#blobby colored something

[blobghost]

ALRIGHT TIME TO COLOR A LBM FOR @green-with-envy-phandom-event.

Wait? What the...

SIR?!?

EXCUSE ME WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?????????

Ummmm... @thatonejumbledmess I think your line art ran away from me mid-coloring. IF ANYONE SEES A LBM PLEASE RETURN HIM IMMEDIATELY. I WASN'T DONE WITH HIM!!!

Meanwhile...

LBM is about to discover sugar water and that the birds irl don't like weird cat ghost things.

[astral-schools]

enjoy your stay!

[romance-rambles]

modern lars | i. beachside memories

Name: Blobby Gender: Male Nature: Bold Evolutionary Line: Sandygast -> Palossand Lars' first pokemon. They met on the beach while Lars was vacationing with his family as a child. Very possessive of his trainer, but also just as easy to manipulate.

3.1k, pokemon au + fluff, modern lars, reader is mc, series: n/a

DEX ENTRY [ULTRA SUN]: It likes the shovel on its head, so Sandygast will get serious and fight any children who come to take it back.

In all his brief time, Sandygast has yet to come across a sandcastle he adores as much as the ones made by a boy named Lars.

Every day, Lars comes early in the morning—alone, unlike some of the other children who give sandcastle making a try. It's a habit that started a few days ago, when he first arrived at the beach Sandygast calls home.

In his hand was a plastic pail, within which he kept the shovel he used to make the first of his marvelous constructs. It's the same set he's using right now, a beauty to behold, especially after Sandygast learned to ignore their garish flaws. And oh, there are so many.

Like the cartoonish pikachu patterns printed all over. What does a pikachu have to do with sandcastles? And the color.

Sandygast shudders at the thought.

They're a light blue, not unlike the color of Lars' eyes, that looks too much like the force of nature that can seize his hard work away in an instant. Sandygast's spent far too much of his free time attempting to find a better analogy, one that won't have him running for the hills when he observes his new favorite human.

And that, in itself, is such a far cry from his initial reaction that he, the ghost type pokemon, can't help but wonder what sort of enchantments the boy has at his disposal.

Because, back then, he hadn't bothered to learn the boy's name.

Lars was simply just another tourist who would make a mess and then leave. That was how these things worked, after all. And really, how was Sandygast—with his aspirations to become the most beautiful Palossand in existence—to know that the boy was actually the only human worthy of crafting his castle?

This, however, leaves him with a problem.

After all, Lars won't be sticking around forever.

But for whatever reason, children often fear him and he suspects Lars might prove to be no different. He supposes the reputation his brethren have cultivated might play a role in that—but Sandygast is a perfectly nice pokemon, entirely uninterested in run of the mill corpses.

Now, no matter how unlikely it is, if they happened to be in possession of high quality ones—

Which, of course, is irrelevant to the situation at hand.

With a sigh, he peers at the boy in question from his hiding spot among the sands. Lars is seemingly oblivious to Sandygast's presence, too engrossed in reinforcing the western wing of his magnificent castle. There's a determined gleam in his eyes, the kind that makes every bit of sand in Sandygast's body shake in joy.

At some point, as the work at hand grows more delicate and detailed, his tongue sticks out slightly. When his hair begins to interfere with his vision, he drops his shovel temporarily and brushes his hair back. It does not do him much good—he seems to be missing his usual headband, so he is simply stuck repeating the action.

A half-baked plan begins to form in Sandygast's head.

The shovel currently on its head is special only because it is the only one he's ever known. Frankly, he's not too attached though. He'd picked it up because it was the closest one but he's always planned on leaving it for something better.

And Lars' shovel?

Despite how terrible it looks, he's certain he'll never find anything better than that.

So, the next time the boy turns his gaze to the latest prototype for Sandygast's castle, the pokemon sans his shovel quietly creeps up behind him. His bucket, the gaudy thing it is, is left unattended with some leftover sand—there might be no other place as good as this to hide in!

Sandygast can only vibrate in excitement.

And then—

Lars places the shovel inside the pail, its blade appropriately digging into the pokemon's body. Sandygast wastes no time in claiming it for himself. And then, all that's left to do is wait, however boring an ordeal it is.

He's unfortunately on the shorter side, owing to the lack of good architects coming his way. The ability to watch the boy from this angle is simply out of reach. That's why he's resolved to ask for the biggest sandcastle possible.

Then, when he finally runs into the others, it'll be his turn to laugh. Snickering at the thought, he can only imagine the looks on their faces.

Thankfully, Lars doesn't notice.

Instead, his pale hand reaches for the handle. After a few attempts, each pull carrying more frustration than the last, he finally decides to look inside the bucket. Sandygast, naturally, takes that as his cue and allows the boy to pick him up.

"Huh?" Blue eyes—like the sky, he decides—blink confusedly at him. Uncaring of Sandygast's reputation, Lars pulls the pokemon closer, his scrunched nose a clear indicator of the amount of thoughts running through his head at the moment. "A pokemon? What are you doing here?"

Sandygast wiggles, his eyes lighting up at the boy's casual response. Well, casual relative to the horror stories he's heard, of little boys and girls running away, screaming as though they're about to be eaten. Which they usually are—he has to commend them for their instincts.

The pokemon shakes off the thought just in time to hear the boy ask, "Can you let go of my shovel? ...um, Blobby?"

Blobby?

Glaring indignantly, Sandygast—not Blobby—shakes his body. The nerve to bestow such a mediocre name upon him! Clearly, the boy's talents stop only at castle-making. He'll have to find a way to avoid his current fate, somehow.

Perhaps one of the boy's parents will have a better sense for these things.

"No?" Lars tilts his head, then looks around.

He'd picked a suitably quiet spot, so there are fewer people around. That should shorten the time on his search, whatever it's for, but instead, he aborts his mission halfway through with a sigh.

"Do you have a name then?"

Sandygast pauses his protests. Well, the answer is no. But—

"Well, for now, I'll call you Blobby," the boy decides. Sandygast can only bite back a sob. "So, could you please let go? I need to finish making this castle."

The pokemon shakes his body again and thinks. He's already taken the shovel hostage. Now, to explain his motives...

His eyes narrow at the thought. Wait, why is he meant to explain his master plan? Surely, the boy's already realized what he wants. There isn't a human child out there who doesn't know of the dangers of his evolutionary line.

Upon scrutinizing the boy's awkward expression, he realizes his previous assumption was incorrect. There is a human child unaware of the dangers of encountering sandygasts and palossands.

Now he's even more grateful for his diligence in fending off his competitors! What would this boy do without him? Lars is lucky he believes in open dialogue!

Wait—why shouldn't he just possess him?

Sandygast looks at the boy, then at the sandcastle behind him. The people nearby haven't noticed Lars' mistake in grabbing his new handle; even if they did warn him, by then, it would be too late.

But, he glares at the boy, he won't bring me along then.

No castle will ever be too big for him. He's a greedy ghost, after all—perhaps he'd been that way when he'd been alive too. And one does not simply get over the best castlemaker to ever exist!

Annoyed, he jerks his head towards Lars' sandcastle. The boy seems to get his point only when he points at the shovel stuck in his head.

"You want the castle?" Lars scrunches his nose. The creases in his forehead grow more pronounced when Sandygast shakes his head. "You...like the castle? But you don't want it? Hm...do you want to be the castle?"

Sandygast nods delightedly.

"I wonder what kind of pokemon you are..." The boy frowns. His normally bright eyes seem to darken for a moment as he grumbles something inaudible to himself. "Here's the thing: I can't make one for you today. But...I really do want to finish this one first. If I make one for you tomorrow, will you give my shovel back to me?"

Considering the question for a moment, Sandygast remembers the shovel he'd recently abandoned. He shakes himself free from the boy's grasp and flees in search of it, to sound of Lars' startled shouts. And when he comes back, the boy is still there, looking rather upset.

As he presents the older shovel to him, Lars finally looks at him.

"Is my shovel really that special?" he asks, tilting his head. "Or...is it special because it's mine?"

Oh, what a smart boy. Sandygast was beginning to lose faith in his non-castlemaking abilities.

If not for the language barrier, the pokemon would gladly elaborate further on just how special he is. He settles for vigorously nodding and stops only when a shy smile crosses the boy's lips. Lars laughs, combing through his bangs.

"I think this is the first time someone's said that about me, and not my family," he says, a tentative look on his face. "Do you want to help with this one, Blobby?"

Sandygast narrows his eyes at the boy. He can only hope his expression relays his message—Not. Blobby.

Still, when faced with such a pitiable expression, even he can't help but crumble. With a full body sigh, he scoots closer to the boy and patiently waits for his instructions. Lars' vision is truly something to behold; the rest of the day goes by in a blur of laughter and easy companionship.

And when it's time for him to leave for the day, the boy asks, "Would you like to be my friend, Blobby?"

Sandygast—still resistant to the name, though it's beginning to grow on him—has only one response for that.

He jumps into Lars' arms.

Lars' notes on the memory: That was my shovel first. Thief! Oh, but my family was pretty frightened when I came home with Blobby. It took a while to convince them I wasn't possessed!

DEX ENTRY [SUN]: Possessed people controlled by this Pokémon transformed its sand mound into a castle. As it evolved, its power to curse grew ever stronger.

Blobby glares at the magnificent castle in front of him—built, of course, by his Lars—before him, uncaring of the way the little boy his trainer had inexplicably decided to watch over flinches at his seething fury.

What similarities are there even? He distinctly recalls that boy, whatever his name is, mentioning something about fake blonds to Lars, giving himself away as one of them. Really, the blond hair is one of Lars' most defining features!

Long debates about the matter with the rest of the team had led to the undeniable agreement that his golden hair evoked the image of the shining sun, and what was Lars but a shining ray of light?

Well, technically, they had narrowed it down to a few things, some less flattering than others, but the boy didn't have any of those things either!

...Although—

No, the pokemon shakes his head vigorously. Lars had been cuter, even with his apparent lack of survival skills. Blobby spent years trying to rectify that part, though his trainer's natural curiosity for the world never particularly left him.

Now, you, on the other hand...

His mouth twists into a bitter smile. Naturally, one cannot simply replace the sun—you can only get as close as your wingless body allows. Like that man, Icarus, with his infinite stupidity, but smarter. But the distance between is infinitely shorter than anyone Lars has ever been surrounded by.

Other than Blobby, of course.

That part is implied rather obviously, considering Lars chose him. The same as you, even despite the certain glaring flaws to your name—

His gaze flits to the mediocre castle beside Lars', different from the masses only in the way humans tend to be, shaped by nature and circumstance. It could be much worse, but he's decided to be charitable to the girl who makes the sun shine brighter.

At least you cared enough to ask about his foul mood, though it only infuriated him further.

Huffing, Blobby turns his glare back to the root of the problem, seemingly oblivious to the amends he must make for his betrayal. It's not enough to knock Lars off his throne, but it's tempting.

What was it he'd said? Blobby'll "come around"?

His glare intensifies. The sun, the real one in the sky, slowly shifts to the west, readying itself for its nightly descent. You and Lars occasionally converse in whispers, sometimes half-audible even to him. They almost exclusively take the form of playful flirting, as if the only thing to occupy the space in their maybe empty heads is each other.

And the nameless boy from earlier left in a terrible mood some time ago, with an annoyed young man with gray hair who seemed keen on lecturing him.

Blobby, however, stays in the same spot, the cheerful cries of his teammates only emphasizing his dour mood. Some help out with their trainer's quest, while others play with a beach ball. Only one, the sole non-electric and ground type amongst them, dares to brave the ocean, though the flamigo remains in shallow waters.

Lars—undoubtedly due to the others' childish complaints—doesn't like it when he throws sand at them. Otherwise, that would most certainly be his next course of action. That'd shut them up.

You're lucky, he thinks venomously at the electabuzz cheerfully helping you add some finishing touches to your sandcastle. Noticing his glare, she waves at him obliviously.

Somehow, he resists the urge to scream.

Even when you turn around, gaze softened by pity and concern, the only thing Blobby offers is an expression full of displeasure. To him, it doesn't matter if you try to conv—huh?

You turn away, returning to your tragic sandcastle. He can only gape at your back, spluttering indignantly at the sheer nerve. Really, the sheer audacity—don't you know you're supposed to come and comfort him if you acknowledge him at all?

Even the traitor made a token effort to talk to him!

Were you not forwarded the script beforehand? Someone from the team should've coached you at least! He's supposed to rebuff you, not the other way around. It's just the way the world works.

Eventually, after growing tired of twiddling his non-existent thumbs over your nonaction, Blobby waddles over to the oblivious couple whispering to each other. Surely, they'll get the hint, right?

"Oh, there you are," Lars says cheerfully, looking over his (shaking? Is he laughing?) shoulder. He glances briefly at you, his blue eyes widening with a strange emotion, before he looks back at Blobby. "Did you have fun today?"

The pokemon narrows his eyes at him. It doesn't affect his trainer's smile at all—Blobby's beginning to think he finds it funny.

Oh, how he misses the days when Lars was younger. He wouldn't make fun of his first friend like this. Then again, he wouldn't be hanging around another human so happily either.

A dilemma, certainly.

Blobby frowns.

"You're just in time. Look," His trainer points at his own castle. As he scratches his cheek, he has a troubled look on his face. "Don't you think this castle's missing something? She says it's perfect."

You don't retract your statement. Instead, you laugh—surprisingly, it's a pleasant noise. Blobby nods in approval. It's simply common sense that everything Lars makes is perfect.

Still, he can spot some room for improvement.

Blobby wastes no time going through the list. And Lars, as always, picks and chooses what he wants to listen to. What that means is that their squabbling takes up more time than the actual renovations to the castle.

"Well, I certainly learned a lot," you say once they finish, leaning back.

Lars gives you an apologetic look, but you wave off his apologies before he can even start. Smart girl. If you made him feel bad for enjoying himself, Blobby would throw sand at you, consequences be damned.

You don't really seem like the type, all things considered, but one can never be too sure, after all.

"Oh, but..." You trail off worriedly and chew at your bottom lip. There's something funny about your tone, but he can't quite pin it down. "My castle's looking a bit plain too. Do you have any critiques, Professor Blobby?"

He can't but perk up at the title. Professor? They're usually held in high esteem, aren't they? Like that one fellow, the one who Lars occasionally runs into, with the long silver hair and carefully pressed three piece suit. You know him too, though, for some reason, you're usually not very eager to talk about him.

A rather strange thing, considering most people who run into him can only do the opposite.

Oh, but Blobby would make a great professor—one that's not at all like those terrors that Lars would complain about during his university days. Plus, your castle could definitely use a lot of work. His expression is bright as he nods.

"Really?" You clap your hands delightedly. "I can't thank you enough."

Blobby pulls himself up to his full height at your words, feeling pleased. His earlier bad mood seems to have vanished entirely, leaving not even a white fluffy cloud in sight—only clear skies. He waddles over to your side, vaguely aware of Lars' muffled laughter, and begins the first of his lessons.

As a testament to his teaching skills, you come back again the next morning too.

Lars' notes on the memory: Blobby's always taken a bit of time to warm up to people—but he seemed to really like you from the start. I thought it'd be fine for us to do this, all things considered. Hmm, if he's going to be like this every time I make a sandcastle for someone else, should I start preparing him for the next one? [sound of you hitting his arm]

Extras:

— Blobby hated being called "Sandygast" because he felt it was step down in terms of intimacy, implying he wasn't very important to Lars. By the time he woke up to smell the roses, the name "Blobby" stuck, as there were simply no alternatives that he'd accept.

— He loves lording the blue pikachu shovel over Lars' other pokemon as a sign of his "special" bond, what with him being Lars' first pokemon and all. They have since grown used to it and mostly ignore him.

— His current dream castle is the Emperor's in In Passing. After all, it's a grandiose beauty and owned by a man who looks like his favorite person in the world. However, he believes Lars does not know this and intends to keep it that way.

[ckret2]

I might tweak some details later (jewelry? take the ribbon off the bow?) but I've about got a Scalene design I like. The lipstick is really the centerpiece of the design. Now let's infodump! With more art!

🔺 Notice her lines are a a little curvy. It's not for artistic effect. She's got a Fictional Polygon Physical Disorder that makes her bendier than she should be—meaning, among other things, sides that curve and flex.

🔺 It's also the kind of condition with symptoms that are romanticized by people who don't grok that it's a debilitating medical condition. Sides that curve and flex? How exotic! This went to her head in the wrong ways.

🔺 Bill was born with the same condition. You know how squishy and blobby he was as a baby? Thaaat's genetic! He was a lot squishier than most babies! And, consequently, more adorable.

🔺Scalene dreamed of being a famous super model. Was actually a teen beauty queen at mid-tier beauty pageants. She thinks it's always somebody else's fault she wasn't more successful.

🔺 She took Bill to his first baby beauty pageant the day he was born. He did, in fact, have a Best Baby Ever award presented to him by the mayor, but to be fair he was only competing against like 6 other babies and who's going to withhold a trophy from a newborn on his birthday? Anyway the 6-12 month group and 12-24 month groups also each had a Best Baby Ever award.

🔺 This was an absolutely bonkers thing for Scalene to do.

🔺 What's that small scrunkly thing doing at a pageant, he can't even see color yet.

🔺 Their fictional squishy medical condition doesn't just accidentally make shapes cute. It's the kind of condition that affects just about all parts of the body: sides won't stay straight, poor muscle tone resulting in instability & weakness, poor motor coordination & clumsiness, back aches & pains (well, triangles don't have "backs." side aches?), easily dislocated joints, and increasingly skewed sides with age. Just about everyone in Scalene's family is born equilateral and ends up extremely scalene after young adulthood. The rest of her family have normal relationships with their condition, she's the only one who's weird about it

🔺 She was very rough on her body in pursuit of pageantry success, but her physical symptoms & associated chronic pain got a lot worse due to having a kid; she had to retire from pageantry for good. She doesn't blame Bill for this at all. Out loud, to his face. (If she hadn't been so rough on herself in pageants, having a kid probably wouldn't have impacted her health this much. She doesn't consider this.)

🔺 She's weirdly intent on seeing Bill become the success she wasn't. He's her little golden child, he deserves to be seen as the greatest! He'll show them how great he is for mommy, won't he? He won't let mommy down, will he? When he's very young, she takes him to child pageants—he'll appreciate the lessons they taught him when he's older—and this lasts until he finds out he can get out of it by pyrokinetically setting the stage on fire.

🔺 She jokes ("jokes") that she didn't realize that when she was having a kid, she was firing herself from the pageant circuit so she could hire & train her own replacement. These jokes had no long-term impact on Bill at all!!!

(Compare/contrast: how we're told Stan's "You watch the movie, you scare the girl, the girl snuggles up next to you, next thing you know you gotta raise a kid, your life falls apart" is repeating something he heard his dad say.)

🔺 Did you know that squeaky baby shoes are sometimes medical devices? Squeakers help children with poor muscle tone and delayed motor skills learn how to walk correctly: it makes them want to walk on their heels instead of their toes so they can hear the squeak. Did you know sometimes oversized squeaky baby shoes are worn by young kids who need ankle braces? Did you know that kids with poor motor coordination can take a longer time to learn complicated motor skills like tying shoelaces rather than using shoes with velcro straps? It sure is interesting that baby Bill's most defining visual feature is oversized squeaky sneakers with velcro straps and that he kept wearing velcro shoes until he was 16!

🔺 As a baby, Bill's angles were technically supposed to be equilateral,* but thanks to his inherited condition, his angles were so loose his top corner practically formed a right angle. Not good: the closer a triangle creeps to being obtuse, the more likely he'll have muscle strain and medical issues from his organs being squished out of place by his own exoskeleton.

(*supposed to be equilateral: but after receiving treatment, they discovered his angles were still 60º, 60º, and 60.1º, which is mathematically impossible for a triangle... on a euclidean plane. But on a non-euclidean 3D plane, such as in spherical geometry, a triangle's angles can add up to more than 180º... and it's this slight 3D flex to Bill's body that lets him see up into the third dimension.)

🔺 For his first few years of life he actually had a hypotenuse, until physical therapy and side braces helped him improve his muscle tone. Sometimes he still reflexively refers to his base as his hypotenuse. It's fine, sweetie, it's nothing to be embarrassed about, mommy had a hypotenuse too. Don't tell anyone.

🔺 Scalene took baby Billy to a lot of doctors as a kid, just like how she was taken to a lot of doctors! Doctor for his side braces, doctor for his physical therapy, doctor for his shoes... doctor for his eye when he started talking about seeing white glitter at the edge of his vision. Scalene didn't have that symptom, but the eye doc said their condition does occasionally come with visual problems—blurred vision, lazy eye, visual field defects... It sounds like Bill's main field of vision is unobstructed, but if the visual snow he's getting in his peripheral vision is distracting him and confusing his little toddler mind into thinking it's something real, they can give him a medication that'll narrow his field of view. From the sound of it, he's not seeing anything important at the edge of his vision, anyway.

And she only wants what's best for her golden child.

🔺 Scalene's "bow" is actually a medical device: sort of like a medical corset, it helps tug and press her anatomy into place to reduce pain. Bill started wearing one preventatively—if he can keep everything in place when he's young, it'll take longer for his angles to skew when he's older. Like wearing a retainer when you get your braces out.

🔺 He has a cane for the same reason—he doesn't need it NOW when he's young, but he might as well keep it on hand, by age 35 he'll probably want to stand more often than float and when he's standing he'll probably want the extra support! Even if he doesn't need it by 35, he will eventually!!

🔺 Bill doesn't medically need a bow tie in the third dimension either; but he adapted it to help tie his 3D exoskeleton on.

🔺 A trillion years later, Bill suspects that his mutation to see the third dimension came, at least in part, from his mom's medical condition. Except, she didn't have that vision. Nobody else with the condition on her side of the family had that vision. It's not a known symptom of the condition. His dad had stuff going on with his eye too, did he get it from his dad's side? A mix of both? Just a standalone random mutation? He doesn't know; and with the rest of his species dead, there's no way for him to find out.

But back to Scalene!

🔺 She's not quite red, she's rose gold. However she doesn't like it. She thinks it's a sort of pinkish brown and very dull. She uses makeup to make herself look redder. Note how bright red her sides are: in a species where only your edges are visible, body paint is the most common form of makeup+fashion. She's pleased her baby came out gold-gold, it's much cuter. Bill knows she's rose gold, but he only saw her with her makeup off when she was tired or sick; he remembers her painted red.

🔺 She adores her Billy; but she somewhat sees him as an extension of her will. She thinks he's just perfect and will tell anyone who asks; but she also demands he be perfect and is furious when he isn't. She'll protect him from ANY perceived external threat; but she'll tough love him into being the kind of success she thinks he should be. He learns early that when he screws up, he can often redirect his mother's anger by pointing his finger and saying it's someone else's fault, and she'll bring the wrath of heaven down on them. Woe to the teacher who gives Bill an F on a test.

🔺 I'm on a quest to write Bill as a foil to the entire cast of Gravity Falls, and that extends to writing his family as a foil to the entire cast's families. Scalene's a blend of Pacifica's mom and Caryn: beautiful, proud of her beauty, afraid of losing her youth, self-aggrandizing, quick to lie about her & her family's (false/exaggerated) accomplishments—and very aware of the fact that you can say anything about woo-woo mystical matters and nobody can prove you wrong.

🔺 So she takes it great when they figure out Bill is, like, legit psychic. And by "takes it great" I mean "starts a cult."

There's what I've got on Scalene. Fortunately, I got to keep all my pre-TBOB headcanons about Bill's mom, I only had to change her shape & color. I already had medical trauma baked right into the family!

(Preemptive disclaimer before I get any "but she doesn't look 2D" comments: we all understand that the baby Bill picture we see in the book is a psychically-generated 3D approximation of Bill's 2D Euclidean form, right? And that drawing a 3D baby Bill design alongside rigidly 2D parent designs would make it look like even in the second dimension Bill already had a 3D body, right? So, if we're drawing a 3D baby Bill and want to convey that they looked similar to him, we have to draw his parents in a similar art style, right? Okay, great.)

[willowser]

you call the baby growing in your belly a multitude of things, like lovebug and gum drop and sprout. cute things, that remind you of how tiny it is and how full of joy you are, and the names don't stop even after you find out what you're having.

katsuki doesn't follow along—at first. every silly little term out of your mouth is only met with an arched brow and a small shake of his head, the occasional roll of his eyes and the even rarer uplift of the corner of his lips.

"he," katsuki always continues. "he ain't gonna care what color his room is, do whatever y'want."

there aren't many appointments he's able to make, something you think eats at him more than you. being involved with a pro hero requires all kinds of sacrifices and you both knew that before your relationship started—but facing the realities isn't always easy; it bothers him, in some deep, dark way he's not able to talk about. even with you.

it's hard to tell how he feels at the first one he comes along for: he stands, quietly, eyes glazed over and lingering on the grainy image of your ultrasound, unmoving. when two little feeties are made clear in the picture, he silently crosses his arms and raises a hand to pick at the skin of his bottom lip—a nervous habit, one that gives him something to do and that hides his face just a bit.

he doesn't say anything for a long time. not until you're out in the car with your pictures in hand, going over them in the passenger seat.

"sooooo," you prod, "what'd'ya think? he's kinda...blobby, huh?"

he casts you a lazy glance, comes alive with a slow inhale before holding his hand out for the photos. the one with the little feet sticks out to him and he snorts, the corner of his lip raising. "yeah," he murmurs, before turning his attention back to the road. "but he's just a little bean, ain't he?"

[tickfleato]

how to make cool blobby turing patterns in photoshop

i'll preface with i learned the basic loop from skimming a tutorial on youtube, but as someone who prefers written tutorials i'm sure many would appreciate one! also, the second part of this is some of the visual effects i figured out on my own using blending modes and stuff.

i'm using photoshop CS4 on a mac so some buttons and stuff might be in different places on windows and newer photoshop versions but all the actions are the same. my canvas is 1000x1000 pixels.

UPDATES (i'm hoping these'll show up whenever you open the readmore?)

it's possible to do something similar in krita using this plugin, made by the love @arcaedex

it's also possible to do this in photopea, a free browser alternative to photoshop! the results are pretty much identical.

FIRST off you wanna get or make a black and white image of some kind. it has to be one layer. can be noise, a photo, a bunch of lines, whatever. here's mine, just some quick airbrush lines:

now find the actions tab. idk what it looks like in newer versions of photoshop but you probably won't need to dig!

hit the little page thingy to make a new pattern. once you hit 'record', it'll record everything you do. the little square 'stop' icon will end it.

now you want to do a high pass filter. you can mess around with the radius to change the size of your squiggles, but the tutorial had it set to 6. experiment!

now add the 'threshold' adjustment layer. i use the adjustments tab but i think there's also a dropdown menu somewhere. keep it at the default, 128. merge it down. (control or command + E or you can right click it like some kind of weirdo)

and finally, the gaussian blur! the radius of this affects the shape and size of your squiggles as well. i like to keep it around 4.5 but you can mess around with that too.

after that, hit 'stop' on the action you're recording, and then repeat it a bunch of times using the 'play' button, until you have something you like, like this:

WOW!! that was fun!! and only a little tedious thanks to the power of macros. anyway, here's some fun layer blending stuff i like to do. it's with a different pattern cause i made this bit first.

anyway, using a black and white gradient (or a grey base that you do black and white airbrush on), make a layer with the vivid light. this will make the blobs look thicker or thinner.

then, for cool colors, do a gradient map adjustment layer over that:

and finally, my best friend, the overlay layer. just using a gradient here bc i'm lazy, but feel free to experiment with brushes, colors, and blending modes!

NOW GO. MAKE COOL SHIT WITH THE POWER OF MATH. AND SEND IT TO ME

also these are not hard and fast rules PLEASE mess around with them to see what kind of weird shit you can make. here's a gif. as you can see i added some random airblush blobs in the middle of it, for fun.

[donelywell]

September 12 2023

Some Mobian Biology headcanons, and I doodled Tails when the Sonic Frontiers: Final Horizon Trailer dropped.

Hedgehogs when they are young, have pastel light quills that get darker as they age. Shadow too since he was originally born with pure white blobby quills that gradually turned into the black that we know today.

A Mobians eyes are a good indicator of how young they are. If they are younger than 13, they have dark eyes with only a hint of the true color underneath it. That's why it's a huge celebration when a Mobian turns 13, watching their eyes unveil it's true colors is a huge moment for a Mobian.

A Mobian can be born with or without powers, no one will really know until they are 5 years old, that's when the Chaos Energy inside of them has developed enough to turn into an ability. Most Mobians don't have Chaos Abilities, but it's not completely rare for someone to develop them at 5. The Chaos Ability is normally something that lets you bend Chaos Energy to your will, in the form of things like Pyrokinesis or Aquakinesis. A Chaos ability that lets you boost your physical body is extremely rare and unique, such as super speed or stretching your tail to a comedic length.

[marlynnofmany]

The Good Perch

“You would think,” Captain Sunlight said drily, “That a spaceport organized enough to have a whole section for courier ships would have a more visible labeling system.”

“Yeah, really,” I agreed with a frown at the small sign marking our ship’s berth. The thing was barely ankle-height and a thin font. Not even a bright color; it hardly stood out from the pavement in its gray-and-black subtlety. With all the spacefarers parading past in a rainbow of body types and clothing styles, not to mention the equally wild spaceships everywhere, those signs were easy to miss. I asked the captain, “Have you been here before? Is this normal, or did the wrong person take charge of designing things?”

“It’s been a while,” said Captain Sunlight, crossing her scaly arms. “I don’t recall this being a problem before. But I suspect our wayward client is still wandering the walkways looking for us.”

“Normally I’d say our ship would stand out, but the visibility’s not great for that either.” Lemon-shaped spaceships with foldable solar sails were pretty uncommon. The one parked behind us would have been easy to spot from a distance if not for the larger ships looming close on either side. These berths were too close together.

Captain Sunlight pulled her phone out of a belt pouch. “Still says they’re on the way.”

“Maybe we need to scoot forward a bit?” I suggested. “Make the ship easier to see?” I stepped up to the walkway for a better look at the view from there.

This turned out to give someone else a better view of me.

“Hey, person who climbs things!” called a cheerful voice. “Come help me brace this.”

After a confused half-second, I located the speaker on top of the gray-brown ship next to ours. I realized with a start that this wasn’t the first time our ships had been parked side-by-side. “Hey, Acorn!” I called back. “Are you waiting for clients too?”

“We were,” the fellow courier called back, waving something that looked like a wrench. She herself still looked like a baboon crossed with a crocodile. “Now it’s time for errands and maintenance, and this needs fixing before we get back into space. Care to give me a hand? Everybody else is either busy or too much of a coward to get up this high.”

“Sure thing!” I said with a glance at Captain Sunlight, who was waving me on. “What’s the best way up?”

Acorn directed me to a row of handholds on the other side of the ship, which made for a nice easy climb. A pity her crewmates didn’t appreciate heights; the spaceport was a beautiful, chaotic sprawl of color from here. And the top of the ship was flat enough to feel plenty safe.

“Welcome to the good perch,” Acorn said, offering me a wrench. “It’s a very exclusive club. Can you hold this part in place so I can adjust that?”

“Absolutely,” I told her. “This end, right? Wait, got it.” I actually had no idea what this open panel was for, but I like to think I hid it well. The job was a simple one with two of us. I could see how it would have been awkward with just one, though. I wondered if she’d resorted to using her feet to hold things in place. I sure would have.

“Got it!” she said. “Now to close it all up. I knew that would be quick.”

I removed the wrench. “What’s the saying? More hands means less work?”

“Makes sense to me. Though by that logic, your friend there could get everything done by himself.”

I looked down to see that Mur had joined Captain Sunlight, in all his many-tentacled squidlike glory. “He probably could, actually. Though I don’t know how he is with heights.”

“Well, no need to share the good perch,” Acorn announced, snapping the panel shut. She spread her arms. “Look at this panorama!”

“It is a nice one! I was just thinking that. What kind of ship is that blobby green one over there? I haven’t seen it before.”

Acorn stood up for a better look. “I think it’s a Waterwill design?”

“That makes sense.” I got to my feet too, glad the ship we stood on wasn’t one of the shiny racer models. Those were much too slippery to make good sightseeing towers.

Not that Acorn seemed bothered either way. She probably would have found grippy shoes somewhere and run up the side just to prove she could. Her appreciation for climbing had been a nice change the first time I ran into her, and was no different now, given how much time I spent among alien crewmates who didn’t have tree-swinging monkeys in their family trees.

“That ship looks like it would make an excellent climbing structure,” she said, pointing at a pink model with grooves along the sides. “Pity it belongs to a security force who are likely to be uptight about such things.”

I laughed. “Isn’t that always the way of it? There’s a police station in my hometown with a roof that slopes down to meet a very climbable wall, and you have no idea how tempting it looked. Well. Maybe you know.”

She definitely understood, and we spent an enjoyable few minutes talking about which buildings and spaceships looked like the most fun to climb.

Then I spotted someone wandering from one berth marker to the next, looking both lost and a little nearsighted, and I had a suspicion that I’d found our missing client. This was a fellow human wearing the kind of drapey clothes that spoke of dignity and no little wealth. Her expression was exactly the kind I’d wear if I had to deal with those hard-to-read signs long enough to be late.

“Hey Captain!” I called down to Sunlight. “Is that her?” I pointed.

Captain Sunlight hurried forward with her phone out, matching the look of the person with an image there.

Yup. Called it.

Acorn chuckled while the pair of them exchanged greetings and complaints about the station layout. “Nice one. The wisdom of the heights strikes again. Do they need you down there now?”

“Probably,” I said. “Actually not yet, this package is a small one. Mur’s got it.” As I spoke, Mur pushed a hovercart forward with a box on it liberally covered in “fragile” stickers. It had a carrying handle on the top, which it had come with, and rubber bumpers on every corner, which Paint had added just to be safe. All precautions had been taken.

“Oh good,” Acorn said. “Then enjoy the view with me a little longer.” She bent to pull something from the toolbag’s side pocket. “Top-of-the-tree snack?”

“Are those the ones you’re named for?” I asked, remembering a conversation the last time I’d seen her. Translations being what they were, her name meant a similar nut from her homeworld. It had been an amusing conversation, since we were both named after things found in trees. She didn’t know what a robin was, but once I explained it, she claimed to have met a number of people back home with similar names.

“Yes, the salted version,” Acorn said, opening the bag. “I recall these were on the safe list for your species.”

“Safe and tasty,” I agreed. “Thank you.” I accepted a handful of alien acorns and marveled quietly at how universal salt was on snacks. Well, for some species. I don’t think Waterwills or Strongarms were that into overly salty food in general. Probably for slug-like reasons. Eggskin the medic would know. I should ask him later.

Acorn peered over the other side of the ship. “Ohh, Riverbrook’s wearing his goofy helmet. I owe him some acoustics since he played that loud music while I was working.” She crouched, peering down at a crewmate who had just emerged. With care, she selected a nut from the bag. “Think you can thwack him from here?” The grin she threw over her shoulder was full of teeth.

I joined her at the edge. “I like my odds.”

The crewmate was one of those people made of crystals instead of flesh. I forget the species name. Very interesting to look at, and unlikely to be hurt by a high velocity acorn no matter where it hit. The helmet was golden, shiny, and probably a fashion statement of some kind.

“First we throw, then we hide.”

“Got it.”

“One, two, throw!”

Ping! Ping!

“Ow, what was — Acorn, is this yours?!”

We both giggled in childlike glee, just out of sight.

“No thanks, you can have it!” Acorn called back.

“I’m going to put this in your fruit drink next mealtime.”

“Good luck with that!”

I nodded. “Ah, a prank war. A noble pursuit.”

“See, you get it.” Acorn offered me more nuts.

I took them and made myself more comfortable. “I don’t suppose you know what a rattlesnake is?”

“Nope.”

“Then let me tell you about the time I got Trrili — the big scary Mesmer on my ship — with a classic prank from Earth.”

“Oh, do tell!”

I didn’t have to get back to my ship for a few minutes yet, which left plenty of time for more anecdotes and snacks on the good perch.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[runwayrunway]

id be interested in seeing you rank plane emojis from different platforms (by their livery, or by whatever else) just for fun, if you want!

You're right. I WILL do this for fun, because this is fun. Not based on livery, since they're mostly white with blue wings - just how much I like them. I'll be adding a rating out of 10 for each one because I think that's the tradition for this sort of thing.

Apple - 4/10

I mean, because I have an iPhone this is my default conception of an airplane emoji - I think it's fine, I just find it a bit offputting how they model the individual flaps and cockpit windows but the rest of it is a white airbrushed tube. It's a weird contrast.

It's fine, I think. Acceptable. I maybe think emojis by default aren't the most aesthetically pleasing.

Google Noto Color Emoji - 4.5/10

I think this is a slight improvement over the Apple version because of the more consistent stylization. It's also a little more contemporary, since most airliners that are flying now have two engines. I like that they added a few windows and highlights to keep the cabin interesting, and I think it's a bit...something that they took off the flaps but added flap track fairings. Cockpit windows look awful though.

Samsung - 2/10

This is a bit more of a realistic shape for an airplane but for some reason I don't like it. Maybe it's the fact that you can barely recognize that there's a tailfin at all, or the cockpit window looking weirdly...shiny? I think what gets me the most, though, is that those engines look like Super Mario pipes.

Microsoft - 1/10

She's a little...phallic somehow. I just think a top-down view of an airplane is almost always going to look worse if you make it super round and blobby. On the bright side, it's still recognizable as a plane.

WhatsApp - 7.5/10

I really like the way this one is red. Way to stand out in a crowd. It's also quite realistic without giving up on being stylized. My one issue is with the cockpit windows, which look a bit out-of-place and weird. This seems to be a common point of failure for this sort of emoji. Also, I'm unsure if this is meant to be a two-engined 747, but if it is points off for those not existing.

Twitter - 6/10

I hate to ever hand it to Twitter but this is just solid. That's an airplane, just a very simplified and round one. Even the cockpit windows on this one look okay.

Facebook - 3.5/10

Maybe airplane emojis with airbrush shading just look bad to me. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the shape of this but I don't think they differentiated the tailfin from the fuselage enough. It looks like a stub. Also, what is up with that miserably short wing chord?

Telegram - 7/10

I mean, it looks like a 3D version of the Apple one, but it's surprising how much making it 3D improves it. Plus, gotta hand it to them deciding their emoji was being flown by Tex Johnston. I admire that sort of verve.

Microsoft Teams - 0/10

On the flipside, animating this one and making it 3D makes it so much worse! It looks like it was made right when people just figured out that 3D animation was a thing that was possible to do, back in the 50s or something. And boy are those pixels crunchy - I wouldn't mind this if it weren't already heinous. Seriously, how is that tailfin even attached?

Skype - 10/10

Now this I really like. Most of these are impossible to assign a model to but this distinctly looks to me like one of the earlier, stubbier 737s, just really short with a pointy nose, and she's waving at you. Crisp, nice smooth animation, just fantastic.

Twitter Emoji Stickers - 0/10

Looks bad. One of the few of these which are very easy to recognize as a specific model of airplane - this is clearly a 747, based on the inclusion of the hump. There is a reason basically none of the others are trying to be a 747. Adding a weird lump to the front of your emoji doesn't really make it any less weird-looking, and rendering a plane from above tends to be weird-looking already. It looks like she was stung by a bee.

JoyPixels - 6.5/10

As with the WhatsApp red, I appreciate anything setting itself aside in color, so I have to compliment the choice of this sort of toothpastey green. This is one of the better simplified airplanes we've gone over today, and the only thing I really dislike is that it has the same issues with the tailfin Facebook does.

Toss Face - 0/10

I can barely tell this is supposed to be an airplane. It makes me want to, excuse the mental image, toss face.

JoyPixels Animations - 10/10

Now THIS is what I'm talking about! Just a nice little pixel aircraft, doing the same sort of smooth wriggling as the Skype airplane - no criticisms.

Sony PlayStation - small/10

Adequate, but too small to really assess further - but the fact that I don't dislike anything about it is honestly a credit at this point.

Noto Emoji Font - 3.5/10

This just looks like the Samsung emoji but rendered with plain lines. Removing detail from these tends to improve them.

OpenMoji - 0/10

Oh, no, I take it back! Too few details! It's like a torpedo with wings awkwardly stapled on. A really phallic one at that.

emojidex - what the hell/10

I think this more or less looks fine, and the livery it has also looks fine, but I'm so thrown off by the fact that I don't think this is a real airplane. I am obviously not an authority on every model of airplane ever built but I'm reasonably sure this isn't a real one. It most resembles a BAe 146/Avro RJ, the only four-engined t-tail plane intended for passengers rather than heavy cargo. But the 146/RJ has high wings, located above the cabin windows, so...what is this airplane? What does emojidex know that they're not telling us?

Messenger - 7/10

While not ugly per se, it's a bit futuristic for my taste. Still, the choice to model it from a position other than directly from the top avoids a lot of the pitfalls that make many of these so bad to look at.

LG - 4/10

Boring? Yeah, without question. But this is just a good representation of an airplane, and at this point I'll accept that. Does the tail thing, though.

HTC - 3/10

Something about the way this is shaped makes this look more like a rocketship than an airplane. Or a Convair Pogo.

SoftBank - 5/10

A decent pictoral representation of an airplane. See: LG. Fixes the tail thing.

Docomo - 5.5/10

Also a decent pictoral representation of an airplane, but I think rendering it in silhouette gets rid of many of the pitfalls associated with airplane emojis. No details to mess up, just the shape of an airplane. Why do the majority of these have four engines? Seriously, there are only three four-engine airliners in passenger service right now. Have the people designing these not flown since the early aughts?

au by KDDI - 2.5/10

Okay, I know I've been saying being a good representation of an airplane is good enough but this is just simplifying too far. This isn't an emoji, it's a unicode character.

Mozilla - 1/10

Why pointy but only sometimes? Why does the tail pinch in like that? It's ugly, Mozilla, you made an ugly one.

[blobghost]

Val: *lets annoy the ghost boy even more*

Val: You and your FRIEND here to help US, Cujo?

Danny: Look at them! They are both wearing fedoras! That's unacceptable! It's supposed to be OUR thing.

Val: It was supposed to be MY thing with Cujo

Danny: I don't care if Major @duchi-nesten sent you here to help Cujo save us from @green-with-envy-phandom-event, you are not getting us out of here until you lose the hat! At very least just wear a bandana like the rest of us to match with Cujo if you HAVE to match but otherwise this is an outrage!

Perry: *questioning his life choices, the fact he isn't even being PAID for this mission, and whether he wants to zap Danny with the laser instead of the ropes*

[winterumi]

Wet hades aka Poseidon.

Testing out design ideas right now.

Design discussion below the cut. Lots of yapping!

Image 1

Since I like ATLA, I wanted to give him thos waterbender hair loopies. Long hair Poseidon definitely looks better than short, and is more fun to draw; I want to give it some water like elements, both from the way it moves (were I to animate) and how it kinda can just float in the air (like the MLP princessess' manes). He has certified luscious locks. (He probably uses Pantene or something.)

The hair loopies connect to the back of his head where they join to be a small braid. My original design had a longer one, but I found that to be too akin to my Circe design.

'Crown' is sort of based on the shape of a trident. Without it, his head looked a bit too 'flat' so I wanted to include something. The design for the 'crown' may change.

Above his elbows are sort of golden cuff/bracelets. From below the cuffs, I headcanon that he uses his waterbending (yes I'm going to call it waterbending) to cover his arms and he can manipulate the water to be any sort of shape, be it giving his water hands claws or elongation them into tentacles. I believe this is what Katara did at some point.

Image 2

Similarly so to the first one. Hands are clawed from using the water manipulation thing. Though I headcanon that his limbs would look more blobby, being surrounded by a coating of water, in the interest of my artistic liberty, I kept the refined look. On that forearm, you can sort of make out the sea foam ripple that I've included in his hair- this indicates power being used and also for artistic liberty!

Rib like tattoos are inspired by some art I saw elsewhere. These would glow and I will likely alter the pattern to make them more fish-boned structure.

Though I think of gods' eyes being a solid color, I think it makes for more effective art when they do have pupils for some, and perhaps when they use their powers, their eyes glow and become one color. So that's what I'm going with now.

[adobe-outdesign]

what do you think of the new pteri day stuff? personally i'm not a fan of the cardinal outfit mainly because something about the face just looks wrong to me, but i like the museum outfit and am glad we got a new one of those. and i think the candy pteri is so funny. i think it's cool to have a choice between a more typical-looking, but still cute, candy pet, and between using PB clothes to turn it into a peep. i've already seen people make hilarious customs with the peep pteri.

Candy: Yeah I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of this one, sorry. I do like the concept of it being based off a Peep (though admittedly most people outside of the US don't know what that is—note for non-US readers: a Peep is a vaguely bird-shaped marshmallow covered in sugar crystals sold around the holidays), and I do appreciate them doing two designs, one "outfit" that's super literal and then one that's more pet-specific, which shows a good deal of effort. Also, the outfit is pretty funny purely from a meme perspective in the same vein as the Maraquan Nimmo.

However, my problem is that we're on two ends of the extreme with both designs: one is literally straight up a Peep(TM) with nothing Pteri-like about it whatsoever, and one is a vaguely glittery Pteri with nothing particularly candy-like about it. Why not blend the two? Give us a Pteri with the same texture, but round out the claws, feathers, etc. Make the eye markings all blobby, give the head feathers and tail that signature Peep flip, make the pupils the little candy dots, and maybe even have a little bite taken out of the wing to show off the marshmallow interior. You could even still keep the same outfit for the meme if you want, but then you'd at least have a high-effort Peep-inspired Pteri instead of a Peep(TM) and a low-effort Pteri colour, which I think is an import distinction.

As a side note, I'm linking this post by @synthaphone out of obligation because it says most of the same things I just did but was published earlier:

Forest (Outfit): Once again, not a huge fan. I've never really liked these hyper-realistic animal outfits; I'm playing Neopets for the neat fantasy creatures, so for me, having an outfit that's just like, a straight-up cardinal feels pretty boring.

Putting aside personal preferences though, I also just find this really uncanny? It's a bad combo of way, way too much texturing and detailing on a very cartoonish body with eyes that really don't belong on that face. The rendering itself is at least objectively well-done with lots of nice shading, but I would've much preferred just a regular non-textured Pteri with the same colors and markings. Once again, the difference between making a Neopet inspired by something IRL and just making something that already exists IRL.

Museum (Outfit): Okay, now this one I do like a lot. I already made a review covering museum outfits and in it I mentioned wanting more that aren't just mammals. The Pteri is a welcome addition, following the same format as the other museum outfits but having the skeleton hang from suspension wires instead of it sitting on a platform like all the others. That's really nice attention to detail and works perfectly with the concept. While the rendering here is still more detailed than Neopets' art tends to be, it's not bothersome as it's not uncanny (being a skeleton) and you can still very easily tell it's a Pteri.

My only minor gripe is that the placard shows just a straight-up pterosaur, which is weird. I get that the Pteri is supposed to look a bit like a pterosaur with the head crest and everything, but just having a real-life dinosaur on there is kind of distracting. That's a very minor point though; otherwise, I'm a big fan of this one.

[odyssean-flower]

The Winding Path of Fate Chapter 7 - Summer: Paintings and Sunflowers

Masterpost

Pairing: Neuvillette x Female Reader Summary: Your relationship with Neuvillette continues to develop. Warnings: None except for restrictive gender roles, also for some reason Fontaine’s regency england (sort of) now?. Also someone walks in on someone coming out from the bath Note: I update this story on AO3 first so please subscribe to the fic there if you’d like to read it faster Note 2: If you want to be on the taglist for this fic, please make a reply to this post, send a message or send a private ask

Have a pic of Neuvillette hanging out in front of his fellow dragon apep's house

Previous | Next

“This isn’t working...” you sighed as you stared at your watercolor painting, which was more water than color due to the fact that your paints were heavily watered down to make them last longer. 

You were currently trying to update your art portfolio, which was woefully inadequate. You had heard that governesses who could teach art were in high demand these days, so you decided to concentrate on art recently. 

However, the blobby mess that meant to be the view of the sea from the garden was highly unlikely to impress anyone. 

The sun was beaming down on you heavily. Even your old straw hat was having a hard time doing its job. You took a sip of Snezhnayan water. Seriously, what is the difference between this and water from Fontaine? Maybe I’m just too unenlightened to understand. 

Ever since you and Neuvillette decided to be friends, things had been...quite different. The two of you talked about everything and nothing. Neuvillette liked talking about water and the Melusines, while you would talk about the books you had read. After a while, you sensed that he was learning more about you than you about him, as he always steered the subject away from himself and towards you. It was odd to have someone be interested in your opinions about things...but you found that you really liked that feeling. 

You could ask Neuvillette for money to buy new paints, a voice said in your mind, but you shook your head. You couldn’t ask that favor of a friend, and besides, it was better that you didn’t rely on him too much, or you would get used to it in the future. 

Maybe I'll go check out the art supplies store again and see if they have anything on sale, you thought. Standing out here wasn’t going to do anything.  

Deciding to do just that, you went up to your room to change and spotted your sister’s letter on your desk. That reminded you that you had to buy her a birthday present soon. Since you didn’t have to worry about money as much these days, maybe you could buy her something nice this year.  

“Marie, I’m going out!” you called out to the parlor where she was dusting.  

“Okay, Madame,” Marie said, poking her head out from the door. Her eyes widened upon seeing your long-sleeved dress. “Are you truly going to wear that dress in this weather?” 

“Yes. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. It’s in solidarity,” you said, thinking of Neuvillette’s heavy, multilayered getup that he wore every day. You idly wondered if he sweated.  

“Solidarity?” Marie repeated in confusion, but you were already out the door.  

“Ugh...” 

You were quickly regretting your choice to wear this particular dress. Your hair was already matted to your forehead with sweat.  

It was late afternoon, but the temperature showed no sign of dropping. Looking at the cold drinks held by pedestrians, you decided to stop by the Café to get some iced Fonta first. Ah, just the thought of it made your water. 

As you approached the establishment, you stopped in your tracks. Sitting in the corner table, far out of sight (but not far enough to not attract stares from other patrons) was Neuvillette and Menthe. Both of them reminded you of wilted flowers. 

“What kind of water do you serve here?” you asked the manager, Arouet.  

“...Just regular water, Miss?” the manager looked confused. You couldn’t blame him. 

“Alright, please get me a glass of cold water, an iced Fonta, and an iced coffee, please,” you said.  

After you got your orders, you walked over to the table. “You two look like you could use a pick-me-up.” 

“Ah, Madame,” Neuvillette said and attempted to straighten up in his chair. He looked as impassive as ever, but you had observed him long enough to know that he was in quite a lot of misery right now. “Such pleasant weather we’re having today, perfect for a walk in the city. I see that you have the same idea as well.” 

You stared at him. Is he being serious right now? “Please don’t force yourself, sir. We both know you can’t stand this weather,” you placed the drinks down on the table and sat down. “Here, water for Monsieur Neuvillette, and an iced coffee for Menthe.” 

“Thank you, Madame,” Menthe said with a yawn. “I needed this.” 

“What are you doing here?” you asked Neuvillette. “You know better to than to be out and about, dressed as you are.” 

“I was out for a quick shopping trip, and then I saw Menthe looking a bit dispirited, so I thought I would take her into the shade to rest.” 

I think you’re the one in need of rest here, you thought as you watched Neuvillette wipe at his forehead with a handkerchief. So he does sweat after all. 

“You were shopping? Why didn’t you just get someone to do it for you?” 

Neuvillette cleared his throat and looked away. It was only then that you noticed something wrapped in parchment paper in his lap. “I didn’t wish to entrust this to someone else. I was shopping for a present for someone important.” 

“Oh, I see,” you nodded. Was it a Melusine’s birthday today or something? “What a coincidence, I’m out shopping as well. For paints, and if I’m lucky, a birthday present for my sister.” 

“Paints?” Menthe looked at Neuvillette. “Oh, Monsieur—” 

“Ahem, Menthe,” Neuvillette cleared his throat.  

“Oh, um, I mean, Monsieur Neuvillette told me that you paint really beautifully, Madame! He really likes your paintings of the sunflowers back in your hometown.” 

“Her sketches are wonderful as well,” Neuvillette said, sounding oddly proud. “You should show the Melusines your sketchbook some time, Madame.” 

“Ooh, may I?” Menthe looked at you with big eyes.  

He’s making too much of me, you thought, hiding your embarrassment by chugging down your Fonta. “Alright,” you said. 

“Yay!” Menthe clapped her hands together. Just then, the great clock in front of the café let out a chime, signalling the end of the hour. “Oh, I must get back to work. Goodbye, Monsieur, Madame!” 

“Goodbye, Menthe. Please take care of yourself,” Neuvillette patted the Melusine on the head, who giggled and skipped away. You found yourself feeling oddly jealous. 

Now it was just the two of you. You looked at Neuvillette, who was sipping his water. He looked back at you.  

“Um, I hope the water is to your liking,” you said. “I know it’s not the fancy imported stuff you enjoy.” 

“It’s perfect,” he said. “Just what one needs on a day like this.” 

You looked at his outfit. His cravat was tightly tied around his neck, and his cuffs were buttoned neatly, showing not a bit of skin. He must be dying on the inside right now, but he still managed to look put together. You felt very shabby next to him. 

“I know you said that you always dress according to your standing, and I respect that. But I feel like you could at least take off your gloves, or loosen your cravat a little when you’re on break. I doubt anyone would mind.” In fact, they might go crazy over it.  

“Very well,” Neuvillette said, then proceeded to take off his gloves. The silver ring on his finger glinted even in the shade. 

“You're still wearing the ring!” you blurted out in surprise. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Neuvillette raised an eyebrow.  

You didn’t know how to answer that. 

“And you’re wearing yours as well,” Neuvillette said, indicating your right hand, which was mostly covered by your sleeve. To be honest, you put it on every morning without even thinking about it anymore. It was a reminder to yourself that as easy and comfortable as this “marriage” was, it was still a marriage, and one that was a means to an end. That was what you told yourself, anyways. 

Neuvillette continued to sip his water. He seemed to be enjoying it, which pleased and baffled you at the same time. You still couldn’t quite wrap your head around the idea of water from different places having distinct flavors, but Neuvillette swore up and down that the difference was real and that anyone could taste it if they savored the water patiently enough. Even now, you still wondered if he was secretly testing you or something.  

Still, what a shame it is that he doesn’t enjoy Fonta, you thought. He’s missing out.  

Back in your hometown, only the basic, original flavor was available. But once you moved to the Court of Fontaine, you were introduced to a veritable rainbow of Fonta flavors. You had even spent a week drinking nothing but Fonta. You suspected Neuvillette might have a heart attack if he heard about it. 

Neuvillette finished his water, and then stood up with the box tucked under his arm. “I must return to work. I shall see you at home, in the evening.” 

You nodded. “Make sure to stay cool, sir.” 

Neuvillette was about to walk away when he suddenly turned around. “Ah, Madame. Are you still going to visit the art supplies shop?” 

“Yes. Why?” 

He looked like he was about to say something, but then shook his head. Was he...smiling? Before you could look closer, he turned away. “It’s nothing. Please, enjoy your day.” 

You watched him until he was just a blue speck in the distance. 

Afterwards, you headed to the store. Unfortunately, none of the good quality paints were on sale. Maybe I should just make my own, you thought glumly. The owner, on the other hand, seemed to be in a very good mood. 

By the time you got home, it was already evening. You decided to take a nice long bath to wash away all the sweat. Ah, baths are the best, you thought as you soaked in the bubbles. Back at the boarding house, you had to share two bathrooms with twenty other girls. This was heaven. 

Just then, you heard a knock on the door. That was probably Marie. You wrapped yourself in a towel and went to the door. “Coming!” you shouted and opened the door. “Marie, what—” 

Your words got stuck in your throat as your eyes took in the tall figure standing in front of your room. He was holding the wrapped package from earlier in his hands.  

For a few agonizing seconds, the two of you simply stared at each other. You saw his hands start to shake, and redness creeping to his cheeks. 

You slammed the door in his face and hurriedly put on your bathrobe. Your thick, fluffy bathrobe with a sturdy tie that could be fastened tightly, leaving nothing to the imagination.  

Taking a few deep breaths to control your pounding heart, you flung open the door, catching your bright red face in the vanity mirror in the process.  

Neuvillette was still standing there. You were pretty sure that he hadn’t moved a single inch. His face was now visibly red. As soon as he caught sight of you, he closed his eyes and turned his head away from you.  

“M-My deepest, sincerest apologies to you, Madame,” he said. His voice sounded as though it was being uttered from the deepest trenches of the sea. “I have committed a disgraceful act—” 

“Let’s just forget about it,” you interrupted him. “We’ll both pretend that it never happened. And besides, um, I wasn’t completely naked or anything, I was wearing a towel, and we’re technically married, so...” 

What in Archons’ name are you talking about? Your mind screamed. Neuvillette seemed as though he might never look at you in the eye again. 

“So, anyways, that present is for me?” you said. Does that make me the important person? Despite the situation, your heart grew warm. 

Neuvillette nodded and held it out to you. It looked like he wasn’t going to speak to you again either. 

You carefully accepted the box and tore open the packaging. You let out a gasp when you saw a rosewood box with a carving of roses on the lid. 

It was the watercolor set from the art store you had always admired from a distance. It was too expensive for you to even dream of owning it, of course. 

But now, it was in your hands. 

You opened the box and was met with robes of paints, brushes, and an even a small palette.  

“Y-You got this for me?” you said, looking up at him. He still wasn’t looking at you. “Why? H-How did you even...?” 

“I-I did say that I wanted to help you achieve your goals, and I...I noticed that you were in need,” Neuvillette said. “And, do friends not give presents to each other?” 

“Yes, but...not anything so expensive!” you stroked the lid. “I cannot possibly repay you.” 

It was then that Neuvillette finally turned his head and fixed his gaze on you. “There is no need for repayment. I bought this because I wished to. Just seeing you content is enough for me.” 

His words struck something deep within you. You were so used to receiving hand-me-downs, of stretching things to their limits, that you had no idea what to do in this situation. Your hands felt like they should be doing something, but what? 

“Thank you,” you whispered, and before you knew what you were doing, your hands reached out and clasped his hand tightly. You could feel its warmth even through the glove, and the contours of his ring. You shook his hand vigorously. “I will treasure this gift for the rest of my life.”  

Neuvillette stared at you for a few moments, and then he turned around and walked away. It might have been a dramatic moment, if his brisk pace didn’t cause him to step on his coat tails and almost trip. 

For the third time in the hour, Neuvillette glanced at the clock. He was currently attending a banquet hosted by an important government official, which meant he had to attend. 

He forced another bite of the dry steak into his mouth. He reached for his glass to wash it down with wine. Wine wasn't his first choice of beverage, but it was better than nothing. 

The other dignitaries sitting near him engaged him in conversation about politics and other related topics, and he did his best to respond in kind. But perhaps because his mind was unfocused, his answers came out short and curt. The others seemed to take this as annoyance at being bothered and excused themselves. 

He held back a sigh. Even though social events like these weren’t his strong suit nor even his hobby, he generally tried his best to perform his role and to fit in. But tonight, he was suddenly feeling very impatient to go home. He had been feeling this feeling a lot recently.  

Neuvillette absentmindedly stroked his ring. I wonder what she is doing right now... 

For the past few days, his wife had been working on something and had promised that it would be finished by today. She had refused to let him see it until it was ready. All he knew was that it had something to do with painting.  

Neuvillette glanced at the clock again. There were still hours before this banquet was supposed to end. He closed his eyes and took another sip of wine, imagining calming things in order to quell the restlessness he was feeling. A perfectly flat water surface at night, a cool sea breeze, the smiles of the Melusines, his wife’s smile when he gave her the watercolor set, the feel of her hands around his... 

“Ah, Monsieur Neuvillette, thank you for coming,” a voice interrupted his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see the host of the banquet standing before him. There was a young woman standing next to him. “May I introduce you to my daughter?” 

The young lady curtsied gracefully. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur.”  

“Likewise,” Neuvillette nodded.  

The young lady stepped closer, and he caught a whiff of her perfume. He couldn’t help but compare it to his wife’s scent when she came out of the bath that day— 

“Oh, dear, Monsieur, are you okay?” the young lady and her father looked at Neuvillette with worry as he coughed violently, having choked on his wine. 

“P-Please excuse me,” he said after the fit subsided, and then proceeded to walk out to the balcony to catch his breath. There was no view of the sea from here. It was going to be a long day. 

The sky was dark by the time Neuvillette arrived home, but even from the front door, he could tell that his house was uncharacteristically noisy. 

There seemed to be a crowd of people in the parlor. Neuvillette paused at the door, listening to the snatches of conversation. 

“Madame, are you almost done with Rhemia?” 

“Blathine, don’t rush her. She has been sketching for hours now.” 

“Madame, could you teach me how to sketch too?” 

“Sure. It’ll be good practice, anyways.” 

Neuvillette opened the door. A group of Melusines were sitting on the couches and floor of the parlor. Even Marie was there. They were all holding sketches in their hands, and watercolor paintings were scattered on the floor. In the center of it all, his wife was sitting in his chair, sketching a posing Rhemia.  

“Monsieur Neuvillette, you’re home!” Sedene was the first to notice him.  

His wife turned her head towards him, and the corners of her lips turned up slightly. Neuvillette felt all the restlessness and fatigue he felt earlier drain away.  

“Welcome back,” she said and stood up, giving him back his chair. “How was the banquet?” 

“It was fine,” he said. “What are you all doing?” 

“Well, the Melusines all came over and asked me to show them my paintings. Then, they wanted me to sketch them, so I did.” 

“I see,” Neuvillette said, peering at the sketch of Rhemia. “They are wonderful.” 

“Thank you.” His wife seemed to be putting the finishing touches on the sketch. Neuvillette studied her profile. She looked completely focused on her work. 

“It’s done,” she announced, and handed the sketch to Rhemia.  

“I’m next,” Blathine said and stepped forward. 

"I think Madame Neuvillette needs to rest her hands a little bit,” Marie clapped her hands and gave Neuvillette a knowing look. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen for cakes?” 

The Melusines followed her outside, leaving Neuvillette and his wife alone in the parlor. 

“I apologize for their rowdiness,” Neuvillette said as he watched her gather the scattered paintings in her arms. “Please feel free to decline their requests if they inconvenience you.” 

“It’s no problem,” she said. “It was nice having so many people here. It reminds me of the old days. And I’ve never drawn Melusines before, so it was a fun challenge.” 

Neuvillette also stooped down to help her. He didn’t have the discerning eye for art, so he couldn’t make any comments as to technique, but he found that his wife’s paintings had a quality to them that made him yearn for something unidentifiable, which was what made them so fascinating to look at. 

“By the way, I finished your surprise,” she said. “Would you like to see it?” 

Neuvillette nodded, and she led him upstairs to her room. 

“It took me some time to work on it, because I had to use my imagination instead of drawing something I see,” she said, speaking a bit quickly. “And I wanted to use the paints you gave me carefully.” 

“Are they to your liking?” 

“Yes. The colors are so vibrant, and the brushes are so smooth, that I’m afraid that they are a bit wasted on me, since I don’t really paint because it’s my passion, so...” 

“But they are useful to you, are they not?” Neuvillette said. “Isn’t that enough?” 

“...I suppose so,” his wife said after a few moments of silence. She then cleared her throat and turned towards the covered easel near the window. “Here it is.” 

She lifted off the blanket, revealing a small canvas. At first, Neuvillette didn’t know what he was looking at. Then, his eyes recognized the amorphous blobs, the blurry line of blue in the distance. 

“This is a painting of the garden in rain,” he said, looking to her for confirmation. She nodded. 

“It hasn’t been raining at all recently, so I had to try hard to picture the scene in my mind.” 

“What made you choose this subject?” 

“Well...before, I’ve never really paid attention to the rain. It was just an excuse to stay home for me. But...then I would see you standing out in the rain, and I would suddenly notice all these things I haven’t seen before...so...” her voice trailed off, and she looked down. “I just wanted my first painting with your gift to be something you like.” 

Neuvillette felt an unfamiliar feeling in his heart. If he had to compare it to something, it would be feeling the heat of a warm current all around you after ages of swimming in the cold ocean.  

“Do you like it?” his wife asked, looking up at him. 

Neuvillette had to think about how to answer that. “...Yes, I do,” he said at last. “It’s my favorite of your works.” 

His hand reached out towards her head, his fingers running over her hair, gliding over her cheek, and rested on her shoulder. His wife stared at him quizzically. “Sir?” 

“...It’s nothing,” Neuvillette said. He wasn’t sure what came over him. 

“Monsieur Neuvillette!” Sedene’s voice sounded from downstairs. “We have a request for you!” 

“Sounds serious,” his wife quipped. 

The two went downstairs to the kitchen, where the Melusines were looking at paintings of houses with sunflowers standing in front of them. 

“Monsieur Neuvillette, what do you think of planting sunflowers in front of the front door, just like in Madame’s hometown?” Sedene asked. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Neuvillette said. “One rarely sees sunflowers in the city.” 

“I can ask my family to send us some seeds,” his wife said. “But one thing I’m worried about is the lack of rain lately, since sunflowers need a lot of water to grow.” 

“I’ll see what I can do,” Neuvillette said, drawing a confused look from her. 

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Taglist:@just-simping-over-genshin, @xalphafox, @jqnehr, @favficdump, @thetwinkims

[ygoartreviews]

Cupsie☆Yummy

What's that that just came out of the gachapon machine? Why, it's not just a little parfait in a cup; it's a Yummy wearing a parfait in a cup! What's a Yummy? They're just little guys born from darkness that love wearing sweets! These ones have wandered their way into a gacha game, completely unaware of any danger they (or their beloved sweets) may face. Of the three base Yummies, this one is the one I actually like the least artwise, if only because of the very stiff posing and (intentionally) lifeless gaze. Those aren't the Yummy's actual eyes, you know! Their actual eyes have a white sclera, and the ones here are simply made of chocolate. Cupsie is still very cute design wise, but just comes off as a bit lacking in personality because of the stiffness of its limbs and lack of a genuine face. I'll be damned though is this concept isn't cute as hell. Little blobby darkness creatures that can take the form of fuzzy cats that dress themselves up with different sweets??? What more could you ask for? The vaguely pixel art-like qualities the main lineart for Cupsie has is a very intriguing design choice, and I think it fits well with the digital background its laid over. It's almost like you're looking at a little digital info screen on the side of a gachapon machine that shows you the prizes you can get. One of my favorite parts of this archetype is the little variants/rarities section at the bottom of the art (I actually waited to review this archetype so that they were all fully visible)! While still small, the color variations are at least possible to make out clearly: pink with a little orange (and what appears to be gumdrop ears) with twinkling eyes, yellow with a little purple and normal eyes, a white strawberry version with cross eyes, a completely faceless one that looks like a strawberry shortcake, a triple eyed melon one, and a triple eyed pumpkin one. I think my favorite is the white strawberry design, although the yellow and purple one isn't bad either.

Rating: 8/10, Cupsie is witnessing something beyond comprehension

[levunalangs]

Sdefa Sdaturday #15

If you weren’t able to join us for the livestream of the Conlang Conflict finale, you can watch the video here! Sadly, Team Let’s Have a Bouba didn’t win but I’m pretty sure we still have the most cumulative points across our three games so that should count for something :P

I decided at the last minute to make two short Sdefa fragments for the occasion! This one is a rough translation of “Conlang Conflict”:

It literally reads “A conflict which has to do with conlangs.” I almost made it something like “the conflicts are fighting” instead! Parts of it sound quite a bit like this text from Kopikon, because of the similar subject matter!

And this one says “Team LHAB”:

In this case “LHAB” is borrowed as a proper noun like “hobbit” was in this post, using a prefix that indicates a borrowed word followed by “L” becoming the note E, “H” becoming B (because of German notation), A of course being A, and “B” becoming B♭ (again, because of German notation).

Here is the Zoom background I made for today, featuring the written form of the two Sdefa fragments on either side, along with several other conscripts! Everything on the left reads “Conlang Conflict,” and everything on the right is “Team Let’s Have a Bouba”! At the top is T’owal; the Sdefa text is the colorful blobby shapes, Tlette is below the lower Sdefa glyph on the right, and the rest is two different conscripts for English, one of which (the twisted and knotted ropes) is very new!

[gothiccharmschool]

This feels like something I ought to have figured out by now, but I am in my 30s and I still haven't found a brand of liquid eyeliner that stays precise enough to apply narrow lines or small dots -- I love trying samples and have just about every color in pencils, but most liquid eyeliners seem to go nearly straight from "so fresh they blot and blob if you cross your eyes at them" to "if you want a dot along the waterline you'd better be ready to stab your own eyeball" with no intervening period of fun drawability. Any recs from the goth auntie (all praise) or the wider charm school attendees? 🙏 waterproof or not, cheap is ideal but if the answer is "no cheap eyeliner is worth it" I want the hard truths

I have two suggestions:

If you're comfortable with using a brush liner, Nyx's Epic Wear is the best I've found. The liquid is thick but not blobby, so it flows well with the brush. Once it dries, it stays through dancing, concerts, or hysterical sobbing.

If you would rather have a pen liner, these eyeliner stamps are fantastic. Plus, cute stamps on the other end! This liner will hold up through dancing and concerts, but not hysterical sobbing.

(The hysterical sobbing eyeliner test is not recommended, but hey, I have done it, so it may be helpful info.)

Okay, peeps! I turn it over to you. Liquid liner suggestions?