#I tried to use a lot of layers and flowers for the design

[mikeystrawberry]

Today is Dungeons & Daddies’s 5th Anniversary!

I haven’t been listening for nearly that long but the podcast and all its characters means a lot to me. Happy Anniversary!!!

Throwing the cropped sections under the cut because there’s a lot of stuff going on and I know Tumblr likes to throw half the pixel quality out the window. And also so I can ramble a bit about this piece!!!

This piece has been months in the making, possibly an entire year. And by that I mean I’ve had a sketch of the comp scribbled on my whiteboard for ages because I wanted to save this specifically for 5th anni art. Now onto design stuff!

(First off a random thought: I really love how the garlic knot came out, I kind of want it as an enamel pin.)

I knew I wanted to make this a stained glass piece since the beginning, but I was also going to add flowers at one point but quickly dropped the idea. It felt like too much and I also didn’t want to fuss over flower language assignments for everyone. I was also going to add Doodler tentacles, but also dropped that idea pretty early. Kind of on accident, right at the end, I figured out how to make it even more stained glass-like but taking a duplicated lineart underneath the regular layer and turning the brightness all the way down, then setting it to overlay and adding a guassian blur. It’s very subtle but it adds that tiny bit of depth that makes it look more real. As for shading on the lineart/gold, I tried adding more highlight on the characters who died but once I evened everything out it wasn’t as noticeable anymore so I’m throwing that thought here so the attempt at least known lol.

The order of characters only changed a little bit from my original comp, I flipped the Wilsons and the Oaks so the rainbow could work. As for the anchors, specifically in season 2, I lined them up to the teens since the season 1 anchors lined up with each dad:

Tony —> Scary: his death was the beginning of Scary’s betrayal arc and also Willy killed him.

Guitar Pick —> Taylor: it’s not really aligned with Taylor at all, but the anchor was with Glenn so I put it next to his blunt.

Scroll —> Normal: was only because it was the last left to give him, but there’s the whole scene of him and Hermie in the Green Room so it still works!

Garlic Knot —> Link: one of two that he broke, but the more significant of the two with him telling Grant he never wants to see him again.

Small notes on the season 1 anchors: I put the layer of mold in the overnight oats but you can’t really tell with the overlay. And to make the supper bowl more interesting I added the fantasy sodas mix they dumped into it. The lure of actually drawn before so I just traced my own art lol.

As for the other smaller triangles, it took me a bit to figure out what I wanted to put there. I didn’t even think of adding the vehicles until two days ago but I’m so glad I did. I don’t really have my own take on the mascot version of the Doodler (yet?) so I borrowed the design from one of the stickers in their merch shop. Teeny was terrifying as just a front facing head so I made him cute again.

In the outer circles, I put what I felt was the most significant quotes for each family. I really wanted to use “It’s okay to be angry, it’s not okay to be cruel” but it was just a little too long.

That’s all I can think of! If you read all the way through, thank you for indulging me in my excitement to gush over this piece.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

🧁 cupcake analysis 🧁

YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY 🤡 I’m still fixated on the cute character-themed cupcakes we got from the recent TsumTsums x TWST collab… so I’m going to talk about more things I noticed in the cupcake designs by dorm + by individual characters!

Mmm, cupcakes… 🧁 I would make these if only I had the tools to make all of the painstaking little details—

Heartslabyul

They all have checkered cupcake liners with a half-painted white rose. Famous Heartslabyul iconography!

Their names are written out in a white cursive font. Not the wackiest they could have gone with, but it fits the whimsical style of these cupcakes.

Riddle

Of course, we have strawberries—a fruit from Riddle’s favorite dessert, his beloved strawberry tarts (which also have personal significance to him, being as it was a strawberry tart’s taste that entranced him and made him late to return home as a child). The ring of frosting piped around the strawberries kind of creates the illusion of a tart’s puff pastry with the fruit nesting inside.

Red frosting made with a piping tip to resemble a big rose! Again, more famous Heartslabyul iconography.

IT HAS RIDDLE’S HEART AHOGE 😭

The cupcake also has the crown and a ribbon similar to the ones he wears in his Dorm Uniform~

Unlike the other Heartslabyul cupcakes, Riddle’s is predominantly one color: red. This could be referring to how Riddle is the most rigid in the dorm and someone who demands uniformity and preaches absolutism (“follow the rules”, “paint all the roses red”, etc.).

Even so! There are still little gold and blue sprinkles (though still in a neat arrangement)! I like to think of them as sprinkles of hope and a willingness to change… the first step he’s taking outside of his comfort zone!

No card; this makes sense since Riddle is also the only one without a card suit mark on his face.

Trey

The cookie iced to look like his hat…

Another cookie iced to look like the three of clubs heart (for obvious reasons)!

Trey’s cupcake looks kinda fuzzy like moss, so that leads me to believe the frosting got dipped in sanding sugar to give it texture or something. This makes the cupcake look like it’s an unassuming shrub—and really, isn’t that what Trey claims to be? He’s not an exciting red rose like Riddle, he’s the mild-mannered “normal” guy there to support the flower as the leaves and shoots.

Sugared violets as a topping! Nice way of incorporating Trey’s favorite food into this.

He has a little dusting of sprinkles too; maybe because it was him that showed Riddle “a whole new world”.

There seems to be a layer of jagged chunks (maybe crushed pistachios) along the rim. Feels quite different than the rest of the cake—maybe it’s to represent the less kind side of himself that Trey sometimes alludes to.

Two cookie sticks, which remind me of like two spears crossing to block off a path to the queen. On-brand for Trey, who initially follows Riddle’s orders to a T and kicks out his rule-breaking underclassmen.

Cater

There’s a LOT going on here, and I wonder if that’s in part because Cater is a Magicam fiend and in part because he’s using his flashiness to distract from looking deeper into him. This cupcake reflects that idea well, especially with the colorful sprinkles in the center (as opposed to spread out like Trey or Riddle’s) to make the otherwise mainly orange and red cake pop out more on a social media feed. It also could mean that Cater really keeps to himself, as the sprinkles are not spread outward.

If you look closely, the frosting vaguely resembles Cater’s hair. There’s a larger dollop in the middle which sort of looks like the middle section of his hair that’s pulled back.

There’s lots of little decorations that resembles the decorations on Cater’s phone case—an item near and dear to his heart.

The orange slices can be sweet—the impression that Cater tries to give off—but the pretzel implies a savory taste—what he actually prefers to eat.

There’s a squiggle of darker orange under his name. Is it to call attention to his identity? Cater tries to seek validation and attention from socials, so maybe this is a call to action.

Cater’s cupcake is the only one in his entire dorm that has TWO cards (both four of diamonds). One is probably a cookie and is in full color whole the other is one solid color (brown) and made of chocolate. Most likely this is referring to his UM, which allows Cater to create clones of himself. I wonder if the second card being chocolate alludes to something else too… Namely, the more melancholy and downtrodden part of himself that Cater usually does not let his peers know about 😔

Also two cookie sticks! Similar meaning as Trey’s, especially given that Cater was the first upperclassman to toss Adeuce out (after he gets them to paint the roses for him).

Ace

Ace of hearts card!

A sprinkle of hearts… Are any of us surprised??

His frosting is very ruffled and playful, much like his personality.

The cupcake is more on the simple side compared to many of the others; this is also very “Ace” of him, as Ace is commonly described as “the average high school boy” and has indicated himself that he has no particular goals or ambitions yet.

There’s a cherry on top! Very bright and cheeky, just like Ace—oh, and let’s not forget, cherry pie is his favorite food!

There’s also what appears to be almond shavings on Ace’s cupcake; almonds are actually very closely related to cherries so it’s a great pairing! If we really wanna stretch it, maybe it’s a reference to how Ace is skilled at mimicking or copying others, as the taste/smell of almond and cherries can be commonly mistaken for one another.

Deuce

Two of spades card!

Deuce’s cupcake has a very different texture to it. Unlike the others, his is very smoothed out and almost shiny (like a mirror glazed cake!). It makes me think this is to help him stand out as someone who is trying to reform and reinvent himself into something sparkling—especially seeing as the blue part of the cake seems to be covering up/glooping over the body of the cupcake itself.

Little candy eggs (one with a crack in it) and a baby chick! A callback to him liking egg dishes and the utter despair he experienced when he first learned that supermarket eggs aren’t fertilized…

The light blue squiggle makes me think of Deuce meandering and not knowing where he wants to go in life, representative of his delinquent phase or perhaps struggling to stay on the straight and narrow path of an honors student.

Finally, we have the grey marks on the cupcake which look like tire marks left from skidding around on a magical wheel/blastcycle, Deuce’s preferred mode of transportation!

Deuce's cupcake goes from blonde/yellowish to blue, which probably refers to him going from bleached hair as a delinquent to his natural hair color as he tries to reform himself.

Savanaclaw

Golden yellow cupcake liners with Savanaclaw’s signature horizontal zigzag pattern.

Their names seem to be done in a blocky text on chocolate. Fits the tough, somewhat rigid hierarchical feel of the dorm.

Leona

A crescent moon-shaped candy invokes the imagery of Scar singing the final line to Be Prepared as he and the hyenas ready themselves for the coup.

The darker frosting swirled on the side be interpreted as his scar or maybe the end of his tail.

Cacao nibs kind of remind me of rocks, perhaps to symbolize the hard childhood Leona had, desperately trying to prove himself to people who didn’t like him in the first place. There’s notably also golden specks there—a ray of hope for him to be better? Or maybe a nod to his noble lineage.

The chocolate sauce makes this cupcake feel very decadent but also adds to the dark look of it. I would say it resembles blot, but none of the other OB boys have this same feature. Maybe a hint at Leona’s depressive traits?

Wishful thinking on my part, but Leona’s cupcake is the only one in his dorm with a large splash of green (thanks to the leaves there). I like to think it’s him “turning over a new leaf” and turning his sights onto his internship + working toward helping to help preserve nature and discover energy efficient methods to help his country.

His cupcake is the “tallest” in Savanaclaw (because of how high his frosting is)—he’s obviously the leader of the pack.

Ruggie

Very decadent cupcake. A large scoop of ice-cream, nuts, pastries, tons of cream and frosting… it looks like someone just piled on all their favorite desserts (which suits a glutton like him). Even his own cake looks like it’s about to burst out of the liner!

Two donuts inserted in, because 1) they’re Ruggie’s favorite and 2) two is better than one!

The scattered chunks of chocolate resemble the pattern on the coat of a spotted hyena, which is what Ruggie is.

Jack

WHY DOES HIS CUPCAKE JUST STRAIGHT UP LOOK LIKE HIM… The two paler frosting peaks are his ears, the two-tone swirl results in his hair but also results in the high peak of his tail.

This cupcake has a lot of nuts (I see a walnut, a cashew, maybe crushed peanuts, and many whole hazelnuts). Maybe because Jack is “a tough nut to crack” due to his stoic and standoffish attitude? But we all know he’s a sweetheart deep down, perhaps why the most abundant of these nuts is hazelnuts, often used in many desserts and especially paired with chocolate.

xvsjwveiwk This is a slightly unserious note but there’s something whitish that night be dried coconut??? Sprinkled on the cake… I-Is that Jack shedding/j

Octavinelle

Each Octavinelle cupcake has a black macaron decorated to resemble their dorm uniform hats! The filling is purple (like Octa’s usual color) and has candy pearls (since they’re from the sea).

Their names are written in an elegant flowing font, with emphasis on the first letter of their names (slightly bigger than the other letters). It provides an impression that differs from the other letters in their names, much like how the Octatrio themselves can be deceptive.

A bowtie that matches what each boy wears in his dorm uniform.

The sprinkling of little purple pearls could really be nothing, but they could also be all the powers/abilities they have collected together.

Azul

The single chocolate stick (not two, unlike Cater and Trey’s) could pass as a straw, making the whole cupcake appear like a drink. Makes sense, the Mostro Lounge has a 1 drink minimum + his Dorm Uniform vignette is all about how he wants to buy the rights for the popular Mystery Drink from Sam.

A little contract and writhing chocolate tentacles pair nicely together. Together, they represent his UM and how his tendrils reach out to pull people into deals.

Azul also has a scoop of ice-cream, but it is notably VERY different looking than Ruggie’s. Azul’s is much smaller (because he moderates what he eats and how much) and neater too (because he cares about his tidy appearance).

There is a swirl of purple frosting on the bottom but most of the frosting is white and piled high. The former must be Ursula’s skin, and the latter her hair, as it is similar in shape.

His cupcake liner has the widest stripes (because he used to be overweight in the past) and has little purple dots (maybe in reference to the suctions on his tentacles).

Azul keeps the spiral seashell that resembles Ursula’s necklace.

Azul's cupcake goes from purple to white, which may denote his transition from octopus merman to human.

Tweels

The twins have a scalloped seashell that splits in half, representing the other brother. The way the shell divets also makes it look like a heart shape, implying the brothers “share a heart” or perhaps calling back to how both of their UMs involve “the heart” (Shock/Bind the Heart).

Their frosting is the color of their hair, even containing a stripe of black (in opposite directions) to match their hair. The frosting also seems to be slightly textured, which matches the gills and scales on their merforms.

The peak of the frosting resembles the ends of their eel tails flicking in opposite directions.

Three diamond-shaped “scales” on each cupcake; this is ghe same shape and design as the earrings they wear.

A ring of purple frosting is included; this could represent Azul, someone whom the twins closely work with and consider a great source of amusement. It’s telling that the purple frosting is below the teal frosting, as the twins have made it clear before that they’re not his minions or “below” him, they act independently and choose to follow Azul because they want to (and have the agency to leave whenever).

Jade

Jade’s cupcake liner has the most numerous and thinnest vertical stripes. There is also a very fine zigzag running through the liner. Very similar to Jade’s teeth arrangement and how they present as small but frequent.

Jade's cupcake stays a consistent color throughout the creation process.

Floyd

Floyd’s cupcake liner is in the middle of Azul and Jade’s in terms of line spread and thickness. The zigzag is also more elongated than Jade’s, matching Floyd’s more easygoing personality between the two twins. He’s also more likely to show his full teeth!

Floyd's cupcake goes from gold to teal, but Jade does not do the same or even the reverse. Maybe this hints at how Floyd is the more fickle brother?

Scarabia

Scarabia cupcake liners are color blocked with solid black and a deep red with an intricate golden pattern. Matches their dorm uniforms well!

They have snake biscuits with their names in bold, blocky all capital letters for impact. The biscuit shape suits the Sorcerer of the Sands. The text choice… I’m not sure, maybe to match the “casual streetwear” style of the dorm…? Or the dorm leader’s brazenness and overt friendliness?

Kalim

His earrings have been made into an edible version!

Thumbprint cookies that resemble glistening jewels! This, plus the colorful sugar pearls, represents Kalim’s immense wealth.

There’s a bow tied around his cupcake liner, which matches the cloth he wears around his head in many outfits of his.

The feathers that transition in color are for Kalim’s love of animals and willingness to accept others of all kinds (“colors”). This could also be a reference to his Dorm Uniform vignettes, where he pulled off a trick that made white birds appear to be “rainbow”.

At first I thought the white puffy frosting was to look like the Sultan’s turban, but wouldn’t they make it smoother and resemble one cohesive lump in that case…? Then I realized the white frosting actually resembles a CLOUD 😭 which fits Kalim so well, since he takes his friends out on magic carpet rides…

The red peak poking out of the top could be like… the domed roof of a tower, since there is one both for the Sultan’s palace and in Scarabia dorm. The white sprinkles/coconut shreds on the red part also gives the impression that the roof just poked through the clouds www

VERY tiny detail but if you look closely you’ll notice that Kalim’s cupcake is… lumpy… almost as though he tried baking for the first time himself and messed it up a little, so Jamil took over decorating for him to cover up the mistakes. (That’s headcanon anyway, lol)

Jamil

Jamil’s cupcake is a two-tone twirl thar matches the colors of his dorm AND the turban he wears when he overblots.

We have the classic red feather, three golden orbs, and a thumprint cookie (again, resembling a jewel) to match Kalim’s and to match Jamil’s hair accessories!

The little bits of gold sprinkled around are hard to place but maybe it’s to show how Jamil has to put Kalim first and foremost while his own feelings get dismissed/belittled/treated as less important.

Large chunks of chocolate on top! Not sure what this could be, but a part of me wants to believe it’s his depressive or defeatist traits, since Leona also has chocolate, but scattered. (Can you tell I loved these two’s interactions in book 6?)

Finally, we come to the enigmatic and out-of-place golden squiggle. Someone as meticulous as Jamil couldn’t possibly have intentionally placed that there, right…? Allow me, if you will, to circle back to the “Kalim was trying to bake with Jamil” theory… What if, while Jamil was decorating Kalim’s cupcake to cover up the unevenness of the cake, Kalim tried to thank Jamil and repay the favor by decorating Jamil’s cupcake??? And it resulted in… that squiggle… so Jamil had to roll with it and make the rest of his cupcake look as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Pomefiore

All Pomefiore names are written in elegant script on a chocolate disc that is also stamped with the stars and moons of their dorm.

The cupcake liners have the same stars and moons pattern and has the colors of Pomefiore.

Vil

Similar to Riddle, Vil has a crown to show that he is the dorm leader. His is, of course, a different design to reflect a different queen (the Fairest Queen, not the Queen of Hearts).

The frosting has a slight gradient which is the same as the tips his hair.

The golden leaves match the leaves on the back of his dorm leader tiara/crown.

There are berries on top; notably, a red one still has a bit of leaf and branch stuck to it, making the berry look like a red apple (you know, cuz the Evil Queen used one to poison Snow White).

Vil has golden dust and two types of round candies evenly dispersed on the cupcake. It shows us how clean and yet elegant his personal style is.

Rook

Rook's cupcake has a very unique shape that is not quite like any other student's. Indeed, his cupcake resembles his hat (note the little feather sticking out of the top purple part) and bangs (the lower yellow part).

The purple part looks like it is made with an extruder and results in a texture similar to the top of a mont blanc; this is probably to help differentiate it from the smoother texture of the yellow beneath. Since the purple is a hat, the texture is most likely to make it seem more "fabric-like".

The yellow part + the color change from yellow to purple may also be a reference to how he was originally in Savanaclaw, but then transferred to Pomefiore.

An edible bow and arrow motif befitting of a skilled huntsman!

The squiggle line here seems to be showing the path of his arrow, which always finds its mark. Additionally, Rook himself is a tricky person and usually employs roundabout strategies or misdirecting ways to achieve his goals.

At the end of the arrow's path is a cluster of what seems to be pomegranate seeds, which seems odd and something more befitting of Idia or Ortho (who have ties with Hades; there is a tale about Hades having Persephone eat a pomegranate fruit which dooms her to spending half of her time in the Underworld). However, I think here the pomegranate seeds are meant to be... like... an artistic, abstract depiction of blood once the arrow strikes its target.

There's blueberries on top, an element he has in common with Vil (someone whom he devotes himself to). The leaves here with the berries tie Rook to the wild, both as a huntsman and has an ex-Savanaclaw student.

Epel

The pale purple color of the frosting is the same as Epel’s hair!

Unlike Vil’s sprinkled-on decorations, Epel’s are not spread out evenly and instead cluster at the top. This may be attributed to their different levels of maturity, as Vil and more knowledgable than Epel, who expresses outdated views on gender and has a limited understanding of the world due to coming from a very rural area.

There’s a fine shimmer on Epel’s cupcake—probably because his arc in book 5 was about learning to appreciate and weaponize his beauty.

Two apple slices because… well, when you think of Epel, you think of apples and the Felmier family business!

There seems to be a little bit of yellow peaking out from the cake? Are those more apple slices or an apple filling…?

The pale frilled strip of frosting resembles a lace collar, something which Epel wears in his school uniform.

Epel is the only member of Pomefiore to have a cupcake which LACKS a blueberry (or really any berries at all). This is a subtle indication that he is the “odd one out” within the dorm, as he, unlike Rook, is not conforming to the standards set by his dorm leader.

Ignihyde

The Ignihyde cupcake liner has the same black and blue geometric look as their dorm uniform jackets.

I don’t know how to really describe the font their names are written in, but the way the letters are cut reminds me of a “Greek” style of text (similar to this).

Their names seem to be displayed on Oreos chocolate sandwich cookies with Ignihyde blue fillings. Counting the parts (2 cookies, the cream filling), there’s three in total, which matches the count of the heads of Cerberus, as well as how many Shroud brothers there are.

Both Idia and Ortho have what look to be confetti cakes as the base for their cupcakes, Because of the dark color of the cake and the bright color of the sprinkles, it creates the impression of stars in the night sky—maybe to reference Star Rogue, their favorite video game.

Idia

The skull-shaped technomantic device Ida uses to launch his magic spells tops off his cupcake.

On either side of the skull device are candies (?) that look like the same light sticks Idia is super into waving around at his beloved idols’ concerts.

The blue frosting is meant to look like his fiery hair!

Idia’s cupcake goes from a red gradient to a blue one. His hair actually goes change color like this based (on his mood), We’ve seen his hair go from blue to red from anger and/or determination and passion in both book 7 and in his Dorm Uniform vignettes.

Ortho

This cupcake seems to represent both the deceased Ortho and the current android Ortho.

Not sure what it is, but there’s something with a cybernetic glowing design that implies a circuit board; this is part of the internal parts which make up robo!Ortho.

There’s some kind of sauce with sprinkles over the top of that layer; this could be the blot that makes up phantom!Ortho, since we usually don’t associate the “dripping” of the sauce with robo!Ortho.

The smaller dollop of blue frosting is Ortho’s fiery blue hair. He’s smaller and younger than Idia, so the flames do not consume the entire cupcake. (Alternatively, this could also be the fire-shaped bottle that serves as phantom!Ortho’s head.)

Under the frosting is a cookie and a thin ring which resembles the ring of glowing triangles that appears around robo!Ortho’s neck. A similar pattern appears around the neck of phantom!Ortho.

This cupcake’s cake is a lighter color than Idia’s cake. It also has a larger variety in the sprinkle colors, maybe as a nod to Ortho’s cheerier and more hopeful personality compared to Idia’s gloomier and pessimistic one.

Diasomnia

The Diasomnia cupcake liners are black with a green briar pattern.

Each student’s name is piped in chocolate, with the third years in white and the underclassmen in what seems to be milk chocolate.

The cupcakes seem to be malformed or sort of puffy like Kalim’s is. I wonder if that means Lilia roped all of his kids to bake with him as a bonding exercise www

Malleus

Malleus’s cupcake goes from Diasomnia green to black (the royal color of the Draconia bloodline), symbolizing the eventual transition he must make from student to king of his country.

The frosting on top is the same colors as he night sky sprinkled with silver stars. Malleus likes to take solitary strolls under the cover of night, so this suits him.

Malleus wouldn’t be Hornton/Tsunotaro without the horns! Of course we’ve gotta include a chocolate version of his iconic horns.

Extra frosting in a bright green; these are meant to be Malleus’s apocalyptic green fire that he spouts.

There’s a purple grape cut into two (I’m sure Rollo would be furious/j) to reveal the green insides. How curious! These colors are also considered accent colors for Maleficent. Another nice detail about the grapes is that the veining of the flesh makes the insides resemble reptilian eyes—like those of a dragon.

Lilia

The frosting is black for Lilia’s hair and has magenta (berry?) sauce to reflect his hair streaks.

Lots of berries (Lilia loves his berry juice) and irregular pink sprinkles or candy shards. It’s cute, punky, and whimsical, just like he is.

Chocolate bats for the bats that swarm Lilia in many animations. He’s also shown taking care of a bat in his Dorm Uniform vignettes.

I’ve been trying to figure out what the whole cream is… My best guess is they’re representing Malleus, Sebek, and Silver??? Silver and Sebek are the smaller two dollops since they grew up and trained together + are the most immature of the group. Malleus is the big, textured swirl on the left—he is older and more powerful than Sebek and Silver. This analogy also works when you consider that these three sit upon Lilia (the cupcake), who is the oldest and serves as the father figure and foundation for their dorm to get along with each other and with others.

I don’t know what that ahoge-like thing is supposed to be or mean—

Silver

His cupcake goes from a deep blonde/yellowish brown to silver. This reflects his hair color change following Lilia’s blessing.

Silver’s cupcake has a very dreamy and cloud-like quality to it because of the abundance of pastel-colored cream. The top of the frosting even droops over, sort of like a head dropping in sleep.

Crushed bits of an aurora-colored candy are sprinkled over the cake. They’re the same color as his eyes, as well as the ring gifted to him by his parents.

Two birds and some mint (?) leaves make up the colors of the Three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather). They also speak to Silver’s familiarity with the forest creatures.

Sebek

The pastel green frosting for Sebek’s cupcakes is sloped, and it is the only one styled this way. It may represent his lopsidedly views and understanding of the world, as he is easily one of the most rigid thinking within his dorm.

Many different things are sprinkles on the cupcake; it looks like someone threw them on thinking they would look cool with very little thought or planning. It fits how brazen Sebek is and also (funnily enough) matches his struggle with the arts.

Sebek is the only student with triangular sprinkles; is this meant to look like scales?? Or maybe particles of lighting?

There’s a massive chocolate lightning bolt topping off the cupcake. Nothing subtle or tactful about it, much like Sebek’s personality and voice.

There are two pieces of sliced grape to mimic Malleus’s cupcake. Interestingly, the grape halves seem to come from entirely different kinds of grapes: one green (unlike Malleus’s), the other red (like Malleus’s). Assuming the red half (which Malleus has two of) implies fae heritage (Malleus is full fae), then the green half is one’s human heritage. The grapes, then, denote Sebek being of half fae, half human descent.

Extra

Grim

He has a unique black and white vertically striped cupcake liner to represent Ramshackle dorm!

Grim’s name is written on a cookie that looks like a puffy manga text box. Makes sense, he’s usually being the mouth piece for Yuu when they don’t get dialogue options or even when they do.

Seems to be covered in sanding sugar to achieve the fuzzy texture of fur!

Little wafer (?) shaped like Grim’s tail! And cookies (?) iced to resemble his ears! Two paw prints 🥺 to match Grim’s toe beans… The cupcake truly is made in his image!!

The white shell border is probably a stand-in for the white tuft of fur that Grim has.

[sproouts-jpeg]

one piece strawhats post-ts redesigns part?? idk technically like 1.5? we’re going backwards hell yeah!!

part 1.5: roronoa zoro (finally!)

i was originally really inspired by @deadbutnostink ‘s zoro fanarts! i love their style and trans goth zoro is the best thing ever!

this was the first planning sheet i ever made so it’s really plain without much elaboration sorry, so i’ll do that here:

gothic, traditional japanese clothes, samurai armor, and pirate attire is kinda all built with lots of layers, but zoro will literally throw off his coat all the time just to fight shirtless, so i think he’s the kind of person that prefers light clothing. so i tried to use as little layers of clothes as possible. but now that i’m looking at the finished drawing, i think oda also intended that to show off his chest scar as much as possible, which is much more difficult to see in my design.

i feel like i’m getting off topic lol. so the mihawk influences and darker moody color palette is supposed to evoke the gothic gloominess of kuraigana and its inhabitants! zoro’s waistcoat has a brocade and standing collar like mihawk’s coat does, but with a thistle and wisteria pattern. In an sbs interview with robin’s japanese va, she was asked her what flowers she associates with each strawhat, and she assigned thistles for zoro. in a later sbs, oda was asked the same question for the supernovas, and assigned wisteria for him. i thought it was a cute detail lol. there’s also swirls in the brocade like on perona’s pre-ts shirt and an arrow-ish design on the sash like her post-ts dress

i wanted to add more overt perona references, but she’s very hyperfeminine in contrast to zoro, so i’d just imagine she painted his nails (but only on the condition that he at least learn how to do so himself)! his waistcoat is supposed to basically hit 3 birds with one stone (hehe threes): gothic, piratey, and traditional japanese style. cause gothic clothes in many subcultures are based off the more lavish clothes worn by nobility in time periods like the victorian era and other european eras before/around that, but stereotypical pirates tend to wear many of the same pieces, like frilly shirts, waistcoats, and coats with pauldrons, but of varying quality due to lower class and criminal status. the general silhouette of the sleeveless waistcoat, much like how the original green coat is like a kimono, is supposed to be reminiscent of a full length sleeveless haori.

zoro was originally supposed to wear haidate, japanese armor pieces worn over the thighs, so that with his haori and hakama pants his look would be reminiscent of samurai, but i ended not liking the extra bulk it added to his look. i considered giving him tabi boots instead of combat boots, but i think the combat boots add to the alternative vibe i’m going for. the gray garment worn under the waistcoat isn’t really a kimono, cause it’s cropped at the hips and with rectangularly constructed sleeves so that they can be rolled up, so i think it’s closer to a jinbei/samue. samue are also commonly worn by zen buddhist monks, like the mala beads that zoro also wears (inspired by @/jojodreamie on twt’s future strawhats au zoro design). apparently the people in shimotsuki village, his hometown, are shown to be buddhists. so even tho zoro is pretty much atheist, or at least agnostic, i think he just keeps beads and stuff as more of a cultural practice than a spiritual one.

i tried really hard to give him a more different realistic body type that suits his training/fighting styles, instead of just that really dehydrated jacked look. idk anything abt anatomy or muscle building or sword fighting, so this is all speculative (and i’ll still say stuff with complete confidence :D). zoro’s strength as a swordsman mainly seems to be focused in his upper body: shoulders/upper back and arms (maybe chest idk???). but with the way he fights with big sweeping swings he needs good strength in his thighs and core for stability. this reminds me more of discus athletes. the way he trains though, is weightlifting, which focuses much on those same muscle groups, but in a different manner focusing more on the back, core, and thighs to build bulk and endurance. so i kinda combined the two?? idk if i did it too well even with my references (i’m afraid of looking at pictures of shirtless dudes lol /hj)

i also gave him an unnecessary amount of scars, but knowing how reckless he is in battle i’d imagine he has a lot of scars around his hands and arms. and it looks cool. his skin tone is closer to his pre-sabaody color palette in the anime, but with the bright green hair of the post-sabaody anime, and the darker olive green roots like opla mackenyu zoro. idk why i gave him those arrow shaped eyebrows, ik i saw some fanart on twitter that inspired it, but i don’t remember it. his nose is also wider and supposed to be a kind of round bulbous shape that’s flat at the front, so a bigger nose shape like koushirou’s “roman” shaped nose.

and now some closeups!! i really like how he looks without the haori too!! but without the big green coat it’s not really reminiscent of the original look so i can’t keep it that way :/

i hope y’all like it! as the poll results show, i’ll be doing usopp next! or maybe i wont and go entirely based on my whims lol

[skylinx2o]

Pebble's character design breakdown 🪷

Pebble is an OC tightly tied to Nezha, being adopted by him, and also being a Lotus Pond Dragon, lotus being a main theme for them both.

The most obvious parallel is probably the skirt, both Pebble and Nezha having the upper layer look kinda like petals of the flower.

The second similarity is the colours, the pink and the teal like green. But in Pebble's case, I didn't use any brighter colours like the red to give him a softer feel.

Pebble's design also has more rounded edges. He's a young dragon, and he is a very gentle person due to how he was raised. I tried to reflect that in his design, hence the pretty outfit and not something more practical for fighting.

Going back to the lotus theme, it's most obvious in the hairpins, straight up being the flower. The ribbons under the main piece were supposed to imitate the leafs. The hairpins are also something that was supposed to parallel Nezha's hair buns.

The various ribbons and long fabric are something that reflects Neha's ribbon on the dragon boy too

His little cape thingy and the second layer of the skirt were also supposed to look like lotus leafs. I exaggerated a bit how the edges of the leaf look, making the round bumps more pronounced, but it gives the whole outfit a more interesting shape.

The cape like thing is a parallel to Nezha's chestplate as well

Pebble's tail tip was also supposed to imitate a fresh lotus bud that's yet to bloom. And his eyes are the colour that they are also for a reason. The yellow centre is supposed to look like the centre of a flower.

I made the little dragon's hair long and flowy to show his softer nature and innocence. His hair fades from white to pinkish white to green to imitate the colours of the flower as well.

His horns were also meant to look like roots or wood, going along with the plant theme

And that's basically all flower elements. There's also a very subtle lotus pattern on the shirt of the dress

I added scale patches to his body, mostly because I feel like dragon OCs tend to lack a lot of dragon defining features (and indirectly a way from stopping me to just straight up give him vitiligo because I overuse it a bit, and I thought that scales would be a good way to avoid that but still make him look interesting and also keep some of his water theme. He's a Lotus Pond Dragon after all, not just a lotus dragon).

The glasses weren't the initial plan, but I added them to add more focus to his eyes and take some away from the patches, so eyes don't linger on them too much. Also, another good way to differentiate him from Nezha a bit more

✸ • *. ° · ° • .°• ✯✯ ★ * ° °· . • °★ •

I think I did an okay job tying the design to Nezha while also making Pebble feel like his own unique person and doing a creative spin on the lotus design idea

But it still boils down to Pebble being a papa's boy Xdd

I also made Pebble a dragon because I like the irony of that, with how much beef Nezha has with dragons

Vote me boy! :3 👍

@lmk-oc-competition propaganda ✨

[hoardlikegoldenirises]

*leans casually on wall* hey,

i will take ANY excuse to design an outfit, especially wedding outfits, idk why— I just think they're fun.

there were originally two tuxedos involved in this (on the hair timeline drawing), with Flash's white and Peter's blue, but as I was editing my notes I ended up moving some stuff around and shunted Flash's transition forward by about a year and a half because it made more sense to happen around the time they get married instead of nearly 2 years later...

So like any reasonable person, I thought to myself, "oh boy! time to spend four days on a wedding dress!" (the drawing didn't take four days, i just spent a lot of time looking stuff up)

💐

closeups and thoughts under the cut:

in my head the top part of the dress is at least partially some kind of soft, flexible fabric, like a stretch satinet or whatever, or one of those really soft matte stretchy fabrics, but i honestly wasn't sure how exactly to handle that considering I'm not a tailor myself... like there should probably be a waist seam where the top meets the skirt, though probably hidden by the embroidery at least a little bit... though i guess it could also be that there is a layer of already-embroidered georgette over the top of a slip...

i did not hand draw this embroidery by the way. i almost tried. and then after .5 seconds i said, "oh this doesn't look good and i don't know what i'm doing." so then i used some brushes in clip studio paint and colored in colors i liked and added some beads that are basically not visible at 100% zoom (lmao)

they're there, i swear. i just think it would be cute if there were some very small beads adding a bit of sparkle...

Anyway, I just thought the flowers and colors would be nice. And I know you're probably thinking "huh, where'd they get sheer fabric that's only embroidered on part of it?" considering all those pre-made fabrics w/ the flowers all over... or "where did they get that dress custom-made? did one of their friends pay for it?" to which normally I would say "yeah lol they know at least a half a dozen rich people" but in this case... Well, this is a wedding that involves Peter. and Peter is nothing if not extra, impulsive, romantic, and a masochist—

Peter hand-sewed the entire dress, including the embroidery.

I figure, if he can embroider spider webs onto his suit then surely he can handle this ,as long as he has something to go off of. the dress itself isn't exactly the most complex, except maybe the skirt part falling in a specific way, so this is just another idk how many hours for him to spend futzing around with a needle and thread and insisting he can finish it in time. point in favor, because he does, but only because they have to postpone the wedding from March to May for other, unrelated reasons LMAO

also i just think it's romantic... and i like the idea of him making things with his hands all the time... he takes up woodworking a year or two before this iirc lol (the reasons for that are more morbid though... 😅)

anyway, i wanted the skirt to look nice in a wheelchair without getting in the way of things like the brake grips or the push-rims, so Flash can still move herself around (esp since she doesn't have handles on the back of her wheelchair lol) so that was another thing i was looking at pictures of. I really like georgette so I think it's probably layers of georgette, but drawing that is... hard.

probably looks a little more like this?

but plain ivory obviously, not plaid. drapey with a soft hand, not too fluffy or stiff. probably a satin slip or something underneath.

elegant... backless... I mean if Peter is the one designing it (though presumably Flash has SOME input, I mean, she's the one wearing it) how could he possibly resist the opportunity? (i just think backless dresses look nice) (also it shows off her back muscles, probably)

lmao

as it says in the pic, i figured this should be designed so it's comfortable to sit in and doesn't get tugged around a bunch but I will be honest. i did not have a lot of luck trying to research that so I gave up. I'm sure there's a way to do it but I have no idea how to draw it so I'm handwaving it along with the mysterious missing waist seam LOL

but also it's a wedding dress and most wedding dresses are wildly inconvenient even if you have absolutely no disabilities whatsoever.

at least she doesn't have to go commando...

though i'm sure going to the bathroom is a real nightmare lol

the bouquet and the veil are both on the back of the wheelchair—this was already true even before I decided Flash was gonna use this as an opportunity to be way more girly than usual, but it's still true here too. Though I did end up changing the flowers cause I realized I didn't like what I had, so the final bouquet is a mix of peonies, flowering dogwood, and some kind of wildflower that would be in season in May. Plus the red ribbon to match Peter's accessories.

oh and there's Flash's makeup too. Simple, not too dramatic. I don't imagine her ever being a red lipstick and dramatic eyeshadow kind of person, whether at a wedding with colorful dress or not, but some lip gloss and a little bit of shimmery eyeshadow that you can barely see sounds nice... maybe copper mascara or whatever but nothing dark.

her hair is also not super complicated or fancy, and she has no jewelry or anything like that, aside from the engagement ring... just a nice low bun with some pretty wisps 💞 Courtesy of MJ almost definitely!!

And the yarmulke is for a multitude of reasons. "Technically" Flash is not "legally" a woman at this point, isn't even out to her family yet (lol. lmao.) and hasn't legally changed her name yet either (she's going to after they get married), and I don't even know what the rabbi would think (i mean, i'm sure they've discussed by the time the wedding happens lol) but women wear yarmulkes these days too (these days is... 2014... btw), and Flash will have converted like 4 years before the wedding already (for reasons unrelated to Peter) so it's important to her... so, ultimately, regardless of requirements or level of reformness, I think she just wants to wear one.

Peter gets one too.

isn't he handsome?

lbr he probably wouldn't have even thought about it if Flash didn't bring it up. too busy thinking about what color of tiny beads to sew onto her dress XD

I DID loosely base some elements of Peter's tuxedo on the one from the iconic PeterMJ wedding cover—

—but mostly in ways I probably would have done anyway (dark blue tux... red cummerbund... etc.) (actually now that i think about it, the comic tux is probably meant to be black, huh) and I didn't want to make it actually the same so I gave him a pleated shirt and I didn't use a carnation for his boutonniere. Instead, dogwood (to match the bouquet obviously)—all the flowers I picked I'm PRETTY sure are in-season in May in NYC. as if they couldn't just go to any random garden and get some damn roses but I wanted to be more specific.

Peter doesn't make his tuxedo XD He also doesn't buy or rent it—Johnny Storm is the one in charge here because he insists, Peter. It's a special occasion!! He'd never let his best friend who he's totally not a little bit in love with wear a rental tuxedo to his own wedding! God Forbid. Peter eventually allows him to do so under the stipulation that Johnny keeps it tasteful and classy and "not too expensive."

Which to Johnny means "expensive silks and wools."

he's probably wearing suspenders. i didn't bother drawing that.

also these fucking shoes

NO idea if Peter keeps these. I only came up with them today. He was just gonna wear normal shoes before... but again, this is tasteful a la Johnny Storm. But Peter doesn't usually have occasions to dress fancy so having weird pseudo-spat dress boots is like. "What do I even do with these?" ("Wear them!!!")

I almost made the top part white (thus, pseudo-spats) but I think that kind of requires more of a white tie look... it looks nicer black. and hides his spidey-tighties (except he's not wearing his costume under this). Snaps, too! easy on, easy off!

(vaguely based on (these shoes) btw but not 100%)

wedding rings 💍

i already drew the rings a while ago (though i did slightly modify the coloring) so that's still the same. the engagement ring is essentially Flash's very first step into admitting who she wants to be... Peter doesn't even have a proposal planned, he just asks one day over breakfast lmfao but Flash has to think about it a lot so by the time Peter gets a yes (after a serious conversation with Flash about it) Flash is also like... can I have a ring??? and Peter is like OF COURSE (and actually he did have some money saved for this but he didn't know what to do...)

he'd probably make the ring himself if she asked—he doesn't though, they get it from a jeweler. it's... not cheap but it's less than $1000 at least? benefits of being very small and discreet.

Peter probably also offers to get himself one so they're equals here esp since power dynamics is part of the serious conversation and why Flash has to think about his proposal, but it's just not practical for Science Teacher Spider-Man to have an engagement ring and also they do not have money for that many rings.

in my notes Peter is wearing his uncle's wedding ring btw 🥹 i don't think they have Richard and Mary's rings so that's probably not an option. so, resizing Uncle Ben's ring instead.

anyway...

that's everything

here's Flash again, look how pretty she is

normally she just wears comfy athletic clothes and no makeup lol

[eggyslang]

Redesigns of the new strawberry shortcake reboot :]

Design notes under the cut:

Strawberry shortcake: I gave her short hair so the silhouette of her head with the beanie looks more strawberry shaped. Also, something about her new look gives me a skater vibe [maybe it’s the beanie? Idk] so I wanted to lean into that with the rest of the outfit. I gave her a graphic tee over a stripy shirt [the green and white stripes call back to some of her past looks], baggy jeans [calling back to her 2003 look], and sneakers that look like red converse [kept from her current look]. I gave her a cute apron with a heart shaped strawberry on it to make her look more like a baker and to give a bit of a 2000’s skirt-over-pants type of silhouette that I think is fun. Also, I’d like to think that her grandma made it for her :]. I put in a lot of hearts in her design because hearts are kinda strawberry shaped and also she seems like a loving, friendship oriented person, so I felt hearts would fit her personality

Blueberry muffin: I wanted to give her a look that matched her kinda weirdgirl personality in the new show. I’ve only seen an episode and a half so I don’t have too much to go off of, but she seemed kinda spiritual, for lack of a better word [loves ghosts, talks about things having “good energy,” etc.] I gave her long, layered skirts to resemble muffin liners as well as add some flowiness to her outfit. Similarly, I gave her a cropped cardigan thing with wide sleeves. I gave her mismatched socks to make her look a little more eclectic. I tried to incorporate a lot of round/circular shapes into her design to make her more blueberry-ish like her mary janes, the circle pendent on her necklace, the round shape of her bangs, her bubble braid hairstyle [idk if that’s what it’s actually called, i just thought it looked cool], and her blue sunglasses. I made her bangs a little messier so it almost seems like she cut her bangs herself.

Orange blossom: her visor is my favourite part of all of these redesigns. I stole it from one of orange cookie’s costumes from cookie run bc it’s just so nice. I put flowers on her shorts to lean into the blossom part of her name. I also gave her a little orange slice watch to incorporate more oranges into her design. I imagine it’s one of those watches that tells you your heart rate and stuff.

Lime chiffon: I’m not really happy with her design but I tried my best. I have her pigtails in the shape of semicircles to look like lime slices. I made her glasses lime shaped. To lean into her nerdy/preppy look, I gave her a sweater vest over a polo. I kept the design of her skirt to be lime-ish. I gave her blueberry’s Ugg-like boots because I wanted to add some brown into her outfit to be like the cake part of a lime chiffon cake.

Lemon meringue: shes not TOO different from her current canon design. I changed her hair to be more lemon shaped. I also thought the shape gave her a bit more of a mad scientist look. I also put some white in her hair to incorporate some meringue-ness. I put some patches on her overalls like she’s used them for a long time and they’ve gotten worn out. Also, it allowed me to add some more lemon-y elements to her outfit. I put a lightning bolt on the chest of the overalls because her voice reminds me of rainbow dash and also i think you can use lemons to make electricity[? I think I did an experiment like that in elementary school]. I made her goggles look like lemon tarts for funsies. I gave her a tool belt to incorporate more brown into the design and bc all inventors need tools handy.

[ichigoli]

Yumi and The Nightmare Painter Shadowbox Master Post 1:

The Yoki-Hijo

I am head over heels for making these Cosmere Shadow Boxes. I would love to find a better mold than the 4" coasters but for now they are so pretty! I don't even know what I'll do with them but for now I'm happy the exist.

To begin, I once again sketched out a design trying to focus on strong silhouettes, and cut out each layer on a different piece of card stock. I decided to go with warm colors to push the heat of Yumi's environment and give some good contrast to the Painter Box coming soon.

Learning from the Mistborn Shadow Box, I was worried about such delicate shapes floating in the resin and messing with the depth. So I tried something that worked out ok with a fabric backing I did for a commission for a friend. I painted the paper cut outs with resin and let them cure on a silicone mat to hopefully give them some more rigidity and less buoyancy in the resin.

I wanted to lean in to the "traditional" vibe that Yumi's side of the story has, so I included real natural elements as part of the resin inclusions.

Real pressed flowers and gravel give the work a more grounded (sorry) element which will contrast nicely with what I have planned for Painter. I also decided to have some fun with it and "stacked" some rocks up the sides. The flowers floating in the sky are such an iconic part of her world that I had to include them.

I didn't take pictures of the individual layers going in this time around because, thanks to the resin painted over each piece, the long curing time between each layer became unnecessary so the process was a lot faster this time around (yay, we're learning!) But you can see the added flowers and some of the gems acting as stand ins for the Hijo floating around the stacks. I know they aren't "book accurate" but I wanted just the tiniest bits of Cyan and Magenta in Yumi's piece. (Keep an eye out for their parallels in Painter's piece)

I'm really fond of the way the resin soaks into the light card stock like water. It creates a very specific kind of translucency that lends itself to the "atmospheric fade" that creates a light illusion of distance and depth.

A quick check through the bottom to preview how it all looks before we add the resin on to the final backing paper layer...

The pale lemon yellow paper pics up a lot of depth from the resin soaking in. I also swirled in the littlest bit of gold luster-dust and a drip of orange ink to the corners for a little depth of color before putting the paper down and more resin over top.

And the final reveal:

A little flat with the simple background, but that's expected. The contrast is exactly what I was hoping for. I mixed a little bit of the glow powder seen beneath the Shadow Box there to help boost the reflectivity of light which can be seen bleeding up around her knees a little bit which I hope helps evoke that heat her land is known for.

When backlit, the rein soaked into the card stock gives the whole scene an almost dreamy quality as the stone stacks fade but Yumi remains stark and crisply focused.

A few close ups of details and how lovely the layering looks peeking through the open spaces.

<3

No preview of Painter yet, I am still trying to puzzle out a good silhouette for him that will show what he's actually doing when he's hunched over a canvas without being able to use internal contours... but I can share that I bought some EL wire and hope to line his piece with real hion lines!... once I figure out how to make the wire Cyan and Magenta along the places I want it to go.

Once Painter is done, I don't plan to stop. Maybe Warbreaker next... or Stormlight, though I have other plans for that behemoth.

Real talk: Anyone who wants to float an idea, I wanna hear it. These are too fun to stop. (I could maybe even be talked into parting with one if the situation arises)

[ink-wells-and-feathers]

i want to know about ur taylor hcs PLEASE!!!!! I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HIM SO HARD

GLADLY! I ALSO THINK ABOUT TAYLOR A LOT.

so look wise:

Taylor has an undercut with the top layer off one side about shoulder length. enough to have a top knot

Taylor wears those little plastic hair clips or like butterflies and stuff but his are typically Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Taylor's sword cane is covered in stickers

Taylor wears leggings and stretchy pants most of the time because he can "move faster in them"

other than his go bag Taylor's other option is a crossbody bag with a bunch of convention pins in it.

Taylor wears vans that he painted himself

Taylor has both ears pierced and does his makeup every morning

general headcanons:

Taylor is disabled. in my headcanon he has EDS and his cane is a mobility aid but his mom bought him a sword cane to encourage him to actually use it (if you're going to draw Taylor with his cane please remember that his elbow should be bent a bit. there's a good reference photo in the Taylor tag on how to draw cane users!)

Taylor draws and doodles as much as he can with his joints and this wears finger splints regularly when he is doodling, though despite his claims he's better at drawing flowers than manga

Taylor spend a period of time wanting to design a videogame

Taylor is embarrassed a little bit about his demon features. not because of what they are but because they aren't as pronounced as he wishes they were

Taylor wears exclusively matching pajama sets to bed.

Taylor played soccer for like a week in elementary school and tried various sports because of anime

Taylor's bedding is a light blue with light pink sheets and it's very fluffy and soft.

Taylor owns several lava lamps and has left one plugged in for a bit too long once so now he has to unplug them when he leaves the house

Taylor's room is wall to wall covered in pictures of his friends and posters and anything he wanted to tac up.

Taylor is unable to sleep without his stuffed frog from his dad from when he was really little

Taylor is sick a lot

Taylor was the second to say I love you to his friends. the first was Normal.

[awwyeah107]

So...I haven't made any fan art in years. And I haven't ever posted it online. But here I am with some drawings of a dress for a fanfic author's OC, and I'm quite happy with them.

These are some mockups of a dress that I pictured Mellótë wearing; she's an OC in the Silmarillion fanfic Daughters of Therindë by @darkfrozenabyss.

(I tried to draw Mellotë's face and hair. I really did. However, that gave me a lot of trouble, so in the end I decided it was okay to simply have the dresses be on a model XD Perhaps one day I'll try to actually draw her features.)

Made with the app Sketchbook on my dad's iPad.

Skirt design (and part of the first top design) is based off this dress. The second top design is completely mine. The third top design with the veil is based off of this other dress, and the fourth is the same thing without the veil.

Further description of why I made these, their inspiration, and my process below the cut :)

This came from a conversation in the comments of chapter 11 of Daughters of Therindë. In my comment, I mentioned that I had noticed a line about Mellótë's hair brushing her shoulder, and it prompted me to ask about what she was wearing. darkfrozenabyss replied, "I was picturing something gauzy and light pink, a one-shoulder gown that flares more at the bottom."

After that conversation, the next time I got onto Tumblr, I got an ad featuring the dress below that immediately made me think of that description—except for the fact that it was not one-shoulder.

It made me think, "Hmm, what would it look like if that was one-shoulder? What would it look like if she did wear it?" And thus my idea to draw the dress was born.

As mentioned above, I used the app Sketchbook to create the drawings. I imported that photo of the dress into the app as a layer, and I traced over the dress and the girl wearing it in a new layer. Then I made use of copious layers to get the texture and design of the skirt the way I wanted it to look.

I had had a couple ideas for what the top design would look like, and I worked on those designs after the skirt. My immediate thought was to move one of the wrap-around sleeves (I'm not sure what to call them) from the original dress up onto the shoulder and make it a bit thicker, so that is the first top design. I also had the idea to make a small little ruffle sleeve over the shoulder with a flower or brooch connected to a top without any additional texture. After I made those, I felt like there was still another possible design I could do that would look/fit better, so I scrolled through the dress website for one-shoulder dresses to use as inspiration. I found this dress with a veil (linked above as well) and really liked it, so I imported one of the photos and loosely traced it. Then I adjusted the tracing and added my own texturing and color to it. I think the design works both with and without the veil, so I included both versions.

Also, I had started on this drawing at around midnight on a Saturday night, thinking "Oh, I'll just start this and then continue tomorrow." Then after intensely focusing on getting the skirt coloring and texture down, I decided I should check the time (it doesn't show in the app for some reason)...and saw it was nearly 3 AM. XD I did continue the next day, gave it a rest for a couple days, came back to it, and then gave it a couple more days' rest and decided the designs looked complete enough that I was ready to post them.

From scrolling through darkfrozenabyss' drawings on Tumblr, I think the third or fourth designs would most likely be what Mellótë would wear out of these designs. Maybe the fourth more than the third. What do you think @darkfrozenabyss? I could be totally wrong in my guess, or maybe none of them would be anything close to what she would wear. XD

Anyway, it was a lot of fun working on these! I'm quite happy with how they turned out. I particularly love the bottom edges of the skirt—I feel like I was able to capture some of the gauzy layers. This is also the first time I've ever done really dedicated digital art, so I enjoyed the experience.

[happybunny999]

The goddess with pink hair and rose gold eyes

(Hyrule warriors age of calamity x human goddess reader fanfic) (various x reader) botw alter universe

Part 1

( the reader is a powerful goddess with in inner god of her own abilities and was in the multiverse looking over people and when a strange portal opens and brings her to hyrule where she must find a way back to the multiverse and help hyrule’s warriors with their problem against the calamity)

Calm , quiet, peaceful… is what you can call the void I am in as I watch over the multiverse and keep it protected from any thing that might pose a threat to it and I find it interesting that with the entire multiverse and everything in it is at my command and control but I’m not corrupt I just find it enjoyable to watch over it.

I have been keeping the multiverse in order for a very long time and yet still look the same as I did before as I still have the appearance of a 17-18 year old girl and have been caring for the whole multiverse at a very young age since then. And I still have extremely beautiful, long, light pink hair, and light dark skin. Wearing a beautiful,cute, and colorful three layered flowing and frilly pink and sky blue dress (that resembles an alternative version of madoka kaname goddess dress) with tights and pink and white Thigh boots that go above my knees and long finger gloves and on my right hand is a symbol of a big star with 8 sides and 4 dots on the point angles with white wings in front of it and lastly My beautiful yet powerful rose gold eyes. (The rest of the design is up to you if you want) (the star on your hand represents the law of cycle and cause and effect along with everything else. I took the symbol from madoka’s law of cycle) 

Oh, and while I do watch over the multiverse I also use my power to summon video games for me to play with to keep myself entertained but my most favorite game the legend of Zelda game series especially the DLC called “Hyrule warriors; age of calamity”

“I love this game so much but I wise I could help them” I said with a bit of an hopefulness but I knew that would never happen.

Suddenly As I turn around to check the multiverse for the one hundred times I saw something that I hadn’t seen before it was a purple and black portal that appeared out of nowhere and it started pulling me towards it as I tried to get away but it was too late as the portal pulled me in and everything went black.

-

A warm and bright light is what greet’s when I slowly open my eyes confused and wondering about what was going on as when my eyes full opened and adjusted to the bright sun above me and the feel of dirt and grass

Wait…sun light, grass, dirt… my eyes shot open and I immediately sit up from where I was laying down quickly looking around my surroundings and saw a pond and crawled over to look and saw how my appearance had changed my dress had turned into a white, small, frilly dress with golden sandals laced up my legs (to which I didn’t like at all) and also realized that I’m in an open field with lots of grass and beautiful flowers and as I stand up I caught sight of a castle not to far way from me which made me confused and started to remember the strange portal that I got pulled into and realized that I might have brought me to a different world so I take a deep breath and close my eyes and try to use my ability to see which world I’m in and not the void. As my eyes were closed and take a calm and focused stance I could feel the wind start to whirl around me as I open my eyes start to glow bright and as I peer through the eyes of a random person and what I see shock and excited me at the same time because the castle from afar had a familiar symbol that I knew immediately as the Hyrule Triforce symbol and I couldn’t help but smile with excitement because I couldn’t believe that I’m in my favorite game?! “Omg I’m actually in Hyrule!” I shout with pure enthusiasm.

After a few seconds I had calmed down and started to think what to do and how to find way back to the void since I had no clue until I hear loud and destructive noises from the village just a few feet away from me and see monsters attacking the people who lives there so decided that I should help them so quickly used some magic and changed clothes I was comfortable with which was a modern long sleeved shirt and style pants along with soft boots and created a pink cloak and put it over my head so that I covered my face so it would be hard to see my face.

As I made my way to the village I see monsters everywhere and the soldiers having a hard time fighting them with their large numbers and some tried to attack me but with my abilities I defeated them easily and help the wounded soldiers by using healing magic as they looked on shock and confusion about my sudden appearance and my ability but I didn’t answer their questions and just started running and fighting the other monsters while helping other people until I found my self outside the gate of Hyrule Castle and turn to see the all too familiar egg shaped teapot laying on the ground powerd down for now and when I approached it to use magic on it to start it without the skein slate(sorry if I miss pronounce it wrong) but as soon as I tried to power it I hear foot steps and turn to see a young man in armor and bright sky blue eyes, dirty blonde hair with his sword drew at me and I recognize him immediately as my favorite character Link.

As we both looked at each other I could see that he is confused and suspicious upon seeing me and my weird looking outfit with my cloak covering my face and doesn’t lower his sword but I didn’t want to blow my cover just yet so I tried to walk away but heavy and loud footsteps caught my and Links attention as we both turn to see a whole group of monsters chasing a young woman with white hair and wearing a ninja outfit she look at us and called for our help while running towards us and ends up tripping over and allowing the shaekin slate to fly in the air. I watched as Link runs forward towards the woman named Impa ( I learned the name with the ability to see the future) as I watched the tablet fly in the sky in slow motion and stare back at the small robot start to power on and the ground begins to shake leaving both Link and Impa confused as I looked on unfazed then a monster try’s to move towards to attack and Link was ready to defend and I start to smile as a huge tower erupts from the shaking ground while Link and Impa looked on surprised and confused. Me and Link turned around to see that Terrako was standing and happily beeping at us and it made me smile even more.

After that “dilemma” Impa was looking up at the tower wondering and Link was keeping an eye on me and Terrako as I played with the small robot with a big smile on my face. Soon Impa turned her attention towards me and started to ask me questions “um… hello there who are you” and “what’s with the weird clothes you are wearing” as Link looked at me suspiciously with his hand close to his sword but I didn’t pay attention to it and was already running with Terrako to the castle with Link and Impa chasing after us yelling to stop. (This is going to be a fun adventure)

I said with a smile.

[badlydrawnarsenelupin]

what kind of hanfu would you envision lupin wearing :3c

// Hello anon, first of all: thanks for sending something so catered specifically towards me (designing useless alternative outfits for my blorbos). Second, I just want you to know that this was one of the most redraw-heavy, hair-pulling, triple-digit-layers experiences you've sent me on. Also lots of reading and research, which I am now going to make you read.

There's a lot of different styles of hanfu depending on the eras, the three main, popular styles these days are from the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties. There's more but you don't need to know about them here lol.

The ones I've drawn here aren't like.... super historically accurate but more of a mix of modern hanfu + Lupin-vibes for the✨aesthetics.✨

This is called Feiyu-fu/飞鱼服 from the Ming dynasty, which translates to 'flying-fish uniform' for its depiction of the Feiyu/飞鱼 in the embroidery. It's not actually a fish but a dragon-like creature, with wings and a fish-shaped tail (guess why it's called flying-fish lol). It's one of the more popular types you see in modern hanfu because it's just really elaborate and cool looking.

Speaking of elaborate, here's a closer look at my suffering!

Historically, Feiyu-fu was one of the type of clothing to be bestowed upon people by the emperor. There's like different tiers depending on the embroidery, the dragon or the Long/龙 is like exclusively for the emperor and then following that in order of tier are: Mang/蟒, Feiyu/飞鱼, Douniu/斗牛, Qilin/麒麟 etc. Those guys, unlike the Long has 4 or less claws instead of 5. If it's confusing, don't worry about it, they're basically different types of mythical "dragon-like" creatures.

There's a whole culture of gifting these specially embroidered clothes (from the imperial court to court officials, nobles, foreign royalty etc.) and it's pretty prestigious to get one. I found it fitting for Lupin since:

it's very lavish and opulent, also high-status

seems very much like the type of thing Lupin would somehow get his little thief hands on✨

unrelated but the two white stripes down the front on aren't a thing, I made it up for style + to add the lupine flowers on it (although they kind of look like wheat??? I tried my best ok)

Okok so fun fact, later in the Ming period, the Feiyu started to not be depicted with wings for some reason, and it became really really hard to differentiate it from the Mang, so some people just started wearing their Feiyu as a Mang... because it's a higher tier and second only to the emperor's Long-clothings. I just think that's funny and it reminds me of Lupin lmao.

Here's a more casual style with the Feiyu-yesa/曳撒 robes + a zhaojia/罩甲 on top!

So the flower here on the zhaojia is the plum blossom, or meihua. It's known as one of the four "gentleman-ly" flowers along with, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum (梅兰竹菊).

I thought the gentleman-ly theme was fitting for Lupin... although the four flowers' symbolism is more for strictly pure, noble and righteous characters.... That's ok, it's how Lupin thinks of himself anyways psh

Close-ups for the long-hair enjoyers. The little thing he's wearing is called fa-guan/发冠, it's basically a little crown-like thing that's used to hold up hair, sometimes coupled with a cloth/ribbon. The version on the right is a style very commonly seen in cdramas these days but it's historically-inaccurate... it looks cool though lol.

More details! These are called hebao/荷包 and they're basically little pouches to store things in, like money or handkerchiefs. They can also be used to carry fragrant herbs/perfume. They can also gifted from young women to men they like :^))))

For alternative hanfu styles, I think something like the modern Tang dynasty-inspired hanfu would fit Lupin as well... they're more flowy and with larger sleeves that you can hide stuff in... They look best in motion! An example from those videos of skateboarding hanfu guys.

Alright that's finally done! I'm going to go and pass out for the next 10 hours _(┐ 「ε:)_

[readitback]

natural egg dye

So, I had tried homemade dye in another year with the results of a disappointing garden harvest, and underestimated how much plant material and time natural egg dye takes. I tried again with a little more planning and the colors were still... subtle. If you want to try natural dye for eggs I recommend these things:

Use more of whatever plant, vegetable, scrap, etc than you think you need. Plan ahead if you're trying to use kitchen scraps or be low waste, because you will need a lot.

Leave the eggs for a while. I kept wanting to mess with them, but the best results were the ones I put in before bed and took out when I got home from work. (Note I did this at room temperature not in hot water, that may play a role). Trying to let them dry and go back in to deepen the color resulted in the original layer just getting washed off and the end result was lighter than I started with.

Let the color dry. Most of the eggs I took out looked white still, with a grey film, then I left them on the counter and the next morning they were the color I was expecting. Note, the color was kinda mottled, not even. There were also white patches where the egg rested on the bottom of the jar.

Other details that aren't advice per se, but just what I did:

I started with empty eggs shells. I poke holes on the end and blow the yolk out. Not necessary, I just wanted to keep them. If you do this the eggs get very brittle from the vinegar etc., so be gentle.

I also don't necessarily recommend keeping them. Even after a few days the color seems to be fading on some. I will keep them but maybe this is an exercise in finding beauty in the ephemeral.

I made the dye by pouring boiling water over the scraps in jars, then filtering into different jars. Then put the eggs in the jars to sit. This is because I didn't want to have to keep washing pans, maybe simmering in a pan would have made the dye stronger.

Because I was leaving them so long I don't put vinegar in the dye. I tried that first and took out a floppy, wiggly shell - cool but not what I was going for. Instead I let the egg sit in diluted vinegar for 5 to 10 minutes before putting it in the dye.

Reusing the dye didn't really work for me, it stuck a lot less or not at all for the second eggs, I think because the solution took on the calcium from the shell.

Some started as brown eggs and I used candle wax and a paintbrush to paint and stencil designs on before using vinegar to lift the color off the shell - rinse and gently wipe these to get the brown off.

Colors:

Brown, my chickens just do that

purple, red wine, whatever type (yes I got the glittery crystals the internet talks about but it took a few days to appear)

Blue, red cabbage. Last time I tried this the red cabbage made a grey blue, this time was pretty bright. May be because of the type or maturity of the cabbage. The grey blue was from a stunted cabbage from my garden. The bright blue was from leftovers from store bought.

Green (very pale in these pictures), pink oxalis flower petals. Most wildflowers will result in green. The water itself was hot pink and turned lavender after the egg sat in it overnight.

Orange (not pictured), carrot, didn't really work for me. I tried shaving instead of purée-ing.

Let me know if you want any more details! Or share if you have done this and have tips to get better coverage or different colors!

[snek-panini]

I'm somewhat late posting this one, since I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but this was Binderary Book #3! A bind of Pray for Us, Icarus by Atalan. I'm not sure this fic needs any introduction from me, but suffice it to say that it's wonderful and involves retelling the events of canon with a memory loss twist. It's one of those fics that exists in undeniable conversation with canon; you can't really separate it from the canon without losing a lot of meaning. This fic is so good it gives me story hangover when I read it. It gets pretty angsty in parts but has a happy and totally satisfying ending.

I tried so many new things with this bind, and most of them came out really well! I'm a little in love with it. More pics and process talk below the cut!

One of the reasons I waited to post is because I never got a response from the author when I reached out about binding this one. That's only happened to me once before, and last time it was on an orphaned work so I expected it. Hopefully they don't mind that I've posted pics.

The cover on this one is faux leather. It was my first time working with it and I loved it. Feels really nice, looks beautiful, holds a fold well (this brand, anyway), and takes glue and embossing powder like a champ. The front has a 3D cutout that I made with layered sheets of thin cardboard, then covered over with leather and pressed into the corners. That's another first for me (my other cutouts were all 2-material windows) and I loved it so much I did it over again on my next bind (not done yet--pics are coming). I did press too hard and tear the material in one spot; the gilding around the title is there to cover that. The other issue I had was with the rose stamp on the front cover--turns out this stuff is way more slippery that I expected, and it got shifted while I was pressing it, trying to get the details to take.I didn't notice this until after using the heat gun, at which point it was too late to re-do it, so now I'm living with it. Not ideal, but we live and learn.

Top view, spine, and endpaper. The only design choice I made on this volume that I'm not nuts about is the blue endbands. They're...fine. But I didn't have one available that was better, and I haven't taken the leap into making my own yet. They're not that bad, I just don't love them.

Title on spine! This is another first, possible because of the material. The book cloth I usually use doesn't play nice with the embossing powder so I can't use it on the cloth spines that I usually prefer. But the faux leather works fine with it, so I went for it here.

Endpapers are scrapbook paper, a really nice shade of light green that didn't shop up well in the photos. Trust me, though--they look fabulous with the green ribbon bookmark and the brown leather. Rich and warm and lovely. The case on this fits really well, which is something I continue to struggle with. At first I thought it was too big again, but in hindsight I think it's perfect actually.

Interior shots! I...still need to up my game on the title pages. I did for the bind that came after this one. I find I like the box though. Keeping that.

The illustration next to the chapter title is a sprig of rosemary. Memory loss is a major theme in the story, and the quote "rosemary for remembrance" comes up prominently in the first chapter, so I thought it was appropriate. There are a lot of flowers and plants in this story, and I really wanted to feature all of them, but finding coordinating artwork of them all was too big of a challenge so only two made it in: the rosemary and the rose on the front cover. The rose was a rubber stamp and the rosemary was a free image I found online; all I did was resize it. The same image appears at the beginning of each chapter. I finally figured out how to prevent Word from making all my images blurry, so there will be more included artwork like this in future binds.

That's a wrap! I love this bind. Like a lot. I want to show it to everyone I know but I don't want to explain fanfiction to them so it's here. My next Binderary bind is almost done and will be shared in a few days, (it needs its cover attached and to be titled) and then I owe someone an author's copy before I launch into another fanbind. I already have plans for it though. Can't sit still too long.

[3ofpents]

100 Palette Challenge // Palette #10 // Lady Dahlia

I know I'm late again this week. I'm in the midst of a lot of school stuff. I've mentioned, I think, but I've gone back to school to get a graphic design certification. I started last Fall and it was my hope to be done by this summer because the certification programs are designed for adults with careers who want to expand their skill sets and so are pared down to only the classes that are directly relevant to the subject matter. In my case that's only 9 classes, so 3 per semester. But unfortunately I had to withdraw in the Spring because of some health issues. So now I'm trying to pick up where I left off after the school went and changed a bunch of their online systems. So now I get to try and recover my old accounts on their new system and deal with class requirements that don't exist for my program, but apparently exist now for individual classes that are required.

And on top of that we're prepping our toddler to go to daycare, which comes with A LOT of paperwork and supplies lists and doctor signatures and also EMOTIONS.

Anyway.

Today's palette comes from a poster that appears to have been an activist piece of art. I've tried not to go into too much detail here about the posters since the bulk of this book is the palettes and the pieces they were picked from. I'm already posting every single palette in the book, so I'd rather not include the posters also. But I just love this one so much, I have to at least share the information so you can look it up yourselves. It's called "Dig" by Sadie Wendell Mitchell, it's part of a series she did called "Girls Will Be Girls". It depicts a young woman perched on a chair engrossed in a book, and also surrounded by stacks of books. Only a few of the books have visible titles, "The Study of Bugology", "The Psychology of the Male Human", and "Economy" (the one she's reading). And on the wall you can see part of a poster that says "DO IT NOW".

It feels like a very pointed protestation as a poster designed in 1909.

I struggled with this palette a lot. It's not only very similar to a lot of the previous palettes, the values are just so similar, particular with the green and teal. It works fine in the original poster because Mitchell used a heavy black outline, but the author of the book chose not to include that in the palette.

I actually started a completely different piece that going to be a face study, but I just didn't like the way the colors were playing together. So I ended up scrapping it.

So I pulled back a bit. Our dahlias have started blooming and the first ones to pop were these gorgeous red and yellow blooms, and I've wanted to draw a fairy for one of these for several palettes so far, so I did it.

The dahlias were SO much easier and more fun to draw than the peony was. They're so geometric, I really just enjoyed layering the petals and the colors.

I attempted to give the fairy some petal clothes, but it just wasn't doing what I wanted it to do. And I think the form is distinct enough to make her out. I do really like the effect of the teal on the green; the heavy similarities of them both make the fairy and flowers pop more. I do wish I'd filled in some more greenery in the background, but honestly I'd spent so much time on this palette already I didn't have it in me.

I'm really pleased with the final result, though, and I doubt this will be the last fairy piece in this series.

I want to shout out Fat Photo Ref again. I used them for the pose and the hair for the fairy and I remain exceptionally pleased with the range of references available and the easy navigation.

[merryclaus]

OKAY!!

I have more on Tega, warning though. The notebook and color pencils that I use are cheap so the color and outlines from other pages bleed over.

First up: Her body shape and outfit reference.

Please disregard the hair, sword, and shit design of the shoes. I can't draw shoes 😔. Anywho, I want to start by saying that Tega is very confident in herself and her looks. Since she is thicker than most, if not everyone, she is underestimated and made fun of. Also she has a jacket, I just didn't draw it on her.

1. The band on her leg has medicine, antidotes, and other first-aid kits that are travel sizes.

2. The bandages around her lower legs hides scars from her past.

3. Was gonna give her gloves but decided no.

4. As I mentioned in my first post about her, she used to train as a sound breather with Tengen but things got awkward when he proposed and she didn't feel the same. So she bounced and switched to nature breathing.

5. Her color scheme was influenced by her late mother.

6. Is pretty fast for her size.

Next: Her face

Firstly, sorry again for the color and drawing outline bleed through.

1. Hair is curly with a side braid (tried to draw it and it didn't work.) Light-ish? Brown with a darker, more earthy shade of brown for highlights.

2. Green and blue eyes that look like marbles.

3. Thick, full fushia shaded lips, work it girl.

4. Ears I chose to cover with the hair, but she has small flower earrings.

Lastly: The extra details.

1. Slayer Mark: Imma get this out of the way now, I don't read the manga so I don't know what a Slayer Mark is. I was looking for a reference to the Hashira uniform and stumbled across a Demon Slayer OC which led to finding more OCs and a lot of them had a mark. I thought it looked cool so a flower surrounded by a world-wind because Tega is unusually fast. Her mark is placed on her upper right thigh.

2. Her swords hilt: It is a three layered flower called the Infinity Petal hilt.

3. Her sword: Her sword can separate and become two smaller swords but with the same amount of strength. The design is based off of her mother's favorite kimono. The design on the blade curves upward to remind her to keep her head up and look forward to the future. (Haven't design the sheath yet and I don't want to lol)

4. Her jacket design: Very floral with little white whisps floating around the flowers. The design is reminiscent of the springs she used to enjoy when she was a little girl.

Now for some history, Tega used to live a happy, carefree life with her parents as a child. Her mother was a retired Hashira and her father was a farmer. She spent many years in comfort until one day she returned home from picking flowers to find her mother murdered and her father licking blood from his sharp fingers.

That moment started her on the path of a Hashira, for revenge against her father and on a quest to destroy Muzan and as many demons as possible before meeting her end.

Welp that all for this post, hopefully Tumblr will let me publish it.

[queenczarina17]

Deadly Habits

Chapter 2

The multiple layers of blankets and the hearth blazing cause Rhea to awake in a deep sweat. Her delicate hand reaches to the other side of her bed. Empty. 

As she sits up, Chloe, her maid assistant enters her room. 

“Good morning.” She says she makes her way to the side table where she places a pitcher of ice water. 

“Where is Thanatos?” Rhea asks as she grabs the pitcher and pours herself a glass. 

“He left earlier this morning. Stating he had a meeting but he did say he would be back in time for you two to meet with the designers regarding your new palace.” Chloe leaves the room and heads to the adjoining bathroom. Rhea hears the water begin to peel the layers back of blankets. 

Once free, she grabs her dark purple robe and heads to join Chloe in the bathroom. The bath is cooler to help bring down her body temp. She may run warmer as a side effect of being born in the underworld; however, Thanatos can cause her to freeze when they share a bed. 

Chole exits the bathroom, and Rhea sheds her robe and slips out of her silk sleep dress. As she steps in, she catches her reflection, her hair kinked with waves from the braid she wore last night. She spots a stray flower still stuck in her hair. Thanatos tried his best to get them all out before they went to bed however Hecate had gone overboard. 

The chill of the water causes goose bumps to rise on her tanned skin.The water helps her shake off the heat of the night.

She closes her eyes as she tries to relax in the water. She must have dozed back off again because the next thing she remembers is Thanatos’ icy hand on her shoulder causing her to jump. 

“Woah, it's okay, it's just me.” He goes to kiss her forehead.

“You are wearing your mask. Where were you?”  She says trying to grab the towel from the towel rack. Thanatos’ hand grabs hers and pulls her into a kiss. 

“I was in a meeting. My…associates preferred us to meet on neutral ground which involved being around a lot of humans.” He says against her lips as he continues to kiss her. 

Thanatos’ mask was similar to how his natural god looked, however his skin was no longer pale but is replaced by a light tan, his almost white hair is a golden blonde, and he mimics breathing and a beating heart. 

“Than please, let me get out and we go to my bed.” Rhea says pulling away while sinking in the water to put some space between them. 

“Oh come on. We can reheat the water and I can join you.” He smiles as he starts to strip his suit off. 

“Than, please.” Rhea says again trying to get up only to be pushed back into the water slowly by Than.

Once his clothes are off, he climbs into the bathtub and on top of Rhea. Bracing both of his hands on each side of the bathtub, he begins to kiss her. She slowly wraps her arms around his neck and leans up into the kiss. Than kicks the knob near the faucet which helps the tub begin to heat again. A gift from Hecate and her enchantment ability after Rhea went to her for advice regarding different ways her and Than could be intimate. 

Thanatos breaks the kiss and slips one of his arms under Rhea’s body he pulls her up and then sits back down pulling her on top of him. They continue to kiss as he moves his hands to explore her body. 

“I can’t wait. Come here.” He says picking her up again and placing her on top of him but this time slipping his dick inside her causing her to gasp as the cold radiates through her body. He moves his lips to her neck, lightly biting and kissing. 

She slowly moves her hips letting out soft moans as the mixture of sensations from the cold of Than and the warmth of the water. 

“You are so sexy, Rhea. I love you.” His voice against her neck giving her another sensation.  Just as she began to move her hips fast, a loud knock at the door startled both of them causing her to freeze. 

“Princess?” A soft voice says from the other side of the door. 

“Yes?” She responded not recognizing the voice plus any of her normal maids would never call her princess. 

“Your grandfather requests your presence in his office.” The voice says back. 

“Thank you. I will be out shortly.” Rhea begins to stand letting Thanatos’ dick spring from her. Before she can fully leave him, he pulls her back down again causing water to splash out of the tub and soak the floor including Thanatos’ suit. 

“Shit.” He says laughing.

“As much as I want to finish this, we should not leave my grandfather waiting. Also we should probably grab you some different clothes.” She peaks over the side of the tub seeing the ball that was his suit wet. 

Thanatos now dress in a pair of black jeans, a large plain black hoodie, and his mask off walks next to a still water haired Rhea who is wearing a similar outfit besides a white hoodie instead of black.

The pair arrive in her grandfather’s office, where her mother, in a navy draped midi dress with matching blue high heels, her grandmother in a emerald suit standing next to her grandfather father who is sitting at his desk in his trademark black on black suit, and rounding out the room was her uncle wearing only a pair of checkered pajama pants, and large sunglasses covering his eyes. Rhea couldn’t tell if he was even awake as his head was resting on the back of the chair. 

“Rhea. Thanatos. Please” Hades tells him, gesturing his hand to two empty chairs. 

“What is this about grandfather?” Rhea asks, looking at everyone in the room. 

“We have heard of some disturbing news from the upper world.” He responds while her grandmother moves a newspaper across the desk. Rhea, Thanatos, and Melinoe look. 

Beloved Granddaughter of Poseidon Found Dead

Below the headline is a picture of a girl that Rhea recognized but was not friends with. 

“Pallas Tritonian was found murdered outside of her apartment early this morning. She was a quad but had no known divine power.” Hades says, gripping his hand around the arm of his chair. 

“She was the daughter of Triton and a woman named Libby.  Poseidon and Amphitrite are devastated.” Persephone adds. 

“Oh my god.” Melinoe says in shock. Rhea looks to Thanatos as if he had any more information to add. 

“We believe that her death is related to the more violent faction of Humans for a Better World. The stygians.” Hades continues. 

“But H.F.B.W. aren’t violent, just upset humans.” Rhea says. 

“My love, there are things that we have not been telling you.” Thanatos grabs her hand. “There has been an uptick in deaths of demi-gods and quads in the recent months. Even those who were not considered problematic or divine in nature.”

“Why? Why would anyone want to hurt them?” Rhea looks at Than then at Hades.

“Granddaughter, we have spent your life protecting you from the true nature of the upper world.”

“What do you mean?” Rhea looks around the room again. 

The room is silent until Zagreus speaks. 

“You were spoon fed a lie, niece. They showed you only the good of the upper world. You would be in shock if you saw how awful those entitled demi-gods and quads are.” Zagreus doesn’t even lift his head.

“Is this true?” Rhea looked directly at her mother.

“Yes. It was for your protection, Rhea. You didn’t need to be corrupted. You are already ascending into a very disturbing role of Goddess of Death.” Melione tries to place her hand on Rhea but she snatches it away.

“We can discuss this issue later, but there is one more important detail regarding these deaths.” Hades looks at Than.

“Those who are killed by stygian aren’t returning to their afterlives.” He answers. This is the first time Zagreus moves in the chair. 

“What?” He says talking off his glasses. 

“I met with my associates today. No one has been able to reap these slain demi-gods and quads.”  

“What do you mean they aren’t coming to their afterlife?” Rhea asks.

“We believe however the stygian are killing them, it is destroying their souls. Completely erasing them.”

“Oh my god.” Persephone squats down, unable to stand with the stock of what Thanatos is saying. Hades places his arm around her to comfort her. 

“This is why we called a meeting. Zagreus, you need to remain here in the underworld going forward. We can’t risk losing you and you not being able to take over if something were to happen to me.” Hades pulls Persephone closer as she sobs at the thought of anything happening to him. 

“Wait what? I’m not saying here. Fuck that. That is bullshit. I have a life you know.” Zagreus stands up off the chair and moves closer to the desk. 

“This isn’t up for debate. If you don’t comply voluntarily, we will remove the ability to transport to the upper world.” 

“That is fucking bullshit!” He shouts and bangs his hands on the desk. 

“Enough!” Hades shouts back standing up to face his son

“Stop!” Persephone screams at the both of them. The two men look at the upset woman. “Please, enough. I do not want to even imagine anything happening to any of you. I can’t even begin to understand how Poseidon and Amphitrite are feeling right now and I never want to.” 

After the heated exchange in Hades office, Rhea retreated to her room. Thanatos tried to join her but she advised him that at that moment, she really wanted to be alone. 

As she lays on the large bed, looking up at the ceiling of her bedroom, someone appears next to her and there is only one person who decides to manifest randomly. Hedone. Daughter of Eros and Psyche and Granddaughter of Aphrodite and Ares. A full goddess. She is the personification of pleasure and enjoyment. 

“Why so glum?” Hedone rolls over to face Rhea. 

“Everyone that I thought truly cared about me has been lying to me.” She says in a monotone voice. 

“Oh not everyone. I never lied to you. If anything, I may have bent the truth but it was only because I wanted you to have fun.” She pokes at her cheek. 

Rhea spent the rest of the day and late into the night venting to Hedone before finally falling asleep.