- she/her
I'm SoftenStar! But you can call me Audrey. :3
So I picked up my birthday cake from Cold Stone Creamery today. It's a cake batter ice cream cake with yellow cake, white frosting, and lots of rainbow sprinkles. B-) Basically all of my favorite things lol. I had also requested for the cake to have a custom message saying "Happy Birthday Audrey" in pink frosting.
But...they wrote "Aubrey" on the cake instead of "Audrey". 🙃
I did this order online, so it's not like they misheard my name or couldn't read my handwriting. I've double checked my order and I very clearly wrote "Audrey" on it. I know it might have just been a mistake, but I'm still a little upset. I've been having people misname me as "Aubrey" at work for like a year now. Some of them used to get my name right until we got a new co-worker named "Aubrey" and suddenly they think that's my name too. |D btw this co-worker is the first person in real life I've met named "Aubrey", but I've met at least four other "Audrey"s.
I'm sure the cake will still be delicious and I know it's not like a huge deal. I'm just a little shocked this happened for the reasons I previously mentioned. |D This was a $40 cake so I think I have every right to be a little upset that they got my name wrong.
It actually has become a pet peeve of mine when people act like it's the same name. I know there's a one letter difference, but the names have different origins.
"Audrey" is a French name derived from the old English name "Æthelthryth" and the middle English name "Etheldred" The name means "noble strength" and is largely considered to be a feminine name.
"Aubrey" is an English name derived from the Norman French form of the German name "Alberich". The name means "elf ruler" and is more gender neutral.
Obviously this isn't something people would know unless they dig through names websites (I personally love Behind the Name https://www.behindthename.com/ ). |D Still, I wish they would recognize that "D" and "B" are not the same letter.
Oh well. At least I have a delicious cake to eat.
Stolen from https://sheezy.art/boxchew/journal/art-questions-meme-i-saw-on-the-front-page
★ Art programs you have but don't use?
So many, though most are on my old computer. I only really use Photoshop to make PNGs. I also really haven't used Clip Studio Paint much, but I want to change that.
★ What ideas come from your childhood?
Most of my characters are ones I made as a kid, and my Animals story is basically a giant nonsensical mish-mash of a bunch of stories I made up as a kid. Soften was also created when I was kid.
★ Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw?
I swear I had an OC that I didn't like drawing but I honestly can't think of who is was. I'm not fond of drawing the halo on https://toyhou.se/24021477.marzipan though and I might change her design just because of that.
★ Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself?
I post pretty much everything these days except for my unfinished doodles/drawings. I used to draw a lot of art I never posted, but I don't have as much time to draw as I used to so I figure I might as well post everything. |D
★ Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (e.g. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)?
I feel like any game/anime I'm currently interested in will always influence my current art. A good example would be how many anime demons I started drawing after getting into Disgaea.
★ A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate?
Sculpting. I was never good at it, but I've always really liked seeing people's work.
★ What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in?
Lots of random ones I came up with in college lol. There was a story I drew lots of stuff for as a kid, but I never finished it. I lost interest in it around the time I created Soften, and I kinda feel bad I never finished it.
★ Favorite piece of clothing to draw?
Scarves, bows/ribbons, basically anything that goes around a neck. Also silly hats.
★ Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what?
I sometimes try to have random YouTube videos play in the background but I feel like that distracts me more often than not.
★ Easiest part of body to draw?
Heads I guess? XD idk I like drawing faces and stuff.
★ A creator who you admire but whose work isn't your thing?
I can't think of any.
★ Any favorite motifs?
idk just anything with like magic or magical girls I guess? Or if you're talking themes then stuff like found families.
★ Where do you draw (don't drop your ip address this just means do you doodle at a park or smth)?
In my parents basement lol.
★ Something you are good at but don't really have fun doing?
idk if I'm good at it but I have a love-hate relationship with drawing comics.
★ Do you eat/drink when drawing? if so, what?
I always have a water with me. I don't eat and draw though. I need both hands for my art (tablet pen in my left hand and mouse in my right).
★ Favorite inanimate objects to draw (food, nature, etc.)?
Crystals I guess?
★ Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy?
The other eye. Sure somethings I just copy the eye I've already drawn, but drawing it myself isn't that hard.
★ Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways?
I love the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure art style. Couldn't be any more different than my own art lol
★ What physical exercises do you do before drawing, if any?
Nothing lol
★ Do you use different layer modes?
I use different layers for line arts and backgrounds, but nothing too deep or complicated.
★ Do your references include stock images?
Sometimes.
★ Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by?
I'm sure I got some weird comparisons back on DA years ago but I can't remember any at the moment.
★ What's a piece that got a wildly different interpretation from what you intended?
I had at least one old drawing on DA back in like 2011 that some friends thought was vent art but it wasn't. XD They were like "omg are you okay???" and I was very confused.
★ Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff? If so, what is it you draw to warm up with?
I sometimes do a few warmup doodles or sketches. Sometimes my warmup is just making a random design.
★ Any art events you have participated in the past (like zines)?
No I'm not social
★ Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically?
I guess anything that's live action? idk live action stuff gives me very little artistic inspiration.
★ What piece of yours do you think is underrated?
This giant comic I drew last year lol https://www.deviantart.com/thecreatorofsoften/art/New-Party-Member-954522990 I spend like two days working on it and I got no comments on it. |D I did part a mature warning on it because there's a character smoking so I wonder if some people didn't see it because of that (DA has weird mature filter settings). idk maybe if I drew more things with these characters people would have liked it more.
I also posted this to DA, but I'm gonna try to post my journals here too!
The Kirby series is 32 years old today!
The pink puffball has been my favorite character since like...forever. I first discovered Kirby as a toddler watching my cousins play Super Smash Bros Melee, and naturally I was drawn to him because he's pink (I didn't care about any of the other characters for like a year or two lol). I used to draw tons of pictures of Kirby much to my parents confusion, but eventually they saw the character in my cousin's game and figured out what I was so obsessed with.
I don't think I've played a single Kirby game I've disliked either. I haven't played every single game, but I'm sure even Kirby's Block Ball is enjoyable for what it is. Kirby games are just comfort food to me. I will always have a good time playing them,
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror was the first Kirby game I played, and it's still a favorite of mine to this day. It was also the first metroidvania I ever played, and younger me was actually confused/surprised when I learned that other Kirby games weren't like that. I would kill for a remake to this game...well maybe not kill but god I would love a remake.
I've also always been sad that I never got to do the multiplayer with friends because it looked so fun. I think that's possible on the Switch now but I don't have the expansion pack. |D
Kirby Air Ride is another childhood favorite! Funny thing about this game is that my older cousin told my brother and I that the game sucked and since we looked up to him we were hesitant to get it at first, but thankfully my parents bought the game anyways and I learned that my cousin has bad opinions. Air Ride is such an awesome game. City Trial is such a fun mode, especially when you can get a group of four together to play. God a remake or new version of this game would rock.
Despite being the Kirby fanatic of the house, my parents got my brother Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland (though we shared games often so it was okay). I have a lot of nostalgia for this one too, and I feel like it is one of my favorites even if I usually don't mention it. Funny thing is that we later bought Kirby's Adventure on the Wii virtual console and I ended up being really confused because it's the same game. XD Child me did not understand remakes.
They also got my brother Kirby Squeak Squad. I know a lot of people consider this game to be kinda lackluster, but I actually really love Squeak Squad. I used to make up Kirby characters (I guess fan characters lol) and I would play as Lavender Kirby with the hi-jump ability (I did similar things in Amazing Mirror). I kinda miss when they'd let us change Kirby's color, even though I love pink Kirby.
Canvas Curse was the first DS Kirby game I owned, and it's also very nostalgic to me. I was so bad at it as a kid though, but some of those later levels are hard!! I don't think you could get me to willingly replay Spectacle Space to this day. I remember being really good at one of the minigames back in the day.
Kirby Super Star Ultra is another favorite of mine. By the time it released, I had learned of the older Kirby games through Wikipedia and Amazon (I had to know everything Kirby okay) and had always been curious about Super Star, so when I learned a DS remake was coming out I was excited! I think my favorite mode was always Milky War Wishes. I still have absolutely no idea how I managed to beat the True Arena, but it's the only time I've done so in a Kirby game.
Kirby's Epic Yarn on the Wii is fun!! I remember when it was announced at E3 2010 (oof I feel old). I remember a friend not liking it as much but I found it fun. I never did get the 3DS version (yet another game I didn't know would go out of print quickly).
Kirby's Return to Dreamland is another favorite, and the remake is also gorgeous. Easily one of the best Kirby games, and I'm glad the cancelled GameCube game had something come out of it because I used to watch that trailer constantly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_dZenzrXRA
Kirby Mass Attack was the last DS game in the series. I actually still need to beat this one. idk why I haven't beaten it to be honest. I remember liking the parts I did play. Sadly I think this was part of the time where I sucked at finishing games.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe is another solid game. It took a lot of the things that Return to Dreamland did and improved upon it. I remember being really happy when they announced it because it took forever for the 3DS to get a Kirby game. |D God being an early 3DS owner was hard is general man...
But I think I like Kirby: Planet Robobot more! The Robobot armor is a lot of fun and I love the soundtrack to this game (but every Kirby game has amazing music, let's be honest). I think this one also has one of my favorite final bosses in the entire series.
Sad that Kirby only got one game on the Wii U, but at least he got something. Rainbow Curse is fun. I definitely like Canvas Curse more, but it was still fun.
Kirby Battle Royale is another one I haven't finished. Apparently I just suck at finishing the last Kirby games released on the DS-style systems. |D I remember liking it though.
Star Allies is fun! I know people think it's too easy (it is easy, but that extra mode they added is hard) but I had fun with it. I think it would be really fun to play with friends.
And Forgotten Land! I'm glad they finally made a 3D Kirby game because it turned out great. I think Kirby worked really well in 3D, so I hope they'll try something similar. And here we are!
I did play several entries on virtual console too, like the previously mentioned Kirby's Adventure.
I used to emulate Kirby 64 on Project 64 (real ones will know) before eventually owning it on virtual console. Easily another favorite of mine. I really loved mixing the copy abilities as a kid. My favorite one is the Stone-Cutter combo that turns Kirby into stone versions of the animal friends.
The Dreamland games are fun too. The original is a simple but fun game. The second and third games are kinda hard, but I like the style of them and I kinda wish we'd get something like them again.
I have a lot of the other spinoffs on my 3DS virtual console, but I haven't played them all. |D I think the only games I don't own are Tilt and Tumble, Avalanche (but that's just Puyo Puyo with Kirby and I own Puyo Puyo), Dream Course, Super Star Stacker (Japan only, but I have the Gameboy one), Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, Extra Epic Yarn, Dream Collection, Fighters 2, and Dream Buffet. That's a bigger list than I thought it would be. XD but dang Kirby has a lot of games!
I was also a fan of the anime as a kid. I remember watching it on Saturday mornings on the foxbox/4kids. I also used to watch the anime on YouTube in Japanese and English, but sadly those channels are mostly gone now. There's also no complete English release of the anime, and I'm really hoping we'll get one some day considering that Sonic X got one not too long ago.
One final thing before I wrap up this post. I wanna talk about my favorite copy abilities!
My childhood favorite ability was the Cupid ability in Amazing Mirror and Squeak Squad. For some reason child me really loved that Kirby suddenly had wings. XD
Another favorite of mine is the Mirror ability from Super Star. It's a really strong ability and I love that it can reflect the Computer Virus boss's attacks.
I also have always loved the Fighter ability. It's one of my go-to abilities for the arenas, though sometimes I go with Suplex instead.
One of the newer ones that I love is ESP, and not just because of the Earthbound references. It's a really good ability if you know how to use it.
Beam is a weird one because as a kid I wasn't fond of it, but they've expanded its moveset so much in the newer games that it's easily one of my favorites!
...and I think I've rambled enough. XD Sorry for such a long post. I just had to ramble about my favorite character for a bit!
What Kirby games are your guys favorites? And which copy abilities are your favorites?
Random journal time. I originally posted this to Deviantart but I figure I should post my random update journals here! Get ready for some rambling lol
My second awful work week is finally over. |D I had to work six days in a row...have one day off...and then work four more days twice this month. But that's finally over! I won't have to do this again unless I need a random day off, and I might work Monday instead of Sunday if I do that. I am starting to build-up some PTO (paid time off) again, but I might what to save that up for something.
I've been to two baby showers this month. Usually people have just one (I think) but my brother and his wife had one with her family and one with mine. We're getting very close to her due date, and I still don't know how I feel about being "Aunt Audrey" but I'm still excited for them. XD They're not telling us what names they're picking and they won't know the gender until the kid is born, which is fine. At least I know they won't pick a stupid name (specifically, one of these: https://www.reddit.com/r/tragedeigh/ ) so I'm not worried about whatever they choose.
I am a little worried about their kid being born on my birthday, however. It's very possible. Early, but possible. If it happens it happens. I still am going to hope that it doesn't happen though. |D
Listen, I'm a twin. I've already had to share a birthday for my entire life. My birthday has never been just about me. We always had to compromise on things like restaurants, party locations, cakes (I like vanilla and he likes chocolate), etc. It wasn't until we were like 18 when my parents finally realized that he and I can have our own celebrations/cakes. |D A bit late, but still a welcome change.
I don't necessarily mind sharing a birthday despite these things, but it would be nice not to complicate things further. I also have a younger second cousin who also has a May 1st birthday, and every year we've pretty much had to miss her parties because my brother and I are also celebrating our birthdays.
Anyways, I have 11 more days until my birthday. I'm going to be 27. XD So old man... So much of my twenties are a blur after college. I was like 22 when the pandemic started and now I'm almost 27?? what the heck. I'm thinking of getting an ice cream cake again this year. I got a custom one from Coldstone a few years ago and it was great. It's pretty expensive though, but I'm willing to spend a little extra for it.
Yesterday was Mother 3 day!! We may not have the game officially in the west, but it's still one of my favorites. They announced adorable plushies of Lucas, Claus, Duster, and Kumatora: https://www.1101.com/n/s/mother_project/mother3_18th/index.html Sadly those will probably be stuck in Japan, but oh god do I need them. I need all the plushies.
Yesterday, I finished playing Unicorn Overlord. I haven't done any post-game stuff, but overall I liked the game a lot! I think my biggest complaint is that I wish the character units could be expanded to 6 characters instead of 5. There's like 60-ish recruitable characters, but you can only have 50 of them in your units (you can have 10 units compromised of a max of 5 characters). I never changed my units, so there are a lot of late-game characters I never used. |D But overall it was a fun game! Kind of a weird mix of strategy RPG and real-time strategy game.
Out of the three Vanillaware games I've played, I think this is my second favorite. 13 Sentinels is still my favorite though, but that's because 13 Sentinels is an absolutely amazing game. The other game, GrimGrimoire, is a good game too, but I like the other two a little more.
The next game I play will probably be either Another Code: Recollection or Princess Peach Showtime. I'm late on both of those. |D idk I need a short break from RPGs, and then I'll probably drive into the Rhaposdy sequels and the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster. I hope to maybe find time for an Otome game somewhere in there and one of the Atelier games in my backlog. Too many games to play man...Knowing me I'll probably just start another Spore save file.
Not much to update on the anime I'm watching. The current Precure season has gotten more interesting now that the cat is getting focus. Delicious in Dungeon is getting pretty interesting too, and I'm kinda hoping Trigger will do another season since there's no way everything will be covered in 26 episodes. The other two shows I'm watching are Spring 2024 shojo animes, both of which I don't have a strong opinion about at the moment.
As for art, I'm on a roll today! >:3 I've gotten three character bio pictures done! I'm still dealing with trying to figure out a design for one character (as I mentioned here: https://www.deviantart.com/thecreatorofsoften/journal/A-Dilemma-1044332389 ) but otherwise I've been getting art done today!! I'm happy about that. I wanna get the bios for this story done. I also don't have an official name for the story still after like 10 years, but I'll figure that out soon.
I think that's all the updates I have. Thanks for reading! :3 Also if you missed it, I recently posted a Deviantart journal compiling all of the open adopts I still have going: https://www.deviantart.com/thecreatorofsoften/journal/All-Open-Adopts-1044468428
Finally managed to make an account here! I've heard good things about Sheezyart so I decided to check things out here. :D
So far I'm liking this site. Hopefully it will scratch that 2010's Deviantart itch.