ambitions like ribbons

COMMISSIONS NOW OPEN! See this post for details.

Now that I’m done with school for the time being, I plan to spend the bulk of my time drawing - I still have prints and stuff to do for AX, but it would be nice to pay off that plane ticket (along with other expenses), so I’ll be opening commissions again. Hit me up with an ask if you’re interested!

So since AX is in a month, I need to start making prints. I have some stuff in mind already for merch (Tortall/Emelan bookmarks, a few Korra prints, maybe Attack on Titan), but I’d love to hear what you guys would like to see/be willing to buy, esp if you’re going to be there!

oh god I never noticed that the song Tyrion kept whistling back in S2 is the Rains of Castamere

(link here)

Just came back from watching Gatsby. I didn’t realize it was supposed to be a comedy

An open letter to C:

I don’t know if you see yourself when you’re with them. You smile so quick and easy, a bright something in your eyes that fades when you turn to me. You’re still smiling. It’s close-mouthed, now, and you’re so civil it makes me want to scream. I’m fresh out of inside jokes (you have so many, now, but I’m no longer “inside”) and anything I say feels like overcompensation. You’re convinced I don’t care. This is something I’ve always admired about you, you say, that you’ve never given a crap what anyone thinks. And maybe a year ago I would’ve found this something to be proud of, but I’m slow to read between the lines and it’s taken me years but I’m finally starting to realize that this attitude comes at the price of severed friendships. If you don’t give a crap about me, I don’t give a crap about you, that’s always been my modus operandi, and you’re right to turn it back on me. I’ve been selfish this past year, and you’ve moved on. A part of me is defensive – I haven’t had the time, between the full courseload and employment-related angst and the never feeling good enough. Another part, even stronger, prefers to indulge in self-satisfied martyrdom. An ugly voice settles in my brain and tells me gleefully, This is what happens when you’re a self-absorbed fuck for a year. People start realizing just what a lousy friend you are. Most of me knows I’m being overdramatic. You’ll be just fine without me, you tell me, and you say you’re satisfied with the way things are. People change, but we’ll always remember the good times. And perhaps that’s true, but there’s an empty spot in my heart where you used to sit that aches something fierce, and I wonder how it is that after four years of college I still haven’t learned the basic give-and-take needed to maintain something as simple as a friendship.

The truth of it is, this would’ve happened anyway, with us moving off to different states with plans to call or chat that will gradually have larger and larger expanses of time between them until they fade away altogether. This happens to everyone, and we will meet new people, and we will be happy (or satisfied, or trying) with whatever life we end up carving for ourselves. But our memories are faulty and in time all we remember of the people we knew long ago are their essences and the way they made us feel, and that small, insecure part of me believes that the epithet you will come to label me with will be “that friend that didn’t care.” And I fear that coming from you, especially, because I have always thought of you as the truest friend I have. I know I’m underestimating you. You have seen me at my best as well as my worst, and your overall verdict will always remain on the neutral-positive side of the spectrum. Still, I fear, because I am selfish and I want you to think well of me. Anyway, thank you for sticking with me these last four years. I’m very bad at showing that I care, but I’m working on it. Don’t give up on me yet.

- G

Couple of things I learned from this camping trip (we went to Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan for a few nights):

- There’s not much worse than not having packed enough insulation on a cold, windy night.
- Hunger is the best seasoning - doesn’t matter how cheap or unseasoned the food is, if it’s hot and filling it will taste like the best thing you’ve ever had.
- I enjoy hiking, but I am so unprepared for all the other life-skills aspects of camping (bird calls, tying knots, building a tent, building fires, rinse and repeat)
- fire embers are gorgeous up close (would you believe this is one of the first times I’ve seen a real campfire)
- of all the animals we encountered, ticks were by far the most terrifying

- My mom is allergic to furry animals so unfortunately I’ve never owned one but cats yes cats are good (I like that they’re not as high-maintenance as dogs)

- My current fave character to draw is actually my OC Beryl (her face is ridiculously fun), which you guys should see more of come summer, though I have yet to have a proper place setting for her story. I adore red oni blue oni dynamics, basically anything where two characters are sort of polar opposites in personality or style and have each other’s back 100% (some examples would probably be Mal and Zoe from Firefly, Roy and Riza from FMA, Sarasa and Shuri from Legend of Basara, or even Zuko and Katara - they just have to complement each other, whether they’re fighting together or against each other or both). I’ve always wanted to try crossing over all the Sherlock Holmes adaptations ever. I’ve never drawn anything Marvel but I secretly adore Superhusbands and Spidey and anything X-men. For anyone trying to art: just do it! There’s no right or wrong (well, there’s more or less confident, but no one starts out knowing what the hell they’re doing, it’s all figuring it out as you go), so just go crazy. I don’t know that I have a favorite animal, but there’s something about wolves. Favorite mythical creature would have to be a phoenix, no question. I’m not quite sure by what you mean by favorite style of dragon, but the Game of Thrones CG dragons are crazy cool (though technically they’d be wyverns since they only have two hind-limbs, yes?)

ahh I am so excited about Mark Oshiro finally starting POTS *clutches face*

Nothing inspires me quite like reading quotes by Richard Feynman.