I was wondering if you have any advice on how to draw people kissing?

Hope this doesn't come across as weird or anything but when you draw characters, whether they're swapping spit or just being close in some other way, you're so good at capturing a feeling of, like, intimacy? and it's just one of the many aspects i admire about your art🌸^-^

aww thank you..🥰💛💛💛 i might not be the drawing kisses genius cus i don't even do it all that often but i'll explain a bit of how i go about with closeness between characters and such relying on my prev drawings; aggressive and hatred filled closeness included, because i think it's just as important (to me at least) i hope it makes sense lol

generally it's awesome to just take ideas for these sorts of things from the most random places.. other people's art, movies and stuff u watched, etc etc. i'm usually really quick to pinpoint in my mind what exactly i like in a scene of this variety and how i can flip it and turn it like a pancake. i'm a person that takes all of my thinking capacity to come up with the right expressions to convey a mood and where to place the hands. writing all of that has me feeling like the bald body language guy from youtube

heya! i know you have a few snakes, and i'm really hoping to get a (mex black king)snake this summer, so i was wondering if you have any tips on finding a good breeder? and i wanna go to a rept convention, but im not sure if that's a safe place to get a healthy snake? anything helps really! love you as always!

I genuinely have no idea when you sent this ask… So I hope it was recent… OTL My notifications said I had two messages in my inbox and I have five I don’t remember, so??? 

But anyway!! 

Reptile conventions/expos can be good places to get animals, you just have to know what you’re looking for and how to identify a sick animal. I kind of prefer them, because I like being able to see the snake in person before I buy it, but I’m kind of old fashioned from being, well, old (compared to others in my generation lol). If you do go that route, and honestly it’s a great experience even if you don’t actually buy a snake from the expo, always handle the animal you want to buy first. The breeder should ask you to sanitize your hands, if they don’t, then they’ve been letting everyone who’s handled other, potentially sick animals, handle theirs and potentially spread germs. Sometimes that’s an issue, sometimes it’s not. For things like URI (the most common illness in snakes) it’s probably not going to be too big of an issue; URI is sort of like a cold, but much more dangerous for a snake, it takes prolonged exposure to catch, so once you get the animal home, in a clean and healthy environment, the odds of it catching URI are low unless it was actively housed with other sick animals in the breeders’ shop. The next thing to look out for is the condition of the animal you’re looking at, as well as the other animals on the table. If the snake you’re looking at is healthy, but the others around it look off/sick, the breeder probably isn’t taking great care of his/her animals, I wouldn’t support them. ASK QUESTIONS. Breeders can tell when they’re talking to or looking at a first time owner vs someone who’s done this before, and that’s fine. Be aware that some breeders are going to try to take advantage of that, so know what you want to ask and be prepared to be pressured. A good breeder will NOT pressure you into anything. The more willing to politely answer ten million questions they are, the more likely you found a good breeder.

Things to look for and ask, whether you’re at an expo or not;

How old is the snake? There’s no particular age to avoid, but for a first time owner, older is better. Neonates are fragile and can be finicky. I would avoid anything under a month or two. If you can find one that’s five or six months old, even better.

How many meals has this animal taken vs how many have they skipped? Skipping meals is uncommon for babies, but especially so when it comes to King snakes. If the snake is skipping meals regularly, no matter how healthy it looks, avoid it. An experienced keeper would probably be ok, but it is SO STRESSFUL trying to get a snake to eat again. Don’t do that to yourself. It can also be an indication that something is seriously wrong with the animal, even if it doesn’t show externally. In some cases, it takes literal years for problems to show externally.

It’s also always good to ask WHAT the snake is eating; frozen/thawed vs live, what size/age/type of feeder, etc.

When looking at the snake, look for dry, stuck shed. It will look something like this or this. A lot of people will try to pass it off as normal and healthy, whether out of their own ignorance or playing off yours, it is NOT. This means that the animal is regularly dehydrated and living in an unfitting environment. This is an issue that can be fixed, but if it’s a regular thing, it can come with other health issues too. If the breeder/owner says it’s normal, avoid it for sure. If they admit that it’s a bad shed because of some sort of stress (ie; transportation or animal, or breeder being out of town or something) than it’s up to your judgement. If they seem like they’re being honest and other animals look good, it’s probably safe. Extreme cases will look dried out and wrinkly, like this. If it looks like this, don’t get it no matter the excuse. This is a sign of prolonged dehydration, which can and will kill the animal.

Look at the overall body condition of the animal; is it too skinny? (identified by a triangular body shape, prominent spine or ribs in extreme cases, prominent jaw/head bones, etc. In king snakes, this should be VERY rare, they’re good eaters lol if I was getting a king snake and it looked like that picture, I wouldn’t buy it because there are probably other issues, like it’s not eating or has parasites or something) Is it too fat? (Identified by an extremely round body shape, sides are soft rather than muscular, when curled, there will be ‘rolls’ at the bends as show in bottom portion of the photo linked above, an obvious dip or ‘hips’ between body and tail, etc. This will be more common in king snakes, and is a sign that they’re over fed and under stimulated in the enclosure. If it’s not exceptionally extreme, it’s totally fixable with a diet and exorcise just like in any other animal but if prolonged, can lead to other health issues) Sometimes ‘obese’ can just be poop…. If the tail looks really skinny compared to the body, but it’s only too fat in the bottom third of the animal, it’s probably just brewing a really big poop for you when you get it home :D At a healthy weight, you should be able to easily identify the muscle along the spine, where the ‘neck’ is, and the body should slope into the tail. 

Are the eyes and mouth clear? The mouth should close more or less seamlessly; if you see any funny shapes that make it look like it’s not shutting right, it’s probably mouth rot which comes with URI and all kinds of other nasty stuff. You also shouldn’t be able to hear it breathe.

Look at how the snake acts; is it lethargic or alert? King snakes are active animals, it should probably be pretty wiggly and want to move around when you’re trying to hold it. If it’s lethargic or limp, there’s something wrong.

Check the scales; they should be smooth and shiny (unless in blue/shed). The belly scales should flat and undamaged. Scale rot and burns will be found on the belly; these are signs of poor husbandry and neglect. If they’re not extreme, it’s not a huge detriment to the future health of the animal. Snakes are amazingly resilient and heal from amazing damage. But I wouldn’t want to support a breeder who lets these things happen, ya know. In MBKs, these things might be harder to spot because of the color of the scales; look/feel for rough edges or weird textures.

Look for mites; they’re very small and hard to see, especially on a black snake. They’ll be easiest to find near the mouth, nostrils and the fold of skin under the chin. You may not know about it until after you get the animal home. It’s not a big deal. If the snake has mites, it’s not the worst thing in the world. They can be treated, but it can be a pain to deal with. They’ll look like little specks against and between scales; X, X, X. If the snake is sitting in the water bowl a lot, it can be a sign of mites, but not necessarily. If you happen to see them before you buy the animal, you can choose to not buy it, or talk to the breeder about it. They might work a deal with you, or give you something to treat the problem, etc. 

As for finding a good breeder NOT at an expo; you just really have to do your research. Ask around, look at reviews, contact the person and ask your questions. Trust your gut when talking to them. Facebook groups can be good resources to find breeders, but keep in mind that facebook is full of people with extremely outdated information and/or ignorance. The only person I know of who is breeding MBKs is @i-m-snek. She recently got a breeding pair and is expecting eggs. Even if her eggs are already spoken for or the breeding doesn’t pan out, she might be a good person to ask about breeders.

Hopefully this helps, if you have other questions or would like better explanations, let me know!