#the infographic however i loved doing

[anxiousheart7]

*spoilers* Astarion’s story - analysis and thoughts

I’ve been thinking quite a lot on Astarion the last couple of weeks, and the journey I’ve been on with him. I’ve seen a lot of content about him.

I’ll start by saying this - I didn’t ascend him. I couldn’t. I did, however, watch the ascension on YouTube but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And I’m going to explain why.

Here’s the TL:DR version, with my deeper dive below.

As Astarion gets his revenge in Cazador, his flurry of knives felt oddly satisfying to me. It was a release as grim and cathartic. That cry of pain and ending felt necessary for him. I came out of that palace knowing that it was ok and he’d be ok.

The ascension felt gratuitous. Watching him carve exactly what Cazador put him through should have been cathartic too, but it wasn’t. I just felt a shiver of cold. And that was the moment I knew it was the ‘bad’ ending.

Experiencing Astarion’s Journey - delving deeper

I don’t think I’ve ever quite experienced a character story like his before. Here’s someone who is quite clearly designed to draw you in via the usual routes. He’s attractive, he’s got the funny lines. He’s the rogue - a lot of D&D players’ favourite class. He quickly becomes indispensable.

At the start, his flirting was fun. Act 1 I think is supposed to be a light hearted toe in the water, so to speak. Right up until your first major choice with the goblin vs tiefling conflict. Then it becomes real. But until then you can spend copious amounts of time wandering and chatting to your new friends in camp while some of them (namely Lae’zel, Gale, Karlach and Astarion) go straight to ‘i want you’ territory. And you’ll gravitate to those that are ready to get hot and heavy because…video game sex.

There was such a focus on romancing your camp and you lean into that so heavily in act 1. Approval is all-important. And his approval is harder to get, so you try harder with your choices. You want this guy. Like really want him. He’s like ambrosia. And, if you’re not one of the 100k rejections toted in Larion’s infographic, you get him.

As a recovering people pleaser, I’m not going to lie, that was a hard concept to grasp. To make your choices based on who you were trying to impress is exactly the kind of behaviour I’ve been trying to step away from in real life. But hey, this is a game so I’ll be ok.

And then it starts…

Looking back, there’s this line that stood out ‘it felt like you weren’t all there’. Despite his insistence later, Astarion was very likely going to that place of dissociation that he talks about later on. And that’s sad, because as Tav you want this milestone to be special. You want them to fall in love with you. The reward for all your hard-earned approval hiking.

But Astarion masks. He masks well, but you can tell on Insight that it’s all an act. Even when you look closely, the ham fisted complements he throws at you reflects the 10 charisma he’s carrying around. He works as a lothario not because he’s an adept silver-tongued Casanova. It’s because he’s simply beautiful. People see him and want him. His looks mask what’s going on underneath. But then you look into his eyes and it’s right there, plain as day.

There’s so much more underneath. I have watched the scene over and over with the hammy chat up lines as he’s trying to convince you to sleep with him again (I got propositioned first before the tiefling party) and the more I watch, the more I believe that ‘I love you’ wasn’t an act. They wouldn’t have given you three brush off comment choices if it was. He meant that, and I don’t think he even realised he meant it until he found the words coming out of his mouth - as though he was daring himself to say it.

With Astarion, it’s all in the eyes.

And, as someone who has seen those eyes in the mirror on a pretty regular basis, I knew there and then until he started revealing his backstory - the scars, the master and all the rest, I knew this was going to hit very hard and this man was a deep well. He was so lost that he barely had any idea of who he was any more.

By the time you’re well into Act 2, you’re starting to get the gist of him. You learn about his sadness and sense of loss around his identity before he was turned. You learn about the scars. And you learn about Cazador. I got the sense that all of this exposition was almost like a therapy dump from him. Thoughts and feelings he’s wanted to express for decades but hasn’t had a soul to tell - or he’s been compelled not to by his master. Now he can get them out. He can voice how unfair and unjust it feels. The sarcasm, the cynicism, all a way of expressing how much pain he is in. But one thing he’s never lost is the knowledge that he doesn’t deserve this. He hasn’t been beaten down so much to believe that he is unworthy of better treatment. And that sense of self is what I believe has kept him going all this time. He knows it wasn’t his fault. He knows Cazador was a cruel, sadistic monster.

And I hugged him. Of course I hugged him. I defended his autonomy from the moonrise drow and I hugged him after. At this point I’d fallen as hard for him as he had for me. I cared for him. I couldn’t make any of those obviously awful choices with him. When the details of the ritual came up I felt a knot in my stomach. And sure enough every time we talked after that point he talked about taking that power and I thought ‘this will be rough’.

It reminded me of a lot of really bad experiences I’d had in the past. Boyfriends and friends who were clearly bad for me and I was bad for them. And yet, I needed to help this guy. This person who had nobody for so long. Who didn’t know what it felt like to have someone actually care about him.

I looked this as someone who has experienced trauma in their life. How would I feel. How have I felt? To be scared of so many things. To wonder why on earth would I do something nice for someone else when I’ve sat in alleys, starving and in pain while people just walk on by. No gods to answer my pleas for help. I’d be cynical and disapproving too. I’d have a warped sense of humour. I’d want to never feel that again. Of course he saw the one thing that could protect him and feel compelled to grasp it with both hands.

Astarion has conjured up feelings in me I thought were long gone.

Astarion’s finale

The images I’ve included in this post have been doing the rounds on tumblr and this hits so hard it hurts. Astarion’s journey ends in such as way that it’s meant to be hard.

If you’re a gamer that commodifies your characters as a series of stats or objectifies them based on their design, then ascend him. It doesn’t matter to you. And I’ve seen plenty of people on message boards and Facebook saying exactly that - “but he gets these powers and is so badass”. They’ve never seen past the facade. He was a jerk at the start of the game, a creepy flirt and a vampire ready to be staked. And that was it.

Every excessive power in this game has a major consequence that you have to live with. This choice I think is one of the biggest before the climax of the game.

The ascension pretty much erases him. It takes who he was and the healing that he’s done and throws it away, as if it never really mattered.

And to him he’s worth exactly what he thought he was to begin with. His self-worth is warped into superiority and his hunger and fear replaced with a hunger for power and dominance. He’s not free in this form. He just becomes a new kind of imprisoned. He’s placed in stasis forevermore. And this won’t last forever because as absolute power corrupts absolutely, it also falls. Just like Ozymandius, he’ll rise and collapse under his own grandiose. And he’ll take you with him if you let him.

That steamy scene before he turns you is basically exactly what the Larion writer is saying - you’ve not empathised or grown here. Have your sex scene and then enjoy your eternal enslavement with New Cazador. It’s a bad ending for you and Astarion. You get to be exactly what he was, no matter what pretty words he tried to convince you with - he’s still that 10 charisma trying to convince himself as much as you. He’s Act 1 Astarion with some nifty new powers. He will control you like a doll and yours will be the same half life his was. He’ll start with promises of being his right hand, but somewhere down the line you’ll do or say something and he’ll do to you what was done to him. It’s the ultimate narcissistic relationship.

If Astarion walks away, he’s him. Truly him. With purpose and a new path to walk. You can build a new life together with nothing holding you back. The trauma behind him, he can now walk a path of healing for himself and learn who he is. It makes me feel hopeful and joyful that he gets a second chance.

And that’s where I’m at. My ideal ending is for them both to go off together searching for a cure for his vampirism. Whether it’s possible, who knows - on writing this I’m still to finish my first run of the game. But at least there’s that glimmer of hope in that ending.

I think Astarion is beautiful. There’s a reason half the internet is madly in love with him right now. But if you let yourself, he becomes more than a nice body and a pretty face. His complexity opens up like a puzzle box and you feel the satisfaction of a truly beautiful arc come to its climax. He’s a beautifully written and crafted character and I’m so glad to have experienced his story.

I could say so much more…but it’s long enough as it is. Thanks for reading x

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #bg3 astarion

[compacflt]

in regard to the icemav convo about american made cars: I think it would be funny if after mav gets his regular license, ice buys him a truck that they can use for transporting stuff to the hangar and when he gifts it to mav all the man can do is laugh bc stamped across the ass is MAVERICK. It’s a 2023 ford maverick (in area 51 bc I’m partial to that color)

and mav likes it, but he doesn’t love driving it bc it’s so big (and he just likes being a passenger princess too much), so ice drives it mostly which inspires a whole lot of jokes about ice liking having maverick’s name stamped on his ass. bradley gags from the other room every time.

if it matters to u, i agree with this hc 150% on rhetoric grounds. thank god for your mind.

however i would like to raise the issue that recent american pickup trucks have become non-useful, overexpensive, and suburban-coded in a way i think ice and mav would reject. the ford maverick was built with the intention of dropping kindergarteners off at school, not of actually doing hard labor. see below infographic for what I mean.

It’s a fucking travesty. Trucks are so ugly and useless now. the maverick is not immune to this. (maverick below)

what good is having a fucking truck if it can’t even hold two REGULAR ASS BIKES in the bed. & when the bed is empty the chassis is unbalanced in a way that leads to more accidents etc. (tbf that was true in the 70s/80s too but im feeling more hateful towards modern trucks rn). In short—the modern American pickup truck is no longer useful, it’s a way to virtue signal to other Americans that you *think * you know what hard labor is, even when you’re driving around in a glorified odyssey with a teeny tiny bed that can barely hold a couple bags of mulch for the back garden

ice & mav don’t even have any little kids anymore, i think they’d consider a backseat useless & a waste of space

SO i would like to offer you a Compromise, which is that ice & mav buy either (or both) a 1974 ford maverick AND/OR a 1990 ford maverick

for the Funny Name & coolness factor (& the “making Bradley vom cause of how cute his parents are” factor), and then soup up, like, a 1984 Chevy C10 for actual towing/hauling purposes.

#*slaps roof of 2022 ford maverick* you could hit so many grade schoolers with this bad boy #the 1974 ford maverick is. admittedly extremely sexy and i am only kind of a ford guy #god the 1990 maverick too. just kind of beast mode. i can see that. #love the ask though. i hope you don’t mind my tweaks. we’re on the same wavelength #my vitriol for the modern american truck stems from my hatred of my grandfather’s 2020 f250 #which he has never used to tow anything once and constantly complains about how hard it is to find parking in suburban california 😀 #yeah brother no shit! #the one cool thing about new trucks is you can use them as a generator for a few days though #we lose power for days on end where i live during fire season and that truck has been really helpful #but it’s ass ugly and not otherwise useful. #pete maverick mitchell #tom iceman kazansky #icemav #bradley rooster bradshaw #asks #mav being a passenger princess has to be canon #a man physiologically built to sit shotgun ❤️ #if u get a truck with an actual bed u can drive ur war hero husband out into the desert #& lay out a blanket in the back & make out with him under the stars #can’t do that in a 2023 maverick

[woman-for-women]

hello w4w! i love your blog, thank you for all that you do. i was wondering how you make your stickers? i would love to make some feminist stickers with my own designs! thank you/have a good day!

Hi, and thank you! I think this is a good chance to write up:

How you (yes, you!) can make your own feminist stickers (a comprehensive guide from cheapest to most expensive)

Method 1 - Label Sticker Roll and Markers

This is the easiest and cheapest method. ANYONE can do this! (Seriously, this is your sign.)

You can use regular permanent markers, multicolored markers, or jumbo markers (seen above) for your desired effect. You can also buy label stickers in smaller packs if $10 for 500 is out of your budget. Permanent markers also last a long time and stay visible for ages. However, the label stickers will deteriorate over time, since they're primarily paper-based and not water proof. I use a glossy paper for my stickers, which has held up decently in heavy rain conditions.

Method 2 - Label Sticker Roll and Stamps

You can use a customized rubber stamp, a customized self-inking stamp, or a self-inking stamp that you customize yourself with the provided tray of rubber stamping letters that you place on the stamp tray (seen above). This option is great because you can quickly make tons of stickers. The downside is that stamp ink is a little less weather resistant than permanent marker, and the labels are still not water-proof.

Method 3 - Printing Stickers without a Sticker Printer

These label sticker sheets come in a ton of styles! Since it's just a special 8.5 x 11 in paper, it works in most regular printers! You can format your text or artwork to print on each sticker in Word, Canva, or Adobe Illustrator, then print it at home, at a print shop, or at a local library. Again, these aren't waterproof since they're primarily paper-based, but they stick pretty well and can help you make stickers quickly.

Method 4 - Outsource your Printing

printplace.com does vinyl stickers for super cheap. You just upload your artwork and you can get stickers for around $0.05/sticker. The downside is you have to buy in bulk, meaning prices start around $50, but the upside is the stickers are high quality, waterproof and weather resistant, don't require tons of manual labor from you to produce, and are ready to go once they arrive on your doorstep!

Method 5 - Thermal Label Printer

This is the method I use to make my stickers! The two printers below are the ones I have, and the refills are the tape refills I use. Since they're thermal printers, they don't use ink. Although the printers are a bit pricey, you get a lot of stickers for your money per sticker tape refill order.

Both printers use a phone app to print and design stickers. They work via Bluetooth and connect to your phone to do all the printing. Both printers print black text/designs only. The Vixic label printer app is a lot more limited. You can only use different fonts and text, small emojis/icons, and different borders for your sticker design. The NIIMBOT printer allows for QR codes and uploaded images in addition to different fonts/text. The stickers are also larger. The NIIMBOT printer is compatible with several different sticker sizes. The NIIMBOT stickers are primarily paper-based, so they're not completely waterproof. If you want your NIIMBOT stickers to be waterproof, you can buy their clear stickers! Both printers support clear and different-colored tape refills for more colorful stickers. You can also color on your NIIMBOT stickers with Sharpies to add color.

Between the two I would recommend the NIIMBOT. The refills are a much better value for your money and the stickers are larger and more versatile.

For further resources, I would recommend checking out my w4w how to tag, linked here! It explains how I make my artwork for infographics, posts, (and stickers) in Canva!

You can also order FREE Radical Feminist stickers and dowload FREE ARTWORK for your own stickering/flyering endeavors from my store here!

Because my store blew up overnight a few days ago, I'm introducing limited-inventory drops (hence the X left banner on each item), where every few weeks I will package and add more stickers. That way when someone orders, it's guaranteed their stickers are packaged and all I have to do is address an envelope to them and ship it.

In order to keep up with demand and keep this project afloat, the stickers will remain free/pay-what-you-can, but I'm charging less than $2 for shipping to keep this project funded and make sure I can make and distribute as many stickers. It's also a pretty cheap option for stickers, which is the whole point of my sticker project!

The good news is I'm mailing discount codes on the back of my business cards to customers so they can get a discount on any return orders! I encourage people to order again :)

You can also download 20+ sticker designs, completely for free, in the link above. You can use it to make your own stickers, flyers, whatever you want!

Happy stickering!

#w4w asks #w4w speaks #stickers #stickering #feminist action #w4w how to

[aoki553]

'bpd makoto teruhashi??'- a character analysis/yapping session because no one understands the siblings like i do

Time to turn the capslock on for this one! The writing might be incoherent, but I want to focus on getting my thoughts out with this one, so be aware. Let me start this post by clarifying - I am not a psychologist. This is for fun, done used resources I've found online. This is about an anime character, not about a real person's struggles.

Trigger warning for obvious sibling marriage romanticization mention sighhh like we aren't talking about it constantly when it comes to him apparently.

We all know the way Makoto has been protrayed in the series - a comically overexaggerated siscon. His portrayal makes many people uncomfortable due to his perverted obsessive behavior.

Except, I'm going to throw it all out the window cuz in this post I meant to take a look at his behavior from a fan's perspective without any biases like 'eww yucky siscon make me uncomfy'. NONE of that here.

I'll start by addressing the elephant in the room and the main reason i'm making this post: Makoto's obsession. Both of the Teruhashi siblings have obvious superiority complexes, however, Makoto is overshadowed by his little sister's charm, whom he idealizes and has an unhealthy attachment to. He's aware of his own charm and beauty, but only takes it to account to point out how he's the only one worthy of Kokomi's love and attention.

Kokomi has clearly been his whole world ever since she was born. A life-long fascination and attachment that went unnoticed. His perfect little sister is able to change his mood drastically whenever she's getting attention from anyone other than him or is even slightly dissatisfied with him.

He lacks a sense of self - only Kokomi matters for him. He's able to ditch his responsibilities in an instant, only to be with her. He's depicted as a cherub to Kokomi's goddess appearance in the mobile game and as a chauffeur in the Duet Shite KudaPsi anime end credits. Always below her, as her servant.

He becomes severely distressed and panics over even something so simple as a her getting a cold. (Just like everyone else at her school, but he's there for her.)

At all times he needs to make sure she isn't surrounded by men that are 'unworthy' of her, even to the point of stalking her to get some piece of mind. He craves her approval and cares for her like no one else in the entirety of the manga. (Example: Taking her to movie theatres and watch every movie he has ever starred in to show her.) These are signs of Kokomi being Makoto's 'favorite person'.

Awesome, but does it explain Makoto seeing her not as his sister, but as a future wife? Is it just him making things way creepier in his mind than they need? Yes, actually.

Makoto's overprotective and obsessive behavior is comically exaggerated, duh, but if we think about it for a second... Kokomi is a person he's been there for her whole life, he provides and protects her from unwanted attention. He dedicated his whole life to her and knowing there is an unavoidable future of his whole world collapsing because someone will take his place. Not as a siblings, but as a lover - something more important than family. How can he avoid this? By being the one to marry her, of course. No one but him is worthy of her anyway, right? Why should she need anyone else? No matter how messed up that sounds, it's his way of thinking.

Now let's go over some of the diagnostic criteria for BPD. I'll be using this site and infographic as my resource, just to give a few simple (but appropiate in my opinion) examples.

Fear of abandonment, rejection - while it's not explicitly stated, I believe his 'marriage' thing is just that. Not wanting to be abandonned and forgotten by the only person he loves and cares about. I don't believe he has any perverted motive behind it. Just fear and wanting her only for himself.

Idealization and devaluation - both extremes show up in his behavior. Most notably towards Kokomi or Kusuo. He's hostile and outright rude to Kusuo, but the moment Kokomi shows up he becomes all sunshine and rainbows. Another example of it is his indifference towards Kokomi's friends, compared to the excessive attention he gives to his sister. My theory is that Makoto doesn't have relationships due to a predisposition to making his relations with other people unstable, or never even bothering to try in the first place. (Like he is towards Ruchi, for example.)

Impulsivity and inappropiate anger - he rushes to anger the moment his love is threatened. A simple thought of Kokomi getting romantic advances enrages him. Even if it could cost him his career or his public image - something Kokomi cares about the most for herself, the opposite to her brother.

Emotional instability - we've only been shown his mood swings like the one below. If we got to see more of his personal life, this one would be much clearer, but it's something a siscon pun character doesn't get to have in a comedy manga, so I'll leave it at that.

Paranoia - Let the image below speak for itself... His delusions can be interpreted as a symptom on its own, too.

But what could've caused this? Since we never see what the Teruhashi siblings' parents are like, it's easy to assume Makoto has a role of her caretaker or a provider, due to only these two being ever shown living in the wealthy Teruhashi residency. The only time we ever see their parents being acknowledged is when Saiko spread a fake rumor of Mugami Tooru having an affair. Note: We never actually see them, we don't know if they're even there.

My personal theory is simple - Kokomi's charm and absent parental figures must've affected Makoto's development and made him emotionally dependent solely on Kokomi's well being. I'm taking his idol career into an account as well, since he must've been scouted into show business in his teens, or earlier. (He was already famous by 17.)

Conclusion: I think Makoto is an interesting example of a person with BPD in media, but I'm often disappointed how little we talk about it. Or maybe I'm just too obsessed with him to see him only as what he is on the surface. :3

PHEW. So after like 4 hours of trying to put my words into one big post I think that's all I had to say for now about this topic~! I have a lot of love for this boy and I really needed to get my thoughts out about this theory of mine. Sorry for unnecessary rambling and incoherence at times. Thanks for reading!

#even if you held me at gun point and asked me why am i so obsessed with this siscon i would just preferred to get shot cuz i dont know #genuinely #alex rambles #saiki kusuo no psi nan #saiki kusuo no ψ nan #saiki k #teruhashi makoto #kusuo saiki #makoto teruhashi #saiki kusuo #teruhashi kokomi #kokomi teruhashi #teruhashi siblings #teruhashi #the disastrous life of saiki k #borderline personality disorder #bpd

[byleranalysis]

Should we make #StrangerFansForWGAStrike and #BylersForWGAStrike hashtags on Twitter or something to show support (other than use their official hashtags)?

I'm poor, so I really can't donate. I've been liking and RTing their stuff on Twitter since the beginning, but maybe we could use our online force to make those # go to Trending Topics?

I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS! I EVEN HAVE AN INFOGRAPHIC!

Y’all think we could get it trending?

I say skip the ship wars. #StrangerFansforWGA + #WGAStrong. Also— call customer service. file complaints. however— do not attack the writers.

If y’all would like to help spread the world, let’s aim to spread how much the fans care for their writers. Reblog, tweet, share the infographic, don’t reblog mine even! make your own! But don’t stop.

The writers have one of the biggest fanbases out there. They should get love back. Please help spread. I’m not in this for clout or anything. Don’t reblog if you don’t want too, but tweet and post your own! Let Netflix know how much we support! Just keep sharing.

Anyways, let’s forget ship wars and focus on supporting the writers for their incredible hard work and dedication.

I’d say use the hashtag: #StrangerFansforWGA

#byler #mileven #stranger things #byler analysis #mike wheeler i know what you are #el wheeler #will byers #wga strikes #lumax #jancy #stancy #steddie #steve #eddie kaspbrak #nancy wheeler #rovickie #ronance #robin buckley #jopper #joyce #hopper #willel #stranger things 5 #stranger things analysis

[route-to-eutopia-if]

So I finished demo and I need to say I really love the world building and I can tell how much effort has been put into these little details. It’s really immersive like I was watching a movie where I can control what the main character doing.

I have a question about Jeremiah. What being a Sage in this world mean? He can heal people? Or it is like a priest?

also is the secret RO in the room with us👀👀

“He can heal people.” Why did I just have a PTSD of a certain fps game character with a black ponytail with the exact same name?

But the funny thing is, Jeremiah can heal people. Only because of his exceptional knowledge of course.

About the Sage thing :

Sages in Eutopia act like the consultants who you can rely on which are different to the Deans in Regency system who work directly to the Parliament (which MC’s father serves as the president) and only kept to themselves (Deans are court officials, the Sages are not.). I might need to bring out the infographic about bicameralism real soon if anyone’s interested in Eutopia’s politics (it is not a center of focus yet, however, there will be a route where politics can be one of the main themes.)

Does a Sage equal a priest irl?

Now if we compare a priest with a Sage, the picture is quite a resemblance you could say it’s similar but a Sage doesn’t act relatively on a profound belief/religious instruction of some sort. Only pure knowledge and deductions, you could say they are scholars/scientists/innovators/specialists of something. (Not all Sages are scientists but all scientists are called Sages. If that makes sense.) Just so you know tho Sages are just citizens who happen to be clever than other people. They hold no authority over others.

Jeremiah looks more important simply because of his number of years, and his close relationship with Bastien—who later became the current president—and entrusted him to take care of his child and some other matters both personal and in general.

Jeremiah will not involve in politics, however, that isn’t what he wishes to be a part of (no matter how much he’s already involved by associating with Bastien.). He hates aristocracy. Regency system most especially.

Eutopia is a society where everyone is held at face value. Everyone wants to be important (and feel important) and helps society to progress so the education system is highly competitive and focused on mastering several studies to an expert level in a short amount of time. In the parliament’s pov, a life of a Sage is worth than a hopeless child’s. Because of the knowledge they hold.

I hope that answer your question about Jeremiah.

For the other question, I will say this : All ROs already been mentioned at least once in the first update. And once they physically show up you would know right away they are the secret RO.

#qna #rtecharacters #rteb #rtej

[hypergamiss]

how do you get over thinking that your dreams are unrealistic? And starting things halfway but never finishing due to insecurity/self sabotage? I’ve had a desire to live in Russia since I was a kid and saw the st. Basils cathedral, and I have been learning Russian on and off but recently I’ve started to get serious. I’ve been researching about foreigners living in Russia and everything I learned has been great so far. I know what my passion is, I love writing, about anything really, politics, history, pop culture, etc. I am lucky that I’ve found my passion and talent already, but I worry my dreams are “too big”. I did research on my dream job, working at Russia Today in Moscow, they said they’re looking for someone w a passion for writing, international news, and to make social media/documentary content. Aka me in a nutshell. I want to continue to write a blog on substack, (started but barely post) and create a podcast to interview ppl on, go back to making infographics on instagram (I have about 4k followers rn but I haven’t posted in a year due to dumb insecurities) and also continue to finish the documentaries I started making. A lot of my issues stem from self sabotage, and issues w self worth/esteem. The internet is genuinely a great place to grow, and build yourself, learn sm languages, and great opportunities, but my self esteem issues are holding me back. I feel like I’m not worthy of these things, probably due to how I was treated in childhood (interests being made fun of, emotional abuse, etc.) I want to get over it however, I’m a grown adult now. I have everything I need in front of me, but I can’t seem to do anything ): please help.

First off, Russia since childhood and a passion for writing – that's not unrealistic, that's AWESOME. You've done your research, you know what your dream job looks like, and you even have a social media following ready to go. You're further ahead than most people who only have vague notions of what they want.

Now, about that inner critic: Childhood crap leaves scars and that voice telling you you're not worthy? It's lying to you. You're a grown-up now, and you get to rewrite the script. That starts with small steps:

Just ONE thing: Pick ONE project to finish – your blog, those documentaries, whatever calls to you most. Don't overwhelm yourself.

Tiny Commitments: Not "finish the blog," but "write for 15 minutes today." Small wins build confidence and you're finished before you know it!

Your Inner Cheerleader: Every time the negative voices start, counter with ONE positive statement about yourself. Sounds cheesy, but it retrains your brain.

Here's the thing: You're not alone! Self-sabotage is a beast, but there are tons of resources online. Look up stuff on limiting beliefs, and imposter syndrome – it'll help you understand that voice in your head isn't the real you. If you can get a therapist to help you work even further through everything I highly recommend it!

It's a journey, not a sprint. Some days you'll rock it, others you might stumble. That's okay! Progress matters more than perfection. Think of those documentaries you want to make. This journey of overcoming your insecurities and building your dream life? That's a story worth telling, and guess what – YOU are the main character. Now go write your next chapter!

[youabandonedthem]

intermission characters incl.team sleuth's opinions on the chemical imbalance theory

spades slick: .

diamonds droog: doesnt really care because hes not mentally ill nor does he personally know anyone who is mentally ill. he sees mentally ill people on the street. is inclined to disbelieve anything slick is this impassioned about. doesn't care to learn anything about it until slick puts together some kind of debriefing-style presentation about it and medical abuse and the industry. doesn't take slicks word as complete truth but won't bother to debunk it. wants him to stop acting like this

hearts boxcars: heard about it sometime many years ago and passively accepted it while not having any reason to think further on it. at some point he hears about it being a disproven theory, maybe from slick, and noncommittally looks online about it when he remembers/has free time/is in the mood to confirm. feels shocked at the information but knows on a greater level what large industries do in the pursuit of money. moves on afterwards because it's not relevant to his life

clubs deuce: trusts in it and believes one in him to be the reason for his anxiety and bouts of sadness. has been told by doctors and infographics about it. believes he is mentally ill but would never make any big deal about it. eventually does online research and comes to a conclusion that the environment can also be a factor in an individual's mental illness, which the chemical imbalance makes them more vulnerable to. (believes in mental illness as defined in DSM)

problem sleuth: has no reason to ever have heard of it, thinks anyone who gets involved in anything mental health related, such as therapy, must be very mentally ill or has been in an asylum (but holds sympathy for these poor insane people), but if it were hypothetically mentioned in his presence he would internally confirm it to be a supporting factor in female hysteria and would make further speculation on how women's brains must be intrinsically different from male brains as a result.

pickle inspector: thinks its a bit rub but uses it to validate his differences and says that everyones brain chemicals "balanced" or "imbalanced" are what make them all very unique, doesnt care to think about it further

ace dick: thnks its very plausible. probably has seen a therapist or gone to some kind of couples therapy involving wife and has heard of it. has no reason to disbelieve. probably takes pills for mild depression/anxiety on doctor's recommendation and has some kind of noir fanfiction scene about it

itchy: wouldn't focus on one topic long enough to learn about it… he would probably love tik tock…. watching it out loud all day long… after crowbar bans tick tock he switches to youtube shorts and watches a 'pop psychology' video talking about it and takes it as fact. however has no personal reltaion to the topic. it is merely one of many things he sees on a short video and regurgitates to others.

doze: i dont believe anyone has ever exposed him to this topic in any form.he must have a very isolated mind. he may have formed some of his own theories on many topics but i think everyone talks over him most of the time so we would have no way of knowing

trace: only formed an opinion if he heard someone he considers smart talking about it first. otherwise he didn't really think about this

clover: completely irrelevant to his life. he seems to note immediate behaviours only so he can choose some way to act or narrate a situation based on whatever is physically happening. may note trends in a detached way

fin: knows it's true because he thinks some people are just very stupid and others are masterminds from birth. the phenomenon must apply to other variables. tries to remember the name,because he knows a few people who have those kinds of problems in their brain, and then refers to his fellow gang member die, who is crazy in the head, and his fellow gang members eggs and biscuits, who are stupid, and they were born that way so it makes sense that the chemicals in their brain must make them that way.

die: uses it to affirm that there is something extremely wrong with him that makes him fundamentally different from everyone else. goes on and off of various medications that he is recommended to try. probably eventually settles on some kind of cocktail involving medications to offset the side effects of other medications but will sporadically quit the cocktail and experience withdrawals. has therapist appointments that he skips occasionally. passively thinks he will never "get better" and that nothing can ever "fix" him. however is not too concerned about it and often just focuses on whatever goals he has rather than spending time thinking about his mental state

crowbar: thinks it's somewhat plausible, somewhat rubbish, knows that depression is a symptom of vitamin D deficiency and connects it to the 'imbalance' of brain chemicals which gives it some credibility in his mind but he doesn't want to assume before doing his own research. learns about it during his spare time and shows his nuanced, informed opinion saying there's not any one 'big pharma' organisation that promoted the theory while it was widely believed in part due to medication advertisements… statements that his gang members derive very little out of. otherwise regards an individual and their personality first rather than any mental illness. describes his gang members as having "mental problems" due to their behaviour the way mark linkous describes his dog but thinks no further on the statement

snowman: doesn't have much concern for the topic and has no reason to do any research of her own. but if she hypothetically had a close contact suffering from issues she didn't understand she would feel curious and go out of her way to seek information about it from a trusted source (professional individual or written, NON-internet based knowledge). what this source tells her is what she would believe. still doesnt care and wouldnt use the knowledge for any purpose merely her own personal records

stitch: thinks of depression as an emotion, knows some people have more struggles than others, believes everyone can overcome any issue with hard work and mental discipline and would laugh if someone thought they were fundamentally broken

sawbuck: no clue just no clue

matchsticks: not enough information to say

eggs/biscuits: they have both formed their own rudimentary, spiritual ideas of a 'chemical imbalance' from being told all the time how fundamentally stupid they are

quarters: not enough information but he seems like he would take the concept of depression very seriously and could be unexpectedly sympathetic to anyone he thinks has a mental illness

cans: not enough information..

[1892]

totally understand the irritation w that matt guy especially with the gaza barbie thing good god, but I still think that his infographics can function as pretty effective propaganda for pushing liberals left, do you think there’s some value in that?

it's a complicated question right b.c you really could argue any type of posting at all for x cause could have a positive impression on someone, and a lot of people resonate with his posts and post them on their stories etc (the reason i'm subjected to him soo goddamn much). and i don't necessarily think everything he posts is bad even. sometimes the text of his posts is good and rational and good news, but people taking his words as fact 100% isssss iffy to me. follow democracynow or something you don't need to get your news on pastel blue/pink insta albums. like fr. but to your thought about it as successful propaganda, i do kind of agree to a point. i think his presence is not necessarily a net negative. however! i think there are other, better ways he could be doing it that would be MORE effective. ykwim? he exists in a bit of an echochamber from looking at his comments/the ppl who repost his stories. it's virtue signaling at its finest honestly like. guysss did you know i'm a good person

ie. i LOVED barbie (first slide) BUT what about gaza? (second slide) <- that progression in the same post kinda epitomizes my problem with him, right?

#ask

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

For the longest time, when I was anxious for no reason I could be rational about it. "It's not really that bad, it's just your PMS" "You had a hard day and overthink that" "You just need sleep" and it felt like a cog put in place and the machine working again. "Oh, you are right" and I felt much better. But some weeks ago this stopped working. I don't "feel" it anymore, no cog is put in place. "Someone says something rational, aha, who cares, panic."

This is super hard for me because I really have a lot of struggles and can't need another, re-emerging, problem. Do you have any ideas on how to make myself "feel" the rational explanation again?

Hi anon, 

I’m so sorry that previous coping strategies are no longer seeming to help.  You’re right in that feelings aren’t facts, and though all feelings are valid, they aren’t always based on reality and sometimes it’s imperative to have a perspective check with ourselves (someone having a triggered response disproportionate to the current situation, for example).  However, because my hope is to validate, I think it’s equally important to unpack the statement of “anxious for no reason.”

We’re complex beings, the sum of our experiences, and shaped by the world around us.  While it’s important not to imply that “everything is a trauma response” (no one behavior should be examined in isolation without context), that actually helps acknowledge that there can be a myriad of reasons as to why you’re feeling anxiety (including but not limited to mental illness, the general state of the enviroment around you, the relationships you are spending time/energy on, etc).  And while sometimes it’s important when we realize we are experiencing anxiety to ask, or even state: 

“I deserve to be free from this thought.”

“This thought is not aligned with my goals and values.”

“This might feel threatening and urgent, but it’s not.” (credit from an unfortunately now defunct insta account "postive_regard_for_you" - but this and several more lovely infographics can be found online when searching the name).

It’s equally important to acknowledge that whatever may be the reason/cause, you’re body is trying to communicate with you.  You don’t have to pressure yourself to automatically shut it down, you don’t have to dismiss and self gaslight yourself.  You can choose to take a moment and ask “What is my body trying to tell me?  Is this something that I need to address?  Or is this something where my inner child is seeking the kind of comfort only I can provide?”

So it might not come down to “How do I prevent feeling like this again?” - maybe it’s more, “What are my options for when I do feel like this?”  For that, I’m going to link a few options: 

118 affirmations for preventing intrusive thoughts (includes mindfulness, externalizing, and grounding techniques as well)

9 ways to cope with intrusive thoughts (includes potential causes, and specific kinds of therapy that might be helpful)

Tips and Strategies to Manage Anxiety and Stress (from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America - link includes several more links for resources, as well as education)

Regardless of whatever you’re next steps might be, I wish you well, 

- Mod Kat

#trauma talks #intrusive thoughts #coping strategies #linked resources #anxiety

[starlitsunday]

ang vondra, official proship jesus, is not only not dead - which their followers have been stalking and harrassing my partner and friends over, racially abusing in some cases - but has been posting New Age cult videos (which they are pruning the negative comments on).

apparently they tried shrooms and had some kind of break with reality/Spiritual Awakening, got run out of the New Age community for reasons they do not elaborate on, and now they are talking about how they're the only Awakened person they know. which is kind of classic narcissist/cult-leader tactics.

they are a very, very sick person, and unable to seek help. for that i have a great deal of sympathy. i am a disabled survivor, my partner is a disabled survivor, most of our friends are disabled survivors. however, my sympathy for them ends where their narcissistic abuse and grooming begins. especially cult grooming, which often leaves people broken, destitute, sometimes dead.

they started down this path years ago, when they started cultivating this rabid follower-base. but now they seem to be trying to pivot to New Age spirituality, which is a very VERY dangerous thing. take a look at this infographic. count how many red flags they and their fanbase have exhibited.

in addition, i strongly advise that anyone who is still in doubt check out:

"Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God", which is a detailed case study of how personality cults begin and end.

this is a callout/debunking of the allegations against one of their victims.

stay safe y'all.

[grim-wildwood]

Digital Tools

(For the Witch)

•☽────✧˖°˖⛤˖°˖✧────☾•

You may be thinking, "Locke, you're devoted to the Old Way. Why are you blogging about technology?"

Well, the truth is: I love technology. It makes my life easier, and when it comes to witchcraft, I have found so many different tools to both boost my academic productivity and help keep my focus.

So, without further ado, here are five free programs that I use to study witchcraft with:

Canva Whiteboard

Planable

Google Keep

Finch

Live Transcribe

Now, I know that new software can be a bit hard to digest, especially if a witch is inexperienced with technology to begin with. So, let me break down everything for you. I've kept all my information short, snappy, and easy to grasp right away.

Canva Whiteboard

Pros

Visual organization

Customizable templates

Infinite space

Cloud storage

Cons

Learning curve

Text limitations

A lot of people use Canva for making lovely little infographics, icons, and wallpapers. What they don't know is that Canva has a whiteboard function that allows their users to play with sticky notes, shapes, stickers, multimedia, graphics, and more. I find this absolutely perfect for making mind maps, keeping sigils, and keeping a visual record of herbs and crystals.

This is great for visual-style learners who like to study with minimal writing.

Planable

Pros

Aesthetic layout

Customizable font

Group editing

Tagging system

Cloud storage

Cons

Limit of 50 articles for free

You must sign up as a "company" (I say coven!)

Mobile app does not allow note editing

Planable was originally designed for planning professional social media posts. However, it's also fantastic for keeping long-form notes. It has all the writing tools you could possibly need for making in-depth articles, plotting out the content of your grimoire, and hosting live study groups. It can handle any multimedia you throw at it. It also has an app in beta for viewing your notes on the fly.

Great for witches who love hoarding all their knowledge in one cozy spot.

Google Keep

Pros

Customizable note backgrounds

Voice memos

Drawings

Tagging system

Cloud storage

Cons

Only has basic font customization

Images only (no video compatibility)

It's short; it's sweet. Google Keep (or simply Keep) is an ad-free notes app that gets down to the nitty-gritty. It's best for lists, checkboxes, short-form notes, and posting pretty pictures all in between.

Finch

Pros

Cute and easy app design

Turns goals into a game

Guided meditiation

Daily affirmations

Recieve uplifting messages from friends

Cons

Requires a healthy/newer phone to run

Only available on Google Play Store

Finch is charming, useful, and an anchor all bundled into one. Aimed for self-care, this app is no standard pet simulator. Your finch brings genuine companionship from a place of love, sending you affirmations, inspiring quotes, and offering compassion in hard times. You raise your finch by setting and completing goals for yourself, whether it be for self-care, everyday tasks, magick, or all three. The app also offers guided meditation, emergency panic/anxiety attack regulation, journaling, motivation check-ins, and other various emotional wellbeing activities.

The best way to do magick is with a clear and calm mind. Finch is perfect for facilitating this!

Live Transcribe

Pros

Minimalistic

Instant loading time

Transcribes in multiple languages at once

Offline usage

Cons

May occasionally mishear you

Doesn't shy away from transcribing vulgar language

If the app is closed, you will lose your previous transcription unless history is turned on

Turn it on and let it work! Live Transcribe takes verbage and turns it into a live and fairly accurate transcript for you to format into notes. I personally love finding short video documentaries on history and witchy how-tos to transcribe.

Great for learning and retaining verbal information for witches who may have an audio processing disorder. It's also good for the humble act of hoarding knowledge.

I hope that you find good use out of these digital tools! Have a lovely rest of your week, and enjoy a breath of fresh organization. 🌿✨️

•☽────✧˖°˖⛤˖°˖✧────☾•

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch tips #paganism #self care

[olderthannetfic]

Sorry in advance for treating this like ‘Dear Abby’ but I am in need of some advice from a Queer Adult TM…

So, I have this friend who I’ve known for about ten years now. We’re seventeen right now, so let’s just say we went through allllll the phases together. We realized we were queer together, we had our first fandom experiences together (they were actually the person who introduced me to fanfic, which I’m really grateful for, because ever since it has been an integral part of my life), we were DeviantArt furry artists together circa 2016, it was a lot of embarrassing but also fun times. We are also both… and quite mentally ill and it was nice to have someone to help me through the worst bits (when I didn’t have access to therapy or meds) and how I could help them in return.

Lately (maybe over the past 2 years?) we’ve been drifting apart. I think it has a lot to do with the fact we don’t have many common interests anymore (they stopped caring about mine, and stopped sharing theirs with me), but we still do a lot together. They’re my coworker, a member of my ttrpg group, etc. etc.. Due to social anxiety they were my only friend for many years but now I have a few more, so I don’t mind not being as close to them (and I dislike putting the burden of me being reliant/clingy on them). However, they’ve recently been making it harder and harder for me to keep that friendship.

They smoke weed, get shitty stick and pokes, binge energy drinks and shoplift. I don’t have any moral issue with any of those things, but it’s concerning to me because I know they are not in the the right headspace to make those decisions about substances (and the rest). We have both struggled with mental illness, self-harm, and eating disorders. Part of the reason I drifted away from them is because they have no filter and “vent” about their problems to the point where it is very triggering to me (especially in terms of sh and ed). I don’t mind lending an ear but I also have boundaries that I put in place for myself… But yeah, even though they have access to treatment it seems not to be working, or there’s something hindering it. It really hurts to see them in such a bad place because we started out in similar places in regards to our mental health and now that I’m in a better place, they’re not.

I genuinely love and care about this person, but it’s so hard to help them when they shut down every form of help I + the rest of our mutual friends can offer. They’re very manipulative, I would like to think without meaning to, to the point where they twist my words around (for example, recently they did something extremely inappropriate and when I told them I was concerned for their well-being, they said they were sorry for making me “uncomfortable”). They’re also one of those people that plays oppression Olympics, and insists their parents are homophobic and tried to send them to conversion therapy— I know their parents very well, they are literal leftists who have pride flags in their front yard, campaign for politicians that support queer and trans rights, and attend one of the only completely gay-friendly and supporting churches in the area. But the way they talk about them causes other people to dislike them and think they’re homophobic, which they have noticed. I think it’s cruel to them, and also symptomatic of a larger problem that my friend has— they don’t seem to understand that their actions and words have consequences for other people.

I guess what I wanted to ask was: is it worth cutting this person off? I have a feeling that we were naturally grow even farther apart as we go to university, because our values are very different… They’re an anti, I’m not, they have a very surface-level views of politics and believe everything they read in Instagram infographics, I don’t. I don’t consider myself very mature, but they look very immature next to me. Besides, being around them often ends up negatively impacting me as well. However, I worry that cutting them off will makes things worse for them. I don’t want to see them get even more hurt. My confrontations haven’t been doing anything, but maybe they’ll come to their senses eventually.

I really don’t know what to do in this situation, but I’d appreciate any advice from anyone willing to offer it.

--

Since you're about to go off to college, I'd let the friendship naturally fade.

It's not your job to save this person, and I do think you need to get away from them since they don't seem to be making an effort. But since you're naturally drifting away anyway, I don't think having a big, dramatic friend breakup will help anything.

On another note, everyone should have a moral objection to shoplifting. Not only is it dishonest and a sign that something is fucking wrong with you to shoplift, but shoplifters directly hurt retail peons who will get their pay cut as a result of store losses.

People who do this aren't sticking it to the man. They're parasites who hurt other nobodies.

The fact that a lot of teens (American teens?) think this disgraceful behavior is normal enrages me.

[girl-scout-camp]

Hi! What do you mean by a "cluncil"? How do I find a local one?

I always wanted to be a Girl Scout growing up but I was super super shy and couldn't get up the courage to join. As an adult, can I volunteer to work with my local Girl Scouts in any way even if I myself don't (yet) have kids?

Here is a handy dandy little infographic that I borrowed from google that I feel like is a good visual

Within GSUSA are councils. Councils are in charge of things such as the camps within their area and trainings. Within councils are service units. Service units are comprised of volunteers and they are in charge of things like planning events for the girls within their area and helping individual troops.

Having kids is not a requirement for any position within Girl Scouts as far as I am aware. Most positions require you to be at least 18, some require you to be at least 21.

I know a lot more about camp specifically than all of girl scouting because while I was (and still am!) a girl scout I’ve only worked within camp and all my volunteering with council is organized through people I’ve met at camp or at events. However, @camp-counselor-life is a lovely human who knows a lot and suggests the following:

Here is a link to a website where you can plug in your zip code and it tells you your local council and gives you the contact info for them.

If you have any further questions I am more than happy to try to answer them!

#feel free to shoot me a message or another ask if you need anything!!! #she speaketh #girl scouts

[bearseulgs]

enhypen when their s/o loves sharks

gn!reader x ot7

genre: fluff, sharks

wc: 777 (purr)

warnings: shark attacks, mauling, death, i love canva

requested!! tysm

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Heeseung ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

he knows nothinggg abt sharks

but he pretends to to impress you

"hey y/n do you wanna practice a shark mating dance"

"...you biting me?"

eventually you force him to watch every shark documentary you can find during shark week and shark fest

you also force him to take notes bc how does he not know that sharks are fish

my dummy himbo bf i love him

he loves you i swear but he is struggling so hard to keep up w your shark stuff

however he's willing to buy you plushies and models/infographics bc while he may not know much abt them he loves that you do

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Jay ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

he's silent abt how he doesn't like them

he's so super supportive of your passion for them and stuff

but he always finds excuses to avoid any shark related activities

eventually you catch on

BRING OUT THE SLIDE SHOWS

you wow him with your fancy canva presentations and epic statistics and beautiful charts

and BOOM you got a well educated, shark respecting man now

we love to see it

since his dad owns that whole tour company and stuff and i think he has a boat he'd prob hook you up with a boat tour to go to some shark spots 😋

sign me up

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Jake ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

okay i can see him going two ways

cuz in australia he was probably always warned abt the danger of white sharks and stuff

but he also seems pretty fair and would be educated on them???

so i think he defo respects sharks a lot, but isn't super into them

however as soon as he finds put you like them you can bet your butt he's buying all the shark apparel he sees

it's like the ally friend at target during pride month: shark edition

by the end of July you totally have him obsessed ngl

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Sunghoon ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

🤡🤡🤡🤡

clown behavior bff

he looks at you SO WEIRD i'm so sorry but 😭

you cannot convince him; you make canva slide shows with them fancy ol' gifs and stuff on em featuring all sorts of statistics and stuff, he does. not. care.

pretty boy 💔 wtf he led me on w his looks and then BAM this

he won't even watch sharkfest stuff with you which is insane bc y'all always watch shows and movies together :(

i think i'd legit cry

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Sunoo ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

gurl he's seen Jaws

sadly he saw it before he saw all the super cool informative documentaries OR the pretty reef sharks at the aquarium

why are Sunsun shark antis 🤨🤨

it's always the pretty ones /j

also extremely stubborn??? like bro wtf i spent TIMEEE on this presentation and you're gonna sit there with that sassy face??? nuh uh 🙄

you show him those shark attack documentaries ONCE and he's convinced he's gonna get mauled the second he steps foot into the carolinas

like that was the opposite of the point WHY ARE YOU EVEN TRYING

i'd give up and breakup idc how much i love him idc how well our natal charts fit i'm done

jk i love Noo but i would cry if my partner hated sharks

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Jungwon ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

i feel like he'd actually be kinda interested in them himself

like once you tell him abt how much you like them he starts asking abt them

he's always down to hear anything you have to tell him abt sharks

he probs likes the phantom sharks, like porbeagles and frilled sharks, then gets disappointed when there's barely any info on them 😭

he'll defo take you to the aquarium to see sharks and if he can manage it he'll find a nursery tour or smth for y'all to see baby sharks

y'all r shark lovers together &lt;3

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ Ni-ki ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

tbh i don't think he much cares abt them

like he doesn't hate sharks but he doesn't really like em

i think growing up he probs fed into the fear-mongering

so he doesn't understand why you like them so much

during shark week he might watch a show or two w you but mostly he pretends to "attack" you with shark hand puppets

overall very annoying but in a loving way

however he is a massive simp for you and will go out of his way to buy shark apparel for you when he sees it

he loves you but shhh don't tell anyone

a/n: i'm back bffs 😍 with sharks ofc

©️ bearseulgs 2022

#enhypen #enha #iland #hybe labels #heeseung #lee heeseung #jay #park jongseong #jay park #jake #sim jaeyun #jake shim #sunghoon #park sunghoon #sunoo #kim sunwoo #jungwon #yang jungwon #ni-ki #niki #nishimura riki #enhypen fluff #enhypen crack #enhypen angst #enhypen headcanons #enhypen reactions

[quinnonimp]

two things. one, your art is absolutely wonderful. i love the warm tones and style. two. got any like. weird art tips. like just weird things you do that work really well. or just art tips in general lol. there's something bout your style that makes me go ':D' lmao

aaaaaa tysm !!!! very glad u like my style <33 means a lot

and yeah id say i have quite a few with the way im very experimental n passionate abt art !

>> i think my weirdest one is rly just the main way i render tbh ? like, as u can pretty easily see with my main art style is that its all very crunchy n pixelated, n thats all cause i have anti-aliasing off for my brush . i render in a pretty unorthodox way but it makes things so so so much easier and more fun for me, even if its more time consuming for several reasons

heres a little bit of an infographic ive whipped up that hopefully u can get smth out of lmao . its 6am ive been up all night drawing as usual so im having a lot of trouble doing things properly sorry sorry

and the funny thing is this is aaaaaaaaall just cause i hate blending and am scared of committing to things (esp colors) so i just decided "okay whatever im gonna be goofy and just make it all pixelated idc anymore" and it worked !! (thanks homestuck) art is sm more enjoyable since i started doing this as it fits perfectly with the way my brain works and its helped me sm with getting better at colors bc of the way i have to do every single color manually (for several reasons like how i have to keep track of every color ((which makes me recycle them a lot more making things look more united)), gradients r the most fun to do but i have to make sure all the colors "blend" together nicely, i get to change them super easily, etc etc)

however these days i HAVE been trying to get back into working with anti-aliased brushes just to get out of my comfort zone n such, but tbh the only thing its helped me with is remind me how much more fun drawing aliased is and how absolutely dogshit i am at blending FDJHJKDF

also it makes me better at minecraft skins since im so used to working with pixels !

>> another little weird thing i have that honestly just goes against basic art rules is experiment by having ur values be as close together as possible without losing contrast . this is horrible as a tip, but fun as an experiment, and for me its just fun since i already know pretty well how values work and have enough experience to break the "rules" - because lot of times good shading colors r actually lighter than the original when put under b&w

so if ur like me i would recommend trying it out ! if u dont even know what values are then this ISNT good for u, do values properly as they really help

>> if u struggle a lot with side profiles, just learn from the gorillaz demon days album art . like literally im not joking that is THE thing that made me learn to draw side profiles and id say im pretty good at them now (however the effectiveness of this probably depends on the style)

and by learn from it i mean u can just trace it with any other characters, or study it, or reference it, yadaydayada . just do wahtever with it, damon albarn dgaf

obviously this isnt gonna magically make u great at side profiles but if u want a fun art challenge or ur a big gorillaz fan like me, it could get u kickstarted !!!! especially if ur doing it with ocs or characters u like that are in a band or something

ok thats all the tips ill be giving out tonight im a little sickly victorian child rn

hope it helped . uhm . bye

#anon #luckys art info #mailbox #quinnotalk #tumblrimp