#so maybe i have uploaded my art to some other online shops | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

copperbora · 1 year

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❤️💜❤️Please check out my Ko-fi shop💜❤️💜 for my merch! I'm trying to make my art my career so that I can stay home with my cats and pursue a less stressful life as conventional employment has proven extremely difficult if not impossible for me with my neurodivergent disabilities.

Buy my merch on Redbubble! Tons of sticks, shirts, mugs, awesome fluffy comforter blankets and more!

I'm also on TeePublic now; still uploading art there!

Looking into more forms of ecommerce too. Here's my Linktree for finding me everwhere online.

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🐺Beneath the cut I blather a bit about myself. Beware. 😂

🐺 All About Me (jump to the end if you wanna see my citation library about wolves and wildlife, arhrooo!)

- My birthdate is March 18th 1990 and I am therefore in my mid-thirties. I am therefore no longer a whippersnapper despite my youthful appearance (I get miss-aged constantly) which is due to my autism.

- I am autistic and I have ADHD but I am currently struggling far harder with the autism. Derpy short term memory and happy distractibility? Squirrel! That's my ADHD. Fundamental NEED to hyperfocus strongly on a task without interruptions of any kind whatsoever for hours upon hours upon hours? That's my autism and it is fucking up my life because I get extremely stressed extremely quickly when I have to spend all day masking/fawning (aka pretending to suck up to people who don't have my best interests at heart,) instead of passionately writing, hiking or drawing all day, often while happy as a clam and forgetting to eat. I have Pathological Demand Avoidance which explains why commissions make me extremely uncomfortable, but I'm perfectly happy selling prints! (Pleeeease buy my prints and shirts and stuff! I put a lot of heart into making them awesome!❤️)

- I am permasingle. Please don't try to convince me otherwise, as I am now in early middle age and aromantic asexual I have no capacity to imagine a life where I am devoted to another adult human. Become a mom? Maybe. I have no idea how to flirt and I would never do it if I did. I find the idea of someone looking at my body and wanting to sexualize it is incredibly disturbing to me. My body is nought but a vessel for mine powerful spirit, nothing more.

- I am a grumpy socialist (which is not the same thing as communism, mainly it means that I genuinely care about others,) who supports Universal Basic Income, wildlife advocacy, climate change education, LGBTQA+ (after all I am part of the 🏳️‍🌈 community,) Transgender🏳️‍⚧️ (learn about the biological science of transgender here,) Universal Basic Income, neurodivergence, Black Lives Matter, Every Child Matters, Children are People, Housing First/Safe, Comfy Housing as a Basic Human Right, immigration, racial diversity, animal rights (for example tail docking is cruel unless it is done for medical reasons as per the SPCA,) and medical science (trained in the veterinary field, so, y'know, fully vaxxed against all the things.)

- I am trying to base KNIFE EDGE as much as possible on actual wolf biology. I'm doing my best to veer away from the usual fictional wolf fare which is usually very mythical or scientifically inaccurate (or both.) I want KE to help people care about wildlife and the threats that they face like habitat fragmentation, loss of genetic diversity, and climate change. That being said, some artistic liberty has been taken for the sake of my sanity. Production of KE is slow right now for reasons.

I will never censor the sheathes of my male animal characters or their bumholes. The latter because bumholes are hilarious. The former because censoring a blatantly obvious bodypart is incredibly illogical and stupid.

- My favourite Cybertronian (Transformer) is Starscream!✈️ I definitely sympathize with the Decepticons. I don't draw Transformers stuff very often though because bipeds scare me (despite the fact that I can actually draw them quite well,) and I am a wuss. 😅 I sometimes write depraved little stories about Starscream and his trine (as well as other seekers,) and post them here.

- I'm obsessed with horses and I collect (and customize,) model ones so you'll see me share my collection and post customized ones from time to time! 🐎

- I freaking adore my cats and I default to talking about them when I am tired. They are my beloved surrogate children and with my repressed maternal instincts not a day went by while my mom was alive that I did not incessantly show at least one of them to my mother. ("This is my child, please appreciate my child, isn't he cute? Yes, yassss, he is cute, the cutest of the cute, I love him. Please pet him and appreciate his softness with me. Yes.")

- 🪸I have a 30 gallon marine reef aquarium which I call Purrling Reef II. Sometimes I write about it! I really love my fish and invertebrates just like my cats.

- I identify as not-quite-female largely because while I identify with being female in some respects, enough to use female pronouns, in many other ways I just don't. My brain is pretty male - not enough for me to call myself trans, but enough that I was extremely affronted when my chest lost its preferred parking lot-flatness of my childhood. Gender is truly a spectrum!

My Favourite Educational Youtube Channels

- SciShow (Youtube channel of much sciency goodness)

- PBS Eons (paleontology and evolution)

- Dr. Polaris (paleontology and evolution)

- GeologyHub (volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and other tectonic plate stuff explained!)

- Knowing Better (American history and various religions explained in extremely detailed but entertaining, well-cited videos)

- The Financial Diet (much of the same content - minus the religious - as Knowing Better, just in much smaller doses)

- Second Thought (Capitalism, human rights)

- Jackson Galaxy (for domestic cat behaviour content)

- The Kitten Lady (for feral and neonate kitten care content)

- EDGE Science (for natural history, science communication, weird biology and dinosaurs.)

- Tidal Gardens (for in-depth information on individual species of coral, hosted by the owner, Than, whose soothing voice is pure ASMR.)

- Adam Ragusea (cooking and food science, occasionally fish!)

- Stephan Milo (anthropologyyy)

- Today I Found Out, Into the Shadows, Sideprojects (fascinating and often hilarious history tidbits with Simon Whistler, yes he has multiple Youtube channels)

- Trey the Explainer (fun history)

- Zoe Bee (education in the US)

- Snake Discovery (learn about reptiles!)

- Clint's Reptiles (taxonomy of species and winners like Human Children: the best pet mammal for you?)

- Sheffield Made Plants (plant keeping with humour)

- Thoughty2 (random facts)

- ASAP Science

- Reef Dork (saltwater aquarium keeping)

- Mad Hatter's Reef (same as Reef Dork)

- Reptiliatus (Canadian reptile keeping and especially tokay gecko keeping, tokay geckos are hilarious)

- Howe's the Hike (Hiking in the Canadian Rockies)

- Abroad in Japan (learn about Japan!)

My Favourite Podcasts

- Ologies with Alie Ward (science podcast, nerdy goodness)

- Science Versus

- Against the Odds

- Legends of the Old West

- Factually with Adam Conover

- Real Survival Stories

- Real Dictators

- A Short History Of

- Detectives Don't Sleep

- Abroad in Japan (the Youtube channel came first but both exist)

- Backpacker Radio (thruhiking, many poop discussions, no I am not kidding)

Interesting Stuff

- The Sargasso Sea (Thoughty2)

- Hilarious Snowplow Names

- How to Eat Acorns (Adam Ragusea)

- Supervolcanoes (GeologyHub)

- Meet the Most Mysterious Man to Ever Live (Thoughty2, hilarious account of Rasputin)

- Walruses are Terrifying (Henry the PaleoGuy)

Links I Keep For Arguments

I'm opinionated. These are the scientific sources that my opinions are based off of.

🐺Wolves & Wildlife

See the citation library here.

❤️‍🔥Human Rights

- How to identify a CULT (and avoid recruitment.)

(LBTQIA2S+, women's/uterine, climate, economic survival, & more.) - see the citation library here. (Coming soon.)

❤️‍🩹Human Medicine & Nutrition

See the citation library here. (Coming soon.)

🐶Neurodivergence

- Struggling to Get Stuff Done? Maybe it's More than Motivation. (How to ADHD)

- Times I Should've Realized that I was Autistic (Illymation.)

🐈Mammalian Pets (Mostly Cats)

- A global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet (keep your cats inside)

- Why You Should Adopt Another Cat (Jackson Galaxy)

- How to Introduce Cats (Jackson Galaxy)

- The Problem with French Bulldogs (thoroughly explained by veterinarian DVMCellini!)

- How to Kill a Shelter Dog

- How to clean a wound on a dog or a cat.

- How Cats Purr

- Why cats go nuts for tuna even though it isn't natural for them to eat.

- How to Make Your Dog Puke in Emergancies

- Both dogs AND cats will eat your corpse if you die and they are desperate. (And there's actually more historical evidence of dogs doing it!)

- Domestic cats are obligate carnivores who eat meat and only meat. Hannah Shaw, aka the Kitten Lady, explains this beautifully (and adorably,) here. Do not feed them a vegan diet, doing so is cruel. Cats do not need carbohydrates in their diets; carbohydrates' only use in kibble (dry food,) is as a binder which holds all the other ingredients together. Cats have just one copy of a gene which codes for starch (carbohydrate consumption) meaning that biologically they really haven't changed from their African Wildcat ancestors.

- Dogs are not wolves and therefore are not carnivores; they are omnivores. While dogs do descend from wolves (sorry, your chihuahua does not descend from coyotes or foxes,) wolves possess just two copies of a gene that codes for an enzyme capable of digesting starches (which carbohydrates contain,) dogs can have up to 22 copies of it. Dogs who do not consume some type of grain as part of their diet can develop serious health problems which can become life threatening. (Note that legumes like lentils and peas do not count as grains. Neither do root vegetables like potatoes, yams or sweet potatoes.)

🐍Non-Mammal Pets

- Reptile and amphibian keepers are NOT an animal rights issue (and actually are developing better husbandry for these largely harmless animals, are NOT contributing to invasive species, and are even helping to save endangered ones. Most reptile and amphibian pets are captive bred and the community is constantly advocating for ALL species to be captive bred! Additionally, since most species are TROPICAL, they simply cannot survive outside in northern climates. Far more endangered reptiles are killed for their skins than are ever captured to be pets.)

- Snake Discovery Reptile Keeper Cleaning Hacks (works for aquarists too, and keepers of anything with a water dish!)

- Reptifiles - concise and well-researched reptile care sheets!

- Safe rocks & materials (and their chemical properties/effects on PH) to use in hardscaping terrariums and aquariums (including wood too!)

- DIY Reef Dry Rock! Yes, you can make your own! (Australian Aquarist)

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#pinned intro #pinned post #masterpost #read this and you know me

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kelmcdonald · 2 years

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Wow, April has been busy.

New Post has been published on https://kelmcdonald.com/news/wow-april-has-been-busy/

Wow, April has been busy.

This is crossposted on my newsletter

Stone King will be in comic shops soon! Early this month, I did an interview to talk about it. It was a little weird talking about and promoting a book that I worked on and finished over 2 years ago. Give it a listen! This month I mostly stuck to working on You are the Chosen One and The City Between creatively. I’m almost at page 100 of You are the Chosen One. Feels kinda wild that I’ve gotten that far already. I’m about halfway through the 3rd chapter, so there is still a lot of it to go. I’ve been doing a lot of concept art for it. I haven’t had a chance to upload them because I’ve been too busy to pay much attention to social media. Speaking of social media, I know I’ve posted this picture before but it’s evergreen for me.

Talk about Elon Musk buying Twitter and talk about moving on to the next social media made me exhausted just thinking about it. But being an artist online means ya gotta use and push social media. So I got to figure out some solutions. I’m been paying Lauren Fiscus (who goes by Sylphy online) to flat You are the Chosen One for me and they want more stuff to work on. So I might pay them to make and post regular promo images of my current comics. That way something actually goes up on my social media sites and maybe they can get tik tok to work for me. I would need to make a style guide for them though. That’s the real biggest hurdle right now.

Since I’ve been busying working, I’ve been going through audiobooks while working. Two series that I rather enjoy had new installments. The first is the 9th book in the Rivers of London series, Amongst Our Weapons.

If you don’t know what the Rivers of London series is about, it follows biracial wizard detective Peter Grant as he looks into magical mysteries of London. The first 7 books had a really good on-going story, but book 8 floundered a bit without the overarching villain to chase. Amongst Our Weapons gets things back on track a big. Folks with a certain set of rings are getting their hearts magically exploded. There is a neat big of history and folklore tied to the case, so it was a fun ride.

The other audiobook I really dug this month was the 7th book in the series Fred the Vampire Accountant, Out of House and Home.

This series is a bit chiller than other urban fantasy books I usually read. A lot of them are about magic cops, which while giving every story a structure to follow, can get old. Fred the Vampire Accountant books are usually collections of short stories with smaller problems. Like in the first book, Fred is dragged to a LARP and one of the players’ necromancy spells are real. And they only affect Fred because he’s undead, everyone else is human. This 7th volume has him looking into the finances of a secret mall for supernatural creatures, only find out the mall is cursed. They are kinda light and silly. It may not focus on werewolves but I think if you liked Sorcery 101 you might dig the vampire accountant series.

Anyway, this coming May, I got to sit down and write a good chunk of Blue Moon. I’m trying to have it written by the end of July, but it will probably be like September or October. Otherwise, I’m still gonna keep up with my pages of Murky Water and You are the Chosen One. As I mentioned above, I also need to make a style guide so I can get more promo images made.

That’s all for this month! Hope you all have a good May. Thanks for your continuous support.

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groupdrita · 2 years

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Mtg cardsmith fanart

MTG CARDSMITH FANART FREE

We have over 150 in cash & prizes up for grabs. Unless you personally know the person cutting out the cards, you'll most likely get unseemly white edges and the occasional slanted cut, especially if their cutting machine is slightly off. It’s Artful August on MTG Cardsmith A month-long event that gives you the chance to show off your artistic skills by entering our contest.

MTG CARDSMITH FANART FREE

You don't have to have made the artwork yourself, so feel free to use any artwork you can find online' Rules: 1) 7 card entry limit. My one other recommendation would be to cut the cards yourself. Hello fellow cardsmiths, myself thought, 'Maybe we should start a fan art challenge' 'Hence, here we are with the plan of uploading cards featuring fan art for various intellectual properties. However, tonor is really expensive, and it'll easily be 80-85% of your total project cost. ,, Sacrifice Orb of Dragonkind: Look at the top seven cards of your library. Spend this mana only to cast Dragon spells or activate abilities of Dragons. I’m starting to slowly convert my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh Deck into a magic one however I’m not that familiar with magics card text any advice or criticism is greatly appreciated. The price of the paper is, relatively, marginal it will generally cost a dollar's worth of cardstock to print a large number of cards. , : Add two mana in any combination of colors. My first mtg cardsmitch creation of one of my favourite Dota 2 characters. Keeping in line with ikegami's comment, I would recommend not printing a back on the cards unless you expect them to be unsleeved for any great length of time. If they don't have a machine with a drum that can handle it, they'll know someone in the area that will. Through some experimentation at my job and a bit of research, I've discovered that to be the thickness of all trading cards. Secondly, you fill in all fields on the card. Here is our list of fan-art cards that will allow you to play with the characters you love. It can go from a funny scene up to a character and make your opponent surprised. Firstly, you choose which game you want to create the card for. Fan art cards is one of the most fun alterations you can have. If you're looking to get the correct thickness for the cards, ask the print shop to print them on 14-point paper, or whatever they have in stock that requires a printer drum to have a rating of just over 300 psi. Magic Set Editor is an application that you can use to create your own personalized cards for the following series: Magic : the Gathering, Magic Vanguard, VS System and Yu-Gi-Oh Creating the cards is easy.

#Mtg cardsmith fanart

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septembre-songstress · 3 years

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Did you have a shop somewhere other than Society6 and Redbubble at some point? I could swear I've bought at least a couple of your prints, but maybe I've just confused myself because I've also seen them on deviantART.

I'm pretty sure I've only sold prints on those two places. Like 98% sure.

#i do have a bad habit of making an account on almost every site i check out #so maybe i have uploaded my art to some other online shops #but i don't think i added paypal to any site other than rb and s6 #so i'm almost sure it's just those 2 lol #septembre replies

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master-sass-blast · 3 years

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Winter Stay-cation.

*insert pithy quip here*

Summary: A massive squall hits New York City. The snow, combined with a deep freeze, brings the city that never sleeps to a standstill once the police issue travel bans. Fortunately, you and Piotr know how to keep yourselves entertained during your impromptu stay-cation.

Pairing(s): Piotr Rasputin x Reader, Nathan Summers x Wade Wilson, and Ellie Phimister x Yukio.

Rating: G for fluff.

Word Count: 3.4k.

Set after “It’s Truly Magical.”

A/N: The movie quote from Day Five is from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window.”

Taglist: @marvel-is-perfection, @chromecutie, @girl-obsessed-with-things, @super-darkcloudstudent, @dandyqueen, @leo-writer

“—continuing into the middle of next week, if not longer. Expect heavy snowfall and temperatures below freezing, with windchill taking things below zero over the weekend.”

“Good grief.” You shake your head as you watch the weather report on the morning news. “It doesn’t get that cold when I fly full speed.”

Piotr, your husband, hands you a cup of coffee and shrugs. “January is ugly month.”

You smirk into your mug. “Bet this doesn’t compare to Siberian winters.”

“Not really,” he admits with a chuckle.

“The Chief of New York City’s Fire Department has issued a statement reminding residents to be careful when using their fireplaces and to monitor children and pets.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you quip, “Don’t use fireworks as kindling, we got it.”

Piotr snorts.

“In addition, the Police Department has issued a travel advisory in light of the predicted precipitation and sub-zero temperatures. All none-essential travel is restricted until the cold snap passes.”

“Groovy. Tell that to half the city.”

Piotr grins, shakes his head again, then turns the TV off. “Looks like we will have to keep ourselves occupied here this week.”

You cast a disparaging glance outside –where the snow is already up to Piotr’s knees—then say, “Like we were going anywhere else.”

***

Day One

There’s an upside to when the “deep freeze” hits. It’s already winter break, meaning there’s no coordinating classes, figuring out how to pick up students that don’t live at the mansion, or having to get up at the balls-ugly hours of the early morning in the stupid, frigid cold.

The two of you wake up at your leisure, around nine o’clock. You laze around in bed for a bit, snuggling and chatting and smooching, then head downstairs for breakfast. You wind up setting up shop at the dining room table, catching up on grading and filling out end of the semester report cards.

“Can you check these for me?” Piotr asks, handing you a stack of essays from his art classes. “I already made content-based marks; I am just not sure about English grammar.”

“Fun fact: most native English speakers aren’t sure about their grammar, either,” you joke with a smirk.

Piotr snorts, then checks his computer clock before standing. “Is about lunchtime. I was thinking soup and sandwiches?”

You nod. “Sounds tasty.”

“Would you like anything in particular?”

“Surprise me.” You make a contented hum when Piotr leans over the table to kiss you, then smile as you watch him head to the kitchen.

You really are the world’s luckiest woman (a sentiment you feel even more keenly when he comes back with a fresh cup of hot cider for you).

***

Day Two

“We should clean.”

The two of you are sitting on the couch. Your laptops sit on the coffee table, displaying the completed efforts of uploading grades to the online gradebook that the school uses. Two mugs that once contained coffee sit next to either laptop.

You look up at Piotr. You’re tucked against his side, head leaning on his shoulder while his fingers trace designs on the sleeve of your sweater (which is technically his sweater, but that’s neither here nor there). “Huh?”

“We should clean,” he repeats as he scrubs at his face with his free hand. “House could use it.”

You crane your neck to look over his shoulder. “We don’t really have that many dirty dishes.”

Piotr snorts, then raises an eyebrow at you. “When was last time we vacuumed? Or deep cleaned bathrooms? Or washed windows?”

“We can see out the windows just fine!”

Piotr grins and shakes his head. He stands, holding his hand out to you. “Come on, myshka. Clean home, clean mind.”

“I’ll have you know that my mind is nothing but dirty, and I’m offended that you would dare insinuate otherwise.”

Piotr laughs and helps you up. “We can start upstairs and work our way down.”

***

Cleaning with Piotr isn’t so bad. He carries his fair share of the workload, does things to their proper doneness, and is a firm supporter of blasting tunes while cleaning.

“Take! Me! On!” You bounce up and down in time with the beat while you clean the sliding glass doors in your bedroom that lead out to the balcony. “I’ll… be… gone! In a day or two!”

Behind you, Piotr laughs. He’s hauling out a trashbag from the bathroom –no doubt filled with the sheer amount of crumpled paper towels it takes to get the place sanitary again. “I see you are enjoying yourself.”

“Absolutely not. I’m suffering endlessly. I’m going to die any minute now.” And then, to prove you point, you flop to the floor dramatically (taking care to use your powers to cushion your landing).

Piotr lets out a choked gasp, then clutches at his chest. “You keep scared me!”

You look up at him and laugh. “You know I can catch myself! You’ve seen me do that before!”

“Changes nothing!” He lets out a ragged breath, hand still pressed over his heart. “I could have heart attack.”

You giggle, then lift yourself off the floor with a swirl of wind. You land nimbly on your toes before him and wrap your arms around his waist. “Aw, now who’s being dramatic?”

“I fail to see how concern for your well-being is dramatic!”

You suppress a grin, opting to pop up on the balls of your feet and kiss him instead. “I’m very sorry I scared you, baby.”

“Is okay.” He kisses you gently, then gazes down at you with a rueful smile on his lips. “What am I going to do with you, myshka?”

“Dance with me?” You flash him an impish smile, then start bouncing in time to the music again.

Piotr chuckles, then takes your hands in his and bops along with you.

The two of you dance around the room –well, as much as what you’re doing can be called dancing. You sing the lyrics of the song to each other, not sticking to any particular key or tempo.

You laugh when Piotr lifts you into his arms, bridal style, then squeal in delight when he spins the two of you around.

It’s perfect.

***

Day Three

You wake up to the sound of Piotr’s phone chirping –because, even on vacation, he still keeps a daily morning alarm.

He groans as he comes to, then laughs when you roll over him and shut off his alarm for him. “Well, good morning to you, too.”

You set his phone back on his nightstand, then straddle his hips and plant your hands against his brawny chest. “You’re not making me clean today.”

Piotr smirks up at you, bushy eyebrow raising in challenge. “Oh?”

“We’re spending today in this bed,” you continue. “Just you” –you tap his chest—“and me, and as few clothes as possible. Sound good?”

He pretends to mull it over, even has he takes off the shirt he’d been sleeping in. “Are we allowed bathroom and meal breaks?”

“I’ll allow it.”

“Ah, very generous. Thank you, benevolent myshka.”

“You’re very welcome.” You giggle when he grins –then let out a delighted yelp when he rolls suddenly, pinning you between him and the bed. You sigh as he kisses you, eyes fluttering shut. You arms wind around his neck, holding him against you while his hands smooth down your body.

***

Day Four

Cabin fever starts setting in between the third and fourth day. There’s only so many chores you can do, only so many papers you can grade (and you’re out of papers to grade, which doesn’t help your case), only so much sex you can have before you’re gonna start losing your mind.

Fortunately, Piotr is well-attuned to you and your mental states –meaning he notices that you’re getting twitchy before you dip into pyromania to keep yourself entertained.

“We should do something fun today,” he says during breakfast. He spreads some sour cream over his plate of blinis, then adds cottage cheese and sausage meat. “Perhaps play some video games. Ellie has been pestering me to play some multi-people games with her and Yukio.”

“Could be fun,” you say before stuffing your mouth full with Nutella-covered blini. You swallow, then ask, “What did she want to play?”

“Ah… she had two. I think… Falling Guys and Among Us?”

A slow, wicked grin stretches across your place. Fuck yeah. “Let her know we’re in.”

***

Piotr, unfortunately, turns out to be none too good at Fall Guys.

“No!” He wails, then flops back against the couch when he gets thrown off a platform and into the slime. “I could not run away!”

“You have to anticipate the enemy’s movements,” Ellie says over Discord. She’s already qualified and is spectating you and Yukio. “Predict their strategy, then counter.”

“I think it is less strategy and more ‘giant hands do not play nice with tiny controller,’” Piotr grumbles good-naturedly.

“Or maybe you got your butt kicked like a scrub,” Ellie fires back.

“I never contested that,” Piotr chuckles.

“Alright,” you say, eyes glued on your pink and yellow striped player. “I’m almost there, there’s plenty of slots left –no, you fucking pigeon! Let me go!”

“Language,” Piotr murmurs between bouts of laughter.

“It’s always a pigeon!” Ellie groans. “Fucking skyrats.”

“Language, NTW.”

You qualify for the next round (no thanks to the damn pigeon, who qualifies, too). Egg Scramble is next, and you wind up facing off against Ellie and Yukio for the win.

“Damn it!” There’s the sound of something hitting the floor –most likely Ellie throwing her controller—when she and Yukio get booted out. “Yellow always loses!”

“Is that it?” you ask while the loading screen plays. “Are we at the final round yet?”

“There’ll be one more,” Yukio says. “To finish whittling down the competitors.”

Sure enough, there’s a round of Tip-Toe –which you get through by the skin of your teeth—and then you and eight other players are sent to the finale.

“Okay, Hex-A-Gone. You’ll want to just hop from tile to tile,” Ellie advises you while the level loads. “It makes the tiles last longer.”

“Don’t be afraid to drop a couple levels at first,” Yukio adds. “You can carve out one of the lower levels, meaning anyone that falls above you will have further to go and will be more likely to get out.”

“I appreciate it, but don’t expect any miracles,” you say, laughing self-deprecatingly.

Piotr kisses the top of your head. “You can do this, myshka.”

You follow the girls’ advice; you let yourself drop down two levels, then start hopping from tile to tile to start carving out the platform.

“One guy’s already out!” Ellie announces. “You’ve got this!”

“Shit! I fell!”

“That’s okay,” Yukio reassures you. “Find a decent mass of tiles and hop, don’t run. Make them last.”

“The pigeon grabbed another player,” Piotr marvels, shaking his head.

“Yeah, well, they both died, so fat lot of good it did them,” Ellie mutters.

You keep going, bounce from brightly colored hexagon to brightly colored hexagon.

“Only four left!” Ellie lets out a whoop. “Holy shit, you’re gonna make it!”

“Don’t jinx me!” you laugh as you dodge another player’s attempt to grab you. “Don’t jinx me!”

“Three left –two! It’s just you and one other guy!”

“You’ve got this, Y/N!” Yukio cheers.

You dive for a clump of tiles –and miss. “No!” You groan, then laugh as your character plummets into the pink slime. “Damn. I’m never going to do that good ever again.”

Piotr wraps an arm around your shoulders in a conciliatory hug. “You did wonderful job, myshka.”

“He’s right. That was really good. The winner fell a few seconds after you, so it was basically a coin toss as to who was gonna get the crown,” Ellie says while the winner’s animation plays on screen.

“Yeah! Great job!” Yukio congratulates you.

“Wanna do another round?” Ellie asks as she flicks between skins and accessories for her avatar.

Yukio laughs lightly. “Baby, we were going to get lunch.”

“Oh, right.”

“Perhaps we can try other game after lunch,” Piotr suggests. “‘Fall Guys’ is okay, but makes me too dizzy.”

“Yeah, sure. Text me when you guys are done eating.”

***

Among Us doesn’t go much better for Piotr, if only because he doesn’t adhere to the strategy of the game. He does his tasks without fail –which usually leaves him alone, and thus a prime target for killing or pinning a murder on. He’s also a terrible liar, which makes it easy to tell when he is the impostor.

You laugh as Piotr’s little red spaceman goes floating into space. “I honestly feel bad.”

“I don’t,” Wade says (he and Nate hopped on the Discord call when Yukio sent them an invite). “Pay for some acting classes, Chrome Dome! Give us a challenge, at least.”

Piotr starts grumbling in Russian, but it gets cut off when the round starts up again.

(You all still wind up losing because Nate’s the other impostor and racks up bodies like nobody’s business.)

“I’m still waiting for when Ellie and Dad get the impostor role together,” you comment as the defeat screen flashes on your laptop screen.

“What, so we all die in five minutes?” Wade grumbles. “So we can suffer the agony of betrayal and not honoring trust again?”

“It’s just a game, Wade,” Nate sighs. “And I apologized already.”

“Is our relationship ‘just a game’ to you, Natey? I gave you an alibi –and then you shanked me in the shower like rejected prison bitch!”

“Language, Wade,” your husband pipes up, voice world-weary. “Please.”

You all start another round once Wade calms down –which, admittedly, takes a while and a great deal of coaxing from Nathan. You grin when you see that you’re an impostor alongside Yukio –then giggle to yourself when a plan pops into your mind.

You start stalking Piotr around the map. You fake doing tasks alongside him, acting as his shadow as he treks around the map. On the corner of your screen, you watch your kill timer wind down, then wait for the right moment once it runs out, and—

Downstairs, in his art studio, your husband lets out an indignant scream when your character murders his.

You fall back onto the bed and cackle.

***

Day Five

The squall rages on outside. The world is practically buried in snow. It’s a sea of white outside your bedroom windows, blinding and sterile.

You peer at the swaths of snow blanketing every inch of ground, every tree branch, and every shrub, then nestle further under the blankets. “Ugh. I don’t even want to get out of bed today.”

Piotr chuckles, then wraps an arm around your waist. “How come?”

“Have you seen what it’s like outside? It’s disgusting!”

“I thought you liked snow.”

“I do. That’s how you know it’s bad.” You sigh as you eye the fat, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. “I wish I could, like, go outside. Go to a store or something. Leave the house.”

“Is not safe to drive yet.”

“I know, I know.” You sigh. “Is it bad that I miss the color green?”

“Nyet. Is normal.”

You smile, just a little, when Piotr kisses the back of your head. You roll over to face him. “Can we build a blanket fort today?”

He raises an eyebrow. “What… here? In bedroom?”

“Yeah. We can make it look all pretty, and snuggle in bed, and watch movies, and have sex…”

“Bozhe ty moi.” Piotr snorts, then takes a moment to study your face, your eyes. “You really want blanket fort?”

“Kind of, yeah. I just… I want something new to look at.”

The corner of his mouth turns up in a soft smile. He presses his lips against your forehead. “Alright, myshka. Let’s make fort.”

***

“When a man and a woman see each other and like each other, they ought to come together. Wham. Like a couple of taxis on Broadway.”

You let out a content, relaxed sigh, then wriggle closer to Piotr.

The fort, admittedly, is simple –but you don’t mind. While you were taking a shower, Piotr assembled the whole thing, just to give you a little surprise.

He’d brought up a couple floor lamps from the main floor, then clipped some fairy lights to them before draping the largest quilt in the house over top to make the room. He’d pinned some throw blankets to either side of the quilt to make the sides, then made the bed and assembled the pillows so the two of you could have a nice, cozy, comfy den to watch movies in.

The recurring, delighted thought of ‘he made it for me; he made it for me because he knew I wanted one’ loops around in your brain like a bumblebee drunk on fermented crab apples. You grin, then loop your arms around Piotr’s neck and kiss his cheek.

He grins, cheeks flushing ever so slightly. “What was that for?”

“You made me a blanket fort.”

“You asked for one.”

“Yeah, but you made it for me. You could’ve just waited until we could both work on it.”

He shrugs, lips curving into a soft, pleased smile. “I wanted to see look on face. You were very happy.”

“Correction: I am very happy.” You kiss the tip of his nose, then his lips. “I love you, Piotr.”

“And I love you, Y/N.”

***

Day Six

You know it’s bad when you wake up before Piotr.

You look over at your husband, who’s still slumbering away next to you –and sawing some logs, no less—then out at the winter hellscape outside, and decide there’s only one thing for it.

You’re channeling your inner Great British Bake Off contestant and demolishing the kitchen.

***

Piotr comes downstairs around ten in the morning –which is a miraculous amount of sleep in time for him—but by then, the damage has already been done.

There’s a cake cooling on the counter (you’d found a box of cake mix in the back of the pantry and decided to use it as a warm-up. The mixer is working overtime on a double batch of sugar cookies –plus there’s already chocolate chip cookie dough chilling in the fridge.

You look up from the cookbook you’d been perusing –you were thinking pie next—and flash your husband a slightly sheepish grin as he gapes at the kitchen. “Uh… good morning?”

“Myshka…”

“I made cake.”

“I can see that.” Piotr drops his heads into his hands and makes a noise somewhere between a groan and a laugh. “Why?”

“Because being trapped inside is stressing me out and I want to cope by eating my weight in desserts.”

Piotr sighs, then lifts his head. He eyes the mixer, then the increasingly sheepish expression on your face. “How much is that?”

“In the bowl or in the fridge?”

“Bozhe ty moi.”

“Look, the way I see it, we can share—”

“You have that much correct. We do not need five million cookies.”

“Excuse you, I’m only making three million. Also, do you know where the lard is?”

Piotr’s face scrunches up. “Lard? Why—”

“I wanna make pie.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “We already have cake. And goodness knows how many kinds of cookies.”

“But those aren’t pie.” You smile impishly at him. “Plus, like, pie has fruit, so it’s good for you. You like fruit. Think about how good it’ll be to eat something with fruit after all the cake, and the cookies…”

“Or I could just eat fruit.” He sighs, resigned and slightly frustrated, when you bat your eyelashes at him. “I will check pantry.”

***

Day Seven

“—as of today, authorities are lifting the ban on nonessential travel—”

“Yes!” You launch yourself into the air, twirling around and pumping your fists before landing lightly on the couch once more. “Finally!”

Piotr laughs and shakes his head. “What, is staying inside with me so terrible?”

“Absolutely not.” You crawl across the couch and into his lap, then give him a loud smooch. “I have enjoyed every single day of your company. However, you’ve got about fifteen minutes before I start repainting the walls out of sheer boredom.”

Piotr bursts into raucous guffaws. He puts a hand over his eyes, shoulders and stomach shaking with each laugh. He sighs, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as minute giggles slip past his lips. “Well, we do need to restock on food. And flour and butter, since someone decided to open bakery yesterday.”

You pointedly ignore the pies and full cookie jar sitting on the kitchen counter. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He snorts, then pats your thigh. “Get dressed, myshka. We will go shopping.”

“Fuck yeah!” You zip up the stairs.

Downstairs, you can hear Piotr start laughing again.

#sass writes #piotr rasputin x reader #colossus x reader #nathan summers x wade wilson #negasonic teenage warhead x yukio #heavy on the fluff #because this year has been a shitload of angst #and quite frankly im done with it #deadpool fanfiction #x men fanfiction

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bluerosewritings · 3 years

Text

Happy birthday Cater! 🥳🥳

"Ah, look at this one! It's so tiny~!" Cater cooed as the two of you looked through the cafe menu. "And this coffee has an animal face on the cream... say, d'you think the cream they put on coffee would go well with one of these treats?"

"I mean, isn't coffee cream the same as regular cream?" You chuckled, enjoying Cater's marvelling at the menu. Plus, unlike your companion, your attitude was 'the more, the merrier!' when it came to sweets.

"Ah~ I suppose that's true. The art's just really good! I wonder if Trey can do stuff like that...? Actually, this is coffee we're talking about." Cater shook his head with a laugh of his own as he placed down the menu and looked around the shop.

It was a small place, located in the Rose Kingdom not too far from Trey's family business - that was how Cater had learnt of the place. It was quaint, with white walls splashed with random red and black paint and tiled red-and-black floors. On the wall was a giant pocket watch clock, and on each table were red and white roses in rabbit-themed vases.

Cater had been checking out the place for a while, deciding the best times to enter, when the food was at it best, the perfect time that the natural lighting came through the giant store-front window, etc. Once he'd decided, all he had to do was call you, his good old cafe tourist buddy. He may or may not have made enamel pins.

Not that you minded. Any reason to get off school campus (and away from being Crowley's slave assistant) was a good one. Plus, you got a bunch of free food! What wasn't there to like?

"Did you pick on you liked?" You asked, taking the menu to look at for yourself.

Cater pursed his lips in thought and tapped his chin with his phone. Then he looked at you with his signature smile. "Hmm~ guess!"

"C'mon, again? I swear you do this every time we eat out alone." You reprimanded him good-humoured.

Scanning the list of items, you try to find what items you thought match his aesthetics the best. The cream-art coffee was a given, obviously, since it was something that Cater could actually stomach. So what would he be getting you to eat? The heart-shaped parfait? The bunny pudding? The card suit macaroons?

You settled on an item, pointing to it on the menu with your little finger. "You want the raspberry diamond tiramisu."

"Eh, they have those? I had no idea!" Cater exclaimed, taking the opportunity to look over your shoulder. He was forced back soon enough by your finger pushing him in the middle of his forehead.

"Don't lie, you've probably looked at this menu online like, ten thousand times!" You tell him with a knowing look.

He holds up his hands in defence. "Okay, okay, you win! You were right! I'm paying... again...~"

"C'mon, you didn't really make that a bet without telling me." You laughed, nudging him lightly. "You know I have no money."

"Sadly~ but when you do, I expect at least one cafe date in return, you got me?" The orange-haired third year held out his pinky, grabbing on to the one you had used to point at the menu with.

"Alright, fine. Let's just order already." You smile at his antics before flagging down a waiter.

"Ah, just before that!" Before you could protest, Cater swung an arm over your shoulder and pressed his cheek against yours, his camera pointed to both of you with a wide smile. "Say cheese~!"

"Cheese!"

You smiled appreciatively at the staff as they greeted you goodbye, then did a short jog to catch up with Cater who'd gotten distracted by the pictures on his phone, not even commenting on the interesting noise the 'bell' made when you let go of the cafe door.

The selection was, admittedly, a lot different than usual. Usually Cater took pictures mainly of the item itself, maybe occasionally incorporated into a selfie-styled photo. Recently though, today especially, the majority of his gallery’s new additions were pictures of the two of you. One picture you noticed Cater seemed to linger on was one where you were holding the plate of tiramisu in one hand and catching him off-guard as you tried to feed him a spoonful with your other hand.

“Are you going to upload that one?” You asked.

“H-Hm? Oh, no, my face in it is awful~!” Cater quickly swiped on to the next picture, not realising you’d already caught up with him. “I was thinking more of the one where you were holding the one for the camera~”

“Oh, those were some nice ones. You could see the display case in the back with the right angle.” You nodded in agreement.

“My thoughts exactly~!” Cater nods in agreement before turning off his phone. “Ah~ it’s such a shame we can only visit a cafe once a day! There’s this one in the Land of Pyroxene that’s been trending like crazy lately~!”

“Is it near your home?” You threw the idea out there as the two of you turned the corner.

“Well, it’s not close, but it’s not far either.” Cater admitted. “Why?”

“I was just curious. I mean, you never post anything about your home.” You explained with a shrug. It was genuinely out of curiosity.

Cater took it a little differently. “You... want to see my house?”

“I suppose.” You agreed. “I’d get to meet your family, too. That’s more what you consider ‘home’, right?”

A blush spread across Cater’s face, one you thankfully didn’t pick up on thanks to the fading light of the sunset. “Well, I guess my sisters have been pushing me to invite a friend home... sure, we can go to one in the morning and the other in the afternoon!”

You smiled sincerely, then laughed a little as an idea hit you. “Maybe the cafe in the morning, so your sisters don’t get any ideas?”

“Ah, yeah...” Cater hummed in agreement, even if those ideas were what he hoped would be true. Your smiling face was enough to lift his mood though. “At least the morning lighting is usually good over in the Land of Pyroxene.”

“Of course that’s what you’re thinking of.” You say with a shake of your head, then stop walking suddenly, making Cater stop and look back at you. “Although, that reminds me...”

You pull your own phone out of your pocket and motion for Cater to come back to where you were standing.

Once he does, you try putting your arm around his shoulder like he did to you earlier and hold your camera up to capture both of you in frame.

“You have so many pictures of us, while I barely have any.” You explain to clear up his confusion. “So, now’s the time to get some of my own!”

Cater blushes once again as you turn your face back to your camera, only remembering to do the same when you nudge him, giving a wide smile when he does do so.

“3, 2, 1... say cheese!”

“Cheese~!”

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #cater diamond #cater x reader

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thecreativeblossom · 3 years

Photo

365 Days of Art

It started with Inktober, in 2017. I was enthusiastic because I could see the improvement in my art, in just 30 days. I worked as a digital artist for more than 10 years before, but this was just the beginning of my watercolor journey. I've been always too scared to begin. I felt the paper was too expensive for a beginner like me, I would ruin all my paintings and it would be a waste of money. I used to create watercolor effects in my digital vector artworks, just so that I could see some texture that would remind me of painting, but that was not real. And then one day I decided, I will pursue my passion for watercolor.

I gave myself a year to learn, I took 2 short courses in January 2018, but because I was painting on a daily basis, I didn't feel the need to learn anymore. I felt like practice did its wonders. There were no rules, as long as I painted in watercolors, and because I didn't want to feel pressure, I decided I will paint whatever I want. I've been wanting to paint whatever I wanted for a long time, but working with clients was always a priority and I kept neglecting my passion for art. I was surprised of how this project became a part of my life, a new skill that made me excited. It was a real challenge, which means it was by no means easy. Sometimes I had no inspiration, or I didn't like the way the paintings turned out, but almost 99% times I kept the painting and uploaded it. This project was teaching me not just to paint, but to understand life better. I often caught myself feeling disappointed about the outcome of the whole project, because I had a bad day and I didn't like the painting I created. Or, I was enthusiastic and I thought all my paintings will be successful from that point, only because I had a great day painting. I always surprised myself, because when I thought I couldn't go on, I somehow did. This was a great lesson, isn't it the same in life? Whenever you get disappointed by a bad day, there's always a new blank page on the next day. The pressure of coming up with something new every day, helped me to dive deep into my soul and find things that I didn't even know were there. I've learnt so much about myself, I became aware of who I am, what my style is and how I communicate visually. I realised I love nature, animals and people, and I found my color palette as well.

Though it didn't turn out the way I've planned, because I always set the bar too high, I started to have migraines and health problems, unfortunately. But I kept painting, just with a slower pace and took some days off when I needed. People started to recognise my new style and I have received many requests to work on amazing projects. Lot of things happened, but what is important now, is that in the present I am working as a full-time illustrator for an awesome company. While this experience and all the work I've invested in my career helped me to get where I am today, the project still goes on, but only when I have the time for it.

The 365 days of art project is the best thing that happened in my life. I could write a whole book about it, there's so much more to share, but maybe some other time.

I invite you to visit my online shop, prints and stationery items with selected artworks I've specifically created for the 365 days project:

The Creative Blossom

Totally random, but I love this quote:

"It doesn't matter how bad things are, we can always renew ourselves." - Pax, written by Sara Pennypacker

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in-tua-deep · 5 years

Text

things i think the Hargreeves should do post apocalypse:

Luther:

Any adult shop classes because I genuinely love mechanic!Luther and have been slipping that into like, all my aus where I can.

Goes to slam poetry nights because he genuinely enjoys poetry (hello space poetry from episode one about the comet or whatever) and maybe one day is confident enough to share his with other people

Gets some gym bros who all enthusiastically support him in a bro sort of way who are constantly getting their minds blown by how much Luther can lift and constantly going “YOOOOOO” while Luther tries to downplay things bc he’s embarrassed

I don’t know I just want Luther to have actual friends

Probably goes to every astronomy event where people have telescopes and is known in that scene so every time there’s some event at the observatory newcomers are like “what the FUCK” when this bigass bodybuilder comes in and starts gushing about which planet is visible I don’t know

Spearheads a lot of the family’s museum (that aren’t art museum) outings, especially if they have any exhibit that even vaguely relates to outer space or planets or the moon or anything.

Probably gets up at godawful hours on the morning to go hiking and see the sunrise because he really liked doing that on the moon and even though it isn’t quite the same he still loves to do it. (If he’s not hiking he goes up to Grace’s roof garden to watch it)

Diego:

He already does his fighting at the gym which is kind of cool I’m going to gently assume that he already has gym bros and if he doesn’t then he becomes somewhat more approachable after everything

(having your mother comes down to the gym and kiss your cheek or your teenage brother hop in to drag you away or you other very flamboyant sibling dance his way into the gym to fetch you doesn’t exactly do wonders for keeping a reputation going)

I do want to think that Diego takes up like,, whittling but I think he’d have to do it away from Vanya bc,, you know,, Leonard/Harold whatever was a woodcarver or something but idk maybe Vanya is cool with it - but just the image of Diego hunching over and carving at something and Klaus leaning over and trying to enthusiastically guess what it is while getting it super super wrong because Diego is a beginner and his starting pieces are all lumpy monstrosities makes me smile

Diego taking cooking classes so that he can surprise Grace by taking over dinner sometimes and letting her relax and do what she wants

I’ve said this somewhere before but Diego spearheading picnic events and forcing the family out of the house because he thinks it’s a nice thing for Grace to see the world and on god if any of his siblings fight him about it he will stuff their asses into a picnic basket himself because they are GOING

Gets dragged by Klaus into dumb ideas to “give ourselves a CHILDHOOD diego” more than any other member of the family. Which basically means that Diego is the one Klaus grabs to surf a mattress down the staircase and other dumbass ideas

Allison:

Probably ends up redecorating the mansion and completely redoing it to make it more modern and also less the horrible hellscape with taxidermied animals on the walls that it is. Her and Grace squad up to plan everything and then Allison makes everyone help when it comes to things like painting and building all the nice ikea furniture she just bought

Takes parenting classes as sort of extra credit for her custody case for Claire. I feel like eventually she and Patrick genuinely talk to each other, maybe at some kind of joint therapy, and sort of clear the air between them. They might never get back together, but they at least become sort of friends again. Mainly because I like the Patrick I’ve built up for myself in my head tbh

Occasionally attends craft classes with Klaus when she has a spare moment, because he goes to like,, all the local craft classes. She likes to spend the time with him. Is probably the only sibling who willingly attends with Klaus, but others get dragged along as well.

Probably takes up scrapbooking? She wants to have something physical to give to Claire so decides to go through like,, all the camera footage of their childhoods and pick out good images (because goodness knows they didn’t have cute family pictures) and maybe Grace uploads some of her memories to a harddrive with cute shit and they scrapbook together let me have this

on a related note buys a camera and starts trying to catch her siblings doing cute things for her scrapbook with the sort of determined energy of someone who has realized that she’s having to do her scrapbooking from security camera footage because their childhoods were fucked up

(she has a bajillion pictures of herself - thank you paparazzi - but all she has on her siblings is like... what, one of diego’s fighting posters and the two pictures of Vanya from her book and from the newspaper on the fucked up apocalypse concert??)

Klaus:

Genuinely goes to any and all craft classes offered at the community center and random places around town. Usually sort of a disaster, always a disaster when he drags along his siblings, and always proudly brings home his third grader worthy creations that Grace proudly puts on the shelves. He gets better at things the more he goes to them though, so there’s a progression of skill level in his crafts. Allison goes with him when she has time.

Has a knitting circle that he attends that is primarily made of little old ladies who dote on him. Five occasionally goes with but it often conflicts with Five’s other extra curricular activities.

Bakes at home a lot, with Grace’s supervision after some certain incidents that should remain unnamed. Tends to get ‘creative’ with the recipes but now that Grace is present to make sure it won’t be a disaster everyone is more willing to taste whatever comes out. Has, on at least one occasion, insisted on decorating cookies or icing cupcakes or whatever as a ‘family bonding activity.’

Goes with Ben to the movie theater frequently even to the gross horror movies that Klaus hates and Ben absolutely loves. Klaus always insists Diego come to the horror movies so that Klaus has someone physically there for him to hold onto when he’s scared. Five comes sometimes as well, but tends to critique the special effects - especially blood and blood splatter - which makes other people turn around to hush them.

Five:

I genuinely want to say he does gymnastics lessons. Mainly because I feel like he needs to do SOMETHING physical and get rid of his excess energy, and also I think it would be hilarious for him to be tumbling and teleporting and shit at the same time what a wild ride. Absolutely refuses to allow his siblings to come to any competitions or whatever, but they all end up showing up anyway.

Starts learning instruments. Asks Vanya for lessons on the violin so they can play together, it’s very cute. I also wants to say starts learning the piano because someone sent me an ask once about it and it was super valid. And Five can learn both because I say so and he doesn’t go to school he has the free time

Is on first name basis with a bunch of scientists and mathematicians online where they all yell numbers at one another. Probably in a super technical group chat with a bunch of people with actual doctorates who don’t actually know that Five doesn’t have a doctorate.

Actually you know what just let Five start actually going to college like let him go to the local community college or start taking college classes or something. He can get his GED or whatever. Let this boy get a DEGREE

Goes to art classes, first because drawing therapy was something Klaus suggested and he wanted to get his brother off his back. Later because he enjoys it. There’s a life drawing group he frequents - he’s the youngest there and new people always do a double take when he shows up but Five is very meticulous in his art and is actually pretty good. Grace goes with him as well because I say so and they deserve bonding time together

Ben:

I mean he’s kind of dead but let him do things with his siblings as well!!

Like I said earlier, a total movie buff and loves going to see things in theaters. And by movie buff I just mean he sees a lot of movies. Bizarrely into horror movies for how sensitive a kid he always was. He goes to the theater with Klaus for the most part but likes to watch movies with the family as well. Klaus makes him watch every animated movie with him in return for Ben dragging Klaus to watch horror movies.

Probably ends up with a youtube channel?? does movie reviews and game playthroughs whenever Klaus has enough energy to manifest him. Is pretty popular but half his followers are because of the bizarre shit that goes on in the backgrounds of his videos. People figure out Klaus (who is a frequent guest) is The Seance and then Five jumps in to tell them dinner is ready or something and they’re like “wait is that the Seances brother with the portal powers who vanished when he was a teen and still IS a teen” and the fact that ben probably has a username that’s some shit like “bentacles” that klaus set up for him everyone is theorizing that the channel is just. Ghost Ben and Five who are being manifested by the Seance to?? play games?

well. they’re half right.

it certain doesn’t help the rumor mill when Ben makes sarcastic comments about dying or how he can’t get arrested because he’s legally dead and shit like that.

“Yeah sorry I didn’t post yesterday Klaus’s knitting group ended up getting arrested somehow - I was there and I’m still not sure went down - so that’s why I didn’t manifest”

Vanya:

I mean obviously she plays the violin that’s her job. She also teaches Five how to play the violin when he expresses an interest!! She is very touched by the gesture

Swims to keep fit and is a frequent at the pool. Klaus once bugged her to let him come, but it’s really her thing that she just does by herself when she wants to get out of her own brain. She does promise Klaus that they’ll take a family trip to a water park one day though, which he enthusiastically takes her up on.

Attends a book club that she also half-shares with Ben. Ben doesn’t come with to any of the meetings, but she always buys two copies/borrow two copies from the library so that Ben can read along with them and he and Vanya discuss the books before she even goes to any of the meetings. Probably thought there would be more discussion of the books than complaining about their general lives, but keeps going because she lowkey wants an excuse to keep frequenting the bookstore where this cute girl works.

Her and Five steadily are making their way through all the coffee shops in the city (as well as through their menus) in search of the best cup of coffee. It’s just a fun thing they do together that the other siblings occasionally go with as well whenever they have time. Both Five and Vanya have notebooks where they record their ratings based on a variety of factors. Diego calls them pretentious and Klaus always gets the ones which are barely classified as coffee when he goes with (Five steals sips and makes faces but continues to do so)

Grace:

Frequents art museums and galleries! Supports a lot of beginning and local artists by buying their art and has a lot of rotating paintings and prints in the house depending on her mood. She got rid of pretty much like,, all the old painting that Reggie had up except for a few of her favs which she relocates to her new room that Diego put his foot down on giving her

Goes with Five to his art classes at first because, as a minor, he needed an adult to go with him for nudity reasons (it’s a life drawing class man). Grace didn’t expect to actually draw herself but Five insisted because he felt awkward with her just standing there. She prefers abstract styles herself (so many people at this art class have a crush on Grace you have no idea)

(actually goes with Five to most things he’s beginning for himself for at least the first lesson to sign him up as an adult because Five loathes having to ask his siblings)

Commissions someone to come and paint a portrait of the family that’s for them, where none of them are stiff and they’re all happy. She tips the artist fabulously for it and hangs the new family portrait in the place of honor above the mantle where Five’s portrait used to hang (they all destroyed it as a family bonding activity)

Keeps bees on the roof after one of the kids showed her an article about saving the bees. She can’t get stung and genuinely enjoys hanging out up there where she ALSO started a big garden because I say so and Grace deserves to be surrounded by flowers and bumblebees and happiness don’t @ me

#the umbrella academy #tua #yes i know i'm on vacation and shouldn't be posting don't @ me #the hargreeves #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #number five #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #grace hargreeves #i have a lot of feelings #y'all should yell with me about this #i just love thinking about the hargreeves healing and doing things together #it's unsaid but literally all of them are in therapy #that's my condition #i mentioned it in five's post with him getting art therapy #but yeah in all their therapy the people were like why don't you try getting hobbies #or anything that exists outside of your trauma zones #do something new that you can do for yourself #or bond with a sibling over #honestly though i think they do share a lot of their hobbies with each other #like diego grudgingly goes with luther to the observatory and listens to luther ramble #allison and vanya awkwardly show up to watch diego's fights and cheer him on #(allison brings a homemade poster that Klaus helped with and spilled glitter everywhere)#the whole squad shows up for Five's violin/piano recitals #and also help Vanya organize recitals for her students in general #Allison appears on Ben's youtube channel

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earthbovndmisfit · 3 years

Note

I hope this isn't too weird of a message to send, but doesn't it seem like Jonawagon doujinshi are pretty uncommon? I've only seen maybe 3 posted online & I have a copy of a SpeedJona doujin but aside from those I haven't come across any. Is it like a rare pairing or something? I thought they were fairly popular

It isn’t weird at all, anon! All the opposite actually, cause I love getting asks even if i'm not always around or it sometimes takes me a hot minute to get to them gfjhkjh

This is gonna be long and probs gonna have bits that might sound rant-ish to some, but I hope that’s alright! :'D

For starters, sadly, jonawagon/jonaspeed/speedjona or however you call the ship is quite an underrated ship. This has to do partly with the wrong perceptions some folks have built around it and around the characters as well (that them both and the couple itself are the epitome of "purity" and "innocence", sometimes even labelling them as "boring" as a result even though both characters are far from that, that "it could only be a one-sided thing" on Spw's end despite both showing and sharing a certain bond/closeness towards each other -closeness that sometimes Jonathan didn't show towards anyone else-, etc), partly because of the many timeskips in PB and all the scenes the anime cut out and people wrongly assuming that the main events happened in the span of a few days and thus people dropping the ball on the ship/characters when Jonathan and Speedwagon actually knew each other for as long -sometimes even longer- than other more popular characters/ships in jjba did, partly because neither Jonathan or Speedwagon are as popular as other characters in the franchise as a whole, and also partly because, as sad as it is to say this, the ship lacks a LOT of support, especially from it's own fanbase. While jonawagon is a popular and well liked ship overall (in the sense that even general fans who don't care much about shipping, or those who are still on the fence about mlm ships, or those who just don't actively ship jonawagon actually like and support the ship or the idea of it upon seeing the actual dynamics between the characters and their potential and the fact that the ship can actually coexist with jonaeri without altering the characters/making them ooc, nor altering the story and so on), it still lacks a lot of support from it's fans. I often see most other ships/characters get lots of reblogs and exposure from their fans on literally any and all platforms, helping those ships/characters reach new audiences and gaining more popularity and drawing interest from potential new fans, while jonawagon stuff as well as solo Jonathan or Speedwagon stuff usually only get likes and a few reblogs at most from their fans, which is nice and all, but it doesn't give the artists/writers any exposure nor get those works or the ship any farther than that and just keeps them within part of the already existing fanbase at best, which often times makes the artists/content creators lose interest in continuing to create stuff for the ship/characters. This is also why I always strongly ask -almost beg at this point ngl- for people to support the artists/writers/etc via reblogs!! The ship having a bunch of different names also might have an impact on all of this, as it's not always as 'easy' to tag/find contents if you don't know how to tag/search for it. Jonawagon (normally used in the western parts of the fandom), JonaSpeed/SpeedJona (Western version of the ship's most popular names in Japanese: ジョナスピ/スピジョナ or JonaSupi/SupiJona respectively], SpeedStar (a name that became a bit more popular more recently after a mini jonawagon event in 2019), being the most common ones afaik, asides from the standard JonathanxSpeedwagon/SpeedwagonxJonathan ie and others. In short, Jonathan and Speedwagon as well as jonawagon are quite well liked and even popular to an extent, but they lack a massive amount of support from the fans, which also usually translates into artists and content creators for this ship losing interest in continuing to create new material for it and thus end up not making any more contents.

In regards to doujinshi more specifically, I’m a bit disconnected when it comes to Jojo doujinshi in general, but it seems to be a bit like that for most of the non "crazy popular" Jojo ships if you ask me, which is kinda normal considering the massive amount of characters in the whole series. Putting my experience as example, if it helps, I used to collect doujinshi from one of my previous fandoms, which had a shit ton of them for plenty of it’s ships and it was somewhat easy to acquire hard copies of despite it being an “old anime” basically while most Jojo doujinshi (especially anything that is not parts 3, 4 and 5) seems to be a bit hard to come across regardless of the ship(s) in them, even in auction sites or places like pixiv that sell digital copies if the author puts them up on sale, which is understandable since the aforementioned parts are some of the most popular parts in Japan, where most doujinshi is created, and thus take most of the fandom's interest -authors’ and readers’ alike-, as well as the hype for parts like Phantom Blood being long dead (with it being dead/dormant since the original airing of the anime ended in 2013, and it coming back ocassionally whenever there's a 'special' re-airing of PB in Japan or when events such as the Joestar Radio take place), so maybe my parameters on the whole subject are somewhat disproportionate?

This is also gonna sound all boomer-like, but I’ve also noticed, or it seems to me at least (still in comparison to the doujinshi from my previous fandom), that doujinshi books as we knew them aren’t /as/ common nowadays as they used to be a while back. Even the works themselves don’t seem to be much that way either. For example, doujinshi anthologies used to be a big thing a while back and, while they still exist, they don’t seem to be too common anymore (these worked as "promo books" of sorts for all the artists featured and they also helped lesser known/popular artists and ships to get some exposure to newer audiences). Nowadays such thing still exists, and I actually recall seeing a Jonaspeed/Speedjona anthology being made “recently” (recently as in 2019, if I’m not mistaken? it was published and sold during the mini Jonaspeed event they held at a Jojo con in Japan that year), but they aren’t nearly as common as they used to be, since now most artists can post any samples they want (much more reduced tho, cause you normally get a few pages instead of a full mini story) in places like Twitter or Pixiv. And it’s kinda the same with regular doujinshi. Before, most doujinkas had to publish a book in order to get their stuff out and get some exposure, so they were always working on new stories and making new books to sell and promoing their stuff, sometimes one after the other and even creating multi-volume stories in some cases. Now, thanks to how "easy" it is to get some exposure on social media, it’s much more common to see doujinkas for any ships/characters making short stories (1-4 pages, sometimes more) or just 1 page illustrations instead and posting them on their social media every now and then as a promo for their works. They also still make and sell their books (a few jonawagon artists on twitter do, at least), and these short stories/illustrations serve to boost their works instead, which is not a complain at all cause I think it's amazing tbqh! But this also translates into less stories/doujinshi being created as many of these artists often opt for leaving those stories that years ago would have been their own book or a mini story in a book as a prompt or a short story only.

As for actual jonawagon doujinshi, while it is not as common as say pt 3 doujinshi, there is quite a bunch of it. Some date from 2012-2013 (when the PB anime was originally aired), some are much older than that and some others are much more recent (as there are still some active jonawagon doujinkas around). There are also "fanfic books" that are also considered doujinshi and that seem to be a thing sometimes, but these contain little to no art at all and are usually written 100% in Japanese. The problem here is that not many of them have been scanlated/translated yet, sometimes because they aren't easy to find on sale online, sometimes because re-sellers who do have them set high prices for them plus shipping costs, sometimes because the artists/online shops won't sell stuff overseas, sometimes because those who do own doujinshi copies don't always know how to properly share them (since scanning a doujinshi in high or decent quality without destroying the book can be hard af) among other reasons.

All that said, there is a bunch of jonawagon doujinshi that has been scanned and is available online! but it can be tricky to get sometimes due to the different names this ship can go by and because of the "translations" of said names into different languages (as some doujinshi can only be found in Chinese sites, or Russian ones, and so on for example, so it can take some serious time to figure that out and have a successful search).

In all honesty, anon, I'm a dumdum and I had never thought about doing so in a more public manner until now, since I've already shared my entire jonawagon collection (pics, doujins, etc) with friends who have requested it more privately, but I can upload the doujins I have scans of if anyone's interested?? (I’d post the links where I found most of them but since my hd is pretty much dead and I can’t access Windows or my windows/mozilla profile, I’ve p much lost all my old bookmarks). They were only like... 8 last time I checked (9/10 if you count the Japanese and English versions of the "Joestarsaaaaan" one), but it's something :D Just be aware that some of them are nsfw! and that a couple are either part of a book that has stories from other ships in them (I only have the jonawagon parts tho) or contain other ships implied or openly shown in the jonawagon story.

I also have about 4 more, but the scanlator of one of them openly requested for the file to not be reuploaded, so Idk if it'd be alright to share it? (and they also deactivated their blog, so there's no way to ask them for permission). The other 3 are scans a friend sent to me of their own doujinshi copies, so I also don't know if it would be okay for me to post them?? (i haven't seen this friend in over a year so idk gfhgjkjlkñ). 2 of those 3 are nsfw.

#long post #super long actually oof #sorry about that #i tried to make this shorter #i swear #orz #anonymous

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essaycollection99 · 3 years

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why sometimes its ok to creep on your ex 5 years later

why sometimes its ok to creep on your ex 5 years later originally posted on medium.com

21 minutes past midnight. First day of the new year.

I definitely do some of my best writing a little manic. Half asleep. A little high, a little tipsy. It’s always at the edge of something.

Usually I feel guilty for cyber stalking my exes. Tonight is different though. Tonight I felt relieved.

He looks good. Healthy. Alive.

When he dropped out of school and stopped talking to any of us he also scrubbed most of his online presence. For a while some cryptic new song would be released on his bandcamp, and I only learned about it through a burner email address that was signed up for his new releases. One day even that disappeared.

He was the first guy anything ever felt good with, you know?

It was a mess. The whole thing. Every minute of being with him was a messy dance of me being scared to ask for what I wanted. Which was him. Or, more clearly, which was him to leave his girlfriend and give us a shot. For me to actually trust him (and myself) enough to say fuck it, it’s worth it, even if it crashes and burns. If it crashed and burned at least that meant it had gotten off the ground.

I thought I was playing it safe by living in the inbetweens and taking whatever I was given.

I said I was too busy. I became busy with my ex who wasn’t really giving me the time of day.

I said it didn’t matter to me. That I was edgy. That I wanted open. That I was 21 and he was 19 and we could do whatever we wanted without really talking about what we were doing or what we wanted. It crashed and burned even without us ever defining what we were doing.

That was five years ago.

Besides being really hard to search for online, the other reason I never really searched was because I was worried what I would find. When I was (metaphorically) still bruised and bloodied from the aftermath of things, still completely broken and depressed to the fact that his last text of “I’m not going anywhere, so don’t miss me this summer” turned into him not talking to me or our other best friend at all. Oh, and his open relationship was actually closed, his girlfriend was in classes with me that next semester and hated my guts, and I apparently wasn’t as cool about being the other woman that I originally thought I was. I was a senior and supposed to be prepping for a BFA but all I could do was fixate on how miserable I was and didn’t know who I was anymore because of my actions that spring. As all of this was going on, he stopped showing up to classes, and there was a rumor that he was in the hospital for alcohol poisoning. I still remember calling the list of local hospitals asking about him, and then rushing to my job at the library. I was late. Eyes still red, my ex came in with no books to return or check out, presumably just to kill time by talking with me until his rehearsal started. He asked what was wrong and I told him I was worried for my friend Chris’s life.

My ex didn’t really know about Chris and I, but I think he knew enough. He knew that Chris and I were close, but he was the one friend that I didn’t talk to him about. That was enough for him to know.

I think my ex told me that he was really sorry, and that he hoped that Chris would be ok. I couldn’t really respond because I had started to hold back tears. I cried a lot that year on the job; huge thanks to my unlabeled anxiety and everything that comes with fooling around with classmates in a very small art school. With only 7 majors we had just under 900 students in all. Shit got around fast. My ex wordlessly moved away from the check in / check out library counter and towards the gate. He started to open it and I got up instead. He was always trying to come behind to the staff only side of things. He wrapped me in the biggest most protective hug and amidst everything I felt safe again.

A lot of times I forget about why so much time in college was spent with him, and then I remember the small moments like this, and remember he wasn’t all douchebag. He knew what to do, and my anxiety always stopped in his arms.

My good (and albeit overprotective) friend of ours walked by and gave us a look, she had rehearsal with my ex in 15 minuets (like I said, the school was small, we knew everyone’s business). All he said was “Lani’s friend is in the hospital right now.” Which prompted our friend to give me a hug too.

Googling Chris years later and I was worried that I’d find the worst news online. Sure, our other best friend used to see him in a blue moon working at a vape shop, or maybe it was talking to someone who worked at a vape shop that Chris would go to. Or running into his ex girlfriend at a party (apparently they only broke up finally once Chris turned 21 and could buy for himself).

Sure, I can still remember it all, what he smells like, what it felt like to have his hands on my hip absently during a movie night, can still think of the way he said “wow” when I undressed for him in an empty classroom. But, years later am I allowed to be worried about him? He was an alcoholic at a young age, and I knew stories from before I met him. I knew stories about him from after he stopped talking to us. I was so worried about what would happen.

Do I even need to say it? Surely you’ve read enough of my work to know how my dad turned out. You just read how Chris ended up with alcohol poisoning. I was worried about the worst. Maybe that’s why I never did a real good job at finding him online, when I would boredly look for his scrubbed online footprint.

I want to make happy art. I’ve been making abstract art for almost 2 years now. But, I still want to capture those flutterflies you feel when a boy shouts across the parking lot “you’re back!” and runs towards you. When he kisses you in the elevator on the way to your class, but then has to run down two flights of stairs so he gets to his class on time. I want those feelings in art because they don’t come naturally to me. One of the simplest feelings of happy was when I was with Chris. I have most of that time recorded in a small red notebook, and so I re read it. Lay in bed and skimmed, looking for his name. Reading and smiling, remembering I really did try. Sure, it was a mess (see: beginning of this essay) but it was pretty damn sweet as well. I wrote in my journal about a day that he was particularly nihilistic, distinctly hard to read, specifically very very high. It was his mother’s birthday.

His mother.

Sure, he might have scrubbed his social media footprint, but it’s really hard to get parents off of facebook. Even more so, it’s hard for them to not post photos of you on it, even if you are a grown ass adult.

I had never thought to look up his mother.

It almost felt stupid afterwards, the fact that I had never done that.

His smile is still the same.

He’s 25 now. In my head I’m me still, but I’m picturing him as the 19 year old kid taking dab bong hits with our best friend and than coming into the corner of the kitchen to kiss me without anyone noticing. Rail thin from never “remembering” to eat, soft lipped, shy smile, sad eyes, 19 year old (soon to be) college drop out.

I close my eyes and can still see him, shouting at me from across the street “you’ve got bows in your hair!” The naturally bleach blonde hair and pastel colors he wore, the urgent way he kissed me in the video editing room as I waited for my mentor to show.

His hair isn't blonde now, it’s strawberry blonde, the hint of ginger.

He seems taller now.

He attended his sister’s wedding.

He looks good. Alive. Healthy. Sober.

His face has filled out. I pull up photos of me from when we knew each other, and photos of me now, do I look that much changed as well? It was hard to eat in college for me too, I think I’m a little less thin now. I feel more me. I wonder if he feels the same. My hair is pink now, though when I look at my old hair I now see thick light caramel hair instead of the stringy dirty brown I always felt it was. I know now which parts of my body I want to accentuate and how.

Oh god, his smile. It’s still the same. It melts me.

He looks happy. He looks happy on his mothers facebook page- his mother who he was so angry at so long ago. It all feels surreal. I’m back in the library all over again, but this time, instead of being worried, I get good news. That my ex is right, things will be ok.

I usually feel guilty when I cyber stalk exes. Foolish for wanting to see what they’re up to without me. Silly for caring so much years later, after so much absence. But for Chris, I just felt relief.

His mother writes “I am so proud of my compassionate son Chris, love you to the moon and back” on a close up photo uploaded two months ago. The 19 year old angry, nihilistic, fuck-the-world-including-my-mother-because-I-refuse-to-call-her-back-even-if-it’s-her-birthday, would have hated that post. I held his hand and listened to him rant that day. Watched him let go of my hand and kick rocks into the Bay, upset at him mom for reasons that didn’t make sense to me.

“I’m not a good guy.” He would tell me between soft, feather like kisses (trying to get my sensitive skin not to go red between classes, but it’d happen anyways). “I have really bad days. I don’t talk to anyone on Wednesdays. No matter how much I like them.”

I never believed him. Tried to tell him how special he was. How talented. How wonderful he was. How things would work out for him.

I was right.

#ex #short essay #autobiographical essay #college stories #new year

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etraytin · 4 years

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Quarantine, Day 49

One more note on the weird time theme of yesterday; today I got an Amazon Question in my email from somebody wanting to know about a camcorder I bought twelve years ago. (It is obviously hella discontinued, but there are apparently a few third party sellers still.) For those of you who were not paying attention to camera technology in 2008, phone cameras were basically still bullshit unless you were willing to shell out a couple month's rent for your camera, which I was not. I had a flip phone until 2014, I shit you not. So phone cameras were not as much of a thing, but you could buy little pocket video cameras that ran on AA batteries and were about the size of an Iphone 5, but a little thicker. They had an internal memory of maybe an hour, and a USB port that popped out like a switchblade so you could upload it to your computer. They were, honestly, pretty cool in a dorky sort of way. I used that camera for early pictures of the kiddo, along with a tiny handheld camcorder-shaped camcorder that could do things like "let me see what I was recording even outdoors." It's long gone, of course, which is why it was so funny to see that question pop up today, someone apparently legitimately wondering about the focal length of a crappy little camera from another lifetime. I hope somebody actually knows the answer.

The kittens are doing well today and I was able to secure some more formula for them. I am very excited because Amazon informs me that people have bought formula from my wish list and it is on the way (<3<3<3) but kitten formula is apparently not essential enough to make the journey very quickly. Luckily I now have enough for at least another three or four days. They’re eating a lot and gaining quite a bit of weight, so it’s worth being patient.

I am, however, quickly losing patience with the vet tech at my rescue. Vet tech school doesn't actually include very much information about raising orphan kittens, by and large, and she has picked up some extremely...nonstandard... ideas about the state of the art. I don't claim to be an expert myself, but I've been doing it for a number of years now with pretty good success, and I have done a lot of reading, consulted with a lot of incredibly experienced people, and attended official training given by reputable agencies. What I'm trying to say is that my kitten-raising strategies are not uninformed and I didn't just make them up in my head, and getting constantly bitched out over them by text message got old about three litters ago. I probably could not have saved my littlest kitten this time even if the tech hadn't insisted that I not use Pedialyte even though it was recommended by the kitten raising experts that our own rescue brought in to teach us how to raise kittens, but I don't think not using it helped at all. And when I want to switch to a formula that literally everyone I speak to says is either superior to or at least equal to the kind we are already using, it is not appropriate to bite my head off and say that veterinarians don't approve of it because it causes vomiting and diarrhea, so I'd better stop using it quicklike. I devoted quite a bit of time today to looking for _any_ evidence of that opinion online, searching for articles online, reading product reviews, and asking other fosters. Nada.

I do my very best to be polite, and sometimes the tech can be very helpful, but too often it is this bullshit and I have trouble coping with it when usually I'm operating on way too little sleep already. The trouble is, the tech has a large amount of power over policy at the rescue, and not doing what she says could get me in trouble. Honestly, at this point I am losing interest in complying anyway. What are they going to do, take my kittens away when they are finally healthy and growing? And there are other rescues out there, and they always need bottlefeeders. It just sucks because other than that I really, really like my rescue and I do not want to leave. Ugh. At least with healthy kittens, I need to consult a lot less often.

Anyway, enough of my personal cat lady drama. The kittens are doing really well and are incredibly fluffy, and that is the important part! Now that Jackie is no longer so far down she can barely swallow, I can keep her clean much more easily and she is starting to rival Rosa for adorable soft squishableness. I am, however, increasingly willing to bet that they are not actually siblings and Rosa is several days to a week older. She's just so much bigger, and has more teeth! It's okay, they still love each other. Also, letting the kiddo cuddle with them or read to them or supervise their playtime is a good little motivating tool to help him power through his schoolwork. Double bonus!

The big, big,big grocery order came in today, and it was indeed large. I now have two boxes of staple foods to tuck away for hurricanes and/or societal difficulties, plus several cans of mackerel for trapping wily feral cats! Feral cats love mackerel, it just smells soooo bad. I decided that if I was going to lay in some extra meat, it was mostly going to be sausage and bacon, because that's the sort of meat where a little bit goes a long way in terms of enriching the flavor of a meal. I got some ground turkey and beef, but I also have textured vegetable protein in the pantry to stretch it for things like spaghetti sauce, tacos, and chili. And I scored two ultra-rare bags of 15 bean soup mix, so I can use my other hambone! You guys don't even understand how much I love ham and bean soup, or how exciting this is. The weird thing is, two weeks ago when I made my last pickup order, the pickup area was packed solid with cars, and cars were even waiting to get into the spots. Today, I was literally the only car there when my food came out. The parking lot was packed, it's just that everyone was shopping inside. Not a great sign.

Definitely the most fun I had today was playing with the excellent West Wing gifset that @donnajosh made of Josh and Sam. Watching their faces made me laugh very hard, and I had to caption it. It was a whole face journey, made by two guys who would absolutely follow the Delta shuttle all the way to Indianapolis if they were not stopped. Too funny! Thank god for people on the internet, just being there and doing stuff and making all of this feel less lonely.

#quarantine #i also got my very own big bag of reese's pieces #i'm very pleased

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courtneyyharper · 4 years

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Depopin’

Hello folks, another day in the life of lockdown and another article to fill up “five” minutes of your time. One way I’ve been spending my time is spending some more time on my Depop account and just thought I’d share my knowledge (what little I have) with you all.

I’ve personally been using Depop for close to two years now and genuinely when I first started I thought nothing would come of it. Then one day I randomly sold my denim jacket for nearly as much as I had bought it for originally. From then it’s been a steady process of learning the ropes and although I am by no means a professional at this or making an income I do enjoy it. There are ways to make a brand out of this with wholesale goods and making your own goods etc. but these are just tips for anyone like me just trying to make a little extra money, save some money and be more sustainable even with fast-fashion.

So, I’m going to talk you through what to do before you start selling, how to sell and ship and even how to pick up a bargain for yourself…

Before you start…

Okays, I’m not going to go through the actual making of the account. I’m pretty sure you guys have got that covered. Make your password secure and stuff.

On to finding stuff to sell. My most popular items have always been going out dresses as they’re usually my higher branded clothing, such as Oh Polly etc. You can post almost any type of clothing but the more interesting the more likely it is to sell. Anything you do choose however should be in good condition and something you’d be happy with purchasing yourself. The best-selling items are usually brand new or in close to perfect condition. Every once in a while I like to do a clear out of things in my wardrobe I haven’t worn in a while and although it is up to you what you sell and of course there is an audience for everything I personally try and be realistic about what I can sell and what needs donated/binned.

Next you must be willing to ship the things that are purchased (this is something I struggled a lot with at the start as I learned the best process). I’ll talk more about shipping later but first you need the supplies. There’s nothing worse than receiving a Depop parcel in a taped together plastic carrier bag with your address scribbled on it. My top tip out of this whole article is to purchase some packaging.

Packaging bags can be surprisingly pricey at the post office or in office supply stores so what I first did was buy packs of them for £1 in stores such as Poundworld and Home Bargains which works out at only a few pence per parcel. Even better still if this becomes something you really get into a groove off you can buy wholesale packs of 100 on Amazon and eBay etc in colours. Little things like this can mean a lot to your customer and will actually end up saving you money in the long run.

Now you have the items you’re going to sell and your packaging to do so!

Taking your photos…

Honestly, this is kind of the entire key to selling. If your product looks good, then people will want it. There are three types of photos I like to use:

Website photos:

These ones are usually best if you have no photos in this clothing or would prefer to not be in the photos. They’re the easiest to put up on short notice. You just screenshot the photos from the website where you purchased them. The only problem with this is that some people prefer to see what the clothes look like in real life (I know I do if I’m on the fence) and will most likely ask you to provide a photo which is just effort later. Usually if I’m using these photos, I provide them in addition with some of my own photos or disclose I’m using this because the clothing does not fit so I can’t try it on, hence why I’m selling.

My own photos:

Sometimes I get lucky and I have a nice Instagram picture in the dress or top or whatever it may be but sometimes I have to set aside time to try on and photograph the clothes. When I do this, I like to do it as though it were going to be uploaded for Instagram. If you have someone to take photos of you in them than great but mirror selfies are also grand if you can do them right. That means having good lighting, so that the clothes are highly visible. I try and take them in bright day light, in a clean mirror and with a clean background. No one wants to see your laundry in the background or those water bottles that haven’t moved from your room in two months that we’re all guilty of.

Flatlay:

If you’re not overly comfortable or confident with being in the photo, then you can still take good photos of the product without wearing it. Always make sure your clothing or shoes or jewellery or whatever it is you’re selling is laid out freshly. It really goes without saying but all clothing should be clean and without wrinkles if possible. You can hang them up on a wall or lay them on a clean background on the floor. For this I like using a white wall or a clean block colour blanket, but everyone has their own style when it comes to this. Maybe even add some plant props or other things to spice up your photo but remember to make the product the focus of the photo.

Videos are also an option on Depop but it must be over 5 seconds long and I only like using this for sparkly or metallic items etc to show the real affect in person.

Although this isn’t always the case but when I really organise my page I like my account to look like an Instagram feed itself. It’s not necessary but it can really draw people to your page if they’re just clicking on for a browse.

When taking your photos always get a photo of the front, the back, any close-up details and of course if there is any marks etc on the item you should always show in a photo. You can only post four photos total so try and give people a good idea of what the item really looks like.

Description:

Next you need to describe what you’re selling. All the words you include will make it easier for people to search and find your items.

You should mention what exactly you’re selling along with brand, size, colour and anything else people need to know.

Always mention what condition the product is such as: 10/10, perfect condition, BNWT (Brand new with tags)

Even mention why you’re selling it: no longer fits, doesn’t suit me, ordered 2 sizes, didn’t return in time etc. Especially mention if it is not in perfect condition: small mark on right sleeve but barely noticeable (see photo 4)

#tags: You also have the options to add hashtags to your description to make is easier to find but you don’t need the hashtag to make it searchable. If I mention the brand it will come up in search when people search for the brand name, even without the hashtag.

Although against Depop regulations (so I’m not recommending) if there were to be other keywords (popular and similar brand names to what you’re posting for example) then your post may reach a wider audience…

Everyone has different layouts for their description but here is an example of one I would do:

Oh Polly LOVE ME KNOT dress

Ruched long sleeve bodycon dress in Oyster White

Size 10 (small fitting would fit an 8 also)

Thick good quality material

Bought on Depop and worn once by me

Great condition just won’t wear again

RRP 38 SOLD OUT ONLINE

#nightout #party #ruched

Then simply fill out the information it asks you for again, brand, size, price and shipping price too! (This is separate from price).

Pricing:

People don’t want to be buying things close to full price unless it’s brand new and you have the last available one to buy anywhere. If demand for your product isn’t high, then you’re going to have to be reasonable with pricing. You must remember (unless you’re handmaking your own clothes etc) that you’re not a retailer and people are looking for a bargain. However, every item is different so I can’t really give you a baseline price for items. The best way to learn where to ballpark your pricing is search for other items similar to yours and see what everyone else is pricing them for and if they’re selling well. I usually try and price things around 60-70% of what I paid and over time drop the price if there’s no movement.

You must remember websites are usually running offers on their own items. For example, I had one dress up recently and was getting a lot of messages as I was selling it for half the original price. Recently I had no questions about it at all and while writing this I realised the retailer had it on sale for lower than even that. Pricing can fluctuate daily and sometimes you must wait it out and/or concede to lowering the price.

Reposting:

If your item has been up for a few weeks and still hasn’t been purchased I usually go in and edit my item. Maybe switch the photos around, update the price and description a bit and post it again. This way people see something different and it gets put back to the top of people’s search.

Shipping:

This is the bit my friends ask me about most when Depop is mentioned. It’s also the most effort.

I’ve tried to get into a routine so as soon as someone purchases an item, I like to package it up straight away. Fold the item neatly and put it in its packaging. Make sure the address is correct. It’s always best to direct message the buyer and thank them for the purchase and assure them when you will get it shipped. Communication is key for good feedback later and although not necessary, I usually include a little thank you note in some funky way (at Christmas I sent Christmas cards and lately I’ve been using felt unicorn shapes I picked up in the arts and craft bit of the pound shop).

Now as soon as possible, you usually have about 5-7 days after purchase, take it to the post office. All you have to do is take it to the window where they will most likely ask you to set it on the scales for weighing and do the work for you. Once you’ve done all this once it’s a breeze.

Packaging costs me £3 a parcel (this is for second class, under 2kg, less than £20 value, unsigned and untracked which is pretty standard). However, for safety and for the first few sales I’d spend the extra and send it tracked. This way no one can claim they didn’t receive a parcel.

Top tip: if you’re sending a small package like a single t-shirt, then package it flatly. Sometimes they can fit it through the letter stencil, and you can ship for large letter prices which is cheaper than parcel prices, but this is also up to the cashier’s discretion so don’t count on it.

All current pricing can be found online too! You can print labels here and pay online to save going to the window, but I find it easier in person.

Make sure to get your proof of postage receipt and keep it! I always like to post a photo of this to let them know their item has been shipped and remember to update the shipping status too. Plus, you’ll need it if there’s any problems later.

Feedback:

Remember to leave your buyers honest feedback and hope they leave you one in return. The more positive reviews you have them more people will see you as a trusted seller later.

DMs:

Always try and click on to the app a few times a day and respond to any mails as soon as possible. Usually if you wait a day to respond they’ve already found something else instead.

Likewise, if people like your item feel free to shoot them a message: Hey, are you interested in [insert item]? If you have any questions just let me know! [insert friendly emoji]

Remember it’s all about interaction! Followers and following on Depop mean next to nothing. People use the search bar much more frequently than their timeline.

The Realities of Making Money!

Some weeks I’ll sell nothing on Depop and usually there’s more of these weeks than not but other times I’ll sell a formal dress, a few going out dresses, a jumper and make about £100. Although these weeks are far and few between you have got to persevere.

You should always remember when pricing items that Depop take a 10% fee and Paypal 2.9% after you’ve sold something (it costs nothing to list an item!) and account for this when pricing your items but also remember that people probably won’t want to pay £5 + shipping for a plain black t-shirt from New Look. Honestly, I rarely notice the fee being taken out especially if it is for clothes that I would otherwise just pack away under my bed for years.

Another thing to remember is that even when the money is deposited into your Paypal account you’re more than likely still going to have shipping to pay and packaging costs, so you need to set this aside also.

Buying:

So, when I’m looking for something specific online or find a nice dress that I’m thinking of purchasing then I like to do a quick search for it on Depop. I search the website name for the item (Oh Polly Love Me Knot Dress) and the size I’m interested in. If I find what I’m looking for I like to message the seller with any questions and if it is available. It’s always worth asking (politely!!) if they would consider selling it at a negotiated price or even with free shipping but always be reasonable. I can’t count the times people have asked if I’d sell them dresses that I had listed for £20 for a fiver with free shipping. There’s nothing more irritating. The nicer you are the more responsive they’ll be and want to reply.

I also like to save or like items and come back to them later, as a sort of wish list if I’m browsing. If nothing else the app is always good for getting ideas for future outfits much like a mood board.

In the case anything goes wrong…

Always buy through the Depop app and Paypal! Every once and a while sellers will ask you to pay them through friends and family on Paypal to avoid Depop fees but if you do this you have no way to claim back your money if the item doesn’t arrive. If an item does not arrive to you or someone claims they do not receive yours then this must go through the Paypal dispute system. If your claim is legit then you can easily get your money back so no need to worry and if someone makes the claim against you all you need is your proof of postage (but preferably a tracking number for 100% safety) and you can refute the claim.

With Paypal you’re always protected which is what makes Depop so great to use!

This was a long-winded way of explaining my personal process of Depop and has made it look even more complicated than it really is. Everyone has their own vibe how to Depop so don’t think you have to stick to this.

I love using the app to save money and even when purchasing items like formal dresses that I know I’ll only wear once I can usually find the one I want for a bargain or if I can’t I don’t feel too bad about paying full price because I know I can get some money back for it when I resell it. At least that’s what I tell myself…

Okays, that’s all I have for you today… Happy Depoping!

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snepep · 4 years

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The World and Me

a spoken poetry piece

Ding ding ding I’ve got a notification Notification that defines me 5 react buttons determines how I feel I’m funny, when you react haha to my post I failed my test Show me your concern,react sad Take my side! Angry react Amazed at the words flowing through the corners of my mouth? React wow

Scroll up, scroll down, scroll up, scroll down, like, like, like Is this who I want to be like? Comment down below for suggestions, make sure to hit the thumbs up and subscribe

Share. Share the love, share the joy, share the fun, 100 thousand followers with no one to share the moments contained in albums of photos with no one to tag but myself and two other accounts

I have friends don’t judge me stop judging stop commenting I have friends, we even have mutual friends 150 to exact, some I met personally and some by luck. I can be friends with anyone; with her, with him, and even you,. Can i be friends with you? can I?can I? Can I be friends with you?Please accept this friend request I promise to like all your posts

Never mind I already have a friend Facebook is my friend My friend asks me whats on my mind every single day and even greats me every year on my birthday

Technology made me a slave Wave, Wave, wave why aren’t you waving back Save, save me from this dark abyss of the online world all these hearts just hurts telling me no one will completely love me back If I don’t wave back If I don’t change the nicknames and colors black is not enough I have to be approachable enough upload a story about my day every day and every hour every minute every second Everybody needs to know I have a phone And I just got home #jgh #justlove #art #photography #me myself and I

I, I need a new Identity. Iphone, Ipad, Ipod, every machine that keeps the doctor away I need it everyday

Tinder?Maybe this is where I meet my forever How do you even know if you are meant to be lovers? What is the world in 2019? Questions only google can answer

The world in 2019 has twitter Full of tweeting birds that are bitter Kids with broken hearts who still have a baby sitter I am not really sure if the future is better

The world in 2019 has instagram Ironic how intagram shows everything but the extra grams Many satisfying videos with so many unsatisfied people Some use it to shop while others to post photoshopped

Actually, even though I’m young, I feel left out by this genaration,Full of expectations Honestly, I feel old seeing the next batch of what they call future, because of culture, that will soon be a failure

If, if we don’t take off our blindfolds and see We are not in birdbox to be, blinded by the folds modernization gave

Hear me out from north to south With all the time that’s gone A 60’s baby born in 2001 Would probably understand

How old I feel when I see 8 year olds Chatting with their phones When I was that age I was watching ice age and happy screaming when I saw the sorbetero who has ice scream on cones

We are not prisoners but wear our uniform of sunflowers and stripes Matched with a belted high-waisted pants To be an object of femininity Everyone needs to see that I am their type I am typing a long message to tell you ily Technology connects me to the new people I meet But disconnects Connection I’ve lost connection to those sitting right beside me

If this who I am in 2019 it’s up to you if you follow me I am (name) and now this is who I choose to be Not the person you would like me to be Not the one worthy of sharing But a human being This is the world and me

*shoutout to bowling green organization thank you for this opportunity* *I performed this in my school for a spoken poetry competition in 2019 with the theme of the same title*

#poetry #spokenword #spoken poem #spoken poetry #young poets #technology #generation z #oldsoul #inspire #teen #young adult #change #love #life #instagram #twitter #tinder #facebook #share

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littlefearsdoodles · 5 years

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Income avenues for bloggers, writers, artists and other creatives

Jordan tweeted me today asking for some advice for a comic creator. I came back with a few suggestions, but one thing sticks in my head whenever creators, bloggers, writers, artists and even photographers ask me for advice. Aim to have multiple revenue streams.

The problem with having one revenue stream is if it ever collapses, you have nothing to fall back on. In addition to that, a single revenue stream is often limited. Even if you make it big time, how many t-shirts do you think you can sell per month? There are common-sense limits here.

So, in this post, I aim to give you some ideas on how I make a living from different revenue streams.

Print on Demand. The obvious starter. Tees, posters and phone cases on Society6, RedBubble and Threadless.

Books. Self-publishing is easier than ever. Try KDP, Smashwords or CreateSpace. Got a comic? Try Comixology.

Affiliate links. I know some people invest heavily in affiliate links, time and advertising wise and see a good return. I see maybe £20 a month from Amazon book links and Skillshare premium sign-ups. Though it doesn’t help I give everything away free, so, a pinch of salt.

Teach. Practice making videos, upload them to YouTube or Vimeo. See how you feel about them. Then get onto Udemy or Linda and start teaching properly and earning from your classes.

Stock images. Urgh, pennies. The pay for stock images is piss poor now Unsplash and Pixabay exist, but, there’s still a demand. Try Shutterstock.

Online product sales. Etsy for Americans, Folksy for the Brits. Make stuff, sell it online.

Digital products. Although Etsy sells digital products, check out Creative Market for selling your graphic designs and photograph packs.

Patreon and Ko-Fi. Ko-Fi is nice to have. People can tip you $3 at a time for your work. Patreon is also awesome. But if you want to earn from Patreon, you need to make it the main platform for your content.

Spec work. This shit is hard. I tried it, I hated it, I left it. But I know some people earn a living from Design Crowd, 99U and Fiverr.

Sponsored posts. Got a social network account or blog? Check out websites like Buzzoole, TBP or Brandbacker.

Write articles for websites. Every major website that takes submissions will have a submissions button at the bottom of the page. Keep an eye out for them.

Paper and digital magazines. Earning a living entirely on the net is hard as feck. So take it to real life. Photos, comic strips and articles required. Even if you’re a gardening blogger. Don’t just look at major magazines. Check out the little local circulars, too.

Freelance work in the real world. Photographers, ask car dealerships if they need a hand with their photos. Writers, they may want you to write something for their catalogues or websites. Artists, ask them if they want a poster designed. Visit your local businesses. Someone will need you for something.

Real-life teaching. Teach your skills in real life. One on one tutoring pays well. Ask your local craft shop if they’d like you to teach customers in-store how to use spinning wheels for a day.

Shows and exhibitions. Either get a stall to sell your wares or speak to event organisers and find out if they need someone. Photographers for event photos. Writers offer a write up of the event. Spinners, you’ll need the spinning wheel again and do some demonstrations.

Shows and exhibitions (part 2). Got a service to offer vendors? Beauty blogger visiting Afro Live or Hair? Visit first thing in the morning. Make sure to say hello to everyone on every stand and that every brand there has a copy of your media kit. Again, photographers, writers, artists, visit these events. Hundreds of potential clients in one place. Make sure they all know who you are, and what you can offer them.

Market stalls. Got a local Sunday market? I make more in a day at one these than I do in a month on Etsy. Sell prints of your photos, art, comics and books.

Phew, OK, obviously there are hundreds of ways of earning a living doing what you love. You are not just a writer, condemned to writing your blog and hoping for a book deal. Or an artist who can only draw comics and sell tees. You’re a creative. Get creative with your incomes.

If you have any other ways of earning as a creative, leave a comment below and help a fellow creator out.

Speaking for myself, I can’t earn a living entirely online. I need to get out into the real world to earn a living and I need to take incomes from different directions. It’s hard work. Certainly harder than a 9 to 5 and longer hours. For those that knew me a pre-Fears, you know how big that statement is from me. But I get to pay the bills doing work I’m always psyched about. That’s always a great thing.

Do you know what else is a great thing? This segue into all the great ways you can support me if you love this post and my daily stories.

Check out my tees on Threadless. You can buy me a cuppa over on Ko-Fi. Want to support me monthly? Hit me up on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. I also have an Etsy store and a book series on Amazon.

As always, shout out and thanks to my $10 Patrons, whose support helps me bring you daily tales of groan-inducing terror. Bruce, Badger, Kathy & Warren.

Cheers, gang.

#blog #writing

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moneywitcher · 4 years

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How to Make Money as an Artist (24 Ways in 2020)

If you are an artist struggling to make money, then this article is for you. I will be showing you 24 different ways how you can make money as an artist, without paying anyone anything. I wrote this article from my own research experience and knowledge in how to make money as an artist.

MAKE MONEY AS AN ARTIST online

So, for those of you who are a little bit skeptical about making money online as an artist read till the end. Because I'll be telling you how to use online platforms to make money in real life & physically face to face.

1. SELL original artworks on Saatchi Art.

So if you have a lot of artworks then take good pictures, upload on Saatchi art. Why Sell on Saatchi Art? Artists Represented in 100+ CountriesWorks Sold to Collectors in 80+ Countries12M+ Monthly Page Views1.6M+ Monthly Visits1.1M+ Social FollowersPrinted Catalogs Sent to 1M+ Households18 International Shows & Fairs Annually Reaching 150K People You create a free account (again free) you don't pay anyone anything. Once they approve your account you'll be able to sell your works there. Every month there are more than 1.6 million monthly visits to Saatchi art. I'm pretty sure you can acquire some of the traffic to your page and sell your works. For each work so they take 35% commission. It might sound like a lot but is not too much considering that a real gallery would take 50% at least as a commission. Also they arranged the pickup. Once the work is sold you put it in a box and the logistic company of Saatchi art will come to your studio to pick up the work and send it to the collector. So for 35% Commission they arrange not only the traffic but also the pickup is a fair deal. 7 HIGH PAYING WORK AT HOME JOBS THAT PAY OVER $100 DAY OR MORE!

2. sell original artworks on Art Finder.

When you join Art Finder, you join the art marketplace: a friendlier, fairer world for independent artists. Why you should join Art Finder: Reach a global audience of more than 500,000 art loversTake control of your store, your pricing and listings and get performance stats and insightsJoin an international community of independent artists and receive exclusive benefits, including partner discounts and access to our artist forumSecure, fast and fair payments: Art Finder takes commission on artwork sales only (much lower than bricks and mortar galleries)Dedicated support and tools to help you build your career* They take 33% or 40% commission depending on the seller plan you have subscribed. It's very similar to Saatchi art but Art Finder has a slightly different clientele. I would say it's a younger, more lively also more affordable art collector. So if your art is watercolor, smaller size then maybe it's better to sell on Art Finder than Saatchi Art. It's your choice. 7 BEST PASSIVE INCOME IDEAS ONLINE IN 2020 (THAT EARN $1000 PER MONTH OR MORE!)

3. selling Art on society6.

Society6 will pay you 10% as artists royalty. Why Sell on Society6? Showcase Your Artwork: Whether art is your main focus or your side hustle, we offer you the opportunity to exercise yourself creatively and showcase your work on an ever-expanding range of products.Variety of Products: We offer a best-in-class array of wall art, home decor, furniture, apparel and lifestyle products for you to enable; and our dedicated merchandisers are always looking for new and high-quality products to add to your shop.Focus on What Matters: Wherever you are in the world, we have a team of experts that will fulfill, print, ship, market and handle customer service—all for you so you can get back to creating.Find Your People: We attract millions of diverse, art-focused customers from across the world looking to discover new artists and add unique designs to their everyday. You don't need to do anything. Once you hit the button upload and sold your artwork. They will print your artwork and ship them to buyers. All you need to do is wait for the money to you. 10% passive income is not so bad considering that you don't need to do anything. FASTEST WAY TO MAKE $5,000 AS A COMPLETE COPYWRITING BEGINNER

4. selling art on Red Bubble.

Red Bubble is the biggest rival it's the biggest competitor to Society6. And they are very very similar. However Red Bubble gives you 20% payout with some modifications, depending on different scenarios but 20% is better than 10%. If you would like to get more money possible out of the royalty so Red Bubble maybe is a better choice for you

5. selling commission works on Facebook.

Perhaps you know Facebook You can sell on marketplaces you can sell secondhand, new things or artworks or whatnot. However maybe you have not tried the groups you can join the niche groups or local groups such as the digital artist group, the oil painting group, the landscape group, there's so many groups you can join. Then you just share your artworks within the group, so that people can tell you how much they love your work. Some customers might be getting in touch with you directly on Facebook for commissioned pieces. I know some artists who are making a full-time living from selling commissioned pieces on Facebook within the groups. And in the future you can charge 'Libra', which is the currency of Facebook. So keep your eyes open maybe one day you'll be making a lot of Libras on Facebook.

6. asking for monthly donation on Patreon.

You can ask for a monthly donation from your followers on social media to ask them to pledge 1 to 5 to 50 dollars every month. So you can support yourself as an artist and meanwhile you can give back to your community. Some exclusive content or you don't have to give anything if you don't want. But you just have to find ways to retain them so you can have monthly patrons to give you.

7. asking for one soft donation on Kickstarter.

There are many website like Kickstarter, like IndieGoGo, GoFundMe. If you have an interesting project that would require a lot of funding that you don't have, you can ask our Kickstarter. For example if you are a photographer you want to go to Antarctic to create a photo album. You can say you're going to launch this project you need $50,000 and for each donor you can give like art print or photo album. Whatever that you think is appropriate for the different tiers and then attract them to give you a donation. The thing is you must fulfill the project if you don't carry out, you'll face serious problems not legally but with your reputation as an artist. So make sure that you will carry out the project and see it through.

8. selling online courses on Skillshares.

I'm talking about online courses I'm not talking about your online courses. You can sell other people's online courses. And each new subscription you refer to you will get $10 commission from Skillshares. Of course you can also launch your own courses on Skillshares and receive a portion of the profit on Skillshares. But it's depending on how many minutes people watch your courses and it's really hard to predict. I cannot tell you how much you will be making, but what I can tell you for sure is for each new student they give you 10 bucks.

9. selling more courses on Udemy.

Udemy is the largest online II course platform they have over 30 million students around the world. Udemy is more like the marketplace for everything. but Skillshares is slightly more towards the art and craft skills. So Udemy is bigger but it's not as niche. You have to see if there are existing courses that you want to launch to see you the level of competition. If Udemy got you a student you get 50% that means the 50% is the commission. If a student purchases your course with a coupon code that you provide then you get 97% that is to say you only pay 3% commission to Udemy as the service. So it's really minimal that they ask if you have a lot of potential students who want to study with you Udemy's better than Skillshares because you get paid 97% it's a really good deal.

10. tutoring online using Preply.

Preply is an online educational platform that pairs students with private tutors on the internet using video chat. So you don't really see the students, but is a real-time face-to-face online tutoring. If you enjoy talking to other people on the Internet instead of facing a computer like on camera then Preply is a better choice for you. They take a 100% commission on the first course of the first time student and after that they will take 18% to 33% depending on how many hours you teach. And how many students you have, the more student you have the less commission you pay with Preply.

11. licensing your illustration on iStockphoto.

I have used iStockphoto before and I thought it was only for photos. but now there is a special section for illustration. If you'd like to license your illustration at iStockphoto you will receive a small artist royalty for each download. And the good thing is if they use your artwork they mention your name and the fact is they pay you to promote your work, I would say it's one stone two birds. You get the money and you get the exposure that you always wanted.

12. applying for artist residency with stipends on ResArtis.

This is a bit of controversy personally I don't like this idea that you will apply for residency again and again to get stipends. I think it's not a sustainable way because what if one day you settle down you want to start a family you're not gonna take your one-year-old to the artist residency just to get the stipends. It's not sustainable, but in case if you are a young artist or if you want to travel to a foreign country but you don't have the money then maybe it's a good idea. ResArtis is like the Wikipedia of or the Airbnb of artists residencies. Many artists residences pay ResArtis to list on their listings. So you can see they are fairly legit because they pay to publish their listings. Choose the ones with stipends and apply individually.

13. creating videos on YouTube.

After acquiring 1000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours you will get monetized using Google Adsense. If you're not sure 2020 if it's a good idea to open your YouTube channel as an artist. Don't worry this is the best time to start your YouTube channel. This is a good idea if you are creating content anyway and you'd like to share on YouTube. Just be patient because you will need approximately 1 year to reach the 1000 following and 4000 watch hours.

14. brand endorsement IN Instagram or other social media

Instagram is the most popular for visual artists. That's why I say Instagram typically once you reach 50,000 followers on Instagram people will start to DM you. Saying hey can you give me a shout out for 50 bucks a 100 bucks 200 bucks. And it's your choice to accept or reject those brand endorsement and deals.

15. make money streaming videos on Twitch.

You can become an affiliate, a partner or streamer on Twitch. Basically people pay to watch your live streaming on Twitch. And if you can attract enough people to pay you. You can make decent money really depending on what kind of content you stream online. If you have enough people interested both using Twitch and interested in your niche. Really depends so I cannot tell you how much you will be making but there are a lot of potentials. Because Twitch is growing more and more as a social media

16. print on demand store using Printful.

You can make print on demand merchandising, art prints using Printfy. You need normally a store front like Shopify, Big Cartel and attract your followers to click on those links and purchase. It will be fulfilled directly from the Printfy warehouse to the clients and it does not go through you. So you do not need to worry about the logistics.

17. affiliate marketing on Amazon.

If you would like to do product reviews and you like to try out new gadgets or new art supplies. Then it's a good idea because you can try them out and then make your own review on YouTube or any other social media. And then drop a link down below for every purchase provided using your link Amazon will give you a share of it, so it adds up. I know people can make a full-time living using affiliate marketing of certain art supply and canvas and books and whatnot on Amazon.

18. self-published your photo album or art book using blurb.

Blurb is an American self-publishing platform. that enables you to share publish produce promote. And whatever you want with your content and publishing a book. So it's like the Printfy for books. It's very useful if you want to make like children's books or photo albums. You can easily produce eBook using InDesign or the Blurbs it's own online kind of plug-in. I have used the blurb to produce a photo album before for a private event and it worked pretty well so I like them and I'll say it's a good idea.

19. freelance design work at Upwork.

Upwork is a trending market place for freelance gigs. It takes 20% commission for the first $500 billed with the client, 10% for the earnings between $500 and $10,000 and 5% for earnings that exceed $10,000. I would say is pretty fair the more you earn the less commission. You pay you can dedicate some time over the year and earn some money doing freelance design works. Logo design illustration jobs and make 10,000 and pay 5% commission it's really good deal.

20. micro gigs on Fiverr.

I have used Fiverr personally and I think it's pretty cool you start with 5 dollar gig, micro gig. And then after once you complete you will unlock the possibilities of charging more than 5 bucks, you can charge 50, 500 however you want Fiverr takes 20% commission.

21. offering other freelance works on freelancer.

Freelancer.com is for freelance works, I mean it's like no-brainer. It's the world largest freelancing and crowdsourcing platform in the number of users and projects It has over 16 million users globally. I would say that's a lot of people using freelancers.com. Freelancer works with large corporations like Microsoft SAP PWC. So if you are a good team worker and you have experience working in companies. also if you have some kind of certification saying that you can work in a team like Prince2. I'm just saying like that, you can become like art director and you can work with large corporations that is also good for your CV and contacts.

22. making art and craft experiences on Airbnb.

Airbnb experienced is like another branch apart from Airbnb main service for the rooms and apartments. You don't need to provide your room you can say you provide a museum tour experience a street art hunt experience. Photo experience those kind of experiences that you don't even need a physical place to host and you can charge $20 $50 $60 per session for the museum tours you can include some light beverages if it's like a sit-down workshop. Go and do a research on Airbnb Experience and see what other people are doing in your local community so you can come up with your own ideas

23. hosting art events are talks and workshops on Meetup.

Personally I pay $9.99 every month to use meetup service as a host. However if you don't want to pay anything I tell you a trick. For every host (paying host) there is a 3 meetup group allowance that is to say if I only have one meetup group. I'm wasting two group opportunities, if you want you can get in touch with other people and say hey you're not hosting 3 groups, aren't you? So I can host with you and I'll give you like share for example or anything. I'll give you like you know how much you wanna give and you negotiate you can charge people for art workshops, children drawing, figure drawing life drawing kind of sessions and you can charge anything from 5 bucks - 50 bucks or 150 bucks per session. You can share the profits with the co-hosts who is paying meetup, so you don't have to pay anything upfront and in the future you can pay $9.99 every month this is the probably the best app you can use so $9.99 is really a good deal. And depending on different plans where you're in the world you will pay more or less but it's not a lot of money considering how much you can get from them last but not least.

24. teaching art using Heytutor.

Heytutor is one of the many website help people find local tutors. So if you want to become an art tutor you want to draw with a young kids adolescents or young adult. You can become a tutor and then select your student. If you are outside of the USA you can just search another equivalent of heytutor in your local area. Go to the search engine and say 'art tutor near me' or 'find me an art tutor' and you will see many websites in your local area the best part is you can get to sit down with a young person and you can have a major influence in their art career. That is really the perks of being a tutor I personally enjoy teaching very much because of the influence the impact. Also I learned so much from teaching someone else so for those of you who want to do more face-to-face things you can host Airbnb experience, Meetup workshops and Heytutor or other kind of tutor sessions using those online platforms.

CONCLUSION

Now you have heard 24 different ways to make money. Read the full article

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