bobo’s

• new lounge wear brand cp! bananain x miiow 😍😍

• a cute coincidence that in episode 21 of WoF it is revealed that in his hometown, Wei Ruolai has a nickname: “gou gu zai” = Definition: Jiangxi dialect. Refers to a child who has just entered his youth. Young people, they are not deeply involved in the world, but they are full of energy. like a puppy, lively and noisy.

it is exactly like gouzaizai but that one is from Chongqing. i know this is a script and fiction, but the director himself said that when WYB went in as Ruolai, he was inspired by WYB’s personality irl. It also means we were all right, looking at Lai Lai as a puppy during the show.

it’s just so nice to know that GG already found out what WYB’s personality was like early on. that he is a puppy — and feeds more truth to the cpn that GG was the one who gave the 🦴 necklace. a bone for a puppy.

• XZ’s xinxiangyin live “clue” on what activities they do spending time outdoors

-END.

P.S: and that’s the 1st quarter of the year done! just like that! actually, a lot of things happened in the fandom and i’m happy that both the boys continue to be active and we always have content. i also wanna take this time to thank everyone who supports both of them + cpfs who interact with me & my posts i appreciate you! <3 i hope the community here continues to grow and we all have this safe space to be cpfs 🤍🤍🤍

<<< previous month

#yizhan #bjyx #there is no science here i’m just clowning like i always do #march cpns

[zkylearnstherope]

Rush Hour [Where We Belong] - AvA / AvM Fan-Made

A very ambitious and late New Year's Special.

Thank you to everyone who waited.

When a proud King kneels, he must have a story to tell.

I know it's hard to believe, especially coming from the Kinky Blog, but the reason I actually started doing all of this fan art stuff was just to be able to tell this specific story. The idea has been around in my head for weeks, way before Being Cautious.

The plot underwent so many iterations but the base concept is still the same: King must find his inner child to find where he belongs. Yup, the [series tag] is actually named after this one. Why a child? Because children see the world as so much brighter, they run and run just to laugh at the stupidest things, and they would never ever try to k*ll themselves.

I am actually glad that I waited for a little bit before I made this. Like, I found my style now and can do some highlights and perspectives. It was hard to plan out but I really love how it all turned out. I hope you guys do too.

Author's Note

This took about a month to make. Around 7 days of planning the composition, plus 23 days to actually draw. Finishing with a total of 12 Frames / 7 Pages.

All four backgrounds are AI-Generated and then color-graded to match the scenes from The King.

The crowd consists of 10 different poses.

Most of my thoughts are in the WIP Post.

As some of you know, I did this because we somehow got 51 Followers a day after Christmas, and guess what- we're at 72 now. Yey!

Someone asked me why Gold looked like Glitchy King Orange. If you watch The King, you'll see that "The King" was one of Gold's games. He was a character that Gold used to roleplay. At least that's how I interpreted that scene.

Original characters by Alan Becker

#ava void walkers au #ava tropicals #alan becker #animation vs minecraft #avm king orange #avm purple #avm green

[sanctus-ingenium]

can i ask you what do you think about using references? i always do my own sketch from a ref first, then put the ref underneath the sketch and modify it in places where it differs the most. if i only compare my sketch to the ref by putting them next to each other, i can't find all the worst mistakes... but it feels like cheating. is it cheating? sorry jskdkdjd

there's no such thing as cheating in art. i frequently use references like you describe as a way to learn to draw a new thing. for practice i use a lot of equestrian videos, i pause the video at a random spot and trace. then next time i pause i don't trace. then i try to draw from memory. sometimes (for personal art i don't post online) when I just want to paint something mindlessly because i can't listen to podcasts any other way, i trace to get a pose down asap and then colour. it's fun. i don't think anyone's obliged to do more if having fun is their goal

tracing over references should be treated as a study of the subject - you gotta learn what exactly you are drawing, why the clothing folds like that, how that joint flexes, what the shadows are doing. like actually think hard about it instead of just copying an outline. do it to gain insight. when i was seriously studying horses earlier this year i would pause my video and then trace over the animal but without the skin on top, drawing major muscle groups from a different reference (veterinary anatomy posters are your friend) onto the more dynamic pose from the video. this way i could figure out the anatomy from different perspectives (some of these studies are on my ko-fi with the traced ones clearly labelled). so yeah i think it's a fine way to learn and it's really rewarding when you can take the training wheels off and draw your subject without any help but a reference image in another tab (not on your canvas) you flick over to occasionally. if you can't see the mistakes in your sketch this way, it's not a bad thing it just means you need to study more with analytical purpose, gain insight, and you'll get it eventually there's no rush

#im not going to engage in 'youre using it as a CRUTCH booo' rhetoric because that's bullshit and i personally genuinely don't care #if someone traces like there's so many more things to give a shit about. i also don't think artists are obligated to improve #if you enjoy drawing then you will improve regardless

[habken]

Just- how long does it take you to just draw? Because the sheer amount of details you put and the coloring must take ages

I mean ofc it depends in the piece, but like aprox?? In a fully rendered piece?? Just how

It really does depend haha and I’m super bad at judging time, so I just have guesses and approximations on how long stuff took but I can try and give examples!

It’s long so I’m putting them under the cut

Usually sketches and the busts I do with a bunch of different expressions take the shortest amount of time, something like the nimona sketches I did took maybe an hour or two ? Sometimes takes a bit longer if it’s a character I’m unfamiliar with because I want to make sure I have their design right and also that I’m illustrating their personality in a more or less accurate way.

The drawings with Kaminari, I think those took 5-7 hours?? Again super hard for me to figure out exact times cause I don’t really keep track of it and I like wandering in the middle of drawing so my sense of time is real bad. The expressions probably were an hour or under, and the full bodies took a lot longer, cause there was posing, styling, shoe drawing, colouring etc. involved.

The domestic bkdk comic I did for the top tier zine took way way longer, I want to say anywhere between 40-60 hours lol. I worked on it for months so that’s about as accurate as I can give in terms of time spent. I got hung up on a lot of details with it and the colouring took forever.

The villain attack comic took about 35+ hours ? The backgrounds took forever lol, I was trying to get better with freehand perspective, I struggle the most with environments and I wanted to challenge myself with both that and with drawing a comic with more action.

Finally, the one with little bakugou and deku holding hands I think took somewhere around 8 hours ? I was trying some new stuff with colouring and also background stuff

#ask #reading this ask again you probably didn’t want a huge explanation like this LMAO sorry #generally busts- 1-2 hours. full body coloured - 3-5 hours. full piece - 10 hours #mini stupid silly comic - 7 hours #comic comic - a billion years #hope that helps

[adobe-outdesign]

Oh mannnnnn Neopets reviews…how do you feel about my fav, Blumaroo?

Blumaroos are very vaguely based off of kangaroos, but they don't share too much in common other than jumping ability and the -roo name. Instead, they have a great abstract design that feels pretty realistic while being a complete fantasy creature, with floppy trunk-like noses and details that they can bounce on.

Visually, the soft pink accents of the nose are complimented by the ears, and this base works as a good neutral to match any color. They have these nice dot eyes and smiles that capture their happy-go-lucky nature, and just have a nice shape to them. I also like them having their own land and distinct personalities; it helps them stick out a lot in my mind.

Customization-wise, the Blumaroo is a mixed bag. On the plus side, their old artwork was dated and needed a refresh (note the almost complete lack of shading). I like the way they're fatter now, the loss of the belly button is an improvement because it felt weird that they had one to begin with, and they come across as a bit happier in the new art.

But on the minus side, the lose of their old pose is a tragedy. Blumaroos bouncing and standing on their tails was one of their most interesting characters, and while it's obviously still a trait of the species, it's a shame that it's no longer shown in their art. This is particularly sad because their adorable heart-shaped feet are also hidden from view, which has the side-effect of no longer carrying the pink through the design as well as it used to.

I get that customization needed to regulate the poses a bit more, but seeing as each item has to be redrawn anyway, would it have been that hard to keep them on their tails? It's not like the Lutari where the pose would've made it difficult to see clothing or something. It's otherwise a fine conversion, but man, it would've been perfect if we got both the new art and old pose together.

Favorite colours:

Plushie: Blumaroos already look pretty huggable, but the plushie form ramps it up to 11. I love the soft blue color with just a few pops of color on the eyes and tail patch—it gives the impression of an old and much-loved plushie. The converted version isn't bad, but it unfortunately can't compete with the unconverted version, which has much bigger, floppier ears, a thicker tail, and a very cute pose.

Tyrannian: Speaking of colours that looked better unconverted, dang, the Tyrannian Blumaroo got it rough. I love the original's brows and horn-ears, with this nice neutral dappled brown serving as the base. The converted version had to change some things obviously, but it also feels like they didn't really try—why doesn't it keep the same expression (unconverted Darigan Blumaroos have different eyes, so it's obviously not a problem to change them)? Why is the brown on the tail so much lighter to the point where it's barely noticeable? Why is the ruff now red instead of the dark brown of the wings? Why are the horns so small, and why is the perspective wrong on them relative to the ears? Bleh. At least the original's still great.

Oil Paint: Thankfully, here's a Blumaroo color that looks great with the customized pose. Such a beautiful color palette, combining little strokes of colors with pretty flower-like blotches interspersed throughout. I love how the colors also flow with the body, like how the torso goes from green to red, or how there's red right around the feet. Lovely all around.

#neopets #neotag #blumaroo #neopet reviews

[squeaksinc]

2023 creative year in review! 💦💦

The most stand-out thing to mention was this was arguably my most active and productive cosplay year...maybe ever? its incredibly uncommon that I can handmake 9 costumes in a year, but on top of that, 7 of the 9 were also custom designs, which is pretty wild.

costume-wise, i learned a stupid amount of skills and really pushed what i was comfortable with. IMO the best from the year are the collector, knives, pupet, and nekomancer at least just from a craftsmanship perspective. I try not to brag or be an ass, but I am genuinely very proud of those. they posed fun creative challenges that kept me engaged, and I'm happy with how they turned out!

the other side of the coin is although last year was my most dormant cosplay year, other crafts were super active....and the reverse happened this year _(:3」∠)_ i didnt really draw much at all other than making cosplay designs, and other physical media didnt get much time to shine either. I made some plushies, but they were lackluster, and I think I made maybe one unfinished figure lol. but I did try BJD making and loved it!! I made 4 this year and have plans to do more haha.

thats the upbeat overview, the readmore is going to be a more negative perspective so proceed with caution haha.

More than anything I wish i had more time to do art and build up Stitch in The Ditch/more OC work, but honestly this year was also objectively insane in the non-creative front. like i hit the worst patch of chronic pain i've ever had/found out my abdominals have been ripping themselves apart and bleeding for the past 10 years lol/had to go to the hospital like THREE!!!! goddamn times and now i'm dealing with the news i'm going to need abdominal surgery, got a teaching promotion/award, got my physics masters, utterly INSANE family happenings, had gastroparesis for 2 months and couldnt eat more than 200 cal a day in that time which caused all my blood levels to crash and i'm still reeling from it, and of course, have just been Cashually working goddamn 60-80 hours a week in an experimental physics lab in the background during all of this which is driving me to the point of madness- suffice to say i hit my limit like months ago lmao.

like looking back i know i should be happy and proud i did so much but i cant help but feel disappointed and wishing i had done better quality stuff. honestly, i know i goof about how hard work is, but its really really getting to me. i've always been happy with my ability to juggle so many things and preserve my ability to have a cool job, make cool things, and independently take care of myself, but work is month-by-month morphing into more of a monster thats just been suffocating everything else out. I really dont know what next year will look like, as i've been wearing thinner and thinner i'm noticing a trend where I just dont have the energy that I used to to do anything outside of my job.

I bring this up because on paper I should be happy with what I made, but I still feel like im in a stand-still. I made a lot of costumes, but tbh they were low quality/lackluster. like the number went up, but the quality didnt and I couldnt do much of any other art things. I couldve, and shoulve, been able to make much better work this year than I did, but it didnt happen as a combo of being snuffed out by my job physically and mentally.

in 2023 I got a head start/built up momentum from the beginning of the year that carried me through when things got insane in spring/summer/currently, but I'm already starting 2024 from a low point. yall. im so tired. im so goddamn tired. like its funny to goof about how much I do but its catching up fast and i think this is going to be the year when I just cant keep up anymore. Its hard to talk about since the "being crushed to death by your job" topic isnt one people want to engage with, and unless you're experiencing it first hand its hard to understand what living like that really means.

for 2024, i know theres no way I will be able to match this same number of costumes, but my goal is no matter what I want to start making things that are more solid on a construction level. fewer projects, more polish. also doing more non-cosplay stuff like world building and dolls would also be awesome. will that happen??? lord only knows. honestly usually these predictions/goals go haywire but this is also more of a response to external things outside of my control so ???? ??????? we'll see lads

[ascendingtostardust]

Click

(Sam Kiszka x f reader)

word count: 2.1k

warnings: none, all fluff and dad!sam

a/n: this was going to be a little blurb that turned into 2k words (oops). I didn’t edit it at all so I hope it makes sense and isn’t too hard to read :)

—

Sam had gotten into film photography long before the two of you had gotten together, racking up quite the collection of cameras. Some he traveled with, some he never left the house with, and some he never left the house without. He had a preferred use for each one, sometimes testing their limits when he learned about a new technique or feature. This hobby of his was actually how the two of you met.

On a blanket in the shade produced by a tall tree in the park right by your apartment, you sat enjoying the beautifully warm summer day. You rested with your hands behind you, legs outstretched in front of you as you munched on an assortment of fresh fruit you had just bought from the market earlier that day. Completely in your own world, you almost missed the click of a camera a few feet away from you.

When you looked over, the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen stood lowering his camera to rest against his chest. The confused look you shot him caused him to cautiously make his way over to you and apologize for not asking before taking a photo of you. He said that you “just looked so beautiful when you didn’t think anyone was paying attention” in the most sincere way you’d ever heard anyone compliment you.

And just like that…click.

-

Your entire relationship was documented, which you were extremely grateful for. At first the photos were only from Sam’s perspective, but then also from yours when you felt more comfortable grabbing the camera from him to take a few shots from your own point of view. Being able to show how you viewed each other and your shared experiences through the way you captured those special moments was something you never knew you needed until Sam came into your life.

After a few years of dating, you both knew you were ready to settle down and start getting serious about what the future held for you as a pair. Sam and the band’s schedule was lightening up as his brothers had a few kids of their own and began pushing for more time at home and less time on the road.

When you decided to finally take a pregnancy test after a few weeks of unbearable nausea, your fate as a couple was sealed - you were having a baby. Sam, of course, was over the moon, wanting everyone special in his life to share in his excitement. Bringing new life into the world was a big responsibility, but one that he always knew he wanted to take on. Now it was happening, and it was happening with the love of his life.

Just like every other part of your relationship, your pregnancy journey was documented on the film in Sam’s camera. You swore he sometimes went through a whole roll of film in one day just taking pictures of you and your swollen belly while doing completely mundane, everyday tasks - though he would try to deny it. Every now and then he would get an idea for a few photos and have you pose naturally while he got his shots, but most photos were completely candid. He was respectful of your boundaries, though, and knew when to put the camera down and actually live in the moment that he wanted to capture forever.

From the moment she was born, your daughter heard the click of a camera shutter at least 6 times a day. As a baby, it became a sound that comforted her during those rough moments of nonstop tears. Sam would request one of his less expensive cameras that was devoid of any film and would take the lens off, carefully storing the fragile piece away from any curious hands. You would watch as he brought the old camera to lean against the hip your daughter wasn’t resting on, cranking the small lever on top of the body, and pressing the button next to it to release the shutter.

The fluttering click of the camera would immediately pull your daughter’s attention to the object in his hand without fail, making you stifle a giggle every time you witnessed it. Through her tear-soaked lashes she would watch with wide eyes as Sam repeated the same actions, pretending to take photos of things around the room in an effort to keep his baby’s attention on anything but the cause of her sadness.

As much as she loved the sounds of the camera, though, the same effect could never be repeated by you when Sam was traveling for shows or interviews and nothing you did was calming her down. In those moments the only thing you could do was call Sam and hold the phone to her ear as he sang softly or whispered how much he loved her until she fell asleep. A true daddy’s girl through and through.

-

There was a long break of touring before Sam had to leave again, both of you preparing for months to make sure that all three members of your little family were ready for Sam to be gone for a few weeks. Your baby was now a toddler, though Sam insisted on calling her his teenager because of how grown up she acted. Her curiosity mixed with Sam’s persistence to answer all questions (mostly) honestly and openly gave her a level of intelligence that both of you were extremely proud of.

Though when it was time for her to say bye-bye to her favorite person in the world, her endless tears caused a few of your own to run down your cheeks. Just when you began accepting the fact that she may simply be inconsolable until he got back home, Sam pulled out a small gift bag overflowing with soft pink tissue paper. Your little one sat down over Sam’s crossed legs as the three of you sat close on the carpeted floor of your living room. As she eagerly pulled the tissue paper from the bag and let it fall carelessly, Sam made sure to hold the bottom of the bag steady so she could reach inside and grab the contents.

A book of empty plastic sleeves cased in a smooth hard cover, a few packets of stickers, and lastly…her own camera.

Her eyes widened as she pulled the bright yellow disposable camera out of the bag with her little hands, looking at Sam as if she couldn’t believe what she was holding. Sam had always told her how special it was to be able to capture a moment and freeze it in time, just like the magic in the books he read to her before bed. And now she held that magic in her hands.

Sam placed the empty bag on the ground, wrapping his arms around her softly, head resting on her small shoulder, as she turned the camera in her hands and inspected each feature.

“I was thinking…” He started, taking the stickers and empty book out of your hands to hold in her lap as he spoke. “Maybe you can take some pictures of yours and mommy’s adventures while I’m away, hm? Just like how I take pictures when we’re all together.”

He leaned forward to gauge her reaction, studying her concentrated face as she continued to hold the camera like it was the most precious gift she’d ever received.

“Do you know how many pictures you can take with that camera?” He knew she didn’t, but gently pointed to the number printed on the front label, whispering “what number is that?” into her ear to help her figure it out.

“36!” She exclaimed, looking up at him with a grin for his approval.

“That’s right, buggy! And you know how long daddy’s going to be away?” He paused to give her a moment to think, not sure if he even told her how long he’d be gone in fear of upsetting her before this very moment. “We’ll be away from each other for 36 days.”

He kept his voice soft, almost as if he was afraid the moment would become too real if he spoke too loud.

“While I’m away with your uncles and you’re here with mommy I want you to take one picture every single day that I’m gone, okay? Do you think you can do that?” He kissed her cheek lightly, rocking the two of them side to side soothingly. Your daughter nodded her head sadly, another wave of tears forming in her eyes.

“But hey, I’ll tell you what…if you take a picture every day with your camera, I’ll take a picture every day with mine and when I get home we’ll get our pictures processed so that we can print them out and put them in your special book. Is that a deal? You think you can do that?”

Another kiss was placed to her cheek but this time he didn’t pull away, closing his eyes to prevent his own tears from rolling down his cheeks.

“Mommy will help you decorate your book with these stickers and then we’ll be able to see what both of us were doing on the same day.” He pulled away to show her the small photo album as she flipped through the empty pages curiously.

“I can do that, daddy,” she said after a few moments of silence. A small smile spread across your lips as he gave her a grin and began showing her how to wind up the camera, what button to press “to make it click,” and where to look to see what she was taking a photo of.

And just like that, a few minutes later it was time for Sam to say his goodbyes before heading out the door and leaving you with a very distraught toddler who started missing her daddy the moment he stepped out the door.

-

The morning after Sam left, you expected your little one to be miserable once she realized that her dad was really gone for a while. However, your brows furrowed slightly when you heard the patter of feet quickly running down the hallway and into the kitchen where you stood making breakfast for the two of you. Your daughter immediately wrapped her arms around your leg, looking up at you excitedly as your empty hand found its way to the back of her head to hold her close.

“Mommy when can I take my picture for daddy? We can’t forget.” She said matter-of-factly, making you look down to see her serious look. Her favorite tiny purse that she used for dress-up was draped over her arm, something inside weighing it down slightly. It was a sparkly, baby pink bag that was her favorite because her Uncle Josh got it for her when she became old enough to want to dress up and play pretend with him, however she never brought it with her to breakfast.

“Maybe when we go to the market later you can take a pretty picture for daddy, how does that sound?” You said, plating her breakfast and guiding her to the kitchen chair that had her booster seat attached to it. She nodded and handed you the bag before climbing into the chair and sitting in her seat so that she could reach the table, something she did whenever she had something in her hands but needed to get something else done like the little lady she was.

When you grasped the bag, though, you realized what was inside. The camera. Sammy always made sure that he ate breakfast with the two of you, citing that the day just didn’t feel right if it wasn’t started with his girls and so, even with him away, she brought him to breakfast. You felt a pang in your chest at the realization and gently placed the small purse containing her precious item onto the table next to her plate.

After a few bites, your daughter placed her small fork down and began digging through her bag to pull the camera out.

“I think I want daddy to see my breakfast. He probably misses it.” Her tiny voice, filled with so much confidence, made your eyes misty at the thought of her wanting to share her morning with Sam just like he had always made sure to do.

“I think he’d like that, buggy.” You give her a smile, watching as she refamiliarized herself with what buttons did what, just like Sam had shown her the day prior.

And just like that...click.

#please be nice I’m so self conscious of my writing thank u #sam kiszka #gvf #sam kiszka fic #sam kiszka fluff

[sanfezu]

Hey again!

Soo I was wondering, do you do any drawing exercises to improve?? Like any perspective or foreshortening practice? Or just practicing with drawing poses? If so, can you tell me what you do? I seriously need to get better at drawing the anatomy properly. Also, I'm changing my art style yet again and I'm looking for advice :) Thanks <3

Also I love your art :>

Salutations!

(Sorry in advance if I said something wrong or if that is not helpful at all, I don’t really know how to give advices so, I’m so sorry for that)

Hm, I’m not sure how to answer that question, to be honest. Because I don’t really practice in private, and I post 99% of my new art here, whatever it is. Usually, I try new things without real practice in private and just, go with the flow. But I can’t say that’s a good thing to do.

As I said, I just go with the flow, whatever comes to my mind, I try drawing it however it will turn out, changing stuff if I don’t like something at all. And most of the time I’m not even sure what exactly I’m doing and going with this or that art. 

I really want to say, that it just took me time to draw something that looks somewhat okay?

Just, draw whatever you want. Whether it is a silly, or a serious thing, something cheerful, something sad or depressing, or something in between.

If you want to draw emotions you can give yourself a theme, like the negative and positive emotions, check what emotions are in this or that list. 

And just draw them, even if you're drawing just “flying heads”, your main goal is emotions. To understand how to draw them. Try to think how this or that emotion looks like in your head, or use a reference from somewhere. Or, you can draw your own emotions, what you feel at this or that moment: tiredness, sadness, happiness, etc.

Just, try new things, I know saying “don’t be afraid to try” is easier said than done (because I don’t listen to my own advices), but really. Try new things, experiment with whatever you want. 

Try using references, whether it is a reference from Pinterest or any other site, or irl. These are helpful. Even pose, if you don’t want to use references from Pinterest or whatever, and if you have a big mirror, just, I know, this sounds “eh”, but you can also pose infront of a mirror yourself, and just by posing, you could see details in your own anatomy, which I believe could lead you to understand it better.

If you want to try drawing clothes, you can also use Pinterest. If you don’t want Pinterest, then who’s stopping you from drawing your own clothes?

Perspective is… uh… I can’t say anything. I never really learned it, I never really tried even, because I’m… lazy. So, I’m sorry, I cannot really say anything about it.

I’m just saying what I’ve been doing (and what I remember doing before? Though, I may have forgotten to mention something I don’t remember at the moment).

Experiment, try new things, don’t be afraid of stuff not looking good (you are learning after all) even if it may frustrate you, I understand, this may be really hard. But we all are learning and it’s okay to not know stuff.

————

And, thank you very much, I am really glad you like it! 🙏💜

Again, I am so so sorry if it was not helpful at all. Or if I said something completely wrong, I’m sure people who know art better than me would say something more helpful and in a proper way than whatever I just said. I am not a pro, I will never be one, and I just… do whatever and draw however I guess…

#ask #donniesbrows asks

[princessozera]

"Would you mind being a nude model for me?"

Completely Safe for work! No smut or other shenanigans here!

Prompt: MC asks them to model nude. The royal/brother/Solomon get embarrassed and doesn't know what to make of it but MC is actually just a very tired artist that needs anatomy practice.

GN MC (They/them) 3rd ppov as always

Word count: 990

Levi

"Of course you have abs, why wouldn't you?"

"I don't think I've ever met anyone that hates abs," Levi chuckles, but he's trying very hard to not run off and find a hole to die in. He's fully nude, being glared at, and his Henry just scoffed at the only feature of his that he's confident it. “You do know that ‘Grand Admiral’ isn’t just a title, right?”

"No, I- it's not- HMMM," MC hums angrily to themself, tapping their pencil to their head. "It's fine that you have abs Levi. You are attractive. I just wanted to practice drawing different body types, you know? If I wanted to draw more abs I would have gone to the museum and stared at some sculptures."

"And you just assumed I was chubby?" Levi’s snark died out as MC began to circle him slowly. Why had he chosen such an open stance? Why couldn’t the vortex be merciful and swallow him whole? The broom stick in his raised fist was a pathetic excuse for wielding a sword, and he even with the sheet loosely draped around his waist Levi was acutely aware of how close he was to flashing MC.

"Cut me some slack, I’ve never seen you lift anything heavier than an akuzon box of manga.” MC doesn’t notice Levi fall silent, but they see his shoulders tense up. They ignore it, more focused on looking for a good position to sketch from before deciding to sit to the far left- back muscle practice it is. “Anyways, you’re much better company than some stone statue.”

A bonus of live figure drawing is the conversation, although it was a balancing act with Levi. Something interesting enough to keep him from running off or fidgeting too much, but it also couldn't be something he was passionate about because he'd lose his concentration and break the pose. So they spent the better half of the next two hours doing a spontaneous media analysis and ranking list of the movies they've seen in the last couple of years.

Levi carries the conversation when MC falls silent, squinting and tilting their head this way and trying to figure out how to work out the shading onto their paper. He kept peeking over his shoulder to look at them work; serious and so deeply focused that they didn't notice Levi staring at them. He's never seen them put this amount of concentration on something that wasn't a life or death situation. Levi couldn't help how his heart skipped a beat to think they were focusing so hard on him.

"Okay, I'm done, want to see?" MC doesn't wait for Levi to respond, turning their sketchbook around for him. He tries to look away- he would rather not see all of the imperfections MC found on him after staring for so long- but MC is insistent, handing the sketchbook over to him.

"Woah," Levi gasped quietly, fingers running over the drawing. The expression from the side of his face was serious, that of someone wise and calm. His jaw was strong, and his shoulders were broader than he realized. The shoulder blades had such a strong shadow that he started to wonder if he had been unconsciously flexing this entire time. "You even managed to make someone like me look cool."

"I get what you mean, so thank you. But also, not really." MC turns away from him to start packing up their pencils and other sketchbooks. "When you see yourself in the mirror everyday it can be hard to be subjective. That's one of the neat little perks of being an artist- you can show others a new perspective. You're a cool dude Levi, so of course drawings of you are going to come out cool too." There's a small choking sound so MC looks to Levi again. He's holding the notebook to his chest with tears in his eyes.

"MC," Levi starts to run towards them, arms open for a hug.

"NOT UNTIL YOU PUT SOME PANTS ON," MC screams, diving across the tub to get some distance between themself and Levi. He runs to go throw on a shirt and sweats before coming back and hugging MC as tightly as he could. Levi wants to take a hundred pictures of the art but is only stopped by the thought that it might come off as something vain- something that Asmo would do. MC seems particularly slow in packing up their coloring supplies although they were left unused, so when their back was turned he snuck a few pictures to keep for himself.

Other tidbits:

-He resisted the urge to flip through the sketchbook, being handed the book was a sign of trust, not permission. He can remember all too well the times that Mammon had gone rummaging through his things and was caught red handed skimming through Levi's own sketchbooks.

-Levi would soon work up the courage to ask MC to draw together, and set up for a full day of drawing. They'd sit at opposite ends of his room in beanbag chairs, MC working by the light of the fish tank as they draw the underwater landscape while Levi sat closer to his computer, lofi music filling the quiet for a relaxing ambiance. He takes the time to repay the favor, drawing MC as they worked. His eyes on lingered on them, trying to memorize their face as he drew. Every so often MC would catch him staring and smile, lifting up their own sketchbook to show their progress. Levi's heart ran a little faster with that smile and he did the same- MC pretended not to notice that Levi only showed them the left page when he was clearly working on the right.

-Levi chickened out of showing them that day, but MC would find the picture tucked between dvd cases and a snack plate that had been left in front of their door the next time they were feeling down.

((Lucifer))

#obey me leviathan #obey me levi #obey me levi x mc

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #25

Batgirl (2000) #10 Words: Kelley Puckett Pictures: Scott & Campanella

With a new status quo established, the book takes a break from serialized business and goes back to stand alone episodic stories for a bit, like as with issue #2 from way back when. And as with issue #2, the focus is on "street level" stories emphasizing the humanity of the characters involved, the sort of smaller stories that would get lost in the over-the-top action and larger-than-life supervillains of typical superhero comics.

I don't have too much to say about this story specifically. It's kind of a sad bit about a guy named Kenny with extreme inferiority issues and a mean violent streak who gets fired from a job he didn't think he deserved in the first place, doesn't think he will ever find anything else, and decides to take out the new boss who let him go in a murder suicide.

Despite Cass's attempted intervention he succeeds at the murder part, but fails at the suicide part when it turns out he's metahuman and literally bullet proof. His whole life convinced of and consumed by his own inadequacy only to find out too late just how special he really was.

Like with Mr. Merc in issue one, Kenny's not a good guy, not a good person. But the story takes pains to humanize him. It invites you to empathize with him. Sort of a 'bad people are still people' motif that runs through a lot of Cass's early stories and ties into her relationship with her father, but also to her own feelings of guilt and inadequacy. The issue never directly draws a connection between Kenny and Cass, but there's a really strong parallel there even so, too strong for me to believe it's just a coincidence.

Cass also has a job that she loves, that she commits everything to, but that she doesn't feel she actually deserves. She's also sure at any moment her boss might realize just how unsuited she really is and fire her, bringing down her entire life around her, shutting her off from the only future she can see for herself. What would Cass do then? Would she give up? Would she lash out, like Kenny did? It's not even hypothetical, we just got out of an arc where Cass lost her job and essentially committed herself to suicide-by-Shiva to get it back.

So if there's that much in common between Cass and Kenny, then has Cass also been unwittingly denying herself a bigger life and a better future this entire time, just like Kenny had? One she hasn't been able to see because she's been to focused on keeping a job and a life that deep down she doesn't even believe she deserves? And if so, will she realize in time to do something about it, or like Kenny will it be too late?

....

Ok, so I guess I had more to say about this particular story than I thought.

Other than that, I think it's also worth taking a look at how the storytelling style has changed now that Cass can talk - or more to the point how it hasn't. Even though Cass can talk now, even through she does have an internal monologue expressed in words, we don't actually see it in this issue. There are narration blocks, but they're entirely from Kenny's perspective. Cass has word bubbles when she talks to Babs, but when she's on her own she's as silent as she ever was, and her emotional state and though processes are conveyed through the art, through her poses and expressions, just like before.

Like in this bit where she tries to knock Kenny out and he just no-sells it with an 'ow', and she looks at her fist in confusion before winding up to hit him /extra/ hard, her cape wrapping around her in the pose to convey just how much extra force she's packing into the second hit.

I also like how Cass and Babs start and end the book with Babs trying to get Cass to ease off on training and try to engage on some normal life activities, and both times Cass passes in favor of more training. The first time, you get the feeling that she's training so much for the joy of having her abilities back, and there is a random fight against some street toughs where you get the sense that she's kind of playing with them...

(I love how the belt of big boxy pouches acts like a skirt to add an extra feeling of motion and specificity to the silhouette)

But then at the end when Cass is doubling down on training you can tell it's because she failed, that she feels she should have saved that woman, that she could have if she were better.

...

So anyway, it's nice to see that even though Cass is talking now, the core artistic concepts that were basically the reason she was mute in the first place - to get her stories away away from the reliance on narration, to let the artwork do more of the heavy lifting in both narrative and characterization - that's all still here. At least with her current creative team. At least for now.

#Cassandra Cain #Batgirl #Sception reads Cassandra Cain

[meltypancake]

hellooo!! i love your art sm!! do you have any tips on how to study something effectively? 🤔 how do you approach studying something for your art?

hi anon!! thank you so much 🥹and that's a really good question!

there's a lot of things that can go into it, since it will depend on what kind of artist you are - but here are some general things i look out for.

make sure the study somehow ties back into your personal work. for example, while drawing a character i'll notice that i'm struggling with a certain hand pose, so afterwards i will look up the same or similiar hand refs and do a couple studies of them. i'd approach the study like this: draw a hand based on the reference, then see if there's anything off about it. draw it again with the new knowledge you've gained. try to be careful and put your lines down accurately, since it's less about speed but about understanding the structure. finally, apply it to your personal work. this method works best for me, since it stops me from thinking "i should learn anatomy" which isn't that helpful, but lets me pinpoint something specific i'd like to learn about.

ultimately, it's about keeping the practice sustainable. it can be easy to lose your way when remembering all the things you have yet to learn (perspective, figures, muscles, colors etc.) and you end up frantically studying and studying without a clear goal except "getting good". i know the sentence "you need to practice" gets thrown around a lot, and i get where it's coming from, but i don't find it very helpful. art can be anything you want it to be, and for me, having fun with it and finding joy is a huge part of it. so if you're studying and dreading every second of it, it'll be hard to keep it up in the long term and it might even sour your relationship with your art. so a couple things you could do to study, but also have fun: - figure out what kind of art you want to do. legit, write it down somewhere and think about it. do you prefer more graphic art? more painterly and textured? bold lines, thin lines, lineless? what kinds of artists do you admire (though loving a certain art style doesn't automatically mean you would enjoy their process either!) do you prefer monochrome or greyscale or color? - depending on what kind of art you want to create, choose what you want your studies to focus on. if you just wanna draw everyone in super big poofy dresses, you don't need anatomy nearly as much as someone who's into drawing buff ladies in tanktops! - instead of thinking "i will get good at perspective and then i get to have fun drawing my blorbos", just draw your blorbos in an environment with perspective! you don't need to separate your studies from your personal art at all - you can combine them, having fun and learning from them at the same time. if it doesn't work out the way you wanted it to, set it aside, let it marinate, and try again if you like.

and if something is really hard to do, it just means your brain is changing, growing, adapting, OVERCOMING!! and it'll be a little easier the next time around :]

i hope this helped a little! feel free to hop into my inbox again if anything was unclear. hope you have a great weekend! <3

#waffle (study tag) #ask

[heartfullofpony]

MARKS AND RECREATION

I recently rewatched "Marks and Recreation," and have gained a new perspective on it now that the series is over.

Many viewers have complained that, in the later seasons, the Mane Six's progress as characters and as people, often regressed for the sake of plot convenience. I think this is a valid criticism to an extent. Watching Rainbow Dash and Applejack fight for Teacher of the Month Award in Season 8, for example, was, frankly, a bit hard to swallow.

Watching the crusaders in the post-cutie-mark seasons, however, you can really trace a linear path of maturity. We really do get to watch them grow up in real time.

In "Marks and Recreation," the CMC's decide that the best way to help blank flanks find their cutie marks is to open up a day camp, and encourage them to try new activities together. The only problem is a kid named Rumble. He doesn't want a cutie mark. He believes that getting his cutie mark will box him in for life. He leads the campers in a "blank flank forever" revolt.

This challenges everything that the crusaders have ever stood for. They feel bewildered, threatened, infuriated. Sweetie Belle straight up rant/squeaks at him. And as comical as that may be, it's actually quite understandable. The philosophy that Rumble preaches poses a threat, not only to Sweetie Belle's ideology, but her very identity.

What we are seeing here is generational dissonance, only the difference of age between the CMC's and their campers is a year or two, tops (in human terms).

Ultimately, the crusaders come out on top, of course. They discover that Rumble is only acting out because he wants to get a cutie mark in flying, but is afraid that if he gets one in anything else, that it will keep him from his dream. They solve the problem by bringing his Wonderbolt brother in, and demonstrating that even his idol is continuing to discover passions outside of his cutie mark, and that there's nothing to be afraid of.

This episode doesn't have a climactic tear jerking ending the way many others do, but I find it inspirational nonetheless. It manages to refine and flesh out the CMC's, and other characters by presenting them with a kind of challenge they never dreamt they'd face. It poses philosophical questions about the nature of cutie marks that had been somewhat nebulous up until this point. It establishes that a cutie mark isn't necessarily the same thing as your "job," and takes the time to articulate precisely why. At the same time, it highlights the fact that, for some ponies, a cutie mark definitely does represent a career path.

It explores the dissonance that all of us feel when our careers and our hobbies clash. Take this scene below, for instance:

Apple Bloom: Our cutie marks are in helpin' other ponies with their cutie marks, but I still like makin' potions with Zecora.

Rumble: And when was the last time you did that?

Apple Bloom: Um... I-I-I think it was, uh... Well, we've been pretty busy helpin' other ponies lately.

Rumble: Oh. You mean doing the thing you got your cutie mark for? The thing you're stuck doing for the rest of your life?!

What makes this episode great is that Rumble is not without his points! His frustration is oddly relatable, especially to adult viewers like myself, who find our passions at odds with our responsibilities more often than not.

It highlights the fact that the CMC's really have become adults - at least in every way that matters. But it leaves us on a hopeful note - that this is a beginning, not an end.

-Sprocket

If you enjoy my fiction and essays, please consider Supporting Me On Patreon

You can also Follow Me on FimFic

#my little pony: friendship is magic #brony #my little pony #analysis #mlp #mlp:fim #cutie marks #cutie mark crusaders

[uptoolateart]

WIP Reblog Game

Thanks for the tag @wehadabondingmoment :)

I confess I haven't re-blogged just because the thread was getting long.

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

WIP TITLES - please do read tags for alllll of them

Where We Find Ourselves Again - Book 3 of my Breaking Free series, which started as my own S5 and then spiralled hard

Dreaming Wide Awake - Post-S5 fic focused on Adrien in the aftermath of the Wish - he really does need a hug

Finding a Way - Jurassic Park / Camp Cretaceous AU - Adrinette are stuck on an island, trying to survive, while evading dinosaurs

A Whole New World - Aladdin AU where Adrien is the 'princess' and Marinette is 'Aladdin' - I think the stars of the fic have turned out to be Gabriel and Plagg, a pairing that brought me endless amusement to write

All That Is Necessary - a Gone AU co-written with @raspberrycatapult - everyone aged 15+ has disappeared and the kids have to find a way to survive...then strange things start happening....

UPCOMING

I can't wait to start posting Breaking Free #4, so everyone can see just how far I've taken certain ideas posed earlier in the series. Also, I'm so looking forward to having Felix as a main POV character.

I've started planning out the details of Breaking Free #5. After that's all posted, I GET TO THINK ABOUT OTHER THINGS!!!

In the coming months, I'm going to focus on finishing my Nathalie backstory fic FINALLY. I'm currently fleshing out the details of my outline, right to the last chapter.

I'm also fleshing out my outline for a Felix backstory POV fic, like his side of the whole Miraculous story, including when he was a child. It will parallel the Nathalie story, so the two interact in places and you get multiple perspectives.

I've already thought up my fic idea for the 2024 ML Big Bang!

I can't think of 10 new people to tag. @wehadabondingmoment already stole mine haha

Wait! I lie. I don't remember seeing @mysticraven20!

[themuliama]

I've been drawing for a very VERY long time. I've been inspired by artists on the internet and I've been looking at a LOT of beginner drawing tutorials on YouTube. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't improve as much as I wanted. My characters looked weird, and my coloring and lines were horrible…

But if like me you've watched HOURS of drawing tutorials and have been practicing for DAYS, but feel frustrated in your improvement anyways, you're just like me! And do you know why? Because like me, you've never worked on the drawing fundamentals!

Don't worry anybody can learn about the fundamentals with enough practice, effort, and most importantly, good information!!

So if you've been drawing for a long time and you think that you didn't improve enough, or if you want to start drawing but you've never known where to start, this is the perfect article to guide you in your art journey!

Keep reading and let's start to draw seriously together!! :D

The joy of starting!

Drawing is an excellent way of self-expression, a way to become more creative, and a way to see the world from a whole new perspective! You'll be so proud and happy to share your ideas and create beautiful drawings! And you'll learn SO MUCH about the world and the objects around you!

But if there is one thing that you have to keep in mind during this journey, is that everyone starts as a newbie! So don't be harsh on yourself and give yourself some time to learn and practice the things that will make you improve! Being an artist is a wonderful journey! Take some pleasure to live it!

Something else to keep in mind is that material is not an excuse! A pen and some printing paper are more than enough to start! The most important is to actually draw consistently!  Anecdote: I started to draw in my notebook during French class in middle school. (Don't be like me though listen during class)

So now you should be asking…

But what are the fundamentals I need to learn?

And you're right to ask this question! Just drawing every day isn't enough to improve your competence. You'll need to draw things that will make you improve! 

Having a good drawing foundation is important to build a good drawing style!! 

So here are the fundamentals you need to learn as a beginner:

Perspective

That is what will make your line on the paper feel 3D!

Here you'll need to learn about what makes an object feel like it has volume, how something farther away would look like, etc.

I have two exercises for this fundamentals!  The first one is to actually draw objects! Draw cubes, cylinders, and spheres in any direction you can think of!

Here is what it looks like when I do this exercise!

The second exercise is to draw these objects in an environment!  Horizon lines and vanishing points will be your friends here.

Here this will make it clear to you!

Construction

Construction is the ability to build new things with the simple shapes we saw earlier! You'll try to understand how objects would connect together. 

With this skill mastered, you will be able to draw ANYTHING! Because all things and objects can be broken down into simple shapes and volumes! 

Looking at references can be a good idea here! Look at a simple object and try to draw it with the volumes!

This is the way I practice construction

Gesture

I only have one thing to say here: GESTURE DRAWING! What is gesture drawing? Is an exercise! The goal of this exercise? To draw people with a time limit! You'll draw a pose in one to two minutes at first! Your goal is to get the GESTURE of the character in your drawing.

There are a few websites for doing gesture drawing! You just have to select the time and the type of images you want and draw! One of my favorite websites is Quickposes! But I'm sure you could find another one if you search a bit on the internet!

Now you know what to practice! Practice these fundamentals consistently and you'll see your drawing skills improving! 

Of course, you don't have to just draw spheres, cubes, and simple people you can draw things you want to draw! Just draw from good references!

Another thing that can help you with improving your art is…

Drawing challenges!

They're fun, put you out of your comfort zone, and make you draw things you would have never drawn otherwise! Isn't that amazing?

That's why it's such a good idea to participate in art challenges! Plus, having other people participating in the same challenge can help you boost your motivation!!

There is plenty of art challenges on the internet, but the one you should do to start drawing is certainly Marc Brunet's 30 days art challenge!  An art challenge that will help you start drawing in a month! You will practice the fundamentals and you'll see the improvement by the end of it! 

Maybe should I do this challenge? (Btw Marc Brunet's channel is an excellent place to learn from! Go look at some videos!)

In conclusion

You now have all you need to start drawing! You know that you'll need dedication and persistence, you know about the fundamentals you need to practice! You also have a perfect challenge to start drawing! Don't forget that drawing is an enjoyable journey! Don't overdo yourself, practice consistently, and be curious!

Feel free to ask questions or share some drawings so we can all track our progress!

One of the most essential pieces of advice I'll give you in this post is to find fun in the process :D

#beginner artist #art #learn art #start to draw #Learn drawing

[lrenvs3000w24]

Privilege in Nature Interpretation

The concept of privilege plays a significant role in shaping individuals' relationships with nature, influencing access and opportunities to engage with the environment, and many other factors in life outside of nature. My working definition of privilege is advantages or opportunities unrelated to personal achievements or abilities but simply due to one’s background, social status and other factors. My definition is similar to the $100 race video in the courselink notes for the week, which highlighted disparities based on factors beyond the students accomplishments and actions.

Growing up in a big city with a single, hardworking mother, my early experiences were marked by limited access to nature. The inability to take time off work for zoo visits or nature excursions was a reality for many from lower-income backgrounds. Economic barriers, as outlined in the textbook, contribute significantly to this limitation (Beck et al, 2018). Additionally, people are faced with other problems, for example not having a car or money to pay entrance fees or food expenses like the textbook mentions (Beck et al, 2018). I remember when I was younger my mom would try to take me to a theme park once a year but I knew that meant I couldn't ask for anything inside because the entrance fee was already expensive. I also knew that we would most likely leave the park for lunch or bring our own food to munch on. Again this isn't the case for everyone but now that I am older I know that I was privileged enough to go as not everyone had that chance. 

Reflecting on my own journey, it wasn't until I moved to Canada that I had the opportunity to travel and explore nature. The privilege of my parents being able to take time off work and afford travel expenses opened up new horizons for me. This newfound ability to explore different places, cultures, and environments played a pivotal role in shaping my character and fostering a love for exploration which some don’t experience ever or until later in life.

The textbook’s emphasis on cultural barriers is also noteworthy. The ethnicity theory suggests that cultural preferences, shaped by factors such as history, family structure, and values, impact participation in outdoor activities (Beck et al, 2018). An example the textbook gave was camping, which might be perceived as an activity reserved for the affluent by urban minorities. This perspective highlights how cultural barriers can influence interpretations of nature-related activities and I can relate to that. Coming from a Hispanic family, we have never been camping, I have but with friends. When I have brought up camping to the family they look at me weirdly as if they could never do that and couldn’t know how. 

Communication barriers, particularly language barriers, further contribute to disparities in nature interpretation. The lack of bilingual interpreters, printed materials, and signs in languages other than English limits access for non-English speakers. The experiences of Hispanic visitors to National Forests in southern California, as discussed in the textbook, exemplify the challenges posed by language barriers. I lived in California for 13 years and go back pretty often and I have never once been to any of the beautiful national forests. I also don't know anyone in my family who has gone especially my family members that don't speak English. Additionally, this past year my aunt was looking to travel abroad and asked me how hard it would be for her as she doesn't know English which shows how limiting this can be.  

The last thing that the textbook talked about that I find extremely important is lack of representation. Personal experiences, such as my grandparents' tendency to visit areas with a larger Hispanic population, reflect a desire for familiarity and comfort. I have also felt a tendency to choose things related to my culture in different aspects of my life. So I wish to be a part of the representation in the Latin community. In conclusion, acknowledging and addressing these barriers is essential for creating inclusive and accessible environments for all individuals to connect with nature.

I am curious to know if any of you have dealt with any barriers in the nature world and how you as a nature interpreter would overcome them.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

[gosiksmallspace]

*waves* Hi! For the Behind-the-Scenes Fic Asks, I'd love to hear more about Waiting For Love and Counting Down The Days. How about questions 11, 12 and 20? Oh, and 24, too!

Hi! Of course! I will try to reply the best I can! ❤️

11. Was there a scene that you hadn't originally planned to include? Why did you decide to fit it in?

Originally, when I was planning to write ‘Waiting for Love’ I wanted to do it in a 5+1 format but I changed my mind. I more or less knew what I wanted in every chapter but of course the ideas developed in the meantime. 

For example, the pervert in chapter 6 was not planned but I wanted to show more of the everyday stuff of the workers of the fast food restaurant. I wanted to add more life to it.

Also in chapter 4, I thought about using Natasha at first but I couldn’t get her personality that well. I gave up and wrote a completely new character instead. Did not plan for Yelena but I like her. She and Natasha are friends in my imagination 😆

In ‘Counting Down The Days’ everything was planned but as I was writing I became bothered by some small details? For example, how did Hyunsoo charge the phone in prison? The battery wouldn’t last long. So I mentioned that he got from Yunggeun a phone and A CHARGER to calm my mind 😅😅😅

12. Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn't it fit in?

In ‘Waiting for Love’ I wanted to add Chairman Ko's point of view but I couldn’t think of a good way to do it back then? Although I recently started writing another fic where we get a glimpse of what Chairman Ko thinks of Jaeho bringing Hyunsoo from prison.

I also wanted to add dialogue between Jaeho and Yelena in chapter 4 but now looking back I’m glad I didn’t do that. It didn’t fit the scene that well and all the attempts sounded awkward. 

Actually, that final dialogue from Chapter 4, where Jaeho asks Hyunsoo what is he wearing, heavily influenced my decision to write continuation which is ‘Counting Down The Days’. I wanted to explore Hyunsoo’s perspective but the first fic was more from Jaeho's side, so I didn’t want to change that. 

20. What is something you wish more people noticed about this fic?

Hmmm… I think most people noticed the small callbacks or parallels to the movie but I really like them so I will mention them here.

Like, in ‘Waiting for Love’ chapter2 the tailor mentions that “If somebody else had a problem with the way Han Jaeho does his tie, he could risk his life himself.”, and later in the movie Hyunsoo fixes Jaeho’s tie.

In ‘Counting Down The Days’ chapter 1 Jaeho and Hyunsoo have a short conversation and mention the tradition of bringing tofu. Hyunsoo calls it stupid and Jaeho listens so he brings something different.

Also, there is a small thing I began to do in all my newer fanfics (not all have that though). When writing Jaeho and Hyunsoo’s stories I try to include some form of the word “merciless” in my fics. Usually, it’s used as an adverb “mercilessly”.

24. Did you write every scene in order? What was the first scene you wrote, and what was the last?

No, definitely no. I try to do them in order but I usually divide my fics into parts and then work on a random part when the mood strikes. It’s easier in case I’m stuck.

In ‘Waiting for Love’ the chapter that was written first was actually the finale. The whole fic began with the idea of Jaeho doing a show about coming to pick Hyunsoo up. I started to wonder about getting Natasha there, buying hamburgers, posing in the car...

The chapter that I finished last was the one with the cleaners (chapter 5) because I had a hard time writing their perspective and deciding how hard I wanted to go with the description of the torture. When I began writing it I only knew I wanted Jaeho in love and humming a song. 

In ‘Counting Down The Days’ the first was chapter 4 with Hyunsoo and Jaeho having a phone call. As I mentioned that was a big reason why I even wrote Hyunsoo’s perspective. I thought it would go more smutty but it went more sad in the end. Sad but hopeful.  

The last chapter I wrote in that fic was chapter 2, with Hyunoo's hardships in jail. I had hardships writing that. I wanted to mention much more of Hyunsoo’s past and add some dialogue too but it didn’t stick. I changed it at least three times before the final version.

Hope I managed to respond well 😅

I love behind the scenes in any media and talking about my fics it’s always fun for me. It motivates me. If you have more questions or just want to talk about The Merciless I’m always happy to respond!

Thank you for your ask! ❤️❤️❤️

#Behind-the-Scenes Fic Asks #ask #asks #fic ask #fanfic #fanfics #fanfiction #writing #fic #fics #the merciless #ao3 #behind the scenes #thank you for the ask!