My DA Story (More like my Life Story gosh)

because why not right? Saw a million others do this, and I have a weakness for nostalgic things. This will take me back to dark days, and fun times, and I will ramble about my life here a lot, so be prepared.

NOTE: Everyone I mention has a special place in my heart, but if I have ever talked to you, made art for you, or RPed with you, or you are in one of the groups I am in/have been in, you are special to me. Very special to me. I feel specific mentions are needed to give my life story depth, but I love you all. Especially my watchers. Every single one of you, thank you.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

I started on DA when I was almost 13. Yes, I got on DA early. I had been watching famous artists such as CrispyChocolate and TamarinFrog ever since I didn't have a DA account. When I finally got my Dad to make me one, I was restricted from talking to anyone online for any reason and was only permitted to upload art. Because of this, I uploaded all the art I could every day. I had many pieces in standby since I canned a lot of traditional stuff back then, and I considered my first uploaded piece the pinnacle of my new life as a growing artist.



This piece, I am still proud of to this day. It was the first piece I took time on, lined, colored, and shaded with patience. Adder was my first OC, and while a very gary stu rocketchu fan character, he is still close to my heart and hasn't changed all too much. Another character I had back in the day was Bowie the llama. He was created when I got my first llama badge here on DA. Plus, I also needed to improve, so I tried my hand at drawing a llama, and at the time I thought it was great.



It had a background, and looked fancy all digital right? Well, I started watching more and more artists, and realized the road would be long and hard if I wanted to be a real artist. I needed to improve, to keep striving to become better, to keep practicing every day. I worked with a passion, a passion for art. I have devoted myself to art ever since I discovered a very sad reality as a kid. To be a vet, you had to go to all this schooling I couldn't afford, and you had to be strong and dedicated, and I was nothing like any vet should be. I always thought of art as a silly hobby no one ever made real progress in, but now I see that if I keep going it will do me a great deal in life, more than it already has.

I started becoming a storyteller too, as it fit in with my bubbly and dreamy persona. I created more characters and stories for those characters, and sometimes merged storylines and drew to improve a lot.



Now, this was about when I started getting way too deep into pokemon. I was obsessed at the point of driving away any friends who didn't like pokemon because they couldn't stand me being such a freak about it. I was a loner and I was ok with that to be perfectly honest. I just wanted to be able to have fun and find people like me. DA had that. This was also when I argued with my big brother a lot, since he believed that pokemon was for kids. He gave me all his old stuff just to spite me and I started questioning whether it was worth keeping up with.



I hated myself for almost giving into him. I browsed DA to drown myself and my sorrows in art instead of trying to bottle it up as I usually do. This worked wonders for younger me. I vented a lot, and it made me feel better about myself and my art. I felt my art was starting to become one with me, and my roots were finally showing through. My family has art in their veins, and on both sides of them. I was proud to keep up with such a delicate hobby I had had since kindergarten. I stopped harping on myself for a while and started to actually create stories and characters again. You know what? I am still proud of some of them too.



I started getting back into digital after some inspiration too, so here are some older works I like.



That last one in that row is very special to me. It was a staple in my art career and relationship with my brother. He had moved out and was having issues adjusting to life. I was still sour towards him, but held it in. However, he complimented the picture and I can still clearly remember the wonder on his face when he saw it and told me I would only get better and when I did, he would be there for me all the way. I was so happy, I stopped being angry at him and I started looking up to him for the first time in my life. After that, I wanted to improve even more! That was when I found Fireworks, a program my dad got me.



I had an old sonic phase and never grew out of pokemon. I kept drawing, and started inking my traditional works so that they looked more professional and detailed. I was a lot happier with them.



Once upon a time I had a PMD Fan Comic, but that disappeared fast. I want to pick it up again someday, but it may never happen. I also started to fall out of friendship with middle school drama going on and people in real life mistaking everything I said and thinking I hated them all when I didn't.

RP GROUPS

I also started to get into groups at this point. I watched a lot of people, and one person in particular, TamarinFrog had joined a group called PKMN-Crossing. I wanted to join so badly, but I failed at getting a handle on my creative skills and character making ability. I tried so hard to make my character look cool, but it backfired. Instead, I simply watched from the sidelines as a spectator, totally fine with that. That is, until PKMN-Armonia came to be known.

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I made this little trickster and tried to get in, but as an overused personality, he failed. I remember stressing over it a lot, and then I got over it and watched many artists in that group and tried to keep up with it without hating it. I couldn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy feeling so left out when everyone seemed so nice and was having so much fun. I decided that I would try again and the second opening happened. Milo also happened.



This guy, ah man, I loved his design so much, but I thought of him as a joke. Milo started as a personal joke in a grocery store, which escalated into me drawing him and laughing as i typed a fun history and waited to be rejected for messing around with the group's strict acceptance policy. However, I was surprised, and almost hurt, that he was accepted. Was Scout not as good as Milo? I still wonder what would be happening today if Scout was accepted and not Milo. I am still sad he never got a group, but that may change soon enough if I decide to bring him back.

I also want to mention that I skipped mentioning PMD-E for a reason. I liked the group and all, and it made me happy, but not for long. I joined to draw other people's characters, people I looked up to, and hopefully make friends. That never happened, and the group only made me stressed after forever, so I wanted to quit. However, I have a loyalty complex that kept me from leaving until the group ultimately closed down. Simple as that.

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Armonia made me more confident and gave me motivation to draw. I wanted to draw thanks to that group. After drawing so many gift arts for others and watching others talk and have fun all day while I only said thank you for favorites, I defied my Dad's ruling of not talking to internet strangers and approached the scariest chatroom ever. I was so scared of everyone in Armonia when I first started getting into that chatroom. I remember seeing names like Heatheru, Typurr, Solarri, Yurikinns, sweetkimothy, Nip-Nips, and then even the head honcho herself, Buntato! I was so scared of all of you you have no idea man. Every time you said hi, I would respond back simply, but be bursting with excitement inside of myself.



Everyone in Armonia back then, and now, I want you all to know that I was scared witless by you, but I am glad I got over it to be your friend. All of you, that have come and gone, I appreciate all the times we have had. I started taking myself more seriously after the horticulture event, and then events kept coming after that! I know a lot of people remember the paint ball war event. This was when I cranked out art left and right, and surprisingly I liked most of it!



After it ended, I was happy and sad, since I never cranked out quite as much art as I did then, but the event tore everyone apart and I hated that. I was seeing all my idols fight. It was like the Fall of Olympus to me amg. However, the group survived and went on to bigger and better things, such as the masquerade ball, my first big event RP.



I was sad all throughout this event, and it showed through Milo. I hated that so badly. Milo was a happy guy, not a sob story. I remember the only thing cheering me up before I had to leave was Elise talking to Milo through their notes. Since Milo was a mute, he was hard to RP as. There was constant times I simply typed "He wrote" over and over again and it got frustrating. new events cheered me up though, such as the snow event, the pinkan event, and new assignments.



After that came Catching Fire. I drew a lot for this event, and I was happy with the joy that came with it.



Things were still rocky for me though, but to cheer myself up, I got through the pirate event, and I remember Torracattos and gaper4 were nice enough to give me points for a pet Larvesta. I was so happy I drew them both gift art for it.



I started to fill out countless memes and get through newer events with a lot of vigor. I believe I also had another group or two around this point that I devoted myself too.



For Zaphary, that group was like my getaway car. If I didn't want to draw for Armonia I drew Miles. Simple. Miles became a jerk that stole and cheated his way into my heart. I love the guy so much but RPing as a jerk was hard for me since a lot of RP partners hated RPing with mean characters and would drop RPs like that. Miles became a wolf to draw and pretend that he actually had friends when he did not. I also remember once HamAndDonuts gave me a comment on one thing and I flipped out that she liked my stuff srsly I was so happy that day.



However, I found one guy that stood through his taunting, and we actually enjoyed RPing as our characters. Maybe it was because technically they were both jerks, one was just a grouchy grump and the other was a more of a sarcastic flirt. Whatever happened, it worked out, and I found one of my bestest friends and idols, Dapuffster.



Blake the Dewott was the most likable character to me at the time since he had depth and volume to me. I liked the way he did things, and the way Puff controlled him was enviable. I wanted to be a better RPer, so I started to ask around more often for that experience I would need. I also met gaper4 around this time too. This is pree embarrassing, but we all became friends over a crackship that decided to stay in my heart and wrench its strings for all eternity since it could never be canon and I knew it from the very beginning. This also helped me improve my diction and grammar. With Indigo, he is a month younger than Miles, however, he was SO MUCH MORE FUN TO RP AS. Seriously, everyone loved the little rat.



That was when I RPed with people like SacredLugia and admired her art as well. I also idolized someone I now consider a great friend, RosieSakura. Johnny was cuter than you realize girl. Anyway, these two became a part of every day life for me, juts as Milo had done. These guys, along with my Jigglypuff Angelo, were all short lived adventures.



All three of those groups are closed down, and while it was fun, I was very sad to have left three important places in my life. These guys were now homeless and I desperately sought out new homes for them. I will stop spamming you guys with terrible art and just say that I made Trevor the Tasmanian Devil, moved Indigo to Amie, and failed getting into other groups.

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I also went to the very short lived Amie-Academy, but I can barely remember any of that whoops. All I remember is that I loved my newest Loner jerk, Antimony Roman Tyrell. I also made my second character for Armonia, Tony the Carnivine, and had more fun with designing outrageous characters. Miles went to pokemon-despair and is still there, but once he dies I want to move him to another mature setting where he can be himself. I made Danny the Boo and joined Truffville and PKMNation fairly recently.

I am starting to get back into the groove of making Original art again, and recent events at Armonia gave Milo and voice and boyfriend! For that I thank RosieSakura for my favorite RPs since Dapuffster and me RPed back in Zaphary. Thanks you two, I love you both. Please let us all stay friends for a long time. I want to be able to share more years with you guys.

These recent events also got Tony some friends and a new pet. Miles almost drowned in Despair since his friends are dying, but is managing to stay afloat so far so good. I am entering contests more often, as my confidence is boosting itself slowly but surely. I am learning new techniques and cranking out art I actually like on occasion, which is good. I made good friends along the way, like Pantipaws. I am so sorry I don't talk to you more often. I also started talking with Storied again, and I missed those days of MU fancharacters. Vega is still getting drawn though, I just don't put it on DA anymore. I should. I still love my dragonsona though, Thank you for making her for me. My characters matter so much to me, as recent art has shown.



Woah ok I rambled WAY too much. Sorry about this whole bibliography here. I just needed to get it off my chest you know? There is so much more I wanted to write, and so many people I haven't mentioned, but I think I should stop for now. Time to move on and keep growing you know? I still have my doubts about myself, but I am sure everything will be fine in the future. I want to wish you a very Happy Birthday DA, I am glad you are still in my life.



Sincerely,
Azailia Auburn