#How do these artists all draw so many great pony poses?

[chimchiri]

Tried my hand at ponies ! I adore whenever Rarity wears some pink and rose so I really wanted to incorporate it more into her design

[santajp]

Hey random question!! I've been following your blog, and really have been liking your photography! How did you get so good? Like, I know part of photography is right place and time, but you just make everything look beautiful?? Honestly excited to see more! Please keep takin pictures! Also, did you know there's another name for a portrait photo? When the subject is you, it's called beauty! No matter the angle or lighting.

Awww! Thanks for liking the photos and shooting a question! X3

As for how I got so good, I was far from born with anything. I had to learn all this stuff, but I'd say a big thing that helped me wanna learn more was a photographer who was way older than me and much more experienced giving me a personal moment to see him in action. Now I personally had already done photography with my phone and had only recently gotten a bigger camera (*a phone is a fine starting point since many basic ideas of a good photo are the same no matter what you use), but a quote that will always stick with me was, "You are smarter than the camera." In a basic sense, he meant to stop using all the automatic features and really get to know the ins and outs of the tool you used, but in a grander sense, it made me finally get what taking a photo was, less of the camera doing it for me and more of me trying to capture the world in my own way and through things I cared about.

From there I learned how to change the lighting and posing of my photos alongside what made a photo stand out and be pretty, by school classes and many, many photos that were not good enough. Much of my subjects for photos were things I found pretty anyway, which made the job change to capturing that. I wanted to pose my toy bear in funny situations, bring my camera on any nature walk I could take, snap shots of any city, and try to capture anything I found value in. I've ran outside when many others were simply doing their usual lives, myself going crazy in a parking lot over how great the sky looked after my last class, almost baffled at how you could just not look at it, or taken walks for no other reason than to get more photos. I have pictures of my friends, even if I don't speak much to them anymore, family I rarely see, pets I have lost, and so many things from all the places I've been to. ( All of these photos are saved in multiple places by the way! Be safe with your backups! >:] )

So, to answer your question in a long and sappy way, the main way I got good was through others and by simply living with my camera by my side. There are most certainly technical things, and you must practice, but that finding of meaning is the biggest aspect of doing any kind of art I've found.

I can draw, but only if I've seen others that inspire or a world which gives the process of doing so meaning. I can learn more along the way of drawing my OCs a million times too!

I can play a song, but only if the notes make me hear a depth that can simply be to please the ears or make me dance or laugh. I'm not a Vylet Pony level artist, but I sure as hell am not gonna stop learning music from a lack of current skill beacuse I have too many songs I love that make me wanna make one too.

And I can write, but only if what I'm writing gives me the motivation to put my thoughts into words, gives me the want to make more for myself rather than force my mind to for a grade. Then I also can only write seeing how others put their thoughts into words, how they give out their own feelings through these weird mixings of letters. Like this whole ass post for example (lol), I write when I care about what I'm trying to say and getting it out to others from my weird brain.

For any kind of art, the thing that stands out is love and passion. There are so many ways to show and do it, no matter what anyone says, but if you love the art, I trust you'll be fine. Furthermore, live a little! Use your life in what you create, and if one thing doesn't work out, switch gears and keep on running! I doubted my photos many times, and I still do way too much, but whenever that happens, I just keep living until I see a flower that is too good to miss, and then I am back on the horse by leaning down with my camera ready. Is it being stubborn? Oh absolutely, but is it how I got this far? Yes, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Lastly, your portrait photo definition is a tad bit off. Though I like the spirit, and it is absolutely right. Just remember it has two definitions rather than only one, but don't worry. All you need to do for the second one is change that 'you' to a 'me', beacuse acting as if you aren't beautiful is lying to the world.

[soupbabe]

omg hi i just realized i would also like a chubby s/o with rohan as well please (i am not sure if he would be considered part of the duwang gang or not!) please and thank you! the s/o can be gender neutral or whatever you’re most comfortable with!

Figure Drawing (Rohan Kishibe x Chubby/Plus size! Reader)

Rohan asks Y/N to model for him

Warning(?): Light insecurities, but nothing major ! If this kind of thing makes you uncomfortable please feel free to not read! <3

The bell jingled in greeting as you entered the cafe. You scanned the area, looking for the manga artist you called your boyfriend. Today he asked you to meet up here, only saying that he just wanted to chat and nothing else. Of course you were nervous on what that could mean; you've been dating Rohan Kishibe for about a month now and it's possible that he could've been bored of you already.

Rohan found you first and called you over. "Ah Y/N, glad you could meet with me darling" he gave you a quick kiss that never failed to make your cheeks heat up. "Hey Rohan. What did you want to talk to me about?" You asked, preparing for the worst to come. You liked Rohan a lot, so if he really did want to break up, you needed all of the mental prep you could get. "Oh yes, about that. Later this week I want you to model for me. As an artist it's my duty to capture diversity in my work. Drawing the same old body type gets repetitive and boring fast. Plus, I don't need people thinking I'm a one trick pony."

Oh that's a lot to take in.

It's not that you were ashamed of your body. You were bigger than most people and you taught yourself that it wasn't something to feel bad about. No one tried to make you feel bad about it. And if anyone did give you unwarranted comments, you would simply brush them off. You figured that they were just insecure themselves and hated seeing a fat person be confident in themself for once. This kind of attitude was actually what attracted Rohan to you in the first place.

Soon enough the day came. You stood at his doorstep with a mix of nervousness and excitement. You knocked on the door and soon enough, the man who's been plaguing your thoughts ever since he pitched the idea welcomes you into his home. "Welcome Y/N, I hope you're doing well." He looked at you with a smile.

"Rohan, are you sure about this? I haven't had any experience doing any model work." Rohan rolled his eyes "Of course I want you to do this. I wouldn't be asking you to do such an important job if I didn't think you were perfect for it." You thought about it and you decided to agree. You trust the artist enough and who knows, it could be a fun experience.

~

He led you into his office, blinds closed and a changing divider in the corner of the room. It was facing away from his desk. "Okay darling, I'm going to need you to undress over in the corner. Nothing drastic, it's harder to capture the natural human form if they're covered in clothing."

Of course you knew this, it was a detail he mentioned when you two were talking at the cafe, but you didn't really think too much about it. Although you don't tend to wear baggy or oversized clothes, he hasn't seen everything. He hasn't seen every stretch mark, cellulite, etc decorating your plush body. It feels different when you're in your underwear compared to actual clothes, no matter how they fit or how much it reveals. You guess it's just how intimate the situation is, despite you two not doing anything too exciting.

You stepped out in front of the divider in your undergarments, an unusual shyness coming over you. Rohan glanced at you and his face turned pink. He was breathless in the best way possible, you were truly perfect to him. "You look amazing, Y/N." He took your chubby hand in his slightly boney one and led you to an area where he wanted you to stay at. "Now remember, if you start feeling uncomfortable tell me. I have no issue ending the session if you don't want to continue." "Of course." You smiled, feeling more confident as he looked at you with a lovestruck expression only you could see.

All throughout the afternoon he asked you to do multiple poses, ranging from a simple front, side, and back view of your body to action based poses. He allowed you to take as many breaks as you wanted and he praised you constantly for being a great model.

It was surprisingly a fun afternoon, you too were able to be closer than you were in your relationship and teasing Rohan for staring at you for longer than he should was a highlight of your day. Maybe you should ask to be his model more often.

[enigmaphenomenon]

Jack pre-Borderlands 1 Speculation/Jack analysis

STRAP IN, KIDDOS! THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ONE! REALLY LONG.

(Will be tagged long post for any mobile users)

I’ll be drawing my speculation from evidence presented in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 2, and Tales from The Borderlands. Keep in mind this is just speculation. 

Who was the man before the monster?

I’m talking about Pre-Borderlands 1 because while The Pre-Sequel shows a more sympathetic side of Jack than the villain in BL2 and TFTBL. Jack had already enslaved Angel by the time of Borderlands 1 and The Pre-Sequel, so this simple fact is something people haven’t ignored/can’t ignore when thinking about Jack in a non-villain light. 

The first thing we’ll look at is the photo of Angel Jack keeps on his desk, even when he’s the CEO of Hyperion, even in TFTBL the framed photo remains on his desk. 

She appears to be a very happy little girl, even throwing the peace sign. No tattoos are visible so this could be one of two things. The artist forgot to draw them, or her Siren powers had not yet been acquired/awakened. Or whatever, I don’t know how Siren powers work.

The Last of Us is made by an entirely different company but I want to compare this photo of Angel to the photo of Joel’s daughter. 

Wide eyes, open smile that shows teeth, and throwing the peace sign, the same as Angel’s photo. 

This seems to be a go-to pose for conveying happiness in photos. Angel was at one point a very happy little girl, this photo showing Angel’s happiness is something Jack always keeps on his desk even when he becomes the villain. 

Now let’s talk about Jack’s romantic life. 

We know that Jack had a wife who he had a daughter with, and so what sort of husband was Jack during this time?

Well, we have none other than Moxxi to turn to for answers. 

When Jack dated Moxxi he had already lost his first wife and Angel was in containment, but what does Moxxi have to say about her relationship with Jack? 

Moxxi says that Jack was a real charmer, he was always opening doors for her, telling her she was beautiful and would shoot anyone in the face for looking at her sideways. She then says he got clingy and that’s when she broke it off with him. 

I don’t know what Moxxi’s definition of clingy is, but just imagine that if Jack was a gentleman to Moxxi imagine how he must have treated his first wife! 

In Borderlands 2 when Moxxi destroys Jack’s Construction Site and he exclaims: “Moxxi, you BITCH!”

She laughs and says she hasn’t seen him that angry since they broke up. Yet despite that, Jack trusted Moxxi enough with his life post-breakup. When she takes part in the betrayal in the pre-sequel he is shocked and emphasizes that he trusted Moxxi. 

Even with Moxxi’s betrayal, Jack doesn’t seem to carry the same amount of hatred he does for Roland and Lilith. Which you would think Moxxi’s betrayal would fill him with more rage than Roland and Lilith’s. 

Which circles me back to Jack’s first wife. Some think that Jack murdered her and blamed it on Angel, and that he’s lying about Angel’s part in whatever happened to his first wife. 

I honestly don’t think he did anything to his wife and blamed Angel for it.

Jack doesn’t kill his grandmother until he becomes Handsome Jack, even though that woman was horribly abusive to him. Jack doesn’t kill Moxxi despite her betrayal, Jack is incapable of NOT bragging about himself, and even with Angel turning against him he doesn’t kill her, but he begs for her life and says he’ll forgive her for helping the Vault Hunters. 

Based on all of this, I would say that Jack was a genuinely loving husband and father. At some point. 

Angel looks so happy in the photo, and Moxxi’s description of her time with Jack paints him as an affectionate man. 

As an added note, Jack has had multiple female lovers, but only fathered one child with his first wife. Jack had a second wife who he didn’t have a child with (that we know of anyway) Moxxi has been married 3 times and has children but never married Jack nor had a child by him, and of course, there’s Nisha who he never married nor had a child with. 

So, imagine Jack, finding a woman he proposes too...she says yes. A WEDDING!!! Imagine her breaking the news to him that she’s pregnant and he’ll be a father. Imagine him and his wife deciding on names for their first child together. (He named his diamond pony Butt-Stallion after “racking his brain” for a name, I’m sure the naming process was hilarious. Until “Angel” was finally decided on.)

 Imagine him learning he will have a daughter. Imagine him while his wife is in labor. 

There is no reason to assume he was not a loving and doting husband. And since Moxxi called him “clingy” I can easily imagine Jack being a control freak while his wife was pregnant. 

“No, let me get that, honey!” for any little task, probably having her feel a little smothered and say she’s pregnant, not incapable, and for Jack to calm down a little bit. 

Imagine Jack going out of his way to get whatever food she’s craving and being there to support her during whatever morning sickness she experiences.

Imagine Jack holding his baby girl in his arms for the very first time, or being spit-up on for the first time, attempting to change a diaper for the first time. 

Based on Moxxi’s words and the photo of Angel on his desk, there’s no reason to assume Jack wasn’t a kind and caring father and husband. 

He found a woman he loved and had a child with her, finally had a family of his own. He escaped his abusive past and most likely vowed to be a better parent to Angel than his grandmother was to him.

Again, bringing up a situation in a different game (might be a bad example to bring up a different game and company to illustrate my point but maybe it will help paint a clearer picture?) 

Morrigan in Dragon Age has a son, and Morrigan’s mother Flemeth raised Morrigan in an abusive way and refuses to let Flemeth take her son away. Morrigan says: “I am many things, but I will not be the mother that you were to me.” 

I don’t know what age Angel is in the photo nor the age she killed her mother at, but in Jack’s ECHO logs in BL2 there is one where he is introducing Angel to her “new home” (the containment thing) and she sounds like a young girl. So maybe it happened shortly after the picture on his desk was taken. 

Another thing about Jack is his reluctance to talk about his wife and child, indicating it is a very sore subject and cuts a little too close to the bone. 

In the Pre-Sequel before his descent into madness, Nakayama is creating the Jack AI and the player character asks Jack some questions. 

One of the questions is for Jack to describe his childhood. He can casually and in a flippant tone speak about the abuse he suffered as a child. 

He says he spent most of his time coding or getting smacked around, and that he had a pet cat that his grandma drowned when he didn’t make his bed. He then says “Usual stuff” 

Some kids get spanked, others get a time-out, Jack got the Buzz Axe. 

But when asked if he has a family such as a wife or children, he responds: “Next question!” 

It is a great contrast compared to how he answers when asked about his childhood. He’s tight-lipped about his family, he won’t answer it at all. 

Another ECHO log from BL2 shows that even his second wife is a touchy subject as he strangles a man to death for bringing up his wife. 

Now let’s get back on topic, Jack’s life before his daughter had Siren powers and before his wife died. 

In BL2 there is an ECHO log of Jack putting Angel in containment. She sounds scared and asks him where her mother is, Jack has growing impatience and tells her that he already told her, “She’s not coming back.” 

Judging by the photo he keeps of her, some of his dialogue with her in the pre-sequel such as “Thanks, baby. Love ya!” and his dialogue during her death; as well as his interaction with Rhys in TFTBL it is very clear Jack loves Angel dearly. When Rhys inquires about the picture Jack gets a little awkward before saying that’s “My Angel” and that he doesn’t usually like people knowing about her, but figures it’s ok since he and Rhys are close. He also says he’d like to check up on her “if that’s cool.”  

There’s no doubt in my mind that Jack loves Angel, and also no doubt that he never intended to do the horrible things he did to her. (Look at what he’s done to her and some of the things he’s said to her. Look at what he put her through. All the abuse she suffered at his hands.) Even if Jack never meant to hurt his daughter, he still did, he became an abuser just like his grandmother. 

But we still have a lot to talk about and a lot to look at. 

Jack finally had a family of his own and it was ripped away by his own daughter, who was just a little girl. 

Jack mentions in both BL2 and TFTBL that Angel did something to her mother and it was after this he locked her up, kept her hidden from the world. He brings up that the Vault Hunter didn’t see what Angel did to her mother and uses this as his reason for locking her up. 

He doesn’t seem to have any anger towards Angel after saying that she betrayed him, even saying that she didn’t have a choice. He also doesn’t say the vault hunters killed Angel, but that she killed herself. Which is true, Angel did want to die, she urges the Vault Hunter to end her life. 

Jack also refused to shut down the Containment Core Angel at the behest of his second wife and co-workers. A malfunction led to dozens of staff being lost, yet he still refused. His refusal to do so led to his second wife to leave him. 

Angel also seems unaware of what happened to her mother, indicating that Jack never told her what she did, or even telling her that she’s dead, only saying that she’s not coming back in the ECHO log. 

It’s possible that Angel believes her father killed her mother. And maybe, he just lets her believe that so she doesn’t have to carry the guilt of it?

There’s no doubt some resentment in Jack’s heart for Angel for killing his wife. It’s something he carries with him, maybe it’s that resentment that allows him to do what he does to Angel. 

Another example of this is presented in Life is Strange and it’s spinoff game Captain Spirit. 

In Life is Strange, Chloe’s father is dead. He died in a car accident and Chloe says that her mother blames herself for it, because she needed a ride home. If Joyce had never called him to pick her up, he never would have taken the car that day, and thus, would never have gotten into the accident that killed him.

Chloe then admits that sometimes she even blames her mother. Even though Chloe knows it isn’t really Joyce’s fault, the blame and resentment are still there, even though Chloe loves her mother dearly. 

In Captain Spirit, Chris is a 10-year-old boy whose mother died in a hit and run accident. Chris’ father while drunk says that if it weren’t for Chris, “she never would’ve taken the car that day.” After realizing what he just said, recoils and says he didn’t mean it, only for Chris’ to scream that he did mean it. 

It may be the same case for Jack and Angel. He loves Angel, but if it weren’t for her, his wife would still be alive. Maybe it’s not something he voices, we don’t know if he ever told Angel, but it is definitely something he would feel. 

Even if he knows that Angel was just a little girl who couldn’t control her powers and that it isn’t her fault, there is that part of Jack that feels like it is. The feeling can’t be stopped from being felt. He can reason with logic and tell himself she was just a little girl and an unfortunate accident happened, but none of that will stop the emotion from being felt. 

He brings Angel’s containment up to the Vault Hunter and says “You didn’t see what she did to her mother.” 

We don’t actually know what happened, we don’t know if Jack was there when it happened, or if he discovered her body later. We also don’t know if Angel suppressed the memory due to the trauma, or if using her power had made her lose consciousness thus never knowing what she had done. 

Jack’s containment of her served as a way to protect her and others most likely, and perhaps part of it may have served,  on a subconscious level, as a punishment for Angel. 

I believe the picture Jack keeps of Angel on his desk is not one of her current self, is because the picture is frozen time. He can look at it and remember a happier time, remember a time before she was a Siren, remember when his little girl was happy and cheerful and when his wife was still alive. 

In Life Is Strange, Chloe’s mother, Joyce, gives Chloe’s best friend a picture taken on the day of Chloe’s dad’s death right before he walked out the door and never came back. Joyce says that it’s the last time she saw her baby happy and vibrant, everything she isn’t now. 

This could be the same thing for Jack and why he keeps that particular picture of Angel. 

In the Pre-Sequel, near the end of the game, the picture on Jack’s desk is facedown which is a cool little detail.

But why is the photo facedown? Some say because he doesn’t want Nisha to know he has a daughter, other say it’s because of shame and is symbolic of Jack not wanting her to see what he is becoming. 

I think it has to do with betrayal. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment in the game where the photo is placed face down (if anyone could find out for me that’d be great) but it seems to be face down after Jack is betrayed by Moxxi, Roland, and Lilith. 

After the betrayal took place, maybe Jack couldn’t handle looking at the picture of Angel. I don’t know exactly what reason he had to place the photo face down. 

We see how distraught he is at Moxxi’s betrayal and he’s turned into a jaded, cold-blooded killer. 

Maybe he really didn’t want his daughter to see him that way, maybe the betrayal caused old wounds to re-open, such as the death of his wife at Angel’s hands so he can’t bear to look at her. 

Maybe it’s Jack acknowledging that the man he was and the life he used to have is completely gone, so he places his reminder of it face down. 

Maybe the sight of Angel’s happy smiling face grounds him and brings him back to reality, but Jack doesn’t want to be grounded right now. Maybe he wants to lose himself in the madness. 

Maybe being called a power-hungry psychopath by someone he trusted (who also tried to kill him) struck a nerve and he put the photo of Angel face down as an apology for enslaving her. Maybe he felt guilty?

Maybe he put the photo face down because he imagined what his wife must have felt like when Angel killed her, or maybe Jack feels he betrayed Angel’s trust by locking her up? Or maybe it’s because he feels betrayed? 

Maybe the fact that both Lilith and Angel are Sirens made him generalize all Sirens (similar to what he does with bandits and vault hunters) 

I really can’t say why he put the photo face down, it could be a number of reasons. It’s a detail that can be easily missed, but it is there for a reason. It’s a subtle and intricate detail showing Jack’s mindset. 

There’s always that possibility that it’s symbolic of “no going back” from the path he has chosen. 

I’ll compare it to Joel’s photo from The Last of Us. Initially, Joel refuses to accept this photograph. Later on, the photo is presented to him again by Ellie where he finally accepts it. He takes a deep breath and says; “Well I guess no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape your past” 

Obviously, Joel and Handsome Jack are completely different characters from completely different games, but hey...I need comparisons here to help paint this picture.

Joel is a character with very little moral boundaries left to cross. He’s a hardened survivor who lost his daughter in the first days of the outbreak and remembering how things used to be vs how they are now was painful. 

There’s also the case of Chloe from Life Is Strange. In the prequel Before The Storm, she sees her father’s car in the junkyard mangled and distorted. She breaks down and writes this in her journal: 

My dead dad's fucking car. The twisted, shattered, ugly reminder of what used to be my life.

I would put my money on Jack’s reasoning being similar to the above. That happy picture of Angel, that reminder of what his life used to be with a wife and daughter vs what it is now. Betrayal at the hands of people he trusted with his life. Just, all the betrayal he suffered even from an early age by his mother and grandmother.

In TFTBL we get a moment where Jack reflects on his life, stating that everyone he cared about ended up betraying him. But, maybe he deserved it. 

Just to add, Jack is from the planet Tantalus. Why is that relevant? Well for those of you who don’t know, Tantalus is a Greek mythological figure famous for his eternal punishment.  

 He was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the water always receding before he could take a drink.

We can look at Jack’s life:

Jack’s father died and his mother abandoned him with his grandmother who smacked him around with a freaking Buzz Axe and drowned his cat because he didn’t make his bed one time. 

Jack gets a family of his own with a beautiful wife and a beautiful baby girl named Angel and lived a seemingly happy life. (We only have context clues to go on we don’t actually know.) 

 His daughter turns out to be a Siren and kills his wife on accident. Angel can’t control her powers so he locks her away to keep her hidden from the world.

His daughter turns out to be really good with technology proving to be a great ally and aids him in his ambition. 

He gets the Eye of the Destroyer integrated into Helios only for his ex-girlfriend he trusted with his life and Lilith and Roland to betray him and try to kill him. Lilith and Moxxi happy and gleeful about it. 

He gets a vault relic punched into his face that permanently scars him.

He loses his daughter even before she dies. She turns against him and helps the people he hates foil his plan by causing her death. Angel just wanted it all to end, saying that Jack ended her life long ago, as far as Angel is concerned she’s already dead. 

He does manage to awake The Warrior and accomplish his ambition but The Warrior is defeated, thus stopping his goal in its tracks. 

He gets Helios back but Rhys crashes all of it into Pandora, so now that’s gone. 

In the end, Jack lost it all. Rhys says as much in TFTBL:

But the tragedy and interesting part about Jack... he seems to be aware of all this in TFTBL, making my previous thought of him turning Angel’s picture face down because it’s a reminder of what his life used to be, and there’s no going back. From that moment, Jack just snowballs into the villain we know now. 

More conversations with Rhys let us poke around in Jack’s mind a bit more. When he brings up how many people were on Helios, and asks Rhys what makes him think he’s the good guy in this scenario, Rhys responses and Jack’s reactions to them reveal a little more about our black-hearted villain. 

After talking about all the lives on Helios, and how many co-workers Rhys ejected out an airlock, stopping at nothing to take Jack down. 

And Jack’s response to Rhys saying “I guess I’ll have to live with that.” lacks “Whatever helps you sleep at night” 

How many times Jack has told himself he has to live with something horrible he’s done? Or how many times he told himself he did what he had to? What exactly went through Jack’s head as Angel grew up, or as he began spiraling down into the villain we know?

Some things to keep in mind from the Pre-Sequel, while he already had Angel enslaved, we see he still has some humanity in him. 

He was going to let the Meriff live, he wasn’t even going to retaliate against him for the betrayal. 

Only for Jack to turn his back and the Meriff tries to shoot him. 

Jack admits he doesn’t like killing after Felicity says she didn’t like killing the Scavs, and Jack does consider copying Felicity until finding out the copy would take too long and a shitload of lives would be lost. Then there are the scientists he airlocks that made Lilith get pretty butthurt, butthurt enough that she’d take out an entire space station with innocent people just to kill Jack, as well as the vault hunter you’re playing as whose just there on a job. 

Anyway...Jack’s dialogue to the scientists he brings up being shot in the back. 

Then again at the very end of the game, Jack mentions being shot in the back again when the player character brings up just avoiding the enemies and running straight to the vault. 

We see first hand in the pre-sequel exactly how Jack falls into villainy and it’s clear the Meriff’s betrayal acted as a catalyst to his ruthless behavior, with Moxxi, Lilith, and Roland’s betrayal breaking him on top of everything he already experienced. 

Though Handsome Jack is gone and most likely won’t be returning for BL3, and even if he somehow did, there’s no chance for redemption. Jack is too far gone to be brought back to the light. As I said before, there is no return from the path he has chosen. 

Jack’s tale is a sad and tragic one. I do believe that he had good intentions, that he had pure motives, but he was blinded by rage and betrayal that he lost sight of what actually mattered, and didn’t realize the harm he was doing to the people he loved. Of course, Jack is not excused from the horrible things he has done but, it’s easy to see why he was filled with such bitterness and hate. 

I would like to see Jack’s life before Angel got her powers. I’d like to see exactly what type of life he had, what type of husband and father he was. 

This is long enough and I have so much more to say, but I’m going to end it here. 

Jack, Butt Stallion says “Hello” 

[whirlwindflux]

Undersea Adventure: TrotCon 2018

TrotCon is a little special to me - it’s my local Brony Convention. When I say my local Brony convention, I say it with a little bit of sarcasm. At 6 hours away by car from my home in Ontario, most people wouldn't classify it as local, but it is the closest one in operation to where I live! I like a good road-trip and navigating to Columbus is fairly simple and straightforward.

I know it has been more than a month since the convention, but here is how my weekend went! Continue below for a large wall of text!

Last year was my first visit to TrotCon and if you read my weekend review of TrotCon 2017, you’d know I had a fantastic weekend! I was worried that maybe my expectations were set too high and 2018 wouldn't be as awesome as TrotCon of past, but I am proud to report, the weekend was as great as I had hoped it to be! Good news, even with BronyCon and GalaCon occurring the next weekend, attendance stayed level, with new and old faces alike at about 800. For those of you wondering if you saw me during the weekend, I was the guy carrying around either the life-size Blackjack or Little Pip plushie.

Before talking about the convention, I want to talk about the weather we had during the weekend - to say it was wet would be an understatement. It almost felt as if the weather knew the convention theme and wanted to play along. Heavy rain, high humidity, and the sound of cell phone emergency alerts for flood warnings could be heard throughout the weekend. Not sure if anyone else had this problem, but humidity levels in my guest room at the Crowne Plaza were so high that any paper based merch I purchased ended up curling something fierce. No doubt, it was the perfect weekend to be inside, at a convention being held in a hotel with attached convention space.

With good weather while on the road Thursday and no rivers to drive through this year, I arrived in Columbus at 3pm and was able to check in and make my way up to my room. I've always been a fan of the little touches, and the room keys were customized again this year, with a cool play on the con theme and the movie Jaws. The Thursday afternoon/evening LobbyCon experience this year felt a little muted (possibly due to other events going on in the hotel) in comparison to last year, but overall it was easy to find your friends and wait for pre-registration pickup to start.

I learned last year that it was a good idea to get in line early - so I did, and it payed off! I was able to collect my sponsor loot chest and make my way back to my room for the night. Of all the cons I have attended, TrotCon gets top marks for sponsor perks and presentation. This year, the sponsor perks were presented in beautiful hand-stained, customized and packed wooden chests. With all prepaid perks inside and some surprises, this presentation is one of my favourite things about being a sponsor for TrotCon! Also, love the design of the cool tie-dye shirt, it’s unique and stands out in a crowd! I couldn’t believe how many I saw the weekend after at BronyCon! Can’t wait to see what awesome ideas are in the works for next year!

This year, Friday started right on time with Opening Ceremonies. This included the public reveal of the first half of this year’s comic, introductions to our weekend VIP’s and welcoming Guests of Honour. Somehow, I already knew we were in for a great time! Just as the raffle started, I figured it would be a good idea to step out and get my Guest of Honour signatures before the onslaught of long lines later in the weekend. Not only was I able to get right into the autograph lines, they were short, meaning I was able to have a great little chat with everyone present! While TrotCon only invites a few show staff guests, it seems they pick ones that are ready to party and enjoy the weekend to its fullest! Originally I had blocked off a lot of time to get these signatures and ultimately didn't need it. This meant more time for me to browse the Vendor hall, Traveling Pony Museum, Video game room and catch up with friends before my next scheduled event.

As I had a sponsor badge, I was able to attend the sponsor only pool noodle fencing and dueling class. Since the numbers were kept small, it was easy to have a few turns at each to get a feel for it all. Unfortunately, what I learned was I had no aptitude for either, but all in all, had good fun with it. I am glad that more live action events are being tried, explored and added to the weekend - it’s an awesome addition that adds to the TrotCon experience!

Later on, I took some time to stop in at the Canterlot Art Institute panel, getting an easy to understand lesson on expression and pose in drawing. While I have a technique that works for me when drawing, learning from people who have much more experience is always welcome! I find the process of other artists and their techniques very interesting as they always have little tips and tricks that can make a big difference!

The remainder of my Friday night was spent listening to some great live music in the Main Events hall. Although there seemed to be a few issues with sound-check at the beginning which delayed the start of the event, the AV team was determined in getting things sounding right and they did a great job! A shout-out to everyone who performed and everyone behind the scenes that made it possible. Thank you for all that you do!

While Friday was quite chaotic and busy, most of Saturday was quite a bit more laid back and straightforward. Starting my day in the vendor hall, I was able to talk with many wonderful artists and creators. Beyond making purchases, I’ve always found a lot of inspiration in talking with others about their craft and process. Fun fact: It was last year at TrotCon that I was encouraged to try making plushies - it has become one of my favourite hobbies!

The Saturday schedule was perfectly designed with 3 back to back panels I wanted to attend in the Main Events hall. First up was a 2018 variant of one of my favourite events from last year, the panel featuring Heather Breckel. With no particular theme or description, you never know what type of discussion will start! It’s a laid back discussion about comics, art and video games - what more could you ask for? Next up was a voice actors panel featuring Kyle and Lauren. All of our questions were answered by the voice actors of our favourite reformed changeling and student six hippogriff. This discussion was fun and light with Lauren and Kyle playing well off each other! With time flying fast, Elley-Ray and Brenda now took the stage, and while I didn’t know it at the beginning, this would soon be my favourite panel of the weekend! The best way I can describe this panel is that it was food for the soul. A discussion of love, passion, friendship and positivity. By the end of the panel, you felt spiritually recharged! Both Elley-Ray and Brenda had so much knowledge to share with the audience and played off each other perfectly. Before any of us knew it, the panel was over and it was time to find something else to do.

Now was as good a time as any to grab something to eat and take another visit around the vendor hall. After a few more great conversations, and purchases, it was time to attend a few evening panels! From a mythological discussion at the Beasts of Seaquestria panel to a more scientific and mathematical breakdown of the Equestrian Royal Guard, both panels were quite a success! After these panels, it was off to the rave for some great electronic performances! One unique thing about TrotCon is that the convention doesn't sleep - it runs from Noon on Friday to 6pm on Sunday - there is always something to do. Unfortunately, sleep is also important, so most overnight events are lost to me. Maybe one day!

Sunday started with an MLP trivia panel; obscure questions were asked about our favourite cartoon horse show and, for once, I actually knew some of the answers! Uniquely, so called prizes were given to those of us who got the answers wrong - nice twist guys! There was time for a last minute visit to the vendor hall and video game area before the plushie meetup. Piled into a small room with a big table, everyone brought their plushies along to the meetup and after arranging them on the table, we took pictures of the plushie pile. What did you think was going to happen?

With time ticking down to the end, the charity auction began and was full of unique items, all to raise funds for charity. This year, the gimmick was marshmallows. Elley-Ray made a guest appearance to assist the auctioneer and was the life of the party. She kept the crowd lively and bidding all the way through! The end of the charity held quite the surprise; a ritual was performed upon an item to draw away all the negative energy of the weekend and pay it forward, as a gift, to BronyCon. The highest bidder won the item with the stipulation of delivering it to the BronyCon lost and found so it could be located by staff and auctioned off there. Although I wasn't able to make the charity auction at BronyCon, I did hear a rumor that the cursed item made its way. Thanks to the winner for following through and ridding TrotCon of that cursed item! Closing ceremonies brought everyone in and for another year we said thank you and goodbye to our Guests of Honour, VIPs and Con Staff. The TrotCon theme for next year was revealed and I am excited to see what it will bring!

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible, and see you again next year!

Want a TL:DR? Here it is, if you haven’t (or have in the past), go to TrotCon, it’s awesome!

[aceofstars16]

Okay so I got tagged a LOT and I didn’t get around to answering until now and this is...gonna be looong so I’m going to put this under a cut haha xD

I’m also not tagging anyone, but if you want to do any of these feel free to!

Tagged by @friendlywildflowers and @tiernamente

ONE insecurity:

Ummm, does the future count? Cause I’m really insecure/unsure about anything with my future *flops*

TWO fears:

Letting others down

Bring stuck in the same place for the rest of my life

THREE “turn-ons”: ???

Nice smiles

Being able to make me laugh

...I’m also a sucker for blue eyes man

FOUR life goals:

Write and publish at least one book

Help orphans/foster kids in some way

Continually seek God no matter what

To be a good friend

FIVE things I like:

Thunderstorms

Dark chocolate

Nature 

Space

Music

SIX weaknesses:

Laziness

Fear/anxiety

Forgetfulness

Insecurity

Drawing dynamic poses

Lack of motivation

SEVEN things I love:

God

My family

My friends

Cats

Texas

Good stories/fandoms

OCs (mine and others haha xD)

Tag EIGHT people:

Tagged by @shenzi-hemlock

Rules: Answer to 30 questions and then tag 20 blogs you’d like to get to know better lets be real im not gonna do that

Nickname: Ace is the main one

Gender: Female

Zodiac: The Taurus one of whatever it’s called xD

Height: 5′6-7ish?

Age: 22

Time: 1:54 PM

Favorite Bands/ solo artists: Ummm, I’ve been big into Imagine Dragons recently actually, but also NEEDTOBREATHE and Owl City

Song stuck in my head: I don’t know but “Believer” is playing right now so?

Last movie I saw: Antman and the Wasp!

Last thing I googled: I was about to say it was “mission synonym” but then I remembered that I googled the radar cause it was raininggggg

Other blogs: I have a BUNCH that I never use xD

Do I get asks: Somewhat?

Why I chose this username: Oh gosh this story again, I was like 12 or something and saw “Ace of Hearts” which wasn’t even an amazing movie but I liked the title and then I thought Ace of Stars sounded cool so I kept that till I got on dA and that username was taken so I added 16 on the end cause it’s my fav number xD

Following: 225

Average amount of sleep: I need...a lot of sleep...usually at least nine hours haha *flops*

What I am wearing: My arc reactor shirt and jean shorts

Dream Job: I’m not even sure, something with cats or horses maybe?

Dream Trip: I really want to go to Iceland tbh...and also meet some of my mutuals xD

Favorite Food: Chicken is amazing, I love chocolate, I love most types of fruit, just give me something kind of sweet and I’m usually good (though I like salty things too xD)

Play(ed) sports: I played basketball when I was younger, but I wasn’t very good haha xD

Hair Color: Medium/golden brown

Eye color: Hazel

Most Iconic Song: Ummm...I have no clue...xD

Languages you speak/ are learning: English...I’ve tried learning Spanish and ASL but...I know I couldn’t carry a conversation in Spanish and I could maybe say like...only a lil bit in ASL

Random fact: I collect ticket stubbs, but I’ve kind of run out of room in my itouch case so...now I’ve started losing them...xD

Describe yourself as aesthetics: The ocean, stars in the sky, thunderstorms, fuzzy socks, fluffy kittens, autumn leaves, staying up late talking, large sweaters, boots, going on walks in the fall, quiet nights at home, sporadic shopping adventures, warm fires, icy AC (opposites but it depends on the time of year xD), minty chocolate goodness, contagious laughter, hanging out with no agendas.

Tagged by @mandaloriandragontrainer

Nickname: Ace

Height: 5’7-ish

Orientation: Straight/Asexual I think

Nationality: American

Favorite fruit: Ooooo that’s hard....I go through phases, right now I’m loving cherries

Favorite season: I don’t think I can pick I love parts of all of them tbh

Favorite plant: Bluebonnets always

Favorite scent: Vanilla, and also cinnamon...and fresh bread

Favorite color: Blue!

Favorite animal: CATS! And horses, cheetahs, fennec foxes, regular foxes, and dragons...I love lots of animals tho xD

Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate: Tea unless it’s dairy free hot chocolate (I love hot chocolate but...I shouldn’t have it with real milk...xD)

Average hours of sleep: 9ish

Dogs or cats: 

Favorite fictional character: TOO MANY TO NAME

Dream trip: Different from the other ask? Hmmm...Argentina

When was your blog created: October 2013

Number of followers: *goes through and blocks porn blogs* Ummm 1,633 somehow???

Random fact: I’m gonna steal mando’s fact and say I’ve cosplayed as a Ranger, genderbent Hiccup, Rey, Jyn, and Eleven (and a few others but...I’m not gonna name them all xD)

What do you do & do you like it: As in like a job, or? Cause I don’t have a job and I’m still trying to figure out school/life so...I legit don’t know how to answer this...*flops

Tagged by @sturwurstrash

Name: I don’t put my real name online

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Orientation: Ace (heyyyy sameeee)

Height: 5′7ish

Favorite Color: BLUE

Book Recommendations: The Lunar Chronicles and Ranger’s Apprentice are both great and underrated in my opinion! :D

Movie Recommendations: Anything Marvel (well, MCU, there are other Marvel movies I’ve never seen/are older that I don’t recommend xD), Gifted, Second Hand Lions, Mulan, HTTYD, and lots of other animated ones xD

TV Recommendations: Star Wars Rebels, Stranger Things, White Collar, Parks and Rec, My Little Pony, and The Tangled Series

Music Recommendations: Oh gosh I have such a wide range of likes...aside from NEEDTOBREATHE, and Owl City ummm...musicals? Mainly Dear Evan Hansen and the Greatest Showman, but Hamilton and Finding Nevereland too (okay and HSM 2 just came on...it’s not amazing but...it’s fun...xD)

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: *looks at the other tag* tea

Cats or dogs: 

*replies with another gif cause I can*

I want to live long enough to witness: Ummm...I honestly don’t know, my friends that don’t know God to come and know him, that’s the first thought to come to mind

Weird Obsessions: Ummm, I really love socks? xD

Tumblr Birthday: October 2013 (I’ve answered this so many times I legit know without looking xD)

How many side blogs: Ummm three, but I’m part of like three group things too

Random fact about me: I think I’m like 1/128th Native American or something like that? All I know if like one of my ancestors (like great or great great grandma?) was married to a chief of a tribe, though I don’t know what tribe

Tagged by @la-na-da

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Taurus or however you spell it

Height: *writes 5′7ish for the third time today cause I waited so long to reply to these xD*

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: Who knows, hopefully with a job and able to drive

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: Hmmm, aside from the ones I already listed? I mean I’d love to go to England, or New Zealand, or Switzerland, or Alaska/Canada

What was your coolest Halloween costume?: Coolest? Hmmm, I’m gonna go with my Ragner’s outfit I wore to a Halloween party (though I changed to Hiccup later cause it was too hot to wear for long xD)

Favorite 90s TV-show?: Ummm...I think most of the shows I loved were early 2000s...hmmm, was Pokemon going on then? Maybe Pokemon, or Arthur, that started in the 90s right? xD

Last kiss?: Does kissing my cat’s head count?

Have you ever been stood up?: Dude I’ve never even been on a date, as for friends? I don’t think so

Have you ever been to Las Vegas?: Ummm, maybe? I honestly don’t remember but I don’t think so?

Favorite pair of shoes?: Probably my Chacos, I wear them the most, but I love my long boots too, they are just too hot to wear most days xD

Favorite fruit?: I aside cherries before...so how about peaches?

Favorite book?: Oh gosh I can’t pick!

Stupidest thing you’ve ever done?: Ummm...a lot of things? I can’t really remember them though? How about the time I accidentally pulled off a horse’s halter along with his bridle? xD

[marvelandponder]

I ❤ Comics

Because I’m so incredibly creative, this month of Year of the Pony has been all about lurve. All kinds of the stuff! Self-love, romantic love, familial love, and, of course, some good ol’ fashioned friendship/platonic love.

But, we all know there’s one love to rule them all: dorky/fanatic love!

The obsessions and ideas that rule our hearts and, in MLP’s case, drive us ponies. 

As much as I don’t want to take all this too seriously, this kind of love really is something special. For many of us, it’s the reason characters stick with us for so long, through any kind of mood you can imagine. It’s why we get lost in fantastical worlds on our screens and pages, and come back feeling like we’ll never forget the adventure we went on. It’s common ground to socialize in if we wish, or a quiet comfort that yours and yours alone. 

These things mean so much to us that it becomes a part of our identity. I’m a Brony, I’m a Rainbow Dash fan, I’m a this that or the other. We want people to see us for things we love because we’re just that proud of them. So long as there’s a healthy dose of perspective in the mix, I think that’s a good thing.

And one of the nerdiest, if not the nerdiest MLP topics I could think of to geek out over is the official IDW comics (the Enterplay trading cards, Star Trek cast members voice-acting for the show, and upcoming table-top RPG, Tails of Equestria, obviously deserve some honourable mentions here, but the comics just gave me more to talk about on a technical level)!

I figured the best way to go about this would be to go by artist (sorry colorists, letterers, and editors; you’re necessary and appreciated but apparently not glamorous). Last month, when we dove a little into Design and Animation, I didn’t really get to talk about the teams behind the work---which is mostly because MLP is a script-driven show as opposed to a storyboard-driven show, so the same animation teams and the same style goes into every episode (unlike Steven Universe, for example, which is ‘board-driven)---but here, who’s working on a comic makes a massive impact on how it’ll turn out.

With that said, we’ll stick to the most reoccurring artists (and gloss over the writers to save on time); if you’re ever curious, you can check out this page on the wiki for a full list on who did what, but I really ramble on too much as it is. 

Artists 

Here’s a big name! Andy Price, the man with the shadows and long, bendy pones. Price excels a quite a lot in terms of expression, and I think it’s because he adds such a sense of drama to these characters without taking away the cuteness or light-hearted personalities we’ve come to love. 

If anything, he’s gotten to add personality, especially to characters like Celestia and Luna who express their emotion much less visually in the show. Just take a gander at the sketches he gives out at conventions!

And as to the shadows, look at how involved the shading is in these inked panels:

Just look at how much of his panels are darkened, and just how much more dramatic it looks than it would with flat or lightly shaded colours.

Even a simple scene can benefit from Price’s style:

See where the shadow draws your eye (even when the shot is coloured)? To the sinister looking rat emphasizing the books, to Sunset, and to the shocked librarian who would know these books best. If you’ve read this issue, you know Sunset’s reading some books she’s really not supposed to---and in fact this is what leads to her downfall.

It’s a simple panel, there’s not even a lot of dialogue on the finished product, but you can tell Price uses shadows to compose his shots in a way that tells the story visually. 

Also, a word on page layout (this isn’t necessarily exclusive to Price, but since we’re talking about layout in terms of one panel...):

This is one of those things that I had a hard time finding a place for in this post that I would kick myself for if I didn’t talk about. It’s something exclusive to the medium and something that’s extremely impactful (as comic fans know).

It’s the flow of the page. How your eye moves from one panel to the next, and how different movements are expressed.

Price is one of the many MLP comic artists who do this effectively. In the first example there, you can see how the emotion shifts as we go down the page, how Celestia’s mane both transitions us into the next panel, and seems to hide her reservations from Sombra, Luna, and Starswirl.

And in the next example, there’s this wonderful transition mid-panel at the bottom there that takes us from the interior of the train to an exterior shot outside of it for Applejack’s final line of the scene.

It’s things like this (and even the layout of the word-bubbles, because those take a surprising amount of consideration to place in a panel) that shows you the artistry and thought behind these comics, and Price’s art in particular.

A personal favourite of mine, for sure.

What’s special about Amy Mebberson’s art-style is how it’s tweaked just so from the show, but certainly stands on its own as it draws emphasis to the roundness of these designs.

You’ll probably notice the simplicity of Mebberson’s designs, especially compared to someone like Price, but look how that works to her advantage:

Check out how close to the show it is, but just a touch rounder. Cute, right? The eyes are cartoonishly big, the heads closer to perfect circles than we normally see even in a 3/4 angle shot, it just brings your attention to how sweet these characters are.

Then there’s the fact that her work will often be coloured with a really soft, soothing texture to boot:

That powdery softness only makes these ponies cuter---and here I thought they had laws against that kind of thing!

Another awesome big player!

The thing about Hickey’s art is that it’s often coloured so that the manes are especially shiny, making the characters draw focus and pop off the page.

And even when things aren’t especially shiny, she still often finds ways to use the background to emphasize the characters:

(Underrated moment in the comics award might have to go to this, by the way)

It’s a very simple snowy scene, but that matches the tone so expertly, so isolating Applejack, her breath, and the snow is an excellent choice to get the emotion across.

And when things are glossy, it strikes me how energetic the characters can still look.

When things look this polished, the worry tends to be that you might make the characters look stiffer, but Hickey’s style strikes such a great balance between polish and flexibility.

This art style comes with its pros and cons, in my opinion, but it can still serve MLP pretty well. Garbowska’s art is often coloured as if with coloured pencils, which gives everything a really soft, soothing finish, and in addition can make for some pretty cute pones.

The downside is two-fold: The characters can seem like they all have Same Face syndrome, if you know what I mean; and the ponies are often posed in needlessly anthropomorphic poses (we’ve certainly seen a few more human-like poses throughout the series---yes, Lyra, we love you, you oddball---but there are some poses that just seem uncomfortable and [to use a slightly redundant word] unnatural for them to want to be in).

Still most definitely a great part of the team, just with a few quirks that come along with the sweetness.

Welp. Guess I couldn’t steer clear of controversy entirely. Jay Fosgitt’s art style in and of itself is divisive among fans---like, really divisive.

The reason being the drastically different shape to everything. Compare a Fosgitt head to a Mebberson head, for instance, and you’ll see there’s a lot more emphasis on the foreheads and cheeks than on the muzzle or an overall roundness.

It’s a very distinct style that comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Fosgitt’s not afraid not go for some extreme expressions, for instance, and that can really serve the story well in chaotic and/or comedic situations, but he’s also had that same problem of putting ponies on their hind-legs when it doesn’t seem organic for them to do so, and combined with the proportions exaggerated the way they are (like sometimes I don’t know how those necks keep their heads up), that can make for an off-putting panel or two.

It’s definitely cartoony. I’ve never been able to place exactly what artstyle it reminds me of, but cartoony is a good word. It’s grown on me, personally, especially considering the improvement from issue to issue, but I thought I’d mention this never-ending debate so you could make up your own mind.

Tony Fleecs is a great addition to the team. He’ll often give the eyes a point or just a different shape, which takes some of the cartoonishness out, but still allows for some great expressions in a way we don’t normally get to see, with our bulbous-eyed characters.

It can especially work if he’s trying to capture something menacing:

So, I think he’s among the better ones.

On the other hand, there have been a few times Fleecs’s art has lacked depth solely because of how things are shaded, like here (I can obviously tell where everyone is in relation to each other, but it’s flatter than if there had been some shadows to it):

But overall that feels more like a nitpick.

Now, we’d be here all day if I started going into all the cover artists (as much as we appreciate their work), but there’s one in particular that’s done enough that I’d feel remiss leaving her out.

Sara Richard is a good name to know because once you know it, you’ll always be able to point out her art. She’s got some of the only traditional art in our little roster, and it’s often got some gorgeous swirls. So many swirls.

If I wanted to be crass, I could call it colour and swirl porn... so I will. It’s colour and swirl porn, and I love it.

Writers

To preface this section, I’d like to take a moment to steal a catchphrase from the ever insightful MovieBob, previously of Escapist fame: comics are weird.

Really, even the best and brightest of the medium will occasionally have some really out there arcs or issues. For every intellectually stimulating, deeply meaningful story you can tell with these characters, there’s a silly rendition of them that’s just... odd. The same Batman who comes to grips with the death of his second ward, Jason Todd, is the same one who later owns a Batcow, thanks to his son Damien.

Yes, Batcow is canon.

So, if genre-defining superhero comics have been known to divulge into stranger stories from time to time, it absolutely follows that we’d see the same from colourful, pony-based children’s comics. Basically, that shark-jumping weirdness just... comes with the medium.

You can make all sorts of arguments about the origins of that oddness---the creative freedom available, attention-grabbing to boost readership, the Comics Code Authority heavily censoring violence and delinquent behavior in the 50s and 60s which forced writers to come up with tamer but also more creative stories, etc---but one thing is clear, if you’ve noticed some interesting choices mixed in there, it might just be a comic book thing.

But, then again, there are also issues that go way more in depth than you would think!

In particular, I have to make mention of my absolute favourite arc (I never claimed to be unbiased): Reflections. For the details, the comedy the lore, the immaculate world-building, and the emotions---but most of all the character-building.

Starswirl is an absolute delight, the good King Sombra breaks your heart, Twilight faces exactly what I wanted her to face once she became a princess, and the Princesses and their sisterhood get to be developed even more here than they have been in the show (especially Celestia; here’s hoping season seven really will break that streak).

Okay, example time. 

Here’s a detail that was just pointed out to me recently that really nails all of this on the head (and granted, I don’t know whether this came from its writer Katie Cook, or the artist Andy Price, but if nothing else it shows you what they can do together):

Two silent frames that tell us so, so much. 

It’s a simple idea, that these parallel universes have developed in different ways, but that tells us so much about why Equestria’s technology is the way it is. Having the power to jump to more technologically advanced universes has allowed our Equestria to be as anachronistic as it has been---to have arcade machines and silent movie theaters, but not automobiles or light bulbs in common use.

But this is what the comics can do: contextualize. 

Take characters and worlds we love and expand on them in new lights. Some weird, strange, or just cute for the sake of being cute, but some more involved and some even inspired.

The comics, overall, can be pretty divisive in this fandom. There are fans who frequent them for every new issue, and those who have sworn off them entirely. Artists and writers we revere and some we outright revile. But when all is said and done, being able to take on this new perspective of MLP in an entirely different medium is something I for one really appreciate---especially when it’s this good.

Here’s some more pony analysis for you! The whole compilation post here, or three of the latest/most relevant, just for you:

EMLP: Design & Animation, Pinkie Pie’s Editorial, and Top 10 Cutest Families

Year of the Pony

Header Image and Art Wouldn’t be Possible Without...

Luna and Celestia by dSana Elements of Harmony by SpiritofthwWolf Elements of Harmony by TechRainbow

There’s of course all those great comic artists and writers to go check out, but aside from the official art in this post, there’s some hard-working fan-artists who made some stellar vectors! Check ‘em out!

Love Me Some Comic Books

[litrojia]

Stuff on My Mind

I haven’t been super secure in what I draw, and I’m bad at socializing. Hopefully writing some of it down will ease my mind. I’d appreciate it if you gave it a skim, but it is a wall of text so I can’t blame you if you don’t want to hear my personal problems.

More vs. Less Detailed Images

Last year, I usually went the more precise route with my pictures, spending weeks on images that I quickly lose my inspirational spark for. Over the past couple months, I’ve been able to simplify my style to allow me to easily draw basic ideas within a day or two. Since the beginning of the year, all of my pictures except for my Derpy picture (currently my favorite picture I’ve drawn) have been in this new, rougher style. On the surface, it’s been working out well.

At the beginning of February, feeling confident with the lighting and scenery from the Derpy pic, I began work on another, more detailed picture. Since I started it, it’s been giving me nothing but trouble. First doubt over the layout of the image, then many revisions to the pose, and most recently uncertainty over how to draw a much more complex background. Maybe I’m in over my head with this one, as I have with most of my last attempts at more detailed images.

However, I feel that the next logical step with my art is to be able to create scenes. Images of characters going on adventures or having a solemn moment someplace, or finally fleshing out the story of my OCs (I still wanna redesign my griffon, but that’s proving a challenge in its own right). That’s what pushes me forward with that image and the failures that came before it. It’s an entirely different beast than drawing simplified animals, and while I feel confident with those, I’m not sure how much experience translates over. Many times I don’t know where to start, what I need to learn. I think trying to force my way through this lack of experience is what burns me out most often, alongside schoolwork.

Sometimes I feel like I should be making a choice. Should I grow complacent with the style I have now and keep drawing cute ponies for the sake of drawing cute ponies, or should I commit myself to learning skills that may be much more rewarding in the end? Maybe I don’t have to choose, I don’t know. If I do try learning new skills, I’ll probably need to find some more help than I can easily get, and I’m not the best at asking for help.

Discord Voice Chats

For now, Discord is the way to connect with people in this fandom. Especially with the site adding streaming not too long ago, I’m running into a lot of voice chats. For multiple reasons that I’d rather not get into in a journal, VC isn’t really an option for me. I just feel left out of many groups, making it harder to have fun, seek help, and overall make friends in this fandom. I get that most VCs have a text channel, but I still miss out on the full experience.

Frankly, VC might not be solely to blame though, since I am fairly shy, especially in one-on-one chat (DMs and such). Also, as with IRL, I struggle to find common ground with people sometimes. I’ve never been much of a gamer, for example.

Despite this, I’ve been thinking for a while about opening a small Discord server with a couple channels and no VC. It might be convenient for chatting, but it would probably end up pretty dead. I dunno.

Judging Artists

When I don’t get to know a person closely, I often rush to judge them based on pet peeves. Over the years, there’s been a handful that have soured me on some artists. Some of these include:

Shifting from SFW to NSFW (even though I don’t really mind NSFW, it’s just that I prefer SFW)

Aggressive Patreon use (paywalling, logo on art, etc.)

YCHes (both auction- and slot-based)

Of course, when I actually get to know some of the artists who do these kinds of things, they seem like much smaller issues, especially given their situation. I’ve been friends with a small handful of people who do these things, and I wouldn’t hold these things against them.

This personality trait has been with me for as long as I can remember, and I’m not great at remedying it. In hindsight, I feel I’ve treated some folks unfairly based on my prejudices, and while I can recognize it, I can’t trust myself to stop.

Suggestive Material

This one’s a bit touchy, so apologies for beating around the bush. Despite my aforementioned preference for SFW art, a particular variety of lewd art has been appealing to me lately that I’m sure most of my followers wouldn’t be too happy with. I’ve started drawing some lately, and I’ll probably keep drawing it now and then. Maybe I’ll grow out of it, but if not I’ll have to find a balance.

Being Open About Pony

I don’t know how I’ve done it, but since I joined the fandom in 2013, I know not a soul who knows I’m into MLP, nor knows that I make art. At first, it was all a matter of embarrassment. As time’s gone on, that feeling is still there a bit, but more often I think just shy and don’t know how to be open about something I’ve kept a secret for so long. This ties into the VC thing from earlier somewhat. It’s also part of the reason I’ve never gotten any pony merch or been to any cons.

Commissions

I think a lot about opening commissions. With my new, faster style, it now might be worth my time to do some. My biggest concern is handling the money. If I made, say, $100-$200 yearly from commissions, what would doing taxes in the US look like (if I had to do them at all)? Also, what about staying anonymous in payments? I heard Paypal business accounts are good for this. I could also draw in exchange for other reasonable things.

Thanks for reading and take care c:

[rosario-red-arts-blog]

So, you want to be a visual artist?

I want to tell everyone what being an artist means. I always hear “I wish I could draw” or “I wish I was such a good artist” and other comments of the like. Often they’re comments on my images, be it from another user on a site or somebody peering over my shoulder to see my doodles. Sure, you can always sit around and wish and dream, but that won’t get you anywhere!

Being an artist is not a talent, it’s a skill!

Everyone that I’ve come across that has no begun the journey to become an artist always has the same thought. “Boy, are these artists talented!” Well, let me tell you something. Being a artist has nothing to do with artistic talent. Certain things may work in your favor when it comes to drawing and learning how to do so, however drawing itself isn’t a talent.

Take me, for example! I’ve been drawing for about a year now, and I’m considered a fast learner. This has helped significantly with my journey with making art, and has helped make the improvements needed to get to where I am today in such a short time frame.

There are multiple factors to this, and not a single one of them involved talent! Getting to this point took things such as practice, supplies, programs, and so on and so forth.

Whether we like it or not, supplies and programs can and will make a difference on how you make your art. Some supplies and programs will make it harder for you due to limitations on the program, or with the supplies you have. For example, a mouse is generally harder to use than a tablet and a crayon to color may not appeal to other people as much as prismacolor colored pencil’s will. 

Of course, not everyone has the option to use upscale supplies or programs, and that is okay! Practice is the biggest element of becoming an artist. As long as you work with the tools you have and learn how to use them, you can become your idea of an artist!

Now, what exactly does “practice” mean? Surely I can’t mean just sketching out various body parts on a daily basis? Sounds boring. Ah, well... that is exactly what I mean. However that’s not all to it. You see, you cannot expect to spit out a masterpiece if you don’t work on the elements required to create that piece!

Practice doesn’t just mean sitting and sketching until your hand cramps up, though. Another huge element to learning to draw is a wonderful invention called constructive criticism. I say constructive because there are forms of bad and destructive criticism. Everyone gets it at some point in their art career. 

“This just looks bad.”

“Work on shading.”

These are both forms of bad criticism. To become an artist, it’s key to making sure you know the difference between good and bad criticism, and accepting the good criticism. 

The first is simply rude and demeaning. However, the second isn’t. The second has helpful intentions, but it’s extremely vague and gives the artist no truly valuable help. “Work on shading” can mean a number of things, and it leads to a lot of questions. Do they mean your style of shading, the colors, the light source, the tools you’re using? Too many questions, not enough information to answer them. It’s best to bypass these, otherwise you’ll be stuck in a frustrating loop of questions, or just feel down about yourself or your art.

But, hallelujah, there is such a thing as constructive criticism! Take this for example:

“This looks pretty solid for your level! However, I do notice some flaws that can be easily corrected. For example, your shading is in black. It’s best to use darker shades of the base color, and don’t be afraid to venture to other hues! For example, orange can shade yellow, and red can shade orange.”

The soothing sight of a good critique! Here’s what makes this critique good and helpful. They offer a small boost to ensure you’re on the right path for your artistic level, there’s a note in what they’re discussing as your flaw. There is a brief explanation of what went wrong, and then a helpful tip to get you on the right path to improvement!

Take these critique’s, learning artists, and use them! Your art will not be perfect, and if you want to learn, even when it hurts, take that criticism and use it! 

Always remember that there is a difference between a style and incorrect anatomy. When you’re starting out, focus on anatomy. Don’t worry about your style! Only once you have perfected your anatomy and proportions should you try to break the rules. Remember, you can have your own style and still have correct anatomy!

There are other ways to improve as well. Checking out books from the library on anatomy, looking at tutorials, looking at reference sheets and studying them, even watching speed paints can help!

Please, also remember to never compare yourself to another artist! That’s a quick and easy way to ruin your confidence with your art. No two artists are the same, either, and we’re all unique. Focus on you, not on others!

But, that’s not all that comes with learning how to be a artist. Some elements of being a artist has nothing to do with your art!

Most people don’t tell you these kinds of things, but they are pretty important! However, this relates more to commission artists versus hobby artists.

See, as a commission artist you need business skills as well. You need to know how to identify your audience, how to price your work, how to set up a terms of service, and last but certainly not least, you need to provide good customer service. As a commission artist you are one on one with your customers throughout the process. Identify what they want, give them a quote, update them on the art status, and remember to stick to your terms of service. 

Why did I include that last bit about terms of service? Because you, sadly, will run into people that will try to take advantage of you! It’s not all fun and games for the commission world. Remember to be fair, but stick to your terms of service.

Include a refund section, and always ask for payment before you start! People can, will, and have run off with heavily watermarked commissions without payment. Do not allow yourself to be cheated out of your work! Take the payment beforehand. Also include a alteration rule. For example, somebody commissions you for a image and approves of the sketch. Suddenly, now that the picture is done, they want the character in a entirely different pose with a entirely different setting. Put your foot down! That’s not acceptable behavior. If they wanted something so different, they should have updated you in the sketch stage. Now, if they want another image, they’ll have to commission you again or go elsewhere. Being harsh is a necessity at times. There are a lot of liars and cheats out there. Don’t fall victim to them, and do not become them!

But alas, I have not addressed the single, biggest question!

How do you begin?

Decide on what you want to draw. Humans, ponies, wolves, absolutely anything you want to draw. Focus on that, set a goal, and begin working! Practice your heart out, and join the great artists you look up to!

I hope this helps someone out there. If you have any questions, feel free to visit my blog and submit a question!

[nofomoartworld]

Thinks: Fulla Abdul-Jabbar

Hello, and welcome back to thinks you can think. 

This week we welcome a text by Fulla Abdul-Jabbar, titled Exquisite Dog.  This piece has me re-thinking my relationship to my phone, to television, and to the devices (now, open platforms) that circulate images. Seemingly innocuous things like pics of cute dogs can circulate as something far weightier…raw data…that newest instrument for generating wealth. Before I threw out my old phone I was careful to download the last few pics I took with my childhood dog, Po:

Po loved every human he ever met, chased nerf balls with gusto, and slowly went deaf in his old age.  We bonded over the dirty, band-aid festooned beaches of Lake Erie, where we would go for long runs.  Po would bark at dogs of far too great a size and I would get angry because he refused to pee outdoors. Today I’ll think of the data that remains as a trace of Po, circulating online like a virtual exquisite corpse.

Yours, Meg

_______________________________________________________

Exquisite Dog

by Fulla Abdul-Jabbar

ONE

A large shaggy black dog with a tiny blue bow waits for her owner to finish at the ATM.

*

A dog sticks his tongue out while he and his owner wait for a table for brunch.

*

A dog outside of a grocery store watches shoppers go through the silver and glass revolving door. Her ears wiggle in a horizontal motion as she readjusts herself to get a better view.

*

A leashless service dog slowly trots around a college campus. Many strangers pet this chubby corgi.

*

A dog yawns at Starbucks, stretching in way that the hood from her striped reindeer hoodie flops over and covers her eyes.

*

A dog on the beach looks nervously at his owner who is waiting for him in the water. After a couple of false starts, the dog joins him.

TWO 

For some time, I have been taking pictures of strangers’ dogs. People ask me if the strangers whose dogs I photograph mind that I’m doing it. I try to be discreet because I suspect that they would mind. Although I have never had a confrontation with an owner, I often feel guilt when I am reminded that my actions are observable.

*

I was inside of a shop and there was a small dog outside of the glass window where I sat. I leaned backwards in my chair, balancing on its hind legs, to snap a photo without the lines from the metal bars obscuring my image. I crashed back into my normal seated position when a barista behind me noticed what I was up to and shouted, That is such a cute dog! My picture became a white dog blur over a gray concrete blur. I have many blurs in my collection.

*

On my morning walk to work, I saw a dog alone tied to a streetlight—an unusual sight in a residential neighborhood. The dog had curly brown hair and was sitting facing towards me. I took a photo on my phone as I walked towards it. Coming closer, I noticed no discernible human and decided to take another, more detailed, photo. The dog barked twice. The first time a dog had acknowledged my action.

THREE

Many say that they find humans disappointing, so they prefer to turn to the animal world for companionship. J.R. Ackerely was a known curmudgeon who gave up on people and was devoted in his life only to his German shepherd, Tulip. To understanding her through intimate observation. His book-length essay, My Dog Tulip chronicles with a searing focus the mundane details of her life. Tulip’s name, in fact, was not Tulip but Queenie. Most often, this name change was attributed to Ackerely and his publishers’ fear of ridicule since Ackerely was a gay man in 1950s Britain. But Lucas Mann, in an essay about the book, suggests that the name Tulip was the result of another cause—to preserve Tulip’s privacy.

*

I was on the phone with my sister who was telling me a long story. Hold on, I told her, and I continued walking silently for a few moments with the phone to my ear. What happened? she said. There were three Pomeranians in a stroller, I told her. And I had to look at them.

*

My main problem with interaction with dogs is that I conflate them with people and particularly with babies. I am not close enough with anyone with a child to discuss the matter thoroughly in a way that is inoffensive to the parent. (I am not sure that there is any of level of closeness that would achieve that.) But a part of me does believe that I don’t know how to interact with dogs because I don’t know how to interact with babies. I understand this is wrong. My questions as I formulate them in my mind not only seem to miss the point but also seem to me to be morally reprehensible. I imagine the face of the poor parent who might receive these questions. How do you talk to a baby (or dog) who doesn’t understand you? What do you say? Is it not rude to pet dog you don’t know in the same way that it would be rude to hold a baby you don’t know? If a child (dog), in addition to being her own individual, can in some ways be thought of as an extension of the parent (owner), is it not invasive to document the dog’s (baby’s) beauty?

FOUR

Reality television star and restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump also claims to respect the animal—and specifically, the canine—world more than the human one. Often a central figure in the human conflicts on the Bravo series The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills, her Season 6 series tagline was, “I’m passionate about dogs, just not crazy about bitches.” She is a strong advocate against animal abuse, and she is also the owner of large number of pets including “seven turtles, eight swans, two ponies, and eight dogs,” as she once catalogued.

In the other Bravo network show she is part of, Vanderpump Rules, Lisa is less of a dramatic figure and more of a structural guiding principle. The show centers around the servers of her restaurant SUR (an acronym for Sexy Unique Restaurant) and the dramas associated with being 20- or 30-somethings looking to make it in LA. Although the casts’ personal lives on Vanderpump Rules are not less successful than those of the women on the Real Housewives franchise, they are younger and certainly enjoy considerably less financial success. So they often turn to Lisa for advice and often while visiting her beautiful home, Villa Rosa. When she sits with a young, hapless server in her home, she often has one of her many dogs in her lap showering them with kisses. True to her style, her animals are often dressed in pinks and silks and glitter and feathers. In the marketing for the show, Lisa always sits at the center—a queen overlooking her empire. In her lap sits Giggy, (arguably) her favorite dog. When watching the shows that Lisa is part of, I often wonder: Is a dog in a mansion a happier dog? I think probably yes.

FIVE

On the phone, my sister is telling me about a game of exquisite corpse her friends had played. I had never heard of the game. She described folding a piece of paper into sections and then each person drawing a body part from an animal in their portion, concealing it from the rest of the players. This usually results in an entertaining mixture of drawing styles and absurd anatomies—probably especially entertaining if all the friends you play with are artists, which was true in this case.

It was sad then for her friend George, who informed the group that he couldn’t draw. Or rather, he could only make technical drawings of iPhones. So that’s what George did. Every time someone passed him a blank section of a page to fill.

Head of an owl—arms of an octopus—a human torso—iPhone.

Head of a dog—bat’s wings—iPhone—crocodile tail.

iPhone—snake neck—elephant trunk—chicken legs.

And so on.

*

On April 2nd, The Chicago Real Estate Wealth Expo took place. “One Day Can Make You A Millionaire!” the subway advertisement claimed. The ad also featured a long line of TV personalities posing next to each other. At the center, with his winning grin and carefree stubble, was Tony Robbins promising a three-hour Sales & Motivational Training session. Underneath the other speakers was a short description of their job title or affiliated TV program. Suze Orman was a “Personal Finance Guru”; Christina El Moussa was a “TV Flip Star”; Ryan Serhant was from “Million Dollar Listing NY”; an editorial oversight named a man Shark Tank and described him as a “Daymond John.” In this lineup, I was confused to see standing among them, in a conspicuous bow tie, Pitbull who was throwing off the unity of real estate and motivation. The surprise presence of Pitbull reminded me of another phone conversation with my sister.

“Is Pitbull a rapper?” I asked her. “Is what he does called rap?”

“Did you know that Pitbull has diehard fans?”

I tried to imagine an adolescent’s room lined with photos of Pitbull.

“Well he’s like Flo Rida.”

“Is Flo Rida a rapper?”

“…Yes?”

I think the event organizers may have had similar confusion because underneath Pitbull’s name was not “Rapper”—was not even “Musician”—but, underneath “Pitbull,” appeared the words “Special Guest.”

I wondered what makes Pitbull special. Special because he is an entertainer? Special because he is unlike the rest in the chain of celebrities? Special because he is impossible to categorize? Special because he is Pitbull? But Pitbull, I think is not so different from the others at the Real Estate Wealth Expo. I’m sure he’s wealthy and has real estate. I’m sure he likes living in a mansion.

*

Fulla Abdul-Jabbar is a writer and artist living in Chicago. She teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is the Assistant Editor at the Green Lantern Press. 

Sunday, September 22nd Edition of The EXPO Register

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