#the last panel is so good! love how you draw emotions

[bluebeads-art]

2024 September 14th

Do you ever wish you could beat into a character's head that they're loved? Because I sure wanted to beat Siffrin during my first playthrough of In Stars and Time. Then I thought about that figure of speech too literally, laughed at my own joke, and now here's me using Odile as a proxy to do just that. :)

I absolutely adore Odile's "you will be safe and happy and that is a threat" approach to emotional support. Her and Siffrin's dynamic in general is just chef's kiss.

Sorry about your hat, Siffrin, but it was destroying my panel composition when I tried to put it on your head.

----------

For being rusty with art I'm really happy with this! That last panel in particular was very new territory for me but I think it came out good! I'm happy with the movement between panels in general. And look at me! Drawing backgrounds!! Wahoo!!

I drew these panels incredibly out of order, so you can see my art style and amount of effort fade in and out as you read, lmao. I tried to stay authentic to the game's style, but sort of gave up and let my style bleed through on the action-y panels. It just felt right. Gives it emphasis. :P

I'm new to writing screen reader image alt text, so feedback is welcomed. Sorry again to Siffrin because I forced myself to he/him them only to avoid confusion, but it felt bad! My fellow they/he, I have wronged you.

Time spent working on this comic was...... 33 hours and 18 minutes. I blame the rust, learning how to draw these characters on the fly, and figuring out the perspective on those bricks, oh my god.

Have some close-ups of my fave panels as thanks for clicking the read-more, mwa

[c4shm0neyxxx]

“Glass Cage: Part 8 – Our Vows, Our Future”

Geum Seong-je x fem!reader | dark romance, private wedding, intimate obsession, hope twisted into devotion

⸻

It starts on a night with no power.

Just wind through the trees.

Candles casting long shadows against the shrine room walls.

Your perfume lingering in the air.

His sketch of you half-finished on the floor, ink still wet.

You sit beside him.

Knees tucked under you.

Your hand resting lightly on his thigh.

“You ever think about it?” you whisper.

He doesn’t look up. “What?”

“Us. Making it… official.”

He stiffens, just slightly.

Then sets the sketch aside.

“Like a wedding?”

You nod.

“A private one. Just you and me.”

He turns to you.

Eyes like midnight storms. “You’d want that?”

You smile. Soft. Honest.

“I already live like I’m yours forever. Might as well say it out loud.”

⸻

He doesn’t answer.

Not with words.

He leans in, presses his forehead to yours.

And whispers:

“Then write the vows.”

⸻

That night, you write them in separate corners of the room.

No peeking. No rules. No white dresses or rings.

Just candlelight and ink.

Just love — obsessive, dark, loyal.

And when it’s time—

You both kneel on the floor.

Hands clasped.

The shrine around you.

His name on your thigh.

Your perfume on his collar.

He speaks first.

His voice is low. Reverent. Bare.

“I vow to keep you hidden if the world tries to take you.

I vow to love you so deeply it rewrites who I used to be.

I vow to never ask you to be good, only mine.

And I vow… that if I ever fall apart, I’ll fall apart with you in my arms.”

Your lips tremble.

Then it’s your turn.

“I vow to never try to change the way you love me.

I vow to see every twisted, brutal part of you — and stay.

I vow to never crave freedom more than your touch.

And I vow to want forever, even if the world burns for it.”

He pulls you to him then.

Hands in your hair.

Kisses you like you just gave him eternity.

⸻

The next morning, he disappears into the woodshed for hours.

You don’t ask.

You don’t need to.

You hear hammering. Sanding. The low drag of something heavy.

And when he finally comes back, his shirt clings to him with sweat.

Dirt on his hands. Dust in his hair.

He drops to his knees at your feet.

And whispers:

“If we’re going to be forever… then I want to start building for more than just us.”

⸻

You find the room the next day.

Hidden behind a panel in the hallway.

New. Unfinished.

But you know exactly what it is.

A crib in the corner.

Your favorite color on the walls.

And a tiny drawing — taped to the door.

A child. Holding both your hands.

Your throat tightens.

And when you walk back into the house to find him—

You throw your arms around him.

And say only one thing:

“I want forever. And I want it to look like this.”

———-

It starts with a suspicion.

You’ve been tired.

Sleepy in the middle of the day, hungry at odd hours, emotional over things that never touched you before.

But the thing that tells you—

The thing that confirms it—

Is the way Seong-je starts hovering.

Worse than usual.

You catch him staring at your hands, your stomach, your reflection in the mirror.

And when he presses his lips to your lower belly one night without a word, without explanation—

You know.

You buy a test in the little town.

You hide it in your coat.

Take it in the upstairs bathroom while he’s outside chopping wood.

You watch the line appear.

Clear. Unmistakable.

Pregnant.

And your hands shake.

Not from fear.

From how much you want this.

⸻

You find him on the back porch.

He’s lighting a cigarette — one of the last ones left from his old stash.

You take it from his mouth.

Flick it out into the wet grass.

Then place his hand against your stomach.

He freezes.

“Yours,” you whisper.

Then — quieter — “Ours.”

He doesn’t move.

Not for a long time.

And then he pulls you to him. Wraps both arms around you. Holds you like you’re glass.

And says the first thing that comes to him:

“I won’t let the world touch her.”

⸻

You find out it’s a girl in the next town over.

A tiny clinic tucked between forgotten buildings.

The nurse smiles. “Want to know the sex?”

You nod.

Seong-je stays sitting, hands clenched on his knees.

��She’s a girl.”

He lets out a breath that sounds like he’s been holding it for years.

Then he looks at you.

And something in him shatters.

⸻

The months pass in a strange rhythm.

He won’t let you lift anything.

He paints her room twice, because the first color didn’t feel soft enough.

He carves her name into the side of the crib.

He talks to her when he thinks you’re asleep — whispers things like:

“I’m going to teach you how to fight. How to be soft without being weak.”

“I’ll kill for you before anyone hurts you. Just like I did for your mother.”

“You’ll never have to fear the dark — not while I’m breathing.”

⸻

The labor comes one rainy afternoon.

He drives you into town, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

No music. No sound. Just the road winding through the woods and your hand clamped in his.

The little hospital is quiet.

The nurses kind.

He won’t leave your side.

Not for a second.

He whispers “I love you” between every contraction, every push, every breath.

Until—

She arrives.

Tiny. Red. Wailing.

And everything stops.

⸻

He cries for the second time in his life.

The first was when you came back to him after trying to run.

The second is when they place his daughter in his arms.

He doesn’t say a word.

Just holds her.

Like she’s something holy.

⸻

You name her that night.

No middle names from old families.

No pieces of a past life you’ve long abandoned.

Just a name that fits her.

A name that sounds like warmth and wildfire.

⸻

The drive home is long and soft.

The baby sleeps in your arms.

Seong-je watches the rearview like a predator — like something might still come for you.

But nothing does.

You reach the house.

The lights are on.

The crib is ready.

The fire is warm.

And when he carries her inside — cradled like she might dissolve — he whispers:

“You’ll never know pain. Not while I’m alive.”

You place her gently in the crib.

She makes a tiny noise.

Then settles.

And for the first time, your house is silent — not from emptiness, but peace.

⸻

You sleep that night with her beside you.

With him wrapped around both of you.

His hand resting on her back.

Your hand on his.

And when the wind picks up outside — rattling the trees, brushing the windows — you don’t flinch.

Because your daughter is safe.

Because she has the father the world fears.

And the mother who chose this life, again and again.

———

This is the last part and did take me the longest (the rest were in my drafts so I posted them all at once cause I didn’t want to make y’all wait😘)

[mozawesterburg]

the light and hope had died in his eyes

And then he bunked it. Just like Edward used to.

(Edward, who had been so good at swallowing his hurt and being considerate to everyone... until he'd finally found the limit of his endurance… 

The light and the hope had died in his eyes, that first day she rolled onto the turntable. Thomas had been right there. He had seen it.)

" — call her her name," he finished, lamely. Gift for @mean-scarlet-deceiver 

Too much emotion and nowhere to dump it, so to tumblr we go! I got inspired (the idea, and the basic understanding of how to format something like this, haha) after looking back at THIS lovely art from Ed and Tom’s scene from Ch. 2. Seriously late to react to both the fic and this fanart, but... amazing. Props to @edwards-exploit

Let me (over)explain:

Oliver was tricky. No 11.’s  got a lot of little details going on for an engine that hahaha doesn’t exist. o.o

It might be apparent the last two panels are where I dumped most of the effort, lol. It’s important that Edward's eyes start with the top of her funnel, because there’s an envy-able amount of smoke coming from it. (edit: only after drawing this do I learn that apparently smoke from the funnel may be more of a US thing, which I guess is why the funnels never really give off a significant amount of smoke in the show. ahh shit well...)

Edward, seeing this new, young engine, pretty, shiny, steaming and smoking with a fire, while he sits dirty, mangled, old and with a firebox that hasn’t been lit in years. Among too many other things this AU plays with, it's fascinating to think of a timeline where a character, (one of the Steam Team no less) would become a rival just by circumstance of her being there. It’s not said whether or not Edward knew a new engine was coming at all, but it’s more potent to think that seeing her was the point at which he realized he’s fucked.

There he sits in the shadows of the shed (he’s pulled out near the doors when actually he might still be sitting way back in the engine berth. But for the sake of impact, let's pretend his buffers are in line with the doorway). It’s autumn. The leaves are falling. The season of death is rapidly approaching. The sun is setting on another day of limbo for poor Eddie. And with the last glimmer of sunlight sparkling on her brand new livery, here comes IT. All IT can do is offer an awkward smile in regards to ITS move there and no inherent intent to harm, but it won’t matter. They’ve already decided IT is an enemy. A threat to the originals who worked and built the main railway from the ground up. She couldn’t be any more hated if she was the first diesel in a wave of them coming for all their heads.  She is the mushroom cloud in Edward’s eye. BUT, this is all from Thomas’ memory of that moment. He can only read the expressions and interpret what’s going on in Edward’s mind via how well he knows him. I think it’s fair to say he didn’t completely imagine Edward reacting to Emily as the direct threat to himself. But the severity/apparentness of the expression could entirely be exaggerated in Thomas’s memory, based on his own strong feelings on the matter. >OH SHIT I forgot to account for the curvature of Edward’s eyes and Emily’s appearance in the reflection, hence the last minute edit there. >various shading to hide mistakes, as you do. >In order to lead into Thomas stumbling into his reverie I had to include at least Oliver’s line that refers to her as “the replica.” That said, I wasn’t sure how to depict his expression, so I defaulted to an eye roll. That’s not quite a ‘slight’ expression, per the contest around the dialog, but. The characters could have even deeper age lines around the eyes and cheeks considering how old they are, (and how rough they’ve had it in this universe). Had to include the bags under Thomas’s eyes because the LAD IS TIRED. >>which probably contributes to why he dropped into a cinematic sentence-breaking reverie Those who know the fanfic already know how good it is, but if you’re into angst and idea of these characters dropped into a grounded but gritty alt. reality, this fanfic is your fix. Jobey expanded on the universe presented by Future Rust's It's a Splendid Life in heartbreaking detail. Run to that story, then run to this!! (new to tumblr so please forgive/feel free to mention any format errors)

[heysoundsgood]

Chapter 89 spoilers! Just givin' it a little think.

This chapter's so strong, it really feels like the earlier foreshadowing dominos are starting to be flicked down.

There have been so many fantasy mangas that absolutely crush in the last few years, but Witch Hat is the personal fave is because the storytelling is so zoomed in on character motivations and emotions, and how those dynamics intersect with other characters. It feels like the narrative is crafted to care about the people within it, and understands you, the reader, do too, and doesn't make you feel like it's strange for you to feel that way. Honestly refreshing.

It would've been easy to jump cut from the city straight back to the Atelier, and it wouldn't have seemed out of place in the story, but Shirahama decides to stay in the moment. Everyone's tired and melancholy and feeling antisocial, the landscape is quietly reflective of that. We get to know little things, like how Nolnoa's stayed behind (presumably to follow leads about Tartah), and how poor Lagrah is beyond stressed and looking for extra help, and as the new Wise in Friendship he really pulled the short straw here. (Good luck!) How Olruggio and Qifrey have a sense of sleepy camaraderie in spite of it all.

Also that wagon looks comfyyyy, and I can only assume Olruggio is drinking caffeinated tea to keep himself up to act as watch for the night. We know there are bandits in the world, and Olly is (or was) unsettled by "beasts", so it's not out of the realm of possibility, or he's drinking stay-awake tea to stave off leech related nightmares - all of which seem plausible.

Or the man just likes tea. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Jumping back to the childhood flashback seems like something that's been a long time coming. I'd bet ten whole Canadian dollars she was really looking forward to drawing these chapters, at the very least because she and her assistants don't have to draw any more crowd scenes lmao.

She's said how she loves to draw fabric and folds (and that seems like a large part of why she does it so well), but the way the water spills over and falls in sheets and is blasted from Qifrey's lungs is also really beautiful!

When I first read the chapter I misunderstood the intent of the tree branch motif in the background of Qifrey's panel, and thought it meant that he was panicking about turning into a Silverwood in that moment. Since he doesn't gain knowledge about the parasitic tree until the Tower of Tomes, what becomes clear in the translation is that it's a bolt of discomfort that he doesn't recognize, strong enough to cause him to recoil from the hug.

And then Olruggio reaches out to shake his hand, and Qifrey leaves him hanging in the worst way. This absolute punk

I also love Vinanna here, who seems like she's already had to suffer through Beldaruit's shitty genius whimsy for ages, and now his apprentice is slapfighting another kid in the street - completely unsupervised. Big 'you wanted this puppy and it just peed on my shoes' energy. Everyone's cool butch aunt* is mad. Easthies' mom is pissed. (I can't wait until the next episode where Olruggio and Qifrey join forces to stuff him in a locker for being a buzzkill.)

Also, just as a bit of comics construction appreciation, the overlapping bubbles where they insist they're not friends… So cute!

Have no idea where the story is going next and I adore that. It could be the fabled divorce arc, or it could slide towards the library arc, and I can't wait to see the environment design of a giant magic sea library.

Neat, man. I love this shit.

*shame about the cop thing

[spyxfamilyanalysis]

SPY x FAMILY Chapter 114 SPOILERS

So it's out a few days already, this time, focuses on more on the Briar family!

Well, it's exactly more about Yuri's pov about Yor! :)))

Morning-Noon: Negotiation for unrelated reasons (?) -> Tired :")))

But that tireness can't stop him from Yor's "date", yeah, he elaborated that TOO much :))) typical Yuri :>

Dude, like, as if he hadn't seen her for years🤣🤣🤣

First, take her to shopping, but it kinda backfired (?) Yor takes family problems her top priority, before she herself :')

I think that ever since Yor lived with them, she starting to change a bit (and I think that's very obvious to ALL of you :))))

As a mother-figure to Anya, wife-figure to Loid, she cared so much about them, that she starting to sometimes "sacrificed" for them, to the point she doesn't know what she should get for herself.

That's why Yuri is surprised when Yor actually didn't want anything...

Yet, ofc, he still tried to invite her to a fancy restaurant :3

And Yuri overdramatic 🤣🤣🤣

"Go at it" meaning she went to 'drunk assassin' mode acidentally hit Loid 😅 not the other meaning 🥲

And why is Yuri's voice so loud :)))

As a counterintelligence agent of SSS (State Security Service), he knew mostly everthing about everyone, secret ones, too! Well, except Twilight and WISE :)

Yor really trying her best to confront Yuri and reassured that she's alright without him though😌

This is probably my favorite scene :))

Endo-sensei really know how to add piece-of-life drawings😇 making us feel like eventhough they have to do dangerous missions that could cost them their lifes, they are still human with emotions and their own "normal" life as a normal person.

This is probably everyone (especially your grandparents and parents)'s feeling when you have to go study abroad, move away, after so long... idk how your citizens of your country feels when you starting to move, but well, for me, it's something memorable🥹

After I got an official announcement that I passed and got into university in a different city from my home, we were overjoyed! I started to announce to my friends, teachers to taught me the past years to get me enroll in Medicine major! I started packing, trying to hang out more with by bestie to cover up the past times I couldn't meet her, spend more quality time with my family! Especially eating out in my fav restaurants, because I know that the city where I study might not have better food than home city. And the last meal was hotpot, right before I went to the airport with my dad to settle things in at my relatives' home in the other city once we arrived. It didn't ended up in tears, but in joy, actually. Because my mom contacted me almost everyday how I'm doing and sorts :)) But ofc, I knew that when I'm settled, dad will return home, and I know I will be homesick :")) And my parents and younger sis gonna miss me :"))) @chinp-mint my younger sis won't have anyone else to help her with her homework :")) Mom won't have me to assist her in the kitchen when cooking :) Dad's always busy with meetings and all... But I know we have to get used to it sooner or later :)))

Why Yuri looked so cute in this panel 😭🥺

.

.

.

oh, he's back now with the rampage :DDDD

And their hometown is finally mentioned after a while... I remember their home was first mentioned when Yor first learned cooking from her colleague, Camilla.

I love those sweet moments of the siblings~

It's such a shame that they don't allow to be together like that...

Yuri's true siscon form :")) (well at least he's at least better than Kyoichiro from Mission: Yozakura Family)

Ah ha! New ship unlocked: Yuri x Chloe :))))

Edit: Check how many times he created noise pollution :)))

He's really tryin to win her over :")) Actually a very good younger brother! Though he's a bit dramatic :")))

[ambersonic96]

JIEDHUEADHGAEGHDGHAEDGHAEJBCAEEBJACHGECHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNGGGGHFFJHSDGJFFHGAEGHFAEGJFAEJGAFE

I apologize in advance because I’m going to go on a rant

I WATCHED YOUR NEWEST RISE ANIMATIC AND I JUST. OH. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHOHOMIGOSH. IT HAS REWIRED MY ENTIRE BRAIN AND MERGED WITH MY SOUL AND BECOME AND INTEGRAL PART OF ME. HEHSFHJSEFHJFESHJFJAEJGFJGAEFGHAEFHGFEAABJE

I HAVE WATCHED IT OVER AND KVER AND OVER AND OVER DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS TO THE POINT WHERE I’VE LOST TRACK BUT IT HAS TO BE OVER 60 TIMES AT THIS POINT. It’s been a great source of comfort after and during school and it’s just. So good.

Also I had no idea Iscariot existed before I watched it and I have been hyperfixating on it ever since, I’ve basically been listening to it every second on repeat for days now lol

I watched it frame by frame and screenshotted basically the entire animatic and studied it and redrew my favorite panels because I am in love with your art style. Not only was it a lot of fun, it improved EVERYTHING about my art. It completely changed my style in the best way and helped me figure out posing and expressions and lineart and basically everything else. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE.

Anyway I’m just gonna analyze it if that’s okay with you :]

The tension in his arms, the posing, the dimensions, the camera angle, all of it is AMAZING. JHFESJHADEGHGEADHHJADSHJVEJHVAEHJ

I love how you draw eyes, especially in this panel. He’s so shaped and the way you draw expressions conveys so so much emotion and I love it. Also your lineart is impeccable and I love how it flows

The way you draw mouths inspires me so much in a way I can’t explain. I love the way they’re shaped, and I also love how you utilize shadows. Also you draw their plastrons so well

THIIIIIISSS ONE. THIS PANEL. MHJFEWHJWEBJDEBJSADJEBFBJBJFAEBJAFE. I love how you overlapped them kinda and also the perspective, and the tilt of April’s head. 10/10

HE- I- I JUST- THE WAY HE JUST COLLAPSES OUUUGGHHHH. ALSO THE WAY YOU ARRANGE EVERYTHING SO YOU CAN TELL THEY’RE IN A CIRCLE AROUND HIM. YOUR MOVEMENT IS SO EXPRESSIVE AND SMOOTH. THE KEYFRAMES FIT TOGETHER SO WELL

FUTURE LEO COMING DOWN FIRST TO STAND ON THE GROUND THEN KNEEL WAS SO SMOOTH. ALSO THE WAY IT ALSO FEELS LIKE HE’S BOTH CONDESCENDING BUT ALSO COMFORTING AT THE SAME TIME IS SO FREAKING GOOD. THE SOMG CHOICE IS AMAZING AND PERFECT. “You know you had it coming my friend” SO MUCH BEHIND IT. IT’S LIKE A KICK TO THE GUT /pos

His eyes are glowing but you can still see the SADNESS in them. Ough. He’s been through this before and knows exactly what Leo’s feeling- mostly

LEO SOBBING IN TIME WITH “my friend, by friend” OUUUUUGGGGHHHH

ALL OF YOUR TIMING AND TRANSITIONS ARE INCREDIBLE. EVERY BEAT HITS SO HARD HHHHHHNNNNGGGGHHIFFHJFSHJVDWBJDWCBJ. I AM IN AWE.

You are SO FREAKING GOOD at replicating the show’s style, and the shots, in this segment. Holy smokes. It’s basically exact and you are SO FREAKING COOL for that

The realization, and seeing his own actions playing out right in front of him, HHHHHHHHNNNNGGG. THE TEARS STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE, THE PERSPECTIVE LOOKING DOWN ON HIM, THE MOVEMENT OF HIS EYES- AAUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH HHHHNNNNNGNGGNGGGGGGFGFGFGFFBFNNFFFFFFBBMMMMMMBBBBBGGGGG. Also I’m not sure if the dialogue is exactly the song’s lyrics or if it’s left to the viewer’s interpretation, but either way HHHHHHHHNNNNGGGGG. “Before/after you I had nothing” REFHJFWEBHDAHBEHDABBDHEAEDBHDADEHBADEBHDAJBE

THE ABSOLUTE P A I N. IN HIS EYES. HIM REACHING OUT HAD ME ABSOLUTELY SOBBING. THE GUILT. MMMMMFFFFFHHHMHMMHMHMHMMMM. also you draw side profiles SO WELL DCDEWHGGHGHEDHGDWEEDJHAANJDS

This panel. This. THIS. Just. It just. Absolutely broke me. My favorite moment of the entire animatic, and incredibly emotionally charged. The absolute grief you can feel coming from the screen. Everyone time I watch it I lock on to just how DEVASTATED he looks. The anguish in his face. Ough. And then don’t even get me started on future Leo. There is so much devastation in just this one shot and I am not okay over it /pos

Leo collapsing and not watching any longer RIGHT BEFORE HE STOPS THE KRAANG. He doesn’t get to see just how brave he was for doing that. But future Leo does. I am unwell.

Future Leo looking at himself. His younger self, who in this timeline, did what he could not, and stopped the apocalypse. The change in their dynamic in this moment is just aaauuuughghghhhhhhnmnnnnnggggmg.

I WANNA KNOW ABOUT THIS. SO BADLY. HCJHSBHECBDHAADBHCCADJHCEA. AWWWWWWW. HIS BROTHERS LOOK SO FREAKING HAPPY HJDCJBASDJHXSAHJXAS. Is it like, he finally brought them back as hamato ghosts, if that makes sense? Like, he was so wrapped up in his guilt over the apocalypse that he didn’t think he deserved to see them, or he unintentionally blocked them off from himself, or…? Or is it something else? Or am I just reading too much into this lol? It just feels like a reunion but maybe that’s just me 😂 Either way, AAAUHEFSJHJGEFWGHFSHEGHDSFHGFDSGHSDFHGWDFWEGHEHGDWEWJEDWHJDEWHJHJWEDEJWDH SOBBING SHAKING CRYING ON THE FLOOR

AAAAAAAHHHH THIS PANEL WAS SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MANY SO’S FREAKING GOOD. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. THE B E A T D R O P HEHHADEGJAHJDHJAJNDEKNECKDEJGDWWHJDEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEE THAT WAS SO FREAKING COOL. AGAIN, YOUR TIMING. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. ALSO SPLINTER KARAI AND CASEY IN THE FRONT ROW STANDING WITH THEM JJDJDDGDBCJABDBJCDSDCSJBACDBJJBSAC

FUTU.RE L EO. EX TenDIN.HG HI.S HAND. , TO LEO. M Y H.EART. JKCHJSDHHDCBHBSCDHCSDHGHGDSJGAGHFVHDSVCHDBHSCBJBJCBJCBJCCBJDHBCDDBJCWWJCBDCJDBWWBDCJCBJWJBCWDWDKCHKWHKDWKEJKJCWDOJCKODWCJKWEGJCWEJGCEJHWCJEHJCWJHEDJHSDCBHCJWDBCAHEJAKCENNKCSDCSJBDJBCBJSDCKJSDCNDKJNSCNJDJNCDJNDSHJJHSDCJHDSHHCSJHDCHJDJSHCHJDSGHWDCWGHEHGCDWHGCCWEHGHGWEC

HE JUST. I JUST. I UH HHHHNNNHDGDCCD AAAHHHHH. Also I felt that on an emotional level. Someone providing comfort when you’re having a rough time and just breaking down sobbing. Man I feel you

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. NO THOUGHTS JUST SCREAMING

THEEEYYYY. THEMMMM. HHHHHNNNNNGGG. UAAAUUUGGGHGHHHH. IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE MIRRORING EACH OTHER. BEFORE I FEEL LIKE THE PERSPECTIVE WAS LOOKING DOWN ON LEO MOSTLY BUT NOW THEY’RE ON THE SAME LEVEL AMD I JUST I JUST I JUST MANY MUCH EMOTIONS ABOUT IT.

HIS LITTLE NOD. JHEFVJBBCDSDCCSDBJBJCDSDCSBCDSJB. AWH.

MY BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. HE’S JUST SO HAPPY I CAN’T TAKE IT. AAAWWWWWHHHHHHHJJDEHHSNDNBDNAJAKAJ. LOOK AT HIMM. I LOVE HIM. HIS GIANT GRIN *breaks down in sobs*

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH THE GREEN SHINING IN HIS EYES FOR A SECOND HHMMMFMFMFMMFMFMFMFMFMFMMFF.

THIS SHOT WAS SO FREAKING COOL. THE TIMING WAS AMAZING. RIGHT ON THE BEAT DROP. OUUUUGGGHGHHHHHH

JFCJHCWESHJCDDAHJJNACDADN THE BACKGROUND??? HELLOOOOOO???? AMAZING???? THE LIGHTING???

HHHUUUAUAAAAGGGGHHHHHH. SUCH A GREAT ENDING. THE LIGHTING IS ALSO AMAZING. I LOVE IT SO FREAKING MUCH. “my brother” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Anyway, in summary; I am very extremely totally normal about your animation lol.

Thank you so much for making this. I can tell so much time and effort was poured into it, and in all honesty it has changed my life. Ever since I watched it for the first time it’s fueled me to draw a whole lot more and made me ENJOY it more. Thank you for increasing my love for art. I didn’t know that was possible.

Anyway, sorry for the long ask! 😅 i hope it’s okay. There’s no pressure at all to answer this!! Hope you have a great rest of your day/night ^^

Ahah no worries, I'm happy to hear that my work can inspire/help in any way, big or small that it might be ✨

Thank you for the comment/analysis!

[chelnciel]

Ch 30: OMG

I'll start by mentioning that I haven't read any of ch 31 (only the title that was released a couple of days ago), so this is spoiler-free.

Well, a month ago I wrote my thoughts on ch 29 and boy I didn't hit the nail on the head!

CH 30 chapter is a roller coaster of emotions! (Very cliché, I know, but at this hour it's the only thing I can think of to describe this chapter).

Let's start with the simply gorgeous illustrations of both: the cover and the title page of the chapter. Sensei's talent in drawing is undeniable and the color of both is stunning. When I saw them on social media I simply stifled a scream of surprise because the covers are more and more gorgeous.

And between the name of the chapter (Overlapping, and What Comes After) and the text of the cover (let's go together, no matter how far, no matter where) left me with all the hopes on!

Anxiously awaiting the cover of vol.6! As of this writing, we haven't seen any previews of the cover design, nor has there been much news about the release of this volume, so I'm waiting like Penelope for the news to arrive (the only thing we know is that the bonuses would be a design that already exists. In Toranoana is the beautiful gene comic cover). At last I have the acrylics and the bonuses that came with volume 5 so I'm eagerly awaiting this release (not so my wallet, which cries for a break). And the 2023 birthday designs are out! And the information to buy it at animate International is here If you want it, buy it soon because the reservation is until July 21st.

Ok, Now what we're coming to... This is a chapter we've been waiting for years for it and I've reread several times to be able to have a more complete opinion since I really feel we're at such a crucial and expected moment that it needs to be honored. Now I LOVE how sensei colors the panels, and that panel of Hirano running brought me so much joy... it's that we finally see that he recognizes what he feels and accepts it so easily! (I mean, he recognizes it quickly once he understands that love can come in different forms, and he didn't take more time to recognize his feelings... let's say he just needed to understand that romantic love can come in different forms, and that it's not the same experience for everyone) At last Hirano seems to be more sure that he loves Kagiura

Buuuut not everything is rosy, then we see how the information of the day is decanting and the nerves grow...

I can't believe he lost just because he couldn't fold clothes! Since he was part of the track team, I think he's pretty good at running, although we've already seen that he's quite clumsy when it comes to fine motor skills (like when he's trying to put Kagi's band aid on

Or when he's trying to sew the button on Kagi's cardigan, or trying to tie his fortune in the new year... Poor little guy, he's not the most skillful when it comes to doing more delicate things.

Hirano is so handsome in this whole chapter!!! So precious with the headband, and that miniature that lives rent free in my memory

Hanzawa saying he's lucky to have Hirano as a friend and Hirano as oblivious to it as ever. I like their friendship, he is the character who is closest to Hirano and he can joke with him and trust... I'm a little scared how he will react when he knows that his dedicated friend is crazy about his roommate. Will he be able to understand him? Sometimes I remember how he behaved with ssmy and it gives the impression that at the time ssmy goes to see the movie, he still doesn't agree with homosexual relationships, but when Hirano helps miyano to get together with sasaki, I think there's already a change in him. 

So maybe something else happens in the meantime (beyond what we already know, that he sees ssmy and thinks that same sex relationships are not so bad). Well, I guess we'll have to wait a little longer to find out.

Back to my dear Hirano, I feel sorry for how he's thinking about how his conception of love is the same, but he's still thinking about the issue of his heart not racing... Unfortunately he doesn't remember what miyano told him, that relationships change and time makes them much more comfortable and that initial excitement turns into a tranquility

If so, if he could remember, then those hesitations wouldn't be populating his head. Although I do love it, it’s that after figuring out if Kagi likes him, he thinks, “ok, today I should tell him and then we’ll see how we approach it…”

Hirano getting startled just because  the competition that his almost boyfriend is going to begin! And all his thoughts go back to Kagi, but now thinking about: 

yes, he likes him, 

yes, he should tell him how he feels

But already with that doubt brewing about what will happen after he tells him how he feels.... Ok, they agree that they want to be together but that makes him irremediably wonder about if they can be together, since love can't always conquer everything 💔 and it's so obvious to Hirano that all that physical affection that Kagi seeks isn't necessarily what he's looking for, wants or even can give him, and he's sure that none of that makes his heart race and I think: Damn! Will the anguish never end ?

But there my dear blond again brings out his tenacity and decisive character making it clear that he must first give his answer to Kagi, and not get dizzy in assumptions, but above all, he concentrates on Kagi who is hanging around in the 3rd year area and this gives rise to one of the cutest scenes we've seen so far because...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Hirano forgets everything and runs off to Kagi just because he calls out his name! I mean, he's all serious, thinking about how he should give him a proper answer and what will that trigger in their relationship and in a blink, those thoughts are erased just by seeing the handsome boy shouting his name. And of course, he drops everything to run to him without even really knowing why he was being called, but he knows he wants to go with him, wherever it is.

And then we have an image of hands finally coming together not because Kagi insists, not with hesitation or guilt or doubt, but with total conviction, in such a gentle and confident way and that panel is so precious to me! Because we've been watching for 29 chapters now how they've been trying to understand each other and come to terms with their emotions and they're finally on the same page and well, since there's a image limit is that all that stuff I think about these touches will have to stay in this other post

And Hirano running towards him just because he called him, and squinting he follows him, and those are the dreamy eyes that I hope we will continue to see

I love the way they run together, because they run side by side, as equals, and then we have a beautiful panel of them intertwining their fingers to reach the finish line together.

Special mention to this panel! I love how different they look side by side and I'm not just talking about the height difference, but in the ways they dress and wear the uniform, they manage to bring it to their own styles and show that contrast that makes them so adorable. They will definitely look gorgeous as a couple.

And it's so funny how Kagi relates everything he loves about Hirano, and that he even brings up the quote from the civil code, being that only the two of them can really understand which boyfriend's fight this happened in, in their own private joke that others can't get to understand since here, it's just a kouhai talking nice about his sempai.

Honorable mention of sasaki just coming back from confessing… and just to see Kagi bragging about how much he knows Hirano (while he comes back with a half-broken heart for having confessed in the most clumsy way).

And Hirano listening to everything that Kagi has to say and turning red as a tomato in front of everyone! But Kagi doesn't let go of his hand and doesn't hesitate for a second so he just tries to hide his face under his bangs, but you're not fooling us dear. We know you liked hearing all that from the boy you love, that's why all the sparkles around you

On a separate topic, miyano missed the best scene he could imagine at the festival! I feel sorry for him...

Well, back in the dorm, Hirano resumes his thoughts about if they only agree that they want to be together (and again we see that Hirano is very bad at drawing... he couldn't even fill his Venn diagram well) but it seems so adorable that he's thinking about how Kagi felt when he confessed to him! All the nerves of confessing, but the uncertainty of what's going to happen... and it's funny because actually what I see is that he's nervous because he doesn't know if they're going to match, and he wants to be with Kagi so bad… poor baby and his first love 🩷

And Muroi's message comes in. Please someone teach that kid how to write! It took me too long to understand what he wrote, but what has me uneasy is that he mentions an injury Kagi's leg and for the love of god don't let something bad happen to Kagi! (It reminded me of something sensei wrote in his fanbox (https://harusono.fanbox.cc/posts/9366475). So far we know that Kagi's foot always has the band-aid on, but I hope it's just the shoe rubbing and nothing else.

I love that he goes to wait for Kagi outside the building to, first make sure he's okay, and then in her dormitory continue their conversations. It's like he has to first know that his little Kagi is okay from his fight, that there were no major problems or consequences, and then after closing that topic, return to what brought them to the dormitory.

He even inspects him! 

And Kagi saying that he wouldn't get into a fight, while Hirano immediately saying how “it's the normal thing between men”.

Sensei, I need to see Hirano's quarrelsome past! He seems like such a good student but he can be so temperamental. In ch 20 he doesn't hesitate to grab Kagi by the neck (and then you have to be reading around that Hirano is being forced by Kagi to everything... but I won't get into that topic), then I imagine that in high school he must have been even worse (with his face patch and bad boy face). Hirano always so biased: he makes a rule-breaking essay about his dyed hair, he doesn't care if Kagi fights as long as it's not one-sided, he jumps out of a window because he wants to go play with his little friend... He definitely couldn't be the disciplinary committee chairman!

A separate issue is that this wimpy boy dared to fight Kagi!! I have to give him credit for his courage because Kagi is much, much bigger. And it's hilarious to see him grab him by the collar of his shirt when he obviously couldn't lift him because Kagi would have to bend down for it! and then punished sitting there like scolded puppies

I think if Hirano saw that someone was going to hit Kagi, he'd not only jump to his defense but would definitely come to blows with anyone who dared to touch a single hair on his head.

And this panel:

Kagi saying that the head can understand, but the heart takes longer (I know what that feels like) is a little curious to me, because Hirano has been trying to rationalize his feelings all this time, and that's what he's had the hardest time with because he always saw his reactions through the prism that he “should feel the same as Kagi” or that he “should feel love like everyone else”, and now, in those few hours, he could finally recognize in a rational way what he feels, but he has that rational doubt of what if they don't agree on everything else? Will he just give in to the feeling after Kagi's kiss?

And from this page

begin the most beautiful panels we could have had of Kagi! I've said it before, and I won't tire of saying it: Kagi is getting more and more handsome, and this is because sensei wants to show us this more handsome version of Kagi because Hirano also sees him like that. More masculine, more handsome, a real hottie. And I'd like to add something: I've started to adore Kagi's big, expressive eyes.

I love that Kagi thanks Hirano, and in turn, Hirano turns into a tomato again (for the thousandth time this chapter), so that Kagi is so happy to see him all blushing.

And this is where it gets even more interesting, because after clearing up all the issues with Kagi's fight, Hirano gets back to thinking that he wants to give him his answer, no matter where it leads them.

And I want to stop here because, poor Kagi! It's been a very long day between the sports festival (with Hirano asking him if he wants to kiss him), then, all the fun of the scavenger hunt event, the fight at the club, the conversation with Hirano where he realizes he’s finally made progress on his basketball dream, and now Hirano saying he's going to give him his answer... He lived a month in just a few hours!

What I love is that he makes sure to close the door. Very good, Kagi! Remember to leave your private homosexual conversations in the quiet of your locked room

And just to be clear: I do think Kagi kissed him. I don't think he stopped halfway, I don't think Hirano reached to put his hand to block him (or wanted to), and I don't think it's a kiss on the cheek (even if it blows my prediction that Hirano would kiss him first).

Rayos! My poor impulsive puppy... I just really understand him so much. Having Hirano so close is both a blessing and a curse. Of course after months of trying to restrain himself at some point his will might falter and give in to what he wants. And especially since they were talking about kissing and their relationship that same day, he clearly has that fresh and vivid impulse and how to judge him????

Also, I'm still debating whether his impulse was because he feels he's going to be rejected and this would be his last chance, his last effort to have Hirano, or if he sees that he actually has a chance. Either way, I think in the end it's an act motivated by the exhaustion of trying to repress all those feelings and well, he's a teenager.

What if we don't see Hirano's immediate reaction in chapter 31, but instead we get a time jump? A bit like ch 8 where we are left with Kagi sleeping and then walking to the bedroom. Maybe leave us in suspense for a couple more scenes.

I'm a little scared. Just a couple of panels before Hirano admitted that it's normal for men to get into a fistfight, and we've already seen that he grabbed him by the cardigan (ch 20)... and if he pushes him? Well, I don't want that to happen because I refuse to think that we'll have a drama like that, so I won't follow that line of thinking.

What I do think is that, it might be the 2nd time in a day that Kagi's shirt collar is grabbed, though for a totally different reason.

So, since I don't know what's going to happen, I'll say what I want to happen (even if it's delusional of me): I want Hirano to enjoy it. I want him to first feel the surprise of “wow, he's kissing me”, probably have a second of wide-eyed stupefaction, but then consider that it's not bad at all, and not only that, but also grab him by the collar and get lost in the kiss. A bit clumsy at first because it's their first kiss, but that doesn't take away from the pleasure of feeling it reciprocated.

And if I can be more greedy, I would love for Kagi to run his hand around Hirano's waist (sensei has us hungry for this, and the shirt he's wearing is too wide, so it would be a nice shot if he did that), and instead of pulling away or feeling uncomfortable, that he likes it more and relaxes and melts into the kiss as Kagi, finally after all these months, gets to touch him a bit like he's wanted to during this time.

Will this finally make Hirano's heart race?

Kagi, you will be Hirano's first

One more thing: since it's Hirano's first kiss, maybe he won't close his eyes. Kagi will probably have to teach him that.

[traceyc-uk]

Hiii tracey!! You know I absolutely adore your arts!! Seeing your comics made me wanna try drawing one too, but the idea scares me. I feel like i have to know how to do compositions, backgrounds, effects, choose the right panels etc etc (tho ofc i really just have to try it). Do you have any tips or resources on how to make it less intimidating 👉👈

What?! no way because I can have a rant about how much I love yours! You better keep an eye on your ask box because I’ve got questions for you too missy, ok deal? DEAL 🤝

I find backgrounds and panel layouts tough too and effects takes me longest but there’s no right or wrong way to approach it and all I can suggest is go easy on yourself and just go for it! Honestly there’re some pages in my past comics that are painful to see because I’ve forced panels around to fit in exposition or set up for something later but who’ll know apart from myself

Your figure drawing is so gorgeous too! So good at illustrating movement! just being able to tell a story through body language I like to do too and just doing that is a great way to start. Forget about backgrounds and everything else if it’s putting too much pressure and go at your own pace. Like Calvin and Hobbs if you’ve ever read any of that?

I don’t often draw backgrounds either, I’m not sure how much detail you want to go but my last comic I drew an establishing environment to set the scene and that’s it

One saving grace in making HL comics is it’s already set in a well established world and most would instantly recognise places if given the right prompts (four long tables = great hall) I play on PS5 and I’ve got so many screenshots of place references 😅

Some panels are literal trace overs of screenshots and I do anything and everything to make life easier (the Beast class bullies had the most backgrounds as it jumped around scenes so much) i find filtered images too jarring against my drawing too

My comfort approach is rule of thirds for composition and is I think a great way to start establishing frames and once you get more comfortable you can start playing around with it

Effects I’ve copied from comics I liked as I had no idea where to start too, I have no consistency either it changes because I’ve forgotten what I did before 😅

Panel layout I’m still finding my way too, I often don’t plan linearly, I’ll have keyframe panels (in green) and is finding the rhythm getting point A to B is loose and fun to navigate. and there’s so much of my earlier comics I’d like to change with what I learned now but I digress

This is just my approach and I’m definitely no expert but am happy to help anyway I can. I’m always copying or taking reference from films and comics I like too, taking elements that I like so much about it and let it influence and inform my own style.

If anything I’m nervous for the next one I’m working on now, emotional angst is definitely out of my comfort zone 😭 and I’m no writer like you are

[stackslip]

OK OK CHAINSAW MAN THOUGHTS FOR THIS CHAPTER UHHH i haven't done this in a while.

love, love the continuation of the previous chapter's yoru pointing up into these regular americans pointing up (possibly giving the gun devil more strength inadvertently?). this series of chapters is gonna be such a treat to read once it's put into a volume

lots of talk about how "freedom" and "gun" sound almost the same in japanese and this is clearly a dark pun, but the thing i also really love here is.... the arm symbolizing the "light"/flame of america/american styled "freedom" falling and replaced by a gun. the bit of the gun devil clearly having emerged FROM the statue, crawling out of it and revealing its ghastly interior, the sham it's always been. fujimoto's works starting with fire punch have always been obsessed with the idea of the image/representation and the many truths it disguises, how ugly realities are turned into stories, or propaganda, or even into merchandise to be bought, sold, covered up, used as justification for idleness or atrocities. belief is what makes devils powerful. the statue of liberty symbolizes deep held beliefs that America is all about pursuing dreams and protecting freedom, no matter what america's actual past and present actions reflect upon it. this is just the nature of that symbol and what it represents laid bare for all to see!

one of part 2's greatest strengths and worst weaknesses has been asa's passivity--which fits thematically, and makes her character that much more realistic and interesting when fujimoto bothers to draw her and put her emotions center stage (and makes it that much more depressing when she barely has a role outside of gawking at new information). but see this--this! this is what i want! this is what makes asa's passivity so devastating as a character! the exchange here is SO perfect, from yoru having committed the crime to asa suddenly being in her place, witness to the atrocity she's let herself be an accomplice to--and by extension, having committed it herself! we've seen that most of her power is fueled by guilt and regret--something that comes to her so, so naturally. and now she's confronted with it. with the results of her actions, of her dreams and attempts to save chainsaw man (to have a friend/someone who could love and understand her). the results of her passivity vis-à-vis yoru. she's committed this atrocity, essentially. she can't hide behind yoru for it. this is her body too.

just an unbelievable panel. the hole looks like it's *bleeding*, like a bullet wound on a corpse. sick sick sick!

see what i mean re asa's passivity being so compelling when used right. how could i forget? how could i get so comfortable? gd. also yoru's laugh is so good she looks so awkward. and most importantly she looks like nayuta did when making fun of asa after making her bark like a dog. sisters!

sick ass design. absolutely TWISTED parallel to when denji last faced the gun devil, with humans helping denji and begging him to save them. TWISTED parallel to makima's "save me, chainsaw man" and asa's own "i'll save you, chainsaw man!". fujimoto king of making narrative parallels so evil you'll feel sick ever rereading the first panels.

yeah uh i'm just gonna drop the parallel here and fucking run and die. isn't it romantic? you understand, don't you chainsaw man? you of all people would get the love involved in this?

the juxtaposition of the ruined city by asa/yoru and the children being led to the slaughter by the japanese government to resurrect denji is just. jesus christ man

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #49

Today is PKNA #43: Time to Time and for once I'm actually just including the cover of this comic as my thumbnail picture because A) it goes crazy and B) it does a good job setting up the impending sense of dread I feel having to read this comic again. Not that anything bad would ever happen in Paperinik New Adventures.

hmmm well this is a vaguely threatening opening, guess we'll find out what that means late-

OH MY FUCKING GOD IT'S TRIP!!!!!! AND HE'S UP AT 3 AM CAUSE HE WANTS ICE CREAM

also duuude haha is it just me or is the Raider in a robe kindaa.... like he kinda- *a single sniper shot goes off in the distance and my limp body falls to the ground*

Sorry about that I don't know what came over me. Anyways, we're in the 23rd centur-

WOAHHH MAMA MIA IS THAT MOTHAFUCKING ODIN EIDOLON HUMINA HUMINA AWOOOOGA- *a secret trap door opens underneath me and I fall to my death*

Guysss there's no fucking WAYY MY FAVORITE OBSCURE CHARACTER IS BACK!!! IT'S THE FUCKING LIMO THAT ODIN HIT DONALD WITH yes I know the original one technically exploded when Grrodon stole it

I have a lot of pictures from this comic saved in my folder from whenever they draw PK + Lyla + Odin really teeny tiny cause I think it's funny

Wait dude they're literally besties I'll be sick

Oh nooooo that's so sad, looks like you'll be stuck living with Odin Eidolon for forever :( so sad that you have to be with Uno agai- I mean Odin. Who is a different person.

I'm including this panel just because I really like the way Odin and Lyla are drawn here. Ignore PK trying to kill Vostok in the background.

I also have this image saved in my folder and sometimes I scroll past it and remember that it's called "gay ppl brunch" and it makes me giggle every time

ooooh I hate these two grrr GRRRRR

These fuckin robots I stg

Well that's not an insanely ominous thing to say to someone.

AAAAH FUCK AAAAH IT'S THE RAIDER!!! AND THEY COLORED HIS FACE IN REVERSE!!!!!!!

Always been a huge fan of the fact that even though the Raider works for The Organization, they can't ever actually force him to do anything because he's the fucking Raider and he does whatever he wants. He's their strongest weapon and he knows it. And you know what? Good for him, FUCK THE ORGANIZATION I will never forget what they did to Trip in #34 >:(

Uno you sly dog.......

There might be some concerning implications here regarding the effects humanity (duckmanity?) has had on the surrounding ecosystem, but we're trying to stop time travel from breaking so idrc about that rn

oh nooooo vostok is a traitor, who could have seen this coming he was so trustworthy.......

Your booty you say 😳.........

HAHAHAHAHA L + RATIO + FUCK YOU TO THE ORGANIZATION + THE RAIDER STAYS WINNING BITCH!!!!!!!!!

RAIDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TIL THE END 🫡

wait hold on wait. babygirl is getting thanos snapped. I don't like this wait I'm upset

NOOOHOHOOOOOOO FUCK THEY JUST WIPED OUT LIKE HALF OF DONALD'S POLYCULE!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO I DON'T LJKE THIS COMIC

The fucking emotional whiplash from watching Donald phase out of existence to going Straight Into This Page cannot be understated. The other thing that can't be understated is my absolute adoration for this page oh my GOD. DUDE. I'm actually crazy I'm fucking insane I'm screaming and clawing at the fucking walls. It's a good thing I don't own a physical copy of this comic because I would have torn this page out and taped it to my wall. I think about the last line of dialogue from the Raider every day It Haunts Me. THAT'S HIS FUCKING SON THAT'S HIS FUCKING FUTURE BROOOO I'M GONNA DIE!!!!!! YEAH OKAY SO MAYBE DONALD WON'T SEE A BUNCH OF HIS FRIENDS EVER AGAIN BUT ALSO OH MY GOD RAIDER SINGLE FATHER RETIREMENT ERA DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING BADLY I WANTED THISSSS BITCH!!!!!!!!

Anyways.

I'm at the image limit so I don't have space for him but just know that the last page also has Trip in it and I love him and I am going to miss him forever because this is the last time we see him (for real) (not counting super brief cameos in future series)

I really like this comic. And I swear it's not just Raider Trip bias again okay, this is a good story. The plot is interesting and the pacing is done well, though it does drag a little in the middle. I really like the way this artist draws Odin he looks super cunty in this chapter.

Once again we actually have a comic that should have some major repercussions! Will we get to see the effects these events have on Donald's character? Here's a hint: No. I mean if you read through the Xadhoom trilogy and the comics that followed you should probably already expect by now that the writers don't like ruminating on how Donald actually feels about anything that's happened to him 😭 I suppose that's my job instead.... my job and also the job of the many talented fanfiction authors that have filled in the gaps on ao3 for us (love you guys).

The ending here really does start to cement that PKNA is coming to an end though :( more and more plotlines are getting wrapped up, and we're not gonna see the Raider ever again... (Odin gets one more brief cameo and Lyla is... well an interesting case, but I suppose I'll talk about that later because I've already spent a long time on this post).

We DO have a new bonus comic series attached to this one though! I can't attach photos because, again, I've already hit the image limit, but I really like the art style of this series... even if it's about Everett Ducklair my ENEMY. I think this series of bonus stories came up in a funny place though because we're gonna have more than one comic coming up here that has an upsetting ending, then just abruptly cuts to the bonus comic like "hey guys wanna know what wacky hijinks Everett Ducklair is up to in Tibet?!" like no man not right now 😭 Donald just lost like all of his friends I need some time to ruminate on that...

Anyways in summary of this post: The Raider stays winning ✌️

[airu27-rkgk]

Happy 1.5 Anniversary!!!

I want to draw something to celebrate and I’ve only just finished this today 😆🎉

Some thoughts below:

To start with, I want to convey good memories, how R99 stories have accompanied me so far. And since the current patch is related to movie, I make the bottom part like a film reel. 🎬🎞️

🎥 Reel #0

Team Timekeeper! Or at least, some of the main casts in our team! Vertin, Sonetto, Lilya, Regulus, Sotheby, Druvis III, Matilda, X, MedPoc... I would draw more, but this is getting too crowded as is.

What attracted me to R99 is how gorgeous the art style is. Every character is different, with their own personality and point of view, their diverse skills. One day, I would like to max the level (and resonance?) of each and every characters. That’s a far off dream, perhaps, but slowly, slowly, I’m sure.

🎥 Reel #1

One of the first impactful memories from when I started playing R99 was Schneider. Her soft voice calling out to Vertin. She’s very beautiful in red. Even when she’s rather small, she has such might inside herself, she’s brilliant.

In the early chapters, Arcana and Forget-Me-Not made great antagonists. Miss Arcana’s piercing yellow eyes. Forget-Me-Not’s grand piano that he played in the midst of incoming Storm. R99 early stories are interesting, I have replayed them many times because I want to understand the storyline.

🎥 Reel #2

The reason I started playing R99 is Pickles! I remembered looking through social media and saw Pickles, a six-star non-human character. First of all, this game has six-star? I was relatively new to gacha games and I thought five-star was the norm for the highest tier, so I was intrigued. So I downloaded the game and got Pickles. He’s the bestest boy.

On that note, this patch was the first event story that I experienced. As I didn’t have many characters and most were not levelled up, I remembered struggling in the fighting stages. Later, not-so-recently, when the Rimet Cup story was re-released again, I attempted those stages again and I’m really happy that I can now passed them easily!

🎥 Reel #3

Now, the Note on Shuori was particularly memorable for me. I learned about how there’s a true-limited character in this game, and so I pulled for Jiu Niangzi. But Getian—

Getian was the first character that I pulled based on looks alone. He’s very (very, very) beautiful, I love his eyes, the sharp eyelashes, the texture of the strands of his hair, his range of emotions (I love his pouting face UuU), his wings, how it shines, the individual feathers that you can admire in green, blue, stripes of white, and dark shades.

When this story first came out, I remembered how I did not understand what was happening 😂 The story used many different terms that I’m unfamiliar with and the plot twist confused me so much. I reread the story again just last week and I can safely say I understand the story now (lol) When you didn’t know what the characters are capable of, the story is very confusing imo

🎥 Reel #4

Apeiron gang my beloved! When the story patch first came out, I wasn’t really into 6 (surprisingly? hahah) The story was meant to make 37 shine the most and she does. She shines very bright. I really love the sparkle in her eyes.

It’s not until recently that I’m really into Apeiron found family. I like their banters, their connection to each other. They hold a special place in my heart.

🎥 Reel #5

Vereinsamt. The pain. I want to include Lucy as well, but she’s a little out of place in the middle of Vienna, so I decided on drawing Marcus, Kakania, and Isolde only.

Marcus and her sachertorte. I love Marcus’ design! Her sailor-like clothes and books, the lantern she holds. She’s a dear.

This story has so many details, the different pov telling the struggles in different places. Not just Marcus, Kakania and Isolde, everyone in Laplace and Apeiron. It's a deep story that tells a lot. This patch is the one that pulled me into the fandom for real.

🎥 Reel #6

For the last panel, I debated between drawing Tristes Tropiques or the current Show Down in Chinatown. But I decided on this one in the end.

First of all, I love White Rum! To have great non-human characters are amazing, it’s one of R99’s best points imo. I always love sea-related stuff so White Rum has truly hooked me since first glance.

And of course, there’s Lopera, Anjo Nala, Mr. Duncan, and everyone else that formed the story. This patch has great battle music.

I can’t draw all the characters, there are just too many! R99 has great art and each character is unique.

Lastly, I’m looking forward to what the future story will bring! Thank you so much for the many memories, happy 1.5 anniversary! 💙

[fernsnailz]

HI . GET ON THE DISSECTION TABLE. taking your brain RIGHT NOW OH MY GODDDDD. OH MY god ,,, everything in the zine,,,,,

obviously the quality of your work, the art itself is so good ,,,, but OUGHHGGGGHGH i need to bang my head into a wall until im unconscious . like the title itself, starting off . woe mama we are in for a fucked up roboty treat . your comps . your writing . in the most respectful and awestuck tone possible . i need to kill you

my favorite i think is how you draw gemerl ,, all the robots you nail their expressiveness but oughh ,, him in particular makes me kick my feet . 'you are everything i fear becoming' makes me actually tear the fucking floorboards up the themes of autonomy ,,,,,, ,,, and how you storytell through your comic panels,,, the 'what a fool you are to think the doctor is gone' panel set makes me drink 2 Monsters and eat glass

THE . THE IMPOSSIBLE GOAL COMIC RAGHHHHHH. FAV FAV FAV . geninely shaking and trembling looking at it like jesus thats so fucked up ,,, your mind . your writing is so everything !! i would love to get any insight for how you workshop it because it is consistently breathtaking it sticks with me so heavily,,, one time i accidentally stole a line of dialogue word for word from your Never turn back zine comic and had to change it dfhjd,,,,, (wow this line is so cool ! ...a little toooo cool. squint.) but yeah god the last comic wow,, your panel compositions are banger after banger you are so good at consistently writing evocative stuff,,, tragic, rlly funny, hopeful, its so inspirational

thank u so much for putting together such a cool zine, would love to have it physically one day !

GOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS EDIT IS KILLING ME. this is such a rewarding ask to get, i'm so glad you picked up on these things!!

my writing work shopping style is. hm. a bit all over the place. i have a lot of thoughts about it i'll put under a cut if you're interested. there's a lot of little things i've picked up that help me out so so much that i would really love to share!

ok FIRST i should note that it took me so goddamn long to write this thing. like i had the very very VERY first concepts for metal sonic good future like. a year ago. the first scrawlings are literally in a notebook right after some thumbnails i was using for dance in fire and i was editing dialogue up until two days ago. i'm ill

BUT!!! there are a few things i like to keep in mind when i write/edit that have really helped me!

GET OTHER PEOPLE TO READ YOUR STUFF. ESSENTIAL STEP. i get stuck in holes with my work a lot and having beta readers and other eyes on this thing made it like a million times better

sometimes you have to kill your baby. there will be certain lines or moments that you ADORE that simply don't fit into the larger piece, and you gotta just cut it out to make it better sometimes. but usually this gives birth to an even cooler and more epic baby. or sometimes your killed baby is also resurrected later to be used in a different scene. does this make any sense

figuring out what emotion you want a scene to make people feel is very important - with this in mind, i also pay really close attention to how my writing or scene concepts make me feel physically. i think this is the thing that has helped me most with work shopping anything i want to be evocative. does a line make me tense my jaw? make my teeth vibrate? make my chest tight? do i suddenly feel the blood in my hands? if it makes me feel something within my body, i try to draw on that physical sensation when forming the rest of the scene.

ok this last one is. stupid. as i was wrapping up this thing i went through a final edit phase i'd call "Garten of Banban Vision." Garten of Banban is an indie horror game that has uhhh kinda mid dialogue. a lot of it focuses on exposition, and any emotion in it feels a bit hollow. with this in mind, i read through everything one last time and imagined like all of the lines were from a Garten of Banban game and spoken in the character's monotone voices. if the line felt like it could fit a little too well in the Garten of Banban world, i considered editing it. but if i started thinking "oh shit this is pretty good for a Garten of Banban game" i knew it was fine. do you understand what i was alluding to when i said my writing process is a bit all over the place

in conclusion. writing hard

[luckiestplant]

For my Literature class i was allowed to make a short comic adaptation of a literary work that influenced me, so I picked Demian. If you want to read my explanation of why I picked it and made certain decisions, you can read it under the cut ! :)

[It is 862 words. I only needed to write 2 paragraphs. I... really like this book LOL]

I chose to adapt Herman Hesse's "Demian" because it's a very influential book for me. I saw myself in the protagonist, Emil Sinclair in how he worries about what other people think of him as a kid, leading him to tell different lies to different people. His struggle to rationalize what is "good" or "evil" is rooted in his religious upbringing, and his first step towards discovering himself and his own values is from someone (Demian) telling him a different perspective, and inviting him to think for himself. I felt seen in how Sinclair wants to be guided by others, but feels unable to teach others, and seeing him eventually reach independence makes me want to reach that point too. He starts off the book seperating things into binaries like Man and Woman, Good and Evil, but over the course of the book those concepts start to overlap and gray for him. He admires Demian and Beatrice for being a boy with feminine features, and a girl with masculine features, and when he eventually meets Frau Eva, he loves how handsome she is. The scene I adapted, where he sees himself in his own painting, not visually but emotionally, really connects with me as an artist who puts themself into their work, and gets a slightly better understanding of myself when I first step back and look at it. I don't want my pictures to look like a mirror of me, but still reflect me somehow. And with my experience with gender, I see myself in Sinclair's idealization of androgyny, even if those sorts of words would not be used at the time. This connection I felt with the book helped move me to read more classic literature and see myself in them.

I decided for the first page to not have a lot of narration because I felt that it could be told through pictures. The scene starts with the sun "slanting red through my window" during sunset, and "Inside my room it was dusk", which gave me my color palette for the comic; reds and warm purples. Sinclair is not very detailed in the first page because I thought it would feel more atmospheric, and to emphasize the self discovery on the second page. The three panels on the bottom were repeated with subtle changes in expression to give the feeling of time passing as, in the narration, "For a long time I sat oppposite it even after the picture had faded out." He blends in with the light of the painting because of how much he's taking it in; the last panel's sudden contrast is the moment of realization leading up to the next page. The painting's sudden detail is partly because I got too into drawing it, but is so important that it should be in substantially more detail; it is a catalyst for Sinclair, and it is symbolic of his connections (and future connections) in the book. Besides Sinclair's emotions, it is the most detailed description in that scene, and the way he describes it radiates joy and excitement.

The first panel of page two has vague drawings of Beatrice and Demian, with Sinclair sparking with recognition. I wanted him to have a similiar feeling as the painting, glowing with color, because this is an important moment for him. Beatrice is not very detailed because he has never talked to her; she is someone who he saw on the street and admired, and at that point, he had not met Demian in years. "But myself" is split from the sentance to give more emphasis on his revelation. The second panel's narration is split but tied together to make it feel more floaty and slow, to emphasize each point, and to help direct readers to the next panel with Demian (the lines in the last panel are also supposed to help cheat with that). The text around Demian purposefully switches alignment and leaves extra space to 1) help connect the flow of narration from the second to the fourth panel, and 2) because it conveys Sinclair's semi-divine view of Demian (masculine and feminine, youthful and mature). The woman in the fourth panel (who he later realizes to be Frau Eva) has especially split narration because he doesn't know her yet, and she is a dreamy "ideal" to him; she isn't concrete in his world yet. For panel 2 and 5, there is an egg cracking and a bird flying off as a reference to a motif later on in the book; "The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born first must destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas." This quote has found its way into media inspired by Demian, and influences how people see the characters, and it's an especially touching quote because of how strong and confident it feels. If the bird (Sinclair) is not able to break his egg (the sheltered world he grew up in), he will never "hatch" and fly to Abraxas (self-discovery). It felt especially important to me to include this motif even if it hasn't technically appeared in the book yet, because it is a perfect metaphor for growing up and for Emil Sinclair.

[taybatwo2]

Monster High IDW Comics Review: Part 7 of ?: Monster High IDW Issue 1: Part 2

Okay, we got Issue 1’s miscellaneous information out of the way, time for the innards! Show us the story!!

As always, here is the very first part of these reviews/breakdowns:

https://www.tumblr.com/taybatwo2/754406016295321600/monster-high-idw-comics-review-part-13-the-fcbd?source=share

And here is the first part covering issue 1 (review part 6):

https://www.tumblr.com/taybatwo2/772726504008384512/monster-high-idw-comics-review-part-6-of?source=share

The comic page breakdown is under the cut, bubbles are whited out to try and circumvent copyright.

Page 1:

The first page has the “CryptCrier” telling the reader/students of Monster High that two shady figures are in Monster High and are wanting to talk to Headmistress Bloodgood.

Bloodgood is NOT happy that these “shady figures” are requesting her to do….something…we don’t know what yet. She says the students have been through too much and she doesn’t want them traumatized farther (I AM NOT looking forward to cracking open and making my Once Bitten break down). The Shady figures threaten her again.

Pros:

The artwork, lighting, and aesthetics all blend in really well the G1’s 2D cartoon.

Callbacks:

There was a shady figure threatening Frankie’s dad in the Free Comic Book issue too.

G1’s Bloodgood never had axe earrings, those are inspired by G3’s scythe/axe earrings (but they look good on her here).

Page 2:

Bloodgood is still not giving in to their unknown demands and says she’s the one that gives the orders around here (you tell them!). They call her bluff and she is about to call “her nightmare” on them (so she’s Nightmare the nightmare…Bloodgood! You could do better than that). The shadowy figures cut her off by asking if she knew Hexiciah.

She stops and says that “he set off on an expedition months ago and never returned.” They claim he is NOT LOST!! Dun-Dun-DUN.

Pros:

HEXICIAH! I love it when he shows up (and they really lean hard on Bloodgood and Hexiciah’s relationship. >:3 ).

Callbacks:

We are reminded that Bloodgood’s first name is Nora.

Nitpicks:

Nightmare is not known to be intimidating; the back of Bloodgood’s doll’s box reading: “her nervous demeanor belies her rather intimidating name, she is almost always ready to charge into any situation at a moment’s notice…almost.” She is even quoted to have “boughts of fear and panic” on the Monster High wiki. But! She can breathe fire…which is intimidating. I also don’t think Nightmare was a literal “nightmare” before? I believe she was some sort of shadow or demonic horse (specifically based off the demonic blue horse from Denver, Colorado’s airport)

I think Nora deserves to brandish an axe or some fiery jack o’lanterns to protect the school. And I assume that Hexiciah is missing AGAIN…? He was just found by Robecca with the help of Ghoulia after he was missing for ~100 years (according to Robecca and Hexiciah’s SDCC diaries). Someone put a tracking device on this man!!

Part 3:

The shadowy figures show her a picture of Hexiciah and claim they’ve tracked him down and know where he is. If she joins them, they can be reunited.

Bloodgood once again picks Monster High over her love for this guy (apparently why they are not officially together).

The shadowy figures are not too happy to hear this and the CryptCrier makes the beginning of a dark joke about her removable head.

Pros:

Hexiciah is here again.

Bloodgood’s heartbreaking emotions are drawn well here, buuuut

Nitpick:

…..her hands in that last panel look very strange.

Page: 4

Bloodgood has a good head on her shoulder’s until she doesn’t. Ha. Good one CryptCrier. good one. The Shadowy figures take her body and her head and leave a clue.

Pros:

Again, I really like how they draw her face. Especially in that third panel. So lovely. The line work is also very nice in this issue.

Nitpicks:

They used the same hand base for three out of the four hands in this image, which was humorous to notice.

Page 5:

It’s the first day of the New Scaremester (like the comic’s NAME!!) The CryptCrier reminds the readers that normies threatened Monster High last year, the school literally almost fell apart, and morale is at an all time low. Except for FRANKIE (who is trying to cheer up Clawdeen). Mr. D’eath is welcoming the students back (it makes sense that the counselor would be front and center). Frankie is catching up with Clawdeen. Her summer was great because she spent most of it in her dad’s lab where he was specifically studying her brain…a lot more than usual….(I’m sure it’s nothing).

Pros:

I think I’m going to say the artwork is great on every page, but Frankie, Clawdeen, and Abbey especially look so well drawn here. I like the backpack designs in the first panel (Heath’s being partially opened is just like him), Johnny’s being a guitar case is fun (but that’s Operetta’s instrument, not Johnny’s), and Jinafire’s is fun but simple.

Callback:

There are several backgrounders on this page (Jinafire, Abbey, Heath, Johnny Spirit, Operetta, Gil, and Lagoona) AND maybe Miss Sylphia Flapper, a villain and teacher (Dragonomics and Dragon Whispering 101) from the Ghoulfriend Book Series standing next to Mr. D’eath (he had been interested in dating her) and Valentine. ….which would be kinda funny because both Miss Flapper and Valentine could control others… but the way she is colored almost looks like Raven Rhapsody. Maybe she also turned over a new leaf? But in the Ghoulfriends books, Bloodgood was also kidnapped…she really needs some security measures.

Nitpicks:

In the Free Comic Book Issue, Frankie was saying that her father hadn’t left his lab/office very often that summer and was hoping to spend some time with him before school started. I assume the shadowy figure not only threatened his work, but is having him build another franken-monster (hence his sudden interest in her brain in the (latter half??) of the summer).

None of the ghouls seem happy with their boos: Abbey looks beautiful, but pissed….and…I really wish she was drawn taller than Heath (hey, they’re already taking stuff from G3, they might as well take that too), Operetta looks glum with Johnny, and despite Gil looking happy with Lagoona, she doesn’t seem happy with him in the second panel. Granted this is probably because the “morale is at an all-time low.”

Page 6:

Clawdeen says that she is happy that Frankie got to spend more time with her dad (remember that apparently her mom doesn’t exist in this time line).

And Frankie asks her how her parents and Toralei are doing. Clawdeen says it’s been tough. Toralei left her on red after they (not putting the blame on either of them) broke up this summer (that Summer Fangout Pride Magazine is looking more and more worse for ware) and her parents won’t speak to each other (I assume that more information about that can be found in the book…?).

Pros:

Look at Clawdeen’s and Frankie’s face in that first panel! So cute. I also like how the artist makes sure to draw Clawdeen’s nails more claw like.

I’m also happy to see they’re still using iCoffins. :3

Callbacks:

Clawdeen and Toralei’s relationship was shown in part of the Monster High Pride Comic….kinda…

Nitpicks:

…..G1 Clawdeen and Toralei’s relationship not being built well in the Pride comic (in my opinion) PLUS the fact that they’re already broke up here puts a sour taste in my mouth. If you’re going to put these ghouls together (especially since they HATED each other in ALL G1 media), you’ve got to SELL IT.

I don’t like that first Frankie doesn’t have her mom at at all in this version and they changed her dad’s personality from the G1 diaries, but now they are breaking up Clawdeen’s family?!? WHY!? And why is Clawd going with him? I also think his design is boring here and he looks like just a tired, older Clawd or one of her unnamed older brothers (seen here in Clawd’s Figure Collection Diary).

Clawdeen’s dad’s arms look a bit off in the third panel. In my opinion, Clawd looks a tad bit too baby faced compared to the cartoon (he’s also missing his earring in both of these pictures); he’s giving more G3 youthful energy.

Page 7:

Frankie asks if Clawdeen’s parents are really splitting up and Clawdeen says she thinks it’s “fur real this time.” Frankie tries to cheer Clawdeen up by getting her mind off of her personal life by getting ghouls together and getting “murktails” (I still don’t like the pun and I still don’t see mock-tails as being popular with high schoolers….but I’m not in that age range so I could be mistaken), hitting the maul, doing each other’s claws. But Clawdeen isn’t so sure.

Pros:

Frankie is a cutie patootie and the most in-character in this whole comic (especially in that last panel). I also just want to give Clawdeen a big hug too.

Nitpicks:

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THINK IT’S “FUR REAL THIS TIME?” Why is every single relationship broken in this G1 timeline?!?

Page 8:

Clawdeen calls Draculaura “the distant,” and is worried about all the work she has taken on/her disappearance since last Scaremester. Frankie tells her she was referring to Cleo and Draculaura (I guess Lagoona isn’t really included in this friend group). Clawdeen is not having it and refuses to spend any time with Cleo after she spread the rumor that Clawdeen was stealing Deuce.

Frankie tries to calm her down and tells her that she knows they miss each other.

But Clawdeen is firm and won’t talk to Cleo until she apologizes (that’s fair!).

The bell for class rings.

Pros:

Clawdeen looks great in the third and fifth panel. Frankie’s profile and serious hair volume in that last panel looks stinking cute.

Callbacks:

Again, more things happened last semester in the Once Bitten book (especially to Draculaura). Draculaura is wearing her G3 Core backpack.

Nitpicks:

Clawdeen being after Deuce makes absolutely no sense unless you’ve been watching the G3 live action movies. This plot point would make more sense if it was Rochelle (who does have a crush on Deuce and I think was still kinda wavering between the forbidden Deuce and her love for Garrott), or literally anyone else. Maybe bring back Amanita and have her be a flirt, I dunno SOMETHING else.

Page 9:

Later on in class, Mr. Rotter tells the class to quiet down.

Pros:

What a beautiful page! The background is gorgeous, and it’s nice seeing a bunch of characters and even Mr. Rotter again. Manny looks like his normal grumpy self, Lagoona is super cute here (look at her little fish ears), Spectra is on her phone and you can see her shoulder, hair, and phone outline in her hands, and Abbey is trying to bump Heath awake.

Callbacks:

The castle painting looks kinda similar to the one that Draculaura attended/lived in in Transylvania (as seen in “Why do Ghouls fall in Love?”). I dunno, it looks very similar to some other castle and I can not put my finger on it.

Page 10:

After quieting the class, Mr. Rotter tells them that Draculaura is a “special guest speaker” and has been informing all of the hisstory classes of a change in school policy. CryptCrier informs us/them that Dracula died last year and Draculaura was thrust into leading the School Board. Pros:

It’s nice to see more Mr. Rotter, a nice profile of Heath, and Draculaura looks adorable here: poof!

Callbacks:

Draculaura can tap into all her vampire powers here, I guess. Her bat form is different to her G1 episode’s (and while I miss her pigtails I think it’s an improvement) and her very plain “Frights, Camera, Action” bat form:

Nitpicks:

To no one’s surprise, I’m not fond of Dracula dying and Draculaura (a STUDENT and not the most powerful vampire around mind you) becoming in charge of a school council (that apparently runs the monster world).

Ugh, well this Issue 1 will have to have a third part for the last ten pages since I ran out of room for pictures.

As always, what are your thoughts? Anything I miss?? Let me know. :)

Here is the third and final part to Issue 1, and part 8 of my whole IDW retrospective.

https://www.tumblr.com/taybatwo2/774166018162671616/monster-high-idw-comics-review-part-8-of?source=share

[whitejay]

your last syku art is my roman empire! can you tell us more about the images there? especially about the dog with the muzzle (the choice of roles in this one really intrigued me)

Hellooo ant~ thanks for asking about my work :D

I was gonna let the audience interpret the metaphors their own way, but I'll tell you mine anyway <3

*warning* contains personal thoughts/opinions about these two

Explanation

In the first panel, I drew them with a soft, pinkish pallet to show the good old days when they were Padawans

And in the last panel, I drew them with a gloomy blue color to show their dark end(I still haven't figured out how to draw backgrounds tho, that's why the flames look like a five year old drew them🙏)

The next three images after the first panel are drawn simpler than the first and last panels, and are colored in red and blue(yes, Dooku is the red text and drawings and Sifo is the blue)

Pair of Swans

Swans symbolize monogamy and love, but one dying means that their bond is shattered, like their relationship in the end

Dog with Muzzle

Dogs are great wayfinders and truthseekers thanks to their keen senses

Sifo(the dog) knows something isn't right after Qui's death, so he commissions the clones and tries to warn the Jedi about their old enemy possibly returning. Yet he's basically seen as insane and mentally unstable, so he fails

And Dooku(the muzzle) silences Sifo and the truth by killing him

A lit Candle

When Dooku was an initiate, he had difficulty fitting in, yet with Sifo's emotional support, he managed to survive childhood. In return, Dooku became Sifo's emotional support when they became knights - like the red candlewick supporting the blue candle in the drawing

In Jedi Lost, Sifo is seen supporting Dooku on missions even though his life is endangered most of the time. Even though he knew he would get hurt somehow, he continued to support his friend(I see them as doomed gay lovers ehheheheheheheh but whatever), not knowing someday it would destroy him - like the blue candle melting under the pressure of the red flame

Sifo was Dooku's last link to the Jedi after losing Qui, Rael, and his faith in the Order. By killing Sifo, he just completed his demise, reborn as the heartless Darth Tyrannus - like the red flame, which symbolizes Jedi Dooku, going out when there is no more wax left to burn

[snalsupremacy]

Top 3 manga panels

Like last year and the year before, I read a lot of manga. Here are, of all the manga I read this year, the top 3 panels that stood out to me + an honorary mention.

Mild spoilers for: Yuri Espoir Spoilers for: Ao no Flag, MADK

1-Hikaru Ga Shinda Natsu/ The Summer Hikaru Died, Ch 2

I made an entire post on why this is my fave panel. You can read it here

2- Ao No Flag/ Blue Flag (Ch 54)

I vomited the day I read this chapter and ngl when I saw this panel I almost vomited again. I sometimes re-read ch 54 JUST so I can get to this scene and re-experience the pure joy of seeing this page. Can you guys believe there are people out there who don't like the end of Blue Flag? It's literally the best end to anything ever

3- Yuri De Naru/ Yuri Espoir (Ch 1)

I should do an analysis post for Yuri Espoir like I did for HGSN, it deserves one just as much, especially bc literally nobody knows of Yuri Espoir TOT And it's so good! If you're curius as to why I love this panel so much, go check out Yuri Espoir! This is literally chapter 1 ;)

Honorary mention: MADK (Ch 19)

Literally clapped when I saw this. Considering this is the resolution to the entire plot, the way the authors draws it is so satisfying and mesmerizing to look at. I can really feel all of story weighting on this single moment, and how he doesn't look triumphant at all, but a much darker, much more evil emotion, which exemplifies the whole message about the cycle of abuse and revenge the story is going for.