Why I don't use DeviantArt anymore

 I don't even know if people out there have noticed I happen to have (well, more like had) a DeviantArt profile, but I guess I'm about to point it out anyway.
Granted, I won't put a direct link to my profile here, but who knows, you could probably find it just by a Google search or two.

Anyway, if you did happen to find my profile, you'll probably notice it's... well, dead. I haven't touched the account since early/mid-2017 (I think), yet here I am in this post pointing out its existence. So what's stopping me from logging back into the account, right?

Well, a handful of things.

 DA rehauled their whole layout back in like, 2020, or something; I remember they called it "Eclipse". I don't know, something about this new layout turns me off???? Again, I don't know how to explain it. I obviously used the site a while before Eclipse was implemented, and I remember liking the previous layout. I think there are even quite a handful of DA users (former ones probably, too) that don't like the Eclipse layout as well. I remember reading somewhere that Eclipse messed up the way you were able to customize profiles using the old layout. Knowing the distaste for Eclipse, it probably bugged out other features as well.

 DA is notoriously known for the weird, fetish-y content that a lot of artists post. Now, I'm not one to judge what you should/should not like, no matter how strange it is, but in my opinion, it's a different story when you're openly putting it on a platform where it can be readily accessed... especially by minors.
It just... really annoys me when I'm browsing DA for some regular, wholesome content when I suddenly find fetish art (or a whole entire GALLERY) in the "suggested collections"/"deviations you might like" section. I know there are people out there who are probably going to say, "why not just ignore it?"... well, I've tried! As far as I know, there's no way to just, like, block a certain artist or anything so their deviations don't show up in your feed (then again, I haven't been on the site in ~5 years so who knows, they might've added that feature in, I don't know).
From what I remember, the overall moderation on DA is kind of trash as well, so even if you report a deviation/artist, they're not very likely to get banned or anything.

 Quite a handful of DA users just... don't sit well with me. Now, I'm going to try to not name names, and I don't want to assume anything; for all I know, some of these users probably had no ill intentions interacting with me. But I don't know, these were like, men in their 20s/30s messaging and asking for art requests from me, who was around 16 going on 17 years old at the time. Take that with a grain of salt, I guess. One of these guys (the one who asked me for two separate art requests) actually added me on Facebook (I had - maybe still have? - my other social media profiles linked on my DA profile, which, looking back, I really shouldn't have done that being a minor). Another guy started a private conversation with me and asked for my actual name/age. Before I added my socials to my DA profile, this guy tried to ask for my socials and thought it was "strange" or something when I said I didn't like using social media that much.
Besides these interactions, there are also just quite a handful of trolls who just post deviations/comments/send messages just to get a rise out of other people.
Again, take this all with a grain of salt. But I've seen enough horror stories of minors interacting with fishy people on the Internet to know that it's better safe than sorry to keep my guard up having a public social profile and all.

 Franky, I was just too nice on the site. I hinted toward this in my previous bullet point, but I allowed people to ask me for art requests, and I even mentioned I would draw anything (as long as I was comfortable) for people completely for free (but I was okay with payment/tips in the form of DA points). Not a wise move, I know. But again, I was a minor who didn't know better.
At first, I enjoyed just making artwork for people (mostly because I was asked to draw their own characters which I found interesting), but eventually, I became overwhelmed with requests. All for nothing, save for a few points one person decided to give me in return for finishing their request. The thing was, I wanted to fulfill people's requests. I said I was okay with doing them. But as a high schooler at the time, certain classes demanded more of my time and I was unable to devote much time to my hobbies (especially creating art). Yet I didn't want to disappoint anyone, so I said I was open to pretty much anything from anyone... I don't know, maybe I just wanted to have friends and I wanted to show them how great I could draw.
This is inevitably what drove me off the site. I couldn't handle all the requests, keeping up with random conversations in the comment sections of my deviations/DMs, and I just overall felt burnt out with drawing as I never could find the time to even do it. I chose to ditch the site in early 2017, never to officially log in again.

I don't know if I could ever bring myself to return to DA. Admittedly, I'm a bit anxious to see how visitors to my profile will react to my sudden return after such a long disappearance, but even if I explained myself, I don't know if I see myself using the site as actively as I did long ago. Most of what I draw nowadays are sketches, not really fully-lined, colored works. As of writing this, I'll be graduating college by the end of this year, and I'll be student-teaching this semester (kind of like a teaching job leading up to certification/full-time work). So it's safe to say I'm still fairly busy. Therefore, I might just end up logging into the account and deactivating it for good at some point. However, while I still have access to the account, I plan to just screenshot and share everything I've uploaded on my other, more active social platforms before deactivating the whole thing.
A year or two ago, I actually created a brand new DA account (but not actually using it) as if I was planning on returning to the site and starting all over, but I was still debating whether to just use my old account or make a whole new account. Clearly, you can see I've just decided to drop everything and settle with deactivation in the future.

Well, I don't know what else to say. If you've seen my DA account and were wondering where I've been this whole time, I hope this post answers everything. DA was part of my childhood (I've had my account since 2011, I think), but nowadays, I find it has changed for the worse. I'm much more active on other sites, anyway, and I honestly don't really care if people are mad over my absence and stances on DA now. 

I've seen a lot of people making a mass exodus from DA for similar reasons anyway. I was inspired to make this post thanks to them.

Meet the Palmer Family! ♥︎

This is a follow-up to my previous post about some of my revamped Majestica characters!

The first character I introduced in that post was Liliane "Lily" Noëlle Palmer, and you can read more about her there. I mentioned she's the eldest of five siblings, so I thought I'd introduce them here (along with her parents)!

These are Lily and her siblings' parents, Dionisio Venceslás Palmer and Leola Muriel Woodham-Palmer. Dionisio was originally from Granada, Spain, and expressed a desire to explore cultures beyond his own. His birth name was "Dionisio Palomo" and he decided to change his surname to an English one once he got accepted to a college in England. He and his wife attended the same college and he immediately fell in love with her due to their similar adventurous personalities and interest in exploring the outdoors. He proposed to her while on a camping trip during sunset and vowed to follow her wherever she wanted to start their new lives together. They got married and lived for a few years in Leola's hometown, the city of Manchester, England; their first child, Lily, was born here. As her parents had just returned from a trip to France, they found it fitting to give her a French name. They moved to various places around Europe for the next few years, having four more children along the way. When Lily announced she was accepted to a college in the United States, her parents decided to relocate their family there with her, settling in the affluent neighborhood of Ivory Heights.

Dionisio is a romantic at heart and loves to play the guitar and sing, especially if he's serenading his beloved Leola (I imagine he's voiced by Antonio Banderas, haha). He is also very family-oriented and not only spends time with his wife and children but also with his parents as well as his brother and his own family (who now live in Mexico). Leola, on the other hand, isn't as music-oriented as her husband but is well-versed in English literature (in fact, she majored in it in college). She's also very fond of her hometown and can blather on and on about the historical and other popular sites there. Both Dionisio and Leola are skilled cooks, he in traditional Spanish dishes (and a few Mexican foods he has learned from his brother's side of the family), and she in traditional British breakfast treats.

Both parents have been through a few revamps; Dionisio was initially named "Franz" (I think), then "Cedric" before being given his current name. Leola was initially named "Marjolie", then "Tatiana" before I settled with her current name.

Here are Lily's younger brothers who are also Dionisio and Leola's second and third children, respectively: Niccolò Amadeo (or "Nick" as he prefers to be called) and Alexei Isidor (who doesn't mind his full name but also likes the nickname "Lex"). Nick is about three years younger than Lily (14-15 years old) while Alexei is five years younger (two years younger than Nick, so 12-13 years old). Nick's name is Italian while Alexei's name is Russian, and you can probably tell what inspired their parents to give them those kinds of names. ;)

Nick is your typical moody teenager who thinks of himself as the "man of the house" since he's the oldest son. Snarky and not caring what others think, he's a perfect candidate for his school's debate club. He's just a regular member at the moment but hopes to become president or vice president before he graduates. Besides that, he has inherited his parents' love of exploration and likes tagging along with them and his older sister, Lily, when they visit parks, forests, and other hiking sites. Being quite adventurous, he often tries to be more of a "thrill seeker" and take on more challenging trails, but he usually gets stopped by his parents (who are rightfully concerned for his safety).

Alexei, on the other hand, is more timid and polite than his brother. He does admire his brother and wants to be just as adventurous as him, but almost every time chickens out when he thinks what they're doing is too dangerous. Academic-wise, he's more of an average student who coasts his way through assignments and doesn't take his classes too seriously. His parents do keep an eye on him just to make sure he doesn't slack on his grades, but he does put effort into his work when he needs to. He's super close to his sisters as well, often following Lily around (when Nick isn't available) and having his younger sisters follow him.

When the Palmer family was first created around 2014/2015, Lily and Nick were the only two children in the family. I added Alexei around 2017, then, inspired by his namesake (tsarevich Alexei, the younger brother of the famous Anastasia Romanova and three other sisters), I added two more siblings to the family around 2018.

Lastly, here are Lily's younger sisters (and the youngest children in the family, Dionisio and Leola's fourth and fifth children respectively): Imogen Esther (nicknamed "Mo" and "Emmy"/"Immy") and Eva Juanita (nicknamed "Evita")! Imogen is around 9-10 years old while Eva is around 7-8 years old. Imogen's name is English while Eva's is Spanish (the latter's name/nickname actually comes from that of the famous first lady of Argentina, Eva Perón!).

Both girls are very... well, girly! Their favorite activities include dressing up in pretty outfits, doing each others' hair (and sometimes doing their other family members' hair as well), doodling, and playing outside in the family's yard. Both sisters additionally have insane sweet tooth and love getting their hands on all the candies, chocolates, and cupcakes they can get.
Personality-wise, Imogen occasionally makes herself look more "uptight" than she really is, emulating the "spoiled rich" trope just to push others to respect her (and if they dared offend her, she'd make it known she'd just cry to her parents, who would no doubt defend her little "reputation"). Her only younger sibling, Eva, is more subdued and even a little shy. She's chatty and loves to follow her siblings and parents around, always wanting to be a part of what they're doing (as much as she gets on their nerves sometimes).

As I hinted at previously, Imogen and Eva were the two siblings added to the Palmer family around 2018. Imogen has consistently kept her first name throughout the years (her middle/last names have been changed periodically) while Eva was originally called "Catalina Nina" before being renamed "Camilla", then "Callidora", and possibly a few more before being given the name she has now.

I hope you enjoyed this look into Lily and her family!!

Character updates! ♥︎

 

Happy July!

Hey, recognize these ladies?? 👆

Yeah, they're featured in the header of this blog! But I bet you don't know who they are...

This little group is what I like to call the main cast of my fantasy-inspired series, "Tales of Majestica"! They live in the modern-day United States of America in a wealthy, gated community/neighborhood known as "Ivory Heights". They also have special ties to the fantastical universe of Majestica, made up of various kingdoms. You can think of it as one of those Barbie movies where the main character is a modern schoolgirl who's related to a princess of a magical world and they get to visit said world... or something, I think that's how those plot lines go.

Anyway, the Majestica girls have gone through several revamps throughout the years ever since I started developing them around 2015. So maybe I should start introducing them to you!

First up is arguably the main member of this group; she actually has a special place in my heart! Her name is Liliane Noëlle Palmer, but she's known to everyone as just "Lily". She's around 17-18 years old and the eldest child in her family with four younger siblings. Lily was the first Majestica character to ever be developed, and actually began life as an elf named "Violet"! She eventually became just a regular human princess with the same name, and I would later change her name to "Violette", then to "Liliane". This year, I decided to change her from a princess to just a regular, modern-day schoolgirl (albeit she is still very wealthy and lives in Ivory Heights along with the other girls in her friend group).

As I really liked long, jet-black hair and green eyes (these traits being most notable for their association with my notorious Mary Sue and self-insert character, Charlotte Li), I thought it was fitting to give these to a more developed character. However, as I made more and more OCs, I didn't want Lily to look too similar to other characters, hence why now she has brown hair, and though she still has green eyes, she now wears glasses over them. Her "hime cut" hairstyle has always been a trademark of her appearance, and now, she even likes to temporarily dye parts of it from time to time (pink in this image).

Lily was originally born in Manchester, England; because her parents share a love of traveling and learning about other cultures, she was given a French name. She is the newest resident of Ivory Heights, moving there with her family shortly before her eighteenth birthday. Though rightfully nervous about moving to a new community, she is willing to get to know others... just as long as her younger siblings stay out of her hair. Quiet and studious, Lily's favorite hobbies include reading, writing in her diary, playing the flute, and painting. She speaks fluent French and is particularly interested in French culture, much to the delight of her parents. She also loves her younger siblings and often finds time to spend with them despite the occasions when they get on her nerves. She is starting college (which is the whole reason why her family moved in the first place) where she is an elementary education major.

In Majestica, Lily has ties to the neoclassical European-inspired kingdom of Leggenda.

This is Mahina Okelani Kameāloha, Lily's closest friend in Ivory Heights. She's around 15-16 years old and also comes from a family with five children (perhaps why she was able to connect so much with Lily). In Mahina's case, she is the middle child with two older brothers and two younger brothers. Cheerful and outgoing, she loves to hang out with other people; she does love her parents but very much dislikes having all brothers. She is originally from the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands and has always felt proud of her culture. She loves going to beaches and especially showing off the luau dances she learned back home. When she and her family moved to Ivory Heights when she was around ten years old, she felt excited, especially when she found out a lot of her neighbors were girls her age. However, she always wants to make sure others are comfortable and willing to talk before inserting herself around them.

Mahina was formerly known as "Mirembe Nubia" and was seemingly of African origin. However, I have quite a bit of African-American characters and thought it would be interesting to make a Polynesian one. I myself have been to Hawaii several times and really liked it there.

In Majestica, Mahina has ties to the tropical island kingdom of Wasavista (it used to be called some weird name like "Dagganaashiyo" or something and I changed it to something simpler for obvious reasons, haha). Mahina also happens to be my first character with a plus-sized/heavy-set body type, which actually came about because I used a character creator with different body types, including a plus-sized one (she was originally named "Mirembe" here). I used a different body type for another character named "Leilani", who seemed to be inspired by tropical cultures. I like to think the characters of Mirembe and Leilani were merged to create the present-day incarnation of Mahina.

Here is the probably second (well, technically, like at least fifth or something as I created Lily's parents and one of her younger siblings before her) Majestica character I've ever created: Mariangela Ariel Constantina Thorley, occasionally known as "Mari". She's around 18 years old and is a treasured only child from a family originally from Louisiana in the United States. They would move out of state into the neighborhood of Ivory Heights when Mariangela was still fairly young, and from the moment she arrived, she was determined to show the other girls her age how privileged and rich she was. She loves dressing flamboyantly and showing off whatever she's got on, and she's somewhat of a spoiled brat who doesn't take lightly to competition. She's considered a frenemy to the other girls in her friend group, especially to Lily; she's fairly nice when she wants to be but doesn't hesitate to tell everyone off when the opportunity arises. 

Mariangela has consistently kept her name and appearance since she was created back in 2015. The only thing I'd say that really "dramatically" changed about her was the fact that she was initially a baroness, then a grand duchess, and now she's just a regular (albeit still wealthy and privileged) schoolgirl.

In Majestica, Mariangela has ties to the kingdom of Knighton, which resembles that of a stereotypical fairy tale (that being a large, grand castle on a hill surrounded by a quaint little village).

Following Mariangela, I created Mahina, then this character! Her name is Lara Alessia Preziosi and she's around 16 years old. She is originally from Valletta, Malta, and was adopted by an American woman when she was a toddler. She is plucky, tomboyish, and vivacious, preferring to live an active life rather than stay at home and study or do other quiet activities. She shares Lily's love of traveling and exploring places like forests and parks, and likes to get the other girls in her friend group involved in things like sports. She also gets along pretty well with Mahina due to their similar outgoing and outdoorsy personalities. She isn't afraid to speak her mind, similar to Mariangela; but while the latter does so mostly out of spite or to make herself better than everyone else, Lara does it to mainly call people out when they're acting like clowns. Her mother later married the father of the following character, and they settled in a home together in Ivory Heights.

Lara was created solely because I wanted a blonde-haired, green-eyed character (similar to Rapunzel from "Tangled") - stupid reason, I know. She really deserved to be fleshed out into a better character. She was originally named Victoire Mirabelle Brisbois (sounds like she came from a French family), later changed to Fidelia Amista (I don't know if she kept the surname), and this year, she was given the name she has now! As for her backstory, I think she consistently had the plot line of being the child of a single mother, living in a non-wealthy family, and her mother later marries a wealthy man who has a daughter of his own. Oh, and her eyes were also changed to a more hazel color to avoid having literally the exact same trait as Lily.

In Majestica, Lara has ties to the steampunk-inspired port village of Villerreult.

Here is Lara's stepsister, Tomoko Itō! She is also around 16 years old and is originally from Osaka, Japan. She lived there with her single father until she was around ten years old, when they decided to move to the United States. Her father later fell in love with a sweet-natured woman who happened to be working in a restaurant, and he was delighted to see that she too had a daughter whom he thought would be the perfect companion for his own. One thing led to another, and they married, moving to their permanent home in the Ivory Heights neighborhood.

In contrast to Lara's outspoken and tomboyish personality, Tomoko is more reserved and feminine. She loves doing her hair and dressing in soft, delicate fabrics. She shares Lily's love of reading, writing, and music. The two also share an interest in history, as Tomoko is fiercely proud of her Japanese heritage (she even claims her family was descended from rulers of the country's Imperial House) and has learned a great deal about how her native country came to be. As much as her slightly aloof personality is somewhat similar to Mariangela's, she prides herself on respect and doesn't take kindly to the other's bratty behavior.

Similar to her stepsister, Tomoko initially had French roots; her name was Héloïse Marie, later changed to Opaline Saranna, and finally given her current name just this year. Her backstory has also remained relatively unchanged, being the daughter of a wealthy single father who marries a middle-class woman with a daughter of her own.

In Majestica, she has ties to the Oriental-inspired kingdom of Magnolium.

Lastly, this is Ameerah Binte Makeen Al-Almin, a 17-year-old girl originally from Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Like Lily, she is the eldest child in her family, having three younger siblings. She and her family moved to America shortly after her youngest sibling was born (they wanted to live somewhere safe so their children could have the best life they could provide) and settled in the Ivory Heights community. Owing to her heritage/birthplace, she is quite religious and is not only loyal to her faith, but her family as well. She can be somewhat timid at times, purposely avoiding certain topics when she talks with her friends as she may grow anxious over what they will think of her. She even occasionally puts off meetups and other social events in favor of spending time with her family. Fortunately, Lily and Mahina have especially helped her come out of her shell.

Little has changed about Ameerah since I first developed her a year or so ago; her old name used to be Noor ul-Ain and she used to be a princess before I changed her into a regular schoolgirl.

In Majestica, she has ties to both the desert kingdom of Qadai and the Stormcaster people, a tribe-like, nomadic group blessed (or perhaps cursed) with the power to create storms.