#hoping for a solid medium

[queenboimler]

my first attempt at milk bread is on the second prove 🤞🏼

[bmpmp3]

i am so excited for the other powerfx maghni ai vocals u have no idea. obviously im excited in a nicely patient way because maghni is so small and also going through it at all times through no fault of their own but this morning i thought about ruby and smiled so serenely

[cosmos-kitty]

Do you have any tips for painting with gouache? like how do you get it to stay a nice solid color over a large swath of paper? and how do you blend it so seamlessly?

Of course, here's a few pointers off the top of my head:

1. I've used gouache for this in the past so it's possible, but the flat backdrop on my latest WIP is actually acrylic! A nifty thing I've found about putting a layer of acrylic down, is that it creates a barrier once dried and essentially makes the paper waterproof. This means you can work in gouache on top without it mixing with the background, and you can wet a section and completely wipe it clean with a cloth/tissue and it won't disturb the acrylic layer underneath. It also makes the paper more resilient, and you don't get as much pilling/tearing from the moisture

To get an even wash it's mostly getting the right consistency, I add just a little water - enough that the paint is less "tacky" as you drag your brush along paper, but not so much that it's runny or translucent. It takes a couple of attempts sometimes!

2. Also for the current WIP that I posted earlier, like the vast majority of my traditional pieces, keep in mind that it's mixed media. So I assume you're referring to the blue-green gradient on the bird and wondering how I got the gouache to blend like that - it's actually colouring pencils! I'll often switch between dry and wet media, even layer them back and forth, whatever makes the most sense to get the effect I want 😁

3. On that note, when you're working with paint, or any medium really, I can't recommend enough having a "test" sheet that you do both before and during a traditional piece. It allows you try out different medium combos, see what shade your gouache will dry into, and catch any issues before it ends up on your artwork. I often see artists being encouraged to just Bob Ross their way through a piece, the idea being that you'll just have happy little accidents that you'll naturally work into the piece - maybe, but you'll also possibly irreversibly wreck your hard work and have to start again. I don't know, I'm just a methodical person I guess, but seeing someone just directly apply something to the page when they're not sure what it's going to do makes me wince - no two art supplies are the same! All of those paints and pens have different chemical makeups, there's an unlimited number of ways what you're using could interact, good or bad.

Since it's already there, I usually reuse one of the leftover failsons from the process of making the wash background, then test everything on top of that. That way you can see exactly what shade the paint will dry on top of whatever colour the background is:

Doesn't need to look good, nobody sees it (usually) and you can also test the thickness of your brushstrokes while you're at it.

Anyway, I hope this helps!

[aimasup]

Just finished the Villainous official comic the Risky Heist and I gotta say. I just gotta say. Gimme the mic lemme just

A small part of me wishes the protagonists are Illuminarrow and Mawrasite instead. They're small-time villains in a world tangled with power-hungry maniacs and corruption that begins from the very top of authority, they fight their way to a better life and it's really interesting to see the world from their point of view

Uuu may nothing but good things come their way (•͈⌔•͈⑅)

I love?? How the exposition isn't dumped and boring?? And the leagues plus locations are set up in a really solid way! The pacing is somehow better than the cartoon I feel. And!! And the dozens of random characters are SO ENTERTAINING <3 Just brimming with personality in the brief periods they show up!!

Oh without spoilers I love it when characters are;; characters? (Only when they're intended to be deep by the writers of course) If that makes sense?? Like they have motivations and stick to their goals, with beliefs and hobbies, it all ties into what they symbolise and how they react to things RAARAFGHH GOLDHEART WHERE ARE YOU IN ALL THIS

Also the dread is so good. Like the events happening here are actually scary. Not to spoil but, the plot thickens. The plot was already thick but it thickens. I really hope the cartoon doesn't rely on the comics for lore, though it's pretty much accepted that Villainous is a multi-medium story right? At least Alan is telling the story how he wants. It would only be a little troublesome for us to piece the events together with internet now at least✌️ ( ಥ⌣ಥ)✌️

I'm telling you, it all comes down to power in this world, like the reputation kind

God the LAYERS

THERE'S ALWAYS A BIGGER FISH ETC ETC- how BH org influences the world down to the smallest details is done really well, you can really feel how imposing they are and how much control they have, the kind that can only exist in rumours even

But I canNOT GET OVER HOW THE FIGUREHEADS OF VILLAINY HERALDED AS PRACTICALLY MYTHOLOGICAL IN THEIR STATUS, AS TERRIFYING AS THE SUN IS TO AN ANT, ARE:

1. A sopping wet milk-soaked mop of a man who wishes, on a daily basis, that he couldn't Comprehend The Horrors

2. Que Lindo

3. Mr. 'Forgets His Lines Doing A Snack Commercial' over here

4. This fucking thing

And they all live in the same house and they hate each other.

Scary and silly is such a hard combo to balance!! Mate!! This godforsaken cartoon will haunt me until the day I die!!

[bigwishes]

hi. I was on a date with a guy from the gym recently. But he refused me a second meeting because, in his opinion, I was not pumped up enough. I am generally of medium build... But maybe you could make me a little wider in the shoulders and a little taller?

it really sucks when a guy you think you have sparks with says you are too small but I definitely think we can help you with your issue.

The moment you press send you watch as your thumb hovering over the send button enlarges and becomes thicker, the growth travels up your hands enlarging them into two dinner plate sized man paws. Your forearms start to thicken and you feel all the muscles in your body become tight. Like you haven't stretched in years. Feeling the fabric of your shirt grow tight you can feel it stretch as your shoulders widen and thicken with mass to make room for your chest. You pecs beef up and create a heavy feeling forcing you to adjust how you stand as your centre of gravity shifts. You feel the weight pulling behind you as your back inflates with muscle and your traps creep up your neck making it feel tight and difficult to move. Your body begins to taper down into a nice super hero shape as you thighs explode with size. stretching your pants and splitting them at the front making them look over worn. Your shoes feel 3 sizes too small and your toes bend in the front as they suddenly burst out the front and the sides split apart making way for your widening feet. You wriggle in place swaying your massive upper body side to side as you feel something creeping up your back, until you realise its your spine extending forcing you to a solid 6.8ft tall.

You let out a deep breath feeling a vacuum in your chest as you quickly breath in panting slightly, a slight layer of sweat begins to form on your skin making you shine slightly, two small side effects to being so big I'm sure you'll get used too.

You take out your phone and snap a pic to your date from the other night hoping he might want to go out for another date now that you've become a behemoth of muscle and musk, but then a thought crosses your mind...he's probably too small for you. There is now way he'd be able to keep up in the gym with you and no way he'd handle having all your weight on top of him at night, its probably best if you set your sites for another bodybuilder like yourself, whose at least 300lsb or bigger...

[doublequaterpounder]

Feedist hopecore

i survived christmas with no comments made about my weight or even comments about as much i ate. it’s truly the little things that should be celebrated, getting 3xl clothing without judgement despite i used to be a solid medium, no “we should walk this off” after too much food. it was lovely and im eternally greatful because it hasn’t always been as accepting.

i hope alll feedists are having a nice safe and comfy holidays with lots of food and support!!!

[resident-dog]

Reposting this image because OP does AI art

EDIT: I didn't know that the attached image was by the artist when I made this repost.

I don't like art theft any more than anyone else.

I understand @reachartwork is trying to make this kind of art ethically, and I don't know enough about them to make a solid judgement one way or the other.

I have a poor opinion of AI generated content in general, given that my close circle of friends are all digital artists who are watching their medium be flooded with low-grade art. I've also aware of the ecological implications of AI models.

I respect what Mx. Reach is trying to do, and I hope there can be a better solution going forward. I loved the original text concept of the post and wanted to share it without the implication that I supported AI art.

Idk its late i probably didn't have to justify this hard

[earthnashes]

SOOOOOOOO. Arcane season 2, huh? Now that a couple of days have passed for me to marinate I think I'm ready to share my thoughts on the season. This WILL contain spoilers though so if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend watching for yourself first!

So! Overall, as a standalone season I feel like there are things Arcane excelled at and things that have lost its way a bit. For starters and easily the best part of the show: it's visuals. I've heard some complaints about how much the show cost but like. Brother. When I think of super expensive shows, THIS is what I think it should look like. At no point did I question the budget because it's made abundantly clear every penny is used to best use it could possibly get. And it resulted in what I've been calling a modern greek statue: a marvel, an incredible tapestry of just about every art medium you can think of woven into something so beyond anything I've seen in animation I have a hard time finding the appropriate words to express exactly how much I'm taken by it. This is a clear example of what art IS man and jesus christ. It's mindblowing. I can't praise the show enough for that, like it's literally the best looking thing I've ever seen in media.

Same with the sound design and music, particularly in the battle scenes. Something about the energy behind the sounds, like the clacking of Vi's gloves as shes revving up for a punch, or the reverb of metal clashing, the sound of how blows connect. Even the little things, like the distinct difference between footsteps, or the glitch-like sound that spiders in the backround before shimmer or the arcane is utilized? Like CHEF'S KISS BRO. God almighty it tickles a part in my head.

Just the visuals and sound design is fuckin tasty bro. A solid 1000000000/10

So now Characters. Season 2 managed to take the existing characters and really built off of what was already there. In my opinion the characters, particularly the main players, received additional depth and evolution in a way that made sense in the long run, and the conclusions they reached in their arcs felt like a correct conclusion. However, it's how they got there and how fast they get there being one of my complaints.

For starters: the love triangle between Jinx, Vi, and Caitlyn. I didn't appreciate how, for the most part, it felt like it took a backseat in this season when it was one of the driving forces of season 1. It's not JUST them though: the relationships of every character kinda fell away to the wayside for the sake of getting through as much of the plot as possible, but we're on these three right now so:

-I feel like a PROPER recouncil between Vi and Jinx was sorely needed. There were hints to it, particularly in Act 2, but we were kinda left guessing and having to fill the majority of the gaps ourselves. One of Vi's driving factors as a character is her relationship with Jinx/Powder; her unable to accept that she's changed in her absence. Act 2 opened the door in allowing Vi to learn about Jinx as she is and come to terms that, even if she's changed, she's still her sister and there's a chance to bridge that gap. Vice versa to Jinx, particularly because of Isha's presence; I have to assume by becoming an older sister herself, she begins to get an understanding of Vi she previously lacked and that really could've been a stronger catalyst in her recounciling with her. Had the sisters actually got more on-screen time together and really let the hope between them breath, I feel like the ending would've had a much stronger impact.

-Cait/Vi, as much as I enjoy the pairing, felt a little too disjointed. Act 1 was the strongest showcase of their relationship; a sudden escalation driven by mutual grief and attraction and genuine care only to be torn apart immediately after because of Cait's blind rage. Cinema. Beautiful. But immediately after, we don't really see either character work off that much in my opinion. Vi does have a spiral that was very well shown, though I do wish we saw more of Pit Vi and her descent.

As far as Cait goes I would've preferred seeing her spiraling in her own way; with how the third episode of Act 1 ended, I felt like the show was gearing up to showcase how much she allows her hunt for vengeance cloud her mind and take over her life, to do things her mother would have not approved of. Like bro she was so SURE she wouldn't miss (immediately after missing every shot she took up to that point) that she was willing to potentially kill a child for it. Ain't no way she wasn't constantly frothing at the mouth for some time, wallowing in Vi's apparent "betrayal" and in the grief of her mother's death. I DO like how she is seen questioning her actions but it just feels like a tiny snapshot. Had they continued with showing her questioning what, exactly, the hell she's doing (while continuing to go on with her reign), then seeing not just Vi but also how her actions has widened the rift between Piltover and Zaun, her finally being able to break herself off would've felt more weighty.

"What are you shooting for, young Kiramman?" Grayson once asked. I can't help but feel like that line could have had some very strong carry-through into this season; not only giving a proper callback to Grayson as Cait's mentor(?) but also cement Cait's inner turmoil between blinded by revenge, but growing to dislike what she's turned into to get it.

And the sex scene. Particularly WHERE the sex scene occurred, immediately after Jinx heavily implied offing herself to "break the cycle". Vi isn't stupid. I felt like it was extremely clear what Jinx was alluding to, and it seemed like Vi understood that with how she asked "What are you gonna do?" She sounded terrified and desperate. She has SEEN Jinx be suicidal in this season first hand, was all but directly asked by Jinx to put her out of her misery herself. You're telling me she immediately bones the shit outta Cait right after Jinx scampers off and seems to forget it?? I dunno man. :/ I wouldn't remove the fuckfest, but in my opinion there were better places to put it.

And overall in terms of the characters as a whole, there was just too many gaps and too little time. Vander felt like he was underutilized, particularly his clear fight in trying to get a hold of his humanity; could've really used him to push the running theme of people can change, but they're still the same person at their very core.

Heimerdinger got shafted I feel like. He had such a strong impact in S1, only for his death to be... well. Forgotten.

Mel's storyline was way too fucking short. Love the powers she got but they ultimately felt unearned; I feel like we could've spent way more time on her learning to control it to some extent. Her whole shtick in being cunning and one step ahead of everyone (much like her mother) could've played a stronger part here too, particularly because I don't remember the Black Rose being explained much, so it would've been nice to see Mel put her strengths into play to find out for herself and give her a more active role in her ability to fight back.

Ambessa was anticlimactic and I didn't appreciate how she ultimately perished. I wanted her to die, don't get me wrong, but the war in general felt waaaaay too short and her death too easy. I appreciate they didn't go full evil with her, and made her an embodiment of Singe's quote of "doing horrendous things in the name of love", but it kinda felt like her initial plot of using hextech to fight the Black Rose (I could be wrong here but that is what it felt like she ultimately wanted) kinda got... forgotten?

Victor's progression is the only one that felt mostly natural in it's pacing. But again, with how unstoppable his robot pawns were, I felt like they really robbed the final battle of any significant weight to it; Zaun and Piltover, fighting as one against a common enemy. One of the biggest payoffs in the show... felt underwheming and, again, unearned.

And the new characters didn't really get much chance to do much of anything. Loris felt like an important parallel to Vander given how many times he was shown to look and sorta act like him. I felt like he had a bigger role to fill but just ended up bodied. Maddie, at least, had somethin interesting goin on but I feel like she could've been made more impactful in her betrayal.

Overall, a mid 5/10. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely needed more time to really flesh everything out.

And finally, the plot. I personally really enjoyed the overall plot and it's opposing themes to season 1. Whereas s1 felt like "love is undoing" and veered into tragedy, s2 felt like "love is healing" and veered into hope; the sisters learning to accept one another, Vi and Cait mending the rift between each other, Victor and Jayce finding their way back to one another. Isha giving Jinx purpose and a new perspective on life, Vander returning and, even if briefly, managing to regain his humanity for his daughters, the list goes on. It's such a beautiful contrast to season 1, but that is part of why I strongly feel like Arcane NEEDED one more season.

Season 2 was too focused on getting as much story out as possible that it didn't allow the characters themselves to push it forward, and it was weakened for it. Had there been three seasons, Act 1 and Act 2 could have been the entirety of season 2, and Act 3 could have been the whole of a season 3, where we get to see the total climax of everything that occurred. Given the rumors of there being a strong interest for an animated movie (and I have a theory that it might be to continue the story of Arcane in some way), that might help with some of the contingencies if it's true, but that's only if the movie actually comes to fruition.

As it currently stands, my biggest critique of Season 2 was switching focus on making the plot drive the story, when instead it really should've continued the trend from Season 1 in letting the characters drives the story forward.

_______

My meds is beginning to kick in and I'm getting drowsy from it so I'll leave it here for now! TLDR: Arcane Season 2 was mostly good. I have my fair bit of complaints and thoughts on how I'd personally structure everything, but a a whole, pretty good! It's one of those shows where I would personally recommend everyone watch from start to finish to at least experience it in its entirety yourself.

Season 2 Rating: 7.5/10

[yun-shuten]

keepsies

surprise. i wrote something for this thing

You wish you had hands. Something for Error to touch even if you know full well by now that he would never let you touch him, or vice versa. It’s been so long since you knew him after all and even the way you are is pushing it. The fact you’re not a million scattered pixels is truly a miracle, given Error’s reputation and usual behaviour with SOULs like you.

Still, you dream. Your thoughts wander.

Respect the boundaries that exist but what if? Would he feel solid, if you had the senses for it? How would his glitches translate to your more broad senses? Would he lash out at you, or allow you the benefit of doubt? Surely he knew you long enough to allow even a brush?

But you don’t have the sense of touch. Not the right one anyway.

There is a solution though (there's more than one way to break free, you remember this) and your little self is further strung along by the idea’s allure. 

The current rules only exist because you were here. Anomalous being, abominations to those within this plane of existence. Bound to rules of the medium, but who says you were stuck to only one medium?

You drift a little further ahead, the pull of a potential change singing to you like a siren’s song. 

(where are you going?)

It’s right there, sitting so tantalizingly close yet so far away - an exit to this depressing situation you’ve put everyone in. A solution that sits nearly outside the box… But it’s not beyond your reach.

(wait)

You reach out, SOUL thrumming with longing for something better. A solution only you could present thanks to what you were. Maybe you could bring a better person to make this story better. Someone who wasn’t ‘you’ right now. Something new. Only one of you is allowed per setting and it’s clear that this ‘you’ isn’t working. You’re not what he wants or needs.

You are the Anomaly and Error hates-

(wait)

Yellowed tips enter your vision, followed by red phalanges, then black metacarpals. Each digit cupped around that fragile shape that holds you, until you are caged within the same hands you have seen break things over and over again. Your destination is obscured from view as those hands bring you down from your ascendance slowly. Gently. 

You follow the direction of his hands. Don’t touch him, you remember this as you carefully hover in the hollow space he carves out for you in the air with his hands. You don’t want to set off his fear.

The two thumbs above crack open and mismatched eyes gaze down upon your little SOUL. The snarl on his jaw isn’t present, instead replaced by a frown with a tightness you don’t remember seeing on him ever.

For a moment, neither of you move. Error’s Intent, usually a whirlwind of manic rage and glee, is unusually solemn. Quiet. Dare you say, gloomy. 

You're reading it wrong.

Your Intent hasn’t changed. Mostly, anyway. There is a shred of hope that blooms in your little pixel mass, a glow that aches for more. You would do anything for a favorite even if it meant giving them the silence they demanded.

“don’t…” Error breathes out, not a shred of the anger you know or the relief you predicted present in his tone. His sockets droop, and his hands draw you closer and closer until the Destroyer hunches around you like a cage.* “… don’t go.”

(he can’t find you if You leave)

[starleska]

I keep reading and rereading all of the things in the lux/ring-a-ding x reader tag and I cannot help but think of my very own scenario/story…

This is unpolished and stream of consciousness so sorry if I do not make sense !!

I, along with a million other things, /love/ media archival and collection, right now all I’ve got is a handful of dvds and a few vhs tapes, but I’d love to go even older and collect some film cans! That is to say, imagine this:

A reader who is like me, they can’t get enough odd physical media and collect things from exercise videos to how to survive y2k guides. But one day they find something they’ve never found before: a 16mm film can in pristine condition! They get to trying to digitize it (another hobby I’d like to take up if I ever get the money to) and lo and behold it’s an old cartoon! As they watch and digitize at the same time they comment aloud about the cartoon and well… it begins to talk back! I just loved the scene where he spoke to the theatre and so a private conversation with similar vibes would be so fun… This idea can exist post episode or it can be a weird little Pocket Dimension au im unsure, but I’d love to write a few little drabbles that explore this dynamic…some day lol.

oh my gosh Mike, i'm so sorry this took so long to get back to!!! my inbox is simply drowning in Mr. Ring-A-Ding asks and has been for two solid weeks 🙈💖 my apologies!!! i hope you're doing well :3c but i am absolutely blown away by this x Reader premise, it's marvellous!! can you imagine how delighted Lux would be to know someone who not only has a vested interest in film, but also on the medium which projects light? oh, he'd be head-over-heels in moments 😍💖 i would love to read any drabbles you wrote of this concept if you feel up for it!! 👀 without giving too much away, i'm working with a similar premise in an x Reader wip right now...looks like we all want to write Readers who have a serious interest in Mr. Ring-A-Ding somehow, which is adorable 🥰💖

[kayo-ko]

★ How to: Tumblr Dividers ★

personally i had a really hard time trying to make dividers so i'm making this to hopefully help others who may be having the same problems as me.

1. Programs

i like to use clip studio paint since that is what i have but there are other free options too like: Photopea (free, browser), Canva (free, browser),IBIS Paint (free, ios/android), ect...

2. Canvas Sizes

this is where i struggled the most since it can be hard to judge how something will look in a post vs how it looks when you're making it. i put together some "guideline" dividers so its easier to see how things will look:

^ small divider 2000 x 40px ( good for pixel art )

^ medium divider 2000 x 100px (good for small doodles)

^ large/ medium divider 2000 x 140px (small text and drawings)

^ large divider 3000 x 225px ( good for titles )

obviously you don't have to follow these exactly but they are a good reference for what looks good at different sizes

3. Saving

the way that you save your drawings will affect how they look if you want parts to be "clear/ see through" make sure to save in .png these files may be a little bit bigger but they will keep any transparent parts of your divider / drawing.

^ a good example of this is my star divider

if you're ok with having no transparent parts/ a solid colour, pattern divider you can save in .jpg these files are smaller than .png so are good if you don't have a lot of space on your device. All of the above "size example" dividers are .jpg so they don't have any transparent parts. [Side note: if you have transparent parts in your drawing but save it in .jpg they will become white]

i hope that this was a helpful little tutorial, i didn't go through everything but i tried to give some good starting points!

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

Congrats on 5k! For the request thing— what about Price, doing some wedding/engagement ring shopping? He wants something special, and something perfect! I think some of the other boys would like to propose with a family ring, but he REALLY wants something nice for his lover, even if she'd be happy with something small and simple.

Give that man extra grey hairs trying to choose between tiny, miniscule details that only a trained jeweler would notice.

—The Perfect One

⇢ ˗ˏˋ 5k Drabble Masterlist ࿐ྂ

╰┈➤ ❝ [He stares at the rings under the glass with an acute narrowness to his eyes. He inspects every one as if a bomb might go off at any second, not missing a single detail in the metal.] ❞

The Captain’s lips thinned and once more the Jeweler’s face fell with an inward sigh of disappointment. 

“Next,” John places the ring back down to the glass counter, the rows and rows of engagement bands inside lit up by background lighting.

“Sir, it’s nearly closing time. I don’t think you’re going to find one today—” Blue eyes stare and don’t blink at the man behind the counter; with nearly three solid seconds of eye-to-eye contact. 

The Jeweler clears his throat. 

“L…Let me go check in the back.” John grunts and the man scurries out of sight after locking up the previous ring. 

They just weren’t right, the Captain admits as he sighs long and rubs a hand over his beard, scratching at his cheek. Some rings were too simple, others too gaudy or far too intricate—there had to be that perfect medium somewhere.

But hell, this was the last jeweler in the city. John scowls at himself; glaring down at the glass and at the hundreds of options inside; all having been taken out and inspected as if they were bombs out in the field. The epitome of no stone left unturned. No man left behind. 

No ring left behind. 

“Bloody fuckin’...” The Captain trails off, harshly grunting his anger. 

If you could see the blatant annoyance in John’s eyes, you’d laugh and take him by the face, kissing his chin before speaking about blood pressure. As if he wasn’t constantly one bullet away from getting his brains shot out of his skull. 

It was the thought that counted. 

The man closes his small eyes and tilts his head to the side, fingers tapping the counter once. 

He just…he wanted it to be everything you would want. All he needed was a plain band, truth be told, but for you, he wanted that ring to show everything that you’d been through together. The good and the bad—past and future. An even mix of love and devotion swathed around your finger to join you both in a promise you’d already been keeping for years. 

And none of these blasted bits of metal and stone were good enough.

“If I’d of known it’d be this much trouble,” John grumbles, looking outside at the steadily darkening sky. “I would have just made my own, yeah?” 

But it was too late to change career paths, God forbid. 

Yet the man really wonders if it’s the ring that’s bothering him or the fact that he’s nervous to finally bend a knee. He knows he shouldn’t be, rationally there’s little chance you’d refuse—this wasn’t exactly a new relationship by any means. You’d both taken your time with things over the course of years. 

This was just a matter of when and not if. 

Still, the sink in his gut didn’t let up. 

“Here,” the Jeweler returns and John snaps back to the shop, moving away his clenched hands from the counter to fold them over his chest as the man brings over a small jewelry box made of reddish wood. “This is it—after you go through that,” he splays his hands in defeat and sends a painful glance John’s way. “You’ve fully gone through my entire stock. Had to dig through all of my displays to find it.”

“What’s wrong with them?” The Captain asks in curiosity, his deep accent pushing through as he grabs and opens the box with two hands—firm and not really hoping for much.

“Nothing!” The Jeweler exclaims, mildly offended. “They’re old pieces—antiques. They don’t match the rest of the designs I have out.” He blinks, thinking hard before he puffs out, saying, “They’ll cost you extra!”

John slides an unimpressed glance upward and frowns, but the rings in the box do more than he expected them to.

He blinks, slightly taken aback. 

There were only two in there, swathed by their precious sides in deep navy blue silk to hold them up. The glint of gold and platinum makes John’s breath still as the Jeweler begins talking about the ring that the Captain then takes out carefully.

“Circa 1940, the mixture of gold and platinum makes a unique and yet beautiful mix of class and antiquity with this piece. I would call it Victorian in style, judging by the detail around the raw gemstone—diamond, by the way. The ring is both simple but utterly striking when you look at the finer details, Sir.”

John ignores him, large fingers delicately bringing the object closer to his eye and moving it this way and that. He even goes far enough as to place it on the counter and take a step back to gaze at it from a distance, his eyes narrowed and wrinkles pulled in.

It was stunning. But, above all…it reminded John of you. 

The Captain’s lips twitch for a moment, his tension slowly dripping out of him like water. 

It made him huff a chuckle, but the Jeweler had been right about this one—the ring was simple, but the deeper intricacies of carved metal built it up to a point of elegance. A reverence and dedication to the craft. 

Dedication.

John slowly hums to himself, going back and picking the ring up another time. It sits in his palm, such a little thing, but, oh, so heavy. It wasn’t a shackling weight, no—it was the deep press of purpose. 

John closes his hand. 

“How much?”

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[sporeclan]

Hellooooo! I’m working on a clangen blog of my own, so I’m going around asking my favorite clangen blogs some questions. I’m happy to get answers to whichever you feel like answering (or none at all if you don’t feel like it!)

What program and file size do you use?

If you use a font, what font is it?

How far ahead do you recommend playing?

Do you have any advice for layouts?

Do you have any tips for lighting/drawing fur?

Do you have any tips for making cats look more unique?

If you do backgrounds, do you have any advice for creating them?

If you use them, where do you recommend finding reference images?

Hi!! :D

1) I use Clip Studio Paint! Unfortunately not a free program, but I'm very very fond of it. Definitely recommend it to anyone who has the money! My file size is about 1680px wide, I believe? With varying heights. I definitely wouldn't recommend doing it that way, but it's what works for me so :')

2) I made the font myself, actually! Highly recommend doing that tbh, it's a happy medium between getting something handwritten looking without having to spend a thousand years writing haha :D There are probably a hundred websites out there that let you make you own font, but I used Calligraphr

3) It depends! For me playing to about 12-15 moons ahead with a minimum of 6 moons works really well with my style and workflow. Makes me able to cobble together these small interpersonal plotlines while also letting me occasionally play and get new drama to get invested in these characters all over again about. But if I were going for something with a major overarching plot, I would probably go a lot further ahead, if not straight up take the playthrough as far as I'd want it/until a game over just to not risk rng screwing with my plans

4) I would suggest looking up comic panelling tips in general for a better explaination than what I can offer, but I'll try to explain my basic process :'D I mostly go by heart, but I do like to sometimes follow this rule of thumb I like to call the 'Z'

When we read text, we learn to go from left to right, then back to left at a slight diagonal to get to the next line. By following that simple shape when placing characters and especially text, it makes it flow much more naturally to us. And when your pages flow well, you get to break that flow when you want a scene to feel more tense! I tried doing that with the last two panels of the page above and I really liked how that came out :D

Another couple of tips is 1) try not to make the panels too uniform 2) if you want to use two panels for one scene, slanting the side of a panel can make it feel like they flow into each other better, like matching two puzzle pieces if that makes sense 3) small overlapping panels are great for reaction shots and so fun to do!

And lastly, don't be afraid to break the panel border!

It can add a lot of momentum and impact if used right! Plus it's so fun to do <3

5) No sorry, I don't do lighting/shading in my comics at all :'D

6) I have a couple posts here and here describing my own process a bit! But otherwise I'd like to refer to whisper-cats' response to this same prompt, it's pretty in depth and I think they give some really solid advice here!

7) Not particularly, just find a style that works for you the best. I don't do a lot of backgrounding, but when I do, it's in this lineless limited palette style because that's just my favourite kind of background to make

I do highly recommend trying to limit how much time you spend on a background. Don't burn yourself out on one panel because then you'll never wanna finish the whole page!

And for 8), I dont use references so sadly I can't give you any good recommendations there either :')

I hope any of this made sense, lol! Good luck with your blog!

[kcggggg]

I've been following your work for most of my adult life. You are one of the most important artists I know. I know you've had a difficult time. I really do hope you win.

My difficulties lie within my childish notions that I still cling onto. Notions that my work can change everything in the entire world as if I'm the band Dethklok in Metalocalypse, a whole world dedicated to metal. That may seem like a big ego trip kinda thinking, but comics and humor are simultaneously important and seen as a childish medium in the eyes of most normal people and critics alike. Everyone knows the meme, but people think it's a public use. Everyone loves a joke, but writers had to strike to get fairly paid, etc.

I feel like I have to live in a hypocritical realm of never being taken seriously and always got a laugh on hand. And that's not a new zone for entertainers the more I get comfortable myself in it.

The other side is that maybe I am delusional and my comics aren't as good as I think. But I am on mostly solid ground with my work and I know when I'm proud of something I've done. So let's keep the delusion going as long as we can.

image unrelated.

[sillyandquiteawkward]

Do you have any tips/advice for someone doing comics? Like, shorter ones, not necessarily longer form stuff? How to plan a lil scene, set up panels, etc? Anyway, I like your comics a lot, your art is really cool and I hope you have a nice day <3

i feel like i do what you arent supposed to do, but i write a lot of my short comics from the seat of my pants. i have a general idea of what i what to accomplish, sometimes i have some dialogue and stage direction written in my notes app, and i just. draw a rectangle and start going. that tends to be why a lot of my mspaint comics tend to be talking head type deals, haha. ill try to give some proper advice, but im also just a hobbist whos taken a some classes about communication through design and comics years ago.

most comics do well if you establish a scene with a larger set piece, then you can narrow down to characters or actions. show us where we are in space, and the audience can take that knowledge and move along the other panels with a stronger suspension of disbelief. (bc comics are all about giving toys to your reader and hoping they play with you) heres the first page of my anya n swansea comic illustrating this. big location panel, then narrowing down to character moments.

you notice as i focus more on dialogue, that my scenery gets left out. this is bc theres only so much space in a panel, so i need to choose what gets shown. of course this depends on what medium you work with, but the gist is the same amongst all types. dont give your reader TOO much to play with or they might get confused, or will start skimming. not what we want!

for shorter comics, id suggest something eye catching right at the beginning to catch readers attention. if you have multiple "pages" or breaks in the comic, make sure the last panel before the next page is enticing. be it a punchline or cliff hanger, something to keep the reader interested. jingle those keys. in general most short comics need to end on a punchline or satisfaction or deep thought. something for the reader to chew on after their done reading, or to inspire rereading. makes for a satisfying read!

but it also depends on how you want to structure a comic page. this comic of anya and curly i did is very different than the previous one i showed, and i think its one of my fav recent comics. it starts with a weird piece of dialogue that makes you ask "what does that mean" which gets answered by the next panels. theres visual and spoken repetition, theres very little said, and its short and sweet. very easy to read and reread, so its easy to take in, and its easy for the reader to sit with it longer and ponder it more. and be able to draw their own conclusions. play touys with meeee

i think when it comes to planning scenes, it depends on what you want the reader to get out of it. when i was planning this comic page, i really wanted to mention that curlys tear ducts probably dont work, and anyas been wearing the same contact lenses for months! i wanted to showcase their similarities and how they mirror each other narratively and i had the idea to use the onomatopoeia of drip to stand in for the drip of saline. but i didnt have any solid ideas past that. but i do like showcasing mundane sort of events, so i thought maybe just a simple exchange of using saline to wet curlys eye, and then her eyes. initially the idea to literally copy and paste the action of applying the saline was out of ease so i didnt have to draw it again, but i found that it worked for the narrative, so i leaned into that. i flipped anya around to better convey them as on either side of the mirror, and had anya repeat her dialogue.

something else to debate about in layout, is making sure the comic isnt too unbalanced (unless thats a theme/motif youre wanting to work with) in this comic page, anya always remains on the left side, except the first panel where she is on the right. i Could have swapped her and her dialogue in the first panel, so she stays on the left and better mirrors curly in panel 3, but if i did that, the comic would be very left heavy. anyas hair and her clothes are a heavy, dark color, it takes up a lot of visual attention. i thought the comic would look more pleasant for anya to be on the right in the first panel to balance it out, as i didnt find much narrative use for her to be on the left side always. the reader would still read the comic left to right and follow the typical reading pattern regardless. to make up for this, in panel 3, curly mirrors the angle she's at in panel 1, its not an exact mirror, but its enough that i was satisfied with it.

in other comics, it might be easier to play with how the eye would move across the page. regardless, its something important to keep in mind. you have to assume how the reader will read your comic, and if youre going to be breaking the rules, you need to put in lots of safeguards to make sure the reader can understand what youre doing. too much dialogue in confusing places? work with the speech bubbles to create hierarchy and flow so the reader knows how to read everything in order. number one rule of design we were taught was people are stupid, so you have to play at their level, or baby proof your level DX designers and artists know all the rules, but readers dont have a grasp on the rules themselves, just the vibes of the rules.

the most important thing with comics is legibility. if the reader cant understand or follow the comic, it might as well be like them not reading it at all. and the worst thing that could happen is they think what youre doing is pointless. so you have to juggle what you want to accomplish, what the reader can understand, what the medium limits you to, and what rules you think you can get away with breaking.

hope this is some sort of satisfying answer! i feel like im always hit or miss with advice XD;;

[thisrandomstuff]

I can't believe that unnecessary rehash of a "live-action" movie is getting tens on IMDB. I could get sixes — they did steal most of the basic plot beats of the original, after all and some people are dying for any kind of content involving their favourite movies/shows —, but tens? The audience must've been blind and deaf for this.

How does it get a ten, when some of their original movies barely get a seven? I hope that with time that rating will take a plunge, because it does not deserve a ten. It fails as an adaptation, it fails as its own movie and it fails because it doesn't understand the basic, technical aspects of film-making. This movie is fails on a technical level.

So those ten star reviews? Are completely inaccurate.

It currently sits at an 8.2 rating (overall). Admittedly early days, but it shouldn't start off at over 8 on the scale, a movie should work to get there. Otherwise temporary hype is going to keep the ratings off for the long time.

And some of the 10 star reviews include lines like "better than I thought" which alone doesn't explain why the hell you'd rate it ten. Isn't the agreement that generally 10 stars means masterpiece? That the flaws are so minimal that it doesn't matter? That the thing basically changed your life? I don't see how a remake is going to do that considering the vast majority of us have probably seen the original, animated version... unless, of course, you're the kind of person who looks down upon animation (you do realise the dragons in the la are animated, though, right? Just worse... right?), but this should not be rated 10 stars. Or even nine, I mean, it didn't bother changing the plot, but then changed everything around it that made it really, truly work... and they changed it for the worse.

Also, tell my why is this live-action rehash higher rated than any of DreamWorks animated movies? Why is Bluesky not even allowed to have a single movie (not even the first Ice Age movie) sit at an 8.0, but this soulless thing sit at an 8.2?

Let me show you how this compares to the other DreamWorks movies, btw (I'll do you a solid and only include the firsts in a franchise):

Abominable - 7.0

How to Train Your Dragon (animated) - 8.1

Kung Fu Panda - 7.6

Megamind - 7.3

Over the Hedge - 6.7

Penguins of Madagascar - 6.8

Puss in Boots - 6.6

Rise of the Guardians - 7.2

Shrek - 7.9

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - 7.2 (this one was 2D, which is rare)

The Bad Guys - 6.8 (what the hell is wrong with people???)

The Croods - 7.1

The Prince of Egypt - 7.2 (Again, 2D movie, underrated.)

And yeah, okay, Bee Movie gets like a 6.1, which is fair enough, however, even that is more creative and more interesting than the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.

The Wild Robot is the only one who makes it to an 8.2 rating... which infuriatingly places it at the same level as that live-action movie. You know people look at these ratings when they wanna decide what to watch, right? I mean, not always, but often, especially if they're undecided. You know how unhelpful it is to have a rehash rated the exact same as a visually stunning, stand out movie which actually tries and understands the medium and does something different? Also, the fact that just based on that rating alone, someone could very likely choose la httyd over Spirit, TPoE, The Bad Guys, Megamind, RotG and PoM is just saddening. On the bright side, I suppose once they've watched that insult of movie and they come across the original — supposing they haven't watched it yet — they'll be mind-blown and maybe, just maybe, they'll raise their standards a little higher and stop listening to IMDB.

The fact that most of these don't even get to sit at 8.0, but somehow audiences have already decided this thing was worth an 8.2. That's an entire star more than The Prince of Egypt, which is THE Dreamworks 2D animated movie everyone talks about. It has powerful music, gorgeous light and shadow, stunning art and animation... but somehow, the worse knock off another movie is rated more? For what reason exactly? Originality? It's not remotely original. And as far as the "remake" part of it goes, it doesn't even remake the thing it was supposed to well, nor does it truly try to do something different. It's this lukewarm middling thing that never needed to exist, which at best should put it at a 6.0, since even the Bee Movie at least did something different. (Yes, the bar is that low.)

Really, it deserves more of 4.0-5.0 rating, because it's a slap in the face of everything that came before (kinda' like the live-action Snow White)... and because it wasn't needed or even really asked for? People certainly would've loved more HTTYD content, but, really, are we so desperate we'll settle for a remake?

C'mon, just re-watch the original.

Also, if you even just visually compare any of these movies — even the ones that aged less well — to the live-action you will see a downgrade, not an upgrade.

And yes, even the bloody bee movie:

(Ngl, some of these might've come from the wrong movies, but they're still DreamWorks animates, so...)

And, again, are you guys seriously going to sit there and try to tell me the live action How to Train Your Dragon deserves a much higher rating than any and all of the ice age movies?

On the bright side, I kinda had fun looking for those gifs. Reminds me how much fun DreamWorks USED to be back when they did what they could to spite Disney, not just copy it. (Though they admittedly did do some of that too, but usually with more effort and a much more creative spin on things.)

Small edit to clarify things: This is not me shitting on Disney's movies. DreamWorks very much started out as the company that made movies basically to spite Disney and it worked for them. I enjoyed a lot of what Disney had to offer before they basically defaulted to live-actions and the occasionally poorly thought out and rushed non-remake. I grew up on and even in adulthood watched a lot of Disney, from animated to live-action. Even the earlier "reboots/remakes" weren't all that bad. Some of them actually did something with the whole idea, like Maleficent. But this re-make trend Disney started, which only seems to get worse with each movie, and now DreamWorks is following? It's a disappointment and humorlessly ironic coming from the studio who acted like it wanted to be the furthest thing to Disney.