Welcome to Gaia! ::

yeah, funny thing about the jellies, when you're younger and have more sensitive skin, they can hurt. When your skin is a bit thicker, and you have a higher pain tolerance, even the red ones aren't really that big of a deal.
But I'm still going to be irrational and flip the ******** out when one of the red ones suddenly appears right next to me while snorkeling xd

An axe murder?

Does having a tablet help with drawing and such? I was thinking about picking one up. Any suggestions on what kind and what software to get with it?

Well it doesn't help make drawing any easier or anything. But it can be useful if you know how to use it properly. Be warned that it can be really awkward to use in the beginning though.
Tablets can be good for just straight up drawing on a program like Corel Painter, Manga Studio, Photoshop, GIMP or the like. It can also be used to help in programs like Illustrator or Freehand that don't really handle the same as ones like photoshop. I dunno how ta explain it, there's probably a technical term I dunno - 3-;;
If you're going to buy one, bigger is better, in my opinion. Wacom makes some good quality tablets but you can find some fairly cheap ones online as well. Just be aware that they aren't as sturdy and can go bad a lot faster and easier.
I don't have a TON of experience but I do have some, so you can ask me for help anytime you like if you have to P:

Having a tablet helps immensely with drawing on a computer. It doesn't help your actual drawing ability, though; a lot of people seem to think that getting a tablet will instantly make their art superamazingkawaiisparkledog. This thread has some nice information.

I like Wacom's tablets. I got a Graphire 4 as my first tablet six or more years ago, and it's still working to this day. I've never had problems with it and it's sturdy as fuuuck. Unfortunately it was discontinued and replaced by the Bamboo Fun. I've heard good things about Bamboo, though.

The cheapest Wacom tablet- like the one I use- will run you about $99, and should come with Photoshop Essential, which I use for just about all my digital work. It's a teensy bit of a pain to work with such a small drawing surface, but I'm so used to it now I don't notice. Also, there are aspect-ratio preferences you can alter so your tablet has the same width and height ratio as your monitor, so you don't have to worry about matching a tablet to your monitor.



If you want to try other software...

Gimp is a lovely, free alternative to Photoshop. I don't really use it much, since I've got Essentials, though.

Inkscape is a free vector art program. Vector, as opposed to raster/bitmap like other programs, makes super smooth lines and crap.

Google Sketchup, while more mouse-based than tablet based, is really nice for creating environments, scenery, etc. that you plan to paint over later. Speeds up the artistic process. Just don't neglect learning perspective. >:I -Crotchety artcane shake-

Sculptris I haven't really used much, but it's got a nice, intuitive format for use with a tablet pen. Essentially you push, pull, and mold a 3D object like it were clay.

Alchemy is really nice for coming up with a concept or just creating odd things. It's not meant to be a painting program, but just to get the creative juices going.

I think there was another 3D program that was free, but I don't have it installed. I never really learned to use it, but it seemed nice...

Anyway, all of these are free and good.

OH OH OH.

Colour Lovers is a nice website for finding palettes, colors, patterns, and making your own.

I am sad.