"There were few sounds she enjoyed more than the groans of dying men, but the wind was one of them." - Manon Blackbeak Crochan

I missed yesterday post because of a commission so this is technically day 4 of Inktober. It combines two prompts - Moon from #mysticalwitchtober by @/madie_arts and Blood from #inktoberwe2023 by @/carmen.dmdesign

Inspired by Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

‼️DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION!

i found a vast array of new artists this year, many of whom have become my new favorites, and a couple of whom i would just rather not even see again.

first is madie_arts. nevermind the fact the name madie (and a certain *grits teeth* variant of it) has been made radioactive to me, but… i don’t know, i have a love-hate relationship with this woman. that’s not to say she’s not a good artist—she is—but her attitude gets on the nerves. it’s very “hi, boys and girls!” and she’s one of those people who has to constantly remind us that she’s married, too. i can separate art from the artist and her art is quite nice but i can only take her in small doses.

adam_is_arting. i cannot stand this guy, and what’s worse is i feel alone in my dislike of him, too. i liked him at first: it was a cool story when you think about it. this nobody artist from grant’s pass toiling away in obscurity participated in mermay this year and everyone went completely ape shit over him, and within like… days, he was shaking hands. it’s every artist’s dream. but, thing is, it went to his head just as quick, too, and he got obnoxious really fast. moreover, i started looking at his art—like really looking at it—it’s not nearly as good as the mermay people want you to think. sure, technique is technique and a lot goes into it to where it looks competent, but the style got tiresome very quickly and it grew stale after a while. something about his art just irritates me, too: i think it’s the way he draws faces and overexaggerates the emotions to where you ironically don’t feel anything other maybe, “wow, that’s really well done.” the word i’m trying to think of is “melodramatic”. it’s like disney art but kicked up several hundred notches. very melodramatic work that… when you think about it, it’s a bad sign. if the art world is praising stuff that is painfully on the nose and dismissing subtlety, combined with the continued rise of ai and the overemphasis on reels rather than straight pictures, yeah, we’re in trouble. i really, really don’t know if i should wish him well because i see no reason to. i hate his art and i find him annoying.

then there’s the other side of my creative endeavors: writing. here it is, kinktober, and i’ve pulled the plug on mine, and i don’t know if i can continue writing and posting these one shots.

other kink writers are getting 1000 reads here coming up to halfway: i’m lucky to break 250, and yeah, reads shouldn’t matter, but it really has me thinking, too. when you see other people doing the same thing you’re into, it should inspire you, and it should give you pride in your own kink. I’m not seeing that. what i am seeing is a bunch of people speaking in a language that is so common that i can not for the life of me see the “kink” to it, and they also seem scared to actually commit to the sexiness? i figured that this is why i never really like erotic one shots that are only like a few hundred words and i feel shortchanged in that instance—there’s a way to do it, and even i struggle with that, so don’t think i’m bashing anyone for that. but if you’re going to write something sexy, please actually try to be sexy with it. use description. engage the senses. i don’t get off on “you must have fallen asleep touching yourself” alone, i need some mystery some guidance some passion some feelings. but no, that’s not good enough. what i do is not good enough. everyone would rather be mollycoddled and treated like fucking idiots rather than challenged and have their minds truly stimulated.

i was thinking about this earlier: kinktober 2023 broke me. it was the thing that made me realize just how invisible i am to people, and no one cares about my own predilections, and it really makes me wonder if it’s even worth continuing to write. just as mermay this year made me realize that all that matters is technique to where it looks ai-generated and phony as hell, kinktober made me realize all that matters is the sex no matter how mindless and genuinely unerotic (and insincere) it is.

so, if anyone in 2024 who complains about art looking exactly the same or writing sucking so hard that it feels like the person wrote it in about five minutes, this is why. don’t just blame the machines: the people using them are very much responsible, too. demand more from your art. demand more from your fan works.

god. 2024. it feels weird just writing that. i honestly have no hope for 2024. after the ass-kicking i took this year, i’m so cynical about it that i don’t even know where to begin. vote for joe biden, support your jewish black and muslim friends, stay away from ai and nfts, and drink water, that’s all i have to say for 2024.

Always have so much fun with madie_arts mermay challenges!

Remember this #madie325k @madie_arts from 2021? I’m a little late to the party 🙃 and also for Halloween, but hey, it feels like it just changed to gloomy weather last weekend 🦇

Botanical 🌿✨

Here is a new painting for a new challenge!

I’m so happy to participate in the Mystical Witchtober with a lot of amazing artists like @agingerly @isa.b.e.e @madie_arts @rit.aria 🤩

Another old DTIYS from @madie_arts on instagram

Self Repost! Originally uploaded on October 13, 2022.

An old DTIYS for madie_arts on Instagram.

Still very proud of this one.

Hey! It's been a bit, but I'm back! I had a bit of sickness to get over, but I got my entry for @madie_arts finished finally! It's my second to last piece for this year's #MerMay, but I love how it turned out. (ClipStudioPaint and XP Pen 15.6 Pro)

Spell book ! ✨

Another DTIYS by, madie_arts on Twitter! All credits go to her! 🫶🏻

IM BACK!!!!

& I'll be doing Mermay 2022 from @/madie_arts (IG), along w/ my other content

mermay dtiys submission for madie_arts

ig * twitch * shop

❣️Love Potion❣️

So many October challenges, so little time. I saw this prompt list and immediately felt an opportunity! The best part, I’m free to do whichever prompt!

Many thanks to

agingerly

isa.b.e.e

aia.naiya

madie_arts

rit.aria

marigonasuliart

mahou.shoujo

@talysketch

Done with Krita

"Worlds apart and miles away, ocean: will you lead us?" 🧜‍♀️🌊🫧

DTIYS by madie_arts

#mermadie23 #drawthisinyourstyle #mermay23 #dtys #draw #girl #xppen #drawingart #myart #ilustration #ocean #mermaid #dtyischallenge #artcompetition #anime #ibispaintx #artist #digitalart

dtiys by madie_arts  Commission: https://valenvenge.com/ socials: https://www.instagram.com/valenvenge/ https://www.facebook.com/Valenvenge https://twitter.com/valenvenge https://www.artstation.com/valenvenge https://www.deviantart.com/valenvenge https://pixiv.me/valenvenge Print: https://www.artstation.com/valenvenge/prints

And yet another STUNNING set by @madie_arts through Patreon! Love my growing collection of bookmarks! My plan is to laminate them so they'll last for a VERY long time!!! #madiearts #patreon #sticker #bookmark #print https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5mtYRPgxz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

MESSAGES WITHIN PAIRS OF CRYSTAL EYES.

Pair of crystal eyes influencing me to quench it. (Art source from IG: @tima.paint × @ranfoshock)

Another pair of crystal eyes will tell us we're lost in something we hardly have to fess up about, and our anxieties are on a chronic (repetitive) rise over the fact that any apologies won't cut/excuse anything. Those eyes are also saying that we have healing and responsibility to administer, as far as communication/connection. We be playing our own game of life and pimping it, not knowing two of the gems are always first. (Art source from IG: @tima.paint × @madie_arts)