I'd say Skype, if only because instant messenger might be a nice change of pace from the pen pal essays thing we've got going. Regardless what you choose, my username is invariably ashjxx, haha, including Skype and hotmail.

Much of the reasoning you mentioned is the same reason I try to be as enthusiastic as possible if someone lets me see their creative work. More so, because I'm so private and slow to share in real life...ha.

Ugh, I want to tell you why its been a long week, but no matter how I put it, its gonna be several paragraphs long. What would be the best way to send you several paragraphs? I don't really have a preferred method of communication. I check my emails more often and my tumblr less often. I have Skype, too.

For both drawing and life in general, I guess I've lived through enough dismissive, indifferent, kinda condescending "that's cool"/"ok"s that I make certain the other person knows I'm interested when I'm interested!! Knows I like something when I like it! You know?

On the same note, I know how indifferent the overwhelming majority are, so when I like someone, I'm patient and want to put in the effort to see what they're doing and try to understand what they're going for and think about what I like about what they're making. That kinda thing. I can't make people give a shit about my drawings, but I can control how I go about things! So I show genuine interest (v important that it's genuine), the way I wish others would show for my drawings. Ha. That turned out kinda bummer-y, whoops.

@Ashly

*cries* why must you indulge me >_< i often think my ideas are very silly and when i share them, i don't expect anyone to get it the way i do, so i've gotten used to the general "that's cool" or "ok" comments whenever i introduce my half-finished ideas.

it does give me a boost of motivation that you follow my dumb sketches so closely. though i super encourage you to share more with me too! i'm always willing to exchange ideas.

and yes, i experience the same with having to study a specific area for days before i can add like one more shape to that inner database. it does get taxing from time to time. and frustrating. art is suffering. suffering is art.

Hahaha, you ~did~ convey that there's a person behind the castle! I just typed badly! Though you're correct that from our end there are a lot of blanks to fill in. That's part of the fun though! It did take me until you posted the faces yesterday before I realized Rook was still ALSO a person. And you can't stop me, my character's a tree now. And not even a mobile tree. Just a tree. A small little apple sapling.

And to go on my own little ramble, that "limited base to draw from when drawing without reference" is something I've been thinking about (and being frustrated by) a lot lately! Like. Without reference, I notice I draw a lot of things the same exact way every time. And I CAN'T draw it another way. Cuz I don't know how. And I get frustrated. I can draw like two eyebrows, three lips, a million noses, three ears, etc. And moving away from the face, basically one or two of each part. One foot. Two forearms. One hand. Three boobs. (Wait.) I feel like the only times I ever add to that mental database is careful, weeklong study of specific areas, which is so exhausting!!! Need to get back to that though. Drawing's so much work ;;;;__;;;; (crying spider, I guess?? Tm. Copyright.)

Looks like I'll just have to be silly enough for the both of us, haha. I can do that. And no need to shut up! You're making sense! I like the inside peek at what you're doing and thinking with your drawings. I look forward to thispuzzle, even if I'm SOOOO bad at symbolitry, and you'll have to hold my hand the entire way through, like I'm a toddler.

@Ashly haha, there's a human behind every weird persona/creature thing I draw, I'm just SUPER uncomfortable drawing people so I rather not show my failed attempts.

(Ensue rambling)

Really pulling this off properly is all about simplification and understanding how it's working in the real world, I was just very tired and I'm still pretty bad at faces. Once I know what my hand likes doing I don't think it'll be so hard. I feel like I'm in some weird in-between phase with drawing where I have a decent, but limited mental-image-base to refer to when drawing without ref. Just time and persistence is all I need.

And sorry if this story idea may be hard to follow! Through my art I'm hoping I can make my ideas clearer. But don't turn your characters into buildings because it makes it easier! The castle is just a symbolic choice on my part and if someone needs to know anything about me it's that I LOOOVE (as I call it) symbolitry. Just think about Utena and that's close to the type of symbolism I like using, but less random, silly and obscure and more like putting an intricate puzzle together. Did that make sense? Probably not. Jeez. Shutting up now.

God, I'm finally doing this same type of work and tinkering and whatever with my gals and just...I feel the pain. Some of them come so easily, so enjoyably even. One of them is just refusing to work with me at all. She's my equivalent to your Rook. Maybe I should turn her into a building too. That'll show her.