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THE FIRST TO GO

It's been a while since I've had the energy to post, but here's a piece that recently got into my local literary journal.

It's an incredibly personal piece about the horror of forgetting. For me, the most important parts of a memory are the first to go. No matter how tightly you hold on, memory still warps and decays and shifts around your hands. After all, it's the brightest stars that burn the fastest.

Transcript under the cut!

The First To Go (Transcript)

The most important parts of my memory are always the first to go.

I’ve already forgotten your face. Your voice. Your laugh.

If I try really hard, I can almost hear it. I’m sorry. I’m trying.

Your form burned while my back was turned, leaving shadows in its place.

How have I already forgotten? How did you disappear so quickly?

I just wanna remember. Is that too much to ask?

I’m clinging on to your memory as hard as I can, but it all slips away, like slush on a snowy day.

Where have you gone? Why is it so hard to remember?

You’re all blurry now. I can’t see clearly.

I’m sorry.

I just wanna remember.

I just wanna remember…

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New YT vid out! Get ready to hear me yap about my insane dreams (and paint them too!)

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If y'all want a new DP fic to read, I've got one for my Shapeshifter AU!

Summary:

"Danny Fenton’s HAD IT with the ghosts in Amity Park. He constantly fights the same ones over and over and everyone’s afraid of Phantom even though he’s trying to help and he doesn’t have a single moment to himself before something goes wrong-

-And sure enough, something goes wrong again. Danny realizes a little too late that people now have a real reason to fear Phantom- and so do the ghosts.

In other words, this is part of an AU where Danny’s Phantom form shifts based on how he feels. So if he feels like a hero, that’s who he becomes. And if he feels like a monster, well…."

Also, here's the playlist for A Reason to Fear!

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My video on Frozen II is randomly getting a bunch of views so I figured now would be a good time to shamelessly promote my youtube channel again lol

My username is Rangent Central 😊

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I'm working on a Danny Phantom AU where Danny's ghost form shifts based on how he feels about himself.

He starts out in a typical hazmat suit that has inverted colors of how he went into the portal. Standard stuff.

Over time, his suit changes to something that fits Danny's personality, interests, and fashion style more.

Here's the thing, though. His ghost form is reactive to his emotional state. So if he feels like a hero, that shows on the outside. His suit shifts to a more form fitting, sleek look. If he feels like a protector, he's suddenly able to make ecto-shields. If he feels like a failure, his powers go on the fritz.

...And if he feels like a monster, that's what he becomes.

By like the end of the show, he's learned to hijack this process for his own benefit. ("Well, I feel like a praying mantis today 😏" And suddenly Phantom has extra raptorial arms and little mandibles. "Y'know what, for some reason I feel like I'm an ice mage today." And suddenly he can blast ice from his palms. Etc.")

Eventually I'll make art for it lol. (Heck, I've even got a couple ideas for one-shot fics, so we'll see what happens!)

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I had a dream that mirrors in the DP universe could show when someone was being overshadowed. The only problem was that mirrors not only revealed ghosts, but they would also reveal Danny's "true form." (Not his Phantom persona with the hazmat suit, but something deeper.) What did his true form look like? Well....

No wonder Phantom makes people nervous.

(Ignore the crappy edit quality lol I didn't want to spend much time with it)

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Uh so I have a side account now

@rangent-central-reblogs

I prefer to have reblogs in a different place from my art, so that's why

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THINGS I LOVED ABOUT ARCANE S2

Featuring art, writing, and music analysis for my fellow scholars lol

Spoilers ahead!

Every friggin frame of this show is absolutely gorgeous. It never ceases to depict the beauty in even the ugliest parts of the world.

Dat theme song intro tho! Every character highlight told an interesting story, especially Jinx's flag thing and Caitlyn's Macbeth reference.

The Bridge leitmotif (not sure what else to call it) popped up a LOT in the OST this season! (I'm referring to the little tune baby Powder sings in the first scene of the show.) I think it's Jinx's (or maybe Powder's?) theme. Notable places where the leitmotif appears is when the others touch Jinx's shoulders in solidarity during the prison break. Also it shows up in the song "The Beast" that same episode, when Warwick attacks for the first time. The leitmotif's meaning seems to shift over time. It starts out as a theme song for Zaun's people, and then becomes inherently tied to Jinx after she becomes a symbol for Zaun's freedom.

Sevika. Just, everything with Sevika. Her fight with Smeech. The dramatic cape fling-off to parallel season 1. (All the women in Arcane are WAY too hot for their own good 🫡🥴)

Caitlyn's vampire cape during her Dictator Era

Vi's pitfighter scenes were super fun to watch (Cocktail Molotov is my favorite song from this season). Not super fun for Vi to experience, tho. Sorry girl!

Literally every part of act 2 (in regards to the Jinx/Vi family dynamic). The fantastic action scene involving Warwick in the prison. Jinx being the one to figure out he's Vander. The catfight between sisters in the mines ("oversized b****-mittens"). The "He's your dad too," and letting Jinx break down and hug her dad 🥹 Their little family has changed a lot, but for a short time, they were together again.

"[That self-serving war pig] oinked poison in your ear" is a genuinely funny insult that still manages to pack a punch.

Isha's sacrifice 😭😭😭 It's a good thing none of my roommates were home when I watched this because I got punched in the face by my own tears. (idk how I actually thought she was gonna make it. -_-) Not sure how I feel about Isha dying as a writing choice, but they gave her a great sendoff. Specifically the shot where she looks Jinx in the eye and does their signature finger guns. You can see the tears in Isha's eyes. How hard this is for her to give up her happy life with Jinx. But she'll do it with a watery smile, because that's what Jinx would so for her.

Heimerdinger's voice actor can SING???

I really loved getting to see Ekko this season. Especially during the trip to the alternate reality. That whole episode was so good. He's such a good boi and I want to protect him.

Alternate Universe Powder has a pink streak in her hair for Vi.

Ekko puts on a couple pink and blue hair ties into his hair after that episode.

Jayce and Viktor are confirmed to be in a Queerplatonic Relationship (at least in my mind) 🧡💛🤍🩵💙 Y'all better not come after me for this one lol. I never saw them as having sexual or even romantic feelings for each other. Jayce even calls Viktor his brother at one point. Viktor doesn't seem to express any romantic tendencies, so I've always headcanoned him as Aro/Ace. Anyway, I think it was a great choice to have the two of them transcend the labels of relationships and express pure love for each other. It felt very Queerplatonic to me, which made me happy.

Speaking of which, the scenes where Viktor is in that space void is absolutely GORGEOUS. I could stare at those colors forever.

Uhhhhh we're actually NOT going to put the finale on the list of things I liked. I was worried Arcane wasn't quite going to stick the landing at the end...I might've been right to fear that. Some characters (Like Jayce, Viktor, Heimerdinger, and arguably Jinx) got a good sendoff. (I definitely believe Jinx isn't dead, just off redefining herself apart from others.) Other characters...not so much. Mel, Vi, and Ekko lost every part of their families, and are left with basically nothing to show for it. They all just seem really lonely by the end. I mean, Vi has Cait and I assume Vi and Ekko still talk. But I can't shake the feeling that they didn't get a true catharsis. I think the successor show to Arcane will explore Noxus (and therefore Mel) more, so I think there's still hope for her, at least.

And finally, you guys. It lights my world to see people analyze this fantastic show and point out details I missed. And y'all making the fanart are amazing! Shows like this inspire artists to play with their style and find beauty in chaos.

If you got this far, thank you for hearing me out 😊 I hope you have a wonderful day!

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No spoilers, but bruh I just watched Arcane S2 Act 2 and BOY HOWDY that ending punched me in the face! I wasn't ready to ugly sob at multiple points today 😂

("Best feeling in the world, kid" 💥 👈)

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< "One day, I will find you all." >

This piece is a pretty personal one. Learning about my family history has provided me a ton of joy and a feeling of connection. So when my college had a Day of the Dead art competition, I made this piece.

My 3rd Great-Grandma, Bettie Newell, was a cotton harvester in the mid-1800s.

Everything I know about her comes from historical records, because very little of her story was preserved. I don't know what she really looked like, but this is her ofrenda. Really, it's an ofrenda for all my ancestors who are waiting to be known.

One day, I will know your story better, Bettie. "Until we meet again."

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Trick or treat! 💙🖤🎩👻

Hand injuries are still kicking my butt so this isn't a new piece, but here you go! This is a little doodle I did after the 1st anniversary of my debut comic, Screen of Shadows.

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Happy Halloween! 🎃👻 Here's some pieces I made for a literary magazine. I had a lot of fun creating the photo collages and adding illustrative elements over them

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Reblog if your blog is boopable-safe so you can get all the (probably new) achievements. I don’t care about notes I just want boops

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Little Red Riding Hood in Space 🌠✨🌌

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I have Aro/Ace pride stickers for sale now! 😃

You can find them here 😉😉

Happy Ace Awareness Week!

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In preparation for my comic's next arc, have some blorbos

Refs under the cut

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Blacked out and made this in a fit of inspiration

Somehow it's simultaneously one of the best and worst things I have ever unleashed upon this earth

All hail our cryptid overlord ICE-E