#bigwig is my favourite in every aspect

[epiphlyte]

remakes of designs of watership down characters c: bigwig, hazel and fiver. i may do more of these in the future, feel free to drop some characters you'd like to see! the original version (aug 2022) below the cut!

overall i'm definitely more happy with the new designs. i mostly fiddled around with hues/saturation, moved and added some markings to make them more distinct, and of course my anatomy and artstyle have developed a lot more these past months.

also it's fun to look at how i use my brush now compared to before. the lines are thinner, characters more detailed, and i'm pretty sure i even fiddled around with the settings so that the flow direction changed. it's ironic since i was originally using this brush as a "loose sketch" liner but now render everything completely - definitely time consuming with this particular tool but i wanted to keep things consistent enough so that i could compare these two pictures.

tune in next week for another epi rambles about medibang paint brushes! well, hopefully the next time i post won't be next week.

[glitched-reflections-blog]

Hacker Matsu Headcanons

It baffles me that there's very little Hacker Matsus content on here... So allow me to contribute! I might also be a bit biased considering I preordered their merch (like my Hacker!Ichi phone case I got last week that I love dearly). These headcanons got a little out of hand so this post is a tad long.

All Matsus

- In this AU, they're just as likely to not to go out looking for jobs. Not because of laziness, but due to being awkward shut ins figuratively trapped within their computer screens. They still go out into the city for errands sometimes.

- Each of the brothers have their own desktop that they decorate according to their tastes. It's rather easy to tell whose setup is whose from a glance.

- Prone to being forgetful about basic needs such as eating. Hey, we've all been there, right? They're lucky to have a caring mother to remind them every now and then. She even installed alarms with helpful messages that are often... shut off and forgotten, as is tradition with anyone who uses them.

- True to their nature as computer enthusiasts, they would much rather rely on powerful hardware they can mod at any time over flimsy laptops that are catered for people who seek convenience rather than strong performance.

- ...That's what they want you to believe, but sometimes when you need some well deserved "privacy", a laptop gets the job done. Moving a tower along with your screen to another room is more trouble than it's worth.

OSMT

- Probably the least interested in learning how to hack but what he does know, he does extremely well. He's not very serious about it. The potential is there though.

- Refuses to pay for quality porn and has a whole database dedicated to falsified information such as credit card accounts, emails, and physical addresses. Uses these for online shopping as well.

- Oso's desktop is the sloppiest. Mountains of beer cans, empty chip bags, candy wrappers are piled on top with reckless abandon. The only thing that's clearly visible is a small calendar with women in various styles of lingerie. Todomatsu doesn't understand the need for it - the date's already there on the bottom right!

- Several attempts were made to date people online using matchup sites but his overall writing ability and photoshopped pictures were never well received. Naturally, he keeps getting banned over and over. This is the main cause for his numerous email accounts.

- Knows every single one of his brother's passwords and can bypass their security protocols. He leaves them surprises that range from replacing their wallpapers to embarrassing candid pictures or jumpscare videos when clicking a certain file.

KRMT

- Relishes in customizing his equipment. There are glowing, sparkling lights emanating from his tower that serve no purpose whatsoever. His keyboard is covered with a tacky blue flame skin that he likes to pretend is caused by his "fingers being so fast that it leaves a blazing trail".

- At one point, when you opened the CD drive, it used to play a random sound file of his own voice. Jyushimatsu broke it once from having it open continuously by button mashing. It was fixed by a begrudging Ichi who unceremoniously replaced it with an out of tune rendition of Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders.

- Likes to create his own viruses in hopes of becoming famous on the internet. They've all failed except for one: malware that causes one's computer to just display Karamatsu's face on your screen, with the option to buy one of his painful shirts. Buying does nothing to get rid of it.

- Kara owns illegally downloaded synthesizer programs. Has an extensive library of remixed music and original content.

CRMT

- Out of all the brothers, this is one hacker you should not mess with. He has every single tool imaginable at his disposal and his knowledge of them is unparalleled.

- However, Choromatsu dreams of being hired as a proud white hat hacker one day and to be recognized by a bigwig company.

- Unfortunately, he spends most of his days cheating in his favourite MMOs. He loves exploiting in game currency and dominating level rankings. Not averse to hate messages from fellow players. Lucky for Choro, he can just delete their accounts if they get on his last nerve.

- His desktop is plain but clean. It's the largest in the room, to compensate for his two high definition monitors surrounded with idol merchandise steadily amassing around them. There are countless books stacked next to his chair.

- The third brother's rival is his eldest brother, who chastises him for not taking consideration in his hacking because he secretly admires his hidden expertise.

ICMT

- Similar to Osomatsu, he only joined their destructive antics to fit in and doesn't care much about the hobby.

- More of a traditional user that surfs incognito on the web. He's good at hiding his tracks.

- Uses his hacking to target individuals and organizations that are not above endorsing animal cruelty for their selfish gains. If Ichimatsu has his eyes on you, be prepared for a life of absolute hell. He is merciless in his methods. Good luck shaking him off. You probaby will never see the end of your nightmare.

- Quite talented with a tablet and uploads his work to dedicated art websites. Never interacts with his fans but appreciates their feedback.

- Always has a cat on his lap. Or several. They love stepping all over his keyboard, shutting his computer down, and knocking off his knick knacks onto the floor in an effort to win his undivided attention. He'll usually give up and lay on the floor with his feline friends.

- The sextuplets have designated him as their personal resident computer technician because he knows his way around their parts along with their individual functions. Makes his repairs on Karamatsu's exceptionally faulty on purpose.

JSMT

- Loves playing FPS games and anything that can be modded for his own amusement. The master at finding game breaking bugs. Quite a few well known game developers have approached him for testing that he simply does for free. It's not as if he finds bugs on purpose!

- Most likely to burst out laughing by himself at a funny meme or video. He'll instantly message his brothers on Skype to send them the links even if they're two feet away.

- Big screen for watching the good ol' baseball game. The size makes his eyes cross-eyed.

- Hijacked a news site with Ichimatsu's help to make his own article detailing the cuteness of harp seals and the importance of wild animal conservation in Japan. There's an abundant use of caps lock and exclamation points.

- Jyushi doesn't spend his days inside the house as much as the rest do. Staying fit is still a crucial aspect of his life. If he wasn't so bent on becoming a baseball player, his brothers would most likely never see the light of day - he forcefully drags them outside for fresh air when he thinks they need it.

- Loves spinning on his computer chair.

TDMT

- It's not hard to imagine Totty as anything but a social media expert. He is on every popular website available, his cute and sly face everywhere you look.

- Blogs about multiple subjects to expand his horizons. His favourite is his photography blog that is updated on a daily basis. He specializes in countryside landscapes and food pictures. Of course, his selfies make their way on there too...

- Has the means to destroy your hard earned online reputation should you think of crossing him. Stay on his good side and he might let it slide. Emphasis on the word might. He's capable of tapping into your cellphone to edit information, including abuse of paid services to rack up your bills to dizzying numbers.

- A part-time graphic designer who created the Matsuno Brothers Cyber Hacking Project logo and its overall aesthetic. It's thanks to Todomatsu that they all have stylish sweaters to show off.

- The second most secretive of his hacker identity next to Ichi. His reasons differ in that he hides it to protect his social standing within his circle of real life acquaintances.

[pinsplantsandpikes]

23 and Me (No, not the DNA test)

I am a 17th century, English Civil War re-enactor. While I was born into such and in some manner had no say, it has left me, or been a result of an interest in the period. None of my three siblings has joined or remained in the hobby, so it must just be an aspect of my own personal being to find the historical period fascinating.

Britain in the civil wars was a tumultuous time of political, social, and technological upheaval. Religions clashed and roiled, turning and twisting on themselves, trying to fit the world around them. Puritanical prigs who despised fun or pleasure, and hedonistic bigwig Royalists who didn’t care for the voices of those below or beside themselves.

So when I found a Good Omens fanfiction piece where the angel and demon were in that period, I was ecstatic. And even better, they were presenting as female at the time, which led to further shenanigans.

It was in this way it struck me. I had never encountered fanfiction, or really any fiction much at all, set in this period, not that was of interest to me anyway. Much hard history exists, and debates upon debates of exact timings of events, revelations and peoples’ actions. But fiction, for fun, that just happens to be in that era? No.

So I investigated, as my brain is wont to do. And as of the day I searched, earlier this week, there was a grand total of 23 items tagged “English Civil War” on the entirety of the ArchiveOfOurOwn engine, which is heading steadily toward 6million entries as of July 2019. 

I acknowledge my period is quite insular, being as it shares a casual name with an event far more popular in America. I know that as wars go the average Brit knows almost nothing of it by comparison - people ask me in the street, I bloody know by now how ignorant a lot of people are. I know that the 17th century is often passed over in favour of the 16th with Elizabeth, or the 19th with Victoria.

But my period is important. It shows the true value of standing up for the rights of the people. Its reverberations affect the way our country operates to this day. The monarch has not stepped foot in Parliament for hundreds of years because of the actions I honour for fun. But I don’t take them lightly. I know and memorialise those who lost their lives. I learn every event just how dangerous our weapons are, but also how unfatal their impact itself is. To die by a musket bullet is the lucky fate, for it was the infections that had the real death toll. I know this as a musketeer, but also as a herbalist’s apprentice. I feel it on both sides when I talk to the punters about it, their shock, their surprise, their horror and disgust for the humanity lost in all of this.

That is why my era matters. Before the world wars it was the largest loss of live Britain had seen in warfare. The percentage of the population was massive. 

But where were the women in all this? Healers, wives, camp followers. I have read articles that suggest many Mulan-ed themselves to follow their husbands, sons or brothers, to keep them safe. I am not a historian, I don’t know how true any of that is. I am however a queer writer who sees an opportunity, an angle, an unexplored fish pond in which to throw a line.

I have found no fiction I would want to intake from the era, because it’s not something I can get behind. It’s all selfish rich people with political angles, or social situations I don’t believe in, like the devoted wife, or a woman who marries despite herself.

To put it simply: I want the ECW lesbians. Where are the affairs while the master of the house is away? Where are the forbidden romances between opposing sides - but with the added juiciness of not opposing sexes?

The Girl King explores Queen Kristina, who knew how to handle a musket, and had practice sessions with her lover, her Queen’s Bed Companion. The Favourite also explores a noble woman fond of shooting, but also fond of the Queen’s company. These are not quite comparable, but they are all I know to put as inspiration. I am very fond of these films, for while they are not my period exactly, they are close, they share much in fashion, politics, religion, weaponry, but attitudes... perhaps not? Who knows.

I have come to the conclusion I will have to write to appease myself. The questions being:

Which side(s)?

What rank(s)?

What religion(s)?

What county(ies)?

When exactly in the wars?

During the interregnum?

Will the characters truly believe their side is right, or do they do it for self-preservation?

Are they turncoats?

Are they married? Do they have beards?

Are they “out” or at least open with themselves?

There are so many questions to ponder with this period, so many layers to explore, I am quite excited. I could name some after my reenactment friends/enemies (by enemies I mean Royalists, not people who I actually dislike). I was given an authentic name for exactly this reason, all my siblings were, but there will be some others who have good old authenti-names.

I know I want a noble woman with dark curled hair, and a midblue dress...