had a very polite dream where I, in the role of Laios, made crab soup with Senshi. woke up possessed by the memory of the flavor, so I tried to make it with real world approximations of the dream-dungeon's ingredients, and minus thirty-five year old moss. pleased to report it was very good. thank you dream Senshi.

had another dream as Laios cooking with Senshi which resulted after waking in my most successful attempt at something resembling french style omelettes. fluffy outside and rich, saucy inside, with vegetable and mushroom filling [precooked to avoid overcooking the omelette, added just before rolling the omelette around the pan to seal them inside the egg envelope], and a marinated and fried tofu experiment to create a crunchy-outside-creamy-inside protein akin to treasure bugs on the side... good brunch thanks again to dream Senshi.

can't keep the cat entirely in the bag GAHAHA a buddy o mine colored one of the upcoming patronage pages to include with the series, so look forward to a special color page in the next month or so.

working on something I've never tried before. wip pics and the closest thing to a plan drawing I have from a story post. flying by the seat of my pants, feeling a bit like I'm the other[father] in coraline GAHAHA. it's Tracy!

documenting the process,

forgot the glue stick supports in his boots, tried to melt the glue back out of them after curing the polymer clay in the oven, ended up toasting everything. I'll either make him new boots or rework my bubbly coal blobs with some sandpaper to remember the chaos. the process is a meaningful part of an artwork, yeah? imagine, someone in your apartment building tossing a smoking baking sheet of tin foil and miniature body parts into the back lot.

haven't really looked at any tutorials so far except for one in anticipation of hair making+gluing, but have been paying attention to @strangegutz work for inspiration and some visual guidance.

polymer clay for the head and parts [no clay tools, just hands and a sewing needle], a flexible armature + old socks sewn into shape for the body, more socks glued around his arms and legs to bulk them up, and fabric scraps for clothing [even more socks and the cut off sleeves of t-shirts, so far]. his sock body is sort of sewn into a corset and then darned into shape, with parts of his sweater attached to it after; it's the handiwork of someone who only knows practical sewing skills, but I find it charming. he is handmade, I think that should show, and I don't feel like stressing on this project. I'll pad his shoulders a little more to fix the length of his neck, under his jacket. he should be able to pose in the end but he may not be able to stand from being top heavy. if I make new boots, there's a chance I can balance him back out.

his waistline stitching is lazy because it's a placeholder, until he has a full sweater and I know how much of the waist to cut out to leave enough gap to tuck his sweater in in the front [it's pinned in the image]. I don't have much clay left, but he'll get a little belt to cover whatever seam crimes continue to occur. his ears are very bulky to support his jewelry. holding my breath until his paint job is done.

I don't think you really need to know what you're doing or have any fancy materials or tools to attempt a project like this. just, a desire to try and some curious interest in problem solving. and some junk around the house. it's a good learning experience, no matter how it pans out, but I'm hopeful.

sent home from work sick today but no symptoms in line with a specific bug. working theory is that it's like getting sick right before a vacation, except that I have finished chapter 3. it was intense work but I loved it, so I hope you will read and enjoy it too as it rolls out. going to try the soup from a fancy deli and maybe bake some fish.

unclear TOS irk me. IF patronage gets wiped for having a significant chunk where a guy is shirtless in a nonsexual context I might have an aneurysm.

bought mules today. I don't know the man in the mirror.

attempting to make myself birthday creme brulee. cross your fingers for me...

two inch spikes on five inch platform boots project: documentation images.

footwear for someone who's compensating.

kickers on foot.

the base boot does very little for me in terms of style and quality but I can't complain because working on these was easy as a byproduct. some spikes droop, the plan is to rig something inside by sewing to help out the poor shoe structure. and the o rings flip up, which may be solved with chain under the platform. the metal piece on the side is a repurposed mending plate.

@alienjaes wanted to see them, so, tag.

two inch spikes around the perimeter of five inch platform boots is a good idea.

I get a bland feeling every so often about music, like I can't find anything I want to listen to. I'll realize it's been awhile since I've last re-explored NIN's discography, put something-reznor on for a good bit, and the audial haze goes away. I am reminded in these instances that I love NIN very much, and then, spectacularly, all music sounds good again. I get to be doubly delighted.

why'd I start a comic about tattooed dudes when I suck shit at calligraphy.

if you're trying to bed down with a trans person maybe, like, don't dive into your depth of knowledge about Eden Knight's death the second you learn the person you're talking heavy with is trans? real weird approach to casual ***** conversation buddy.

getting on t WD40ed me in the head.

self and gender affirmation can be purchased and applied as $3 grease paint.

I just read through that big post about Ame and Tracy's similarities and differences, and it honestly felt like I was listening to an author at a coffee shop going over details from the book (in the best way possible). Very informative, a fun look into your writing/design process, and all 'round super interesting to consider how vastly different the changes become despite starting in relative symmetry.

(Also, the line "Teeth to my Horror, Love to my Romance and Life to my Portraits" is a delightful romp)

I appreciated your ask, I'm glad to hear the answer was a worthwhile read :^] you are a compelling writer and I had hoped the extra writing+design details would be amusing to you in that vein. from others, I enjoy hearing about the generative stuff that sometimes gets lost to the periphery of finished works, or between the written to visual translation. your prompt was open, so, the whole can of worms was ready for cracking GAHA.

(thank you!)