imthepearadox

Latest Posts by imthepearadox

genuinely how it feels trying not to be mean to people who leave stupid shit on my posts

Flawed rat design… *shakes head*

in the minecraft world do youthink people would use "they dug straight down" as code for someone dying

Hermit a Day May- Day 12: Pearl!

HUGE kudos to @albanenechi for pose ref (literal lifesaver 🙏)

sketch and lineart vers under the cut!

pearlll you are sooo special 2 mee, full of starss

you can’t kill yourself, the music is about to switch from 4/4 to 6/8. the clarinets are just about to come in bro you can’t miss that

imagine a goat with a hat

STOP-

what hat did you give the goat what is the instinctual hat you gave to this goat

“A sleeping mother snow leopard curled up in a doughnut shape, front paws resting against her back, while her tiny, eyes-and-ears-closed kitten nuzzles into the fur of her belly and wraps their arm around her”

Cherri Cherri Cherri!!!!

do you have anything to say about the resent outburst of rage over the lifers posting duck (and other bird) pictures?

🦆

Writing Grief Without Romanticizing It

Grief is raw, messy, and deeply personal. It doesn’t follow a neat arc or fit into tidy narrative beats. While stories often use grief as a dramatic device, romanticizing it can cheapen the emotional reality. Writing grief authentically means embracing its discomfort and unpredictability, not sanitizing or idealizing it. 

What Romanticizing Grief Looks Like

Characters who seem emotionally wrecked but always manage to look graceful in their suffering.

Overly articulate monologues that sound more like a eulogy than a real moment of loss.

Depictions of grief as a singular, cathartic event instead of a long, jagged process.

Romanticized Grief:

“Every day without you is like a piece of me fading away into a tragic, beautiful void. I’ll carry this pain forever, for it’s all I have left of you.”

This might be poetic, but it lacks the authenticity of how most people actually process grief.

Realistic Grief:

“I forgot your birthday. I didn’t mean to, but when I remembered, it was already too late. And then I hated myself because forgetting felt like erasing you.”

Writing Grief Authentically

1. Show the Physical Toll

Grief isn’t just emotional—it’s physical. Insomnia, headaches, exhaustion, or even the inability to move can be part of the experience.

“She woke up in the middle of the night again, choking on the air. Her chest felt like a cinderblock had been wedged inside, heavy and unmoving. It was three days since the funeral, and she still hadn’t slept longer than an hour.”

2. Let Grief Be Messy

Grief isn’t a perfectly linear journey. There’s no logical progression from denial to acceptance—there are setbacks, breakdowns, and even moments of denial long after healing has started.

“He yelled at his mother for throwing out the cereal box. ‘It was his favorite,’ he said. She didn’t remind him that it had been expired for months. She just handed him the trash bag and walked away.”

3. Avoid Glossy Sentimentality

Sometimes grief isn’t poetic; it’s ugly, blunt, and devoid of grandeur. Characters might lash out, shut down, or isolate themselves.

Romanticized: “I’ll cry every day, but I’ll keep going because you’d want me to.”

Realistic: “They said time would heal it. But it didn’t. Time just put more space between me and the life I knew before.”

4. Let Grief Manifest in Small, Unexpected Ways

Grief isn’t always about sobbing—it can show up in mundane moments: hesitating to delete a voicemail, holding onto an old sweater, or instinctively setting the table for someone who’s gone.

“She turned to tell him the joke, the one about the broken lamp, and stopped halfway through. The silence hit harder than the punchline ever would.”

5. Highlight the Absurdity of It

Grief can be absurd and disorienting. Characters might laugh inappropriately, obsess over trivial details, or feel disconnected from reality.

“At the funeral, all she could focus on was how crooked the flowers were arranged. She kept wanting to fix them. If she didn’t, she thought, none of this would feel real.”

6. Explore How Grief Changes Relationships

Grief doesn’t happen in isolation—it affects relationships, often in unexpected ways. Some people pull closer, others drift apart.

“Her friends stopped asking how she was doing after the first few weeks. She didn’t blame them; she didn’t have an answer. ‘Fine’ wasn’t a lie—it was just easier than saying, ‘I still can’t breathe when I see his empty chair.’”

7. Show the Longevity of Grief

Grief doesn’t end when the funeral does. Let it linger in your story, showing how it ebbs and flows over time.

“It had been five years, but she still called his number when something exciting happened. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was just habit. Or maybe it was hope.”

8. Allow for Moments of Respite

Grief isn’t constant agony. People still laugh, find joy, and go about their lives—sometimes feeling guilty for it.

“She smiled for the first time in weeks, and then immediately hated herself for it. It felt like betrayal, like forgetting.”

DRAGONETS OF DESTIINYYYYY

spoke deeply to me.

In your Jewel redesign, you said that Wasp probably wouldn’t let her get away with full drag, but that does make me curious. What would a dragon in drag would look like?

you will not BELIEVE how much I've thought about this, both during and after designing her. I can answer your question and beyond!!

The (Drag) Queens of Pantala

In order to properly explore Pantalan drag, I first looked to the (cultural) definition of drag itself, as well as learning some brief history. With the first known preformance occurring in 1867 (Although not truly popularized until the 19th century,) Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ+ organizations describe drag as a preformance art form that uses costumes, makeup and other tools to illustrate exaggerated expressions of gender identity, intended to critique gender inequality or other social justice issues. Drag has traditionally been preformed/pioneered by members of the LGBTQ+ community, predominantly gay men and/or people of color.

With this in mind, Pantalan drag was most likely created and developed by Silkwings (especially in jewel hive) as a form of protest art. I imagine the movement was later popularized by hivewing audiences, becoming more palatable to the wider public after being endorsed by a privileged group as art movements often are. While there are a myriad of social justice issues Pantalan drag could have originally meant to critique, the loss of Silkwing rights and deforestation of Pantala were probably the two main driving topics.

Their Artistic Process

As for the actual production of drag costumes or makeup, Silkwings would have had to work with what was available to them - fruits, vegetables, basic dyes/craft materials and their own silk. They would construct their own jewelry using beads instead of gold, weave their garments, and grind mica with pigments and oil to make eyeshadow.

Leaves, roots and trees would be frequent design elements of early drag: with the eye-catching glamour of a dragon working to simultaneously distract detractors and seek out supporters. Heavy accessorizing and imagery of wealth would also be important to presenting Silkwings as equal to Hivewings, through metaphorical sense. The processes of creating Pantalan drag is what leads me to believe it would prosper best in jewel hive: outside of their relaxed rules and support of Silk/Hive equality, they would also have easiest access to craft materials, dyes and a lively art scene.. endorsed by Lady Jewel herself.

Just a few thoughts on drag. Thanks for asking this question! I was looking for a chance to spill and you gave it to me ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

Don’t make me put your ass in the sealbarrow

its ma bday i get to be self-indulgent .png I MISS THEMFFNMMM

I always try to do this. Sometimes you need to vent some frustration with a piece, but it always needs to be counteracted by a little bit of love. Not everything you make is going to be perfect, but if you can see the little things you did well, notice them and compliment them, you can carry them on with you. Art you make later will be even better.

You can’t progress if you can’t see what you’re doing well and foster it.

yall have to stop insulting your own art in the caption and preemptively pointing out mistakes 90% of people probably won't notice. allow things to not be perfect. allow yourself some grace

let's observe with mama

am in pain and depressed lately so struggling to do much of anything but still want to try and draw despite it so i spat out this lil papy doodle yesterday… its not much but i still kinda like how it turned out for being a simple lil doodle

my little brother & i are having a scholarly debate about mornings

desert duo kitties resting near the pond

:00

I’m going to throw up. New wof book next year in March. The Hybrid Prince.

Screaming. Crying. Writhing on the floor.

Hermit-a-day may: 14. Groups and collabs

guys are gossiping!!

and this is actually a redraw of my art i made a year ago

Pondering my orbs.

I’m collecting them in a box and shaking around

Hermit-A-Day May 12!! Pearlo!

Loved 5am Pearl in Double Life so I absolutely had to go with that version of her. Even included Tilly! <3 also gave her some blood >:)

I remember when Pearl was just a helper on Grian channel. She’s such a fantastic builder and I absolute just adore her organic builds. She’s done some pretty amazing stuff. <3

Silly concept,,,

I'm getting into Handplates again, so I want to repost some of my old art here in tumblr too! I'm very proud of most of it

Handplates by @zarla-s

da da da~