#Red sprites as they're also called

[mintytrifecta]

I've been thinking so hard about TLEs and strange weather phenomenon and combining it with my ninjago brainrot I'm thinking so hard about Jay's lightning and everything he could potentially do with it

[oneroomjestershow]

Progress on the sprites for the new profile i decided to not give a fuck about the proportions even if they look taller than normal

and suffering because of the hair and the emotions it conveys

[magua-vida]

SLAY THE QUEEN THORN

I was inspired by Abby's sketch of a hypothetical Queen version of the Princess, so I tried my hand at it with a few vessels, including this one. I... ended up drawing something akin to a fashion design concept art rather than a practical design that won't be tiring to draw over and over after a handful of sprites later. I also had to use a bit more artistic license growing unnatural poppies on the dress and the thick twirly prickly noodles.

some explanations behind the process

For the "mended" Thorn, I pretty much just removed the foreground thorns and added the dirt.

rambling/fangirling/screenshots below:

The Thorn is one of my favorites. If I had to choose only five vessels to offer to Shifty and there's no replayable feature, she'll definitely be one of them. I'm one of those suckers who's into Hurt/Comfort stories. Almost like a masochist for those fics, you could say. If the climax to an Action-heavy story is the defeat of one party, then the catharsis of Hurt/Comfort is when the two characters... well, comfort each other- either due to hurt from each other or someone else. In The Thorn's case, she started off rather innocently, Damsel-like, but not quite. She still had caution. It was until she was literally stabbed in the back that she learned that it was a mistake. And when Long Quiet offered sincere regret and admission of fault, she stabbed him... but she didn't feel the relief she thought she'd get from it. I think many relate to having been betrayed and/or betraying someone they trusted, and the scratches are felt by many players.

The thorns curve inward, as if it's more painful to leave her than it is to approach her.

Poppies grow around along the bramble. Many mistook them for roses because they're red and there are brambles (tbh, I actually dunno if they're brambles or briars, I looked them up and I got confused, forgive me, plant enthusiasts ;.;) that grow around the patches of those poppies. Death and romance~

This brings back to Chapter 1 where Hero was kinda-sorta-maybe-definitely crushing on the Princess and wants to give her the benefit of the doubt, not only because of feelings, but for a reasonable cause of wanting to rescue someone who possibly may actually be a victim of circumstance.

Look, I have reasons why Thorn route is one of my favorites and it definitely doesn't have anything to do with both characters having massive trust issues and the capability to change themselves for better or worse and the emotional moments hitting me like a lovely diamond-dusted dagger. Both of them are rather cat-like with pointy ears too.

I appreciate that you're still given the options to leave or stab Thorn, as if the situation isn't pitiable enough. Even her tiara looks like a crown of thorns. It's as if she views the thorns as both a form of penance and a defence mechanism to protect herself from being hurt again, even though she's hurt by her own making this time.

I chose for the Long Quiet to save her and leave the cabin together.

This part stabbed me the most. Even when shown genuine help, she shrinks back.

This part burns a bit of the jadedness away. Trust is a scary thing, so is love. How can you be so sure that you won't be hurt by the one you love again? But just like what The Prisoner says, it's about trust- blind trust. Thorn looks more human than her previous self- less animalistic, softer. A part of The Damsel returns, even in the music.

I recall weighing on whether I prefer the version with the Voice of the Cheated or Voice of the Smitten. I vaguely remember wondering if there was an option to ask her if it's okay to kiss her. I guess the ideal would be is to have that choice, but I suppose the climactic moment calls for it and she doesn't mind it, at least. It's like the option to hug Astarion from BG3, but you're not sure whether he'd be comfy with it after being hurt so much. He gave approval for it too~

As much as Thorn is one of my favorites, I'm not attracted to her and any of the vessels. Instead, I ship her with the Long Quiet- the character himself. I don't really see myself AS the Long Quiet, more like choosing what actions on what he does and I separate myself from him a lot for many reasons. It's a bit like the Harry situation from Disco Elysium in terms of seemingly blank-slate protagonists.

Instead, I kinda put myself into her situation to feel how she felt in this route. The poppies not only felt symbolic of her nature as part of the Shifting Mound, but also specifically the end of the mutual treachery you've inflicted on each other, potentially beginning anew on a path of healing.

==============ramble-bramble over===================

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Melon Bug (again)

Debut: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

(I wanted to write some more about Melon Bug, and I liked the original post just fine, so this post will be a continuation since that one was so short!)

An isopod! Oh, joyous day! It may not look like one at all with that big ol’ nose, but when it’s rolled up, there is no mistaking it! Here’s a very fun fact: when an isopod curls into a ball, it’s called conglobation! Use that in your everyday lives.

Melon Bug technically isn’t an enemy, you know the drill, weird Mario friends, that usual thing. When curled up, Yoshi can lick them up and spit them out, defeating enemies they hit! Could this be the first instance of weaponized isopods?

The Player's Guide says "These feisty hoppers transform from bug to melon and back again." Feisty? They're only slightly more feisty than a real pill bug! And a real pill bug has a negative Feistiness Level. I don't think whoever wrote this has played the game, since Melon Bug is harmless! I also don't think they know about real pill bugs, because they clearly can't cogitate conglobation. A bug transforming into a melon? How unrealistic! What do they think this is, Trip World?

I think "Melon Bug" is a very good name. An incredible name, even! When Melon Bug curls up, it, obviously, resembles a melon, what with both being round with stripes. While real pill bugs don't really have "stripes", their tergites (armor plates) do give a "lined" appearance. If you ask me, Melon Bug could be a good name even for real terrestrial isopods!

What do YOU call pill bugs? I've always called them roly-polies, but they have so many wacky names. Woodlouse? Yeah sure, a bug that lives under wood, why not! Butchy-boy? I don't get it, but it's funny. Then there are all the names comparing them to pigs which I just do not get, but groundhogs also get compared to pigs in common names a lot, so maybe people just don't know pigs as well as they like to think. And THEN! England gave them a bunch of CHEESE-related names. What is happening over there? Are British people somehow making cheese from isopod secretions? Why would you call this creature a CHEESELOG? That's a straight up food! I kind of love this name for them for being so ridiculous! Anyway, my point with all this is that Melon Bug would be more actually fitting than the majority of the common names these have been given, but sometimes it is more fun to be unfitting!

Isn't it weird how Melon Bug's art doesn't quite look like the sprite? Such bulging eyes in the art, but little dots in-game... well, we now know the reason!

Remember Super Donkey, from the 2020 gigaleak? I feel like it's been far too forgotten for how interesting it is! Anyway, as I mentioned when talking about that game, Melon Bug was originally designed for it! It seems like the Yoshi's Island art was drawn before they decided to shrink its sclerae, and lighten its colors, but after they decided to give it little red shoes.

If you grew up calling roly-polies something else, or if you know fun names from other languages, I would love to hear them! And I hope you love and appreciate these creatures! They are so common and easy to observe, so rather than get jaded to their presence, celebrate them, and you will be able to find delight whenever you turn over a log!

[97keanu]

Dave Lizewski x Vampire!Reader

Premise: Dave finally finds the courage to go to an underground goth bar he found while scouring internet forums on how to pick up a goth girlfriend. What he doesn't realize is he may have found more than what he bargained for.

Tags/CW: nerdy!Dave, loser!Dave, Goth!Reader, Vampire!Reader, blood, drinking blood, bathroom sex, p in v, semi public sex, oral, virgin!Dave, Dom/switch!Reader, Sub!Dave.

Dave has always had a thing for goth girls, he hates to admit how much he wishes he had a one for a girlfriend in particular. He knows he's too nerdy for anyone as dark and suave as he fantasizes for. They would never be attracted to him. It's not like he could bring one back to his room either. Not with the posters of Elvira, Morticia, Raven from Teen Titans, and Abby Sciuto (he only watched NCIS for her.) that hung across his bedroom walls. And if it wasn't for that, the rest of his nerdy figurines and extensive comic book collection was sure to run them off. Dave was way too much of a Certified Virgin, as his friends called him, to pull a goth girl on his own.

So, he decided to try a different method. He searched the internet, his one true social outlet, looking for the most authentic goth bar New York City had to offer. Then he went in search of the best goth clothes he could find without looking like a total poser. He sprang for a thrift store black dress shirt and black skinny jeans. He contemplated whether or not he should ditch the studded belt(he bought it just in case.), and then he delved into goth bands and culture so he would have something to talk about.

That's how he ended up here, at an abandoned church that had had a red and black macabre makeover. Still, even with the pulsing music and plenty of goth men and women to choose from, Dave found himself a wallflower next to a fake, hung up skeleton. He could hardly talk to the skeleton, so he sat there like a dork, phone in his hands, and a sprite in his glass since he was only 18 and he didn't have the balls for a fake I.D.

That was, until, you caught sight of him from across the dancefloor. You with your midnight hair, dramatic make up, and lovely black lips. You smelled Dave's delicious blood as soon as you walked in. Now all you needed to do was reel him in. You danced hypnotically through the crowd, and soon enough, Dave glanced up and caught sight of you. Of course he laughed nervously to himself when you caught his gaze, and you could tell by his thought of "Did she really just look at me?" that he would be an easy prey. You could also tell by his basic "goth" attire he wasn't a regular. You were intrigued by such a nerdy little human...

You work your way closer, and Dave shifts nervously, unable to get his mind working for what he's supposed to do. He takes in your gorgeous body, your corsetted waist making your hips look so tantalizing, your hands moving to the music, bell sleeves whipping slowly with them. What made Dave shiver was your red contacts and pearly fangs. Of course, you were one of those vampire obsessed goths. He had to admit, that was a fantasy that turned him on most. He knew it would never be real, but even the idea of roleplaying with someone about his vampire fantasy had his cock aching. Still, he had never seen someone with such a convincing costume.

Before he could question it more, you were already before him, taking his sprite and setting it on a nearby ledge.

"Hey cutie, let's dance!" You smile, and your fangs glint in the flashing lights. You know this boy will never guess that they're actually real, and somehow that makes it so much better.

"R-really?" Dave can barely utter back before you're nodding and pulling him into the crowd.

The speakers blare Depeche Mode and for a second Dave wonders if it's you that's his "Own Personal Jesus". You truly came from nowhere, like an angel in black, and saved this night from being the most pathetic, stupid thing he's done to try to get a date. You can feel the relief wash over him as you find a spot where you two can really dance.

The music guides you, and Dave tries to keep up, his hands never knowing where to go. You place them firmly on your hips and wait for him to glide them where he sees fit, and you have to laugh a little when he nervously waits, a smile that's wholly pleased and confused on his face. You move his hands once again, letting them glide over black velvet and lace slowly until he has a hand full of your ass. Now, he can't help but squeeze, his mind reeling from the fact that he's touching such a lovely creature of the night and her soft, plump ass.

After that, Dave gets the memo, taking you grinding into his cock in stride, his care about other people fading as the dance floor becomes just you and him. The dark lighting and crowd made it so easy for him to let loose, and soon enough he's taking his hands to places he never thought he would get with a girl.

He's blushing so hard, but his grin and the adrenaline are taking over. For once, he's actually starting to feel like he fits in somewhere. Maybe goths do have the right idea...

You, on the other hand, can hear all his horny thoughts about you. You love how much he desires you, and you think it's cute how badly he wishes he could bend you over and fuck you right here. You also hear how much he feels like he truly fits in, and for a moment, you feel bad that a part of you just wants his blood.

You continue dancing and hearing his thoughts, and you decide that if you're going to satisfy your own hunger tonight, you might as well satisfy a part of Dave's hunger as well. Besides, it's not like you just picked him because he smelled so tasty. You really did have a thing for nerdy boys, and based on how hard he is in those black skinny jeans, you think he'll satisfy you more than enough.

You turn to him, your red eyes gleaming and soft.

"I want you." You say plainly, and Dave doesn't even realize you used your vampiric powers so that he could hear you so clearly in his head.

All Dave can do is nod along, helpless to your temptation. You're surprised you didn't even have to use any mind tricks to get him to go with you. He's so horny and helpless to a woman like you, that he happily comes when you tell him to follow.

This church is your typical hunting grounds, so you know exactly where to take him. You leave the sweaty, writhing crowd and head to a more private, single stall bathroom. Dave looks at you with puppy love eyes, and you feel that pang of guilt once more. You lead him inside, locking the two of you in, the yellow fluorescents not doing much to hide who you truly are.

Dave is just so happy a girl would give him any attention that he's more than willing to be here with you. The music is muffled by the walls of the bathroom, so you lean in and whisper.

"I want you to fuck me, Dave..." He looks at you with a soft smile, but a confused brow.

"How did you know my name was Dave?" Ah, you forgot you had gotten that tidbit out of his head.

No matter, your hands run down the buttons of his shirt, and you smile softly.

"You told me, remember?" And suddenly, even though Dave truly does not remember, he doesn't care.

He doesn't care because a sexy girl is slowly unbuttoning his shirt and allowing him to keep his hands gripped to her ass. You could have told him his name was anything and he would have agreed, he wants you that badly.

You undo his shirt, surprised to find a well defined body under there. He may be nerdy, but it seems like he's done some working out at least. You trail a red tipped nail down his chest until you meet his pants, pulling teasingly on the waist band with a smile.

"W-wait..." Dave says and you look up, curious.

"I just um..." He starts, and moves his glasses nervously. "This is my uh, first time and I guess I just had certain ideas about what would h-happen..."

You nod, listening, and you're surprised by yourself. You really must kind of like this nerd. Usually you would already be halfway done with dinner, but for some reason, tonight you decide to take your time.

"And how would you like to start...?" You say, softly playing with one of his curls, looking at him with understanding.

"I um...I always imagined that I would..." You see the idea in his mind before he says it and smile. "I would take care of you first..."

You're starting to really like this guy. The fact that he's not even worried about where or how it happens, just that he gets you off first has your pussy throbbing.

"We can make that happen." You pull him seductively over to the counter by the sink, hopping on and pulling him down to his knees. He is more than happy to do so, and you pull your skirt up to reveal your lack of panties. Dave let's out a nervous breath.

"Oh w-wow..." He pushes his glasses back up once more. "You came prepared..."

"Mhm..." You sigh out, looking at him with an eyebrow raised, as if to say, "Yes and?".

He's wanted this for so long, studied so hard on forums online for how to properly eat a girl out, and now here's his big shot, with only thee hottest girl in this club. Shit...He better do a good job.

He wastes no more time, pulling you close and letting you put your legs over his shoulders. You happily welcome that mess of curls between your legs, and Dave has you perfectly propped on the corner of the counter. He is already being overtaken by how badly he wants to please you, his tongue getting to work on your pussy.

He starts by lapping up all of it greedily, and to your surprise, not for the first time this night, he's actually really good at it. Maybe you will keep him around for a bit longer...

He plays with you, sucking and teasing before finally getting fed up with his foggy glasses and tossing them on the counter. Now, to get to the real work.

He slowly begins to place two fingers inside of you, and you are more than ready. You're already wetter than you thought you would be, and you begin to wonder who's seducing who. It makes it all the better that you can hear and sense how horny Dave is for this, he is already so drunk off your pussy, tasting every bit of you and fucking you just right with his fingers. For a virgin, he's so good at this.

You take a handful of his curls and pull him in deeper. He moans into you, more than happy to let you take control and use him up. He sucks on your clit, driving you mad with attention there, and hitting that perfect spot inside you with his fingers. Fuck...you might just cum that quickly. How did this dork make you this horny so soon...?

You go with it, feeling yourself clench around his fingers, looking down and seeing those lovely, desperate blue eyes looking up at you. You love how badly he wants this, and you feel so close already.

"Please..." He whispers between breathes and licks. "Cum on my face..."

The fact that he's asking for it sends shivers down your spine, and you feel yourself unwinding. You pull him in deeply, finishing and shaking with Dave between your thighs. You can hardly stop your legs from closing on his head he makes you cum so hard.

And when you're done, you slowly let him up, his mouth wet from you, his eyes dazed and happy. You look down and see how hard his cock is struggling against those jeans and smile.

"Fuck me, I need your cock inside of me, now..." You command him softly, knowing you only need to ask.

Dave happily unbuttons his jeans, pulling his cock out and leaving the rest on. He gives himself a few pumps just to test, but he's already so fucking hard. His mind feels like melting when he thinks about how good his cock will feel inside of you. He doesn't go right for it, no.

He kisses you. And you're surprised by how badly he wants more than just a fuck. You can hear his thoughts, and can tell how much he needed this, this connection. He slips in tongue in your mouth while you pull him close enough to slip his cock in your cunt. He breathes out a shaky breath, taking it slow. He's already so overstimulated he thinks he may cum just from putting it in.

Dave let's his cock rest so deeply inside you, filling you to the brim. You find yourself moaning into his mouth, his tongue sliding over one of your fangs. He pulls back, looking at you for a moment. "Were those really that sharp?" He thinks, and you pull him back in, before he can think on it too deeply.

He goes with it, taking your kiss and letting you run them down his neck. As you begin to suck there playfully, he groans from how good it feels. He slowly begins to pump his cock inside of you, testing how much he can take so he doesn't blow his load too quickly. He breathes out shallow, heavy breaths from how much he wants to bury his cock in you and fill you up. His brow scrunches up as he wills himself to last longer, and you shutter from how full he's making you.

You almost forget what you're actually here to do. As he continues, and begins to get so close he can barely take it, you decide then to sink your fangs into his neck. Dave cries out, both from the pleasure and pain, and he can't help but buck into you hard, going deeper than you even thought possible, filling you up with his hot, sticky cum.

You drink deeply, and Dave feels as if he can't stop cumming. The bite is so delicious for you both, and he makes no moves to stop you. Instead, he finds himself holding you closer, wanting you deeper and to be deeper in you. It feels so good he doesn't notice when he starts to get light headed.

But you do. And you have to force yourself to pull your fangs from his neck, lapping at the wound until it heals.

"What...what did you do to me..." Dave says, sleepily.

"Here..." You bite your own wrist, blood dripping down slowly.

"What...?" Dave is confused, but not protesting. You give him a look, and he opens his mouth. He figures this must just be apart of goth culture he didn't read about.

He takes your blood in stride, sucking until you tell him to stop. And even after, he wants more.

"What...are you...?" He says, his face relaxed and his eyes heavy with afterglow.

"I think you know." And he does. He nods, and you help him get cleaned up.

"What do we do now?" He asks so sweetly when you're finished. And you already know that you've decided it.

You want him, and he is now yours. You explain it to him. You will let him go about his daily life, but when he feels the call of your blood inside of him, then he must come and let you feed like tonight. In return, of course, you let him know that you will let him fuck you as much as he desires. Dave is more than happy about that arrangement, a heavy after-sex grin on his face. You're happy to have a steady meal that you don't hate and a fat cock to sit on when you feel like it. What a cute blood doll you've acquired...

Taglist: @microwgreen @questionable-behavior @babyqnn @sebastianstanisahotmf @lazyneonrabbitt @nikistan @remuslupinsno1slut @haha-im-dumb @shakedogshake @beep-boop-baby @aesniri @pinkyyy666 @lpeanut-butterl @shrekscrustybudassy @lookatmelookatme @dreary-salem @almostjollypizza @boo8008 @arabellacrybaby @imaslutforcuddles @yasugardaddieshouse @real-sharena-h @stilloverthinking @tvgirlsbluehair @magicalgoopdeanhuman @jazmin25 @sknnylgndsstuff @lenasdmns @iluvkr @d3psta @sinjinpools @whotfistaylor @mut4nts @loser-lover0527 @vselva-blog @adrienette715 @jayjay577 @gildedgwen @izzyisstuff @casuallycruel-tswiftie13 @winter-bearv

[julians-boywife]

Hi fungers. Do NOT read this it's just me rambling about my funger 1 body hcs so I don't forget them. I love you ♡

Starting off with my wife, Cahara. I think he's medium height, shorter than Enki and Rag so like 175 cm. I think he'd be pretty tan and have a bit of a red/orange undertone. His hair is thick and wavy and it seems like he has made a decent attempt at taking care of it. On a similar not idk what kind of skin care and what not they had back there but he certainly takes care of his appearance. He needs to look good for his wife obviously.

This man is not as stinky as he looks. I'd like to think he showers daily but he can get rid of the candle and old book smell on his skin and clothes. He probably reads books in the bath. Anyway he is quite thin and malnourished but also has a fat ass and slutty waist??? Like why do you need that?? Also a bit taller than Cahara 180.5 cm or some shit idk I'm making it up.

This man is huge. Comically. 187.2 cm and jacked. Guys, you'll never guess who I find most attractive. Anyway, he is the idea of a Greek God body to me. He's tan like Cahara but has less color because he lives and breathes snow. Fat tits??? Yes um I think so. I'd also like to think he doesn't use soap when he washes himself but somehow isn't stinky. He just smells like ash and damp forest but it isn't bad.

.... 17 cm, uncut, red tip- 🔫💥💥💥💥 woah guys who said that haha what

My favorite girlfailure. I don't even like girls but I'd let D'arce fck the shit out of me. Anyway sorry about that. I'd like to think she's got a bit of a tan from training outside and freckles scattered here and there. She is strong woman and has a healthy amount of muscle and fat but her body is mostly lean. I am a tiny titty D'arce ENTHUSIAST and ACTIVIST. Justice for tiny titty girls I see you I love you. 168.5 cm I love her she's so dear to me.

STINKY !!!! UGGOO!!!!! sorry I have a raging love hate relationship with this fuckass. I think he looks really silly in his sprite for no reason lmao. Anyway this man is ETHEREAL just absolutely gorgeous. I wish Miro made him look more feminine in the game do girl Le'Garde justice. He defiantly only takes bubble baths like a fucking loser. He's 176.7 cm and is like weirdly insecure about not being taller?? I feel like if you jokingly called him short he'd throw a hissy fit.

Nosramus also looks really silly in their sprite oh my god. Honestly I think Nosramus is intersex and just refuses to choose either or. They're pretty pale from being away from sunlight for so long and have a yellow undertone. They are surprisingly not stinky and take care of themself somehow and it's unclear what access they have to water or soap. They just always smell clean no matter what.

[thefrostyknight]

What's under the hood?

So, the great debate of what species Doctor is continues, but with the look under the mask in the anime I feel like throwing in my thoughts.

So, beneath the mask Doctor has white hair and pale eyes with red highlights. Nothing too extreme. No hint of ears, etc.

Generally, hair color does correspond with an Operator's animal's fur/scale/feather/skin color.

The red highlight however, I find interesting because it seems similar to a couple of Operators of the same race.

Both Gravel and Click's eyes change color in their E2 (and in some sprite art) from brown and blue respectively to a pink/red. Click's record stats she exhibits her eye pigmentation change when under extreme stress, and while I don't have a screencap for Gravel, I believe her eyes flash a different color in Near Light when she is fighting Platinum.

The rest of Click's file is someone giving the Doctor an emergency button in case her behavior becomes aggressive, but such an event has already happened and the Doctor was fine and able to handle it.

That could be chalked up to the Doctor's usual ability to handle Operators, but I think it's more interesting if it is because the Doctor can relate to such a transformation--

I believe Doctor is a Zalak and specifically based on a lab rat. Wikipedia claims they're often used in psychological and biomedical research.... both of which the Doctor specializes in.

There may also be something more to Gravel's affection with her S2 being called "Rat Swarm" despite her being a prairie dog.

There is circumstantial evidence in JT-8-2 that Doctor may have pink eyes, giving solid proof Doctor's eyes may change from gray to pink.

Some people theorized the ghoul and pink-eyed bastard are Kal'Tsit and Doctor, however new story chapter seem to imply specific Sarkaz Lords.

Scavenger's Outfit also has her with redder-eyes compared to her base art, but they may also just be reflection from the background.

In conclusion, Doctor is a lab rat and thus their and Kal'Tsit's relationship can be further boiled down to:

[herotome]

Devlog # 138

Hi-ho, Wudge here.

I'll be real, lately I've been struggling hardcore when it comes to design. Mia's hero outfit is giving me an honest to goodness run for my money; I try and try and yet each edition of her outfit doesn't feel quire right. It's not just the feeling that they're 'not good enough,' they also don't quite feel like her. And each time I try to take a new stab at it makes me feel all the more crazy for the effort -- something something expecting different results.

I keep trying to convince myself that it was much easier back when I started Herotome -- particularly Warden's hero costume, his big blue gimp suit just sprang into existence like shablamn!

But... I have to remind myself that it did take a while to put together Jade's and Dart's hero outfits. Hell, I wasn't entirely satisfied with Jade's even when I called it done. And another thing - as my mom pointed out when I complained to her about this lol - having created previous designs does make it more challenging to create new-and-different designs.

...With all this being said, here's where she's at:

These designs build off my established concepts of - she has to armor up due to how the nature of her powers will get her into scrapes, but she also wants to look cute. This led me to... essentially putting her in a maid cafe outfit and medieval plate mail. Mia is not a fantasy/JRPG girlie at all though, so ultimately this design isn't going to work.

And here, blurred out bc I'm still working on it, is my next take. I looked at how characters like Wonder Woman and Iron Man wore armor that had a very modern look, and I also... uh, looked at some crabs. Like, crustaceans. The ones in the ocean. They are truly beautiful creatures and I tried to take some color schemes from them. This led to a very, very red design with... what looks like a glowing petticoat? ;;; I worry that this would elicit a look of fire, and while Mia has a fiery personality she doesn't exactly have fire superpowers... so I'll keep at it. I at least like it more than the medieval jrpg maid though.

Other than that...

I started working on expressions for Griffin's sprite!!!

This one has a weird uncanny resemblance to the chick from hotel transylvania.

... Honestly uh, I've also been struggling with Griffin's sprite art here. I've done a lot more work for her (that I have not shared in this post) that just doesn't feel quite right. But I'll keep doing my best.

I think that's it for now.

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

[heretyc]

What Outlast Characters Do For Halloween

I AM NOT LATE. SHUT UP.

This blog is a HALLOWEEN BLOG. STARTING...now.

Jokes aside, I thought I'd do some Halloween HC's since I'm late. I mean I'm not late...what are you talking about? You're crazy. I'm gaslighting and girlbossing you.

Mentions of genitalia. Minors GTFO.

Enjoy!

——————————————————————————————————

Miles -

Miles is definitely the kind of guy that goes as something funny. Couple costumes are a must, but you need to expect something hilarious. Cock and balls. Outlet and plug. Moth and lamp. Shrek and Fiona. As long as it's hilarious, he WILL want to do it. He hates Pinterest but made an account just for funny ideas.

He is def the type to walk around and hand out candy, but no one wants a giant penis handing "sour patch kids" to their children. He eventually swaps costumes with you - you're the designated balls by the way - and he paints them red and says he's a bunch of cherries.

He buys the full size candy bars but gives assholes the small versions.

A pre-teen dressed as Homelander knocked on your door once and insulted Miles. Homelander then went crying to his mom after Miles ate a full size Snickers in his face and slammed the door.

Lore accurate Homelander.

He'd also go as Michael Myers just to silently stare at people and freak them out. He DOES eat candy with the mask on. It's funny as hell, dude. When you go door to door, he will take candy, eat it with the mask on, and with the WRAPPER on, and then leave after the candy falls to the ground, smashed. The people who give you the candy are so confused.

Miles likes to go all out for Halloween, too; the outside is coated in cobwebs, and the inside is full of orange and purple lights. Expect to watch cringy horror flicks with him.

Waylon -

Waylon adores cute costumes! Mario and Peach, Bugs Bunny and Lola, Howl and Sophie. He loves seeing little bunnies and princesses and superheroes come up to the door. He's soft and gentle and hands them as much candy as possible.

He will dump the entire bowl of candy into a kid's pillow case if they're adorable. He is the type to do that. Because of this, you have to buy 5 boxes of candy. There goes your bank account!

He doesn't go all out, but he does enjoy horror flicks and posters!

When you go door to door, he's always the one to say "trick or treat" because he's precious. Who WOULDN'T give Waylon candy??

Blake -

Blake enjoys costumes that take little to no effort. Funny or cute, he likes them both as long as they're subtle. He loves going as Shaggy for Halloween. Just need a green shirt and khakis! He's already Shaggy, anyway. He solved a mystery...he just couldn't rip Knoth's face off. Or Val's mud boobs.

He buys small size candy bars and keeps the big ones for you and him. He doesn't go all out.

He goes trick or treating with you, but lets you do the knocking and "trick or treat"ing. If he sees a priest costume, he will have a mini panic attack.

Trager -

Trager is the KING of funny shit during Halloween. You're the olive to his martini. The boob to his other boob!

Yes, he'd make you go as boobs. He's a man of class.

He definitely goes all out. His lawn has a skeleton with a lawn mower. He also enjoys scaring the shit out of kids and has that automatic bowl with the skeleton hand that closes on kid's hands.

There's a fake head in the garden, and he affectionately called it "Jeremy". You can guess why.

He goes all out just to scare people. He would 100% hire a scary clown to guard his lawn.

In terms of candy, he hands out bags of sprite. He buys candy for him and you.

Trager's door on Halloween, real footage.

You don't go door to door since last time, Trager cut someone's hand off for not giving you a full size Aero bar. Serves them right, to be honest.

Eddie -

He loves couple costumes!! He refuses to dress up unless you're involved! Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, Jessica Rabbit and Roger Rabbit, and Ellie and Carl are just some of the costumes you guys wear on Halloween!

He goes all out for the kiddos! Candy apples, full sized candy bars. He loves making their nights!

He doesn't like horror flicks. He prefers romance. Romantic horror might be up his alley, though. ;)

He's wonderful with a knife, so he carves pumpkins!

You go door to door and give THEM candy instead. It's funny, but most of the time, they're appreciative.

Jeremy -

Jeremy doesn't celebrate Halloween, really. But he does love doing sexy costumes with you. Any costume that has him in a suit and you dressed to the nines is good enough for him.

He doesn't give out candy, no. He buys EVERY SINGLE BOX at EVERY SINGLE STORE and spoils the both of you. The Rich Who Stole Halloween, much???

There's a skeleton with scissors on his lawn, who he affectionately named "Richard". There's another skeleton, looking like it's about to knock Richard's head off with a golf club.

And that skeleton is named "Jeremy". Hm. Wonder why.

You don't go door to door. Jeremy thinks he's above everyone else, and he has an entire room dedicated to the candy he bought for you. It's huge.

Marta -

Marta IS Halloween!!! She started it!!! She was there to scare Jesus in the manger.

She'd go as a nun. What did you expect??

She buys full sized candy bars, but the poor dear scares kids every year. "TAKE YOUR SNICKERS...HEY WHY ARE YOU RUNNING..."

Her house is always gothic, so she's technically ready for Halloween all year. Queen!!!

She goes door to door with you, but she's more of a scary, tall body guard.

Val -

Val loves sexy costumes and will 100% dress scantily or gothic. Jessica Rabbit, a cheerleader, Morticia Addams...they will dress in anything that shows off their figure or chest, mud boobs or not. You go as Billy and Stu from Scream sometimes! They have a mask kink. This was bound to happen.

Spooky season doesn't stop their horniness, y'all. It's actually kind of scary. You'll go door to door and they will make out with you as a guy in a Michael Myers costume stares at you holding out a bowl. You can't even say "trick or treat". They insist that kissing you is a treat, though.

You 100% watch horror flicks all night. But you're not watching, if you know what I mean.

What's scary is what's in their sex toy collection. You're going to be busssyyyyy.

[4noki-vns]

The Art of Asset Reduction: VNConf 2024 Write-Up

This is a write-up for my Visual;Conference 2024 talk on asset reduction: presentation of scenes with reduced art labor.

I will discuss how to reduce production requirements via various methods of asset presentation and staging, walking you through case studies of existing visual novels. This talk will guide you to answer the question: How do I fulfill my project scope without asset bloat?

This is an art talk that assumes you have already scoped down your story and have created a list of scenes that you need. This is not a talk about scoping down your game's story.

You have scenes you need to make. How are you going to make them (and with style)?

Abstraction

Cut-ins

Reduce

Reuse

-

I. Abstraction

I start off with abstraction as a reminder that visual novels are a combination of visual and novel (amongst other aspects)

Abstraction

Abstraction is a strong tool for bringing focus to the writing, highlighting ambiguity and setting the mood with colors.

Examples I mentioned in my talk include:

Black screen

Solid colored screen

Sky BG

Of Components

The mood-setting power of abstraction also extends to scenes with characters, especially CGs.

As again, abstraction draws focus to what you choose to emphasize: the characters.

(FLOWERS -Le volume sur ete-)

They are gay. Thank you for coming to my VNConf talk.

-

You can similarly abstract characters.

(Lachesis or Atropos)

Consider representing irrelevant characters (e.g., NPCs) as silhouettes. The reader can fill in the details within the shapes themselves.

Silhouettes are especially great for crowd scenes where you want to draw focus to the main characters.

This will be a recurring theme:

What do you really need to draw?

-

II. Cut-ins

One common not-quite full screen piece of art you'll see in many visual novels is the cut-in.

The cut-in typically consists of the:

Item/focus

Frame

And is often for topics such as objects or small animals, which may exist in the scene but may not be within the same frame of reference as the background and sprites.

The separate framing informs the players that the item is "separately framed."

(Who is the Red Queen?)

For example, this small bird is not huge and would not be the size of a character's head even had a sprite been on screen.

The Foreground-Backdrop Heuristic

Cut-ins make strong use of what I refer to as the "foreground-backdrop heuristic."

(Shikkoku no Sharnoth)

A general backdrop informs the reader of a broad location or scene (especially if characters are present). Then a more specific foreground (the cut-in) informs the reader of the specifics.

As the foreground cut-in is in a different frame, the pairing of the two helps create a mental model of the space in the reader's mind.

Cut-ins can be used for:

Backgrounds (mix and match foregrounds with a backdrop)

Reduced CGs

Presenting existing assets in a different frame of reference

CG variants

Try tackling your visual presentation in a layered, comic book-esque fashion with cut-ins!

Just be careful about clutter.

Whether you want to go for the layered cut-in style, the 3d stage cinematic style, or a combination of the two, make sure you have a vision before you jump in.

SD CGs

I had to make an obligatory mention of SD "super deformed" CGs in this talk, so here it is in the write up as well.

(Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Vol. 1)

SD, chibi. However you call these, they're great for playful scenes that might require more art than your classic sprite-background combination.

What SD CGs do best is that they:

Fulfill the role of a CG

Are easier to draw than fully rendered non-chibi art

Can be distributed to different artists to reduce artist workloads due to style difference

Just keep in mind that a simplified CG is still a CG and thus may lack reusability.

Consider what scenes really need a CG.

-

III. Reduce

Now, consider asking yourself: "Does what a player does not see need to exist?" (mostly applicable for games with opaque UI)

Yet, what you need to draw is what you need to draw. How can you reduce the work in what you need to draw?

One option is:

Palette Limitation

You've heard of gray scale games, but don't forget about other ways of limiting your palette to reduce workload.

Dramatic, mood setting color power

Less rendering work

(Sona-Nyl of the Violet Shadows)

A similar idea can be applied to NPCs for a more detailed take on silhouettes.

-

IV. Reuse

Lastly, please remember to be economical and reuse assets as necessary. One of the great joys of cut-in BGs, for example, is reusability.

I had to give an obligatory mention to CG variants in my talk, such as:

(Fatal Twelve)

However, overall, you never know when you'll want to use various components of your art elsewhere such as intermixing CG and sprite art.

Please keep your working layers if possible.

Other reuse examples:

UI (especially in episodic games)

Gameplay (e.g., Kogado's rhythm game)

Consider asking your programmer to work on a framework to reuse, reducing repeated code work.

-

Conclusions

All in all, you can make your game.

And it doesn't need to be hellish on your budget or timeline.

If you take anything away from this talk, let it be to:

Prioritize reusable assets

Maintain aesthetic; avoid clutter

Display important scenes

Do not scope up; aim for a set goal

A scene can be presented in many stylish ways, some of which will suit your workflow better than others.

So, go on. Make your game!

-

Interested in my works? Find me on itch:

And check out my newsletter:

-

VNConf 2023 Talk Write-up:

[nebulaleaf]

What color would u say Akira’s eyes are? I see a lot of people say gray and I’ve also seen red, but I always thought they were a dark brown

You’re starting a cult around him so I figured you’d have an opinion

ok 1) not starting a cult that's just an in-joke making fun of a silly anon i got. 2) yes i do have an opinion. but also ...... FACTS !!! I usually go grey as the normal default but I understand the confusion. Official artworks for merchandise range from black to a light blue 😭. Lets take a trip down model / reference lane, shall we? First up: P5D!

We'll rope P5 / P5R into this too, because it's the same colour. Akira's eyes appear this shade... almost always! The metaverse, the real world... grey as graphite. Ah, but "almost! almost!?" you cry! Yes, yes. There's one exception.

Recall the persona awakening scene. Recall *all* of them, actually. All persona users have their eyes turn yellow when tearing their mask off.

This holds true for their models as well! For a few frames, during the summoning animation, their faces turn black and their eyes turn yellow. It's easier to see on some characters than others. (Others being joker. this took me SO long to scrub for.) Now, lets look at his sprites! So I guess we can call this part uh, Persona Q.A? (That's what these sprites are from, anyway...)

Now these eyes definitely look black! Honestly I think you could argue that the previous set were black too. On their own, they seem grey but the key thing to compare them with here is Akira's hair. They're both the same colour in the sprites and uh, that's definitely not grey hair. Now the anime! I won't be covering P5A: The Daybreakers because. Well. It'd just be more "Wow it's black. Now it's black again." P5A Is interesting because I swear to god his eyes were red when they were in mementos. but i must've imagined that???

That's just not a thing that happens! It's grey! The only exception is the... [shudders] All Out Attack. (Which also happens in P5:the game. forgot to mention that earlier; but it could be chalked up to mere aesthetic choice)

My assumption about red-eyes is at least partially true though. Nnnot in the sense that what I thought happened, happened, but more-so... Whenever Joker is depicted with red eyes, it's in his PT outfit. And like... only that outfit.

Mementos mission loves doing it. p5a does it. Artists do it. my BRAIN does it. Q2 also does it!! (hi all out attack. again)

other notable mentions for Doin' It Red While Being Joker are Akirby and the Official Jonker Nendo. Idk what that means but! Yeah

A few promo arts do the red-eyes thing like this original key art and multiple official illustrations for p5's release. I think it's just a fun aesthetics thing honestly. p5 is red. akira is from p5. slap some red on that bitch on him eye.

[ key art | strikers art | og p5 art ] So that solves that mystery. I think the idea of brown eyes either comes from being realistic (black eyes irl are just really really dark brown) op's colour palette ooooooooooor.... misunderstanding an official palette!

This is Q2's cut in graphic. The eyes look kind of brown, right? But it's mostly just a lighting thing. The face is darkened and the eye's colour is lightened to give that slick piercing-gaze-through-the-shadows effect.

(Q2 Akira is pretty pasty, as we can see here. the skintone matches the brightest highlight in the cut-in image.)

striker's sprites eyes look pretty brown too, but if you look at the hair and shadows, you can see it's because everything has a brown hue. we're doing black without doing black! (...except for the deepest shadows and lines, but cmon. if you put black on black its just gonna look like a big ol' blob.) this same effect is often used in many tribute artworks for p5 that aren't in the usual black/white/single colour style or crossover artwork because............ well it's basic colour theory. The only exception to the "rules" i've laid out here I have ever seen is the artwork done for Persora The Golden Best 5th Album artwork.

WHY ARE THEY BLUE. THAT'S WRONG. anyway. hoped this post helps you. my personal opinion is grey / silver if i wanna get all OOooh FANCY when writing a fic and waxing poetic and then yellow when summoning a persona or using some kind of spell in mementos. don't see brown in the slightest and red... yeah, i'll pass on having that be his default in mementos? maybe? idk i go back and forth on it lol. just get jiggy with it

[boxwinebaddie]

also, in regards ( my condolences ) to this post, i am also humbly offering this insane asylum brain-dump on hypothetical racecar kyle

aka #sasscar kyle

who the sports commentators call 'the jersey devil' ( as in the devil went down to ) because he is the human embodiment of road rage and is not afraid to run right you off it -- with his car or his mouth.

which is aaaalways running...and fast! because that man's loco-motor ( he's insane ) runs solely off spite, on ice cold sprite and has a wicked god complex, so he gets off on picking stupid, petty fights with other drivers / betting insane high aces before races...just to see the dumb, shitdick look on ur face when he puts you in your place ( second <3 ) or the e.r. if you red-cross him <3 ( his ride is your local blood drive )

'them' being extreme sports commentators who, re: the jersey devil nickname, hiss when they see him a shake a competitor's hand ( with his cool, suede, jade leather glove, tyvm! ) because he's a known Pit Viper but instead of a knife in your back or a nail in your coffin, it's in your tire and they're mimicking the sound it makes as it deflates and you slowly...asphyxiate. pls note: they also call him 'break check' bc if you haven't checked your breaks, dw; he'll do it for you! ( aww!!! ) <3

tldr; kyle broflovski...can and will do Anything to win. after all, if you're not first; you're last. and in the immortal words of rascal flatts: life is a motherfucking highway, baby! if your foots not on the gas, your ass is GRASS, motherfucker! like, trust and believe, i love miss holly, ( she's my girl ), but with all due respect, this isn't 'the scenic route'...

this is DRAG RACING, bitch! so either get fast, get serious or Switch Lanes before wiley kyley b gets Furious, passes you with one hand -- he's flipping you off with the other one -- and verbally eviscerates you so viscously from his rear view mirror that you instantly start crying,

the shitsandstorm of dust he left you in coats your lungs, you begin to claw and choke, your grip on the wheel slips, your head tips, reality dips before you know it or can pull over, you're done: you lose control of the car, crydroplane out of place and crash into the wall. HARD.

with that said, the question remains...

Are We Making Girl Scout Cookies...

Or Are We Making

A.

Goddamn.

DEAL,

S w e e t h e a r t ?

;)

[gambol-stuffs]

Hi Tumblr, perceive my Mapleshade

Design notes and AU info under the cut since I yoinked PrairieClan out of existence

DESIGN NOTES

This is for an AU. She was born with the star marking and loses it once she fulfills her prophecy. I will tell what the prophecy is in the AU part.

Instead of the StarClan cats making huge decisions and whatnot, StarClan's influence lessens. They're also not called StarClan but referred to as Silverpelt's Clanmates. (Silverpelt is a goddess, inspired by ClanGen's mascot a lil!)

A less saturated red allows me and others to have a slightly more pleasant time looking at the design. (I should have made the lines a darker color.)

Heterochromia is a personal headcanon and something I may slap onto characters I like.

Mapleshade was described with snaggly teeth during The Place of No Stars, hence the fangs poking out.

Mane was described in Crookedstar's Promise.

Medium to high white which is reflected on her canon design. Posting it below, image belongs to the Warriors Wiki. (Apprentice sprite shows it better.)

I chose a more reddish color because of the Maple- prefix. Not sure what kind of tortie this would count as besides ClanGen-flavored.

This Maple's half-Clan, born to Stoatfur (a SkyClan cat from Cloudstar's Journey) and Pondfoot (a ThunderClan OC I made up for PrairieClan). She never got to meet Stoatfur, being born soon after SkyClan left. White spotting comes from both sides of the family.

AU INFO

TL;DR: Local goddess gets angry over SkyClan being forced out, has mortal cat help her in vengeance with VERY distressing methods.

As mentioned before, this Mapleshade is half-Clan. Born as soon as SkyClan left along with another kit, Thunderkit, she was raised by Pondfoot alone and never told the truth about her father.

She used to have a friendly rivalry with Appledusk, but as time grew she became mates with him in secret.

Birchface is aware of this, however. Being Mapleshade's best friend, he worked with her to act as if he's her mate and offered to claim any kits she has as his.

Unfortunately, he dies a few days before Mapleshade announces her kits. She gains Flowerpaw as an apprentice, having stopped her from drowning but being unable to save Birchface. (Frecklewish doesn't know about the fail.)

Due to this, everyone assumed that Mapleshade's kits were Birchface's.

It's found out that Mapleshade had kits with Appledusk, like in canon, and she- along with Birchkit (named after Birchface to keep up a facade), Patchkit, and Petalkit- are exiled.

Also like in canon, the river and exile from RiverClan events happen- but the kits don't die, they instead go missing.

Silverpelt (the cats' god) uses this to get her revenge on the Clans for chasing out SkyClan. She asks Birchface to tell her the truth, and after being shocked at learning it he decides that it's important enough to tell her.

Mapleshade gets pissed. Oakstar exiled her and her kits, Darkstar refused to help her find them, and all four Clans contributed to the loss of her father before she got to meet him. So she swears vengeance on all of the Clans instead of just one, and Silverpelt offers to help her get that vengeance. The Clans' punishment has just begun, and the goddess is livid with adrenaline.

The rest will be revealed in a fic.

(This is a heavily modified version of my PrairieClan AU!)

[doubleddenden]

I sprited the first of my new starters based on very rough concept art I made while babysitting. I'm not 100% happy with my sprite, but I adore the concept so I'm gonna forgive it.

Dex entry:

Meet your Water starter, Bubbat! The Fish Bat Pokemon.

Type: Water/Flying

Ability: Torrent/Infiltrator

evolves into Hydrobat at level 15, then Aguabatix at level 32

When you first encounter it:

"This is a newly discovered Pokemon collected from the wreckage of a fallen UFO by two of my (Professor Poincienna's) research assistants, as such, details are scarce about this species. It appears rather friendly and trusting to a fault, and has grown attached to their partner quite quickly- This could suggest an innate desire to bond and please others. It appears a tad clumsy but willing to do its best, and can use a variety of water and flying type attacks- thus, i classify its typing as so."

After about 2 gyms, the dex entry updates:

"What appears to be "goggles" around its neck are actually a specialized organ that can collect and store water from the air around it or a nearby water source to allow it to breathe on land. Its eyes are actually quite sensitive to light, and it will sometimes place these "Goggles" over them as a form of comfort. Despite appearing mammalian, it shares more commonality with fish Pokemon, yet also has common mammalian and amphibious properties- Perhaps it is a new class of Pokemon, seen only on other planets."

Okay, an explanation: usually starters as of late have a unifying theme related to their region. We sort of... cheated that system lol.

The starter theme for my Sorigul region is *Aliens to the region*- literally most senses of the word with the theming they're from outer space, are based on at least one or more animals non native to the US Gulf Coast states (in the wild anyway, to my knowledge), and are based on animals named for different animals- particularly animals that have different classes: In this case, the Bubbat line are both a fish and a bat- based on the name of creatures called the batfish

And no, they're not gonna have big red lips and a hecking schnoz, because unlike Game Freak, I actually want to make my starters with the idea I might want to use them myself. So instead, we take the literal name "batfish" and turn it into "fish bat" :) ideas from these guys might be used for Armor lines, but not the main evolution line.

You may think that's cheating by working around the semi Aquatic water dwelling pokemon rule for water types- however, there ARE a number of species of bats that do hunt for fish by flying and hunting near the water's surface, such as the Mexican Fishing Bat- aka Myotis Vivesi- which will actually fly out to open water to catch fish via its feet.

Listen if they can make a water starter out of a lizard, i can do one for a sea bat.

This line is going to be fun. I wanted to fit a bat into the starters somehow, but it actually became rather educational and justified in the end. I'm actually really excited to get to the final one, because it might be my favorite final stage concept.

Working on the fire starter next.

[anderscim]

If you're taking er.....'requests' for theories about characters, I want to discuss something peculiar about David <- being a simp

I'm going to sound like the biggest David apologist ever, but....I have reason to believe that he wasn't lying about his family depression secret. Not in the sense that he actually has it, but him legitimately believing that was his motive secret. When he walked into the dining hall in episode 4, he was getting frustrated and stressed from all the fighting and you can even see the stars going out in his eyes. His distress and annoyance felt more to himself since his body language also helps to see that he was doing his best to block out the fight. The first CG looks like he was trying to think of something to stop it, and the second one looks like he was just growing more and more stressed until he finally stepped. What I'm trying to say is, his family depression secret feels more blurted out than actually thought out. Yet, it was highlighted in yellow, so it's worth considering. Not to mention, he has shown signs of being depressed since day one

You can also see when Arei was going to confront him, she started off by flat out saying "Why did you lie about your secret?" after she found David. David was still shocked at her question. If you knew you were caught red handed lying about your secret, yeah you would still try to deny it. But the first thing that comes to mind, in this situation, is that "Oh shit, Arei must've gotten my secret,". It was also hinted that David thought this way when Arei told him she wanted to talk about his 'secret' until Teruko and Eden walked in. So why would David still try to 'play dumb' when he knew he was done for with the person he presumed had his secret?

My guess is that he genuinely thought his family depression was legit his secret. You can even see his sprite when Arei reveals what it actually is. He's......shocked. He stutters a bit until he asked Arei if she was the one that got his secret, and then just....completely shuts off. He even goes to see the secrets being revealed the next day (keep in mind, he KNOWS what his real secret is) and when Teruko asked him which one is really his, he uses a similar sprite to the ones he used when Arei was grilling him. They all look like he's on the brink of a panic attack, almost triggering him. It's a whole another can of worms than what I'm going on about, but opening the lid a little bit.....David looks....triggered by being called manipulative. It makes me think that this whole act is a breakdown of his and he's just playing along with a last minute act he made up cause no one is going to believe anything he says cause they're convinced he's just this horrible person with no context behind it. You can even see Arturo was triggered when his secret was brought up. If I was planning a killing game and this was the secret I was working with, I would care more about getting underneath the skin of the participants than making these secrets accurate. Not saying one secret is wrong and the others are right, but you can't deny they're worded in a really unfavorable manner

Also, ngl, even if you are aware you are manipulative, how can anyone guess their secret is "You were born only to manipulate others"?

Sorry I went off on a tangent, but yeah :)

don’t worry about going on a tangent, you’re not the only one lol. if someone mentions david in front of me, i will start talking about him and never shut up ( ´ ▽ ` )

(take what i’m about to say with a grain of salt)

and actually, i think i touched on this a little bit once! i highly doubt david was aware that his secret was about manipulation, at least not until arei revealed it to him in private.

i’ve mentioned this before but david’s motive secret is the most “up to interpretation” out of the rest of the cast, and there’s no specific factual details in there like the other secrets:

“the thing is, everyone else’s secret, though written in a way that took out crucial context and painted them in a bad light, was at least somewhat based on an actual occurrence, portion of their identity, and real information. david’s secret is the most vague and was written in a way to attack his purpose and what he personally (secretly) believes his actions to entail. but, unlike everyone else, there’s no concrete occurrence, action that he’s done, or any specific detail in that secret that connects him to manipulation. additionally, his is the most open-ended.”

overall, his secret is really ambiguous, which makes it difficult to guess in the first place. 

given that it’s heavily implied that he at least struggles with his mental health, it makes significantly more sense (for david) to think his secret was about depression. 

but the thing is—david’s pretty smart, so i’m sure he’s aware that these secrets were tailored to “get underneath the skin of the participants” like what you said. but not only that, they’re also written in a way that diminishes the reputation of that person from an outside perspective.  i mean, even the secret he received (which is probably teruko’s) is worded in that way—it’s incredibly difficult to take something like “this killing game is your fault” at face value without proper background information. these secrets are almost written in a way to be accusatory, and it’s difficult to derive any outside context about them without directly asking the person themselves.

but in that case, which would be more tarnishing towards the reputation of the “Ultimate Inspirational Speaker” — the fact that your family has a history of depression, or the fact that you’re still struggling with depression yourself?

my personal theory is that david actually thought that his secret was about his own depression (despite his optimistic persona), and his wording of a “family history of depression” was a half-hearted attempt to dance around that fact. but like you said, it was blurted out, so i feel like it was more a rushed attempt than anything else. though it’s heavily likely that the family history of depression is still true, it’s still intriguing that he decides to use this exact wording—and personally, i see it as him refusing to directly admit he has depression himself. (but i do think david genuinely believed his secret was related to depression)

about the part with him possibly being triggered by the word “manipulation,” i think that’s a really good theory. like you said, his sprites (and that shaky breath the VA put in) during his conversation with arei look like he’s genuinely shutting down. not just that, the same exact sprites are used right before his breakdown in the ch2 trial, when his motive secret is officially confirmed (and when everyone else is reacting to it). it makes total sense if he was spiraling during that time, and i personally believe that to be the case. if you couldn’t already tell from my previous posts lol /lh

thank you for the ask lexi ^^ sorry this is kind of short though, i wrote this while on a car trip so it was kinda rushed

and like i said before, my inbox is currently open so feel free to send in other things you guys are curious about as well!

[kirric-the-fan]

Roaring Dragons precure, a dragon-fairy themed precure fanseries:

Precure, roaring heart change!

Summary:

Sprite, a dragon, is sent to Earth from the dragon kingdom to escape an attack by the villains, The Hunters: cosmic mercenaries who have long sought after the dragons, the powers they're supposed to convey by defeating them, and the magical heart star that Sprite was sent away with. Rubi, a 13 yo schoolgirl, with her loyal cat Tatsu, quickly find and befriend Sprite, and when The Hunters catch up with them, Rubi uses the first heart star fragment to transform into Precure to protect her.

Her and her friends quickly help Sprite find the next three fragments of the heart star and all become precure themselves, but the fifth piece is nowhere to be seen. They must help Sprite find and solve the mystery of the missing fragment of the heart star, all while holding off the hunters attacks and attempts to turn the people of Earth against them.

And they have to hide a dragon from their class whilst they're doing so. And teach her how to be human and exist in the human world. Which is easier said than done when a sneeze can send her back into dragon form.

Themes: Adapting to new worlds and perspectives. Understanding yourself. Self-belief and belief in others. Loneliness too. Seperation. Sprite's family are who knows where across the cosmos after all.

Self belief powers up the heart star and their precure forms.

Sprite slowly grows her self-confidence, and partway through the season is able to reopen the way home. But the dragons have gone from The Distant Sky, evacuated to who knows where, and Sprite has to complete the heart star to stand any chance of finding them again.

The hunters also want the heart star so they can find and hunt down all the dragons.

Items:

Flip-phone type transformation device, the heartscale cell and a triangular golden ‘scale’ (card) to insert on the inside (similar to futari wa era). The 'scale' is a broken off arm of the heart star. It's called a scale bc that's what the dragons call fragments like that.

Chars:

Tado Rubi, Cure Blaze (Lead. Red or pink, and white. Typical western dragon (think welsh flag)): Precure of the passionate heart: Cure Blaze. Is the one who finds Sprite. Likes making felt animal keychains and toys. Has a set of dragon felts that go with each of the cures alongside their heartscale cell (transformation device). She is very extroverted, and can come across as quite loud, but is actually quite considerate. Loved dragons as a kid, dreamt about them a lot and drew lots of pictures of them. Her parents tried to divert her phase onto dinosaurs instead but that didn’t quite work. She eventually grew out of it a little, but still likes making dragon plushies (which her cat tries to mother). Of all the dreams she has about dragons, she wants to fly the most. Just soaring through the air.

Rubi has a pet cat called Tatsu. Tatsu is a fluffy ginger tom who likes playing, and follows Rubi around a lot, even going out into the city and waiting to walk her home from school each day. Tatsu apparently has quite an astute, but judgemental character, even scolding Rubi when she uses her precure powers to get home quickly one time when she was delayed by a fight, accidentally leaving him behind. Tatsu absolutely loves Sprite/Hotaru and is obsessed with her, almost forgetting his ‘duties’ with Rubi for wanting to spend time with Hotaru. Takes a while for him to trust other humans, and is seen as grumpy/standoffish until you get on his good side. (Yes, Rubi also dresses him up in little outfits. He likes the outfits, especially the knight one)

Hikaru Satomi, Cure Solar (Sola) (Sun, golden, more lion-like) Precure of the warming sun: Cure Solar! Fashion-conscious girl who seems to spend all of her time sunbathing. Almost always has sunglasses on her. Wants to become famous, via acting or modelling, or something, but doesn’t yet understand how much work is behind that sort of thing, and gets a little too comfortable just posing around. Eventually finds her groove and goes into theatre. Does a lot of the big-speech distraction work for the team, even if she's not the strongest fighter.

Migawa Aki, Cure Jet (White and blue, water, serpent type): Precure of the focused stream: Cure Jet! Aki always seems to be at the top of her class, being studious, excelling academically and well liked across the school. They said she was a shoe-in for the student council president, but she didn’t go for it, actually being quite awkward and shy around other people and uneasy about how she would have handled it. Rubi is always good at including her and giving her space to just hang out when she’s not so good at expressing her wishes to be included. Aki is very focused on her studies and her training as part of the swim team, to the detriment of her social skills a bit. She is an excellent swimmer. Spends a lot of time in the library. Sometimes she writes stories about mermaids and fantastical worlds, and she has a lot of imagination like that. Will fiercely defend those she cares about.

Sasaki Haruko, Cure Verde (green, trees, plants, more dog-like) Precure of the slumbering Earth: Cure Verde! Bright and blooming Haruko! Collects friends as much as she collects flowers, but wavers when her plants aren’t doing well, with a dangerous habit of self-depreciation, always thinking the worst: “the plants are dying because I did something wrong and I’m bad at this because of it.” Etc. Sometimes butts heads with Satomi because she thinks she’s too lazy, and Satomi thinks Haruko is too uncoordinated and chaotic. In her cure form, Verde can and does use her caplet as camouflage to sometimes hide herself and some of the fairies from the enemy. Likes video games, and does ‘livestreams’ but she’s actually only addressing her audience of plants.

Cure Verde: (I don't have any other designs sorted just yet)

Sprite (Spri-to), Kyokuko Hotaru, later Cure Aurora (Black and green. Dragon & fairy cure): Precure of the dancing lights: Cure Aurora! Sprite is a young dragon, barely coming into her powers when she was sent away from The Distant Skies (dragon world) to keep her safe from the attack by the hunters. She does her best to adjust to Earth and life there, but still gets intensely homesick sometimes. She reveals she was never that good as a dragon, and she’s probably the smallest*, weakest dragon there is. She believes that completing the heart star would prove herself in the eyes of the other dragons, and sometimes even wonders if their sending her away was actually them kicking her out for being so weak.

Spark: A miniature silver dragon that’s small enough to escape notice of the villains. Sent as a messenger to Sprite to tell her to find the rest of the star to find the dragons. Sprite is upset because it doesn’t tell her anything new, but realises Spark was sent to keep her company more than anything else, that it means the other dragons care about her, a lot. Often acts as a lookout and messenger if trouble arises. (*Because they chose to miniaturise, they lost access to changing to a larger form again. Sprite is considered weak and still quite small for a regular sized. It helps her transform into a human though, so there's that.) Very proud of their messenger job, and keeps looking up ways to try and get a message to the dragons to keep Hotaru’s spirits up.

Charm: a regular fairy who doesn’t realise the cures already have a mascot when they approach them for help to see off The Hunters, thinking it’s a new and dangerous enemy for them. Tells the precure exactly how rare dragons are (legend, don’t exist even amongst the knowledge of other fairies), and promptly spends the rest of the season disbelieving Sprite’s whole backstory despite evidence to the contrary until they finally find the dragons again. Clashes a lot with Spark in an entertaining way. Can work quite well with Tatsu, sometimes riding the cat to catch up with the rest of the team.

Location: Kawana City

Plot: They manage to find the first four fragments of the fallen star pretty quickly, becoming a key part of their transformation devices, and the rest of the time is figuring out the mystery of the fifth fragment, which had been separate and missing even before coming to Earth. It is vital in completing the heart star, a powerful device capable of tracking down any dragons. Sprite needs it to get home, especially after they discover the dragons have moved on from their home.

Fighting the villains and defeating their monsters powers up the heart star, allowing them to travel between worlds. Hotaru needs to find the fifth fragment to be able to return home, but to do so she needs to understand herself first.

But ofc in the middle of this she has to figure out how to live on Earth and spend a lot of time hiding her fairy-dragon-ness from others. Which works better when she doesn’t sneeze and accidentally turn back into a dragon. Thankfully, Rubi and the other Roaring Dragon cures are there to help her out.

The villains work by stealing peoples sense of ‘self’- their hopes and dreams and joys- turning them into blank-minded foot soldiers and using their twisted dreams to power the motw. (Dragons are known to be powerfully magical creatures, so the Hunters know they’ll need magical weapons to fight against and catch them. Hence the motw.)

Each cure gets a companion felt dragon keychain to got with their heartcell, and these appear on their cure forms next to the transformation device. They don’t appear to do anything, but later on they form part of their power-ups, generating a dragon-spirit for the cures to ride/fight/defend with, and on at least one occasion, merge with to become dragons themselves for a short while. Sometimes they become animated as plushies, akin to the crystal animals from kirakira.