Due to recent changes, I'm going to slowly return here, but no promises as to how active i'll be.

Go to http://ayellowbirds.furocity.com/ from now on for my furry art. I recommend other folks set up pages there, too; it has more sensible rules than some other sites, and does not allow certain content that may make you uncomfortable, while at the same time allowing adult content.

As usual, I'll also continue to post stuff to http://ayellowbirds.deviantart.com/ and http://wreck-gar.deviantart.com

Well, maybe not entirely. But, I'm removing my images from here, starting some time in the next two weeks. I'm feeling less and less comfortable being associated with this site, especially with the hypocrisy of certain people involved.

My birthday is on the 20th. I'll be 26 D:

I realize i've been neglecting this site for a while, and I feel bad. There's a few artists on here who i really admire, who deserve the attention.

The lack of activity is partly due to work; I'm working my butt off in the hopes that it will make a fantastic enough impression that I'll be a shoe-in for a full-time salaried position which has opened up. If I get it, I'll be able to afford the occasional commission from some of you lovely folks :D

There's an herbivorous species of spider! Even more awesomely strange, it's been observed displaying quasi-social behavior with multiple adults living together without apparent conflict, and females protecting hatchlings and young! This is basically like discovering a species of carnivorous, solitary cattle, it goes past absurdity into what would otherwise be the stuff of unbelievable fantasy.
On top of all this, it's a salticid (jumping spider), the single most adorable family of arachnids on the planet. Oh, and the species is named bagheera kipling.

More info on the species: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/gen.....etarian_spider

Just when I think i have too many anthro characters, nature drops another ridiculously awesome animal into my field of knowledge. I must anthropomorphize this, especially since they have gorgeous patterns: http://salticidae.org/salticid/DIAG.....r/kipli-ol.htm (male on the left, female on the right).

It's today, and yes, I am. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autistic_Pride_Day for more information.

Autistic spectrum people aren't voiceless, and we aren't sick. We don't need an organization to "speak" for us, especially one which advocates "curing" the way our brains function, any more than homosexuality needs to be cured.

Am I disabled? Maybe. The "ed" suffix implies that a disabled person is someone who has had something done to them: I'm "dis-abled" by every person who treats me as inferior because of the way I relate to the world, by every teacher who thought it was healthy to force me into social situations against every evidence that it was emotionally traumatizing and caused discomfort even for the neurotypical kids. Every time someone decides to relate to me as a drone without any unique traits, it attacks what I'm able to do. Every time someone tries to force me to fit in, they're denying my talents and abilities, and trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.

I'm not a puzzle piece to be figured out.

Next time you hear people asking for support for research into autism, talk to them. Ask them what they're looking for... and if it's a cure, fuck them. I don't need a cure for difference, I need people to recognize that difference as being harmless, healthy, and sometimes even beneficial.

I'm working on some ideas for an anthro snake character. So far, I know I want them to be a milk snake, have arms but no legs (just a thick tail that can support them), but I can't decide on any other details- sex/gender, personality, particular subspecies, et cetera.

Anyone have any ideas?

You could get a full-color image with up to five characters for less than eight dollars!


Apparently some Target stores have been selling off their stock of exclusive Transformers Animated figures, in particular the Sunstorm/Ratchet two-pack. This item is on sale at many stores for about seven dollars. For every one of these packs you ship me, I will draw a full-color image of your choice including up to five unique characters, with no other limitations.

For every package you send my way, the number of characters doubles- or you can have another unique color image with up to five characters. These images will be traditional media with digital cleanup, and the finished product can be sent to you if you so choose.

I do not care about the condition of the box- you can send me the figures loose if that's easier for you, as long as they remain intact with all accessories.

Comment here, or send me a PM to work out any further details. These commissions will take priority over anything else as soon as an arrangement is reached.

Danger, destrachan
Hair: Black, dyed various shades
Eyes: None
Gender/Sex: Cisgender male
Sexuality: Gay (with few exceptions)
Height: 5'8"
Build: Slender
Danger is relentlessly flirty; while others entertain themselves with hobbies and media, he prefers pleasure through touch, and likes few things more than touching other guys. Despite his name, he's good at keeping out of trouble- his abilities as a destrachan are more than enough to convince anyone who wishes him harm to back off, and he's careful to keep things safe in the bedroom (or back alley, closet, restroom...). Oddly, he makes an exception when it comes to women if they're very large-chested: massive breasts are one of his favorite things to feel. In addition to touching, Danger loves the world of sound, and can't stand to be without some kind of music for long.

Eugenie (AKA Jeanie), gynosphinx
Hair: Brown (partially dyed)
Eyes: Hazel
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Lesbian
Height: 5'11"
Build: Athletic, very large-breasted (F-H cup)
Nmara's older sister, an anthro sphinx often mistaken for a human when she's wearing concealing clothing. She can grow her wings at will to use them for flight, but rarely does, and is not a confident flier. Eugenie prefers partners she knows she doesn't have to worry about hurting with her claws- either very tough, or very fast-healing women; lately this has meant she's liking the attention Akari is giving her. She dotes on her sister, one of the only beings who isn't at all hurt by her claws; they often jokingly bite and claw at each other.

Evrika, "Set" animal
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Pansexual
Height: 6'0"
Build: Muscular with small (A-B cup) breasts
Evrika is a warrior woman with an affinity for old-fashioned style. She'd be considered a nerd if it weren't for her strength. She's become enamored of the idea of being someone's protector, and aspires to be a modern-day paladin- a troublesome proposition, since many stereotype her species as being tied to a god of evil and destruction. Evrika does her best to dispell the myths about Set's character, but sometimes it's difficult. Nonetheless, she aspires to live up to her deity's example of strength and protection, even if modern-day folks ignore those attributes.

Ferris Oxide, rust monster
Hair: Red, orange, and yellow
Eyes: Black
Gender/Sex: Masculine hermaphrodite
Sexuality: Pansexual
Height: 5'11"
Build: Slender
Ferris is my primary fursona, and any personality traits he possesses should be seen as what I would be like if I happened to be a metal-muncher. Consequently, he's into everything I am, and that's quite a lot. He shares my taste in clothing, and dresses as I do when I have the choice: button-down shirts and knee-length or longer skirts, occasionally with bandannas or scarves over his head. He has male sexual organs, but they're internal unless he decides to use them.

Flecker Cairns, Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi)
Hair: Clear (not actual hair)
Eyes: Yellow
Gender/Sex: Masculine asexual androgyne
Sexuality: Asexual
Height: 4'8" (tentacles can be extended several feet)
Build: Athletic
Flecker is businessmer, first and foremost. He relies on a cool demeanor tempered by the fear most have for his species to get what he wants, and isn't above making questionable or downright illegal deals.Why he went into the marine research business is hard to say, but he's managed to attract a number of capable specialists to his company, deepTHINK.


Hannah Kitesworthy, human (homo sapiens)
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Yellow
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Pansexual (prefers girls and feminine guys)
Height: 4'10"
Build: Very slightly chubby, wide hips, medium breasts (B-C cup)
Preferring to live among and date anthros rather than humans, Hannah enjoys the diversity of many different species.She has a non-committed "friends with benefits" relationship with the ray Jordan, and hopes to pursue similar relationships with others. She works at an organic/vegetarian market next door to Bobbi's boutique, where she tends to get a lot of odd looks: humans aren't a common sight in the area.

Hawwa, Nubian vulture (Torgos tracheliotos negevensis)
Hair: Blonde down on head
Eyes: Hazel
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Pansexual
Height: 6'1"
Build: Average physique, very large (F-H cup) breasts
Hawwa was born in the middle east, but has moved to the southwest after having a vision on a hike in the mountains. She's a professional witch, performing divinations and the like in exchange for food and other necessities, but prefers to live off of good fortune, crashing for several weeks at one friend's place, and then another. Lately she's been staying with Meegan, letting the petite vampire bat feed on her in exchange for a place to sleep.

Henrique Caravela, Portuguese Man o' War (Physalia physalis)
Hair: Orchid purple head tendrils
Eyes: Red
Gender/Sex: Masculine asexual androgyne
Sexuality: Asexual
Height: 5'8"
Build: Chubby
Being a siphonophore, Henrique is technically composed of several creatures aggregated together indistinguishably in a colonial organism. For simplicity's sake, he prefers to be treated as a single person, but he tends to confuse others by approaching issues from multiple viewpoints at the same time. Henrique is rarely sighted without some kind of sandwich; this is more due to a preference to slowly eat while working (often over the course of several hours) than appetite. He works as a computer technician at deepTHINK, and has a tendency to treat others as if their computers were an extension of their body.

Hun, dayak fruit bat (Dyacopterus spadiceus)
Hair: Black & red
Eyes: Green
Gender/Sex: Male
Sexuality: Pansexual
Height: 5'0"
Build: Slender, medium breasts (B-C cup)
As a member of a species in which males lactate as well as females, Hun is a guy with a natural pair of breasts. While he's grown out a goatee to make his gender more apparent, he has no problem with his chest, and is rather proud of his assets above and below. Hun runs the organic market Hannah works at, and lives with Sekani in an apartment over the store.

I really wanna do some trades soon. I'm running out of new things to draw that aren't porn, and i wanna do other people's characters >.>

Akari, achaierai
Hair: Yellow to red crest on head
Eyes: Red
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Pansexual
Height: 10'2"
Build: Slender and wiry, medium-size chest (B-C cup)
Perhaps due to her ancestry being from a demonic race, Akari is more than a bit sadistic, but in a loving way; she has a hard time expressing her affection in ways that aren't at least a little painful, and coos over people as she nips and scratches.She's managed to get it down to friendly arm-punches and crushing hugs, but at her height, that's still more than many can handle. She's been flirting pretty heavily with the sturdy sphinx girl Eugenie, but is open to other possible partners- just as long as they aren't too delicate. Of late, she works as a bouncer: her stature and fiendish heritage is more than enough to intimidate troublemakers.

Anan, snawfus
Hair: Gold
Eyes: Pink
Gender/Sex: Trans male
Sexuality: Pansexual
Height: Variable
Build: Slender
More than a little goofy, Anan is relishing the idea of adulthood at a fresh 18 years of age. He has a tendency to act silly for no reason other than his assertion that he can now, and has a bad habit of misusing his supernatural abilities as a snawfus: the ability to glow, shapeshift, and breathe clouds of thick violet mist. He tends to whistle when he speaks, due to a gap in his teeth from a childhood accident.

Baal Zaphod, Thorny devil (Moloch horridus)
Hair: N/A
Eyes: Blue
Gender/Sex: Cisgender male
Sexuality: Gay
Height: 5'4"
Build: Average
Baal is best described as a slacker, most likely found sipping from the latest in a series of oversized convenience store beverages while leaning against a wall. The fact that he's incredibly observant and agile tends to be lost on those who don't watch his actions for long; Baal's willingness to wait for the perfect moment frustrates most who deal with him. In relationships, he tends to be an odd sort of sleepily dominant fellow, being relaxed but firm.

Bilal Nikopol, Bacteriophage virus (T4 enterobacteria phage)
Hair: N/A
Eyes: Azure
Gender/Sex: Sexless androgyne
Sexuality: Pansexual (no preference)
Height: Variable
Build: Slender
Bilal works a professional bacteria hunter/expert, although ze tends not to get a lot of work, and winds up working as an actor in strange pornographic films and cheesy science fiction more often.

Bobbi, Black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus)
Hair: Violet
Eyes: Purple
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Heteroflexible (prefers male-gendered partners)
Height: 5'4"
Build: Wide-hipped, slight belly, small (A-B cup) breasts
Bobbi is passionate about many issues, but none more so than the needless consumption of sexual partners post-coitus; she always keeps a snack handy by the side of the bed. Although she usually declines to wear her glasses while working, she runs a decently successful clothing boutique specializing in creating and modifying garments for anthros with unusual numbers of limbs. After a bit of crushing and awkward flirting, she's started dating the jumping spider Tashi. Due to the quirks of arachnid anatomy, Bobbi's lady bits are located above her hourglass mark, rather than in her pants: you'll only find spinnerets for making webs between her legs.

Boomer Allen, Striped basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus)
Hair: None
Eyes: Brown
Gender/Sex: Cisgender male
Sexuality: Gay
Height: 6'0"
Build: Skinny
An odd combination of nervous and vain, Boomer masks a flighty nature by boasting that others simply can't keep up with him. The truth of the matter is that he simply needs people to wait for him to wind down, something Baal has picked up on; the two have formed a fairly loving relationship where the otherwise demanding Boomer often latches onto his boyfriend for self-assurance and comfort. Sometimes, though, Boomer just needs to release some tension, and takes a run across the nearest body of water.

Bree, white-tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Hair: Black (dyed green)
Eyes: Blue
Gender/Sex: Cisgender female
Sexuality: Lesbian (with some exceptions)
Height: 5'10"
Build: Skinny, small (A-cup) breasts
Bree is taking advantage of sophomore year in college to experiment a little- by dating outside her usual preference for girls. She strongly prefers to be the suitor in a relationship, and gets uncomfortable when someone else takes the initiative, which makes it kind of awkward that she has a thing for predators and fantasizes about being devoured. Predators of any gender tend to have a hard time dealing with a girl who tries to put herself between their jaws.

Choovio Wright, Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana)
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Gold
Gender/Sex: Intersex androgyne
Sexuality: Sapiosexual
Height: 5'10"
Build: Slender/athletic
Native to the wide open plains of the southwest, Choovio loves nothing more than just heading out and running at full speed- an impressive 54 MPH in zir case. Ze is fine with zir sexual ambiguity,tending to dress in either what ze considers a stylish mix of masculine and feminine clothes, or simple garb like flannel and slacks. Lately ze's had to deal with a boarder in the form of the woylie warrior Lemana, who is calling in a favor. Lemana's happy to pay for anything she uses up, but since the woylie's income is mostly from questionably legal acts of violence, the staunchly pacifistic Choovio is having a hard time dealing with it . Choovio is used to living on the cheap, making most of her income from folk art in the Hopi tradition.

Arthropods are very under-appreciated in the furry community, even the "charismatic" ones. I'm still annoyed that there's no option for them in the drop-down species list. Here's several bugs you should know and anthropomorphize; get the ball rolling on bug popularity!

1) Giant Devil's Flower Mantis:
Flower mantids use their unusual body forms to mimic the appearance of flowers for both safety and stealth. Idolomantis diabolica is one of the largest and most impressive, with an elongated head and red eyes making its name easy to understand.
http://63.134.213.17/_media/imgs/ar....._Diabolica.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:I....._diabolica.jpg
http://www.invertebrata.yoyo.pl/gra.....0diabolica.jpg
http://www.invertebrata.yoyo.pl/gra.....diabolica1.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlgAB4W0TKI

2) Southern Flannel Moth/Pussy Moth:
Infamous in the southwest United States for the unimaginably painful sting of its fluffy caterpillars, megalopyge opercularis is also notable for its long-haired body and distinctive coloration.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F.....0714-5799A.JPG
http://www.thedauphins.net/sitebuil.....g.w300h288.jpg
http://tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/18.....810b4ee3_o.jpg

3) Gliding/Flat Headed Ant
Cephalotes atratus is intimidating in appearance, but also ability- these ants have evolved the ability to make a controlled fall, repositioning themselves in midair to glide in different directions. They're also very capable of defending themselves from attackers, and are able to retract their antenna for defense
http://www.myrmecos.net/myrmicinae/CepAtr6.html
http://www.myrmecos.net/myrmicinae/CepAtr.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7PIrHJOrcE8/R.....P-INS389-2.jpg

4) Cockchafer/Maybug
The Melolontha genus is common in Europe, but have distinctive antenna which I find makes them an exceptional sight.
http://www.meades.org/photos_from_t.....ckchafer_3.jpg
http://media-2.web.britannica.com/e.....4-60956E1B.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcwg2qe1EyY

5) Acraga coa moth
Hardly a commonly known species, this coastal Mexican species is difficult to find online. However, i can't resist the awesome orange fluff of this species, and had to include it.
http://images.whatsthatbug.com/wp-c.....h_mexico_2.jpg
http://images.whatsthatbug.com/wp-c.....oth_mexico.jpg

I have so much stuff I want to commission from people right now, but unfortunately i'm low on funds for the time being. That said, I'd like to get an idea of what to get from whom, so here's some brief questions for people:

1) What would you charge for work that will be included as an illustration in a pdf or book that will be sold? Would your rates change?
2) What are your favorite subjects to illustrate?
3) What is something you'd like to draw that you haven't had the opportunity or patience to make so far?
4) What do you HATE drawing?
5) On this site, you're probably drawing anthros. How do you feel about drawing humans?
6) How do you feel about drawing non-anthro animals and other creatures?

EDIT: These commissions are now closed, I will not accept any new commission requests at these rates.



Fifty cents per character (chibi or standard style), no other rules, whatever you want...

Except that I'd be using a tablet to draw them, and I have all of an hour's cumulative experience using such a thing :D

WHO WANTS IN ON THE CRAZY?

I accept Paypal, buttons and bottlecaps (assume ten cents = 1 of either), and other miscellaneous trinkets. If there actually appears to be a demand, i may have to limit how many i do.

As some of you may be aware, not too long ago I declared myself the Emperor of the United States. As only a scant few have raised any objection, I assume that my position is secure, and shall behave accordingly.

It has been brought to my attention by the Grand Duke of Upper New York that my empire is lacking in minor lords and ladies to govern over its vastness; with the great many citizens in the empire, I must delegate responsibility. Thus, I make the following offer:

Prize: A formal written declaration of lord/ladyship and the granting of lands as deemed appropriate to the winner, accompanied by a full color illustration by myself of an original coat of arms granted to the winner. More than one person may win! This is more about impressing me on your own than competing with each other.
Deadline: July 10th
Requirements: Contestants must submit an original image demonstrating their eligibility/suitability for lordship. Suggested themes include the region you hope to rule over, or reasons you
Note:
-Entrants may submit multiple images.
-Entrants may submit images for individuals other than themselves. In such a case, the winner is the person for whom the image was created.
-Winners who have already been granted a coat of arms and title will instead be granted a further title and additional elements to their arms, which will be drawn up anew.

For examples of coats of arms, see:
http://ayellowbirds.deviantart.com/.....r-NY-108032268
http://ayellowbirds.deviantart.com/.....athy-108032018
http://ayellowbirds.deviantart.com/.....hael-108033045
http://ayellowbirds.deviantart.com/.....nsis-108032768

My lovely  katkat85 has gotten into making stuffed animals, and her stuff is too cute to not plug here. So far she has only three designs, but she's got more in the works, and of course style is negotiable. I'm also working with her to come up with some new ideas for plushies, such as mythological creatures.

Honduran White Bat plush
brown bat plush
turtle plush

Her store: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7131699

The computer my ancient scanner is attached to is in a bad way, and i need to see about getting it fixed up on the cheap by a friend who is familiar with its particular problems (mix of viral and general Windows BS). This particular scanner is of the sort that needed a special connector card to be plugged into the back of the PC, and so i can't hook it up to another computer easily... especially not my new little Netbook, from which I'm making this post (its name is Chauncey).

Requests, commissions, etc may be a long time coming. I'll notify people if i finish stuff for them, as I can simply mail them out if need be, and they can scan it if they so choose.

For information, check out the latest journal on my adult account at http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/688709/

Gonna try to get a meme started; since I'm a huge transformers fan, that's the subject :3

The rules are simple: You're a brand-new Cybertronian! Pick one vehicle or animal to scan as your new alternate form, for each of the factions below. You can be broad or specific as you like.

G1/Movie/Animated
* Autobot (usually ground/space/rescue vehicles): Can-Am Spyder
* Decepticon (usually air/military/construction vehicles): Autogyro
* Junkion (usually rusty and outdated vehicles): Volkswagen Type 2 'Bus"

Beast Wars/Beast Machines
* Maximal (usually mammals, fishes, & birds, "charismatic" animals): Three-toed sloth
* Predacon (usually reptiles, dinosaurs, arthropods, "crawly" animals): Painted turtle

I tag you, you, and you! If you're an artist, why not try drawing yourself as a TF?

Eh, why not. Copied from all the people i watch who did this, too :P

Pick ANY character of mine and I will tell you their:

01. Full name
02. Best friend
03. Sexuality
04. Favorite color
05. Relationship status
06. Ideal mate
07. Odd Skills/Skills in general
08. Last Amusing Escapade
09. Favorite food
10. Crushes
11. Favorite music
12. Biggest fear
13. Biggest fantasy
14. Quirks
15. Bad habits
16. Biggest regret
17. Best kept secrets
18. Last thought
19. Worst sexual/romantic experience
20. Biggest insecurity

I'm still offering single character full-color chibi badges for $5.00; roughly 5"x5" maximum, in roughly this style:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2050156
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2086660

Further details are up to the buyer :3

Other commissions are available at flexible rates, ranging from $1.00 pencil sketches and up, entirely negotiable. Mature/adult content is okay, too; check with me for details on what i will/won't draw.

Payment accepted through money order, check, and Paypal.

I could really use even just a little money that won't be going right into life necessities right now, so I'm flexible :3

A buddy is going to let me use her laminater, so I'm offering $5.00 single character chibi badges, roughly 5"x5" maximum, in this style:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2050156

Further details are up to the buyer :3

Payment accepted through money order, check, and Paypal.

I've seen memes like this, but I guess I'm ignoring the rules of most of those? Here's some random facts about me that people are sometimes surprised by.

* I have a notch in my left ear, which turns into a raised line that goes almost all the way across the ear. It's from being attacked by a dog; leaving aside the numerous stitches on the top of my head (where I now have a couple tiny hairless spots), it took at least seventeen stitches.

* Tapping or slapping me on the back of my shoulder triggers an intense flight or fight response in me. I used to just swing around and hit people when this happened as a kid. I don't know why it happens....

* I spent the first six years of my life in Boulder Creek, California. I had the stump of a redwood tree for a "treehouse". We moved to lower NY in '89, and I still think the trees here are too small.

* My favorite colors are Purple, Orange, and Green, preferred in that order. However, I also wear a lot of blues and browns. I usually say that my least favorite color is Pink, but this is kind of a lie.

* I never had a coming of age ceremony of any type.

* My lucky number (referenced in some of my screennames) is 49. This is because I noticed one day that my favorite TV channel (Cartoon Network) was #49 at the time, and so was the shortbus I took to school. 7x7=49, and 4+9=13, so I'm sure there's some numerological significance to it.

* I used to always mispronounce "mispronounce", and often still do.

* My ancestors are Polish, Lithuanian (from Kovno or near it), Romanian, and French (and possibly Spanish and Russian, maybe technically Moldovan). In every case, my ancestors were Jewish: Ashkenazi, Litvish, Ashkenazi, and Sephardic. Both my parents have had Israeli citizenship; my mother was born there to American parents.

* I'm named for two great-grandparents and a grandparent, all deceased (Ashkenazi tradition says you never name a kid after a live relative, it's like wishing death on them). My last name is actually one my father adopted when he came here to honor the family which protected his during the Holocaust, as he tells it. My names mean "Beloved", "A Gift", "Greatest", and "from Rome".

* I have two older siblings from one of my father's previous marriages; I've only met my half-sister, and since then have met her eldest daughter briefly. Both live in Israel and have numerous children, my sister with more six or more.

* I have never been to a religious service other than a wedding or funeral. My family used to have a Christmas tree at the same time we were lighting the Hanukkah menorah.

* I am mildly allergic to "trees, grasses, and flowers", and very allergic to mold, feathers, dust, cedar, and marijuana. I start showing severe cold symptoms and experience painful swelling in my sinuses which makes it difficult to remain upright if I am near enough to any of those to breathe in particles.

* I smoked a cigarette once, didn't enjoy it at all, and never found a reason to do it again. I don't understand why people continue to smoke long enough to develop an addiction.

* I have been professionally diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. I consider it neither a flaw to be corrected, nor an excuse to behave inappropriately with neurotypical people.

* I'm (mostly) vegan and lactose intolerant. I choose not to eat any animal products except honey, mainly due to the manner in which farm animals are treated in most large farming operations run by US corporations, and that it is not a biological necessity for me to eat meat with the availability of alternatives. I would consider eating meat and eggs again if all the producers switched to conscientious, cruelty-free and environmentally sound methods. My reasoning tends to vary between being hyper-sensitive to suffering, and considering that meat from unhappy and unhealthy animals tastes like utter crap.

* I would eat eggs from chickens raised by people I know to be treating the hens well. I would probably keep my own chickens for this reason if I ever had room, probably Araucanas for the blue eggs :3

* I dislike ostriches and actively encourage them as an alternative meat source over cattle for environmental and economic reasons, as well as the fact that they are stupid, stupid birds.

* My vision is about 20/1600, roughly as acute as that of a newborn human infant.

* I have phobias of needles and sub-dermal parasites. Bot flies are a good way to terrify me to the point of writhing on the floor.

This is not addressed to anyone in particular; think of it as a message in a bottle thrown into the internet.

The "cub" debate is in full swing again over on FA, and while I know some of my friends who I deeply respect and value won't post there because of the issue, I have to get this off my mind once and for all:

There are a lot of people on the internet who are opposing sexualized images of "underage" characters on the grounds that it makes people more accepting of it and encourages molestation and rape of children. I'm going to take a moment to say that I consider rape of any person to be the single most evil thing a person can do, and close the book on that topic.

The thing that is driving me crazy is that many of the same people-- not all of them, and probably not you if you are actually reading this --are at the same time creating, posting, and adding to their favorites images of self-injury, or with self-injury as a dominant theme.

Self-injury, cutting, or whatever you want to call it. I've sat back and squirmed through the HURHURDURRR of people making fun of the stereotypical youth doing it for "attention", and so on, but I'm not going to do it any more.

If you make fun of self injury? Fuck. You. I'm not tolerating that shit any more.

SI is a serious problem that deeply affects people and can be as addictive as any drug. It's a deadly problem, and it's memetic: images of self-injury can strongly trigger compulsions to injure one's self as badly as hanging around active drug users can recall a habit one is trying to quit.

Maybe some of these people did have an SI problem, and are using art to work through it by trivializing it. That's their prerogative. But it still can actively traumatize others who self-injure to see it portrayed.

You want to oppose art that hurts people? You want to stand against art that traumatizes children, ruins lives, deprives people of the innocence and joy of youth?

Then fucking do it. Portraying self-injury is actively harmful. Stop drawing characters with razor marks on their wrists and laughing about it, stop laughing about "emo" kids or stereotyping people with genuine psychological issues. Stop posting and encouraging "art" that might trigger a relapse, or at least put a goddamn warning thumbnail like you would with porn.

If you want to oppose people being hurt by images portraying harmful acts...

then stop drawing them.

I've noticed a general lack of bites for trades and monetary commissions, so i'm offering to do work in exchange for other stuff:

* Clean bottle caps from non-alchoholic beverages
* Whole or partial transformers toys
* Crystals or gemstones, rough or worked
* Buttons
* Odd trinkets

Make an offer! Obviously i won't do a full-color image for five buttons, but you never know what might be worth-while to a packrat like me :3