#(yes i do love the full art ones but i also love the illustrations on the standard cards!)

[aquanutart]

I absolutely LOVE the Squirtle/Wartortle illustrations by kantaro in Pokemon 151!

The Squirtle jumping so joyfully from the rock into the ocean, the colors are STUNNING! I love the contrast of the Squirtle's aqua blue framed in the vivid orange sky, the soft bit of blue reflecting in its shell and its tail just catching the sun, how little and squishy its body looks as it launches itself towards the water with such tremendous excitement!

The lineless style of the background gives me the feel of a travel poster and I sense the tropical environment around it from the rocks and trees framing the corners, the waterfall splashing with as much energy as the Squirtle!

The layered blues on the surface of the water and the bubbles rising at the corner make me FEEL the liquid rising to meet the Squirtle--I can just feel how the next moment it's going to break through and be immersed in a cool island swim!

And the Wartortle running along the sunset beach, this is somehow everything I always imagined for Wartortle! I adore the way the rich purple melts into the warm red/orange sky, the matching purple clouds and shadows in the foreground, and how the dimming sunlight glows red on Wartortle's deep blues!

I love how the yellow and orange of the sky illuminate the lapping waves, I can just feel the gentle motion of the sea at dusk. The aqua color of the ocean matches Wartortle's ears and tail and sets off the red-orange sand, I just love how the colors are here!

Wartortle looks so round and squishy, I love its happiness as it goes frolicking through the shallows, chasing the bubbles caught in the setting sun! The shine and deep shadow on its shell give it an almost jewel texture like real tortoise shell; I love the silhouetted splash Wartortle leaves as it goes running across the shore. It's so full of energy and delight at the end of a gorgeous day! The colors in these are SO vivid and harmonized and the style is so cute and bursting with energy and joy. I just LOVE it (also Squirtle is my starter)

[louthelost]

O brave tarnished, O weary tarnished

Got gifted Elden Ring and have gotten way too into it, so here's my tarnished

progress shots under the cut

[empty-movement]

Chiho Saito’s 1999 Revolutionary Girl Utena Original Illustration Collection

IT’S HERE. IT’S DONE. IT’S FINISHED. NOW…IT’S YOURS. Happy Holidays, my friends.

Vanna here! I have posted some already about this project, and the responses I got, public and otherwise, have been absolutely incredible. Y’all have been reblogging and hyping this before it even finished…I haven’t felt so encouraged about an Utena project since the musicals! (Yes, streams soon, I promise.) You can read the other post to get more details, and catch my post here with more details about the process if you’re interested. The long and short of it?

This is the first artbook I ever scanned. I did it in 2001. In Photoshop, using multiple scans per page that took hours to process. But it was 2001. A half megabyte file that was 1250px wide was considered extremely hardcore and impressive. That’s just always been the business I’m in when it comes to Utena art, you know? 

It’s now the latest artbook I’ve scanned, and so much of the process, and effort involved, is unchanged. What has changed, is the result. Welcome to your new desktop background. Your new phone background. Your new poster print. 

What I’ve done here is attempt to create definitive digitized images of Chiho Saito’s work as offered by this book--I have removed the print moiré of the original scans, and used my literal decades of experience to try and tease out as much information from them as possible. Without being physically in front of the original artwork (which is a thing I’ve had the great fortune to get to do) this is The Most Chiho Saito you are ever going to get. I’ve tried my best to make sure there is a way to get it that works for everyone:

Do you just wanna scope 'em out? Look at some disaster gays? Grab your favorite one or two? This is the path for you! Check out the ‘compressed’ (not very) 10k ‘web friendly’ (not really) copy at the Bibliothèque, the media archiving wing of the Something Eternal forums at Empty Movement*. All the following links are also available from here. Do you want these copies? All of them? Don't just grab them individually, friend. This batch is 375MB and can be downloaded as a zip of the individual files here on our Google Drive.

Do you like digital archiving? Are you looking for a copy that preserves the archival quality of the effort but sits nice and comfy in a single file? This is for you. A minimally compressed 10k, 513MB version worked into a PDF is now up, shiny and chrome, on the Internet Archive. Do you like the idea of the minimal compression, but want the individual files in a zip? Yep I did that too, here's the drive link.

Are you looking to print these in a larger size? This is probably the only reason on Earth you’d ever want them, and yet a bunch of you are going to go straight for these. Here are the zero-compression JPG full size copies, most of them are 15k across, like simply a ridiculous size. Pick your fave and download it from our Google Drive! 

I am genuinely really proud of this work.** I was able to tease out so much new detail from these…her incredible layering techniques, the faintest brush of her highlights, and the full range of her delicate hand at whites and blacks… details commonly lost in digitization. I sincerely hope you find something here that you’re looking for, as an artist looking for inspiration, as a weeb looking for a desktop, as an archiver excited to see incredible 90s manga artwork saved forever in the digital realm. I feel like I have already said so much about them, and could keep going, but you know what? This work speaks for itself. Enjoy, use, explore, and definitely tell us what you think!

We love y’all. ~ Vanna & Yasha

* AHEM ASTERISK AHEM

You might be wondering what any of that is. Something Eternal? Biblewhatawhat??? EmptyMovement.com? You might even have done a double take at the word ‘forum.’ And you should!!!

I have a confession. This artbook was my ‘side project’ as I worked on this, *the main project.* For a couple years I’ve been banging around with a new domain, and originally I had other plans for it, but Elon Musk ruined my Twitter and Discord is well along on its way to enshittification, and well….we joke on the Discord a lot about ‘reject modernity, embrace forums’ and you know what? We’re right. So Yasha and I are putting our money where our mouths are once again, and doing something insane. We are launching, in 2023, a website forum. Obviously, this is not the official ‘launch’ per se, but I cannot announce the artbook without directing you to the forum, since it sits on the attached very cool gallery system. Oops! Told on myself. Another post more focused on the forum will be forthcoming, but if you are just that motivated to get in right away, you absolutely can! (This will help stagger new arrivals anyway, which is good for us!) If you would rather wait for the ‘official’ launch, by all means that’s coming, including a lengthy screed about how and why we’re doing this. In either case, remember: this is a couple weebs trying to make internet magic happen, we are not website developers by trade. Give us grace as we iron things out and grow into this cool new website thingie…hopefully along with some of you! :D

If you do join up, naturally, there is a thread about this project!

** If you like this kind of content, consider helping us pay for it! We do have a Patreon! If you’re wanting to use these in some public-facing distributive way, all we ask is for credit back to Empty Movement (ohtori.nu or emptymovement.com, either will work.) 

I would like to say ‘don’t just slap these files on RedBubble to get easy money’ but I know that saying this won’t effectively prevent it. Y’all that do that suck, but you’re not worth letting it rain on the rest of this parade. :)

[my1oves]

hopefullyy this isnt against the guidelines?? but could i request hcs for laios's party (or just laios and chilchuck??) with an artist s/o ? maybe a painter or sketch artist :)

paint me a picture

꒰ includes ꒱ ⸻ (dungeon meshi) laios touden, senshi, chilchuck tims, marcille donato.

꒰ warnings ꒱ ⸻ gn! reader, fluff, includes both painting & sketching

꒰ blossom's note꒱ ⸻ thank you for the request! as an artist myself this was fun to write! i hope you enjoy!

laios touden

prepare, no matter what medium of art you use, he'll ask for you to create the monsters that he's made up in his mind.

there will be tears once you're done, he's in awe- it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen... now on to the next one!

is your number one fan, for real, and thinks that maybe he should make a book on monsters with all his knowledge and have you illustrate it- if your up for it?

if you sketch

gets flustered if you want to draw him, but will stay as still as he can so you sketch him.

chilchuck will laugh and point out how red his cheeks are, but laios remains strong.

laios definitely wants to see the finished product! he's all shy because you drew him so handsome (bc he is~)

will try to draw you next, and it's actually not that bad- the proportions are a bit wonky and that's definitely not how many fingers should be on a hand but he tried his best and that's what counts

he may also make you a monstersona to go with his own.

if you ever draw any of the food that senshi ends up making laios will 100% want to keep it! he'll page it into his monster eating guide.

overall he just thinks you're super impressive, and loves when you show off any drawings to him- you'll always be met with high praise!

if you paint

painting isn't the most accessible when traversing in the dungeon, so it's safe to assume you don't often go into the dungeons (especially if you're a full time painter!)

if that's the case, then laios will bring back objects he's found from the dungeon (cool things like monster bones or monster scales, stuff like that) to give you inspiration to paint!

might also bring back wild plants for you to crush up and use as paints- who knows, maybe the colors will be extra vibrant or have a shimmer that you need!

likes to watch you closely when you paint, he's staring at you so intensely you might have to usher him out of the room.

if you have a mini portable paint set that you can bring into the dungeon then laios is more than happy for you to accompany him- and this will give him something to do (watch you) when they make camp!

senshi

whether you paint or sketch or both, senshi is in awe of your skill- and he'll gladly let you know that it's impressive!

if you sketch

senshi can sketch a little, but might get a little shy when showing it too you. you're very talented, and he would consider himself just okay.

if you give him any tips or pointers then he'll listen intently, and follow what you've said. it helps him a great deal, and he thanks ye kindly.

you want to draw him? he's got no complaints, he may ever strike a pose if he's not cooking. just don't take too long, he's not sure how long he can hold the pose!

will ask if he can see some of your sketches, and will flip through your sketchbook (with permission). if you've drawn the food he's made, he'll get a little proud. he's happy you liked his food so much that you drew it!

if you paint

he'll try his best to learn how to make paint for you with the materials he's collected in the dungeon. need a yellow? he's got the perfect flower. need a gloss? slime will do nicely. need a teal? some tentacles are hung to dry and then crushed into a paint.

admires your work, will be curious and might ask if you could teach him how to paint too.

definitely won't be able to hold a pose for a painting, so he'll instead lay/sit down and let you do your thing.

if you get messy while painting, he'll make sure you wash your hands before you help with making dinner! proper hygiene when cooking is important!

will show off your paintings to the orcs. perhaps that want a painting or two?

chilchuck tims

it's impressive, but he thinks he could definitely figure it out himself. the kind of person to say, "I could do that." but then fails terribly.

will admit its harder than it looks after that, albeit a bit begrudgingly.

but after learning how hard it is, he has a newfound (secret) admiration for your hardwork and skill!

if you sketch

if he sees your sketchbook lying there and you're asleep or went to get some water well... his curiosity has him opening the book and ohohoho- what's this? you've done quick sketches of him before have you? definitely teasing and messing with you when you come back.

will ask if you want to draw him, then pulls a 'draw-me-like-one-of-your-french-girls' type pose. feel free to throw your sketchbook at him.

will try to think of money schemes with your talents (if you're not already getting paid)- do you know how many people would pay for this skill of yours?

if you decline his sketchy offer, he'll back off, but he really does think you'd be able to make a lot of money. he subtly trying to compliment you.

if you paint

on the rare occasion he feels like doing something romantic or sweet, with the spoils from the dungeon, he'll buy you some new paints or a canvas or new paint brushes.

"it's no big deal," he says, but he's secretly blushing when you thank him and give him a little kiss on the cheek. well he is pretty amazing~

similarly to if you sketch, he thinks you could make a lot of money if you put your skills up for it. you could paint royal portraits! but if you don't want to, that's fine too!

laughs if you get paint on your face, however gets pissy if you get any on him. will try to get you back by painting a large stripe or two on you. this ends up with an all out paint war between you two- sadly the bastard is slippery and dodges so good.

marcille donato

you're an artist? that's simply amazing! marcille praises all that you do, and simply thinks you're the most talented person in the world.

will brag to others that she has the most talented s/o.

if you sketch

wants to see all your sketches! she really does find it very impressive. she knows it's not as easy as it seems, so she'll admire each page you flip to.

if she ever sees a sketch of her/you ever ask to sketch her, she'll become a blushing mess.

"me? are you sure?" she's so bashful all of a sudden, but don't worry, she'll agree! just wait a few, she wants to clean herself up so that she looks good! will pose but she's very stiff- it's best to sketch her when she's unaware.

if you try to teach her, she's a very quick learner! has the basics down pretty quickly!

if you paint

she has fun with paint if you try to teach her- it gets a little messy sometimes but she thinks it adds to the experience. always ends with her insisting on a nice warm bath though!

asks if you could paint a picture of the both of you together. she'd like to hang it up in her home, or if it's a small painting she might even carry it in her backpack.

buys you the most expensive paints, even if she doesn't really have the money for it. if she really can't afford it, she'll find out how to make paint and do that for you instead!

her favorite types of paintings are landscape/scenery paintings, so if you have any of those she's willing to pay you for them! her home is likely filled with a million of your paintings!

overall, she's your biggest supporter!!

꒰ ❀ ꒱ thank you for reading. have a wonderful day, darling!

[melodiousmonsters]

I'm just going to start talking about my celestials each month to give you all some low effort and fun(for me) content. Also doing full illustrations of them as well, with some design notes at the end.

My interpretation of loodvigg, named Fhobia Denta Latrostratous (they're one of the three celstials with a full name at the moment) is a fair bit different from other's interpretations of it for extremely personal reasons. They're a tad bit strange, and creepy looking, but overall they are a compassionate (in their own strange way, like almost everything about them) and creative individual that's held as a role model for all shadowkind. They also have a lavender colored ring around their pupils so their eyes aren't fully pink, which is the main difference from the cannon loodvigg, along with the subtly different feathers, lower body, markings on the abdomen, and scales on the arms.

They are generally unexpressive (tonealy, the main way monsters express their emotions) yet VERY emotional. Over the years they gradually became more in control of their emotions due to sheer life experience, but they are still a little more irrational and driven by emotion than most of the other celestials.

They hate being touched, loud sudden/repetitive noises, math, people or things that get too into the meaning of art and other stuff like that, and the texture of a few things like fish meat or coarse fabrics. There are very few things they have a neutral opinion on, one of which is the taste of blood by itself.

They love keeping up their appearance in most situations, for example, their hair isn't naturally like that, they use their saliva like hair jell and specifically style it to look like that, also they would be absolutely rancid smelling and filthy with their diet of fresh meat and preferred locals of wet warm caves. They spend a lot of time cleaning themselves, which is extremely rare for monsters. They also like eating more than your average monster, they eat like a toddler because of how preoccupied with eating they get, collecting/making taxidermy and other oddities, and all critters, especially invertebrates though.

They are majorly interested in biological sciences, specifically preservation and taxonomy. They gave the celestials and dof era monsters/critters their scientific names(no I don't have scientific names for the celestials yet, I've kinda ran out of ideas for scientific names tbh). They happen to spend a lot of their time in a very large cave network with a lot of different types of caves that make good enclosures for keeping critters to study.

They care a lot about the other celestials as they are siblings and gets very angry if something bad happens to them, only if they feel it's undeserved, their empathy is a bit wacky and  inconsistent.

Also most shadow monsters tend to share in its odd mannerisms, sometimes the behaviors show up in completely non shadow affiliated monsters and no one knows why.

Disclaimer (I think that's the right word), yes you guessed right, Fhobia and the large majority of the shadow monsters are autistic, the term isn't used in universe as the monsters don't have a word for autism as they aren't that into psychology and "the way that monster is" has worked in place of a proper word historically, monsters aren't into categorizing others.

as for design notes and process here it is! all the stuff in red boxes are final.

[journalsouppe]

The Touchstarved DEMO by @redspringstudio! I had so much fun replaying this DEMO over and over, I truly cannot wait for the full release. The art is gorgeous, the writing is excellent, and I am surprised at how much I really loved each character, I expected to at least hate one or two of them like with My Next Life lol. I highly recommend checking out the DEMO if you're a fan of otome games or gothic stories!

The DEMO can be found here on itch.io or here on steam! All the stickers are from different Hallween stickerbooks from Michael's Art Store ^^; (ngl I think this is one of my favorite spreads, I even did do some studies of the color/rendering fhdjsf)

Writing typed below! (plus extra notes)

Rating: 9.5 (demo score - great demo) Played: Sp 2024 Port: itch.io Play full? Y YES!!!!!!

Comments:

First Route: Origin - Unnamed. RO - Leander

love you have a choice of 3 origins

GORGEOUS ART!

this game made me realize I do really enjoy otome games and not as a joke or for irony lol fjdkfal

from initial appearances I like Vere and Mhin ^^;

all the gold on the angel doctor is so gorgeous

killer music

okay I thought I wouldn't like Leander but holy shit --

LMAO NOT HIS SEX ROOM

LETS go I got the special Leander option on the first try

I need to do studies of this art oml I need my art to look like this <3

DAMN, now I'm bummed I missed the kickstarter, I would LOVE the art book

I need the stickers too esp for when I journal the full version

not only do I like the art, the writing is very good too

Vere is so pretty...

I LOVE all the fun marketing lore and illustrations on the Red Spring Socials

ooo damn does Vere have a red option or did I do his route right without one

only three red choice dialogue. 4 recently for Kuras (no Vere)-- Vere has one now!!! Kuras and Vere should have them whenever the DEMO gets an update ^_^

I'm learning I'm good at making the correct decisions lol

I honestly didn't know you could die until after I finished Vere's route (2nd route I did correctly -- 1st was Leander) and was curious what submit surrender did (aka I didn't die initially but went back to see what would happen(

LMFAO NOT MHIN BLUSHING WHEN I TELL THEM OFF pfft

LMAOOO and now Mhin is scolding me

amused with who has slept with who

deathly curious on how fucked up Leander will be

Kuras's nose!!!!! <3

I love the concept designs of Sen and Elyon, I can't wait to meet them

LMFAO 'BASTARD'

ngl I love Ais's mullet

This should not have been one of my first otome games bc now my standards are so high, esp in regards to character design

I wonder if the flashing soulless in the title screen means we'll see more soulless in the full game (than just the one)

okay damn I also really like Ais, these are some really well written characters

LMAO I was not expecting this music for Kuras

oh interesting I didn't realize Mhin's red choice was during your first encounter if you're an alchemist

okay Kuras is very silly and goofy 10/10 guy

ooo good theories about Ocudeus and control on tumblr - "obedience" -- reference to someone thinking the "obedience suits you" line on Ais's character card was actually from Ocudeus not Ais

Summary:

I thought when playing more otome games it would be really hard to beat My Next Life, simply because I am a huge fan of the source material that preceded the game. But wow, with the way this game is setting up plotlines, the full version of this game could easily make it onto my top favorite games list. Otome games are all about replayability, and the way just the DEMO is so rich with content and alternating paths makes me so excited and hopeful for the full game's release. I am bummed I got onto the Touchstarved train late and missed the kickstarter, but hopefully a shop will open around release bc I'd kill for an art book. The art is just so gorgeous and I cannot wait to do some studies, especially with color and rendering. Before playing otome games, I like to look at the character profiles beforehand and predict who I'd like and dislike. And I am very delightfully surprised that any initial dislike I had of characters all but vanished because the writing and personalities of these characters were so well made. I thought I was going to hate Leander but he ended up being the character I'm most curious about. Although I would say my least favorite is Kuras simply bc I'm not a fan of romancing doctors, I am still curious about his background story and connection to the others. In other words, great character who is just not my type. I am also delightfully surprised at the "vulgarity" in this game without being overly explicit -- I have grown so tired of how sanitized a lot of games and shows have been that it's always really nice seeing indie companies play by their own rules. I am so glad I stumbled across this game!! At this point I've done every route favorably but haven't tried all the "wrong" options -- more to play whenever I think about how excited I am for the full game! I've also seen the sneak peaks of an upcoming update ^_^. Highly recommend the game!!

[perseephoneee]

christmas tree farm (elijah mikaelson x f!reader)

꒰ ࿁ ˙ ˖ ໑ happy day 2 of ficmas!

prompt: you like drawing one of the workers at the local Christmas tree farm

a/n: this took so long and i'm so sorry but also this is my dream. like, yes, let me find elijah at a Christmas tree farm. i love him your honor.

↳ masterlist  ↳ ship exchange ↳ join my taglist ↳ ficmas 2023

There’s never a great reason to go to a Christmas tree farm every day, yet you did it without reason.

Well, one reason.

The Mikaelson Tree Farm was only four blocks from your apartment, and initially you went to help your friend, Bonnie, pick out a tree. It was the day after Thanksgiving, but she was excited since it was her first time getting a tree alone. She convinced you with a promised cup of hot cocoa, and you found yourself at the expansive farm. What made it better than others was that an arborist owned it, so they understood the novelty of trees better than anyone.

You had brought your sketchbook along as well. As the quarter was close to ending, you were working hard on your animation final. Not that you were an art major by any means, but you liked to draw as a hobby, and when an opportunity arose to take an art class, you did so happily. Now, though, you had to do a short animation for your final, which meant lots and lots of panels. 

“Do you think this one is too dense?” Bonnie asked, taking careful steps around a Douglas Fir. You peered at it, continuing to shade out its leaves in your journal. 

“Depends on how many ornaments you want to shove in there,” you mumbled, adding a few people to the background of your illustration. 

“I’ve got a good amount that I inherited from Grams,” Bonnie sighed. 

“Then you might want some more space.”

“You’re probably right,” Bonnie looked around, hands on her hips and breath fogging before her. “Plus, this would shed a lot.”

“You’d probably want a Nordmann then,” a smooth voice said from behind you. Both you and Bonnie turned to the source of the voice, and you felt yourself freeze up as you took in the handsome man behind you. He wore a red flannel with a cargo jacket, and you wondered how he wasn’t cold. “Sorry for bothering you. My family owns the farm; I couldn’t help but overhear.”

“So, you know things about trees,” you said, holding your notebook close to your chest. 

“Yes…I know about trees,” he smiled.

“Like the Lorax,” you blurted out, feeling your eyes widen. You could almost hear the look of disappointment on Bonnie’s face. The man chuckled, though, albeit with little confusion. 

“I’m Elijah,” he said, shaking Bonnie’s hand and yours. 

“Nordmann, why would I want that?” Bonnie inquired, pivoting to your previous conversation. 

“Nordmanns don’t shed,” Elijah explained. “They have a blue tone underneath their leaves and are also pretty.”

“Very nice,” Bonnie nudged you, and you sent her a look of approval. “Show me a Nordmann.”

Bonnie ended up choosing a six-foot-tall Nordmann that she affectionately named “Norman the Nordmann.” Elijah and one of his brothers cut the tree down for her and carried it back to her car. Frankly, the level of attraction you felt watching a man carrying a tree over his shoulder was embarrassing, but you didn’t care. You just said thank you in a meek voice and left with Bonnie to decorate her tree. Still, you couldn’t get Elijah out of your mind. 

Plus, as you spent time working on your animation final, you realized that one of your characters started to look more and more like Elijah. 

Which is how you kept ending up at the Christmas tree farm. 

You couldn’t just show up and sit around waiting to see Elijah walk by. That would be incredibly humiliating for you. So, instead, after your third time going to the farm and lurking in the trees like a creeper, you decided to buy a wreath. The farm had a tiny little hut selling wreaths, ornaments, hot cocoa, and more. They even had a photo album full of pictures of their customers from over the years. One of the sisters always sat in the hut, reading a new book each day, and finally pointed out that you always came in but never bought anything, which is how you ended up with a beautiful wreath you hung up in your apartment. Feeling guilty, you came back the next day and bought another wreath. You always bought a wreath and free hot cocoa after you finished sketching the farm (and Elijah). You realized at some point you should probably buy a tree and move on from your infatuation, but that would involve confronting your wiles, which would simply be unacceptable. 

Today was week three, thirteen wreaths later. You curled up in the corner of the farm with your journal, burrowing into your scarf to fight off the chill. You already had several panels drawn of the day in and day out of the farm, but now you were debating tearing yourself away and drawing Freya (your hot cocoa provider and sister who reads inside the wreath hut) through the acts of reading. Something blocked your light though, as you were drawing, and you looked up to see Elijah hovering over you. Your eyes widened. 

“You have come in every day, you realize that?” he asked, hands in his pockets and a slight smirk on his lips. You likely looked like a deer in the headlights. 

“I like trees,” you answered, immediately looking down at your hands as your brain screamed WHAT ARE YOU DOING? 

“Like the Lorax?” Elijah smirked, and you felt your jaw drop as he recalled your first day. 

“I can go,” you said, starting to get up, but Elijah put a hand on your shoulder, stopping you. The heat from his hand spread throughout your arm like fire to a forest. 

“You don’t have to leave,” he dropped his hand, fiddling with the cuffs of his flannel. “I just noticed that you have never gotten a tree.”

“I haven’t.”

“Do you want one?” He gestured towards the plethora of Christmas trees around you, and you started feeling like a mouse cornered by a cat. A very attractive cat. 

“I could…get a tree,” you crossed your arms, hugging yourself. Putting your journal back in your bag, you gave Elijah your name and followed him deeper into the tree line. He showed you several different variants, explaining their pros and cons, but you stopped at a four-foot Noble that was more sparse on one side and slightly crooked. “I like him.”

Elijah looked at the tree you were pointing at and raised an eyebrow as if to ask seriously? You had a small smile as you circled your crooked, kind of terrible, tree. It was imperfect, and it’s why you liked it. Elijah sighed but agreed to give you the tree. He cut it down himself (it was small enough), and you checked out with Freya, who laughed at you finally buying a tree. 

“Where’s your car?” Elijah asked, tree propped up against him. 

“Oh, uh, I don’t have one,” you stammered. You realize you can’t get a tree home without a car. “I walked.”

“You walked,” Elijah said plainly. You were thinking that he probably thought you were an idiot. 

“I live four blocks away.”

“Alright… let's go,” Elijah sighed, hoisting the tree over his shoulder. 

“Uh, excuse me?” You held out your hands to stop him. 

“To take your tree home.”

“I can take my own tree home, thank you very much.” Elijah stared at you with a blank expression. He would’ve made an excellent diplomat if he wasn’t busy cutting down trees. You stared right back, trying your best to assert dominance. His eyes stared into yours deeply, and finally you relented. “Fine, you can take my tree home,” you mumbled, feeling frustrated as a smile broke across his face. 

“Lead the way,” he gestured. You stalk a guy for weeks, and now he’s coming to your apartment with a tree you didn’t intend to buy. You thought that Bonnie would’ve gotten a kick out of this. He follows you out of the lot and onto the street, keeping quiet as he carries the tree with no complaints. You wonder how much he could bench press if he lifted the tree like it was nothing. You got to your building, a little four-story brick apartment, and let him in. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the plethora of wreaths lining the doors in the hall. “Are these all…?”

“Yes,” you answered quickly. “I’m the building manager, so I gave everyone a wreath.” Elijah still looked surprised but didn’t say anything else as he followed you to your apartment door tucked into the corner of the first floor. You wiggled your lock before slamming your shoulder into the door to open it. “It gets stuck sometimes,” you explained, opening the door further for Elijah to enter. 

With Elijah peering around your place, you suddenly felt very self-conscious. It was a small place. The layout was straightforward. Your front door opened into your small kitchen, with the bathroom to the right. Your living room was just a couch, a TV you got from your aunt, and a coffee table. You didn’t have a dining room, just a tiny breakfast nook you haggled off Facebook Marketplace. Your bedroom was off the living room, just a bed and a desk. The thing that sold you on the apartment, though was the beautiful circular window behind the couch and the fact you got cheap rent in a city as long as you acted as building manager. 

“Where would you like to put your tree?” Elijah inquired. 

“I guess over here is fine,” you walked over to the space between the wall and your couch, currently inhabited by your basket of yarn that you use for knit projects. 

“Do you have a tree stand?” He put the tree down against the wall. You kept your mouth shut as you watched realization flash across his face. “You bought a tree without a tree stand?”

“I didn’t intend to buy a tree,” you defend yourself. Elijah lets out a small sigh of exasperation, fidgeting with the tree so it can lean on its own. 

“I’ll be right back,” Elijah exits before you can say anything. You glare at the tree, internally blaming it for your current predicament. Keeping busy, you started a pot of coffee in your kitchen while you hunted around for something to decorate the tree with. You came back with a basket of crochet stars and some twine. Maybe you could make a garland and then harass Bonnie for some twinkle lights. You know she had them; she covered her entire place in them like it was Tinkerbell’s house. As you were stringing stars onto your twine, you heard a knock on your door before Elijah entered, box in hand. “Alright, I got you a tree stand, and Freya sent me with ornaments.”

“She’s a good egg,” you smiled, helping him with the box as he started fitting the tree into the stand. 

“That she is,” he laughed, sending you a grin that made your stomach perform cartwheels. You laid out the ornaments Freya sent on your counter, smiling at the cute little animals. She even sent along a glitter-covered mushroom. Your coffee machine dinged, and you moved to pour yourself a cup. 

“Do you want coffee? I got vanilla syrup,” you offered, holding up a reindeer mug. 

“That would be lovely, thank you,” Elijah smiled. You made him a small latte, as you enjoyed any chance to perfect your latte art. You went to a Korean cafe once and watched them craft a bear, and since then have forced yourself to learn how to do the same. You added a little heart, and handed the latte to Elijah who looked at it fondly. “You’re very creative.” He looked at the star garland you had discarded from earlier. “Did you make this?”

“Yeah…it’s the only decor I have,” you shrugged, taking a sip of your coffee and enjoying the warmth seeping into your bones. Elijah picked up the garland and started wrapping it around the tree, making sure each branch was evenly spaced and that the stars were visible. 

“Do all customers get you decorating their tree?” you asked, the corner of your mouth lifting up in a smile. 

“Just the ones I like,” Elijah responded, his back still towards you. You felt your cheeks flush at his comment. He was likely just flattering you. He stepped away from the tree when he was done, and your eyes lit up as you took in his careful work. 

“Well, thank you,” you coughed, putting your coffee down on the counter and shuffling on your feet. You expected Elijah to make a move to leave, but he stayed there, staring at you with thoughtful eyes. He really had very kind eyes, the type you felt at ease under. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Elijah’s brows furrowed, his fingers dancing over the buttons of his cuffs as he looked at you inquisitively. You nodded to let him continue. “Why did you come to the farm everyday?”

“Honestly?” you laughed, glancing away. “I liked to draw you.”

“Draw me?”

“Yeah…it’s silly, isn’t it?” you rubbed the back of your neck, your arms wrapping around to curl more into yourself. 

“May I see?”

“See what?”

“The drawings,” Elijah dared a step closer to you. He smelled like the trees he cultivated, rich and earthy. You felt that if someone were to be personified as a rainy forest, he would be that person. You walked over to your bag, nervously pulling out your sketchbook and handing it to him. His fingers brushed yours, but you quickly pulled away. You hated people looking at your work, so you kept yourself busy by cleaning up the kitchen. You could hear the flipping of the pages, and with each turn the coil in your stomach grew tighter. You were so nervous, you felt like you could break at any moment. What if he hated the drawings? You could never recover. When you heard the thud of the book closing, you dared turning towards Elijah and felt your heart clench as you met his gaze. 

“My brother would hate you,” Elijah said, putting your sketchbook carefully on the kitchen counter. “You’re a much better artist than him.”

“Oh,” you responded, some pressure alleviating in your chest. 

“You captured me very kindly,” Elijah smiled, stepping around the kitchen island to get closer to you. You instinctively took a step back. 

“I see you very kindly,” you whispered, your voice soft on his ears. “It was for a class animation, I…hope I didn’t offend you.”

“You couldn’t offend me,” Elijah reassured. “You make me feel appreciated.”

“Are you not?” 

“A family as large as mine,” Elijah sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s easy to lose sight of things.”

“Well, I see you…if that matters,” you said. Your heart was running a race with how fast it was beating. Elijah grabbed your hand, his thumb running over your knuckles like you were a precious artifact. 

“Y/N,” Elijah started, biting his lip in thought. “I’m glad that you kept coming back.” You noticed that his fingers were calloused and rough, likely from all the work of the farm. “I would like to take you out, if that’s alright.”

“Yes,” you answered quickly, earning a smile from the man in front of you. “I would like that a lot.” Elijah tucked a strand of hair behind your ear before glancing back at your sketchbook. 

“May I see the animation, when its done?”

“Of course.”

“Can I give you something?” Elijah questioned, turning back to look at you. You nodded slowly, unsure of what he was thinking. Elijah leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against your lips. His hands came up to cup your head, his fingers brushing through the strands of your hair. He was gentle, but firm, and you found yourself tugging him closer by the front of his shirt. Kissing him felt like first snowfall, or when you learned you had a day off from school. He pulled away, pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth and the top of your head. 

“That was a good gift,” you whispered, enjoying the deep chuckle that emanated from Elijah. “Does this mean I can stop buying Christmas wreaths?” That earned an even bigger laugh. 

“You really are an enigma,” Elijah smiled, kissing you again on your lips. 

Oh yes, you guess there is a very good reason to go to a Christmas Tree Farm every day

[hana-no-seiiki]

Hi yes do you appreciate fan art and also can I gain. A few crumbs. About Aeon of Dreams Reader???

tw// yandere themes, reader is evil/ morally dubious

Appreciate? I would bow to anyone that sends fanart in! Like knowing my writing urged a person to draw a piece; sketch, full illustration or HECC even music would make me ascend

that being said here are your crumbs

aeon of dreams reader used to have a few particular worshippers that they showed an uncharacteristic interest in. they’re very much into delulu people (like how u normal reader is into yanderes pfft) and in their youth they liked luring people in with promises of fortune, fame, or even their divine love.

aeon of dreams! reader was an absolute player before and often courted danger knowing that as a god they couldn’t be harmed in the end.

i was thinking of connecting them to IL but we’ll have to wait for my motivation to act up again for me to make sure it doesn’t conflict with their current lore and would fit in with our dans

but i absolutely love the idea that they loved fucking (literal and figurative) with dan feng and trying to urge him to follow his dreams rather than be a boring, lonely figurehead or something. or maybe even longer ago they made a system where the hottest worshipper becomes their spouse and reader doesn’t tell them that ofc- just saying for their church to bring a vehement worshipper for examination. it’s only a coincidence that reader whisks away the cutest one.

[jccatstudios]

SoC Comic Adaptation and General FAQ

General

Who are you?

Hi, I'm Claire (she/they)! I'm currently studying to become a professional comic creator. I love drawing fashion, expressive characters, and anti-hero action.

Where else can I find your work?

You can find all my work on my website! I'm also on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Tiktok (sometimes...). You can find my fan art under the handle jccatstudios, and my original art under jcscottart (only on Instagram and Twitter).

How can I support your work?

Besides supporting my work through your lovely comments and reblogs, you can help monetarily support me on Ko-Fi. Your support helps fund my college education.

Six of Crows: A Comic Adaptation

Why are you doing this?

Ever since I read the duology, I always thought it would make a great graphic novel series. When my professor encouraged me to start a webcomic, I took the opportunity to make the comic I imagined into reality. I want to see the whole series illustrated through comics one day. If I got the chance to make the official adaptation, that would be one of my biggest dream projects. I'm also using this project as an opportunity to improve my skills before I graduate.

Will you post it on (insert webcomic platform)?

Probably not. Most online comic platforms are meant for scroll format, and I'm making a traditional format comic. Plus, I post on so many sites already, so I think adding another would take too much time out of actually creating the comic.

Will you draw the whole book/series?

I wish I could! Since I'm not doing this full-time or professionally, that's quite unlikely. It would take years to complete it full-time, who knows how long as a hobby. I'd love to add a six-volume SoC graphic novel series to my shelf, but that of course can't be done without some serious backing. I'm currently working on adapting Chapter 3.

Where's Chapter 1: Joost?

I never drew it! I started with Chapter 2: Inej because I wanted to draw the main characters first. The first chapter of the comic is the second chapter of the book. I name the comic chapters after the book chapters just to make it clear which part of the book they correspond to.

Can I repost your art, use your art for layouts/edits, etc?

Yes, you may with visible credit. If you use it for your profile layout, put my handle in your bio. If you're reposting it or using my art for edits/collages, put my handle in the description. As long as it's for personal use, you can use my art. Do not sell copies of my art, use it in merch, or use it for any sort of monetary gain. Do not use my art for prompting or generating images.

Can I use your character designs and headcanons in fanart, fanfic, etc?

Absolutely! Please tag me if you do. I don't need credit since I didn't create any of these characters, but I definitely want to see what you create. :D

How do you make the comic?

The comic is made with mostly traditional methods with some digital editing. I pencil and ink all of the pages on bristol board. I mainly use the G-pen nib for characters and technical pens for the backgrounds. Once I scan the pages, I do light adjustments to the line art and correct any mistakes. The gray tones come from a single sheet of ink wash adjusted to be lighter or darker. The bubbles and lettering are all digital.

If anything else comes up, I'll add it here! Feel free to send me an ask if you have a question that isn't on this post.

[tatasoom]

PREVIEW IS SHOWING THEIR FAVORITE EPISODE

I've just watched an interview where Jimmy and Sea told that episode 9 is their favorite. Well, then it's a perfect moment to analyse some hints for the episode. Let's go!

1. The mind-blowing symbolism in clothing!

We've seen Day and Mhok sleeping together twice. First time it was after tennis club party and drunk_but_curious Day was wearing this white t-shirt you can see in a scene from the preview! The second time was when Day stayed overnight at Mhok's house and maybe you can't remember, but now, when they're having another night together Day's wearing pants Mhok used to wear back then at home!

So we basically have Day being quintessence of their previous bed sharing moments and I love it so damn much.

2. Sightseeing and the book

We'll have another beautiful way of Last twilight making us all checking ticket prices to Thailand. (In my case it takes my monthly salary just to go to Thailand and come back without all that accommodation, local transport, souvenirs, etc. And what about you?)

I also have some questions for these book scenes. As we already know Day and Mhok (oh, sorry, Danainat and Methas all of a sudden haha) gave this book as a present to P'On and P'Pla, but here Mhok is reading it again. Also he's reading last pages.

Could it be that Day's father have the full version of the book? It would be interesting.

I remember when I was younger I've found a book illustrated with portraits by my father. Of course it's not a coincidence and my mother just took this book with many others from their once shared home library. But what impressed me the most is that I also used to draw portraits in my uni years and it turned really good (not my words). And I have never ever learned how to do it, but even my friend who's really into art and can draw anything complimented one of my work.

I'm curious what Day can have from his father he can't even remember.

3. Fading reality

It seems after having some sweet moments Day is going back to black to vision issues. This leads to him asking Mhok to go to the mountains and see that last twilight in reality. The whole series is already bittersweet and so is episode 9.

I also like this excited Sea👇

4. P'Aof and mountains

Everytime we talk about P'Aof coming back with another iconic mountain scene I remember Mix (who played Tian in a masterpiece named A tale of thousand stars) wearing a winter coat and crying behind the scenes, because they had a very emotional scene at night and it was cold in that mountains. Glad Mhok and Day have a plan to see twilight and not meteor shower haha

Not them being goofy lovey-dovey ahh~ ❤️

5. The night of love

Okay, let's be honest we're all waiting for this Friday not only because of our love for Thai nature🤭

Day will be playing the guitar, Mhok will be sitting there wearing Day's t-shirt...

And then they'll have a night...

... that will switch their t-shirts by the morning.

Thank you for reading! I planned to say just a few words about upcoming episode due to the lack of material. How it turned out that this is an analysis I spent three hours making of... Anyway, I already love episode 9 sososo much for all it's aesthetic. Let's enjoy our Songkhla trip with Day and Mhok, let's find out what's wrong with Day's father and let's give a round of applause to everyone involved in making Last twilight!

Just one day until new episode. Are you ready?

A) no

B) I think yes, but no

C) have mercy, P'Aof

[saintlethanavir]

✨ Hey you! yes, you 🫵✨

✨Do you like getting monthly drawings of your blorbo?✨ Maybe some stickers in the mail? ✨How about your name in a game or even full early access to the whole process of said game?✨

✨Boy have I got a place for you! ✨

If you've read this far, hi! I'm Lev, local eldritch horror who draws silly little guys and I've got a deal for you! My husband @thecoffeerain and I run a patreon/Kofi where you can support our household and visual novel game just by giving £1 a month or more (if you are so inclined)

✨ The Fun Stuff ✨

Our Visual Novel in development is called Beyond Blood and it's all about supernatural creatures finding love in a small town + some vague apocalyptic events possibly. By becoming a member you can get full updates of the project all the way up to voting on characters and story elements, and get bonus content you won't see on social media!✨ You also get optional access to the equivalent patreon tier, if you'd like to see our non Beyond Blood content or even get more goodies!✨

(below is concept art for the game and only one lineup of many for Romance Options)

Beyond Blood Kofi✨

(click to view tiers in full res)

We also have a generic patreon filled with fanart, oc content, a sticker club, exclusive drawings, monthly requests, and voting on lots of different things! Even from just £1 you get access to sketches, full wips, early access to full illustrations, and voting on collabs between myself and Jack!

(ex. Of monthly sketches for patrons. On the left is Ellinor for @bitchesofostwick done by me and the right is an oc for @anonbea done by Jack!)

Patreon link ✨

(click for hi res! Here are the descriptions of the patreon tiers)

✨Not so fun stuff (why I will be queuing this every other post for a bit)✨

Both of us work grueling jobs that we are severely struggling with. We are both disabled, trans, and Neurodivergent. I work 8-9 hour days on my feet constantly to the point I've developed a need for a cane just to be able to get by. I'm also AUDHD and have begun to experience symptoms of severe burnout but I cannot stop working retail. Currently the NHS has decided I'm too high functioning/not bad enough to qualify for CBT or other therapies for my PTSD as well, despite the fact I've recently undergone traumatic events and have had multiple breakdowns. So if I want to treat these things I have to pay for it out of pocket and I cannot afford that.

My husband is in a job that has him constantly exhausted from early days and late night shifts, and the environment is not only discriminatory towards trans people but also to those with mental health issues. But again he can't leave his job.

Both of us are at our limit and we need something to change.

Anything helps, even just a reblog.

[thestylesindependent]

W​​hat’s the secret to a great portrait? At 86 years old, David Hockney has a few ideas. A lifetime of looking has taught him to always start with the face. “I begin with the head first,” he says, matter-of-factly, from his home in France. “From there, I place everything else.”

That was his approach when, late last May, Harry Styles travelled to his light-filled studio in Normandy and stationed himself on a cane chair, ready to become the esteemed artist’s latest subject. Over two days, Hockney worked to capture the exact hues of red and yellow in Styles’s striped cardigan, the indigo of his jeans, the string of pearls at his neck – not to mention the unmistakable tousled fringe of one of the world’s biggest pop stars. For the artist, though, the goal was merely to capture the essence of the person in front of him. “I wasn’t really aware of his celebrity then,” Hockney says, with a shrug. “He was just another person who came to the studio.”

The pair struck up an instant rapport that was likely helped by Styles being a full-on fanboy. For his US Vogue cover shoot in 2020, Styles wore a pair of hand-painted Bode cords that featured a talismanic illustration of Hockney by artist Aayushia Khowala. It’s also hard to imagine the wide-eyed wonder of a flamboyant Brit discovering the sunny thrills and spills of California – a theme, and sound, that has permeated the former One Direction singer’s solo albums – without Hockney as a precedent. “David Hockney has been reinventing the way we look at the world for decades,” says Styles. “It was a complete privilege to be painted by him.”

The unveiling of the portrait kicks off the second iteration of the National Portrait Gallery’s Hockney exhibition Drawing From Life, which first opened in February 2020, only to close weeks later due to the pandemic. With the addition of a new room of pictures charting Hockney’s creative impulses throughout lockdown, the show returns on 2 November – a few months after a refurbishment of the entire museum – with Styles’s portrait as its crown jewel. “The whole world shut down, and the exhibition was still sitting there, in the dark,” recalls Sarah Howgate, the gallery’s senior curator of contemporary collections, who oversaw the exhibition in both phases. “So it’s nice to know it will have another life.”

The Styles painting may bring star wattage, but the unassuming genius of Hockney’s portraiture is still the main exhibition draw. What makes his images tick, you quickly learn, is their honesty: whether in the tension bubbling beneath the surface of his famed double portrait of Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, painted between 1970 and ’71, or the seated figures that populated his 2016 Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, which included the likes of his own sister, Margaret, and the late comedian Barry Humphries. Hockney’s eye for the human figure may be playful, often kaleidoscopic, sometimes fantastical – but it’s always, most importantly, frank.

Styles’s portrait will hang alongside those of writer Gregory Evans, Hockney’s printer Maurice Payne, the mayor of his local town Dozulé, his gardener and even his chiropodist, or in Hockney’s words, “the dandy who cuts my toenails” .

One of his more recent subjects was the eminent music producer Clive Davis, who first suggested inviting Styles to swing by. “Clive told me about Harry’s new album, and JP [Hockney’s studio assistant] sent Harry a note and asked him if he’d like to come to my studio and sit for his portrait,” Hockney remembers. “He replied straight away and said, yes, he’d love to.” From there, Hockney’s process of painting Styles was instinctive. “Everybody just came to sit,” he says, breezily, before admitting: “Now I know Harry’s a celebrity, though: I’ve seen all his music videos.”

“He’s not a traditional portrait painter,” says Howgate. Hockney’s interest is not in what people do, but rather in who they are. “He’s not interested in fame. He’s interested in depicting people and their relationships.” It’s why his eye is primarily trained on his inner circle these days – but it also pays testament to his enduring curiosity that he’s still willing to open that up to a newcomer every so often. Styles seems to know how lucky he is, adding, with a tinge of disbelief: “I’m in awe of the man with enough one-liners for a lifetime.” As to what those one-liners might be? Styles and Hockney’s mutual silence on that question suggests that what happens in the studio, stays in the studio.

David Hockney: Drawing From Life will be at the National Portrait Gallery from 2 November to 21 January 2024

[catre33]

There is something infinitely important that has been glossed over far too often.

Personal interpretation.

This concept applies to numerous subjects and fandoms, including some of my other fandoms, *cough*percy jackson*cough*. But I will use Good Omens as the monumental example, as this issue must be addressed.

The overview? Everyone has their version of EVERYTHING. Not just fiction, but reality as well. There are millions of versions of you that you will never know, simply because they are within the confines of another’s mind.

There is constant conflict everywhere I look. ‘This song doesn’t feel like them’, ‘Crowley wouldn’t do that’, ‘I can’t see that headcanon’. Arguments about who would top, who likes which genres, and even the tiniest details about side characters.

Let’s start with the book.

There’s a great possibility that every single time you’ve ever read a book, you imagine the scenes in your mind along with the words on the page. You develop faces, voices, personalities, and everything to fit these characters. They become your own. And so if you go talk to someone else who’s read the book, their interpretation of the character will be different than yours. Drastically different, most likely. There’s nothing you can do about it. Maybe you think the book husbands are both asexual, but your closest friend believes book!Aziraphale is a firm dom.

And it doesn’t just apply to books. Any media includes and lives through this concept.

And this is essential in Good Omens because there is SO MUCH going on that you can’t really get to the nitty-gritty of it all. Neil has illustrated this point in his infinitely annoying ‘wait and see' and other vague and sarcastic responses. His and Terry’s minds were the birthplace of ideas that have become full-fledged characters and plots. But they have let them go to become our own.

This is one reason why fanfiction is also so important. It lets the imagination explore its own versions and illustrate its point of view for the public. So yes, if you go looking you will find a wide variety of fic genres, tags, and everything in between.

Fics will be different, art will be different, theories will be different, headcanons will be different, metas will be different.

Because everyone in this fandom is a unique individual with their own version of these beloved characters. This ultimately means there are thousands and perhaps millions of different Crowleys and Aziraphales running around everywhere, which is a terrifying, yet wondrous thought.

Though opinions may differ, everyone's thoughts are valid and I love everyone in this fandom.

[epitomereally]

Renegade Winter Exchange 2022, part 2/2: You Open Always (Petal by Petal) by birdsofshore

Harry’s not the kind of person who pays for sex. He really isn’t. Until he is.

Thoughts, details, and description behind the cut. The other book I bound for the exchange is here.

For the first book I bound @queercore-curriculum, I wanted to make a book that fit well on their shelf. For this one, I instead went full maximalism & made something totally different than what they make themselves—that’s part of the thrill of an exchange, I think (though it was a risk & I hope you like it!!!)

You Open Always (Petal by Petal) features an extremely hot sex worker Draco, an extremely thirsty Harry, the hottest sex you’ll ever read probably, one of my favorite depictions of a sly Kreacher, and a Grimmauld Place that really, really wants Harry and Draco to get together. It’s one of my favorite fics of all time & I’m so happy to have a copy on my bookshelf too now. In the design, I wanted to mimic Grimmauld Place throwing courting & marriage, etc items at Harry & Draco, so every chapter header has a different illustration of something I could imagine Grimmauld giving them: two birds, figs, strawberries, grapes, etc & led to me asking my partner things like: do you think of pomegranates as a sexual fruit? (The answer is yes). 

For the bind, I made a flat-back oxford hollow. Also inspired by @queercore-curriculum I hand-dyed linen & painted a pair of thrushes on the front and back cover, as well as painting the title on the spine (note: this is the single thing I am most proud of for this bind—I was so nervous the entire time painting). The headband is a front-bead double-color headband with peach and chartreuse. Hope you like both binds, @queercore-curriculum; it was so fun making them for you! Birds, if you’d ever like an author copy of this bind, let me know & I am happy to make and send one to you :) thank you for sharing this lovely fic with our fandom!

Title font: Sabbath Black

Body text: Monarcha

Ornaments: Penmanship Birds

Half-title & chapter numbers: Foglihten

Interior illustration: Heritage Type Co free illustrations

Some notes on process: I always make a ‘test book’ that I keep before sending out a copy to someone else—this is to make sure everything works well & looks good together (which you can see in the photos). The original dye of the linen for the bookcloth turned out a much hotter pink than I intended, so the copy I sent went back in the dying bucket for a more raspberry finish. I also changed endpapers between the test copy & the sent copy. I originally wanted a solid color endpaper because the rest of the book was so maximalist, but didn’t love any of the colors at my local paper store. I do really like the marbled endpaper I chose instead, but it was too thin for a good endpaper & I didn’t want to faff about with creating made endpapers, so I found a solid color I liked at a different art store :)

[fuxling]

pspsps hi fux do u have any btd/tpof ocs (for no reason in partic tacular)

Oh! Yes I do!

I tend to become self conscious about my own ocs, and because of this I don't share a lot about them due to my...anxiety? LMAO /lh

I have three, but for now I'm just going to share two (I don't really have art of the third yet so that'll wait) I have an OC and I have a Sona/"Self Insert"!

I've posted about my OC, Cricket, before. She also gets called Pigeon/Pidge. Her ref is outdated but the other illustrations are pretty accurate still.

Pidge is a 27, Cis, & Bisexual. She's 5'0, and weighs 110lbs. She grew up in Seattle to a deadbeat dad and an overbearing mother. Eventually in her teen years, her parents split and she moved to San Francisco with her father, who inflicted a lot of bad shit upon her before she packed up and moved out on her own. She lived alone perusing modeling & photography before she was Got after a party in the city.

Waking up, she found herself in an auction room. Derek buys her, takes her to the hunt. I have kind of a few 'versions' of how the hunt goes for her, some ending in possession or sacrifice, or just death, but the main one is she stabs Derek but doesn't have the guts to kill him, so he takes her home and she basically becomes his lap dog via repeated abuse and torture.

I'm not sure what parts of her 'story' I should expound on and what parts I should sum up quickly, haha.

Personality wise, she's very dry, doesn't smile much. She got a lot of shit for being an ice queen growing up, and tends to come across apathetic, even when she isn't. Very sarcastic and can seem catty, but usually is trying to cover her own ass. She has a huge soft spot for other girls, especially fem folks who are in trouble, and will often put herself in danger to help others who are vulnerable/in danger.

She is afraid of her own capacity for attachment, which is why she refuses to let herself attach to anyone. This provided a lack of support in community around her, and made her a better target for kidnapping, since no one would notice her gone or take much action if they did.

In reality, she is desperate for connections and keeps herself from interacting intimately with anyone due to her fear of becoming over attached. This really blossoms later as hee Stockholm Syndrome with Derek kind of...Happens. Haha

Eventually Derek rubs off on her and she gets into some trouble, and starts killing at the hunts that Derek drags her to. You can also imagine she gets used a lot by the whole hunt lmao

Here's some pictures of her! ^ I love her very much, she is small and full of rage LMAO

Then we have Kade/Juju. This is my "Self Insert". I haven't posted about him much yet, I have been redoing his reference 100 times it feels like, and this is what I have at the moment.

Kade is 28, He/Him trans masc, and mlm. He's an American Red Fox, and grew up on the dense forests of the west coast. His family is estranged, and he ran off to the cities after he was of age to go to school for Botany.

His schooling and thirst for Travel causes him to move North, where while he's attending school he runs into a Specific German at the bar.

He's a quiet dude, kinda nervous, and has very big "Homeschooled by a forest ranger" energy. Loves to infodump about animals, bugs, plants, you name it. Pretty decent survival skills, which also lends to him being a bit of a slippery captive.

I eventually want to put him in a situation with both Lawrence and Mason also, but I haven't been able to sit down and Think in a hot second. If he ends up in Strade's house, he either gets killed for attacking Ren or also gets pet-ified. In that instance, I really like the visual of Strade just having this duo of Fox pets that are constantly horny but also kind of at each others necks a lot (Male foxes have no chill around other male foxes)

I'm starting to get lost in the sauce here so I'll leave it there and if anyone wants to know more, I'd love to answer whatever curiosities may plague you!

[stillinthatweirdfaze]

I usually don’t make posts like this bc sharing hobbies and interests on the internet makes me very very anxious for whatever reason but I really really wanna share this issue of the Dragon magazine I found at the thrift store yesterday!!!!!!!!

25th anniversary edition of the official D&D magazine !!!!! It is issue 284 and it came out in June 2001. Unfortunately it did not come with the advertised bonus CD rom when I bought it though :[

I’m gonna use this post to show off some of the stuff that’s in it that I really liked or found interestingggg :]

First off we have a full spread add for baulders gate 2, which is kinda funny considering the third one didn’t come out that long ago. I want to eat this ye oldie early 2000ds generic fantasy font I bet it tastes like burnt shortbread.

A little step by step on how the artist made the cover which I find like. Infinitely charming. Especially since this cover itself is so gorgeous. I hope Todd Lockwood is doing good today.

A full page add for an online anime fantasy rpg called Nexus the kingdom of the winds. OUGGGGEEEEE this art style,,,,,,, it takes me back to places it takes me back to like that one vampire anime and clanad and YouTube anime top tens. Fuck graphic design we should start putting sparkles and radial gradients on everything again.

an add for a series of sound effect cds for your games which I want so so bad I need to know what’s on these.

Two little sections where it seems people can submit photos and stories about themselves or their game members to be published. The Dm of the month one is genuinely heartwarming and cute. The thought of Steve seeing that he won made me smile. Also “Nubile dwarf chicks” and “chaotic secretive” is a great example of how early 2000nds out of pocket this issue can be sometimes. You can fucking smell the energy off the second image.

An extremely funny review of a previous dragon issue.

an add for Gen con 2001 and a schedule of upcoming conventions. If anyone went to these I would genuinely love to hear about them I love convention history a whole lot especially from around this time

A page in, apparently a series, about what ttrpg players value in a game written by Gary Gygax!!! If anyone has any previous or the final issues of this study please do share I really really wanna see them. Also the three genders: males, females, and newbies

Two stat blocks for some half dragon characters

A Draconic to English translation table that I wish I had as a preteen because I would have eaten it the fuck up. Also I cut it off but the last sentence on the bottom right is “please don’t disembowel the dwarf” which apparently is “martiver thric gixustratt tundar”

Add for a brand of miniatures and in what stores to find them. I wonder how many of these places are still open

An add for WOTZ game stores with the tagline “it’s where you play the game” and advertising “Hella Bandwith” and “scantily clad BABES.” I find it unreasonably funny that they are three pictures of the same exact woman, scantily clad babe, one (1), one singular babe.

Spell and magical item themed crossword

A full on campaign setting of the real city of London. I didn’t take pictures of all of it but it has a history section, locations, npcs, adventure hooks, and what even looks like a little blank dungeon layout of a mansion . I feel like putting real places as campaign settings has always been like, a thing, but I don’t see it too often. Its charming I like it.

A stat block and gorgeous illustration for a lesser dragon companion. The gradient circle in the back is my favorite argggg I wanna draw like this sometimes

A section on how to assemble your own monster models. Admittedly I know close to nothing about model making so this was an extremely fun read for me

A bunch of PC portraits of half dragons that are so so cool. You see a lot of stuff about people getting really specific designs about different hybrids like oh a dwarf tyfling looks different than an elf tyfling n that sort of stuff in the modern day but you don’t really see it canonized at all. So it’s really interesting to see that concept in an officially published D&D thing, even if it’s just a magazine. I really like the dwarf one a lot.

Possibly my favorite thing ever is this cartoon that reads like a fucking wizard tumblr shitpost. Like down to a fucking tea this is some shit the evil wizard blog would say and it makes me so so so happyyyyyyyyy. It’s the cadence that amazes me they got the tumblr wizard cadence exactly right. Im posting this shit on its own without shame bc I need people to see it. Pour me something whimsical and arcane bar wench.

A absolutely chefs kiss add for a ????? Pc????? Pc game????? Pc accessory??? I honestly can’t tell anyway enjoy your free ps2 polygonal hotted woman ass

And finally the thing that made me fuckin gasp out loud when I saw it, an add for the original year of our lord 2001 shitty D&D movie with special features and online sweepstakes to win a trip to Prague. Holy shit. God I love this game.

anyway that’s it, I plan to frame this thing and put it up somewhere. Ty for reading all my nerd shit. :,]