#really struggle with getting characters to look consistent from different angles

[whenthewallfell]

~Frozen Pizza and Eggs~

[thethiefandtheairbender]

as a lifelong ATLA fan who narrowly had ATLA dethroned as my top show by The Dragon Prince steadily over the past 5 years, the similarities between the two have very little to do with the surface level parallels that get regularly drawn between them.

Like ATLA, TDP has Books for seasons and chapters for episodes, but unlike ATLA, which only touched on storytelling sparingly as a theme, TDP is obsessed with interrogating storytelling and history and the presence of unreliable, biased narrators throughout many of its episodes (most notably 2x05, 2x06, 3x06, 4x04, and 4x07 among them). Half of what you learn in the 1x01 intro ends up being a lie once you reach S3, with more being steadily deciphered.

Yes, TDP has different magics with people living under those umbrella terms... for the elves. Humans are coming culturally at things from a completely different angle, and the elves' connection to their primal sources are discussed philosophically in detail, informing their practices and their culture first hand, including the way they chafe against humans, who are arcanum-less. Many animals in the world are also connected to magic, which influences both their design and which ones get hunted for humans' more 'clever' solution in dark magic, including each other.

The core issue of the Puppetmaster, down to being a coercive magic formed by someone deeply resentful of their imprisonment? Said puppetmaster is the main endgame antagonist of the entire show with all of S4 onwards being exploring the ethics of controlling people against their will in various methods, and the entire show itself being a thematic battleground of fate (imprisonment) vs free will for virtually every single character.

Where ATLA mostly concerns itself timeline wise with ending the war, very little thought is shown by any of the characters as to what they'll do after the war. This isn't a problem (as it reflects the sheer domineering scope of the conflict) but even Zuko being firelord is only ever really addressed with 2.5 episodes left till the finale. TDP, meanwhile, ends its 'war' in s3 and s4 opens up with dealing with the old wounds festering between people with centuries of history, the struggles that come when people aren't able to let go and believe they're safe or mourn in a healthy manner, and the religious/cultural clashes that may occur when trying to integrate different groups of people.

TDP also has an evil father with a devoted daughter and a brother who eventually defects, but it explores the reality of an abusive parent who loves/will sacrifice for you and your right to leave regardless, even if that means leaving the sibling you truly deeply love and who loves you in turn. Which means that when you and your sibling are on opposite sides of a deep ideological conflict, it actually really fucking hurts bc we've seen first hand just how much they love each other and also how and why everything fell apart not in spite of that love necessarily, but also because of it.

Is this to say that TDP is a 1:1 with ATLA or that it's better? No, not at all, and the latter is subjective. I prefer TDP, but I think they're about on equal ground when you look at each show currently as a whole (although TDP has two seasons left to go).

But TDP takes a lot of what ATLA was doing thematically with some of its most interesting beats and then builds or expands upon them further. It talks further and more consistently about the cycles of violence; in many ways, Jack De Sena's character, Callum, begins the series largely where Sokka had ended (and he's not the most like Sokka anyway; very much his own thing); we get Faustian bargains and centuries' long grief and fucked up people who are trying both succeeding and failing at not doing fucked up things. There are antagonists, but it is very hard to actually label anyone at this point a straight up villain. Moral greyness is where the show starts, and it just continues from there.

That's not to say the show is nothing but dark and depressing - like ATLA, there's a steady thread of hope and humour even as the show gets steadily closer and closer to its 11th hour point - but the show is usually emotionally heavier. There's more blood and potentially disturbing imagery with body horror and on screen death. There's so much foreshadowing you basically can't go more than 5 minutes into any episode without having something that's going to come back around or be referenced again like 3-5 seasons later.

Just to be clear - TDP is like ATLA, but it's like ATLA in interesting ways beyond the more shallow surface level that usually gets attributed to it, while still very much being its own show and its own thing. And that is why I tend to recommend it to people who like ATLA.

Thank you and goodnight

(Also, the fandom doesn't have any ship wars, and the show is queer as fuck)

[glitter-stained]

So a fun thing with the jayroy AU is that I'm not really writing it in the correct order, I have all the ideas for scenes and the character development down so it's a game of puzzle to figure out in what scene goes where while developing with their new place in mind, and keeping the jason/roy/jason/roy pov alternance and figuring out intradiegetic time consistency (the bane of my existence). So I'm putting together my outline and when inspiration strikes for a way to describe the exact scene I'll just write the paragraph in a different colour so it stands out from the outline.

Which means that I just wrote the first scene of the AU. And as it turns out, I knew what was happening in that scene, but not the detail of how, the flesh of it, of course that comes when you're writing it. And I've been struggling with executive dysfunction for like weeks and tonight I had a bit more ability and felt very motivated to write something, and so inspiration struck as I found an angle to approach that first thing through, and this is how the jayroy horse movie fic now begins with an entire page of jason experiencing executive dysfunction.

And while I'm honestly kinda proud of how that introductory scene turned out, I can't help but find it a little funny to imagine a grizzled ao3 user, doomscrolling through ao3 fics they've already read again and again looking for some hurt/comfort to carry them through the brainfog, clicking on some innocent-looking jayroy horse movie fic and getting hit in the face with executive dysfunction like, sneak attack

I mean, if I were gonna do that with any of my wip though, it would be the one with the horses, in true trojan fashion. That feels thematic.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Adventurer's Bible Characters Part 7

Extra stuff

Rooms

We saw a glimpse of Laios and Falin's room in the chapter 76 title image from a different angle. Kui managed to keep everything amazingly consistent, including the various items on the shelf.

Of particular note to me is the top of the shelf has a quill, books, a satchel, a bug nest, a dagger, and a rope placed in the same spots on both images. The only difference is the title image had three books instead of two.

Laios's dresser has some monster bones and what I think is either a scale or geode of some kind on it. Falin's dresser has a snake skin and some acorns on it. There's also a wheat or barley stalk on the floor. Laios does not keep his clothes as tidy as Falin does.

Marcille's room here is the one from the magic academy rather than whatever room she uses on the Island. The third row of books on her bookshelf is The Daltian Clan, and there are indeed 24 volumes.

There are two staffs in her room. One would have to be Ambrosia but still incomplete. The other is probably a pre-made staff she used until she finished Ambrosia.

She has a journal on her nightstand. Maybe it would later become her grimoire?

Chilchuck's room was shown in the chapter 21 title image and it similarly has a lot of consistency between shots. Actually, I'd say these two images happen within a few minutes of each other. Chilchuck's working on opening that box and then he takes a break to eat that bread and coffee(?) sitting on the staircase.

Senshi's tent is really similar to what the Orc houses look like. He spent a long time with them so it makes sense. They probably also deal with Dungeon Cleaners regularly so they can't have permanent settlements in the dungeon.

Kabru lives in the tavern basement. He's essentially living in a storage room.

His bed is really messy.

He has a winged lion wall decoration on his table. Maybe he's trying to study the ancient kingdom to figure out something about dungeons.

Is that a whip?

I'd like to know what the book means when it says "When Fleki and Lycion get noisy". I'd assume noisy is a natural state of being for Fleki. She's either loud or high on mushrooms.

And I love how messy her bed is. She's been eating, writing, and brushing her hair in that bed. She's probably just super bored and can't sit still.

And Lycion of course has a wolf pelt on his bed.

Does this world have something akin to a French deck of playing cards? Do they play poker?

Mithrun's room has nothing of interest in it. Fitting.

Izutsumi's room reuses the chapter 45 title image. Looking at it again, a bird probably flew in through the window above Izutsumi and she caught it. There's a few feathers floating around and Benichidori is upset to see what happened.

Along with how messy Izutsumi's futon is, there's a lot of scratch marks in it.

The Complete edition comes with two final pages in the character section. The first details the Canaries organization structure. Mithrun is the captain and leader of the first squad. Flamela is the vice captain and leader of the second squad. Each squad includes a leader, assistant, and two prisoners assigned to each of them.

Flamela's relation to the queen is a bit more detailed. The queen is Flamela's half-great aunt. Her great-grandmother is Hemea's mother but Hemea's father is a different man from Flamela's great grandfather.

It's the newbie Canaries. One's family recently came into fortune and is trying to bring prestige to his family. One is from a fallen noble house and is trying to regain her family's status, and one is just a distant relative with no opportunities for himself within the clan.

I thought they were all girls.

I didn't find a translation for the second page, but it appears to be mostly about physical differences between Tall-men and Half-foots.

The two fathers holding each others baby is cute. They're both struggling to figure out how to hold a child of such different size.

The complete edition included an extra line at the end of everyone's bios about what they're doing after the story and I found a translation of them.

Laios: Being king

Marcille: Is Laios's royal advisor

Chilchuck: running a shop in Kahka Brud

Senshi: Continues to experiment with monster cuisine

Izutsumi: Is traveling and sometimes visits Merini

Falin: Is traveling on her own

Shuro: Returned home and became head of his clan

Shuro's retainers: Returned home with Shuro. Tade worries about Izutsumi

Namari: Continued working for Tansu and eventually paid off her father's debts

Tansu and Yarn: Tansu serves as an advisor to the lord of Kahka Brud

Kaka: Helping Tansu in Kahka Brud

Kiki: Left to work in trade

Kabru: studying politics under Yaad

Mickbell and Kuro: Running a general store

Daya: Married and working with her husband in the lumber industry

Holm: Works as a spirit specialist

Rin: Stayed in Merini with Kabru. Works as a pharmacist

Mithrun: Stationed in Merini by the queen (No word on if he opened a noodle shop)

Pattadol: is a diplomat to Merini

canary Prisoners: Prison sentences were reduced

Milsiril: Continues to seclude herself

Yaad: Acts as Prime Minister to King Laios

Zon: Lives in Merini as orc chief

Leed: Works as a guard

Fionil: Lives in Merini with Doni. Is a teacher

Doni: Lives in Merini with Fionil. Is a farmer

back

[byoldervine]

Why do you only ever use Miraculous Ladybug as a bad example

As in why do I use ML whenever I need a bad example or as in why do I never say anything good about ML?

For the former, I have noticed that I do this a lot and I’m trying to find other examples as well; in recent posts I’ve written (idk if they’re shared or not by this point or still in the drafts) I’ve made sure to actively put in other media such as ATLA or Helluva Boss, both shows that I do like and really like the writing of

In terms of saying nice things about ML, the struggle is that I’m generally speaking about it on this blog in terms of writing, and overall I personally don’t feel like the show is very well written, which means it’s easier to come up with relevant things to say about the show that are less positive than it is to praise it

There are definitely some great aspects to the show, however, and I’m happy to name some of them

1. Obviously I have to gush about the concept. The love square? Hawkmoth being Chat Noir’s dad? Marinette idolising Gabriel as a fashion designer? The villain having a power that means they don’t have to put themself at risk while still creating consistent villains of the week? Coming up with inventive solutions on the fly being a superpower? Emotion-based villainy that sets a difference between being a bad person and behaving badly while also encouraging people to seek support and assistance even after their negative emotions have lead them to cause harm? Brilliant! I love all of it!

2. Optigami had some of the best execution of this imo; both of them trapped in the elevator, unable to transform without revealing their identity to the other while the viewer knows the truth on that front, the villain slowly closing in… if it had been anybody else, Gabe would’ve let Style Queen find them, but because Adrien is his son, only because Adrien is his son and not a target, Gabe called Style Queen away and spared them. That scene would’ve felt so much different if not for the specifics of the situation and the relationships between the characters

3. There are some genuinely funny moments in this show omg. Chat taking out the entire police force with the power of dance? Amazing. The scene where they all do the weirdest movements ever to take on Party Crasher? Flawless. Chat trying to blend in by randomly breakdancing? Stealth 100. Jagged Stone randomly vibing as a crocodile? Man’s living his best life

4. Deliberately left out quotes because they deserve their own mentions. “They see me catwalking… they hating~” is funny as hell. “How about Gabe while we’re at it?” deserved an award. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to your dad’s funeral” is just plain iconic. “Hey look at me I’m a pickle!” gets more laughs out of me than it reasonably should

5. When they wanna be clever, they can be very clever. I love that they give you a little insight into what Ladybug’s plan for the Lucky Charm is so you can try and figure it out yourself while she does the same. I love how there are loads of convoluted plans from other characters too, such as Alya’s genius plan in Sentibubbler or even Sabine’s comparatively smaller plan in Qilin

6. Some of the shots in this show are gorgeous. The umbrella scene? Beautiful. The POV shots of Ladybug leaping over rooftops? So immersive and fun. The fight with Stormy Weather? Holy hell those angles!

7. Some of the romantic moments are just amazing. I’ve already mentioned the umbrella scene, but what about the balcony scene? Luka’s declaration of love to Marinette? The scene where MariChat gently check each other’s comfort levels and consent when they exchange kisses? Sweet!

[cloverstellar]

Do you have any El or Lucas headcanons?

Not a lot because im not much of a headcanon kinda gal since i usually focus most my time into theories for the future of the show but i do love to think that the reason El has such a love of eggos isn’t just because they’re a little sweet, it’s because they’re plain and not very heavy. She grew up most likely eating incredibly bland, unseasoned lab food that only served the sole purposes of making sure she had the strength for testing, not having a good taste. She ate the burgers and ice cream in that restaurant from season one out of starvation, but probably loves eggos so much since they aren’t harsh to her lab-adapted palate. At least that’s how I always figured it. You could also say it’s because it’s the first food Mike gave her, but I digress I simply love giving her more sad things to think about with her little quirks like loving eggos so much.

also, she loves the really bold, clashing outfits in season three because it’s the first time she’s literally done anything for herself without outside influence. Even by season four her outfits are really similar to the way the Byers dress, and I think it might be canon that the shirts she wears are sometimes hand me downs from Will. But in season three, it’s her first time getting to truly experiment with her look outside of a movement/cause or familial factor, like her slicked-back style with Kali in season 2. It’s shopping with max where she tries so many different outfits on her own accord, and settles on one with incredibly bright colors that goes against everything she knew in the lab (and hoppers cabin by extension); both environments with duller color palettes and not much way to express herself.

a legitimate headcanon of mine is that her and Max snuck out late at night at MINIMUM a few times simply to go traipse around town or talk gossip in the forest. I think her and Max would probably go out there to vent about their issues outside of the small four walls of El’s bedroom, and maybe even would go raid gas stations for snacks that they’d hide under Els bed for later.

for Lucas, I think it’s less a headcanon and more just character analysis, but I think the fandom consistently undermines his deep wish to just be accepted. I’ve seen so many people shit on his story in season four. It’s the 1980s, and he joined a basketball team in hopes of gaining popularity so he’d finally stop being subjected to unnecessary bullying and racist remarks and behavior from other students. He just wanted to be seen and supported, and his entire arc from seasons 1 to 4 has always been put on a back burner. He finally had a small chance to shine in season four but the writing kind of treated it like everything he did was from a purely selfish angle and his only goal was to distance himself from nerdy things, including his own friends. Even when he did finally snap and explain why he did what he did, nobody even really positively reacted to it. Or empathized. Mike got defensive and said “so what if we’re freaks? Have you considered we like it that way?” In doing so he completely ignored the hint that Lucas struggled with racist bullying and wanted to leave that behind. I think this was intentional by the writers of the scene to show mikes accidental ignorance still being a harmful thing for Lucas, but the fandom completely overlooked the importance of it. If he was simply being bullied for being nerdy like the ready of them, he wouldn’t have felt the need to join the team. I’m not saying Lucas joining the team was the best thing for him to do, and it did in the long run cause a lot of stress between him and max and him and his friends, but the fact that most of the fandom can’t see why he did what he did makes me so fucking annoyed on his behalf. a lot of the fandom simply glosses over all of this in favor of just disliking him altogether. Not surprising, given he’s a young black male protagonist! But I digress.

an actual headcanon I have for him though is why he has a slingshot. I think when he was younger and barely getting into dnd with the other kids, he chose a ranger because it sounded cool but as he got more invested he decided to mess around with ranged weapons, but all he could make with home supplies was a bunch of slingshots, and then took it up as a fun hobby because why the hell not! It’s fun to shoot rocks at cans and he now has impeccable hand to eye coordination and good aim because of it (hence why in season 3 he makes really good throws with the fireworks against the mind flayer in the mall)

[fnaflucasverse]

Assorted Mike Thoughts

been discussing/workshopping the differences between @fivenightsatfreddysfanfiction's mike schmidt and this au's take on him (thanks to @mangleschmidt for listening to me yap 😁) and i think my ideas are solid/interesting enough that you guys would like to hear!

WHY THE CHANGE?

i've pretty consistently struggled with writing mike for lucasverse. he felt too nice, too level-headed, restrained himself too much; or on the opposite end, too distant, too hands-off, too cold. it felt like i couldn't grasp the character laid out in parlourverse. theoretically, i knew what made pv!mike tick, his quirks of personality and his tone of voice, but i could never quite put it to paper (or google docs)

so, after another deep dive into the parlourblog looking for info and inspiration, something avec said made me pause. i think it was something about listening to your characters, letting them take you where they want to go, even if it's not where you originally thought you'd end up. well, i listened! and i think i'm pretty happy with where my mike and i are. hope you like him too!

AS A SYMBOL

lv!mike started really branching off from parlourverse after i started thinking about pv!mike's "guilt of the 6th" title. pv!mike gets it from being the survivor of the bite of 87, that guilt he doesn't know he has being compounded by the guilt of him failing the night guards under his watch. but it got me thinking: in lucasverse, mike isn't the (only) one with guilt on his hands, or even the one most concerned with the weight of that guilt—it's Lucas! lucas's entire motivations are fueled and driven by guilt, past and present. with the story i have, i felt it was far more appropriate to pass the title onto him instead.

this left me with a dilemma: if lv!mike doesn't have guilt, what Does he have? this had me pretty stuck. i ended up working on other characters, figuring them out, and occasionally trying to see mike through their eyes. as i did, i started noticing one common thread—mike brought them Hope! the gears started turning and turning in my head, and then it just clicked into place. pv!jeremy is the "hope of the 7th"; for reasons i can't get into (but perhaps you can guess), lv!jeremy was never one of the intended victims. but what if mike's strength to survive brought hope to others? what if he was the "hope of the 6th"?

this revelation kickstarted a new trajectory for lv!mike as i worked through the questions in my head: what does hope mean, in mike's case? well, hope could be something that he clings to for survival—getting to buy doll a ring, for example—but hope can also be something that blinds him from danger—seeing the best in lucas and trusting in him despite warning signs. okay, so what gives him this hope? perhaps a desperation to believe in a good, or at least, better life/living situation; a need to believe in someone reliable, a shoulder to lean on when things get tough. then how does it his relationship with others? maybe mike tries to be the best for them, goes the extra mile for them, doesn't let them see the worst so they can keep their own hope; likewise, he becomes reluctant to believe the worst of the people he trusts implicitly, the people who give Him hope.

i'd like to think that this isn't so much a rewriting of pv!mike as it is a shifting of the camera, looking at mike schmidt from a new angle. even jeremy could easily have the weight of guilt on him—sins of the father and all that—which is what makes this take on mike exciting to me. hyping myself up and all 😁

AS A PERSON

another hurdle i faced was the very real fact that environment around you often changes who you become, and lv!mike's environment was certainly significantly changed from parlourverse. the first and most obvious was the inclusion of lucas—he's in the au's name after all!—and his friendship with mike. you may remember a relationship web i made where mike has, well, kind of a "nothing" opinion towards lucas. in the moment, it was mostly because i thought the contrast between their opinions of each other was hilarious (it still is), but the more lv!mike developed in my head, the more it just didn't feel right anymore.

the way i see it: when lucas and mike met, they were both extremely desperate any sort of social foundation. lucas was just fresh off of scott's death, someone he looked up to and latched onto as a friend and father, and suddenly tasked with the burden of saving his not-quite-dead friends; in my backstory, mike was disowned for his relationship with doll, a late paycheck away from being homeless, desperate to secure this job after being turned away constantly for his disability. their relationship would've been awkward and rocky at first—overeager, passionate lucas and gruff, wary mike—but to me, it only makes sense that they would've seen each other as, really, the only friend they each had. they're a team: mike and lucas, lucas and mike.

this friendship would've changed them both, for better and maybe a little worse. in lucasverse's fnaf 1 arc, mike is definitely a lot closer in personality to his parlourverse counterpart. i feel as though pv!mike's prickliness is definitely enforced by his isolation from anyone he can really talk to or trust (at least before jeremy, where he opens up considerably and his edges soften). in lucasverse, i imagine that process happening much earlier: lucas's careful restraint helping to cool down mike's aggravated temper, and mike's sharp wit and judgement giving lucas a boost in confidence.

during the start of their friendship, they take cues from each other equally, though i think the changes in mike are more drastically obvious than in lucas. for one, lv!mike's relationship with the old fazband is definitely far less antagonistic than pv!mike and his fazband. while mike never fully becomes comfortable around them, i feel as though lucas's unwavering affection/enthusiasm towards his "kids" ends up swaying mike, in that "i don't really get or like this thing that much, but if you like it, it's gotta have some merit" way. (the rest of the fazbear fanboying is still weird, though.) additionally, i think lucas has somehow gotten mike to cut down heavily on the swearing. this is a children's establishment, michael. yes, even when the animatronics are around. they're impressionable.

by the time the fnaf 2 arc rolls around, though, i imagine the balance between them has shifted from equality to weighing in lucas's favor. it's not just that he's the (assistant) manager now, it's not just that faith is in the mix—mike trusts lucas completely. why wouldn't he? that's his friend: they talk shit during breaks, goof off after hours, lucas buys him a beer now and then and grounds him when his memory fogs. and mike is the only one lucas trusts to take the night shift now, with all these night guards breaking the rules, tampering with the animatronics or running off without a word.

when you become so used to relying on someone you stop listening to yourself. you become complacent. and when you already doubt your own mind, well... all the easier to let them help you out. you trust them, right? by the time mike meets jeremy, i think he's fully in a state of autopiloting his way through life. he's comfortable. sure, he's working two shifts, but that's just extra money he can save up to get out of this place, this town, this state. for right now, he's settled in his little status-quo bubble. keep hopeful for the future; don't think about the present. don't think about what you've been sweeping under the carpet.

jeremy is the wake-up call. jeremy is smack upside the head that tells mike to pay attention. jeremy is the tearing apart of status quo. jeremy says, "is this what you want to do with your life? is this the kind of person you want to stay as?" jeremy breaks rules to get where he needs to be, stumbles and shoves his way towards the truth, lights the fire of determination because it doesn't matter how much hope you have if you don't claw and drag yourself bleeding to reach it. mike's relationship with jeremy is a stark contrast to his relationship with lucas: jeremy challenges mike constantly, is a pain in mike's ass and lights a fire under it. mike both keeps jeremy at arm's length—a trainee rather than a son—but is still driven by him. lucas tells mike what he wants to hear; jeremy makes mike question himself, realize that the person you need to trust most is your own self.

and what if your own self is the one trying to keep secrets from you? faith and mike are so inseparable and yet they never truly meet; heads and tails of a coin that can't twist to see itself. it's honestly ironic that so much of their relationship is built around faith's Lack of faith in mike: not trusting him with his own memories, with his own body, with his own life. in a way, faith is the final obstacle mike has to face before he can become fully realized as a person. ah well, at risk of spoiling the story, mike and faith will have to figure out life without the other in some very traumatic ways. but i have... Faith in them. eh? eh??? was that mike-worthy? i'm writing this all in one sitting and it's 4am

and with this, i finally come to the end of my very long series of thoughts. if you're reading this, feel free to let me know what you think! send me an ask, dm me, join the parlourverse discord to yell at me there, send anon hate, whatever! ummmm have some bonus art of side characters i haven't drawn yet. see if you can guess their names!*

*fritz, iris the journalist, and scott. you'll meet the first two eventually! rip scott

[elderwisp]

For “Character Ask”: 4, 6, 10! 👁️👄👁️✨

HAII :D thank you! i forgor i reblogged this ask so it twas a nice surprise :3 i'll generalize for whole main cast of Tessellate for this set! <3

4. And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

The biggest thing I struggled with and it spiderwebs into other little things is working with a large cast. Especially working on all characters as one individual, you can run into characters bleeding into each other. I’ve come to learn that there isn’t truly an original experience but it’s the way we respond to it that creates these different versions. I like to think a lot about prisms in the sun and how when you look into one, you see different colors but it’s all coming from the same shard. So if a character is in a similar scenario, I think a lot about how they would react. Another thing is pacing of everyone’s stories. I didn’t want to just throw each character into the story because it becomes incredibly overwhelming, so I decided to establish the initial four (Atlas, Frances, Kai and Dan), slide in the love interest (Taryn and Icarus), before slowly integrating the rest of the cast. By doing that though, I was able to have people connect with the initial four and now that their arcs are rolling on by, it feels like there’s a foundation to the characters. And the same thing of introducing Gum, Gabriel, Ares and Theo is happening right now since after the prologue wraps up, they can really take the center stage!

6. What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

OOO okay! So I truly believe fashion is a way we communicate nonverbally to one another. You can say a lot about a person in the way that they dress! These characters have been around since like 2018ish and the initial concept was to follow a certain aesthetic but I found it to never be consistent simply because there wasn’t much depth to anyone. However, as they grew, I was able to define their styles much more. Theo, for example, is a huge fan of thrifting and individualistic pieces so when they’re seen in their outfits, there’s a variety of patterns and shapes! Meanwhile Atlas’s piercings and tattoos are therapeutic for him. There are tattoo pieces that are meaningful to him as well as some that are so… Cursed but him. Dan on the other hand has a very laid back approach to life so I wanted that to be reflected in her clothing. But yeah! I could totally go down a rabbit hole of everyone’s fashion and aesthetics :D

10. What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

For character arcs, I usually will start focusing on the character and you’ll see their faces more often. For example, Kai’s arc began right after the house party and was completed during his kiss with Alex. I believe his scenes were like every 2-3 posts! As of current, the arcs in progress are Taryn and Atlas, which will both be completed after the prologue. However, I would group Frances in there but it isn’t like a complete character arc, more like fleshing out a character so we can see them at every angle. Their time in De Sol Valley is what I’d consider to be their main character arc omgg I’m rambling ehehe. Some characters do have tragedies that occur throughout but I wouldn’t say this would be a tragic story. There’s a wip of an ending of Tessellate in mind and it is a happy one! The next story, however, will have a tragic ending buuuut it’s also a project I’ve slowly started hyper-fixating on so I think it’ll be a good one

Thank you for the ask btw! <333

[scrunglepaws]

Is that SAILS doing the Captain Morgan??? Because PIRATE? (Yes). :D Anyway, if you want to hear me ramble about character design-

So! Sails! He's a pirate, so going with an ocean theme was pretty standard, but my little goober also has a romance theme! Because: he played a lute that one time -> he loves music -> I was like dang that makes me think of this lute-sounding song (idk if it's even a lute; I'm musically inept) and it's called the Romantic Sea of Tranquility -> I guess he's a sappy romantic now.

Fun fact: He's also a shipper, which is a completely unintentional joke. fgfdgdf

ANYWAY, he's got the lil wave marks in his ears and on his tails. The ones in his ears double as a heart to hit both themes at once, heck yeah! I was originally drawing the waves on his tails like giant, curvy ones but it was really hard to draw consistently and looked weird at certain angles. Then I had the Big Brain thought to do the generic, little waves. At the time, I hadn't drawn Kit as much and didn't realize this was also in his design. xD However! I FINALLY memorized which direction Kit's waves go in, and they're actually the opposite of Sails'. So I'll finally draw their tail swooshes consistently from now on. Hooray!

I considered changing Sails' tails to more gay little hearts (can never have enough gay little hearts!!! :3). But it looked too prim and neat, so I threw that idea out (this bitch scrungly). I did, however, add some more hearts to his ears- on the back! A broken heart and a happy heart, for his past and future. Hopefully Kit doesn't die so he doesn't have to get his other ear ripped off... >_>; But yeah, Sails has darker colored ears now. Which contradicts something from the first chapter of Aquarius, but you know what? Oh well. I don't think it will break the reader's immersion to have a tiny detail changed, so I won't let it bother me either. (Can you tell I struggled with this and it bothered me a lot kfklgfdl). I'm still debating about giving him darker paws/feets, but I'm really unsure about it. On one hand, they look really cute! Because sock markings on animals are stinkin' cute! But design-wise, it would ruin how nicely his darks/lights are broken up with his current clothing design. And I don't want to change it- I really like drawing his clothes (other than the head scarf)! So yeah... Dunno on that one. Most likely won't add them, though. I will, however, be making more of an effort to remember to draw the scar under his eye. I draw it much more exaggerated than it actually is, but that's fine because it adds to the overall scrungliness and makes him look like a tired old man. Which is good, because he is supposed to look older than he actually is. Living life on the salty ocean with the sun beating on you, constant stress from fighting/ect survival hardships, poor hygiene and nutrition... Doesn't do wonders for the complexion, or so I've heard.

Anyway, back to tails! I want my main dudes (aka Kaleidoscope + Someplace Tails variants) to have distinct enough designs that you wouldn't look at them and think they were clones of each other. Just weirdly similar instead. Because, in both AUs, they're actually not different versions of Tails! They're just coincidentally freakishly similar dudes from different planets. Because I said so. So we've got Nine (smooth, noodly thin tail with a tiny white tip), Tails (average, slightly bushy tail), Mangey (long, voluminous, BUSHY, styled tail with a red-typed tip), and... Well CaveTails isn't part of the main four, but he also has a distinctly tiny, SCRUNGLY tail, so I put it there. ANYWAY, then there was Sails. I could never decide exactly how I wanted his tails to differ in volume/texture/ect. I couldn't just go with a generic scrungly/scruffy, because honestly that's all of them (other than Nine and his extra short fur)! Then I thought, well, he's a pirate. He's been in a lot of scraps- he has some scars and he's missing an ear. What if he's missing some tail? And because I want these designs to be quick and fun for me to draw, I had to convey this in a way that was pretty simple. So I just tried rounding off the tip a bit, making it look just a little flat/chopped off. Which reminded me of how I draw a certain original species of mine's tails... That look like this nonsense:

And I was like shit... That's it. I've solved Sails' tails. They're fun as SHIT to draw and they look hella scrungly, but also soft and floofy at the same time. Perfect. 10/10. Very him.

Oh, and another quick note: I was fussing with differentiating his hair from Tails' SO MUCH. I tried making it wavy, bushier, swooping a different way, giving him a ponytail, but nothing seemed right. For the most part, I couldn't draw them consistently at all angles, or they weren't scrungly enough. It never occurred to me to make it scrunglier by making his hair SHORTER. Which, I did. It's probably too subtle for anyone to notice but me, but *I* can tell, so I'm finally happy with it. xD Same with his cheek and chest floofs.

Sooo, yeah! I think he's done? Finally??? (nothing I do is ever final... >_>) All I have to do now is find a point in the story where someone freaking BURNS his head scarf or something because I hate drawing it! xD Or maybe he starts wearing it around his neck again, like when he was a wee lad. I'd be cool with that. I got used to drawing the vest at least, so it can stay.

If you read all of this... Why... But also. MY MAN!!! *high five* >833333

[simpin4urart]

OMG. The whimsical painterly feel of the background, contrasted with the lovely sharp black linework of the characters!!and the characters are shown from so many different angles! You really know how to clearly depict a conversation in a visually stimulating manner! No talking heads for you! Do you have any filmmaking education? Things like starting wide for the “establishing shot” works so well to set the scene like you did. And I’m so jealous of your ability to get people to look consistent and recognizable without resorting to making exaggerated caricatures. It’s something I struggle with. And that’s not even getting started on the character design for the fae! The casual floating, the sparkles, the green and pink, the black sclera, and last but not least that chest and arm protrusions! Is it hair? fur? scales? feathers? spikes? leaves? Unclear, but damn do I love it.

Human: Deal.

Fey: Very well. When you return home tonight, your mother will be in pristine health again. It will be like she never fell ill at all. Even the memory of her suffering will fade…

Human: Thank you so much. She means everything to me.

Fey: I know, I know. Let’s hope the price wasn’t too much for you after all… Only time will tell.

Human: So, when do we start?

Fey: …If I may ask you to elaborate?

Human: You said you wanted my firstborn.

Fey: Yes? And you agreed?

Human: Yeah, so, when do we start?

Fey:

Fey, blushing: Ah.

[matchatentenart]

Day 4.

Today went fine. I was quite productive in terms of life admin. Made a few phone calls and wrote a few emails I had been putting off. Prepared for my interview tomorrow - spent several hours on that in fact. Managed to get 10k steps just about, was literally power-walking on my little treadmill literally until midnight to hit my steps. In terms of mental health I was ok. I didn’t cry at all today! My cousin reached out to me and asked to meet up for Eid on Friday evening; I said no (because it would get in the way of my gym plans and I’d struggle to hit my step goals. I know this is silly of me but I’ve set up these little routines and plans for myself to keep me on track and I want to stick to them as much as possible) so she asked to meet for brunch on Sunday instead. It made me so happy. Just little things like this make such a difference to my mood and mental health. It keeps me sane.

In terms of drawing, these are my 2 doodles today. Again I didn’t follow any tutorials, I just applied and tried to repeat what I learnt already. They’re looking about the same as yesterday and the day before. I know it’s too soon to see improvement after just 4 days lol so I’m not disheartened. Consistency is good. What I am annoyed about though is that the lips I drew on day 1 look better than any of the lips I have drawn since.

I spent 15 minutes on the top drawing. On the drawing on the bottom I tried to do a smaller doodle in 5 minutes but it ended up taking me 8 or 9 minutes; I tried to get her to raise one of her eyebrows (just to give her some character and expression because all my drawings look quite blank) but it kept looking wrong so I kept erasing it and drawing it again. I think if I hadn’t been messing around with her eyebrows it would have taken me just 5 minutes. Maybe drawing from reference will help with that next time.

Tomorrow I have my interview. InshaAllah inshaAllah it goes well. I really am desperate. Hopefully I’m not too depressed after it and hopefully I’ll still have the motivation to draw. I think tomorrow I’m going to try and draw from different angles. The mikeymegamega tutorial that I followed 2 days ago also covers drawing the face from 3/4 angle and from the side so tomorrow I’ll try and draw the other 2 angles as well. Or maybe I should do hair first? I don’t know, we’ll see what I’m in he mode to do tomorrow.

In terms of draw a box… I did the same superimposed lines exercise again. Um. I really need to spend more time doing that. They advise a 50% rule - that you spend max 50% of your drawing time on the draw a box challenge and the other 50% doing something, well, more enjoyable. I’m taking it too far probably, I think I might only be spending around 10-20% of my drawing time on the draw a box exercise. In fact I’m only really doing it to warm up before my doodles. I really need to spend more time doing it. So that’s another thing for tomorrow… if I have time I guess. I also practiced circles and I think I’m getting much better at those now at least.

[caskarolngo]

CAS January part 1

Activity

I've been consistently performing push-ups for the past few months and while it will take some time before I see any significant improvements in endurance, I can feel I have a bit more control in each repetition. The form feels more controlled, and I struggle less toward the end of my set - even if it's a minor change, I feel a difference in the way I'm approaching this portion of my workouts.One thing I noticed is how important pacing is. When I rush through the reps, I tire out faster, but when I concentrate on a steady rhythm, I can push a little further. I've tried different hand placements to see where I can get a really refined toe to heel alignment.While I have a long way to go before I see significant improvements, feeling small changes is encouraging. I plan to continue working on endurance and slowly increase my number over time.

Creativity

last year I was quite ambitious and motivated so I played the piano for three months, however after some time I found it draining and started losing my motivation after a while. I was not as thrilled about it as I had expected, so I decided to stop what I was doing and try something new for each of the next consecutive months. For my first month, I have chosen to do photography.

During the first two weeks, my main focus was to take photos without minding the technical or editing skills. I know the pictures are not that good yet, but I found the process of looking for some interesting angles and subjects very enjoyable. I started to notice some details that have never got my attention before, for instance, how the light transforms as time passes by. Although I am still beginning, this experimentation has given me the opportunity to see the beautiful things that come along with the imperfections. It feels very different to get creative in another way, and I am looking forward to witnessing the outcome of my new quest eagerly.

Service

This week, I spent time with a dog that could only be described as incredibly well-behaved. It was a weird change calm, attentive, and a joy to be around which is out of character from the rest of the dogs. We walked together, and I could feel its happiness in every step, its tail wagging like a metronome. The time flew by as I rewarded its good behavior with treats, which it accepted gently and gratefully. This experience stood out because it showed me how rewarding service can be when you connect with such a gentle spirit. I learned to appreciate the quiet trust animals can offer, and it left me feeling uplifted. Knowing I gave it some companionship felt meaningful, and I’m already looking forward to next time—proof that even small acts can create a big impact.

[wrimbles]

3/16/25 - Storyboarding

I've had a whole lot of life going on, but I've made decent progress on this comic/graphic novel (still don't know what term to use) series. It's not as much as I'd like, but I'm going at a steady pace and I'm good with that.

I'm in a bit of a rough draft phase, and I've storyboarded the first two pages, out of an estimated total of eight pages. I've been running into the same problem I was predicting in my last post, my reason for doing a practice character sheet--I'm struggling with drawing this character consistently from memory... more specifically drawing her from different angles and having it read as the same person. I think I'm getting closer, but yeah, I think it's just going to be a battle.

I came up with a new system for reference, though. Last post, I was really trying to push myself to draw entirely from imagination and memory. It's a skill I'd like to develop, and I can absolutely see the use for it. But.... 🤣 I mean... why wouldn't I use reference material if I have it available? I like a challenge, and I plan on working on the skill of drawing entirely from imagination, but I kinda reminded myself that this challenge and my current project are not one-and-the-same.

I knew the exact poses I wanted for page two, but I was struggling to capture them when drawing from imagination. I turned to AI, and tried to generate some images in the exact pose. It... was a mixed bag. Some were close to what I was looking for, some looked like a surreal horror movie. Then it struck me... I have a phone... and a tripod! So, I ended up posing for my own reference photos, which was probably the smartest thing I've ever come up with. I have no idea why I never did it sooner.

Here's what I've gotten so far, so you can kinda see how my brain and chaotic workflow work. Page one is still very rough, and I tunnel-visioned on one specific image that I wanted to capture: the main character kneeling in a reverent pose, lit only by a single candle.

It's still coming together, and it's likely subject to change, but it's a super rough start. I even prototyped the text a bit, to see how my... "unique" handwriting would work in this format. I'm on the fence, we'll see. I kinda like the rough pencil style, it's been one of my styles for a very long time and I think I might stick with it throughout. It's just messy because... I'm very used to doing that style in black and white. Adding color to it is a world I haven't really explored much.

This past week has been working on page two in chunks. I've made some pretty significant progress in it.

This is where I started to hit some blocks with legibility, because this was not a small task. This is the same character but from very different angles, different hair styles, different outfits, different ages and different moods. It's been really eye-opening to me how much even just a haircut can change someone's appearance, always learning new things every day! This is getting close to where I want it as a draft. When compared to page one I think it's pretty visible which got more attention.

I hope to continue storyboarding, likely starting with rough sketches for page 3 tomorrow. I am, however, getting the itch to go back and finish up my second draft of Act 1 of my sci-fi horror novel I wrote this winter. I may try to alternate between this and my novel, I just... don't want either to go neglected. I'm pretty sure I only have the last two chapters of Act 1 to reread and revise, and they're not very long ones.

I just took a peek at it. It's really cool. 😁 I... honestly really love this story. I want to make sure I do it justice. I've never written long-form fiction before, most of my writing has been... like... conversational journal form text like this, or metaphor/imagery-heavy poetry. I'm pretty nervous about it, but I actually submitted the first few scenes to an online group that exchanges writing critiques and I got really positive feedback!

Critique is probably the biggest barrier to creative expression for most people, in my opinion. In my younger days, I had a very "punk" "fuck your opinion, I'm doing my own thing" approach to it. (Refer to the smoking pose on page two for reference.) I tried to harden myself off from criticism, block it out, and just focus entirely on my message. This kept me true to my craft through times when many many many others would have gotten demoralized and quit, and I'm grateful for that, but it was... not the only way.

I ended up missing out on a ton of valuable insight. I had experienced teachers and peers with different perspectives that I could've drawn from to expand my skillset, to look at my work from outside the bubble of my own experience. But back then, I was just caught in a frenzy, a flurry of stories to be told, songs to be recorded, images to be captured, and I just wanted to capture the aesthetic or message that I was experiencing the best I could in that moment. It was like... I was playing solitaire, and I was using college as an excuse to just create things full time and figure out who the fuck I was as an artist. To find my style. And... I did! The style of my drawings above is really not toooooo far off from what I was making back then, over 15 years ago. It's just way more refined and sophisticated now.

I learned over the past 5+ years that... my habit of hardening myself off to criticism in college was a self-protective mechanism. A byproduct of my mental health stuff. It served me back then because my life was a living hell in college, full of betrayal and genuinely life-threatening scenarios, and abuse. I remember having an all-hours pass to the Fine Arts Center and trying to sleep on the linoleum floor of the painting studio at like 2AM because my junkie roommate had threatened me in the street outside our house, and I knew he had a gun, and I was horrified to go home even though it was a block away.

It may be odd to some that my self-protective mechanism took the form of protecting my self-esteem, when my physical safety and security was in potential danger. But the psyche works in unexpected ways sometimes, and often we try to keep safe the things that mean the absolute most to us. In that time, my ability to pursue art was... who I was as a person... I protected it as though that's exactly what it was. I needed to get through critiques to continue making art, so... I endured. I found a way.

Since I began intentionally working on my mental health, I started cracking the code on this one. I am very grateful for the part of my psyche that has kept me safe through dangerous times, both physically and emotionally, but I learned that this part can be refined. The whole... "brute-force, fuck it" approach... just sucking it up and sending it when getting on stage and playing a gig... it can be tremendously effective, but it can be sloppy.

The thing that solidified this for me was watching two professional skateboarders talk about throwing themselves onto a handrail going down a set of 20 stairs. Not just normal stairs, but like those really wide stairs they have in some outdoor plazas and shit that are like twice the width of normal stairs. The kid doing this was like... late teens? Couldn't have been older than 18. He was just standing there and staring at the rail for like 2.5 minutes, not moving at all, barely blinking.

The filmer, also a pro, talked to him and they discussed the two different methods of getting yourself to do something really fucking scary. The approach where you get yourself really hyped up, build up a ton of adrenaline and then just fucking send it... and the approach where you try to still yourself, and clear your mind, and just let it happen. The kid was trying the second method. I only knew the first one for most of my life. And the difference between the two is pretty staggering.

The "hype and send it" approach is way quicker and easier to pull off in a pinch. I mean, I have go-to songs that can get me to a mental place in less than a minute where I can throw myself off a 6-set. That's quick. The problem is... and the pros were saying this, too... the "hype" people are the only people they see getting hurt. The hype method is sloppy, it's unfocused, you're not really in control at all, you're just along for the ride and fingers crossed it works out. Adrenaline can make you tense and stiff which, in skateboarding, can make you much more prone to injury.

The meditative approach is way slower and takes a looooot of practice to do consistently. It's something I've been learning for years now to manage trauma activation and panic attacks, it's incredibly counter-intuitive. But once you start getting the hang of it, the difference is night and day. It involves being mindful of what you are experiencing emotionally, where that is in your body, and training the ability to feel that feeling... and then let it go, while remaining in the moment. It sounds incredibly simple, but... I mean, next time you're at a stair set of over 5 stairs, just imagine making yourself jump down to the bottom. Picture yourself doing it. Then jog up to it as though you're going to make yourself do it. There's a feeling you'll feel, something that wants to physically hold you back from doing it. Learning how to identify and release that feeling consistently... that takes a ridiculous amount of practice.

Since I've started taking that approach, and hybridizing it with my older "hype and fuck it" approach, it started opening the flood gates. When I was in "fuck it" mode, was basically blocking out all feedback. Now, I can go adaptively and filter as I go. The useless hurtful shit-talking? I can switch on fuck it mode and keep myself emotionally safe. The useful input that might otherwise be mistaken for shit-talking? (like, "your proportions are off here" or "the perspective is a bit off" or "I wouldn't phrase this paragraph like this, it's confusing", stuff like that) I can manage those embarrassed or insecure anxious emotions waaaaay better now, and actually absorb that feedback, engage with it and... grow from it.

Huge tangent, but to tie it back to writing... submitting your very first fiction novel... to experienced writers who commit their lives to it... that was really fucking hard. That was scary. So many other phases of my life, I would've just talked myself out of it, like "meh, I don't need to get a critique, what are they going to tell me that I don't already know. I can do this myself." I am so glad I actually submitted it, because boy was that wrong! They gave me perspective that... I never would've stumbled on, honestly. I know my characters inside and out, in way more depth than I even show in the novel. They saw my characters from fresh eyes, from the outside. They pointed out things that made sense to me, given my contextual knowledge, that made no sense to them. Little things that were complete blind spots to me. Once I started to see the blind spots, it allowed me to evolve my story into something much deeper and more rich and approachable than it was before.

I can't stress enough how valuable that was, and I think it applies not just to creative endeavors, but to life as a whole. Pride isn't always purely self-indulgent vanity, it's also often self-protective. But it's always blinding, by design. It's incredibly hard to be vulnerable and allow yourself to be humble, and open yourself to critique. But it's the only way to get outside input, which encourages new unexpected growth. It nurtures diversity of thought and perspective, which I think is incredibly important for expanding your worldview and growing as an individual.

Welp, there's the sun again. 😉 Time for me to pack it in.

[layingeggs]

Finally playing Pseudoregalia. Though I'm still only playing the jam version as the full release is only available on steam. I have many thoughts just from playing the first hour.

I hate the modern camera. When I have to do precision platforming, I only want to worry about what angle the player character is jumping off of walls. I don't want to have to worry about the angle of the player character and the angle of the camera taken together.

Honestly, this is a big reason I enjoy retro games. The received wisdom is that greater control inherently means greater gameplay. And I disagree with that. But I also disagree with the idea that being able to control more game elements would necessarily equate to more player control.

Having no control over the camera means you only have to worry about what you are doing. You don't have to worry about what the camera is doing.

(Except some games do just have bad camera but struggling with a game because you can't get the camera to behave and struggling with a game because the developers can't get the camera to behave are two very different frustrations.)

Having said that, I adore that there's no map. Again, the received wisdom is that games need maps, and maps need checkpoints and little compasses telling you where to go at all times. A common argument that I've been despairing at lately is that it's ableist to not have these features and that accessibility means your game needs to always push the player in the "correct" direction and never allow them to make any meaningful choices.

It's been ages since I've gotten lost in a game. I really really hope that I get lost in this one.

That's funny, isn't it? Pseudoregalia is described as an N64 style game and a 3D metroidvania. It's got no map, consistent with older games where getting lost was part of the intended play experience, but it's got a modern camera allowing you look in any direction from any position.

It's exciting/frustrating what elements people put in retro style games. It makes me very aware of my own feelings on what was good or what as bad about the games I grew up with!

[riddle-me-ri]

A/N: honestly didnt think I would come up with another astv fic so quick after the first one lmao but I got inspired for this scenario based on the overall consensus struggle artists are having drawing Miguel (me included asdfhjk). I was stuck between doing a drabble or a list of headcanons and doing some other characters as well. But I decided to keep it simple for now, but if you guys would like to see headcanons of the other characters reacting to you drawing them, feel free to let me know and tell me about any other ideas you guys may have!

Trigger Warning: none

Word Count: 795

Miguel O'Hara x Reader - Drawing Practice

Being a part of the Spider Society definitely had it’s perks and setbacks. 

Yeah, it can be stressful, exhausting, and anxiety inducing. Honestly, that just came with being a Spider-person in general. 

On the plus side, it was nice to be a part of something so extraordinary. Just when you started to feel lonely, you were soon thrusted into this whole other universe of other walks of life that were like you. 

Which easily kept you inspired for your art. You had a plethora of finished sketchbooks, scrapbooks of your drawings you did on notepads, napkins, and other materials. 

When you weren’t on missions in your own universe or serving as backup for an anomaly mishap, you were likely swinging around the headquarters looking for your next subject. (Not to mention there was no angle quite like the one you could get hanging upside down…)

During one of the more calmer days, you were sifting through your latest sketchbook. It was almost full. Mostly consisting of whatever caught your eyes, some new environments from different universes, and all sorts of different Spider personas. 

Well, most of them anyway. There was still probably many more you have yet to see…or one in particular you see almost every day. 

Spiderman 2099 a.k.a. Miguel O’Hara a.k.a. The guy that founded and ran this whole thing. He’s also Mr. Tall, Dark, and Intimidating…and handsome…but mostly intimidating.

You rarely spoke to him outside of certain missions where he requested you for back-up or for any sort of follow-up meeting. 

You definitely can't forget his face though…perhaps you could draw from memory? Maybe start from his mask and go from there? It can't be too hard. It's not like he's ever gonna see it anyway, and besides how are you going to draw everyone else but him? 

You got comfortable at a nearby corner seat in the food court area. You took a deep breath and started sketching. 

The more you sketched the more all the hustle and bustle started to fade away. It was you and the sketchpad. You could almost hear the pencil scrape the paper and the thumps whenever you had to erase something with your eraser.

Some significant time had gone by, and a certain leader was looking for you. Yet you didn't have the slightest clue. 

Miguel cleared his throat to get your attention properly and you almost jumped to the ceiling. 

"Oh, uh…hi, Miguel…w-what's up?" You really wanted to ask how long he was there. And damn your hyperfocus for interfering with your spidey senses. 

You clutched the pad to your chest, trying to keep him from seeing what you were doing. You hoped he never even noticed. 

"I wanted to ask you about this new mission. If you wouldn't mind following me so we can discuss it in private?" 

"Uhh. Yeah. Okay, sure." You got up from your seat, still clutching your sketchbook like a lifeline in treacherous waters. 

As you followed behind him, you couldn't help but feel conflicted. 

On one hand you didn't want him to see and on the other you kinda wanted to know what he thought about them. Would he appreciate them? Would he think it was weird? It's not like it was just him, you drew all the Spiders…

"I like your drawings, by the way." He commented over his shoulder as you got closer to his desk. 

"Oh. Uh..uh thanks…" 

"Gotta admit, I've never had anyone draw me before…" Miguel mentioned.

"That was my first attempt, you're the only Spider I haven't drawn yet."

"Felt obligated to add me in with the others?" 

Before you could stop yourself, you said. "More like saving the best for last…" 

You both stopped simultaneously in your trek. Both of you were shocked at the sentiment. 

Miguel was far from perfect, despite how hard he tried to be perfect and in control. Despite his flaws and his cold aura. You admired his determination and dedication (even if it bit him more often than helped him.) 

He turned to face you, as if expecting you to take it back or say it was a joke.

"Really?" 

You nodded.

You couldn't help the soft swell in your chest when you saw the faintest hint of a smile grow to the side of his lips. 

You tried to train your eyes and brain to take a mental photo for later. 

You two started walking again in comfortable silence, until Miguel's voice perked up. 

"Although. I don't think I have that many wrinkles." He quipped. 

You quirked your eyebrow, questioningly. "With your stress?" 

Miguel nodded in a huff. "Fair enough. You should probably add more." 

You tried to refrain from giggling as he tried to refrain from smiling any wider. 

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Utsukushii Kare S2E1 thoughts

I’ve never watched a BL that was still on the air, unless it was almost finished when I started. I just hate waiting between episodes, especially in a genre where episodes are often super short. But I can’t wait four weeks to see Utsukushii Kare season two (anyway, I’d get so many spoilers on here, it would be useless). I’ve also never posted about a BL episode by episode, since I never watched one that way. But I’m going to try doing it this time.

There is such a marked difference between season 2 and season 1. Season 1 was so packed with voice-over narration, but didn’t have that much dialogue. There’s still quite a bit of voice-over stuff in season 2 but the dialogue has increased by leaps and bounds. Since I was fascinated by the ways in which Hira’s and Kiyoi’s weirdnesses interacted with one another in the first season, all of this direct interaction gave me so much more to work with in my conceptualization of the characters. Not to mention so much more being communicated nonverbally.

There’s a sense in which the viewer gets to have their cake and eat it too with season 2, and that is that in many respects we get to enjoy Hira and Kiyoi finally being together, but they’re also still struggling with a lot of the same issues they did in season 1, so that engine that drove the story is still in operation. So far, if this season was a fanfic, it would be labeled as both “angst” and “fluff.” And fluffy angst is really enjoyable! From another angle, this combination is the worst of both worlds. Every sweet moment between these characters is suspended from this tenuous thread of their relationship. Both of them fear losing that relationship so intensely, despite the other wanting so badly to hold on, but it’s that very insecurity that threatens it the most. And it’s always in the background, undercutting all of cute stuff that would feel like rank fan service otherwise (heaven forbid!).

There were a few particular highlights for me.

1) Kiyoi’s new habit of giving Hira a significant look while opening his mouth, which is Hira’s cue to feed him. The fact that this happened on two different occasions in just one short episode? What a weird combination of demanding and endearing.

2) The scene where Kiyoi walks in on Hira being hit on by a girl. I particularly enjoyed this as a kabedon appreciator. She backs him into a door with one arm out in a very kabedon-like way (she doesn’t whack it, though), and then when Kiyoi arrives he does a full kabedon on Hira out of jealousy (but without the usual confession and/or kiss). There’s also an interesting role reversal happening here. And it’s a great illustration of how naive and dense Hira really is.

3) The exchange about “doing it.” This, to me, is a really good illustration of the lovable weirdness of these characters. Well, lovable to some of us. I expect that some people might find it off-putting or icky. It’s definitely not entirely healthy. It seems like the way things go in this scene is typical for them. Basically, intimacy happens when Kiyoi decides it will, and it’s just assumed that of course Hira will be down for it. It isn’t even presented as a question, more as an announcement: “we’re going to do it today.” Which isn’t the best consent practice ever, but it seemingly works because apparently (in a way that’s very consistent for the character), Hira really is always interested in “doing it” with Kiyoi. The fact that this only happens when Kiyoi chooses is also very consistent with his guardedness. But a more surprising aspect is Kiyoi’s shyness. He’s tentative, even bashful here. Not that he was ever portrayed as particularly assertive sexually, far from it, but he’s so assertive, even domineering, in other areas of his life, particularly with Hira, that this almost demure quality is really striking. In the end it seems these two deeply weird people have come up with a system that basically works for them and, particularly after all of the pining in season 1, it’s kind of adorable seeing them navigate it.

4) The acknowledgement that Hira is actually pretty attractive. One jarring thing about season 1 is that it’s often treated as a foregone conclusion that Hira is repulsive (possibly because we spend so much time inside his head) but Hagiwara Riku is, of course, quite nice-looking (even with Hira’s unflattering hairdo). It also doesn’t add up that Kiyoi would be so attracted to Hira if he was really as unappealing as he thinks. So it was nice to have that acknowledged and played around with in an interesting way.

Second seasons of BLs are inherently risky. And it’s still rather early to assume this one will avoid the potential risks. But so far I think it shows a lot of potential to be as worthwhile as the first season. Honestly, I could imagine liking it even more. I guess we’ll see.