#anyway i need to learn how to draw characters interacting better

[captaincrumbz]

THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING!!!!!!!!!

[buttercupshands]

My emotionally immature ass still doesn't understand a thing of how people can pity characters

Not like I don't try to understand it! I just... Can't? Understand that??? At all???

Like why would you pity a character for their sad backstory or whatever, and poof suddenly a character is pitiful as hell, and suddenly they're understandable because a person can call them a wet kitten under their care

And that's something I can't do for some reason

And again, not like I didn't *try*, it's just a thing I can't understand at any capacity other than 'some people do that to show their affection of that character, that's their way of caring

Granted talking to more people makes you understand them better! Doesn't help much! But it's something!!

[cuteniaarts]

Behold, my latest and most enamouring new obsession:

Malina, Lady of the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe. As if Red Lotus child OCs weren’t niche enough

[httpvomitello]

Helloooo, can I request something for the 2018 turtles (ROTTMNT)? The reader arrives with the guys to show them the softshell turtle they got as a gift at a school science fair. Since they're not very sure how to take care of it, they go to the guys for help. And the turtle... it looks just like the one from The Amazing World of Gumball. I just think it would be fun to see the turtles (especially Donnie) interacting with the evil turtle haha 😭

OMG NOT THAT FREAKING TURTLE 😭😭 When I learned that Donnie is a softshell turtle, my mind immediately went to that turtle from Gumball. Like... Seriously??? That turtle is the reincarnation of evil, that's for sure. Anyways ~ i hope you like it! ♡♡♡♡

Leo is so pumped when you show up with a turtle

He’s already imagining the epic sibling turtle bonding he’ll all have, and he’s definitely scheming ways to turn your new buddy into his own personal sidekick

But as he leans in to get a better look, he catches the turtle giving him a super intense, villainous stare

"Uh, why is he looking at me like that?" Leo laughs nervously, tapping the glass of its little tank

The turtle does not break eye contact

In fact, it somehow looks like it’s plotting something

After a long, intense staring contest (which Leo loses), Leo's more hyped than ever

“Oh, we’re keeping him. This little guy’s got edge.”

He decides to call it something like "Sidekick Jr", and he tries to train it to glare on command, thinking it’ll be perfect to bring it to battle with him

Obviously you don't let that happen.

Raph’s eyebrows shoot up the second he sees the turtle

“Whoa. That turtle is… cute.”

Lying is not Raph's focus

He is all in for helping you take care of it

But as soon as he leans in, the turtle levels him with a stare so intense that Raph is slightly taken aback

“This guy looks like he could plan a heist,” he jokes, but he’s half-serious

He’s convinced the turtle has some secret agenda and will not let it out of his sight

Raph takes pride in helping you build a “fortified tank” to protect it from any “potential escape attempts.”

He even draws up “exercise drills” to help it “build character.”

He ends up calling it something like “Lil’ Warrior”

The turtle's name is Bob

And he spends a suspicious amount of time training it to recognize commands, because “A turtle like this needs discipline.”

Donnie’s reaction is extreme caution

Like... wtf? How is this turtle so ugly?

(He completely forgot that he is also a softshell turtle)

He’s thrilled you came to him about turtle care, especially because this guy is a fellow softshell

But then he notices the turtle’s… ominous glare

For the next ten minutes, Donnie just stares back, analyzing every detail

The turtle doesn’t blink

It feels like a showdown

"This isn’t just any turtle, you know," he mutters, more to himself

He immediately runs diagnostics on it, pulling out his tools to test its temperament and intelligence level, just in case

Donnie takes the turtle care seriously, sets up the perfect tank, gets the optimal UV lamp, and is constantly researching enrichment activities, but he still doesn’t entirely trust it

You catch him putting up tiny lasers around the tank "just in case."

And he insists on renaming it something like “Professor Menace” because, in his words

“Look at that face—he’s clearly up to something.”

Mikey’s reaction is pure delight. “Aw! Look at the lil’ guy!”

He immediately wants to hold it, but as soon as he picks it up, the turtle gives him a side-eye that could curdle milk

Yes, the turtle is judging Michelangelo

He tries everything

Offering lettuce, sweet-talking it, giving it little pets, but the turtle just stares, expression unreadable but somehow… sinister

“Why does he keep looking at me like that?” Mikey wonders, confused but determined to win the turtle’s affection

He’s convinced it just needs a bit of “good vibes,” so he tries playing calming music, talking to it about his day, and even painting a little flower on the tank

Despite the turtle’s apparent indifference

(And slightly ominous glare)

Mikey’s convinced they’re best friends

He starts calling it “Lil’ Grump,” swearing it’ll warm up eventually.

[silverlining-ships]

I had someone DM me recently asking for tips for creating an SU sona and drawing in the style, which is one of my favorite topics to think about and discuss!! I'm definitely not the end-all-be-all of SU style replication and have so much to learn, but I wanted to share my method for anyone interested in creating SU art! So here's a Steven Universe Style Replication guide!

Before you start:

Gather LOTS of references. references EVERYWHERE. I have a google drive folder specifically for Jasper references, but I plan on having folders for each character as well. If you know you're going to draw a specific character a lot, gather references!!!

also, gather references of characters you base your S/I on physically. my sona has traits from both Steven and Connie's body types, so I used photos from their references when creating mine - I specifically used Connie's turnaround as inspiration for the height/posing of mine!

((you don’t HAVE to create a turnaround ofc, but thinking of your sona as one that needs to “follow the rules” of the other characters��� designs can help creating something that looks proportional and accurate!))

Colorwise, it’s fun to consider your f/o or the characters you interact with before creating an outfit palette -> I specifically use yellow as a base color because of the way it meshes with Jasper’s orange pallet, as well as being complementary to Steven’s pink and Connie’s blue

Drawing:

SU has the benefit (and curse) of inconsistent style and size references. it's partially proportions to the other characters, yea, but it's more in the shape language you use when drawing in the style, which is why references are so helpful! 

(unrelated but I love how this shows how much I still struggle drawing jasper.... even after six months straight of exclusively drawing her. sigh.)

take these drawings I threw together! these are four completely different characters, but they all feel different because of the shape language used:

even with my own style bleeding in, really focusing in on what their core body is expressing is what demonstrates the character.

this translates to creating your own sona, too - think about how your sona would fall into the shape language. my sona is similar to Connie, but a bit curvier and stockier, which shows especially in the core of the character design!

I know the "belted shape" concept has gone around this fandom for years, but I'd recommend not depending on it as in my opinion it doesn't translate nearly as well as just a general concept of the form - like how it doesn't work as well with Peridot when she becomes tiney

[obligatory PSA that anatomy knowledge/practice helps so much here - I've been drawing SU for YEARRSSSSS but my understanding of the forms got so much better when I started practicing gesture drawing/anatomy practice]

Expressions/facial anatomy:

so again, SU has so much style inconsistency that the way you draw expressions will vary based on the boarder - this EXCELLENT because this means expressions are really easy to pass in the style! but some visuals anyway:

most of the time, faces are extremely simplified with one guideline across the face, a little bit higher than where the "cheek" starts if the character has a cheek

if more masculine, the guideline will be a bit higher and the eyes will be shorter

an interesting note with Spinel specifically is that her eyebrow expression is done through her hairline, which is part of her really fun 20s inspired look!

Lineart:

i feel like if anything really makes something look "canon", it's how the lineart is done in a finished piece. if I compare with a couple fake screens/edits I've attempted:

the lineart makes all the difference here!!!!

for specs reasons if you're curious, I use procreate with the "baskerville" brush on a higher stream line setting. I do not have pressure sensitivity, so all of my lines are hand-weighted, but if you have pressure sensitivity you might have an easier time here!

facial details tend to be slightly thinner. eyes tend to be a little bit thicker on either the top/bottom or sides, although it depends

outer borders, major clothing, outer hair tufts and other major features are the thickest lines

sometimes lines aren't used at ALL for various features (gem facets, some more minor clothing details, like the bottom of Lapis' top or the waistline on Jasper's uniform)

[random screenshots I pulled as examples]

the key part with lineart and style replication, though, is that is varies WILDLY by style. as long as you have some line weighting it's really easy to get it to pass as SU style

lastly I HIGHLY recommend practicing screenshot edits or fake screenshots if you can!!! I feel like the silly edits I do really help emphasize my understanding of what it takes to make something look like the style, and my little journey into making fake screenshots/"canon" screenshots is a big part of how I've learned to draw in SU style!!!

That's all I have for y'all, make all the SU art in the world!! 2025 will be the Year of Steven Universe Art!!!!

[giantchasm]

“What is it that the child has to teach? The child naively believes that everything should be fair and everyone should be honest, that only good should prevail, that everyone should have what they want and there should be no pain or sadness The child believes the world should be perfect and is outraged to discover it is not. And the child is right.”

WOO! After a little over a month and 60+ hours of drawing, it's finally finished. The Peony animatic I promised you has, at long last, arrived.

It took a lot of work, but I'm super happy with how it came out! And, tbh, I'm already planning more animatics I want to do in the future.

I think the majority of you are already acquainted with Peony, but just in case you aren't, here's a quick rundown of her story, or at least what's covered in the video:

Peony has always known her family experienced quite a bit of strife before her birth, but she doesn’t quite understand the full extent of it until getting caught up in a horrible accident. After nearly losing her life, the young magician develops an affinity for Soul magic— more specifically a connection with the spirit plane, and thanks to that, she’s able to meet two very special people. Her deceased granddad and her father’s long-gone ex-best friend are far from perfect people, but Peony quickly warms up to them anyways. She can see they were dealt an unfair hand in life, and that the tragedies they were involved with weren’t necessarily their fault. As she sees it, they deserve a second chance. So that’s exactly what she’s going to give them! Peony resolves to find a way to bring her dead loved ones back to life… developing her powers more and more along the way and providing her family some much needed closure. But is something like resurrection really possible? It seems Peony may be flying too close to the sun. A certain fluttering fiend is keeping an eye on her, telling her it won’t allow her to disrupt the natural order of things, and that one can’t undo what has already been done. But Peony? She doesn’t know how to listen. The young girl will stop at nothing until she saves her two guardian angels and sets her family right.

...She's a stubborn little goober, that's for sure.

I love her, though, I really do, and I hope you love her too. This video was a real passion project, and I'm super happy with how it came out. I'm glad I could get it finished just before the round 3 polls of the OC Tourney start.

Remember, everyone! Peony for president. Girl's already ready to throw hands with a god.

@kirbyoctournament

Some of my favorite frames will be under the cut with annotations/interesting details pointed out.

I really enjoyed the crayon drawing aspect of this video. The doodles were super fun to do and added a lot of character to it!

One may have noticed that the way Peony drew her mother's side of the family changed, though, as she told their story... and that's not just to represent them getting older! The way she drew their eyes and other stuff changed because during the later half she depicts them with their cybernetics, whereas during the beginning of their tale, she doesn't. Pretty cool stuff.

Technically, in Peony's story, she can't really touch/physically interact with the ghosts... at least not at the point in the timeline this part of the animatic takes place during. All the same, though, I decided to fudge it just a little for more interesting character interactions.

This frame depicts Peony's near death experience, LOL. Don't worry about it... she's fine in the end. In general, this segment of the animatic displays her story a little more chronologically, showing how she developed her powers, learned who the ghosts were, and got better and better at using aforementioned powers.

Shortly after Peony's near-death-experience, Morpho Knight tried to reap Sectonia and Haltmann for interfering with the living world and helping save her life. However, Peony, even not knowing who they were at the time, stood up for them- offering up her life, instead, and Morpho Knight, impressed by the display of bravery, allowed it to slide for now.

...Stars, it's going soft, isn't it? Stupid Kirby

Peony doing some detective work! I really like the framing of this drawing. Here you can see Taranza and Joronia when they were younger alongside Haltmann and Susie pre-cybernetics, like I mentioned earlier.

This bit is meant to be Peony finally confronting the ghosts (or- well, more specifically her granddad) about knowing who they are. She points out that she and him HAVE to be related. Look! They share the same hair fwoof!

There's a very distinct scene I have in my mind for the first time Peony is ever able to physically interact with the ghosts. She's making flower crowns and jokingly tries to put one on Sectonia's head, only for it to work. Needless to say, they're both shocked, then delighted.

These reunions make me feel things. Admittedly stuff is still a little complicated between Susie and her father, but ultimately she is glad to see him... and as for the spiders? I think they missed each other more than they could possibly put into words. They're so, so happy.

This is one of my favorite sets of frames. It took FOREVER to do all of the little doodles, but it turned out looking awesome, as did the ripping effect! See if you can spot all of the different family traumas she's depicted.

I like to think eventually Peony acquires some precious heirlooms. Sectonia hands down the matching scarf she had with Taranza but discarded when she went mad. Haltmann, meanwhile, no longer has his pocket watch, but when Peony tries to surprise him with a new one as a gift, only to realize he can't really hold onto it, he tells her to take care of it for him 'until he can.' This is something she does with pride.

Originally, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with these sets of frames. I mean... I knew I wanted to have Peony walking past her family thriving, but I didn't know how I wanted to orient the group. I figured they'd be best in sets of two, but wasn't sure how to sort them out.

If I were to draw her parents with their dead loved ones, I feared I'd sort of be insinuating their bond with each other wasn't as important now that they had those dead loved ones back, and that isn't true at all. But if I were to draw the living characters and dead characters together... well, that wouldn't really represent how Peony changed the family, now would it?

Ultimately, I decided to draw Susie hanging out with Sectonia and Taranza talking with Haltmann. I thought it'd be a nice way to represent the group as a whole have become a ragtag sort of family. Everyone loves everyone here.

This is one of my favorite frames. I simply think it's so cute. Peony is so, so beloved, and she loves her weird little family so much, too.

I adore these final three frames. Throughout the animatic, the crayon drawings are used to represent her family's tumultuous past, but finally, Peony depicts a more positive moment, quite literally slapping it over a sad one. It's a symbol of her determination to rewrite their— rewrite her— story, no matter what it takes.

Little does she know, even if she ultimately can't bring Sectonia and Haltmann back from the dead, she's already given both them and her parents a happier ending. They're all together, at least, and that's what matters most.

[fleouriarts]

remade the height lineup for jamie and co! it's been almost exactly 6 months since i made the original one, and omar and andre didn't even exist when i made it, so i figured it needed an update. also the original was made in one night (vs this being made in a week) and you can TELL

under the cut are individual pics for each of them with some design notes and such. tumblr also likes to crunch big images like this, for full size click here and here

originally finished 9-28-2024

JAMIE: biggest change is that im actually drawing him with a long ass linsang neck. i wanted him to be small so bad before that i forgot the most important linsang trait... this is also why he has gained 2 inches of height LOL

SANTIAGO: santiago got like 25% wider and his horns are more visible. i considered making a second unclothed ref for his look during the summer (all wool shaved except for the head), but i don't draw him like that very much. maybe later

JOHNNY: no changes. johnny is a perfect animal. i just finally have a full ref of her spots (at least from the front)

NULL: i completely changed their head shape to look like an actual siamese cat, and gave them 6 nipples like an actual cat. their original shirt had just a blue scribble (my usual shorthand when i'm drawing from a ref and don't feel like drawing a shirt design) but i decided they deserve an actual shirt design now. i tried a cat skull at first and then i thought to do cartoon fish bones instead and fell in love with it

ARGYLE: argyle's face spots became more pronounced, his mane is bigger, his bigass robe has only yellow stripes now, and i changed the colors on his pants a bit. a character change that comes with this is that he is now a journalism student instead of fashion. he was originally a fashion student so him, jamie, and santiago would all have to interact (since they're all in the arts at their college). however developing argyle more made me think he would care way more about comfort than looking good when it comes to his clothes. also the son of a lawyer and a history professor going into journalism just makes sense to me

OMAR: omar wasn't on the original lineup, but when compared to my first drawing of her, i just made her fatter with a longer neck. and now i have a good ref of his spots! i've also decided they have hyperestrogenism, no clue if it's caused by an underlying syndrome like aexs or not. either way she has gynecomastia and hypogonadism because of it

ANDRE: andre straight up didn't have a color ref before now cus i mostly drew her in my sketchbook. i just forced myself to figure out his markings and give him a "default" outfit (i really liked the one i drew him in here so that's his default now). also i have decided she does not wear wigs anymore she's just a cool bald bitch

overall i think i just got better at drawing furries ^__^ a lot of it comes down to just thinking harder about their anatomy. you may notice that the new drawing has the carnivorans (jamie null argyle and andre) as plantigrade at rest now instead of digitigrade. part of this is because i went and looked at my zootopia artbook to study it and that's how they do it. another part of it is that when you look at plantigrade vs digitigrade legs (unguligrade is here too i guess):

the entirety of the paw on a digitrade animal is homologous to just the toes on a plantigrade one. do you want to stand on your toes all day? does that sound fun to you? HELL NO!!!!!! unguligrade animals stand on their toenails but they're weirdos we don't have to talk about them

anyway enough of my rambling cheers to you if you read this far. if you're an aspiring furry artist you might find it fun to learn some irl animal anatomy to help you w your drawings, like looking at skulls/full skeletons and stuff. or maybe it'll just frustrate you. i'm a biology student so this is enriching for me. have a nice day

[campbyler]

hi, i just wanted to write a comment to yall bc i am so unbelievably in love with the way this story is written it's insane! i just started to reread ch 9 (part i) again in preparation for the next chap tmrw and i CANT with the way you guys started the chapter w/ woodpeckers. having it build up to will calling mike a new fucking species of indiana woodpeckers is just. so good. it flows so naturally and feels like such a clever way to show how will's relationship with mike is serious and similar to will's dedication to that specific school project. yall make it seem as if mike is a new kind of woodpecker that will needs to study in detail, learn about, and take his time with - i fucking adore that comparison so unbelievably much. it says a ton about their relationship and the characters, and man. i just love that you guys all have such beautiful writing styles and ideas, it's so incredible to read! i've said it before, but this fic was the main reason i got back into drawing for the fandom bc i was gonna make a piece of acswy fanart to post and dip before i started watching the show again - anyways, i'm so glad you guys have been enjoying the fanart i've been making for this fic (i intend to make more for each chapter :D) bc i love seeing the comments you guys leave in the reblogs!! they're always so sweet to read and i'm glad i could give something to yall when you've been making such an incredible story to share :) sorry this is a bit long, but i just wanted to tell you guys that you're doing such a great job with this fic and i cannot wait to see where it goes!

SAMMIIIIIIIIII every comment you ever write makes us CRY and then you'll draw something and we cry even MORE so just know that we are weeping whenever we interact w you btw. if you careee.

TYY for the commentary abt the woodpeckers <3 i was for sure projecting bc i did a project on belted kingfishers when i was in sixth grade which i know are not woodpeckers BUT i did draw and redraw them three hundred times and now thea would for sure dunk on 12-year old thea w my art skills so 12-year old thea better watch OUT!! i am also attached to tht scene bc i did write it while sitting Next To suni which felt very special <3 i'm really glad that this scene hit all the marks i wanted it to and that you enjoyed it so thoroughly!!

we literally cannot believe that we got you back into the fandom 😭😭😭😭😭 genuinely it has been THE biggest joy to see you not only recreate scenes from the fic but also draw other byler fanart!! we are beyond honored and glad we could be a part of it!! you kill us both on the daily in the Best way 💗

we hope that you continue to enjoy the fic as the rest of it plays out!!!

[thatonekreachur]

hhhhh finally I have time to now post this hshshshshhshs

anyways au

so um, yeah, so um uh...

Some days ago I decided to listen to a song for the first time, Symbiotic by Starset, and then i thought "wow. this is absolute broppy material." until it came to me.

guys, hear me out... in this au the trolls have glowy markings all over their body, and the bergans are giant machines that feed on their energy.

Also, the colors of the glowy bits on the pop trolls are like the colors of stars... they can be blue, like a hot blue star, or red, like a cool red star, or yellow, like our sun (even though it's kinda white...). Just a little detail of think is cool, and it's gonna be overall space and glowy themed and such!

And it will of course focus on our famous duo over there! Some things under the cut

The perks of this au includes:

Space and glowy themed ofc

Adding in to the worldbuilding

It will cover all three movies, and I will rewrite the story of each

More interaction between characters

Extra action and suspense and violence

So I am like torn between turning this au into a ao3 fanfic or a comic, or maybe both... idk... let me explain.

So, for comic, which is what I am really leaning into more, my art would look a little... flat at the start, and I would improve and advance as I work on it a little more. One disadvantage is how long the comic will take to complete. One other comic that I read on Deviantart literally took ten fucking years to complete, and for something that's going to cover three whole movies, I don't really think it's gonna be plausible.

Like, the comic will have an introduction chapter, and will be divided into three parts, each representing the three movies, with more being added with future installments. Like, if it will take ten fucking years to complete one part, then I will literally grow old and die before I even start one that will cover the potential fifth or sixth movie, not to mention the high chance of hitting artist's block. So my solution is to keep this short, but not too short to not make the plot feel rushed, and not too long so it won't literally take more than 2 years to complete...

So, for fanfic, it will take a lot less time to complete, and I get to learn how to write, but not how to draw. And for doing both, I get to learn how to draw and write but then I might overstimulate myself doing a buncha things at the same time.

But one thing for both of them is that I have to overcome the fear of writing the characters names on there, so you guys have to help me out on this one. I have no idea why I am afraid of putting the names on there, like its a bunch a words... what harm can they do?

I might've made the conclusion, I will do the comic one better. Guys if this feels a little rushed and the grammar feels broken is because I am writing this at the point where I need to go asleep and the melatonin is kicking in. so, yeah goodbye

[affluent-havoc]

As I've drawn Kyoko way more times than I ever would have predicted I would, I've learned that drawing her in the category of "done with everything" is extremely entertaining for me and will never get old. Also, drawing Kyoko with Byakuya has also opened my eyes so much and now I adore these two together, butting heads and just interacting. Like, Kyoko and Byakuya antagonizing each other and being intellectual rivals? Spectacular! It is a crime that it too me this long for my brain to comprehend the beauty of their petty potential. But, anyway, it's really amazing seeing the many ways this can be done. For instance, they can be shown as these strategic foils for one another like a battle between two scholars. It can be a complex showcase of their internal struggles and hypocrisies where the two just look at each other and go "At least I'm not as bad as THEM!". Also gotta love the more comedic side of the dynamic too. It's like their strange little creatures dueling one another via slapping each other's hands or using the other's hand and going "Ha! You're hitting yourself" over and over. Like, pettiness with these two is golden. Let them snark at one another and be overly judgmental! Also, it's just really wholesome seeing art of them getting along (which I so gotta do more of sometimes though the sillies are strong) or AHEM "getting along" in which one or the other is just a wee bit annoyed while the other has that cocky smirk, joyous that they bested the other. It's beautiful when Byakuya's the one getting annoyed though it can be equally entertaining seeing Byakuya all proud of himself while Kyoko looks mere minutes away from grabbing the nearest blunt object and chucking it at him, all done with that deadpan expression with a glint of satisfaction after she glances at his crumpled form on the ground. Always a bonus to see Byakuya being put in his place. In regard of the wholesome side though, I'm just a sucker for fluff and that'll never change. It's intrinsically tied to my funky little blood vessels. Plus, seeing these two having a chill hang out together is just neat. There's gotta be some shenanigans in there too though! Shenanigans are always fun to play around with. And, adding some hurt/comfort into the fluff (maybe even the shenanigans), YES!! Two characters who don't think they have much in common but actually have a TON in common getting on the same page to help the other?! Beautiful. Gorgeous. Good fucking food right there. If only I could write Kyoko... rip (I say when all my fics are unfinished and unpublished ;-;) But, anyway, these two have a lot in common, so, seeing them acknowledge that fact and help each other grow will forever be amazing in my heart. Always been into those dynamics where both characters gain something out of it and grow for the better because of the interactions they share, romantic, platonic, or anything in-between. AND, speaking of romance, hell, as of recently, I don't mind seeing them in a more romantic angle. I will still prefer the platonic side but I don't mind the alternative a lot more than I used to. At the end of the day, as long at their both being little smarmy brats towards one another, it's fine and dandy! Though, tldr; no matter how ya look at them, these two are lowkey comedy gold if ya do it right and are pretty cool together. Also, they need therapy. It's not related to their relationship but like, just in general. They need therapy, dang it!

[kittycatred]

[ ooc blog update ]

i know ive been inactive on this blog for today (or well, technically yesterday) but luckily, there is a very good reason !!!!

i spent a good few hours organizing this blog a bit (& my own main blog), so theres soooome minor changes, moreso for me than you guys, but ill still mention everything :3 (because i spent hours on this i wanna show it off LMAO)

soo if you wanna read my (VERY LONG) rambling and such i go through all the mini blog changes below !! or you can just see yourself either works :3

first thing, pinned post !!!

i learned how to do gradients on text and it was SUCH A PAIN, but so worth it look guys its so pretty now ??

i tried to shorten the pinned post a bit, or atleast leas overwhelming so theres not much red gifs anymore, and instead of 'boundaries / fyi' theres now in & out of character sections !!

everything is about the same as before if you read it, the only changes are:

under in character, ive added some headcanon-y stuff of how i see avm red, clarified shipping stuff id prefer to not have (not cause anyone said anything i just realized i should probably clarify lmao), & ive also added sections of basically how red can sometimes be petty for funsies, and also that if anything said when interacting makes anyone uncomfortable then dont be afraid to reach out ect ect !!

under out of character, clarification on pronouns, kinda ??, i dunno before i just had xe/they i think, name stuff, how im a fictive running this, i moved the no nsfw stuff under here, & how i try to get to everything !!

NOW TAGS >:)

main tags are the usual tags i had aside from me now adding 'drawn posts'

SILLY TAGS look at these guys i organized a good chunk of posts under these, it originally started with me just adding the government assigned cats (which i still need to reblog some more things to put under this from other blogs i forgot oops)

and then the other three i just thought it would be funny since alot of posts fall under those and all

and then askbox pets IVE MADE THAT A TAG CAUSE I GET SO MANY PET PHOTOS IN MY ASKBOX ?? AND I LOVE THEM ?? guys keep doing that i love animals outside of just roleplaying red and theres still some i need to get to answering in my askbox but theyre all adorable oh my gosh !!!!

and ill probably add more of these later as posting and all goes on !!

interaction tags !!! gosh coding the colors was a pain guys i learned how to do this all today but its so worth it though

but here the tags are hyperlinked to show all interactions or mentions of blogs, and their names are hyperlinked to their separate blogs !! so convenient now !!

ALSO i need to catch up on interactions and asks so some blogs are tagged but have no posts i will get to that eventually ive just been doing this all day !!

but wait....theres more than just the pinned posts !!!! (can you tell im writing this at 3am ?)

TAGS !! im finally organizing tags although only i care about that but still

i finally added a separating tag between ooc and in character tags and i also started tagging askbox askers like anon and stuff if you go through you'll see but yay organization !!!

but guys....theres even MORE

okay so im not gonna lie.....i didnt like the stick figure style i was drawing for the asks and stuff ITS COOL DONT GET ME WRONG and other blogs do it WAY BETTER but i didnt like how i was doing it

so guess what ? i humanoid-ized(?) whatever you call it your definitely favorite stickfigure !!!

see all these ??? just a bald stick figure with me overusing the airbrush tool and blur tool wowww ://

now see THIS ??? no longer bald !!! and now EXPRESSIONS and EYEBROWS wow upgrade !! 💥💥💥

(fyi im just jabbing at myself theres nothing wrong with the old way i drew them if anyone else does that just for clarification !!!)

which okay im rambling already so this is fine, but that last image of red angry over the ruben stuff, i dunno how i did that i suck at perspective but i think its actually decent so wahoo !!

anyways i updated all the previous post (ACTUALLY NEVERMIND I MISSED TWO OF THE OLD ONES ill fix that later) with the new drawings but i still kept the old ones !! just under a 'read more' thingy !! and im gonna try to draw out asks more too cause its fun :D if im able to sometimes its just easier to respond with text but theres some i do like to draw out :3

anyways that's all the blog updates on hereee !! :)

i was going to catch up on asks after posting this but it's nearly 4am, and i have a ortho appointment tomarrow in the EARLY morning (i get my braces off guys finally 💥💥💥) but i promise im not ignoring any asks or interactions ect ect !! ill get to them asap !!!

anyways okay thats all !!! i ramble alot (if it wasnt....yknow....kinda obvious here LMAO) so thank youu if anyone read all this !!! im gonna sleep noww but heres a silly colorgang gif for reading through my ramblesss !!!

[offlineblues]

just thinking (art related growth)

looking at these two works, i think i may have improved a lot this year with drawing. the first one is from December (i drew it for Revolver release in Duel Links) and the second one is from August (today)

i struggled a lot this year with style and doodling and stuff because i continued to draw a lot of things outside of my comfort zone. it took me a long time to learn how to draw YGO hair and the sharpness of the characters. i ended up changing how i draw characters like Yusaku and Ai at least 4 times before i got it how i want it to look...! i was having a crisis for real

i knew i needed to work on how i wanted to draw more masculine type faces instead of soft ones, so i tried and tried. in private, i've drawn a lot of poses and interactions and studied how my style (or how i would ideal my style to be) would look.

i learned a lot about characters interacting and poses. i learned a lot about lighting against clothes and skin and hair, adding a vibrance i was missing before. i learned a lot about using a variety of colors to show a richness and more contrast between light and shadow. i got more comfortable drawing in general how i ideal it to be.

i'm pretty happy to have made more progress again... it's very apparent in this comparison...

and even one of my first aiyusa, i've definitely grown a lot since then too. i feel embarrassed to show my first Yusakus XD the first one is last October and the second is December. and then the one from last month or so. see, i ended up changing the eyes to be larger and more bright because that's how they are in canon... also Ai's hair being longer and more accurate (?) (it's still YGO hair so i wing it in certain aspects)

anyway i just wanted to say i'm happy in this aspect with myself for my own improvement, which i struggle to feel is real sometimes... phew

i wonder if i get a real tablet and stop drawing on my phone with my fingers that i'll grow more with better tools? i like the convenience of drawing anywhere a LOT but also i know it's limiting me... aaaa

[majorbaby]

actually we are both SO lucky because tumblr wouldnt let me send the ask initially—I had to copy an earlier version and try sending it to myself several times to figure out what the error was. so i DO have an earlier copy of the ask—it was less clean so I'll add more fun colors to make it less of a pain to read. ANYWAY, IT IS AS FOLLOWS:

"THE GEORGE EPISODE...sorry this is gonna be a long ask, I hope you don't mind! I love that ep for personal reasons that have almost nothing to do w/ the episode itself, which is, I agree, aside from the social message of "don't be a bigot" (AND TRAPPERS SINGINGGGG) kind of mid!

but. i was re-watching it recently. and the scene where George comes out and then Father Mulcahy interrupts w/ the football and Hawkeye does a really bad throw, kind of caught my attention oddly.

I know the main purpose of the interaction is to wrap up the scene nicely, give Hawkeye a way to bounce off of George asking Hawk not to tell anybody abt him being A Homosexual. but it also directly connects Hawkeyes Comedic Sports Failure to George's Homosexuality and w/ the way that lack of aptitude in sports is considered a Gay Thing especially back in the day, the little voice in my head that loves looking for meaning in stories said: "This is a purposeful connection the writers are drawing between Hawkeye and George"

and then the rest of my brain kicked up and kicked in and kicked down the door and said "take a breather, you transexual bisexual. not everything is about intentional queercoding." and i was like yeah. fine. whatever. fine. alright.

and while I do kinda believe bisexual reading of Hawkeye is inevitable to any viewer who has ever given thoughtful consideration to how one man might want to touch another man, calling it coding in this scene might be a pretty dramatic stretch. i can't argue with that. sure.

BUT. i was working on a sewing project later and needed something light and easy to listen to, and i poked at the MASHMatters podcast and found they had an interview with one of the writers of that very episode—Gary Markowitz. [ep 71 if u want it]

AND. i have three interesting things to tell u i learned from that.

1) ORIGINALLY the ending of the episode was not going to be "Frank was hiding something embarrassing in HIS past TOO! He paid for his degree!" (Markowitz did not like this ending because he was like "are we really going to say that being gay is something in your past you Should be ashamed of?") but instead. Frank was going to get drunk and admit that there was an older family friend with a tattoo he really. really admired when he was younger. Admired the guy's muscles. Maybe. Sure, maybe he wanted to be him, but maybe...maybe he wanted...Something Else.

Obviously...I mean. I don't think I'd consider that a Diversity Win.

Honestly? In this one weird case maybe I agree with the censors that blackmailing Frank about paying for the answers to the test was kind of better. Esp with the idea that "the most homophobic people are the homosexuals themselves" being a particularly shitty trope.

and I think the explicit confirmation that Frank himself might have some homosexual tendencies might have overshadowed the single-ep-character, George, and come right around to being a "well its ok to bully the annoying homosexuals" message. which would already be a horrible message in an era where I think homosexuality itself was cause for disgust and irritation for many people. but. well. anyway.

2) MARKOWITZ MENTIONED THE RADAR AND HENRY BIT.

Markowitz said they intentionally included the monthly checkup bit to illustrate how, in a situation such as this, men are often very intimate with each other, putting themselves in vulnerable situations with other men, touching other men, already.

Like, sure the rest of the episode maybe you (a homophobic 1970s audience) are freaking out about a man wants to touch other men intimately, but you're totally okay and unbothered about this corporal getting so up in his C.O.'s business that he can see a little nativity scene in his ear?

He said they wanted to make it clear that homophobia is a silly stance to take when men are touching men for all sorts of reasons all the time in a setting like the military. Like. It is just naturally a kind of homosocial homosexual homoplatonic environment just on account of how homogenous the gender variance of any given environment is.

and I was like. whoa. hey. that's a lot more thought than I gave the writers credit for, and that's on me! I really like that scene even more now!

3) Apparently, when Markowitz and his writing partner (John W. Regier) submitted this (their first script to get accepted) idea to the usual MASH writers nobody was Thrilled about it. Like, it was Fine but they were in a friendly competition with All In The Family to tackle social issues, and so they were like "FINEEEEE i GUESSSS we'll talk about THE GAY ISSUE. since All In The Family Hasn't yet. WHATEVER."

which doesn't surprise me in the least given the show itself as well as the time it was made in, but does disappoint me a little.

ANYWAY!!!!!!!

So I took all this stuff and brought it with me when I started thinking about all the other little scenes in there—like when George pauses when Frank mentions The Pink Scourge before Frank clarifies that he means communists.

OR when Henry gets his nails done by the nurse he's sweet on—and asks with an easy familiarity for the buffing treatment. How she calls his hands beautiful, and he says he got them from his mother.

OR OR OR. the one where Hawkeye is painting that nurse's toes, and she says "wow you're really good at this" and then Radar comes over and ALSO says hawkeye is really good at painting toenails. and that scene is RIGHT before he throws the football really badly. and how THAT is followed by Mulcahy getting tackled by a bunch of other soldiers, so it's just a writhing mass of olive drab, men's bodies against men's bodies against men's bodies.

Perhaps it wasn't just to wrap up the scene, but also used just very very subtly reinforce that in some ways, Hawkeye is less of the Red Blooded American Icon of Masculinity than this Gay Soldier, who is begging to be sent back to the front lines to serve his country, despite being assaulted by his own unit—and then. maybe. Maybe the American Ideal Of Masculinity, commonly tied to football, to being in the military, etc, is itself...a little...Hm. You Know. Like when Radar opens the door to the shower while Hawk + Trap are in there, and a crowd outside starts clapping. I think that transexual bisexual impulse is getting the best of me maybe. anyway.

ANYWAY i hope this ask was enjoyable for you you and i thank you for reading it! Your analytical posts about MASH always give me a lot to think about and I find myself wanting to return some of that enjoyment back to you! "

postscript: thank u so much for posting ur thoughts despite the tumblr mayhem, i am eating them!!! slurping them up like a carton of noodles. packaging the rest in a little tupperware to save for later!!

ah thank you for re-submitting it! i couldn't remembering enough of it to summarize your points and do them justice.

... very very subtly reinforce that in some ways, Hawkeye is less of the Red Blooded American Icon of Masculinity than this Gay Soldier, who is begging to be sent back to the front lines to serve his country, despite being assaulted by his own unit—and then. maybe. Maybe the American Ideal Of Masculinity, commonly tied to football, to being in the military, etc, is itself...a little...Hm. You Know

I do think this is what is textually happening in several episodes of MASH, including in George. @marley-manson articulated it very well in a post that i am unable to locate at this time, where she stated that Hawkeye's "hmm" moments are about gender expression. moments that hold him up as something other than "Red Blooded American Icon of Masculinity."

there's lots of examples of this from early MASH but my favourite is this one from Yankee Doodle Doctor. runner up: Frank at some point @ HawkTrap "you-! you... guys!" HawkTrap: "we are notttt~"

totally valid to see that as lending itself well to a trans Hawkeye headcanon (although Trapper is the one following when they dance, not Hawkeye - and big lug that he is, Trapper also manages to subvert trad masculinity in his own masc way... ), but I really like it as is too - there's more than one way to be a man. you don't have to buy what traditional masculinity is selling you. you can be a lover, rather than a fighter.

[flydotnet]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where I give myself stupidly niche requests according to this marvelous card... or something. It's been three years dawg. (Red cross is the completed prompt, character headshots are prompts I’ve already filled).

You dislike me, Princess Ivy? We each have our tastes, I suppose, but…this makes me sad.

It's a bit of an unorthodox take on "Take Me Instead" that's tailored to my tastes, but what is fanfiction if not an expression of a thing you like? Yeah, exactly.

I may have lost myself during the making of this fanfic. Got lost in the sauce, you could say. It's very verbose and static, and I lost sight of what this fic was originally going to be about. Or was it ever about anything that wasn't writing an interaction vaguely based on a bond conversation that amused me? I'm not sure of either.

This is probably super OOC because I already don't write Camilla in a canon-compliant way, so… watch out for that! It was fun to write anyway. God I love Kagetsu so much, he truly is babygirl-coded.

The title is a bit random. I honestly didn't have better that wasn't a title I saw used elsewhere, so… oops.

-----------

Rice Vinegar

Summary: Camilla has a discussion with Kagetsu after a very rough battle against the Corrupted - out of concern and misunderstanding. Self-sacrifice is a truly ugly thing.

Fandom: Fire Emblem Engage

Word Count: 2.8K words

AO3 version available here.

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo.

---------------

Camilla has never been a stranger to death and bodily harm – quite the opposite, really. When she was alive, she often was the one inflicting this harm onto others, either in self-defence or in a genuine attempt to take down her enemies. It was her father’s overly ambitious mistresses, it was a mindless shell of a soldier threatening harm on her brother, it was – they all died, or died again, to her hand, her axe, her wyvern. And she had no regret about it whatsoever.

Nothing and nobody was ever sacred, when she was alive. Even alliances could fickle and she’d draw blood again. She had grown up in an environment where it made it all too easy to justify violence for all sorts of reasons, selfish or selfless, with or without consequences. It never came to pass, thanks to her dear Corrin, but the fear was here until the end of her days.

Camilla has, however, never been a stranger to self-sacrifices – mostly from other people.

She gets it, in essence. She, too, felt unconditional love for her siblings and her children, knew when to risk in a hit to save a friend, heard all of the speeches – a brother sacrificing his health for his country, a sister always ready to help anyone out of the kindness of her heart, a neighbour country’s values of honour and solidarity at times trampling a need for self-preservation. Duties and passion, abnegation, causes worth losing a life for.

It’s a noble feeling, even if noble isn’t exactly… what she’s been known for. But she gets it, she truly does – the urge to sacrifice something, that is. Her own life, though? That’s another thing. How could she protect her siblings and fight for her kingdom if she was dead? Sacrificing someone else was fine, as long as it wasn’t someone she had to protect, including herself.

Evidently, the person to who she’s been assigned doesn’t see it the way she does.

She came to learn that when in the heat of battle. They were all surrounded by flows of the Corrupted, unrelenting, the distant cackle of Griss coming to her hears. Kagetsu himself was flanked by Prince Diamant and Princess Ivy, his own liege, sword drawn and ready to strike, while flames burned in the distance and smoke stung his eyes. Despite the fact he had just exhausted his power to engage with her, she could still feel the way his legs cramped, the twitch in his sword arm after using it for so long and, most of all, the pain of the one injury he had sustained.

She couldn’t communicate with him much in this context, so she could only worry about him and the way he wouldn’t ask Princess Ivy for a quick heal with the staff she carried on her back – while she was busy blasting away with Bolganone in hands, Diamant could keep the Corrupted away for long enough so Ivy could patch her retainer.

He then froze. An archer had his eyes set on Ivy. She had her eyes somewhere else. A bleeding wound adorned her right thigh.

She couldn’t quite see Kagetsu’s face with the smoke and the way she had to hover without obscuring his vision, but what she felt spoke more than enough for him. Adrenaline pulsed in his body, so did an urge to protect his friends, and no thought was spared to his own safety. Like a good retainer, he’d throw it all away for the sake of his liege, exchanging his life for hers.

No, don’t take Princess Ivy! She heard his heart cry. Take me instead!

He rushed ahead, what was left of his ponytail dangling in the wind, blood already flowing from his left leg yet leaving no limp behind.

Diamant’s voice acted before his body ever did.

“Kagetsu, wait—”

But it was too late. His blade had already struck the archer, and an arrow had already lodged itself in his abdomen.

It’s since then all crashed down on poor, poor Kagetsu, who got sternly recommended to keep the bed by a child maybe half his size. Unable to protest in his state, he was no match for the youthful resilience of Jean, doctor in becoming, with assistance from stubborn Steward Framme. It’d have been cute, if she didn’t feel concern and so much of Kagetsu’s shame through the bracelet he was still holding on to.

Even now, watching over him in bed, she feels the shame, watches him try to toss and turn, only for his teeth to grit together. It’s an upsetting thing, even with her experience; they’re friends, and friends don’t ever like seeing their friend suffer in any way.

“I don’t understand it,” he tells her, even if it comes off as thinking out loud.

“What don’t you understand?”

Through their bond, she can tell he is upset – anxious, even, which comes off as a foreign concept to someone like Kagetsu. Moral pain like this is something that clashes with his usual personality. Perhaps there are more layers to him than she’d have thought?

“I don’t understand why Princess Ivy and Prince Diamant were so… upset. It’s like I did something wrong and it’s hurt them!”

Ah, figures.

Camilla did easily read the anguish on Ivy’s face, yes. She could tell with one insisting gaze that she was going through a lot of emotions, and while she isn’t able to tell with perfect accuracy due to not being linked to her at the moment, she can hazard a very solid guess as to what she was thinking – if just because their experiences haven’t been so different and because Kagetsu, ever the social butterfly, sees his liege a lot of the time and chats her up into unveiling some information about herself.

Although, there may be very little guessing on her part required to begin with, when she had the aftermath of the seemingly senseless sacrifice play out before her very eyes.

As soon as Ivy had finished defeating the Corrupted obscuring her view and flanking her, she had glanced back at her retainer, who now had an arrow in his side – a feat rare enough to be cited, both for the very fact it wasn’t in an easier area to reach, and for it to have lodged itself between two ribs.

She was about to scream his name, from what Camilla could see near the bracelet; but her voice was caught in her throat before she could, right as Kagetsu folded like paper onto himself.

The staff she was clutching in her hands was on the verge of rupturing, Diamant was bleeding from what Camilla could guess to be a deep gash in his side, but he insisted on her using it on Kagetsu, by virtue of him still standing and the swordman not, spotting the arrival of Framme.

So Ivy used the remaining energy left in the staff on her retainer, the tool breaking into dust as his eyes fluttered back open, an extraordinary weight to his eyelids preventing them from opening fully. His leg wound was now doing better, but the arrow remained in his chest. Right as she asked him, almost without a breath, how he was doing, his sole answer was smiling.

“I’m glad you are fine, Princess Ivy,” he said before falling back asleep.

Ivy wasn’t handling it as well as one whose father and concubines led a life of debauchery and deadly power games should’ve, in Camilla’s eyes, but she understood it. Beruka and Selena were far more important to her than political games, at the end of the day. Associate a name, a voice and a personality to a body, and then you’re suddenly much more affected by their blood flowing from their wounds. Figures.

Still, she carried on nonetheless: she brought Kagetsu on top of her wyvern to safety, watched the battle end by Diamant’s side, asked about the way he limped, scrutinized his denial, asked Framme to look at it. Kept an eye on Kagetsu. Almost refused treatment to be bedside vigil. Discussed his stillness with Zelkov, who didn’t even bother hiding all sorts of concerns. Let Jean take a look at her wound, in silence. Remained there once it was bandaged. Still watched over Kagetsu, stoic anguish never vanishing.

“Why did he do such a thing?” She asked, thinking out loud, at long last. “Putting himself in harm’s way on purpose… How reckless of him.”

There was no surprise in her voice.

“I suppose he did so to protect you,”

There was also no surprise in Zelkov’s as he replied.

“I can defend myself just fine.”

Diamant stared at the scene in silence from where he sat, nearby, face distorted.

“As any retainer would do,” he commented, eyes squinted, nailed into the form of his colleague.

“Then may he never do that again,” she immediately retorted, clutching her arms even closer to the rest of her body. “I’d have survived that without issue. He didn’t need to kill himself over me.”

The protest wasn’t a matter of pride, or else, Zelkov might’ve commented on it.

“I’m afraid it might happen again in any upcoming battle,” he told her instead. “Kagetsu and I have the mission to serve and protect you.”

“Even at the cost of your life?”

“Yes, even if it might cost us our lives.”

“Absolutely repulsive.” She was on the verge of crying. “Is he going to be fine…?”

“He should be,” Framme chimed in, now that she was done with Diamant’s leg.

“Should be?”

Framme’s shoulders shot up, stiff.

“It’s, uh… never certain. But he really should be okay! Jean’s just gonna check him over once he can and he’ll be able to go on his merry way! After some rest, of course.”

“He better be fine after this is all said and done. I won’t let him throw his life away for… such pointless reasons! I can’t… lose anyone again. Not after Hortensia and I had to…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but judging by Zelkov and Diamant’s reactions, she didn’t need to.

Grief may’ve been the one thing linking the three of them together.

Once more, this doesn���t seem to be how Kagetsu views it – or perhaps he lacks knowledge of it. Losing blood and going through intense pain does tend to tinge someone’s memory or even bleach them away. Let her see how he conceives it, then.

“You didn’t do something wrong per say,” she starts explaining, for a second picturing a sister’s confusion at their brother’s upset. “But you did something that would bring pain to those who’re closest to you, dear.”

“In what way?” He sounds so genuinely confused, and in that moment, Camilla can only understand Ivy’s pain even further. “All I did was defend my friends. Princess Ivy could have been severely hurt.”

“What about Prince Diamant? I recall you being injured as well even before the arrow struck, Kagetsu.”

“He could have gotten hurt too.”

He ignores the second part entirely, then.

“But he was just as qualified as you were to take the enemy down before they could struck Princess Ivy.”

“I’m Princess Ivy’s retainer,” he chews back, even if it lacks strength (very much because his body has all sorts of protests against the exertion). “It’s my mission to keep her safe. It is not Prince Diamant’s mission.”

Camilla wants to ask if this could apply to Zelkov as well, only to bite back on it because asking seems to be a bit of pointless endeavour.”

“Then I suppose I can only hope to make you understand why they both were so upset, Kagetsu.”

His face lightens up.

“Oh, pray and tell! It sounds like very useful information to know.”

She shifts, crossing her arms and float-sitting on the empty chair next to the bed. Framme left a little while ago, but not without a promise to come back soon. It was something about a potion and reinforcement, if she recalls correctly, but this isn’t the focus of her thoughts.

“I too had retainers in my lifetime. They were both very dear to me, to a point where it pained me when they’d get hurt, especially on my behalf.” She sighs. “Of course, protecting one’s liege is the most important mission of a retainer, and both Princess Ivy and I understand that. Still, it didn’t mean I didn’t feel guilt for letting them get hurt on my behalf – or getting hurt at all, come to think of it.”

“You would feel… guilt?”

“Among all sorts of negative emotions, yes.”

“But then, why feel upset?”

“Because they were people who I cared deeply about, and like you, I didn’t like seeing my loved ones hurt in any way. I’ve killed for them, and I’d do it again even today.” He looks slightly horrified, which prompts her to let go a little of the bloodied details of a life long past gone. “Princess Ivy cares about you in a similar way, so even if you think you did good protecting her, she’s been upset to see you hurt – just like you’d have been would your positions have been inverted.”

“So, I caused Princess Ivy pain because she cares for me?”

“Indeed.”

He remains silent for a moment, leaning back into the pillow. He looks defeated.

“Then, if I had avoided that arrow… She would not have been hurt.”

This really isn’t what Camilla wanted him to conclude. What a stubborn soul.

Unfortunately, before she can disprove his flimsy theory, he continues.

“I wish my strange powers would not be so useless. If they were not, then perhaps… perhaps I could have seen it coming, and I could have protected Princess Ivy without upsetting her by getting hurt.”

“This isn’t what I wanted you to understand,” she replies. “Your powers may’ve stopped it from happening this time, but it wouldn’t fix the issue.”

His eyes, which are still slightly glazed over, grow wider, before his face hardens again.

“What would fix the problem, then, Camilla?”

He asks that with a flame in his eyes and no chill going down his spine – a far cry from a moment ago. The bright smile has always hidden a sharp blade underneath, and now, it’s pointed towards her, light lining its edge.

“Sometimes, you can’t avoid getting hurt, especially in combat. Ivy understands that as much as you do. However, what hurt wasn’t that you were in pain.” She marks a pause. “What hurt her was that you got hurt in her stead, when you were already hurt and actively hiding it from her. She blames herself for what happened, and combined with the concern it caused her, it was painful to go through. I’d even go as far as to say she’s wondering if you trust her.”

“Oh…”

The lack of bite tells her this is finally dawning on him.

“I know you tried to do good, and deep down, I know Ivy understands that as well. She only got concerned, but that’s why you can’t always jump in front of danger and take hits for other people. What if you had been more grievously injured than you thought? Or worse, what if the blow had been fatal?”

“I see… how that would cause a lot of bad things.”

“Ivy cares about you as a person, and by doing that, you hurt her by accident, just like she would if she got injured in front of you. It’s a fine line to walk, because while you had good intentions, most of the consequences were the complete opposite of what you wanted. You also need to think of your self-preservation, when you think of taking a hit for someone else.”

“I am starting to see…”

“I don’t expect you to learn all of this in one go. If your culture is anything like Hoshido’s, it promotes sacrifice for the sake of the greater good. At least, this is what I got from fighting alongside Hoshidians.”

“Oh, please tell me more! I am curious to know about-”

A knock on the door.

“It’ll have to wait until next time, I’m afraid. It seems like you’ve got a visitor.”

“Oh!” He lightens up. “Come on in, friend!”

The door opens to unveil a slightly less anxious Ivy: her shoulders are hanging lower, her eyebrows are unknitted, and her hands aren’t fiddling as much as they did when Framme was looking over her retainer.

“It’s good to see you’re awake, Kagetsu,” she says with a timid smile. “How are you feeling?”

“A little sore, but I am alive, and soon enough, I will be full of vigour again!”

“I’m certain you will,” she chuckles, but the laugh disappears quickly. “There are things I want to discuss with you.”

She sits down, gaze unfaltering, at which point Camilla decides they deserve some privacy.

[lulullia]

Vladleen Photo | Lyphuriaa

Isn't Lulu so cute?? She probably had to beg for days to convince Vlad to make such a cheesy gesture…

God this one was especially hard, not really because of what I was drawing but because of how. It made me learn about a bazillion things not to repeat ever again.

All things considered though, it came out pretty good! I wanted to give up so many times and there were so many catastrophes I'm really surprised in how clean it looks.

I'm even more surprised that I was able to push through and bring it to the finish despite it all, it's something to celebrate ;-;

A lil' summary of what this piece taught me ⤵

I really need to study the rest of the human anatomy. The legs were difficult, the feet too. I only realize this now because I mostly draw torsos and simple poses. Also, first time I draw characters interacting – it was fun but it's really something I need to practice more!

If I plan on using the sketch as lineart, please for the love of God use an opaque brush. The amount of time I spent fixing the lineart because it was semi-transparent, I might as well have drawn 3 layers of proper lineart.

Keep an eye on the background color. Because of some transparency stuff, I didn't realize some parts of the drawing only looked right with the current bg color – so when I thought I was done and changed it, I stared in horror at the ugly artifacts all around the drawing. It was painful to fix.

Sometimes it's easier to just draw over the sketch, taking the lines I like, instead of cleaning it up. Because using the sketch layer – especially with an opacity brush – leaves around a ton of barely visible artifacts. I had to "select opaque" to see them and clear them out, and it was also painful.

Generally, going into a drawing without a plan for what style it's gonna be is a bad idea and results in a lot of problems down the line.

Better fix any problems I have with the drawing as early as possible, because I'll end up fixing it anyway, only if I'm too far in the process it'll cost me more time.

I need to stop drawing too detailed an anatomy if I know it's gonna get covered by clothes anyway… T-T

Phew, I'm still shocked that I managed to make a decent piece even after all these problems. Somehow I feel pretty good about it, I think the joy of seeing it finished made all my bad experience with it go away.

It's great, especially since I've been struggling a lot with self-doubt about my creative projects recently; this shows me that no matter how crappy something seems to be, if only I push through and finish it, all that bad energy turns into incredibly good feelings of accomplishment and pride.

Hope that's useful; now I really want to make a mini story game and see how it turns out…

[croziers-compass]

🤗, 🤯, 🥰, 💌, and 🧠 for the fic writer asks

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started? - Just write. Don't worry about how you think it sounds. Do not worry about how "good or bad" it is. Do not. Just write. Get all of that out of the way. Insecurity will be your greatest adversary. Improve and think about how you could re-do or write better in the future after you've written! You will never be able to improve or be better at writing if you do not first start writing! It is also okay to take ideas and styles that you see other writers use and implement them! That is how you grow and learn! If you enjoy a particular aesthetic of writing then try it out for yourself! See how it feels! But most importantly simply write regardless of that voice in your head. You can do it. Even if it's "bad" or you do not like what you've made later, do it anyway! Worry about improvements after you have something to improve upon! 🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)? - Hetero Romance because I feel like the straights are not okay 99% of the time. I do not struggle in writing conflict in romance at all! But with hetero people it simply feels unfit and poorly constructed like a sad facade I cannot replicate. 🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics? - I adore reader interactions! This not only is beneficial for me as a writer but it also builds a bond between me and the communities that I adore being a part of! It's critical to me as a writer, myself, to experience this. I do not need to share every little bit of fanfic that I write. And I do not. There are vast amounts of fics I do not share or have withheld. But the substance that I do share I share because I wish for it to become part of the community I love, adore, and support. It is, in its own way, my method of building bridges. I create. Some people draw and create fanart. Others write. That is my contribution to community. My creations and my writing is how I build those connections and so engagements with and through others wishing to connect with me about my writing is incredibly valuable and deeply, deeply cherished.

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback? - I am always open for comments and feedback. I have a personal policy that follows something that Neil Gaiman posted once where it is considered in poor taste to offer feedback unless someone asks for it. I, however, do not mind it myself for myself if someone wishes to offer it. I feel I have a good healthy grasp in sifting through what I am able to use and apply for feedback and what feedback is not particularly useful for me. I am comfortable and confident in my writing and always looking to gain improvements. But those improvements can only be applicable if it helps push me in the direction I would like to see my writing go. I also always love comments! To see and hear how my work impacts other people is incredibly important to me! Even if it's not something writing related. To see how any of my words might help someone else grow, think, or evaluate themself is so incredibly important to me. There's a quote by Chuck Palahniuk that goes: "Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I've ever known" I like to think of how my work and my words impact others as having this same effect. And visa versa. I am made up of all of those I engage with and interact with. And you all, are made up of parts of me in a way. 🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. - There was no character selected for me to run off with! so I will give you my own personal headcanon for two of my favourite characters of all time. One, Francis Crozier (both not just as a character but a figure so I suppose Historical Headcanon) - It's a small one, but he has a little charm/emblem of St. Brendan that probably is hung or stays next to his berth aboard his ship. And Raskolnikov is Narcoleptic. Hands down that man is narcoleptic.