OK! I've noticed a few questions tend to come up repeatedly, so I decided to make a FAQ. :)

( What should I call you/whom should I credit? )

( May I archive one of your stories or some of your fan art? )

( May I take one of the icons you posted for use as an avatar (lj, community, dboard)? )

( ...I meant the icon you used for your avatar. )

( May I archive your icons on my site? )

( Do you accept constructive criticism? )

( Where did you find that font? )

( Oh, that one costs money. Can you send me a copy? )

( Do you take requests? )

( You know, this fake-cut thing you do is really annoying. )

( Hey! Some person named lightbringer is saying they did your work! )

( Hey! Some person who is neither lightbringer nor dracopottamus is saying they did your work! )

( Someone's hotlinking you! Not only that, but they posted it in an icon theft comm! )

 

I'm just collecting all the related icons here since it makes it easier for me to figure out what I've done.

ETA: moved near the top since I've locked the redundant update posts.

( thisaway...there is an icon that may be construed as spoilery )

 

I will need to give up LJ for the forseeable future, so I am putting most of my communities up for adoption. (I will be closing new memberships for illuminatedtext since it's basically just a vanity community.)

Details:

hp_tarot_deck is the big one. It's an ongoing art challenge to draw a working tarot deck, and you'd basically have to act much as an art director does. The new mod would have to show a high* level of proficiency in Photoshop, a high* level of proficiency in typography, know what a kern is, be reasonably polite, be capable of enforcing project requirements, and capable of resolving a dispute without turning it into a full-on flamewar. So far, I've been accepting any level of ability so long as the applicant isn't off in left field with their subject, and they're willing to get a drawing done sometime during a two-month timeframe. I can provide the card templates and fonts, and bring the new mod up to speed on what's what.

*I have to be able to believe that a moderately okay GD firm would consider hiring you.

hp_writersguild is a community for fanfic writers' issues. I had to let it die when I hit my final year of school, and it's never quite recovered. It's open to anyone that is not drama-prone, demonstrates a working knowledge of English grammar, and has an idea for what to do with it. Even if your idea is to just let it do its thing (and delete spam when it shows up.) :)

Artist: lightbringer (dracopottamus)
Title: The Empress
Characters: Pomona Sprout
Rating: G
Media used: Pastel + photoshop/wacom
Challenge: hp_tarot_deck
Warnings: weird anatomy + suckitude.
Notes/comments: Some brushes by vered, not that you can really tell at this point.

( Here she is! )

ETA: this was due today, so I had to get it up. I will reply to the outstanding comments soonish!

This is just a quick one! One cleaned up icon of the Black Family Crest as drawn by JKR and published at the Leaky Cauldron.

+ This is a base and/or an icon.
+ Credit is nice, but whatever. I really didn't do anything to this one beyond descreening.
+ Comments are nice. ^_^
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.

I don't know about you, but I've been having a hard time scraping together enough skins for a well-populated Harry Potter neighborhood in my Sims 1 game. Whenever I go looking, it seems like all I can find are high fantasy robes and vampire skins. I mean, there are characters in Harry Potter that do just fine with high fantasy vampire skins, but I couldn't find any of the brightly colored robes that are so frequently mentioned in the books.

So I made some. Plus a version in basic black, since it goes with everything.

I know, they're all the same. However, there really isn't much selection of bright wizardly robes to begin with, so I thought a broad selection of colors and body types would be more useful than 2 completely unique skins. In all, there are 12 versions of the black robe (all 3 body types, all 3 skin tones plus pale), and 4 colored robes per skin tone (all 3 skin tones plus pale). The colored robes are assigned 1 each for fat and skinny body types, and 2 each for the fit body type. They're also all interchangable by body type, so if you want that red robe on a fat body instead of a fit one, you just need to change the file name. (Which makes for a possible total of 48 colored robes if you go through and make all the colors available to all body types).

Anyway, they're hosted at a Yahoo group so I can avoid killing squibco: (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lightbringersims/). You do have to join, but I really don't care if you download and immediately leave. I just don't want my bandwidth to die.

Artist: lightbringer (dracopottamus)
Title: Snape, crouching
Characters: Severus Snape
Rating: G
Media used: graphite on illustration board
Challenge: no
Warnings: Uncorrected mistakes.
Notes/comments: drawn for gmth for the smutmas_elves fest.

Preview:

( Art )

8 HP-themed icons: 5 text-only 'ship icons, by request. Plus 3 Shreiking Shack icons.

Ships: James/Lily, Snape/Evans, Cho/Cedric, Viktor/Cedric and Ron/Draco.

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Do not modify (you'd get better results starting from scratch). If you would really like one of these with different text, ask nicely, and I'll see what I can do.
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.


Teasers:
1.
requested by c0nvolution

2.
No request.

3.
Viktor/Cedric requested by forgotnsuitcase

( 5 more. )

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons).

 

Now that the merry_smutmas and smutty_claus Santas have been revealed, I can show off all my loot!

On the slash side of the fence, pauraque wrote The little death. Viktor/Cedric, D/s, and full of yummy angsty goodness. NOT WORK SAFE.

On the het side, waxbean wrote The Half-Way House. Viktor/Hermione, and very lovely and bittersweet. NOT WORK SAFE.

I promise I requested pairings that didn't involve Viktor. It just worked out that way. XD



Now, I didn't get fics without giving something in return, so here they are:

Untitled, written for darkasphodel. It's OMC/OFC (Don't go! It's not as bad as it sounds!), Sirius/James, Sirius/Severus with mentions of James/Lily and Severus/Lily. Kink warnings like whoa. NOT WORK SAFE.

Untitled, drawn for nightfalltwen. Straight up Harry/Hermione. NOT WORK SAFE.

No, I don't like titling things. Why do you ask?

Anyway, both of the things I did are also archived over at illuminatedtext. :)



ETA: I just found out that oh_honestleigh wrote a story based on the art linked above. It's called Clever About This, Too. Harry/Hermione, NOT WORKSAFE.

 

6 HP-themed icons: 6 text-only 'ship icons, by request. Plus one text-only Lestat icon and one teal deer.

Ships: Krum/Karkaroff, Hermione/Fred, Sirius/Severus, Severus/Hermione, Harry/Ginny & Harry/Draco.

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Do not modify (you'd get better results starting from scratch). If you would really like one of these with different text, ask nicely, and I'll see what I can do.
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.

Teasers:
1.
requested by florence_craye

2.
requested by shadowface01

3.
requested by mu51ng_drag0n

( 5 more. )

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons).

Also, if you haven't already stopped by, check out hp_tarot_deck. There are lots of cards still left unclaimed!

 

EEEEEEE! I got my merry_smutmas gift this morning, and it is absolutely wonderful. It's atmospheric and lush, with sharply drawn characterization and near flawless adherence to canon. Beyond that, it's NC17 Viktor/Cedric, with heavy D/s elements, and bisexuality.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/merry_smutmas/84394.html

I CORDIALLY DEMAND THAT YOU READ IT. :D

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Do not modify (you'd get better results starting from scratch). If you would really like one of these with different text, ask nicely, and I'll see what I can do.
+ The images used in these icons are copyright someone else (I closed the tabs and, dammit, I can't find them again). I'm calling Fair Use.
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.

1. 2. 3.

Typefaces used: Dirty Headline, Duality, Futura Bold Condensed.

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons). They're mostly Snape, FWIW.

 

hp_tarot_deck :)

Religious fervor. What can you do? When it takes you, it takes you.

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Original image copyright Niklas Jansson.
+ Flying Spagetti Monster explained.



PS. I know I'm behind on answering feedback. Will fix soonish.

You know, this is a damn inconvenient time for my brain to go all het on me.

OK, I'm mostly caught up with feedback on my journal, and I'll be able to get all the people that commented in the icon comms soonish.

9 HP-themed icons: 9 Snape, for the 100hp challenge (72 completed to date). 3 Nicholas Flamel icons (yes he WAS a real person zomg) from his The Figures of Abraham the Jew. 3 abstract icons that were collaged from alchemical symbols. Not that you can tell from looking at them.

Themes: Friendship (19), Adult (21), Normal (37), Positive (43), and Artist Choice (71-75).

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Do not modify (you'd get better results starting from scratch). If you would really like one of these with different text, ask nicely, and I'll see what I can do.
+ TEXTLESS ICONS ARE NOT BASES.
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.
+ The Harry Potter images used in these icons are copyright Warner Bros. I'm calling Fair Use.
+ The use of Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith's likeness is neither approved of nor endorsed by Mr. Rickman or Ms. Smith.

( 9 Snape. )

( 3 Nicholas Flamel icons )

( 3 Abstract Alchemy icons )

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my HP icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons), and the collected icons from just this challenge are here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/53322.html?mode=reply).

 

I know I owe a few people responses for their feedback, but I won't be able to do that tonight. I'm not snubbing anyone, honest.

9 HP-themed icons: 9 Snape, for the 100hp challenge (63 completed to date). 1 random Lucius icon.

Themes: Child (20), Freedom (22), Party/Celebration (46), and Artist Choice (65-70).

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Do not modify (you'd get better results starting from scratch). If you would really like one of these with different text, ask nicely, and I'll see what I can do.
+ TEXTLESS ICONS ARE NOT BASES.
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.
+ The Harry Potter images used in these icons are copyright Warner Bros. I'm calling Fair Use.
+ The use of Alan Rickman and Jason Issac's likenesses is not approved of nor endorsed by Mr. Rickman or Mr. Issacs.

Here's Lucius:
a.

( 9 Snape. )

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my HP icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons), and the collected icons from just this challenge are here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/53322.html?mode=reply).

 

+ You don't have to comment here — zomg plz do! — but I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.

1.

Typeface used: Bank Gothic

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons). They're mostly Snape, FWIW.

 

+ You don't have to comment here (I mean, I like comments and all — zomg plz do! — but I'm not going to freak if you don't). However, I would really like credit in the comment line provided for user icons. (Here's the code: <lj user="dracopottamus">)
+ Do not modify (you'd get better results starting from scratch). If you would really like one of these with different text, ask nicely, and I'll see what I can do.
+ Textless icons are not bases!
+ Hotlinking is bad karma.
+ Ditto for passing off someone else's work as your own.

1. 2. 3.

Typeface used: Century Schoolbook

If you'd like more selection, you can find all my icon posts here: (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dracopottamus/tag/lj+icons). They're mostly Snape, FWIW.

 

If you are tired of the FBI wasting their time on porn, post this on your website or blog. It'll work best if you improvise your own version.

( not worksafe )

PS. Don't credit anyone, that will also help it work.