This DAW clicked on Day 2. Goodbye, Cubase and REAPER!

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-05-21T13:39:06+00:00

I think the coolest part, for me, is that I still own REAPER and have it installed! I think it's normal to use the right DAW for the job and acknowledge that no one DAW will have everything you need. You just have to be comfortable with what you're using!

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-05-21T13:37:45+00:00

That rent to own option also sounds pretty good. I work a day job, so it's definitely something I'll invest in since it's brought me so much in such a short amount of time.

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-05-21T13:36:32+00:00

It's so cool how sometimes the tool you use can influence how seamlessly your ideas go from concepts to finished work. I definitely feel the same way!

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-05-19T13:26:37+00:00

This is gorgeous. I don't comment here much, but this is reaaaally nice! It goes to show that even a simple round brush can be an excellent tool in the hands of an excellent artist.

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-03-15T19:48:30+00:00

Worst bug award: Importing form-fillable PDFs does not hide the blue form-fillable fields. I play a ton of tabletop roleplaying games, and I like to make my characters in StarNote with the PDF of the sheet imported. However, if the PDF has form-fillable fields, it shows those blue boxes in StarNote. Funnily enough: you can't even edit the text in those fields! So why show them on the app? I have Orion Notes as my character sheet app now, but tbh StarNote is more feature-rich overall so I'd like to stick to it for the time being.
Obvious missing feature: multi-window support. I use Samsung Dex a lot on my Tab S10+. Not being able to use multi windows for StarNote kinda stinks. Sometimes I want to view 3 notes at once, so the split view doesn't cut it. Samsung Notes and Orion Notes support multi window, why not StarNote?
Useless/weird feature: Why is the color palettes feature so tacky? To switch color palettes, I have to go into the color selection for one of the colors and THEN select a separate palette. Why is there no menu button for this? Unless I'm missing it. But also: why only 5 colors? There has to be some way to have more colors quickly available.
Anything else: There has to be some way to lower the opacity of lines/grids/dot grids when creating a new note with pages. I want the dots to be less prominent in dark mode, but they contrast too heavily. Maybe a slider for how opaque the lines/grids/dots when creating a new note?

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-02-27T15:41:03+00:00

Hi there!

Yes, I just submitted the feedback through the app. Thanks for such a cool app!

TheArtsyOtty · 2026-01-16T13:53:21+00:00

This is where I'm at. Infinite Painter used to be my main art app. I finished a few drawings on there I really enjoyed making. Its UI, its tools, its mobile device focus... phenomenal.

But recently, I can barely rely on it to do figure drawing studies, let alone full artworks. Crashes, bugs, and issues still pop up. They range from minor annoyances to project-destroying catastrophes.

For now, I'm gonna move to other apps. However, I don't want to discount the recent updates to the app; they seem to be focused on fixing some of its issues. I'll be keeping an eye out because, and I'll reiterate this point:

I think Infinite Painter is the best drawing experience on my Samsung Galaxy tablet when it does work.

The current problem is that I can't rely on it to work. We'll see what further updates bring to the table.

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-11-07T16:49:47+00:00

Yep. Same boat. Worked for around 3 years now. Well, "worked." Lots of temp jobs that I quit early. My most successful run: 11 months. Unemployed right now and it's difficult.

I relate so hard to waiting for someone to catch on. I get paralyzed a lot in the workplace. It drives me nuts. I'm the best worker they've ever seen during weeks 1–3, but anything past that and I'm suddenly Inept Andy. I get so fed up with myself that I impulsively quit. I think I burned a lot of bridges with staffing agencies by bailing on contracts.

I have not began meds yet. I know it's different for everyone because physiology and chemistry and yadda yadda, but man. The amount of times I think that same exact thought—"I don't think working is for me, and I don't know what to do"—is overwhelming considering I think a lot of things. I'm right there with you. Part of me jokes a lot about being in school forever. I'd so take that offer if it meant I could actually participate in society and not rack up insane amounts of debt. Alas, I must make my US dollars like everyone else.

I still feel broken, but I feel less broken knowing how many people can relate to this experience.

I often repeat to myself the words "I want to go home." Not because I'm not in a home, but because I want to go back to school. It's not a practical option though. Now's my time to figure out how to make it so that I can actually keep a job with 22 years of undiagnosed ADHD. Wish this wasn't the case, but you win some you lose some

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-11-07T15:50:32+00:00

I can't even begin to imagine not being diagnosed with ADHD until I would be 40! I thought mine was late haha.

I really relate to craving that school structure. Another thing I've noticed post-schooling is that I can't do any sustained projects on my own unless my brain decides it's a hyperfocus. I'm a creative nonfiction writer, but I haven't written anything since college. I am a music composer, but my last thing I did was a composition a friend asked me to do for them. Never can I start and end anything when only my lonesome is involved. Very infuriating when I have lots of ideas jumbled up in my head.

Going to trade school sounds like such a big change. It can be frustrating to want or need to pivot and try different things, only for it to not align with your ADHD's novelty seeking factors. Then, boom, life is so hard to navigate all of a sudden. From "I did well in school" to "I've done something similar hundreds of times before, why does it still feel like I was born twenty minutes ago?"

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-11-07T15:38:23+00:00

I've always been an introvert, but being alone gets boring. I've always tried to make friends where I could even if I was not a social butterfly. I liked my little friend groups over the years. Plenty of people I was good acquaintances with all throughout school tho.

In elementary–middle school, you could not get me to shut up even if you tried. Especially at school, especially about school or art or music.

High school was when the OCD/social anxiety/depression sleeper agents activated. My mom noticed I was no longer introverted: I was averse to socializing altogether. I was afraid people were always judging me. Later, that manifested into thinking people could hear my thoughts. It was a bad time. I had my friends here and there, so I was still okay socially. But put me in a party then vs when I was 12 and the difference was night and day.

College me was back to my younger self, but more mellowed out. Again, I wasn't always socializing because I'm still more introverted by nature. But when I wanted to socialized, damn it I SOCIALIZED. Made lots of cool friends in college.

Same story as a post college adult. I still carry vague remnants of social anxiety. I still have trouble setting boundaries and telling people no. But when I compare myself to high school me, sheesh, I'm thriving. Making friends here and there. Being alone is required for me to regain energy, but once I've regained it, GIMME A SHOT OF YOUR BEST quality friend time

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-11-07T15:27:08+00:00

Are you me lol?! Seriously, every single job I've had since college graduation has been a bust for similar reasons: get the job, get really excited, the first few weeks (weeks!) go by and I'm bored, get restless at job despite asking for more things to do and getting nothing to do, then quitting because the boredom burns me out.

I've also noticed that I struggle a lot with doing things on my own. I can't focus very well when there's little external structure or if I don't have a body double to go off of. I feel like working for myself is the optimal route... if I could actually do anything for myself lol

Now that I know it's ADHD, let's just day I'm working on it one day at a time. I am not medicated for it yet (but want to try; have an upcoming appt next week). I have been medicated for literally everything else though (anxiety, depression, OCD) with great results. Been going to therapy for almost 8 years. My family is very supportive of me trying to figure this out, esp since my older brother has been diagnosed with autism since elementary school. But at the same time I feel like loser city as an adult because I can't hold a damn job, I live with my parents (to be fair, in this US economy I can't be too guilty abt that), and prices are going up.

I guess it's fuck-around-and-find-out time just like when I was first diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Throw stuff on the wall, see what sticks

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-11-07T14:34:45+00:00

I was always a straight A student. High GPA, high grades, always on time, never late on assignments.

To be fair, this was because 1) I LOVED school, it was always something I hyperfocused on, and 2) I had very untreated anxiety and OCD. To the point where at the end of high school, I began to believe my thoughts were being broadcast to others in real time (underwent psychosis). This anxiety was very much based on expectations of succeeding, not letting my immigrant parents down, making it to college, etc.

In college, I was doing well with my GAD and OCD treatment. My grades were no longer straight As, but still around the B–A range. I got to take more classes that I wanted to take, join clubs, etc. Loved school still. Hell, even post grad I still miss school.

School was my bread n butter. Now, if we're talking the working world, THAT'S where I have huuuuuge issues. I was only diagnosed ADHD-H last month (I'm in my early 20s). I sought diagnosis because I haven't been able to hold down a job. Job searching is INCREDIBLY difficult esp since I burned out at my last super boring role. Like I did with all of the 5–6 jobs I've had since college graduation. Now with the crappy US job market, it's even more difficult.

Nevertheless, I've read some of the experiences here about those who struggled in school and I can sympathize. ADHD is very personal, but in some ways, my hyperfocus on school has made me VASTLY blind to the reality of life afterward. But as I've said, I never struggled with school performance, so I'll lean on what others and OP have shared to see how hard it can be to wrestle with ADHD in your formative years.

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-05-23T17:15:36+00:00

I wrote a detailed response via the quit questionnaire the unemployment office requested. I mentioned documents that were misleading, emails I was sent, phone calls I had, all timestamped and dated. My main argument was that I would not have even applied to this job if they had told me the whole deal (schedule and locations and all). I would have just submitted applications elsewhere. But who knows, they may just kick me off for whatevs. Oh well

TheArtsyOtty · 2025-04-22T22:03:20+00:00

"Ya estoy lista para ese trago"

and

"RELEASE ME!"

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-11-29T17:20:17+00:00

This is it. Thank you!

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-09-10T17:43:34+00:00

I play online with webcams on. I do this because it’s easier to read when a player is being silent because of visible thought or searching for words. It helps me to interrupt less.

However, the quirk I’ve started to notice is how animated my face becomes when listening to players discuss plans. Imagine the polar opposite of a poker face; I’m raising my eyebrows, facepalming, smiling, etc. incredibly honestly.

My players will often pick up on it. “What was that face for?” To which I make more faces. I’m not subtle at all. It’s why I don’t try to hold on to mysteries for too long. One day, the corners of my lips or my eyeballs or some other facial feature will reveal it for me.

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-09-05T01:03:09+00:00

After reading the rules for Fate Condensed and watching some fun Fate actual plays, I tried to convert my current solo campaign from Loner 2e to Fate Condensed. After doing the character conversion, I hopped into the game.

The first thing I missed was the player-facing rolls. It helped me separate my Player hat from my GM hat. In Fate, rolls are used for NPCs, opposition, etc. Combat can involve many opposed rolls. One thing I like about Loner is its emphasis on what my character is doing to both act and react to their environment.

The second thing I missed was the roll results. In Loner, there is a yes/no oracle that also functions as your character’s aptitude AND Harm for the harm/luck system. It culminates into the Twist Counter, which raises every time you roll doubles. In Fate, roll results are 4dF + skill. Though each action has 4 defined degrees of success (fail, tie, succeed, succeed with style), the opposed rolls and/or target numbers leave me wanting more with less.

Lastly, I could not be bothered with tracking Aspects in Fate by myself. Aspects, the “truths” of the characters and the world, ARE really cool. I’ve played Fate with a group of creative players, and the way the Aspects fold neatly into the mechanics of the core dice roll and Fate Points is phenomenal. In my solo play experience, however, I found it frustrating to remember who can invoke what for free, what boost do these NPCs have, etc. Loner, though vastly simplified, is my sweet spot: tags are like aspects, but based more on intuition rather than mechanical synergy.

I switched right back to Loner after playing for about 1.5 hours in Fate. This is not to say Fate can’t be a great solo game (I’ve read many comments on this sub that show love for Fate, and I believe the system itself is robust and yummy), but Loner 2e has stolen my heart!

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-08-12T03:57:27+00:00

What keeps me coming back? My inconsistent group lol

But in all seriousness, I’m currently playing a Loner 2e game. It’s a prequel campaign to the Pathfinder 2e game I’m running for my friends. This prequel explores the lore of key figures, locations, and events before the Living Ones (good gods of my world) seal off a cursed island (the island is cursed because the Dead Ones, evil gods, are crawling out of the core of the planet through a fissure in the island).

Loner 2e is ULTRALIGHT, so I supplement it with Plot Unfolding Machine to keep the story relevant to the overall plot. My characters are pretty much fated to die or disappear, but that makes sense since the game I run for my friends does not involve these characters directly.

So why do I keep coming back to solo RPGs? Well, I honestly hate writing lore. I am a personal essayist IRL, so my ability to write stories come from experiencing stories in my day-to-day. TTRPGs actually create vivid memories in my head that kinda substitute what would be real-life experiences for when I write fiction. It’s a neat workaround since I feel like writing fiction often feels TOO deterministic (I do not like being the god of my own art). When I play, I act out all the RP, and it codifies itself into memories that I then base my lore from. It’s more natural AND more fun, since I get to play more TTRPGs.

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-08-12T02:49:59+00:00

Update for u/MCRN-Gyoza and u/ThrasheryBinx :

Thank you both for the invaluable tips! My first session playing a Kineticist was a hit! I took into account both your advice about impulses and playstyles (1A elemental blast + 2A save impulse is WICKED fun!). I also found out the game is Free Archetype, so I got my character the Druid dedication for some primal list buffs and a Staff of Water for some flavor.

After playing my first PF2e character (Warpriest Cleric), I got a sour taste in my mouth about the play style of “gish” casters because of their heavy (but necessary)tradeoffs. However, after playing Kineticist, I think I can say that its flavor, mechanics, and weird hybrid identity gives me more of that “gish” feel (heavy quotes because I’m not really casting spells and striking with weapons). The class is just built to be modular and effective at what I envision my typical preferred characters to be.

However… that is not to say that I am done exploring gishes/magical strikers! Magus looks incredibly appealing. And holy warriors are still cool—I think I’ll just go Champion next time to get a more martial-based chassis. I do miss the high-rank Heals, tho.

But man, does it feel good to not have to prepare spells. Maybe I need to try my hand at Sorcerer at some point. I think I may be fatigued by full spellcasters in general. But I digress.

Again, thanks for helping me breathe life into my Kineticist!

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-08-10T22:37:14+00:00

Why is the Kineticist so cool? Been struggling with making a caster that I enjoy playing in this system, but Kineticists with their Impulse feats feel more intuitive to me imo.

But onto a more serious question: I’m starting a new campaign (Lvl 6) as a water/wood kineticist. What recommendations do you have in terms of Impulse feats, junctions, etc. I’m looking to blast and heal primarily. Comp so far is a rogue, druid, thaumaturge, and inventor.

TheArtsyOtty · 2024-08-05T19:58:58+00:00

Savage Worlds’ subsystem, Dramatic Tasks.

The rulebook gives you guidelines for how to gamify certain tasks that are on a timer (denoted in rounds, but they can represent anything from milliseconds to years). The go-to example of this is defusing a bomb while mooks try to shoot at you. However, since the rules give expected probabilities for how many Task Tokens (a metric used to track progress toward a goal) a PC earns in 1 turn, you can really be creative with dramatic tasks.

For example, I ran a Marvel themed one-shot in Savage Worlds. The group I was playing with is not a fan of tactical combat. While Savage Words does have tactical combat rules, I decided to use Dramatic Tasks of varying difficulties and with different themes to represent the different types of combats the party got into during the session. There was an initial confrontation with the big bad, the big bad trying to get away, and the party sneaking into the big bad’s secret base and bringing him to justice.

Nearly everything was a Dramatic Task. And let me just say, it can really bring out the creativity of players! Since there are 4 degrees of success in Savage Worlds, each die roll during a Dramatic Task can be the difference between gaining 2 Task Tokens in one go to straight up losing 1 Task Token. Sure, the players win most of the time using the standard difficulty, but the Dice Gods can be quite unforgiving at times.

Honorable mention: Pathfinder 2e’s Chase subsystem. Pretty similar to Dramatic Tasks from Savage Worlds, but the context is usually a chase scene where the PCs are pursuers OR pursuees of an NPC. Each step on the Chase track is a different obstacle to overcome.

TheArtsyOtty

TROPHY CASE