#i put it on twitter and i think its my most popular drawing on there now..... shits CRAAAZYYYY

[doodledrawsthings]

Hello, I'm currently in an art class and I'm taking storyboarding. I noticed that people draw their storyboards in VASTLY different ways. Some people draw it super rough and minimalistic while I've seen others with super fleshed out and cleaned panels that boggle my MIND. I remembered that you're an actual storyboarder in the industry so I wanted to ask which style tends to work better or is more is more popular among studios? Sorry if this question came out of nowhere :/

(Also I've recently been admiring how you do line art in your art in particular its very thin and clean :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] )

It really depends on the project you’re working on. The boards I did at CN were allowed to be a lot more loose than the boards I did at Rough Draft.

In my opinion, boards should lean more on the loose side so as not to stress out the artist, but due to industry trends it seems like cleaner ones are becoming more and more common. Although I do think a lot of the time, the super clean boards you’ll stumble upon on Twitter would probably/ hopefully have gone through layout and revisions to make them look as clean as they do.

Based on what I learned, though, what I think matters most about boarding is clarity. Are the boards legible and is it easy to tell what’s going on, which characters are on screen, who’s talking, where they are, etc? Are things consistent or are you breaking 180 rule too much or trying to do too many complicated things where something simpler would be more efficient or effective? At CNS Academy I was told that I should judge how much time I put into drawings based on how important they are to the scene. (i.e. this close up or establishing shot is important to the tone of the scene and lasts a couple seconds longer than the very quick shot of the character speaking coming up next, so I will put more effort into making the former shot look nicer, because it’s more specific.)

Important to keep in mind no matter how loose or clean your boards are.

[nhothicket]

Ever create a band au even though you cant draw instruments?

more info below the cut :>

Meet Bdubs, 38, stage name BdoubleO - Boomer is often mistaken for his first name, but is just another nickname for the pile. Infamous online, if it weren't for the fact that he makes disgustingly good music he would probably have more hate followers than genuine fans. The line between charming asshole and just asshole is one he fails to tread lightly most days, but he's mostly harmless. Let's just say the Bdoubleo could also stand for boorish. A bit of a sellout, but he enjoys what he does and many appreciate his extremely.. candid attitude. Best likened to a cartoon villain dressed as a rockstar, with the ego to match. (It's usually his unrelenting pretentiousness that gets him into Twitter spats.)

Thank you @foxden-frontier for always helping out with my stupid aus ^v^

Annoying at worst, unfortunately very charismatic at best. You could say he's a softie at heart, but that implies its at all difficult to spot. Once he's done "clapping back at all the haters", in person he's still got a temper (he thinks he has a bad boy reputation to uphold) but is enthusiastically friendly.

Etho, 32, resident keytarist of creatively named band Canadian Bacon. Joined by his two best friends, Pause the frontman and bassist, and Beef their drummer. A deceptively popular band if judging by their permanent rough draft name and their nerdy-college-student dress code. Etho himself is just a guy who likes playing music with his buddies, their hobby having blown up under their noses. Now, as an unfortunately successful touring artist, Etho's anonymity is scarce, but he continues to wear his mask to discourage widespread photos of his face. In spirit. He's concerned about having his face plastered all over fan accounts, which still occurs, but a perk of having a completely rabid fanbase is that many will defend your boundaries to their last dying breath. Like his face, his legal name is out and about online, but its similarly discouraged. Best likened to just a guy.

If asked on the subject of his scar, the entire band has various different whimsical stories, brand new everytime. His lack of internet presence means Pause and Beef are free to make up whatever misinformation about him as they please completely unchecked (in jest of course), and they do take advantage of that. Many of these alternative facts are passed around on wikis and in fan circles.

To say Bdubs is jealous of Canadian Bacon's popularity is an understatement. They weren't even trying at all and yet they're the hot shit? But instead of putting that jealousy to hatred (which he had considered of course) he's instead set himself on proving himself. And if that means impressing Etho then so be it. Why does it mean impressing Etho? Good question, never ask it again. They say keep your enemies close, and Bdubs' enemies don't deserve personal space.

As it turns out, Etho wasn't too difficult to impress or maybe Bdubs was just that amazing. Either way, they end up hitting it off. Their friendship is an interesting one, mostly because Etho's fans basically hunt Bdubs for sport online. We're talking scribbled out of pictures, get behind me, #FreeEtho. Etho thinks he seems pretty cool though, if not a bit much sometimes, so no harm no foul.

Okay, rapid fire, some other notes for this au.

> Etho's legal name is Ethel. Because it is. My heart is so set on it. But if you're boring, Ethan or Ezekiel or something work too I guess.

> Etho's keytar mimics a more traditional guitar in most cases, though he's known to experiment a lot with how far he can push that.

> Etho's scar is from a mugging in this au, not a very fun story to tell. Beef practicing his brand new razor blade throwing hobby or fighting a bear to beat Pause in a bet is much more entertaining.

> Canadian Bacon is meant to have a manager, but I couldn't think of anyone I felt fit. Just a note.

> Bdubs has a habit of grabbing Etho by his tie and pulling him down to his level or otherwise using it as a leash. Etho doesn't usually wear the tie outside of show stuff or interviews, but he wears it around Bdubs because thinks its funny. When there's no tie that doesn't stop Bdubs, collars and hoodie strings are subject to the same usage.

> Etho isn't aware of how infamous Bdubs is when they meet as they meet at a festival with a big group of other musicians. Most of which already know Bdubs as his more excitable friendly self. He only finds out later when Bdubs complains about Etho's fans flaming him anytime he mentions him.

> Bdubs still has a self-imposed curfew, 10pm every night unless it conflicts with a show. He needs his beauty sleep.

> The trigger reason for the animosity toward Bdubs is due to being blamed by fans for the split of his last band that had a pretty hardcore cult following (OOG, I've not named their band yet), and that has since snowballed into what it is today, despite his actions being relatively harmless. To note, this was not an assumption at all promoted by either party, it was entirely a fanmade judgement.

> For those who can, picture s5 jungle Bdubs mixed with drunken OOG(E) ctm maps for his approximate personality. Still goofy but with a sharper tongue and a lot worse of a temper.

> Originally I considered Cleo as Bdubs' manager so he's not all alone in narrative sense, I still think it's not a bad idea I'd love to see her chew him out for acting like a moron. Ren or Scar would be also be options for manager.

> Bdubs needs a touring band, but I'm not well versed enough in the hermits to actually pick one out. Just a note.

Okay, that's most of it! There's some more pg-13 headcanons for this au, along the lines of fuck yeah rock'n roll lifestyle, but it's not really important I'm sure just that is enough to get the gist of it. Thank you for reading this overly long note. ^v~

[danandphilplay]

im going to put my answers below bc i know some of these vids are likely not returning to dnp and i do agree with that i just wanted to do a fun poll abt if you could have another of these vids then which would you choose. ofc like ive said before we have no control over dnp uploads and i fully know some of these won’t come back lol

ok first of all i don’t think pinof is coming back and i think that’s been clear for ages anyways like ten is a nice number to leave it. HOWEVER i do think an april fools dapc pinof would be hilarious. answering crafties questions and whatever they send to craft universe dnp.

same with amazingdan BUT maybe there’s a slight chance of reacting to amazingdan. maybe not since so much time has already passed since pinof reactions (four months …..) honestly out of the options i’m not that bothered about pinof or amazingdan i feel like they’re classic dnp content that’s fine left as it is

ok for the pizza mukbang thing i don’t care for it to be a mukbang video lol like the actual thing was the nice sit down talk vibes pyjama pizza w friends maybe this is exactly what dan means abt being parasocial 😭 but that video is nice so i don’t think the actual mukbang part of it is that important it’s more the sit down talk style vid

i think i would do anything for another day in the life but i feel like it is prob peak parasocial content. would it count as phouse tour probably. do i think there will be a phouse tour no bc it sounds like it is still having a lot of work done 😭 and i honestly don’t really care abt it… i think the sims renovation was fun and an insight into their interior design opinions lol and that is enough for me

i put it takes two bc a lot of people want to see the next bit i like the game but not rly enough. idk it’s been awhile since that first vid and in terms of other games and things from dnp i don’t rly mind about it takes two being ignored 😭

i know baking is not a discontinued thing anymore bc HALLOWEEN but BUT i really believed easter baking would be a thing 💔 dapc had so much put into it that i kind of forgot about wanting a baking vid but 💔 i can’t lie i think i got set on the expectation for it. like the baking vids have always been absolute classic staple dnp content but definitely the cinnamon roll one was like the baking vids to the extreme… the full potential AND THE BAKE WAS GOOD TOO. the vid was also pretty popular. so my expectations for easter were a bit high. ok so if this poll is like magically summon a dnp vid 🪄 maybe id consider baking because i just love it so much like irl as a hobby but also then dnp doing one of my fav things too and it being so fun idk it’s some of the best dnp content imo. i would love them to try a series of making food from videogames but no offence to them i don’t get the vibe that they cook a lot…… so i think it might not happen. but dil is turning TEN in september so maybe dnp special dil birthday cake baking vid 💔 pleaese pleasemaybe

i think tumblr tag is totally plausible although ik the april fools tumblr tag thing 💔 bc the twitter vid happened i think they’ll do a tumblr one at some point. there’s so much amazing art on here not just fanart but written stuff video and photo edits so i’d want them to see all of that as well as the funny stuff. this isn’t like top of my list of things i’d want to see but it’s definitely one of the more plausible things

dapc behind the scenes content its either happening or it will never be spoken of

honestly idk if they would do reactions to the super amazing project. bc like what vids would they choose. maybe i can see them referencing it or discussing it if someone asked or in a live but idk about reaction vids.

ok draw my life would be fun and i’d watch them. i’d watch an updated dil draw my life too. they put so much effort into that dil draw my life. maybe an updated one for dil’s 10th birthday will happen? that would be pretty fun.

i think if i had to choose it would be a ditl vid. top 3 would be ditl, mukbang or literally just any sit down talk vid, and another baking video. ditl may literally just be bc of nostalgia i don’t really see it happening again but who knows. again just a poll about which vid you’d want to see if you could magic up a dnp vid i definitely know some of these aren’t coming back or very unlikely to

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

U.A. High School Field Trip Around Japan: Day 4 Translations

This is Day 4 of Shonen Jump’s special commemoration of My Hero Academia reaching one hundred million copies worldwide, which is being rolled out daily across one-week in each prefecture’s newspaper.

The schedule:

April 4th, Day 1: Hokkaidō & Tōhōku regions

April 5th, Day 2: Kantō region

April 6th, Day 3: Chūbu region

April 7th, Day 4: Kansai region

April 8th, Day 5: Chūgoku & Shikoku regions

April 9th, Day 6: Kyūshū & Okinawa regions

April 10th, Day 7: Nationwide release

You can see the illustrations on their website here, where they are released digitally the day after the newspaper release.

Here we go!

Kansai Region

Mie

Photo credit: twitter user Hrkn1500

Aoyama: "Sur-pri-se~!" Sero: "Amazing, Aoyama!" Satou: "Should we go look for the toilet?"

Nabana no Sato is a flower park situated within the absolutely massive Nagashima Resort. It has lovely blooms all year, and from October to May it claims to host Japan's biggest illumination event, including a 200-meter long light tunnel.

Shiga

Photo credit: twitter user smile_wk_26

Tokoyami: "Art of the Flying Squirrel Black Shadow!!!" Mineta: "Imitation Caltrop!!" Edgeshot: "Abscondance" Hagakure: "Nin-nin! Hidden Hagakure!!"

They are at the Kōga-ryū Ninjutsu Ninja Village in Kōka city, the birthplace of this school of ninja-arts. I visited the Tōgakure Ninjutsu House in Nagano -- Tōgakure, Iga, and Kōga are considered the three main families of ninjutsu. These kinds of attractions usually have museums dedicated to the style's history and showing off tons of unique historical artifacts, but the main draw is all the activities for visitors to try their hand at being a ninja, shuriken-throwing, wall-climbing, rope-walking, etc.. Hagakure is making a pun, because her surname means "hidden leaves" or "hidden by the leaves" so she is "hidden hidden-leaves." Tokoyami is doing his Black Fallen Angel move, but it's much funnier to make it a giant flying squirrel attack.

Kyōto

Photo credit: twitter user sitatyan_dayo

Ashido: "You can't even see the sky through all the bamboo~!!" Yaoyorozu: "They say that the growing speed of bamboo is the fastest in the world. I've heard it can grow up to one meter in a single day." Mineta: "My whole height in a single day... I can't do this!!! Jirou: "Cheer up." Label on Mineta: "Mineta Minoru, Height: 1.08 Meters."

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is a hugely popular tourist spot for its dense, soothing beauty. One meter is equivalent to 3 feet 3 inches; Mineta is just over 3 and a half feet tall.

Ōsaka

Photo credit: twitter user tomikomha

Shouji: "Hyah hyah hyah hyah!!!" Fat Gum: "He's... he's moving too fast, I can't even see his arms!" Kirishima: "No, actually, he's got lots of 'em!"

They are making takoyaki, a famous soul food created in Osaka in 1935. It requires a large griddle with rounded molds, and chefs use two metal rods to rotate the batter rapidly. It's really fun to watch them make it, and most stalls put the griddle up against a full-length window to show it off.

Hyōgo

Photo credit: twitter user NZM_101

Izuku: "Even cutting an onion... a hero... doesn't cry! WWUAAAH" Ochako: "What a shame! Challenge failed." Shouto: "No, even heroes cry when they have to."

Awaji Island is famous for its onions and produces some of the sweetest onions in the world. They have a spring crop of sweet but slightly spicy onion, and a fall-time harvest that they store and dry to further develop their sweetness. Shouto's line is from chapter 137 when Izuku insists heroes don't cry while crying into his food. What's funny is that sweet onions supposedly produce less of the chemical that produces tears in humans, so maybe Izuku is just being a lil' crybaby, hehe, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's working with a particularly spicy spring harvest.

Nara

Photo credit: twitter user yukanicoyomo

Iida: "Observance of traffic laws! OUTSTANDING, DEER-KUN!!" Kouda (thinking): "Iida-kun, you're making the deer suspicious..." Bakugou: "Don't talk to the deer!! Deer don't give a shit about rules!! Dammit!!"" Kouda (thinking): "Bakugou-kun, you're scaring the deer..."

They are in Nara Park, where you can buy special crackers to feed the very friendly and booming deer population. Deer in Nara have been protected and seen as important to local Shinto beliefs for at least a thousand years; in 2023, studies from three universities revealed that they actually make up a unique genetic group not found anywhere else. Apparently, the deer in Nara will exchange bows with people, especially if it means they get a snack~

Wakayama

Photo credit: twitter user __sen_115

Ojiro: "A two-tone popular character... We have one of those." Hagakure: "We do, don't we. Just by being there, he creates a splendid atmosphere...!" Todoroki: "Huh? There's somebody like that?" Ojiro: "IT'S YOU!!!"

Visiting Adventure World in Shirahama which is home to a giant panda conservation area. A branch of Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base has bred 17 giant pandas there, which is the most success in breeding outside of mainland China.

That's all for Day 4. Next up is Day 5!

[docm77datingsim]

spinning the short tale of this blog since I deleted the original. okay despite popular belief. the original docm77datingsim blog existed for months before I actually posted anything. It all started as a joke between friends as we mused about ccs coming to tumblr, way before this twitter exodus. since Doc is just insane we ended up talking about him and how he would probably fit in perfectly into the exosystem given how he already has the habit of playing twitter with pvp on. someone says that he would be the type of person to be having a tumblr debate in the comments with someone with some weird url like docm77dating sim.

I run and get the url. we have a laugh about it. the url stays hidden.

and months later... the topic of a Doc dating sim comes up again with my partners. do i remember what sparked it? no, but i do have the message from one of my beloveds @martynsimp69 that sparked a stupid picture:

and like a normal person i edit exactly that and decide that actually i have the perfect blog to post it to. and so the blog is started.

here's the thing i didn't really think anything would happen since i have 0 followers and so i taunted in my tags about how i would draw a proper sc if this og post reaced 500 notes.

yeah. it took like three hours. i regretted my entire life. by the time i start drawing its on 500+ notes and by the time i end its past 1k. for some reason i listen to the demons in my head and make three scs instead of one. slight variations but still why did i do more than one????

anyhow, here you go. again. docm77datingsim

i wasn't gonna draw a background or anything the most i promised was Doc. the thing is that-

now the thing i got a few asks and tags that said that i should make a dating sim. i STILL dont think its a good idea that i make and publish something like this btw. but i did put one sole condition on it, which is that i would do it if the man, the GOAT, docm77 himself, asked me to do it. and i stand by it.

and then i accidentally killed my blog along with the asks and the additional art on it, oh well.

not the most dramatic of stories apart from the weight of my sins with this one, but what i do live in fear now is that since Doc has a tumblr, he might get the sick idea to take me on my terrible offer. i will not be able to sleep soundly ever again. i hope he at least likes how i indeed stuck to canon and did not put a shirt on his little minecraft blorbo.

[levbolton]

Mokumoku Ren interview

Source: Chanmei for Real Sound, 5th July 2022

The manga The Summer Hikaru Died has exploded among Generation Z via TikTok, Twitter and other social networking sites. It has sold over 200,000 copies in just three months since the first volume was released and is currently nominated for the 'Next Comic Award 2022' in the web manga category. (Voting is open until 11 July).

What if one day your friend who is always next to you is suddenly replaced by a completely different "something"? This story begins with such a bizarre transformation. The story is peppered with unintentionally chilling horror elements, such as a claustrophobic country town, eerie folklore and unexplained incidents, but also vividly depicts the complex emotions that swing between Hikaru, who has become "something", and Yoshiki, a boy who cannot leave his friend's side. 

Horror or bromance? ....... How was this work, which captivates readers with its depth of story and overwhelmingly high level of artwork that is hard to describe in one word, created?　We interviewed the author, Mokmoku ren. (Chanmei)

The inspiration for the idea came from my high school days

Q: First of all, how did you come up with the idea for The Summer Hikaru Died?

Mokmoku Ren: I first came up with the idea when I was in high school. When I was studying for exams, it suddenly occurred to me that it would be nice and interesting to have a manga like this. I didn't want to be a manga artist at the time, but I always liked thinking about stories and detailed setups.

Q: First of all, how did you arrive at the serialisation?

Mokmoku Ren: It was like ...... where I constructed the stories I wanted to read in my head, so at first I had no intention of showing them to anyone. So for the first few years after I came up with the idea, I didn't even put it in writing, let alone in comics. Then, around January last year, I happened to have some spare time, so I drew a picture of what I had in my head. When I posted the drawing on Twitter, it got a lot of buzz, and that's when I was approached by the editorial team.

New readers from TikTok, not just "buzz".

Q: First of all, even before the first volume of the book was released, cosplay videos of the characters were being posted on TikTok and became a hot topic. How did you feel when you experienced the 'TikTok buzz'?

Mokmoku Ren: Suddenly the Twitter response got better and I was like, "What's going on?" I thought, "What's going on?" and then I heard that I was getting attention on TikTok. So, I first tried the TikTok app and watched a lot of videos, and at first I was a bit surprised at the generation gap, or at the fact that "this is what kids are like nowadays" (.....). I was a bit surprised (laughs). (laughs) When I looked at the comments on the videos, I felt a similarity to myself when I was in high school, and it made me feel nostalgic, like 'things don't change all the time'.

Q: First of all, what were some of the most impressive comments?

Mokmoku Ren: There were many different comments, such as "This author is definitely psychic!" or "I'm concerned about what's going to happen to this author" or "I'm worried about what's going to happen to me". Also, I can't remember where I saw this, but a reader had her own father read her work, and she said, "My father used to see these ghosts too! He said, "My father used to see this kind of ghost too!", which was a bit funny (laughs).

Q: In addition to the cosplay videos, the famous manga-introducing TikTokers were also pushing this work very hard, weren't they?

Mokmoku Ren: I think a lot of videos related to The Summer Hikaru Died were getting a lot of attention, and I was really grateful that the manga introduction TikTokers were explaining in great detail about the appeal of the work and where to read it. Thanks to that, it didn't just get popular, but it was connected to the work and the number of readers increased.

Q: First of all, has the TikTok Buzz triggered any changes in your Twitter follower base?

Mokmoku Ren: The TikTok Buzz led to a huge increase in comments from young readers on Twitter. Until then, I had the impression that there were a lot of adult readers, so I'm very happy to have young readers like this. I think they will read it for a long time to come, and I hope that The Summer Hikaru Died will become part of their youth. ...... I still love the manga I liked when I was in junior high and high school, and I'm still very much influenced by them. So I would be happy if I could be a part of that kind of existence.

Influences from 'Honkaku', 'Shin-Mimibukuro' and 'Here it Comes'.

Q: First of all, what did you like when you were a student?

Mokmoku Ren: I loved 'Tokyo Ghoul' and read it a lot. I read a lot of other things, but I was often impressed by battle manga like those in Weekly Shonen Jump and Weekly Young Jump.

Q: First of all, The Summer Hikaru Died has strong elements of human drama and horror, rather than battles.

Mokmoku Ren: In manga, I like battles and used to read them a lot, but my overall tendency is to like horror. I've really loved horror ever since I can remember, and I used to watch and read horror stories and films all the time. Maybe because of that, I've always wanted to draw horror.

Q: First of all, what is your favourite horror film?

Mokmoku Ren: I used to watch a lot of 'Honsaku' (Really Scary Stories). I also love the TV drama Shin Mimibukuro, which has influenced me a lot. I also love the film "Here it comes" and its original stories "Bogiwaan ga, kuru" and "Shishiriba no ie" (The House of Shishiriba), as well as horror novels by Itomo Sawamura. The words "Bogiwaan" and "Shishiriba's House" are so scary that you feel like, "Eh, what? They are very scary (laughs). (Laughs) I like novels that have a kind of 'unexplained unpleasantness' in the expression of the bizarre or so-called ghosts.

Unexplained unpleasantness, onomatopoeia ...... Commitment to expression

Q: First of all, from the 'ku' scene (see image), I felt the 'unexplained unpleasantness' that Mokmoku Reng-sensei was talking about. It was very scary (laughs).

Mokmoku Ren: This is because, as well as the 'Honkaku' and 'Shin-Mimibukuro' books I mentioned earlier, I also like the occult board on 2ch, 'Why don't you collect scary stories that are so frightening they'll scare you to death? 

Q: First of all, in terms of your drawings, are you particular about horror expressions?

Mokmoku Ren: I often get compliments on the way I draw onomatopoeia. I try to use expressions that you don't see very often, such as "sha-sha-sha-sha". However, I am quite conscious of whether it works properly and effectively as an expression.

Q: First of all, there was already a huge amount of onomatopoeia from the drafting stage.

Mokmoku Ren: I wanted the onomatopoeia to stir up a sense of dread, so I wanted the reader to be able to read it clearly. There are ways to draw these onomatopoeias by hand, but I thought it would be better to use digital typesetting because the reader would see them even if he or she didn't want to. Another reason I chose to use typesetting was that my handwritten text would have been half as scary.

Q: First of all, I can sense your extraordinary attention to visual expression, such as wanting the reader to be able to read the onomatopoeia clearly.

Mokmoku Ren: I put a lot of thought into that. When there is something I want the reader to read, such as onomatopoeia, I am conscious of the proportion of the onomatopoeia in the story and how much of it is going to reach the reader's eyes.

Q: How would you describe the features of the characters?

Mokmoku Ren: veins and sweaty ..... I don't use expressions like that very often. For example, if there is a scene where a character is shocked or impatient and walks away from a scene, I might say that he bumps into a chair as he walks away and the chair falls over with a thud. I want to express the emotions of that moment in action, without using marks such as veins or sweaty sweat. In this way, the sound is quite important, not onomatopoeia as I mentioned earlier.

Horror and bromance have a strong affinity

Q: We have asked you in detail about the expression of horror, but how do you balance it with the bromance elements such as the friendship and love between Yoshiki and Hikaru?

Mokmoku Ren: Actually, I keep the horror low key. There are times when I really want to draw something scarier, but I'd rather draw something that appeals to the emotions, like 'kuru kuru kuru kuru ......', rather than just making it scary. I want to draw something that appeals to the emotions. I also think that in terms of appealing to emotions, horror and bromance are a bit similar.

Q: Horror and bromance are similar. ......

Mokmoku Ren: The feeling of resemblance is probably related to the 'suspension bridge effect'. In psychology, it's like you're more likely to develop romantic feelings for someone you meet in a place where you feel a strong sense of anxiety and fear, like on a hanging bridge. In the case of horror, it is the thrill of not knowing what horror will happen next, and in the case of bromance, it is the thrill of "what should I do ......" when, for example, you get into a fight with a friend and the atmosphere turns nasty. It's like we have the same physiological arousal of excitement, so we can mistake the cause for the reason. When I actually draw, I think that horror and bromance have a high affinity.

Chapter 11: "I knew I was going to come up with a good illustration", as recommended by the editor in charge of the story.

Q: First of all, please tell us about your favourite scene and the scene you had difficulty with.

Mokmoku Ren: The last scene of the first volume. It's the end of the first volume, so I was very particular about the tempo and rhythm of the story. In terms of difficulties, I always have a hard time thinking about the structure of the story. I can think of many things I want to depict and many stories, but I have a hard time connecting them one by one or asking myself, "Which part shall I focus on first?" So I consult with the editor in charge of the story.

Q: First of all, what are the upcoming highlights?

Mokmoku Ren: Episode 11, which will be released on 26 July. I put a lot of energy into drawing it.

Editor in Charge: I thought from the stage of the name meeting that the drawings for episode 11 would definitely be good, but the drawings were really great (laughs), so I hope everyone is looking forward to it.

Q: First of all, please give a message to the readers.

Mokmoku Ren: Only one volume has been released and the story is really in the early stages, so please visit ....... I'm sorry to be nominated for the Next Coming Manga Award 2022 in the web manga category in such a state, but I'm very grateful. In the future, new characters are scheduled to appear, and I think they are going to be very good characters (laughs). So I would be very happy if you could continue to keep a warm eye on me.

Other Mokumoku Ren interviews translated: 

CREA (7th Nov 2022) | Da Vinci (5th Nov 2022) | Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2023 | Real sound 31st December | Real sound 5th July

[vesperewrites]

"but I can't see any difference in quality" anon..Please be honest with yourself. Either you don't read much or I think you may be pretty deeply in denial. Just purely going off the fact that the lucemond ao3 feed is currently filled with twitter fics, google translated fics (and that's not an insult, the A/N will say, 'I put this through google translate') and people's first attempts at fanfic is a pretty clear indication that the objective quality has dropped. You are still allowed to enjoy these things and support these authors, but it's very much not the same as it was in the NOV-FEB period where we had very seasoned authors (if you don't like the term popular - fine. But these authors were much more experienced in world building, prose, character building etc) writing more than one shots for lucemond.

And like, I'm sad about it too? I want the fandom to prosper and to have fic variety and long, complicated fics but it's also normal for those kind of authors to move on because they are used to a certain level of engagement from their readers that Lucemond cannot provide at the moment. Because Lucemond and HOTD fandom is in a lull. Which again, totally expected and normal.

What i don't understand, is the point of this fandom's head-in-the-sand approach to nearly everything. Not just this, but when we talk about certain tropes, or character popularity or toxic comment culture - so many people think the best thing to do is pretend nothing is wrong or it doesn't exist. As though that'll make it go away somehow.

Hi anon, can you pick an emoji so I can differentiate between you and the other anons?

Special thanks to @jojodacrow for helping me word this succinctly and for letting me use your words to explain some stuff.

To start: There's so many talented arts, cool twt threads, and fics being made/updated. If it's not your cuppa, then I don't know what else I can say that I have not already said in previous asks.

I disagree that the "objective quality" dropped considering the bevy of talented folks here. If you're referring to the people that left, along with their fics (the quantity and quality of it), then yeah, shame. There's nothing we can do about it, and it's not my kink to beg.

There seems to be plenty of amazing writers (new and old) still here since the beginning, and I'm having a good time.

As far as the other "quality has been good" anon goes: it's not fair to say that they're in deep denial when that is their own fandom experience and opinion. Just like you're entitled to yours.

Anon, I feel like you are conflating two separate things here.

Every fandom has its peak, a time where everyday is just shiny and new--everyone is creating content, meta, art, inside jokes are created. The fandom feels the most alive for that extended period of time and everyday brings something exciting.

But that time never lasts.

Fandoms go through lulls, they ebb and flow like you have said. Some fandoms fizzle out very quickly. I think, that as a writer, I can imagine that there's disappointment with fic engagement going down. Most of my friends (DNF fandom) are writing for the love and enjoyment of writing, and not for the engagement they get. That's not to say that it's not okay to wish to have good feedback, kudos, or a nice comment. As humans, we naturally seek some validation. But there are authors who are only seeking those engagement numbers and interactions like a drug. There's nothing wrong with jumping to different fandoms/writing for new ships just to get that high again.

However, it's not an obligation for the reader to comment/interact every single time. Just like how we are not obligated to write/draw/create for this fandom.

Side note: That being said, it doesn't give a good excuse to harass authors or give entitled comments. :/ I'll reblog a post from a friend that nails this extremely well when it comes to comment culture and etiquette (thanks @jojodacrow!)

Like yeah, NOV-FEB seemed to have been poppin', cool, yeah. But uh, there's nothing we can do about it. We might see a resurgence for S2, but probably never to the levels we saw again. That is something you are going to have to accept. Even when the new season starts... it's not going to be like it was where we see those crazy amounts of fics again.

It's not that I don't like the term "popular"; that was only mentioned because you brought it up in another ask. But as I've said before: popular ≠ good. There is a certain level of experience that comes with someone's work being good, yeah. Again, I can't covet what I've never known to have lost. Whoever left, I don't think I got a chance to read, but I'm currently drowning in damn good recs.

I have no clue why they left the fandom. And unless you're friends with them, I don't know you are fixated on it. I'm getting the sense that you harbor a lot of resentment or frustration over this.

You say that you want the fandom to prosper, but I personally think it's been nice and peaceful on my end. I came when everything was on fire as I was updating SDP. There was drama everywhere and there is valid criticisms about commenting stuff.

But right now? As a a person here for less than six months? I'm good with what we have so far! Re: last asks and the linked authors.

So we can complain about it, we can move on to other fandoms, or we can find ways to enjoy what we have. There are lots of ways to do that. The fans that are still here can find ways to encourage activity. There's a fandom event going on!! We can comment on the stories we do like to encourage those authors. We can create fan events. We can foster writing/art challenges that center on the kinds of tropes we do love. If you think some of the younger/newer writers need help, then offer to beta read to help them improve.

At the end of the day this fandom is only as good as the work the fans put into it and complaining on tumblr isn't going to accomplish anything for this fandom if you aren't willing to do something to change it. But you said you were a writer? Then, it sounds like you're already doing your best, providing for the fandom.

As for your last paragraph, I think the commenting culture is well known by this point (I was so confused when I first joined the fandom too), luckily the comments on my fic have been lovely, so thank you readers 🥺❤️ I don't know anything about the tropes thing or character popularity thing, I'll admit. Is this regarding specifically the lu_cem*nd fandom? I have no clue what you mean about head-in-the-sand approach.

[ashacadence]

Creators we gotta do somethin

I mean we are trying but this is just sort of a vent post of my overall views as an artist/creative person growing frustrated of how the big popular art sites are literally just going down the drain due to the malicious AI train or just really unclear or super clear problematic content being allowed. I “closed” my furaffinity account but have a active profile in case FA changes its mind. I’m not a furry, the community has been nothing but generous and an amazing source for work and supportive income over the years that I can only praise and give my thumbs up on for where to look for work when times are tough. However the site itself has undergone a recent rule change/clarification that’s seriously so damn hypocritical that they are pretty much on that tipping point of just saying “ANYTHING GOES DRAW WHATEVER!” 

SIGH.

I’m just still lingering on twitter for the most part. I’m considering tumblr, but it’s not really all that...reliable of an art site. 

@/inkblot-app I do have a profile set up on inkblot.art as it’s still new and competing to be the next big art site. I like their rules and faqs and worth to check it out and at least put a presence in there while we are all in this waiting and seeing on where to move next. The thing is sites don’t just magically become popular alone so people need to literally start moving and going to it to make it more active and give it the traffic it needs to be the next platform. I have seen inkblot being more active on my twitter feed than others so I say they are worth it. 

If there’s other sites comment and I’ll consider. I’ve heard of a couple (mastodon i think was one of them, but i haven’t heard much) in the past but my memory is fuzzy on which. I’m mainly looking for at least maybe up to 2-3 max going forward to be active professionally with other recreational funsies sites that I follow some stuff or indulge in like tik tok or here for example. 

[autumn-foxfire]

The whole thing about Toorus cover has already been frustrating enough but whats even worse is the amount of ppl that had come out of woodwork to yell 'its not even the first time he sexualized a minor!!!' or 'this is shonen what did you expect??? Other mangaka do it too'

Like you understand that first is just worse and second is no excuse. Like yeah Hori probs wont see any of the outrage and that cover will sell like hotcakes but these are still important conversations to have in fandom about the standards of the way women are treated in manga. Like why no try to build a mood in fandom where mangaka are held to higher expectations instead of just giving up cuz 'its shonen standard'. Drawing cute girls for teen boys to swoon over is one thing, putting an almost completely naked minor on the cover of ur very popular (and publicly sold like i cant imagine how this will look on BOOKSTORE SHELVES) is another. I also see many ppl bitch about like 'oh ppl who complain the most are those who write explicit bakudeku smut' which like, wild conclusion to some to and probably not true but also i think ppl have to understand that influence of a random fic writer in a fandom (even if a popular one) is Very different from influence of a popular mangaka whos work influences the fandom culture anyway. Like there will be ppl who write freaky shit in every fandom but the mangaka very much sets up the bar there i feel.

Like, Witch Hat Atelier is extremly non sexual manga (aside from Qifrey whos sad and wet) and the only sexual content ive encountered for it was between the two adults in it. There IS a creator there that draws minor x adult explicit stuff (as i said freaks in every fandom) but the only reason i know of them is cuz there were warnings from other users like 'hey this person is posting yxz art tagged under the main manga tag, it can be p upseting so make sure to block them!' its a whole different climate for real.

Uhhhh long story short like ppl are allowed to discuss weird stuff a mangaka pulls, thats good for the fandom, why is everyone on twitter so damn ready for this to be their hill to die on lmao all ppl are saying is 'wow pretty gross for Hori to put a naked teenager on the cover' hows that controversial

....long time no rant at foxy i hope i made sense

I completely agree with you, Lucy and I'm mad that the attitude in fandom a lot of the time is "well there's nothing you can do about it so why complain?"

Why aren't we allowed to hold Mangaka, grown men, accountable for the shit they draw and sell to a wide audience. Why can't I be upset that yet again a female body is being exploited by a grown man for sales.

Yes, she's fictional but that's not the issue! It's an issue that it's okay just because she's female and this has been normalized! Imagine the outrage in public that would have caused if it was Deku in such a pose?! It probably wouldn't be allowed to be printed, let alone on the cover of such a popular magazine that is sold to young boys.

It's because people brush it off that it's everywhere that NOTHING WILL CHANGE. Yes, my voice will probably go unheard regardless but at least I'm saying something about it, at least I'm supporting people who are also upset that their bodies are used like this. It's better than ignoring it and the people hurt by Hori's choice (which you'll notice are mostly females).

And the argument that fandom creates content just as bad is null. Firstly, a fandom creator who barely gets over 100 views most of the time will NEVER carry the same influence that a man who draws in over 10s of 1000s. Not to mention, it's deflecting the issue. We're not talking about the creation of porn, we're talking about how Hori has exploited the female body, using a character of his that is a minor, for profit as representation for his work.

My question is WHAT DOES THIS COVER DO. It doesn't represent Hagakure as a character nor it doesn't represent his story of heroism. It exists just for people to, frankly, jerk off over. As a fan of BNHA, I don't want what was once one of my favourite stories represented in such a way! I don't want a character to be reduced to this!

If Hori wanted to draw sexy females for young males, he should have created an ecchi manga, not a shonen one. At least then I wouldn't have to see this bullshit with my own eyes and have it supposed to represent something I used to love.

I'm upset as a female because I'm tired of shonen artists getting away with using girls like this, especially teenage girls.

[gadunkie]

hey long post about ai art

Ive thought a lot about ai art and how people approach it for a couple of months now (or rather, since it started creating controversies on tumblr) and I would just like to go over what I think about it and how we as artists can respond.

so I think the appeal of ai art is very easy to understand. not to sound like a jackass but most people like art because they think it looks cool and thats it. aint nothing wrong with liking shit that looks cool of course, however it does limit perspective and understanding. usually when I see digital art with a lot of traction, on twitter for example, its just cool shit. its easy to look at something and go "huh, cool thing" and move on without thinking any deeper than that. again nothing wrong with that, its up to you to determine your own aesthetics. so with that in mind I can understand why ai art has gained a lot of traction, its just ai putting shit together to make it look cool. whether you do it by hand or by typing it in a machine, most people will just glance at it and think "huh, cool thing". not many people look at an image and try to understand why it exists in the first place.

I will admit I am not fond of ai art, as someone who has spent years making art, I find it offensive. while I do understand the want and curiosity of making an artificial intelligence that can mimic what humans can do, it breeds the idea that artists are worthless beings that can be replaced. as of making this post I recently bought a very expensive drawing monitor to create even more art and the whole upbringing of this ai art nonsense has harmed my heart. I despise it entirely.

so what can we, as artists, do to combat it? at best we would like our art to avoid being mistaken for something that an ai could recreate. I have made some solutions that work for me, and hopefully they can help someone else as well:

do it non-digitally: this option is a bit more expensive, as things that are made traditionally cost money to have in the first place. but its something that an ai couldnt do, because it simply exists in the real world.

create complexities in your art that an ai could not recreate: ai art cant do complicated shit without it looking like it was dropped into boiling oil afterwards. stuff like natural landscapes and complicated clothing are good examples.

create new shit that ai has yet to see: this one is kind of loaded since it demands that you must create something unique but what it really means is that you just have to make something original. I know that originality is not easy to just suddenly create, but it gives me hope that even if ai art got way more popular, that artists are still one step ahead in creativity.

I would like to conclude with some counterarguments that Ive seen and responses that Ive thought of:

"ai art not being 'real art' because it was made with a computer and not with a pen is like saying a book that was typed out on the computer instead of writing each letter with a pencil is not a real book." this is completely untrue and a stupid comparison because writing and drawing are both forms of art but have completely different ways of being created. thats like saying you didnt actually arrive to your destination because you drove there instead of walked.

"ai art is art because the ai was made by a human and the result was compiled by art made by other humans" I think that is technically true, however the emotional intent behind it and the positive reception is the driving force of my rage. for starters look at any piece of art created by a living being and think "why would they make this?" each artist has a story, it could be as simple as "I thought it would look cool" or as complex as "my last neighbor moved out because I did something to traumatize them, but I didnt do anything about before they left because I was scared and I regret it every time I think about it" (this is just a random thought dont read into it). the art created by an ai lacks this, it was just taught to put it all together, the ai doesnt know why it makes the things it was told to do, it just does them.

"ai art does have intent because of the thoughts the person put into the prompt" I hate to break it to you but it is just not the same, theres no grief theres no joy, you just waited for it to produce an image that 'could pass as art'. the only way that you couldnt see the difference between ai and living art is if you view all art in the same way. but in my deeply honest opinion there is so much more to creation than just "wow cool picture".

Im not trying to make anyone feel bad for liking things because I simply do not care what you like. what I do care about is the decreasing empathy towards people who make art. how art can just be brushed aside because an "ai could do it too", I think that shits disgusting. artists are already and have been fucked for the longest time because no one takes them seriously enough to give them stable income to live. artists have continuously been taken advantage of in the media industry, whether its unbearable crunch or no payment because theres no demand for art, artists do not live easily. theres no place for true original art anymore without consequence. so for another horseshit problem to add to the pile of hell that artists experience daily is fucking infuriating.

anyway, if you ever felt discouraged by this whole ai art nonsense then Im very sorry. but you shouldnt worry because I know that no matter how popular ai art gets, people will always make beautiful things regardless. its a natural response to see the world around us and feel the urge to create. I hope that we all can continue to create wonderful things.

[emperornero]

HEY! There will be none of that! I just saw your post about giving up your interests. Don’t you dare. I know first hand it can sometimes feel like it’s not worth it anymore but it is. Whatever it is. Make stuff for you. What you do matters because no matter what it will affect at least one person; you. Something as small as making a doodle matters because for the time you’re making it, you’re doing something for you and that’s important. Don’t abandon your interests because things are looking down. If anything you should bolster your interests. Put in some extra effort if you can and you’ll start to feel the worth of it all again. Keep you chin up!

thank you so much for the kind words.. my main problems with drawing is that 1. im always tired and sometimes i dont work on anything for a long while and 2. the way the art community works rn and how its SO intimidating to me.

i think ive peaked with having ANY kind of popularity back in 2018-19 on deviantart and i was super happy with others seeing my works, but since i was a child there was no way to profit off my work. then deviantart died and so i had to move. and for whatever reason i started posting here. tumblr is in no way a super popular website rn and despite it being used by many artists to this day you cannot compare it to twitter for example. and i dont want to make a twitter for personals reasons. also no one would follow me there except for like 10 people who actually like my art because im a literal no-one here and will probably never get popular. i know super popular artists who are still minors. theres this one guy i see on toyhouse a lot who just recently turned 14 im pretty sure and yet they sometimes earn THOUSANDS off making art monthly. or any other content creators who are very young but have 15k+ twitter followers and an active fanbase who is actually interested in their ideas. i will most likely never have that. its too late for me already despite me not even being 18 yet. everyone here started out so young and if youre not very well known by the time youre like 16 you dont matter. the last commission i ever did was nearly 10 months ago. and i didnt ever get more than 20$ from it. despite trying my best to promote myself nothing works. and i know i will need money to live. i am and will continue to be a nobody here. and whenever i remember this i want to stop all im doing and get rid off all of my socials and start over. its just hard for me. something that was supposed to be a hobby scares me now.

im not trying to shame all the young artists who are popular. im so happy for them. they deserve the money theyre getting. im jealous. and i think thats normal.

[sixohsixoheightfourtwo]

“yaoi” and “gei” (gay) manga are different genres specifically bc actual mlm in japan didnt feel represented by yaoi (since… you know… its made primarily by and for non-mlm, mostly het women) so they had to make their own Gay Manga LOL. personally i’d say yaoi being inherently from a fetishistic perspective makes it Problematic but that’s just me!

right, but (assuming this is re the stuff I put in the tags of that one post) the mangaka this person recommended as 'mlm' was Nojiko Hayakawa who is 1. female (according to mangaupdates.com) 2. has 'I draw BL' in her twitter bio 3. again, according to mangaupdates.com, mostly draws BL manga that gets published in BL-specific magazines.

I get the point you're making but this specific instance was not someone talking about gay manga made by & for gay men but someone trying VERY hard not to call something by the name it was written and published under. I am not wild about the term BL but it's the generally accepted international term for the genre so that's what i would tag it as u know.

I do want to say a couple of other things, one of which is that there's plenty of popular gay mangaka who are totally bonkers fetishistic - As Is Their Right! - eg gengoroh tagame (him MOST of all), jiraiya .... some of the things yaoi gets criticised for are def present in gay manga, certainly in gengoroh tagame's work - eg misogyny and erasure of women, characters who don't consider themselves gay, absolutely WILD consent issues. (years ago people used to post old scanlated gengoroh tagame on tumblr. INDESCRIBAble frankly.) But this is art from 25 years ago and gay manga has I'm sure moved on. I don't know enough about it! practically none has been licensed / published in english. (I thought of 'my brother's husband' btw but turns out it was published in a seinen magazine)

And the other is that BL media has developed and continues to change; the content is changing and the audience - certainly the audience today - is not just comprised of cis het women, it just IS a bit more complicated, partly because it's become so international: I absolutely am not an expert here (i have read some fumi yoshinaga. I have seen some thai dramas) but i'm writing this having just got through about half of this literally 2.5 hr long seminar 'The History and Transformation of BL in Asia' and a couple of things stood out to me (I took notes because i take notes for everything) :

one of the academics, Akiko Mizoguchi, says that as a child she read Moto Hagio, Keiko Takemiya etc, the 'beautiful boy' manga of the 70s: the characters didn't necessarily grow up to be gay in the comics but it was possible to imagine them doing so; this helped her realise her own homosexuality

she says recent BL has transformed somewhat from the old-school extreme seme-uke, 'not gay', heteronormative stuff to a genre where protagonists who identify as gay 'engage in realistic episodes' eg about coming out, in a way that's 'more advanced' than the reality in Japan - ie not exactly realistic - but it can function as a model for overcoming homophobia - she refers to this as 'transformed' and 'transformative' BL, and argues it has activist potential.

BL in Thailand is popular with and written by BOTH women AND same sex attracted men ... the academic Thomas Baudinette breaks down the fandom as 21% male, 78% female - far from an even split but this is really quite a lot of men. Thailand has (unlike most countries) hung on to the term 'yaoi' - they talk about y-novels, y-series, y-comics etc.

He's also done research into BL in Japan and found - controversially - that there ARE japanese men who read and enjoy BL manga, though he doesn't give stats. He argues that whether we see something as BL or as gay depends on who is consuming the text, not on who the creator is.

listen anon this is way too long already and it's late where i am but tbh I think what i'm really saying is that the picture is complicated and these genres are capable of doing many things. I also think we tend to be really focused on analysing bl media and tend to under-report fetishism in mainstream media: there's jarringly gratuitious stuff in mainstream shounen manga and anime.... but most of all i DOOOO really recommend the video of the talk i mentioned . genuinely REALLY interesting and touches on all these issues And more.

[yeowninefive]

My 2023 Art Retrospective (Part 2)

This is the second part of an already long reflection of my art progress from this year. Click this link to read the first part.

Art output/reception: Not much else to say that was different from 2022, honestly. It's pretty straightforward sequel escalation--I managed to again beat my old records by a pretty significant amount--over eighty unique drawings, which increases to over ninety when including alternate versions...and the count goes even higher (over one-hundreds) when taking another factor into consideration (I'll address it later). I'd also again say that I do get the sentiment of my art being less obscure as it was in the past--I'd say there were a significant boost of interest (in views and/or interactions such as favorites/likes, reblogs/reposts, etc.) with my art in 2023 compared to 2022--with my 2023 art on dA actually showing nearly quadruple the number of favorites and number of views that my art in 2022 received (at least, based on my personal metrics of art with favorites/views above a certain threshold).

This giant amplification of art production is admittedly based on a few real-life scenarios. Overall I can definitely say that certain other hobbies that I like to do (watching films/shows and playing videogames/making Smash Bros. montages) took a major backseat; and that's actually something I'd like to address going into 2024. The question there of course is if I'm at a point where I could keep up my art production without--which is again where my time management comes in. I hope I can make better strides in figuring it out--there have been more than a few times where I've stayed up late working on art that I reasonably could had pushed off for later and went to bed, and spending lots of time on art that I could had spent doing something else. I am of the thought that if push really does come to shove, I'm okay with putting out less art for 2024 if it means I can get back to doing other things.

Another thing I'm thinking about/looking into using more is sticking more towards a fixed/predicting publishing schedule, so I can "stack up/queue" completed artwork and put more time towards other things. Posting art on multiple avenues is also time-consuming (esp. since I like to add tags and descriptions when appropriate), so I'm also thinking about learning how to utilize APIs, if possible, so I can quickly and/or simultaneously post new art to multiple platforms. Speaking of which.

Art platforms: I talked about trying to change strategy with my art platforms with the first-run/second-run approach, I even talking about having tumblr serving as more of a second-run account. Obviously, that didn't really pan out--that much is clear with this site still being the host for my retrospective art rambles, warts and all. I guess I'm just too embedded with this platform to really shift it towards second gear. Maybe I can take steps there by relying more with scheduled art releases.

I talked about expanding my platforms once Twitter started self-immolating under Elon's then-new control, and dA also showing its hand by jumping headfirst into the AI train. (And it goes without saying that tumblr itself, with the contentious choices and decisions taken this year, isn't off the hook with making dumb decisions--though they eventually overextended themselves/shot themselves in the foot and re-adjusted their focus. Which is...some sort of acknowledgement of mistakes, I guess?) I ended up wading into the waters of three new platforms (technically two, one was actually a 2nd take)...and my experience I'd say as a pretty mixed bag, probably leaning more towards negative.

Instagram was the one that I eventually decided to take another stab with, and I'm afraid I didn't get much, if any, value out of it at all. Even when re-entering that platform with my (to-date) most popular works as the focus, I ultimately felt the lack of interest rendered it of minimal value, even as a "second-run" art account; ultimately just having it go dormant. (By the same coin, it doesn't leave me really invested in setting up shop over at Threads--though I feel for anyone looking to swear off Musk-Twitter/X, I would definitely recommend people there as a baseline.) Cohost by the same coin is also pretty empty, but that at least has the argument of being a much smaller platform that is also aiming for a different approach to social media. Nonetheless, I feel like that's a platform I could probably pump the brakes on a bit in terms of use; with few people the wiser. Bluesky to me actually comes out the best out of the new ventures I've tried--namely because it has the most expats from Twitter that I'm familiar with, who I've been able to follow and share their art, and vice-versa. Even with it still lacking features, its growing audience (esp. with it now going public) feels like the ideal "new" platform to keep tabs on.

Between what's now currently five platforms I'm regularly active on (maybe four if I do move cohost towards more of a passive/background role), I don't see myself making any further expansions for 2024. Pillowfort I considered, but hadn't signed up the broad lack of activity, which eventually seemed to come back to haunt the site when they were at risk of shutting down due to lack of profits. They did manage a successful crowdfund, so hopefully that marks a turning point for their fortunes. Newgrounds is also probably the only other platform besides Bluesky that a lot of artists/creatives I follow have set-up shop; though I feel that if I do join Newgrounds, it will be as a replacement for an existing platform I'm already on, and not just another extension (e.g. if Twitter finally collapsed/was shut down/was widely abandoned).

Alternate art label/art blog: So when in art output I talked about an additional factor pushing my art over the triple digits this year? This was the additional factor. Sometime during the summer, I decided to open a new art blog under a new label where I can post art I normally wouldn't post under this label. (Art that to date, isn't explicit --not like I would be able to post such art here anyway-- but is suggestive/mature enough to not be worksafe.) Truth be told, there have are a couple of works on this blog/label that pushed the envelope a bit into that area anyway, and my main blog has historically had such material crop up on an regular--to--irregular basis regardless. In other words, this is a bit of an expected/natural extension.

My current policy is that this blog and my main blog don't really directly draw attention to it outside of a few instances like this one, or even really acknowledge it by name. The most I will say (for anyone curious/looking for it) is that art from that blog occasionally turns up in my main blog, and it (to date) has only featured some of my OCs (and at least one from another creator).

A Decade of Drawing: If you've been following my Twitter account, you may be aware of a long thread I wrote impromptu in response to another creator, with me discussing why I'm not as "big" as a creator that I probably/possible could have been or should had been, which I feel serves as a more self-critical review of my art trajectory over the past ten years. (Long story shortened into bullet points--subject matter, drawing process/frequency, "timing" of when I started drawing, the platforms I posted my art on in question, and commissions/requests. Some of this stuff I've already touched on in this retrospective already.)

However, I would also like to turn things towards more of a positive note by pointing out what I've done then compared to now. I'm still sheepish about stuff like doing art commissions; but I'm still able to occasionally crank out gift art like I do like nobody's business--and I mainly do those purely just for the fun of it. By that coin, although I'm still a (self-prescribed) obscure artist, I know there does exist small group of people on the 'net somewhere (other artists, just online friends, and others) that are honest fans of the stuff I make and continue following my works and ideas, and I don't ever want to lose sight of that.

I feel that I've also really broadened my art direction in trying to replicate multiple art directions and different subjects. I still have yet to really try and reattempt my oldest stuff (environmental artwork/landscapes), but I've also freely bounced around between original character design, fanart, animation, comics, and videogame concepts. Although I've drawn OCs and comics before, I don't really think I've ever really taken seriously writing down ideas for stories/characters and polish/develop them until I started drawing on a regular basis. (This seems a bit premature to boast as an accomplishment, but I really do mean it--it's honestly up to myself to prove it and really start translating the backlog of my concepts.)

I'll finally end things here by putting it into the perspective of this real-life factoid. A lot can change in ten years for the better, and I'd say it's not just my art that has done so. I started this little online art career shortly after I had just graduated from high school, and was getting prepared to start attending college. My first drawing tablet was itself a graduation gift. That was ten years (and an additional extra six-seven months) ago.

At some point in the first month of the new year, my degree (which after an entire decade of trials, tribulations, and setbacks, I was able to finally complete in December) is supposed to arrive in the mail. I'll probably post a little doodle to commemorate the occasion. In a lot of ways, I view 2013 as the end of an age and the dawn of the next; and I feel confident is saying with the end of 2023 and going into 2024, the feelings and sentiments are very much familiar.

....

I think I have finally covered everything that was on my mind. Again, here's an honest thank you to anyone who has stuck around to read the whole thing (so far), and have a Happy New Year's Eve/New Year's Day and a wonderful 2024.

[blocodibujo]

You know what, I’m gonna say it, because I’m pissed off, but it really angers me that this website that prides and pats itself in the back because of how quirky it is, how welcoming and creative and whatnot, doesn’t give a shit enough about me to fucking look at a couple of messages from one of its users, on their own support platform, and see what is wrong or to offer some kind of help.

Like, a few days ago I wrote a post praising this site ecosystem, because even with all its problems (and that’s a long list, starting with the fact that they haven’t done shit to ban the n4z1s and t3rfs from the website), it still provided a healty ecosystem compared with other platforms, where some drawing you posted could keep having visibility and being discovered by people through the years, unlike what happens with stuff on twitter or instagram, to name others. 

And that’s still true, but it’s impossible to feel nothing short of a moron when these fuckers randomly and without explanation decide to hide your posts from the one place where people are supposed to find them. 

And you know what, it hurts because I do think that this site it’s like the only reliable platform that I still have to put my art around, because instagram it’s a hell of its own in regards to having your posts visible, unless you already have a sizeable following or you prioritize dumb shit like reels or what not. I deleted my twitter account the moment Musk took control of it and never looked back. I haven’t used facebook in years. I deleted my DA account after the whole AI fiasco. And the list goes on.

Even if I don’t want to say it out loud, I already made peace with the fact that my art will just be a hobby as it has been for the last 32 years, that it was dumb to merely entertain the idea that I could try to earn a living with this, even as a side gig (I don’t have formal training, my art’s probably not good enough, or not popular or marketable enough; heck, even most of my friends don’t even care about it on the account that they probably don’t understand what drives me to keep doing it, since most of them are already so deep in their own professional lives that kinda just live for their work and barely have time to read books, do some sport or watch a show or movie, because capitalism tells them that if it doesn’t make you money, its worthless). 

And you know what, that’s totally fine, maybe I’ll never be a professional artist or at least have a big enough following.

 But having this platform, and that little boost of serotonin that comes with the fact that I created something, usually out of love for something I invented or for something that someone else did and that I managed to find something to like or connect there, and that somebody else liked what I did, was something that, NGL, even kept me going through hard times, say during the pandemic, or when I didn’t have a job or couldn’t find any client on my regular job. And it pains me to see that go away because this website or its systems decided that, for whatever dumb reason, they weren’t gonna show my art to other people, and that I wasn’t worth the time to explain why.

[emakegr]

NFTs, explained

https://emake.gr/wp-content/uploads/NFTs-explained.png

There’s nothing like an explosion of blockchain news to leave you thinking, “Um… what’s going on here?” That’s the feeling I’ve experienced while reading about Grimes getting millions of dollars for NFTs or about Nyan Cat being sold as one.

In the year since NFTs exploded in popularity, the situation has only gotten more complicated. Pictures of apes have sold for tens of millions of dollars, there’s been an endless supply of headlines about million-dollar hacks of NFT projects, and corporate cash grabs have only gotten worse.

All this news may have left you wondering: what is an NFT, anyhow?

After countless hours of research and discussions (most of which were against my will), I think I know. I also think I’m going to cry.

Okay, let’s start with the basics.

What is an NFT? What does NFT stand for?

Non-fungible token.

That doesn’t make it any clearer.

Right, sorry. “Non-fungible” more or less means that it’s unique and can’t be replaced with something else. For example, a bitcoin is fungible — trade one for another bitcoin, and you’ll have exactly the same thing.

A one-of-a-kind trading card, however, is non-fungible. If you traded it for a different card, you’d have something completely different. You gave up a Squirtle, and got a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, which StadiumTalk calls “the Mona Lisa of baseball cards.” (I’ll take their word for it.)

How do NFTs work?

At a very high level, most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain, though other blockchains have implemented their own version of NFTs. Ethereum is a cryptocurrency, like bitcoin or dogecoin, but its blockchain also keeps track of who’s holding and trading NFTs.

How do you pronounce NFT?

Almost everyone spells it out, saying “en eff tee.” The brave call them “nefts.” The enlightened have never had the word cross their lips.

What’s worth picking up at the NFT supermarket?

NFTs can really be anything digital (such as drawings, music, your brain downloaded and turned into an AI), but a lot of the current excitement is around using the tech to sell digital art.

You mean, like, people buying my good tweets?

I don’t think anyone can stop you, but that’s not really what I meant. A lot of the conversation is about NFTs as an evolution of fine art collecting, only with digital art.

But yes, someone could buy your good tweets. The founder of Twitter sold one for just under $3 million shortly after we originally posted this article.

Could you do a real quick rundown of what the blockchain is?

Well, they’re pretty complex, but the basic idea is that blockchains are a way to store data without having to trust any one company or entity to keep things secure and accurate. There are definitely nuances and exceptions there, which you can read about in our blockchain explainer, but when most people say “blockchain,” that’s the kind of tech they’re talking about.

There’s also... a lot of nuance about whether NFT’s are on the blockchain or not, which we’ll dig into in a bit.

Oooh, foreshadowing.

I know, I feel like a real writer.

So do people really think this will be the future of collecting?

I’m sure some people really hope so — like whoever paid almost $390,000 for a 50-second video by Grimes or the person who paid $6.6 million for a video by Beeple. Actually, one of Beeple’s pieces was auctioned at Christie’s, the famou—

Yoink!

Image: Beeple

Sorry, I was busy right-clicking on that Beeple video and downloading the same file the person paid millions of dollars for.

Wow, rude. But yeah, that’s the awkward bit. You can copy a digital file as many times as you want, including the art that’s included with an NFT.

But NFTs are designed to give you something that can’t be copied: ownership of the work (though the artist can still retain the copyright and reproduction rights, just like with physical artwork). To put it in terms of physical art collecting: anyone can buy a Monet print. But only one person can own the original.

No shade to Beeple, but the video isn’t really a Monet.

What do you think of the $3,600 Gucci Ghost? Also, you didn’t let me finish earlier. That image that Beeple was auctioning off at Christie’s ended up selling for $69 million, which, by the way, is $15 million more than Monet’s painting Nymphéas sold for in 2014.

This last sold for $3,600, but the current owner is asking for $16,300.

GIF by Trevor Andrew

Whoever got that Monet can actually appreciate it as a physical object. With digital art, a copy is literally as good as the original.

But the flex of owning an original Beeple...

I think I remember hearing that NFTs are already over. Didn’t the boom go bust? Like for real this time?

Sales have absolutely slumped since their peak, though like with seemingly everything in crypto there’s always somebody declaring it over and done with right before a big spike. Am I predicting that NFTs are about to make a comeback? Absolutely not, but I’m sure there are plenty of folks in NFT-based communities that are sure they’re still on the gravy train.

Oh no you’re about to talk about the apes aren’t you?

Sure am!

If you haven’t heard about the Bored Ape Yacht Club, it’s one of the most successful NFT projects, with apes (which are procedurally generated and have unique characteristics) selling for millions of dollars. The company behind the series of NFTs has created a spin-off cryptocurrency, broken the blockchain for a few hours with how popular one of their sales was, and even acquired other massive NFT brands. And a reminder: this all happened because people really like saying that they own a picture of a Bored Ape.

People like, for instance, Jimmy Fallon and Paris Hilton, who discussed their apes on TV in a clip that went viral for being soooo uncomfortable.

This kind of club isn’t really a new phenomenon — people have long built communities based on things they own, and now it’s happening with NFTs. It could be argued that one of the earliest NFT projects, CryptoPunks, got big thanks to its community.

Related

Bored Ape Yacht Club members want to build an empire, starting with weed

What’s the point of NFTs?

That really depends on whether you’re an artist or a buyer.

I’m an artist.

First off: I’m proud of you. Way to go. You might be interested in NFTs because it gives you a way to sell work that there otherwise might not be much of a market for. If you come up with a really cool digital sticker idea, what are you going to do? Sell it on the iMessage App Store? No way.

Also, some NFT marketplaces have a feature where you can make sure you get paid a percentage every time your NFT is sold or changes hands. That makes sure that if your work gets super popular and balloons in value, you’ll see some of that benefit.

I’m a buyer.

One of the obvious benefits of buying art is it lets you financially support artists you like, and that’s true with NFTs (which are way trendier than, like, Telegram stickers). Buying an NFT also usually gets you some basic usage rights, like being able to post the image online or set it as your profile picture. Plus, of course, there are bragging rights that you own the art, with a blockchain entry to back it up.

No, I meant I’m a collector.

Ah, okay, yes. NFTs can work like any other speculative asset, where you buy it and hope that the value of it goes up one day, so you can sell it for a profit. I feel kind of dirty for talking about that, though.

So every NFT is unique?

In the boring, technical sense that every NFT is a unique token on the blockchain. But while it could be like a van Gogh, where there’s only one definitive actual version, it could also be like a trading card, where there’s 50 or hundreds of numbered copies of the same artwork.

Who would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for what basically amounts to a trading card?

Well, that’s part of what makes NFTs so messy. Some people treat them like they’re the future of fine art collecting (read: as a playground for the mega-rich), and some people treat them like Pokémon cards (where they’re accessible to normal people but also a playground for the mega-rich). Speaking of Pokémon cards, Logan Paul sold some NFTs relating to a million-dollar box of the—

Please stop. I hate where this is going.

You’ve activated my trap card (which sold for $17,000).

Image by Logan Paul

Yeah, he sold NFT video clips, which are just clips from a video you can watch on YouTube anytime you want, for up to $20,000. He also sold NFTs of a Logan Paul Pokémon card.

Who paid $20,000 for a video clip of Logan Paul?!

A fool and their money are soon parted, I guess?

It would be hilarious if Logan Paul decided to sell 50 more NFTs of the exact same video.

Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda (who also sold some NFTs that included a song) actually talked about that. It’s totally a thing someone could do if they were, in his words, “an opportunist crooked jerk.” I’m not saying that Logan Paul is that, just that you should be careful who you buy from.

Are NFTs mainstream now?

It depends on what you mean. If you’re asking if, say, my mom owns one, the answer is no.

The response from my mom when I asked her about owning NFTs.

But we have seen big brands and celebrities like Marvel and Wayne Gretzky launch their own NFTs, which seem to be aimed at more traditional collectors, rather than crypto-enthusiasts. While I don’t think I’d call NFTs “mainstream” in the way that smartphones are mainstream, or Star Wars is mainstream, they do seem to have, at least to some extent, shown some staying power even outside of the cryptosphere.

But what do The Youth think of them?

Ah yes, excellent question. We here at The Verge have an interest in what the next generation is doing, and it certainly does seem like some of them have been experimenting with NFTs. An 18 year-old who goes by the name FEWOCiOUS says that his NFT drops have netted over $17 million — though obviously most haven’t had the same success. The New York Times talked to a few teens in the NFC space, and some said they used NFTs as a way to get used to working on a project with a team, or to just earn some spending money.

Okay, but what does Keanu Reeves think of NFTs?

He doesn’t seem impressed.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OK80eljWrs[/embed]

That moment would make a great NFT.

Someone thought that too, and minted that clip as an NFT. It wasn’t us though! Rampant copyright infringement is an ongoing problem in the space. One of the post popular NFT trading sites estimated that over 80 percent of the artwork minted using its free tool were “plagiarized works, fake collections, and spam.” Which is, you know, not a great look?

Related

The counterfeit NFT problem is only getting worse

Can I buy this article as an NFT?

No, but technically anything digital could be sold as an NFT (including articles from Quartz and The New York Times, provided you have anywhere from $1,800 to $560,000). deadmau5 has sold digital animated stickers. William Shatner has sold Shatner-themed trading cards (one of which was apparently an X-ray of his teeth).

This one I like. Maybe not for $700, but...

Image by deadmau5 and Mad Dog Jones

Gross. Actually, could I buy someone’s teeth as an NFT?

There have been some attempts at connecting NFTs to real-world objects, often as a sort of verification method. Nike has patented a method to verify sneakers’ authenticity using an NFT system, which it calls CryptoKicks. But so far, I haven’t found any teeth, no. I’m scared to look.

Look? Where?

There are several marketplaces that have popped up around NFTs, which allow people to buy and sell. These include OpenSea, Rarible, and Grimes’ choice, Nifty Gateway, but there are plenty of others.

I’ve heard there were kittens involved. Tell me about the kittens.

NFTs really became technically possible when the Ethereum blockchain added support for them as part of a new standard. Of course, one of the first uses was a game called CryptoKitties that allowed users to trade and sell virtual kittens. Thank you, internet.

I love kittens.

Not as much as the person who paid over $170,000 for one.

My face when I’m worth $170K.

Image: Cryptokitties.co

Arrrrrggggg!

Same. At one point I thought that the kittens would be used in games in a somewhat interesting ways. That glimmer of hope has been decimated by the fact that almost every salesperson in the NFT space promises that their tokens will be part of a game or metaverse.

When real game developers like Ubisoft and the studio behind STALKER have said they’d integrate NFTs into their games... people reacted VERY negatively. The companies have either had to scrap their plans entirely or severely tone down the amount of blockchain stuff in their games.

Of course, there have been a few fun experiments in the NFT space (though I’ll admit that at least one of them was poking fun at the concept of NFTs), but... listen, one of the most successful NFT-based games is kind of a weird version of feudalism, and also got mega-hacked. So there’s that.

At least it’s not digital pet rocks... right?

In fact, there are people who spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on NFT pet rocks (the website for which says that the rocks serve no purpose other than being tradable and limited).

ROCK THREAD: Why I spent $46,300/15 ETH for a PNG file of a grey pet rock and why I think it could end up being one of the best investments I make since getting into crypto. A thread (continued) #EtherRock #EtherRocks pic.twitter.com/kkkUVGFKh7

— z (@degenharambe) August 7, 2021

Can I cry on your shoulder?

Only if I can cry on yours.

Could I pull off a museum heist to steal NFTs?

This image is not an NFT. Yet.

Image: Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers

That depends. Part of the allure of blockchain is that it stores a record of each time a transaction takes place, making it harder to steal and flip than, say, a painting hanging in a museum.

Or at least that’s the theory. In reality, many, many people have gotten their NFTs stolen by attackers using a variety of tactics. To be clear, hackers aren’t always playing 5D chess here. For the ever complicated hack of the programs that control the flow of crypto, there’s a case where someone was tricked into signing a transaction they shouldn’t have through run-of-the-mill phishing.

Related

OpenSea’s official Discord compromised in a phishing attack that stole at least $18k worth of NFTs

Note: Please don’t steal.

Should I be worried about digital art being around in 500 years?

Probably. Bit rot is a real thing: image quality deteriorates, file formats can’t be opened anymore, websites go down, people forget the password to their wallets. But physical art in museums is also shockingly fragile.

But wait, doesn’t the fact that they’re on the blockchain make them permanent?

Okay, so this is a whole thing. Technically, yes: when you say NFT you’re referring to an entry on the blockchain. However, the actual media, like the picture, GIF, or flagrant flaunting of copyright law is very rarely actually stored on the blockchain — it’d be too expensive to do that.

Sometimes the media the NFT points to is stored on a cloud service, which isn’t exactly decentralized. Since this has come up as an issue, with people worried that their NFT proving they watched the Lions lose could go poof if one company goes under or changes their URL scheme, many in the NFT space have been turning to decentralized storage solutions like the InterPlanetary File System that use torrent-like technology. It’s not bulletproof, but it’s better than having your million-dollar JPG stored on Google Photos.

Torrent-like? So people are pirating NFTs?

No... Well, kinda, but hold that thought. The idea behind IPFS is that files are stored on a peer-to-peer network, meaning they could be stored on several computers at once. Files are given an identifier, and when a computer goes to load the file it asks the IPFS network to give it the file with that ID. Any of the computers storing it can say, “Oh, here it is!”

When you make an NFT, the content link is baked into the token. If that link goes to IPFS, it’ll be pointing to something that’s more permanent than, say, an image on a regular server.

In theory, anyways. Of course, distributed does not equal perfect. Experts have warned that files could still end up on a single computer, and could be lost in the case of a hard drive crash.

Related

Your million-dollar NFT can break tomorrow if you’re not careful

Okay, so what’s that you said about pirating?

So someone created this site called The NFT Bay as a sort of art project, where they put up a torrent pointing to a 19TB ZIP file, which they said included every NFT on the Ethereum and Solana blockchains. There’s some doubt about whether was actually a treasure trove of NFTs (if such a thing could be referred to as “treasure”), but in theory it’s actually possible to scan the blockchain to find every record of an NFT being minted, and download the media it links to.

Real or not, it was an incredible piece of performance art, sparking a conversation (okay, closer to a flame war) about the right-clicker mindset.

Sorry, what on Earth is a right-clicker mindset?

Ah, sorry. “Right clicker” is sort of a joking derisive term used by NFT boosters to deride people who just don’t get it. The thought is that you’re completely missing the point if you think that just downloading (or pirating) a JPEG will actually get you the valuable part of an NFT.

Go ahead, make yourself a gold-coated steak at home. Post a picture of it on Instagram. See how much clout it gets you. Salt Bae's dish costs 1500GBP because people want to pay 1500GBP to show off that they can afford to pay that much. It's all about the flex.

— m0nt0y4.eth | 9483.eth (@MidwitMilhouse) October 26, 2021

Has anyone ever had their feelings hurt when someone tells them they have a right click mindset? Probably not, but their eyes may get a little sore from rolling so hard.

Related

The counterfeit NFT problem is only getting worse

I want to maximize my blockchain use. Can I buy NFTs with cryptocurrencies?

Yes. Probably. A lot of the marketplaces accept Ethereum. But technically, anyone can sell an NFT, and they could ask for whatever currency they want.

Will trading my Logan Paul NFTs contribute to global warming and melt Greenland?

It’s definitely something to look out for. Since NFTs use the same blockchain technology as some energy-hungry cryptocurrencies, they also end up using a lot of electricity. There are people working on mitigating this issue, but so far, most NFTs are still tied to cryptocurrencies that generate a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. There have been a few cases where artists have decided to not sell NFTs or to cancel future drops after hearing about the effects they could have on climate change. Thankfully, one of my colleagues has really dug into it, so you can read this piece to get a fuller picture.

The NFT market has grown, As eight-figure auctions have shown. The overall price is A worse climate crisis For art you pretend that you own.

— Limericking (@Limericking) March 15, 2021

Can I build an underground art cave / bunker to store my NFTs?

Well, like cryptocurrencies, NFTs are stored in digital wallets (though it is worth noting that the wallet does specifically have to be NFT-compatible). You could always put the wallet on a computer in an underground bunker, though.

What if I wanted to watch a TV show that’s somehow related to NFTs?

Believe it or not, you have options! Steve Aoki is working on a show based on a character from a previous NFT drop, called Dominion X. The show’s site says that it’ll be an episodic series launched on the blockchain (the first short video is on OpenSea), and there are hundreds of NFTs already associated with the show.

There’s also a show called Stoner Cats (yes, it’s about cats that get high, and yes it stars Mila Kunis, Chris Rock, and Jane Fonda), which uses NFTs as a sort of ticket system. Currently, there’s only one episode available, but a Stoner Cat NFT (which, of course, is called a TOKEn) is required to watch it.

Random question: what’s an NFT party like?

My colleague went to an event linked to NFT.NYC. It sounds like it was a... unique (or should I say non-fungible?) experience.

Are you tired of typing “NFT”?

Yes.

This story was first published March 3rd, 2021. It has been updated to reflect new developments in NFTs.

https://emake.gr/nfts-explained/

[streaming-yn]

(☁️)

HIIII it's 3 am and i'm trying to sleep but brain went brr with ideas n shit and oh well- thing is ; i was wondering if i could make my first request? (smth simple if u want to, no need to be very long or anything + pls don't rush nd take ur time AND don't feel pressured to actually do my request :] ! ) maybe smth ab faceless art streamer! y/n [they/them]?? (if u could add that the reader is like an indie game dev or works for smth like that u'd be sosososososo cool omg) with maybe quackity, tommy, dream, ranboo, niki and/or jack?? idk brain did the storming and its all messy hsdnshhfjsjz (btw! i know it's a lot of CCs so feel free to remove some or do the ones ur only comfy with !!! take care nd stay safe !!! luv ya <3 (/p))

AS SOMEONE WHO LIKES TO GAME DESIGN, CHARACTER, AND PLOT DESIGN YOU BET I CAN MAKE THE READER AND INDIE GAME DEV (and aaaa ty for adding jack!!! I think he's really neat and not enough people acknowledge him :))!!)

Multiple x indie game dev!artist!y/n

pairings: quackity, tommy, dream, ranboo, niki, jack manifold (separate) x indie game dev!artist!y/n

pronouns: they/them

other information on the reader:

. faceless

. knows how to code

. artist

. streams them drawing video game characters

. minor

. makes indie / horror games

form: headcanons

genre: platonic, fluff(??)

warnings: horror games / horror mods, ranboo enderwalk lore in his section

abbreviations: y/n -> your name

quackity

okay let's get the obvious out of the way; definitely going to be the type of person that's like "I'm going to play this game first after you're finished" yk? playfully ofc, n playfully fight with anyone who says the same thing (*cough* Wilbur, tommy, dream *cough*)

he probably wouldn't be on your art streams often – he doesn't really enjoy watching people draw, but he would want to see the finished pics

he would happily be on voice chat with you while you're drawing though!! :D

would be proud to answer any questions you have about character / scene / etc designs!!

"quackity!! so for this character – check your dms for a current picture – would red or purple antenna be better? also, two or four antenna?"

"*gasp* you're asking me?? 🥺" /j

"y'know what, nevermind, chat wh-"

"NO WAIT WAIT"

"so what do you think?"

also, if you do end up sending him the finished pics of the art he will hype you tf up !!!!

would try to get you make joke games – not like actually, it's just an ongoing bit between you two!

if you make a game for him – or give him a sneak peek of a game before anyone else he's going to freak out!! and he won't really know what to say bc putting feelings into words is hard

if y'all ever meet up and you're fine w hugs he's gonna give you a huge hug, hoping that makes up for the lack of words to describe how just,, proud of you he is bc he really really is!!

you're not even in your 20s yet and you can make video games, or help with them?? not to mention how creative you are with the characters and story line??? he's amazed by you

might actually cry /pos if you base a character off of him

like let's say a part of a puzzle is to get a rubber duck and place it into a pond to get the next hint or thing you need – only when he plays it on stream, he doesn't know anything about the game, so you're watching and waiting for him to get there

when he does get there – he finds out the duck has a beanie and has a white ring appear around it that flashes to life before fading out after picking it up, signifying it was the right thing to get

at first he doesn't really notice the ring, "oh! that animation is different than normal" he notes, but mainly focuses on the beanie, comparing it to himself before he glances at chat to see them freaking out over the planet duck reference

then he's just talking about it, shocked of course but flattered, and then you type in chat "you helped me a ton with things I couldn't decide during this game, I couldn't not add you! :)" everyone's just :(((( !!! /pos

overall supportive n proud, maybe a bit loud about games in progress, but just a really nice guy in general :)

tommy

he is ABSOLUTELY loud about your games in progress!! if you don't want something said you have to tell that to him before telling him or else he's going to brag about how cool it is the next time he streams

"chat!! chat, y/n is making this new game and they told me that one of the outfits you can collect for the player is going to be based off me!- right!! that sounds pog!!"

if he ever accidentally let's anything slip on stream that he was supposed to say, everyone who's a fan of you is just like "wow! suddenly! I cannot hear anymore!", sometimes they're like that even if it was okay to say

the just like being surprised :)

as for art streams, he'll try his best to tune in but obviously won't be there all the time! he's usually very active in chat too! likes being on call with you while you do art streams if you let him!

he once convinced you to make a texture pack and a shader (meant for both to be active at the same time), the fans loved it and a lot of them use it more often than the original!!

tommy however, not to much, proud of you bc that must've been a ton of work!! but at some time it slipped his mind that you make indie and horror games; I think we all know he doesn't do well with horror games

so you liking horror and such made the textures look more ominous and just make it look like and area you don't want to be in, and the spook goes up even more with the shader!! it's darker than usual, there's unusual fog, the portals look too dangerous now, so on and so forth yk

so,, tommy didn't use the texture pack for long;;

if you ever raid him after you're done streaming and he has a question, he's literally just gonna ask you on stream

"y/n raid? oh! are they still here?" when you confirm you're in chat, he continues "great! okay I had a question about your new game that's going to be available soon and how to download it-"

fans love how casual you guys are about game information, like you had to teach him how to export a game character he made on the website you usually make yours on (it was for a fun stream) and it was just a simple back and forth but everyone's like omg :((( omg them :((

also if you're the type of person to go insane over tiny details in other games, he will absolutely tease you for it

like you can just be going on and on about how this game had a sentence at the start that had a backhanded meaning by the end and he's just gonna call you a nerd (genuinely thinks is cool how much of the small things you notice in games though)

dream

COMPLAINING ABOUT CODING AND HOW HARD IT IS 🤝🤝

and if you took other coding classes hoping that I'd help with video game coding he'd just listen to you talk about it

"I actually took robotics for a while before because the school didn't have any video game coding classes and I was hoping it'd help either way" "oh?" "it,, it didn't help, it's so hard to code robots and considering how fast I caught onto video game code you think it'd be easier to understand the robot code" "yeah, that sounds reasonable" "NOPE,, WHY R THEY SO DIFFERENT I ALMOST FAILED" "D:"

fanartists like those moments, if one of those talks happen expect a bit of fanart of just dream and you chilling while you talk and he listens, the art always gives off comfy vibes n it's just cute :)

offering him to play a semi-rough draft of the demo so that he could see if it's good or what you needed to do to make it more enticing for the player

power duo fr fr o/

people like comparing y'all to hackers sometimes bc y'all know how to code???

you play into the bit with the fans though and honestly it's so fun !!!

fans: omg,, hackers (affectionate),,,

you next time you stream: hacker voice; I'm in

AND THEY GOT SHOCKED??? LIKE THEY FORGOT YOU CAN SEE THE STUFF THEY POST????

wouldn't be able to watch your art streams for long because he would get side tracked, the streams are just too under stimulating for his brain to focus on, but he'd hang around as long as he could though :)

would be glad to be on call with you while you're doing an art stream – though if he has is game sounds on you may occasionally have to repeat a question that was aimed at him

you're also in his streams when you can :)

also, you like sending donations to communicate rather than chat

one stream dream turned off his donos because you wouldn't stop giving him money 💀

being friends with such a popular creator and being a game creator yourself has it's downs as well

nothing thats too hard to deal with – the most common one is actually kinda funny – some people will slide in your dms acting like they're dream and just got locked out of his account, trying to get you to make them a game

like ??? do they think that dream would mssg you over Twitter or insta?? he has your phone number bro ,😭

also!!! when dream plays through new games you made he complements the small things and complements how hard something must've been to code :)

and I'm ngl, he kinda sucks with every game he plays at first but he's a quick learner so dw :)

would be glad to help if you're having a difficult time choosing between things too! except he'll answer right away without any teasing

"dreammm" "y/nnnn" "for this area should I do like shattered stone walls or mossy stone walls like with vines n stuff?" "depends on the vibe you want, shattered stone would give it a dangerous and uneasy undertone and mossy stone would be more of ominous, if that makes sense?" "oh! okay, thank youuu!!"

ofc if you didn't have a specific vibe or couldn't choose which was better he would just give a straight up answer so you didn't stress out trying to choose one \o/

would absolutely like being a guest in a drawing stream, he isn't the best at art or character design but it's fun to see him try

maybe you both plus some friends do a "drawing Minecraft mobs from memory" stream? ,, with that the thing is; his would mostly be relatively accurate if you could understand wtf he was drawing 😭

dream may or may or have some of your art as his phone homescreen, he loves your style so much :(( /pos

ranboo

first off; he's incredibly impressed!! like!!! you made this game?? this playable game, completely from scratch??? how??

also you may or may not have made a small Minecraft mod for him to tryout on stream,, little gift from you to both chat n ranboo 🤲

its literally all based off his lore,, if you get close to obsidian and crying obsidian fallen down from Undertale starts playing, if you splash water on yourself 1) you get hurt 2) your screen blacks out and when it comes back, your in a different place than before, some things art taken, maybe a few extra things are added

and there's a 50% chance that when you go into your "enderwalk" state (the blackout) you blow something up, so there may or may not be an explosion somewhere nearby, you also have a 20% chance of building something small in you enderwalk state :)

he found it so incredibly cool!!! chat was crying while complementing you while ranboo thanked you and complemented you over n over again

he won't shut up about how cool the mod is for several weeks, maybe even a few months, it's just so cool!!

will absolutely use it as a comeback if you let him; "oh? you got first place? well y/n made me a really really cool mod, so who's the actual winner here?"

will absolutely play every single game you come out with – it doesn't matter if it's his style or not – and he thoroughly enjoys all of the games as well

as for art streams, he will absolutely try to tune in every time he can!! active in chat and donos!!

doesn't really like being in art streams – like in call is fine but actually drawing? not really, he just doesn't love drawing in front of a ton of people

but will join an art stream if you ask

will listen to you rant about whatever, even if he doesn't understand it! like will listen to you go on and on about how well a game set up the atmosphere or maybe talking about how difficult coding is, and he'll converse back with you but won't really understand yk?

"ranboo I just played a really cool game do you wanna hear about it?" "yeah yeah- of course!!" "ok so like, the atmosphere was so well put together- like it was a horror game and I didn't even see the monster but the vibe was so well put together that it was still unnerving!!" "that's awesome! how did the atmosphere get set up the best and when you saw the monster, was it scarier?"

yk what I mean? like engages in convo so you don't feel bad about talking so much, plus shows his interest without the constant "hm?" "cool" etc a lot of people do and even though he does talk more than the acknowledgment sounds many people make he also manages to almost never sidetrack you and when he does it's on accident :)

if your way of learning is teaching then he'll gladly be the person you teach it to if you want! most likely won't use the information therefore his brain won't retain it but that's not on you, and the whole reason is so you can learn, not him, so! ^^

will make sure to take care of yourself, and he has a through way of telling if you have or not bc he's known you for long enough to know that even if you try to hide it a little bit of your tired voice shows so he knows if you've been sleeping like you should

also friends with you on discord, where you have your Spotify attached,, you like listening to music while you work on things that aren't sound related and if it's active later than it should be he's going to confront you

overall wholesome mixed in with a little pain bc both of you are like "ah yes, lore <3" and like to see fans cry /lh

niki

I feel like this is expected but if you need to get extra motivation she would probably be your go-to

she hypes you up but like, in a sweet and quiet kinda way, where as everyone else here would probably be relatively loud ;;

honored to be on an art stream if you invite her :')

and would absolutely watch your art streams when she can :D hypes you up in chat

also compliments, tons of compliments!

might call you a prodigy? bc you're so young but can already make games?? and make income off of them?? and do really good art??? and so much more??? like tell me that's not prodigy energy,

if you make a video game character based off her she might cry,, like in a positive way obviously but like at the same time :(( no don't cry!!

I say might bc it's dependant on how she feels that day yk? like she might just have the almost-cry wobble to her voice or she might actually, if that makes sense?

she genuinely loves your art style!! even if it's pointy and kinda creepy she really likes it!!

yk the "awww (name) :(" /pos she does sometimes? 100% does that with you

there are a few compilations of just "aww y/nnn" on YouTube and all the comments on those videos are just crying over y'all /pos

would be happy to help if you're stuck between some options in a game, but would feel kinda bad bc it's your game, you're supposed to be the one choosing the stuff

assure her that it's okay n stuff n she'll be ok tho !

I can't decide if she would play your games or not

bc on one hand she's a huge supporter of you and your work and would like to experience it first hand

but on the other hand she isn't the best with scry games,,

so maybe she'd do both? maybe she'd react on stream to a playthrough, maybe your playthrough? or maybe she would only play some of your games? I haven't decided so up to you I suppose!

jack manifold

genuinely amazed by your talent and will make it quite clear!!

can and will go on tangents about you on stream if someone brings it up

everyone is so :(( <333 /pos bc of it

will play the games you've made as soon as he can

if there are different games that line up in a story he'll make sure to play them in order :)

people also sometimes compare you two to hackers bc you code a ton and he kinda looks like a hacker

difference here is that both of you play into the bit, it's tons of fun!!

listen, I know he doesn't draw much but I am a firm believer that he will doodle his favorite character(s) from your games after he's done playing them

like after he plays a game of yours then expect a small doodle in your texts :)

you compiled a bunch of these doodles into one picture and made it you phone background and he only found out after y'all met irl and it caught the corner of his eye and he registered "oh hey wait that looks familiar"

he found out while recording the vlog n when editing, the editor was like "hey let's leave this in, it'd be funny if the fans knew right?" ,, the fans were crying for two weeks,, /pos

and speaking of drawings; he would like to be on a drawing stream with you, thinks it's be tons of fun!! :D

and he's usually free to call while your streaming and doesn't mind so if you wanna talk to him while drawing just call :)

and he will watch the streams he can make it to!! he may leave a bit early but he stays for the majority of it

if you make a character based off of him he's going to constantly thank you and brag about how cool you are anywhere he can

"hello manifolders, if you haven't done it already go download (game name)! I'm there!" with a ss of his character from the game and he'll reply to the tweet on his alt to talk more about the game and how much he really liked it :)

another that'll help you were you need it! he'll make it into a joke before anything else, but he'll get to the point

taglist (sorry i forgot to do it on the past two): @cvsmixplant // @l0ver0fj0y // @youngstarfishdinosaur