#i was trying out a creepy art style can you tell

[valeriapryanikova]

some of the hermits but creepy :D 

[chronicbeans]

Wally and a Puppeteer Reader (part 3)

My brain has gone on with this idea and I love where it is going. Yippee!

TW: Obsessive Behavior, Stalking, Scopophobia/Eye Imagery, Idol Worshipping

🎥 This has gone on long enough! In just a few weeks since that interview, the letters and pictures have increased tenfold! You keep finding Wally in the oddest of places, like on your desk, in the lounge, or even next to your locker. It constantly feels like eyes are watching you.

🎥 Even the contents of the letters are getting stranger. They were always odd and creepy, but at least before they had lighthearted words in them. Now they're saying things like "You're the air I breathe and all I see. You make my days better or worse. You keep me warm and keep this neighborhood bright! Please, never abandon me!" It's all written in that messy crayon writing, too, which makes an eerie contrast to the words that makes you sick. It seems so childishly unaware of how disturbing the words are when thought about for too long.

🎥 The drawings aren't much better. Nine out of ten times, they include you in some way. From the pictures just including you, including you and the characters from Welcome Home, to - worst of all, in your opinion - you in real life places. You sitting at your desk. You sleeping in the lounge. You getting a cookie at the snack stand during the interview. There's even one of you putting on your coat at the lockers. The drawings may not be the highest quality, but they are detailed enough to both be recognizable places and to alarm you.

🎥 You have an idea of who it might be. It's gotta be Wally's voice actor. They were his puppeteer before their arthritis kicked in. They just couldn't move their hands enough to properly puppet him anymore, always complaining that it hurt, despite the medications they took. But, the producer did decide to keep them as Wally's voice actor, saying that nobody could replicate his distinct laughter, tone of speech, and voice pitch. Despite this, Wally's voice actor was properly ticked and hated the fact they were replaced. They're always acting passive aggressive towards you. It must be them, probably to try to scare you away.

🎥 Today, you have decided to confront them. Marching over to their recording booth, you knock on the door. When they open it, they have that signature glare that would put even Frank's to shame. Before they can even ask what you want, you tell them all about what has been going on and how you know they have been doing it. They have to be behind it. All of these drawings and letters have Wally's signature writing and art style. The only person that knows Wally more than you is his voice actor. It HAS to be them!

🎥 They grow silent, before looking at the pictures and letters. Then, they look up at you and say, in the most matter of fact tone "I haven't been able to draw or write anything in character for a YEAR, (Y/N). What makes you think I would put myself through the pain of trying to replicate it after all this time, with my horrible joints, just to frighten YOU, of all people? You aren't worth my time, much less my comfort. You got any other evidence to accuse me of this... Whatever this is?"

🎥 You grow silent. To be honest, thinking back on it, it really is a stupid idea that they would do all of this to scare you. If they couldn't even muster up the energy to go out of their way to verbally confront you, then it would be shocking for them to put the effort to write and draw things to do so. You still have one more question, though...

🎥"What about the voice I've been hearing? It sounds just like Wally. You are his voice actor. You have gotta know something."

🎥 Their eyes grow wide. Then, they shrug "The one that has been saying things about... well, something. It's always a bit too muffled to hear exactly what it is. I thought you somehow improved your Wally impression and were practicing in order to replace me completely. Your impression may be off enough for the producers to care, but it was always the best one here. You're telling me you aren't the one making that voice?"

[maleyanderecafe]

The Shades of Red (Visual Novel)

Created by: Kuro

Genre: Horror/Romance

I was actually pretty surprised how well made this game was, considering that many demos tend to be still in development stages. I was also surprised that the yandere in this one had a wife before the events of this story, which leads to various questions on why he might be infatuated with the female lead. This was another wonderful addition to the #yanderejam and it certainly delivers on both it's creepiness factor and it's romance.

The story starts out with the MC going to an art gallery with her friend Jane. She just moved into a new apartment and is trying to live a new life for herself so she doesn't have to rely on her dad. Jane tries to connect her with the famous artist there, Issac Redfield and even ditches her later so that she can meet him

When she does meet him, he grows a strong interest in her, even asking if she would want him to be her art tutor. The two of them end up talking about his artwork and even gives him some of hers. After leaving, Issac thinks about how similar she seems to someone before continue talking to them. The next day, the MC goes to Isacc's house for lessons and they head over to his art room. You can attempt to sneak up the stairs, but Isacc will catch you and warn you not to go up there. Upon going home, the next day, Jane comes over and the two talk about their visit to the museum, where Jane talks about the divorced man that she was talking to. Jane also asks about Isacc and the art lesson. The MC goes for another art lesson, where Isacc asks her out on a date afterwards. The next day, Isaac seems pretty annoyed over Jane, insulting her, to which the MC has to defuse the situation. Issac ends up flirting with the MC during their next lesson and the MC goes home. The MC tells Jane what Issac said about her, which causes Jane to get upset if the MC takes his side, which leads to her leaving. The MC and Issac go on a lovely date later after this.

Depending on certain choices, the MC can have the opportunity to sneak into the second floor without issue. They find that it's very darkly lit and have a choice to look at two items, the art pieces and the covered boxes. The art pieces show pretty spooky art, which is very different from Issac's current style. The covered box as the MC finds smells horribly and is instead filled with a lot of dead birds. Issac ends up searching for the MC and catches them trying to leave the second floor, and gets pretty angry with her if he did warn her before. He will ask if she found anything there. He seems less panicked when you've only found the paintings but he seems more scared if the MC finds the dead birds, He tries to explain that the neighbor's cat has been killing the birds in his yard and that he didn't want to throw them away in the trash lest the MC finds it. The MC attempts to leave after this.

If she feels uncomfortable and tries to leave, Isaac will run after her and almost get hit by a car. She ends up going back home, with Isaac banging on the doorway to try to let her come in. She ends up calling her dad, who invites her to stay at his place for safety reasons, proving once and for all how

If she tries to defend Jane, she will tell Issac to apologize and leave the house. She tries to text Jane, but she doesn't answer and so the MC can decide to either go home or go to the library.

If she goes home, she'll end up drawing at home, worried that Jane hasn't responded back or even looked at her text. When she goes to bed, she ends up getting kidnapped and wakes up to Isaac tying her up in the basement. After getting angry, he mentions that Jane is no more causing the MC to go into distress.

If she decides to go to the library, she'll end up reading up on some art books while also being worried that Jane is not responding. While going home, she finds that someone has broken into her place, as the lights are on. She calls the police and then calls Isaac after going to a hotel for the night. Isaac tells her too that he tried to call Jane to apologize, but she wasn't picking up and that she could come over to get her mind off of things. When going back, the MC finds Issac in his garden and we can learn more about his wife, who had died suddenly and pretty recently. We can also talk to him about the caterpillars in his garden, something that he likes very fondly, despite the fact that they eat his plants. He seems to despise birds though and tells the MC that he tries to get rid of them so that they don't eat the caterpillars. In the end, the MC thanks Issac for the nice time.

I got to say, this game is a lot more polished than I first initially thought it would be. There's an animated title sequence, voice lines, unique UI, even a bar for affection. It's pretty polished, all things considered. The tones of red within the game are cool and the artwork that Issac has is pretty haunting. The game is pretty for sure, though because it's in it's demo state, it's hard to see what the full game will eventually be like. It's also nice to have an MC in one of these games that does have a good relationship with their parents, since most of them either don't or are nonexistent within the game. The setup to the more mysterious side of Issac is pretty good too, like why he might have an obsession with butterflies or what happened to his wife. Why he might be obsessed with the MC, that stuff.

Speaking of Issac, I think it's really intriguing that he actually did have a wife prior to meeting the MC, since I don't think I've really seen as many widowed (is that the word?) yanderes. Normally when they do project their love onto someone (if this is what is happening), the person they're trying to replace is a previous lover, or another close member, not necessarily someone they've married and (unassumingly) almost had a child with. Unless it's of course, more of a gothic vibe to them (something like Viego from League of Legends or even something like Cursery: The Crooked Man and the Crooked Cat). Still we don't know too much about what happened to her and their unborn child, whether she unfortunately died during childbirth or was killed by him or someone else, which does add to the mystery of it all. Either way, it seems he's pretty sensitive to it, even to this new person that he likes. For yandere actions, there isn't really too much other than in the ending where the MC leaves, where we do find out that Issac probably has the keys to the MC's apartment, along with being able to kidnap them. He also seems to get jealous pretty easily, calling Jane a whore and even killing her in one of the endings. He can also be a bit manipulative, knowing that the MC was feeling vulnerable after finding out someone had broken into her apartment and getting them to hang out together. I'm not sure what's going on with him and the caterpillars, maybe something relating to his wife, which is why he seems very vehement about killing off all of the birds that come near his garden, as well as the old artwork that he has on the garden. Maybe Issac isn't actually replacing his wife, but rather is trying to move on, and grows obsessed over her because he doesn't want her to end up like how his wife died. That's just speculation though. Like I said, Issac is a bit of a mystery currently and that makes it even more intriguing.

Overall, I think the game was a lot better than my first impressions on it down to the style and the interesting take in yandere. Issac's voice actor did a pretty good job in my opinion and the mystery in the game makes me want to go back later to see what's going on. If you are interested, please check it out.

[rainba]

Hiii firstly I want to mention that your art looks very tasty and crunchy :3

Secondly I'll like to ask, can you tell us some random facts about your yans? (Like they favorite color, animal, food, and so on)

Is nice to meet you!!

TYSM!! ^^ i’m honestly soo so surprised that ppl like my art, but i’m so happy abt it!! ;;

And yesyes! Random facts about my OCs:

Kairos’ favorite things to draw include spiders + spider webs, cats, their beloved, bloody stuff, monsters, etc etc... All things associated with being creepy, basically! Most of his pictures are just black and white with a really sketchy style. Also– when it comes to his favorite color– his favorite color is black! (Probably not shocking.) And his second favorite color becomes whatever his beloved’s favorite color is, lol. 

In terms of his favorite food, he absolutely loves anything sweet– the sweeter, the better. He particularly loves cake with tons of icing– sometimes he’ll just have a store-baked birthday cake next to his desk as he works, then he just eats that and nothing else. Poor Kairos hasn’t tasted an actual meal in months.

As for Luka– while he does wear a lot of black and pink, his favorite color is actually red~~ He’s very drawn to how bold it is and just.. Really likes it. 

As for food, he’s practically the exact opposite of Kairos. He’s pretty healthy– although he is pretty heavy with his meat portions. One of his favorite things to do with food is to get the spiciest stuff he can get his hands on and see if he can handle it, lol. (Whenever he begins to tear up from the heat, he vehemently denies it and tries to cover his eyes.. He also starts blushing really bad.) Also, I hope that you also like spicy foods– because he’ll get you to try them. LOTS of them. He’d absolutely eat up your distressed reactions and would tease you like crazy.

“What, you can’t handle a bit of spice?~”

He’ll give you a smirk as he holds a glass of milk just out of reach while you tear up and beg for him to give you it, lol. Seeing your reactions to things is one of his fave things.

Also, a totally important random fun fact for the both of them: they both sneeze like kittens! ^^

And it's nice to meet you too!

[stinkypeanutbutter]

silly Aiden headcanons because I have no impulse

i probably already done these before in other headcanon posts I made but ermm I’ll do it again 😹

small TW for scars at the end 🗣🗣

AIDEN :

Aiden has the most unhinged playlist ever like oh my giggly goodness we got metal we got rock we got classic we got indie we got pop we got vocaloid Idfk whatever you can think of ( same 😹 )

totally had an immense phase of just everything . Creepy pasta , animation , FNAF , idk any other phases from 2016 help

Probably dated like once or twice , but they weren’t serious at ALL and mostly online . He just said yes because he wanted to be nice since he never really had friends ofc , so why hurt someone you barley know if it means getting a friend ? ( I’m gonna explode 😭 )

I’m not sure when this was actually invented , but he’d probably try and convince everyone to make battery acid candy drinks . ( they all say no 😔 )

Sorta sad headcanon they if no matter how hard to tries to solve a difficult puzzle , and he fails , he just starts silently bawling his eyes out . Cause you know he’s really good at them right ? He can solve them pretty quickly ? So if he’s like absolutely pressured by a bunch of people watching expecting him to win ( or like his friends cause yk they believe in him !!!! ) and he can’t solve the puzzle he’ll be like “ why can’t I solve this why is this hard why am I failing “ or something and then start crying ig ( Yeouchers angst 😿 )

Bro is the heaviest napper ever you can stack things on him for HOURS but the moment he actually sleeps most things can wake him ( if he’s not comfortable at least . He’ll sleep pretty well at sleepovers )

I can’t figure out an art style for him but I updated it so ignore that last drawing it’s grody anyway he sometimes draws people but prefers just random splotches of color . He has extremely stylized art but yk , it’s just ‘ weird ’ according to some people since it’s really . . graphic . Not in a BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD way but very mixed ( if you get what I mean )

Hugs everything when he sleeps you can’t tell me otherwise like you seen his old bed ?? He had NOTHIN so absolutely is he gonna cuddle everything near him

Hates competing . ( idk if he did it before but we’ll see ) like he doesn’t like doing puzzle competitions anymore that much , he just got bored of it and was really kinda forced to do it when he was younger . BUT if it’s in a game against his friends , he’ll probably do it just to help them out cause they always get stuck if Logan can’t figure it out either .

Does that thing with music where If it absolutely hits he just starts spazzing out and dances to it

that one thing where he walks around in a circle talking to himself if he’s really deep in thought ( he could go on for hours so someone has to pull him out to drink water at least )

TONS of posters in his room

Him and Taylor binge shows together , often ask the others to join when they aren’t busy . They totally watch anime ( Tyler calls it childish then gets really invested in uhhhh let’s say full metal alchemist and sport animes like haikyuu or something I can’t think of any he’d like . But I’m gonna make them all watch Ghost stories because it’s funny )

Aidlyn cuddling is mostly done at Aidens house cause his parents rarely go up to check on him ( 😅💥 ) and also he had a ton of blankets for Ashlyn to wrap herself in . He got her a heavy weighted blanket for her birthday one time so when that’s not around she just uses Aiden as a blanket if she’s feeling affectionate ( he’s warm in the winter time and pretty light believe it or not )

Has a medium spice tolerance , eats more then what he can handle like a stinky loser

doesn’t like anyone pointing out his growing hair roots so just don’t talk about it much 😅😅

steals chopsticks from restaurants cause who needs to buy any ??? They’re free if you don’t get caught / hj

sometimes just locks himself up in his room and lays in his bed thinking about life

LOVES drawing his friends ( especially Ash ) in his free time because he rarely draws in front of people , and will make an airplane out of it to throw it over to them . But he has that mentality where “ Everyrhing I make kinda sucks “ so expect to find doodles in the trash or hidden in his room

IPad kid , can’t tel me otherwise .

Loves hover boarding but he kinda sucks at it so he just 🧍🕺☠️ ( falls )

Will ram into everyone in bumper cars , almost sent someone flying ( Lilly , he bought her candy as a sorry )

rarely catches cavities because he actually has really strong teeth and willingly bites down on hard candies ( I do the same thing because I’m impatient 😹 )

Does all his school work at home cause school has too many distractions ( real )

Buys like body foundation to smear onto his legs and arms . He doesn’t want anyone to point out them out , and if they do he just tells them their from skateboarding . It can come off after a few days if he doesn’t reapply , but it’s fine since he does it again in between and would have to reapply anyway . Idk how it works 😿

Anyway who shall I do next ????? Put your answers in the comment section below subscribe like and support my Patreon see you in the next video 😹😹😹☝️☝️💥💥

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results -- Gligglae

Sorry this is later than usual; traveling for the holidays makes it difficult to keep up with this sort of thing. The smart move would have been to write it up a couple days ahead of time, then on Monday just update it with anything new that had been posted since, but see, what happened was that I did not do that. Instead, I tried to type this up Monday evening in between various family obligations, realized I didn't have time to do it properly, and just shoved it in my drafts. Then all of Tuesday was taken up with the long drive back home from where my family lives, and now you're getting it on Wednesday.

(Also, don't worry, I followed all CDC guidelines appropriate for someone who had recently had covid, and wouldn't have traveled for the holidays at all if I hadn't been without a fever for 48 hours prior to departing. Plus I drove instead of flying, didn't visit anyone but immediate family, and had a mask the whole time, so even if I am still contagious somehow, exposure was pretty minimal.)

Anyway, the entry that our artists are working from is here:

And, of course, all previous material on this matter can be found at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting.

I think a larger number of people than usual identified the animal in question right off the proverbial bat, because this one has some pretty blatant tells, but as always I appreciate everyone trying to put it out of their minds.

So, anyway, in rough chronological order:

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) (thank you for providing your own alt text, I really appreciate it) brings us her usual impeccably medieval-stylized rendition -- the swirls and curves in this one give it a really interesting vibe, I think. We can see the Gligglae in full-body profile on the left there, and a group of them doing their cluster behavior on the right. The, like, griffin/cockatrice/vampire look is pretty great, also. I enjoy the overall design, which you can find some discussion of in the linked post. Gold foil also a nice touch.

Coolest-capybara also notes that the entry is very interested in the ways in which the creature is "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a bird," and I can explain why that is. It is because this entry is in the Bird section of the bestiary, so officially this is a bird -- I mean, it flies, what else can it be -- but it's sufficiently un-bird-like that it really sticks out to the authors, so they need to explain the ways in which it's Doing Bird Wrong. Everything else in this section does X, so we need to point out that this one does Y, kind of thing.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) has drawn an absolutely adorable little Gligglae. (Adorable if you have my sense of aesthetics, that is -- I suspect if you're among the portion of the population that finds aye-ayes more creepy-looking than cute, that might apply here as well.) There's an explanation of design decisions in the linked post, including a number of references to real animals that provided inspiration. I like the decision to play up the "lowly" and "mean" part of the description by making it small and kind of scruffy. And the general concept of blending "gliding rodent" with "nocturnal primate" to make an arboreal mammal with elements of both really worked out well here, in my opinion.

@aethereaii (link to post here) has done this beautiful piece in a style that kind of gives "19th-century naturalist" vibes. (Actually, it makes me think of James Gurney, but I suspect that association says more about my childhood reading habits than anything else.) This is a great design in my opinion, and you can find some brief discussion on design decisions as well as an earlier version of the Gligglae in the linked post. The earlier design is also very good, but I agree with Aethereaii that this one is a step up, particularly with the Anomalocaris-inspired faux-wings. I also really like the inclusion of the juvenile Gligglae (Gligglings?) clinging to their parent's back in the corner there.

@karthara (link to post here) decided to go in a reptilian direction with this one, which (a) works well and (b) caused me to spend a chunk of time reading about flying snakes on Wikipedia just now. So in this version, the "rowing motion with its skin" is a description of the Gligglae flaring its ribs and undulating through the air -- which I genuinely think really makes sense. The entry seems to legitimately disagree with itself about whether this critter has wings (or, taking it entirely literally, it has wings but flies through a completely separate method that specifically does not involve said wings, which I think we're justified in deciding is Wrong), so I think going with such a non-wing-like flight method works here. Also like the concept of making these very cuddly (and apparently loving, according to our bestiary author) creatures into a type of animal that usually isn't seen that way. The linked post also contains some brief notes on design decisions.

@strixcattus (link to post here) has, as per usual, provided a really excellent modern-naturalistic description of the creature they've designed in the linked post, and you should definitely go check it out right now. I'll wait.

... back? Okay good. I particularly like their interpretation of the "grape-cluster" behavior as a social group that's specifically not a kin group; and also the fact that said group is officially referred to as a "cuddle". The choice to make it a whole genus and show us several different wild and domesticated species, also very good, love it. As with several of these drawings, Strixcattus's Gligglae (Gligglaes?) are extremely cute -- which, really, does also fit the description provided in the entry. They're like tadpoles crossed with sugar gliders.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) credits Ken Sugimori's Pokemon illustrations as a stylistic inspiration, which I suppose explains why the Gligglae cluster seems to be hanging from a Sudowoodo. The linked post also draws certain parallels between medieval bestiaries and the Pokedex, which I think is actually pretty insightful. There's also a breakdown of their design decisions there, go read it. I think this is a pretty good rendering of something that is like a flying squirrel but distinctly not a flying squirrel, and I like the shaggy look of the fur.

Also, thank you for providing your own alt text.

@pomrania (link to post here) is, I think, the only person to take the bestiary author at their word that this animal has wings but flies through some other, non-wing-related method. You can see the tiny useless wings at the shoulder there. I really think that's fascinating as a concept: what evolutionary pressures would produce an animal that (a) has wings and (b) flies but (c) those two things are unrelated? Although this many appendages on a fur-bearing creature puts us firmly in the "alien biology" territory, so maybe it's silly to expect it to make sense by the standards of terrestrial biology. Regardless, I like it, and I think the decision to run with the "rowing" description by giving it those oar-shaped appendages is a good & creative one. The post linked above contains a fair bit of information on design decisions and the drawing process here -- there are sketches and everything.

@vindikat (link to post here) has interpreted this in a way I find really charming. The art is of course excellent, very well drawn, and I appreciate the effort that went into doing these different poses. However, I really like it from a worldbuilding perspective: this gives me the impression of a small species of griffin that's adapted to urban living, more pigeon/cat than eagle/lion. (Come to think, both pigeons and cats are examples of feral populations finding a successful niche, rather than wild ones that adapt to a city, so maybe we can speculate that these guys are also descended from domestic ancestors.) Also the Gligglae under the eaves there remind me of pictures of chimney swifts that have made the rounds on Tumblr.

The design is also generally very appealing; I think the extra wings and the long tail really work here. The linked post includes an explanation of the design decisions that I think is worth taking a look at.

@moustawott (link to post here) has given us another very cuddly version of the Gligglae. I particularly like the wing design here, how it's kind of a mammalian version of a pterosaur -- Moustawott indicates that they were specifically trying not to draw the animal that they're sure this is, and I think the pterosaur-squirrel design here is a great way to make something that could fill kind of the same niche while being an unmistakably distinct creature. The little round head and eye markings remind me of a chipmunk, also, which is cute.

@rautavaara (link to post here) continues to do interesting stylistic stuff with their contributions. I like how the limited color palette here makes this look kind of like a single-block woodcut or similar relief printing. Like, you could plausibly see this as a design someone's carved into a wood block, then printed on mustard-yellow paper with purple ink. (I'm actually not 100% sure that's not what it is; I would just be surprised if someone actually went the extra mile of breaking out the engraving tools for my little bestiaryposting thing.) Very dynamic scene, also, and a charming creature design; love the huge mouths with pointy little fangs.

All right, these are all the ones that come up on the search; if I missed yours, let me know please.

(I have to apologize here for another delay that's absolutely my fault -- I would have had this out a few hours ago, but I got derailed by impulsively deciding to check out that Hbomberguy plagiarism video everyone's talking out, and... yeah.)

Anyway, as a number of this week's artists indicated, this one was really easy to guess, so the reveal seems a little pointless, but we have a format, so:

Obviously, this was the sheep.

What? Look, you can't make assumptions with these things. Some of these medieval bestiary entries are really counterintuitive. Medieval Europeans believed there was a species of small, highly-social, flying nocturnal sheep native to Ethiopia.

Really, it's in Pliny the Elder.

...

Yes, fine, I'm just lying to you for fun. It's the animal you all think it is, there are no flying sheep to my knowledge. Here's the Aberdeen Bestiary illustration.

Yep, it's the bat. Oddly human face on that one, and generally I don't think this was drawn from life, but it's definitely a bat.

I do kind of find the way it's described in this entry kind of interesting, though. The confusion about whether bats count as having wings (even after having been placed in the "bird" category) is kind of odd, and the "rowing" description is not one I would have ever thought of. I very much like the declaration that the way bats huddle together is "an act of love of a sort which is difficult to find among men"; it's a sweet way to talk about a creature with a generally negative reputation, which contrasts interestingly with the fact that the author also thinks of them as "lowly" and "mean". You kind of get the idea of a creature that's a bit wretched but in a sympathetic way. "Scrungly", one might say.

[rikan-oo]

So I was thinking about creating a loose list of recs for ORV fans or, in other words, "If you liked ORV, you also may like this." I decided to add things less obvious because I think people already read works like Trash of Count's Family, etc.

Princess Tutu

“The beginning of a story is a sudden event; the start, a happy accident, the end, the fate for which it's meant. A story that never ends is a sad fate.”

Let's start with Princess Tutu (PT), anime, not manga because they're different. I watched it about a week before ORV and after finishing both, I can't help but notice their similarities. However, meanwhile, ORV is about the relationship between the reader, the author, and the protagonist, and PT is more about the relationship between the author and their creation: the story and its characters. Don't let the name fool you, don't be like me. It's much darker than I expected from this style and genre. Be ready for angst.

Plot: Ahiru is a small duck in a pond. One day she notices a dancing boy with a very sad gaze. Boy every day goes to dance near the pond and the little duck is completely mesmerized by him. She can't help but notice sadness and loneliness in his dance. She wants to make this boy smile and at that moment a writer Droselmeir appears. He tells her that she could do this by collecting shards of his broken heart but under some conditions. He gives her a magic pendant that can transform her, first into an ordinary human girl, then into the graceful ballerina Princess Tutu, a fictional character from the tale that was doomed for tragedy in the original story.

Later we find out that this city is kinda enchanted by Droselmeir's tale (reverse isekai before it became mainstream) and some characters broke out of the tale like the boy by the lake - Mytho or Raven - the villain of this tale. Tale elements blend interestingly in the city and its residents.

Also, I have no idea wtf is happening with the main characters' dynamic in this complicated rectangle, but there is no straight explanation for this.

I can't help but see some parallels between Mytho - KDJ, Fakir - both YJH & HSY, Ru - HSY, and Droselmeir - Dokkaebi. I love how the story describes characters doomed by narrative and the struggles of being a writer. Also, all of these subtle references to fairytales at the beginning of the episode? Love it. I bet there are more references for the ballet part, but I probably didn't get it. I gently encourage you to check it out. (Definitely not gently, I'm as desperate as Kim Dokja trying to advertise TWSA to other people)

“May those who accept their fate be granted Happiness, may those who defy their fate be granted Glory.”

Miss not Sidekick

It's a much simpler read, just to chill and have fun while laughing at Mc shenanigans. Plot: Typical isekai story, where Mc is a fan of the internet novel of the reverse harem genre. When isekaied decided to invent popcorn and enjoy full time 4d immersion in the story.

There are not so many similarities in themes like with Princess Tutu, but more the role of MC – Latte as reader. I liked how she continued to behave like a spectator of a story inside Isekai world, treating it like she's inside a special 4D theater, not existing in this world as a part of it, until she couldn't.

Until her 4th wall is shattered (*badabums* it's a bad pun, she doesn't have it like kdj) and she realizes she could actually die, (quite shocking I know). Also, MC invents BL for this world and converts other people into it. Overall, the art style is different from other isekai romfant and it's something you need time to get used to, but after a while, you understand it suits perfectly for the narrative and silly tone of the comic.

Inso's Law or My Life as an Internet Novel

I feel like it's more reverse isekai similar to orv, where the story becomes part of your life. But if in KDJ's case, this transition is obvious and life-crashing, then in MC's situation is really creepy. It blends seamlessly into her regular life making her feel insane because everything remains the same except having a whole new friend who behaves like your bestie and a different school, where everything starts to feel like a romantic novel full of clichés. MC like KDJ is also unreliable in her perception of others here and thinks her knowledge of clichés like a reader-outsider makes her more omnipotent than she really is. Too bad they used 3 person POV, so it's really obvious, but funny nevertheless. (One of the cases where she thinks one of her classmates is a girl pretending to be a boy cause of some kind of cliché family drama, when in fact it's just a boy and I find it funny how this classmate looks like Jang Hayoung twin and have similar fate, poor souls) guess she also has similarities in her character to pre-scenario or regular life KDJ. They both seem to have this introverted avoidance type of personality. I'm curious about supernatural events happening in manhwa and I hope we'll get some explanation for it.

Pandora Hearts

Nice little thing with funny and cute tea parties that everyone would enjoy. 😍

SHHH, nothing about the plot. Let it be a small surprise for you.

It's all vibes and similar tropes now, folks.

Like dynamic between the main trio: Gilbert - Oz - Alice YJH - KDJ - HSY. Also this time loop thing? Daddy issues? Self-sacrifice as a form of love? Ugh. (Also, I need this scene with Oz and Brake "Where in the world are you?" But with KDJ. Maybe I even draw it).

It's all for now, maybe I'll write more. Please share the recs if you have them!

[hiveworks]

Vampires, Witches, and Magic

Interview with Eric Lide and Angélica María

October 2023

Solstoria by Angélica María (aka: @charmwitch) and Ozzie the Vampire by Eric Lide (aka: @ericlide) are celebrating their 10th year anniversaries! We're diving into these absolute webcomic legends to learn more about their creative process in a joint interview with María and Lide.

Ozzie the Vampire is a webcomic about a vampire gal named Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy who find themselves protecting the town of Gloomburg, New Jersey, which seems to always find itself under the constant assault of demonic forces from the underworld. Sometimes they even learn something!

Solstoria is follows a girl named Samantha and her brother, Lawrence, who carries the weight of protecting his family on his shoulders. When he goes missing, Samantha embarks on an adventure to become a knight.

For a look behind the scenes at these two webcomic series, read on!

It's spooky season, and both of your comics have themes of the supernatural. What kinds of creepy or magical energy do you bring into your comic?

Eric Lide:

I think the demons in Ozzie the Vampire bring the creepy energy for sure. A lot of them have bizarre and impractical anatomy, and they’re pretty enthusiastic about eating people.  Magic is a constant presence in the story as well, mostly through the spells Kimmy and Grimsley use to help Ozzie fight the bad guys.

Angélica María:

To start off, let's talk about the environments! There are certain areas and themes in Solstoria based around my love of Halloween! I'm not from the continental United States, so I've always loved the idea of a spooky air, or of pumpkins and ghosts. The Wayward Lands and Farmlands, two prominent areas spoken about in the story, are themed after the fall season in the United States. Besides that, witches carry a great importance in the story. They are magically gifted individuals of any gender, who purify the air and specialize in magics that are of help to the greater good of society. A witch is someone who can tame ghosts, calm uneven levels of magic in the city, and provide useful trinkets and charms for the everyday chore. They're just neat! Pointy hats are all the rage, too.

Which character in your comic would survive a horror movie?

EL:

Well Ozzie is more or less immortal, so she could probably sleepwalk her way through any horror movie scenario…

AM:

Oddly enough, I feel like Samantha and Oksana (eventually) have the calmest head on their shoulders. Most of the adults would probably be fine, Huxley would serve as a great merchant in between sanctuaries, but as for the rest… Actually, who's to say Solstoria isn't secretly horror…

A decade is a long time to be telling a story! Congratulations! How has your comic changed over the course of its publication?

EL:

When I first started out, I was just kind of drawing whatever and not thinking too much about the future. At that time, I was just trying to cram in as many fight scenes or gags as possible. Over the years though, I’ve come to love these characters and I think about them nonstop, so I’ve been writing more scenarios that challenge them on a personal level. There’s even a bit of romance coming up, which would’ve been unthinkable to me ten years ago.

AM:

Thank you so much! I burnt out for a few years, so you can definitely see my art style and narrative changing. I hope it's not... toooooooooo drastic of a change, but I always told myself to experiment on my pages and change things as I saw fit. If you re-read Solstoria, you will simply see my art evolve with no care of consistency. I apologize if this is glaring, but honestly- it's fun! One of the biggest changes now that I'm working on the story again is that we've swapped protagonists! Currently, we're seeing the story through Lawrence's eyes. Samantha's elder brother is possessed by a crow god, but he still thinks of his family first. Hopefully, they can figure something out together though!

What motivates you to keep going?

EL:

I’ve always been drawing comics since I was very young, so it’s hard to say. I think once a story is in me, it has to come out in some form, even if it takes forever or no one is interested in reading it. That said, comments– audience response of any kind, really– is always a huge boost for me.

Solstoria has an electric 2010s anime flavor. What kind of series inspire you? Do you have any manga or comic recs?

AM:

Oh, I appreciate the comparison, but I wish to counter it- Solstoria is heavily inspired by Japanese RolePlaying Games! Specifically, games created by Capcom, GameArts, Square-Enix, and a few others on top of that! I do have a few anime I quite enjoy, like Princess Tutu formulated my brain intensely. I highly recommend watching this show if you want to experience a masterpiece! If you just want a good time, I also quite like Slayers! As for video games, I have so many to recommend! I love Fire Emblem, Breath of Fire, Star Ocean, LUNAR, Lufia... and so much more! All of these games are close to my heart, but stylistically, I think the Disgaea series has a lot of visual influence on Solstoria.

Ozzie the Vampire has a cool punk flair that reminds me of webcomics I liked from the 2000s. Where do you draw inspiration from? Do you have any zine or webcomic recommendations?

EL:

Music was a big influence on Ozzie! There’s a lot of references to my favorite punk and metal records throughout the series, some obvious, others not so much. I always wanted the comic to look something like a scrappy punk zine. I don’t get to read many webcomics these days, but Boxcar City Rush has been a recent favorite.

What can fans of your series look forward to in the coming year?

EL:

More updates, hopefully. This year was a bit sparse due to working on my debut graphic novel, The Champion of Draeland, but I’ve been wrapping that up and eager to dive back into Ozzie. I have many other graphic novels on the way though, so balancing both worlds is going to be an interesting challenge.

AM:

I'm very ahead of schedule, so I hope I can keep the momentum going. We're learning quite a bit about Samantha's brother, Lawrence, but we will also learn soon about another character who is pivotal to both siblings. He's a quiet, gentle person who tries to take on things on his own, and it doesn't go his way. Also murder. There may be murder.

What is the best way for fans of your series to support you?

EL:

Leaving comments, reblogging and sharing updates, all that stuff really helps for sure! Fan art always brightens my day. I have a Patreon as well where I post early updates and behind-the-scenes material for only $2 a month. And of course, supporting my graphic novels once they release!

AM:

Honestly I really just love comments and tags on tumblr and twitter! If you wish to support me, you can always see early updates on Patreon! Thank you so much! But honestly, I just want to hear feedback from people and hear their thoughts and feelings about my work. It makes me so very happy.

Read Solstoria and Ozzie the Vampire for free and follow @charmwitch and @ericlide for updates!

[genericpuff]

If you were to redesign Persephone, what would you do? 👀

Like if I were to completely redesign her? I actually did this a while back but never really posted them because I got wrapped up in Rekindled stuff LMAO but let's see if I can find it!

I don't actually mind Persephone's design in LO, like when you get past the fact it's a self-insert of Rachel, it's not awful. Rachel's just botching the execution because she keeps making everyone look just like her and you can tell she's just a power fantasy for Rachel to live vicariously through. I really liked her pilot and S1 design. She's got that spunk! (even though she's still agregiously oversexualized by Rachel every chance she can get lmao)

And then there was S1 Persephone who was genuinely entrancing when you got her drawn just right with that early art style.

Persephone's design was a lot of what made me fall in love with LO in the first place back in the day so it's a shame to see her turn into the whiny Rachel-resembling Karen she is today :/

BUT ANYWAYS! MY REDESIGNS!

I made these a while ago and they are DEFINITELY not in my Rekindled style because I wasn't trying to mimic Rachel at all. This is sorta why I find it funny when people get on my case about "improving" LO panels because "you're just drawing it in your style and saying your style is better than hers" because if I actually DID draw Lore Olympus in my style, you wouldn't recognize it at ALL lmao (it's almost like the concept of 'style' as it's often seen and used today is just a stupid way for artists and audience members to gatekeep one another 🙄 but that's an essay for another daaaay)

Might be cliche, but I wanted to make Hades genuinely spooky looking, with little whispy shadows coming out of him and creepy dark eyes that most people don't like looking directly at. I wanted him to look like someone who was actually tethered to the Underworld, doomed to remain. As for Persephone, I wanted to give her back her agency and spunk, so she's a LOT more assertive and straightforward and I think I did a pretty good job showing that through how she stands and emotes LOL

Hope you enjoy that peek at an alternate timeline! I had honestly completely forgotten I drew that until you reminded me LOL

[godesssiri]

Décor items I am constantly looking for in thrift stores:

I watch a lot of Youtubers who either thrift for a living or do a lot DIY décor content. They all have the most gorgeous homes, and their homes are 90% thrifted. I have a gorgeous home and it’s easier for me to point out the things in my home that I’ve actually bought new rather than try point out all the things I’ve thrifted. Sometimes friends or family will ask where I got something and I won’t bother to answer I’ll just look at them, and they'll realize duh – stupid question. I thrifted it, have you even met me?

I wanted to give you all a list of things I am ALWAYS looking for, things I will browse through in every thrift store and will pick up even if I don’t know exactly how I’m going to use it, I just know I can use it somewhere.

Frames. OMG Frames! Never buy them new! I have bought some of the ugliest framed crap you wouldn’t believe. But the frame was great. I bought my brother a portrait of a little girl that I’m pretty sure is haunted, but the frame was stunning antique oak that goes perfectly with his style and the creepy little girl could be easily removed - and it was so cheap, probably because the little girl was so creepy. If you want to frame something, go to the art section of the thrift store and ignore what’s in the frames, just look at the frames themselves. Chances are you will either find something that’s perfect as is or that just needs a bit of spray paint to make it perfect. I will always look through the frames even if I don’t have anything that needs framing. I have a stash of great frames on the highest shelf in my wardrobe, I don’t have use for them yet, but I know as soon as I want to frame something I can just go shop my stash and find something perfect

Plant pots. I will pick up new ones when I see a gorgeous one that’s in my price range but 90% of my plant pots are thrifted. The thing is you can put a plant in ANY vessel if you get creative. And you do find a lot of actual planters at thrift stores, but the good ones go quick, so you have to be ready to grab when you see a nice one. I have a huge collection of 80s post-modern pastel ceramic pots and guess what’s come into fashion in the last couple of years? 80s style post-modern pastel stuff. I’ve also found gorgeous Victorian jardinieres in thrift stores that have snuck past the people doing the pricing because they’re transferware and they don’t realize that transferware can be that old. You also come across piles of modern generic cover pots, you know the ones for the gift plants you see at the supermarket or florist or hardware store? People get gifted a plant in one of these generic pots, they either kill the plant or it thrives and needs to be re-potted, and they send the gift pot off to the thrift store. You can give these a makeover with a paint pen, or one of my favorite things to do with them is hot glue them to a glass candle holder with a wide stable base so you end up with a goblet look – it instantly both literally and figuratively elevates them.

Curios and oddities. I’m a collector of curios and oddities and let me tell you, if you are going to a specialist store that stuff is pricey. But if you scour thrift stores and pick up any weird thing you come across you can quickly build up a collection of the strange and unusual that will delight any weird loving freak. But even if you don’t love the things that edge on creepy like I do then still keep an eye out for things that are a bit quirky, a bit odd. Every home needs something that’s a bit left of normal.

Trays. I have a variety of trays that I have on various surfaces to corral small things, one on my dresser for lotions and potions, one beside my sink for the dishwash and scrub brush etc, one on the side table next to my couch to hold all the little bits I want to be able to access easily but they look messy scattered across the table. I can’t pass up a good tray, I bought a nice solid brass one earlier this week with no idea what I was going to do with it, I bought it home and it’s perfect for my coffee table to hold my coasters and a little posy vase of flowers and a pretty bowl to hold the jewellery and hair clips I will inevitably discard there.  A good tray can take a random assortment of practical items from stressful mess to pleasingly organized in seconds. They’re another thing that you constantly come across in thrift stores and also something that’s easy to do a thrift flip on if you can’t find one that fits your aesthetic.

Candle holders. There are soooooooooooo many candle holders of every description at the thrift store. Whatever your style you will find something. I actually rarely use them for candles, I like to buy ones meant for chunky candles and use them as plant stands to elevate small pots. Or get tall beautifully shaped candlesticks and display shells or crystal spheres or air plants on top. Some of them are so sculptural and beautiful they look great just on their own. They’re a fantastic display item whether you use them for their intended purpose or not. And if you like the Dark Academia aesthetic that is everywhere right now they are your best friend. I have never walked into a thrift store and not stumbled across a candle holder of some description – never.

Decorative storage. When I want to increase my storage by storing stuff out in the open in a place people will see, I look for vintage wooden boxes, cool old suitcases, pretty pottery canisters, interesting vintage baskets. When you wander around the thrift store looking for things you can put stuff in, a whole world of pretty possibilities opens up. Wooden boxes are my catnip, I have so many but will never pass one up if I like it. And if it’s an old cigar box with pretty graphics and peeling labels then my heart goes pitty-pat. Pretty canisters you can have on your bench means you have more space in your cupboards to hide the ugly practical stuff. I have a gorgeous old leather briefcase that holds important documents and small things I Do Not Want To Loose, I have ADHD and I'm more likely to remember where my birth certificate or great-grandad's pocket watch are if I keep it them in something I actually like looking at.

Glass display items. I love to display stuff beneath/behind glass because dust. Glass domes and glass display boxes and shadowbox frames are all either A) freaking expensive or B) hard to find or C) both. I’m always thrifting display items that I can rip out whatever is currently in there to display my own stuff. I’ve bought 6 Anniversary Clocks for their glass domes and brass bases; I usually get ones that the clock itself is plastic and it’s super easy to take it apart with a screwdriver. I’m also constantly buying the ugliest shit in shadow-box frames because it’s usually easy enough to open up the frame and get the ugly crap out – dear lord the crap they put in shadowboxes in the 90s. I will buy ugly souvenir stuff for their glass display boxes and will break the glue holding them closed and pull out the tourist tat. I have a couple of glass globes that have come with ugly artificial flowers in them and they’re usually cheap because the flowers are so ugly, but it’s easy enough to open them up and clean them out. Glass trinket boxes are another awesome display item, and there’s been a trend for them in recent years so they’re turning up more and more often, they’re not very practical for everyday storage because you can see everything in them and they look messy, but if you’re only using them to hold carefully arranged pretty things then they look amazing.

Bases, plinths, pedestals. I mentioned I buy pillar candle holders to elevate plant pots but basically, I’m always on the lookout for stuff I can put stuff on top of for display. I’ll buy any candle holder I can put something on top of, any wooden box that can be used to elevate stuff, cake stands don’t just have to be used for cake. Onyx ashtrays are perfect for lifting things a little and if that something has a slightly curved bottom, like a large seashell or a crystal geode, then sitting it in the depression of the ashtray stabilizes it, or if you need a flat surface flip the ashtray over and use the bottom as the top. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across bases actually meant for décor and they always make things look just that little bit classier. Displays always look better when you vary the heights of objects so I’m constantly looking for things to lift my pretties and it all looks so much more interesting when you use an assortment of vintage bases.

Vases. I have a vase problem, I know I have a vase problem, I do not care that I have a vase problem. I mean 16 on one shelf isn’t too many right? I promise it’s a huge shelf with lots of space for them. There are so many beautiful ones out there. So many that are gorgeously hand painted. So many interesting shapes and colors. So many that have been carefully looked after and passed down through generations but have gone to someone who it’s not to their tastes so they can now be your treasured antiques. So many that are modern, mass produced and worthless but ripe for a thrift flip to fit you exact style.

Books. Before anyone @s me about people who use books just as décor, there are good reasons to use some books purely as décor. I collect antique books, specifically natural history ones but I’ll consider any reference book with beautiful covers and illustrations. Most of these books are now inaccurate, I’ve got books that talk about extinct species in the present tense, Atlas’ that were produced between the 2 world wars that are not even in spitting distance of accurate anymore, archaeology books with laughable theories. Also, a lot of my books are fragile, there’s some I barely dare to open because pages are falling out and the binding is perished or the cover is loose, the safest place for them is sitting on a shelf just looking pretty. I also collect children’s classics purely out of nostalgia, I make it my mission to find the prettiest and/or oldest editions I can get my hands on. I doubt I’m going to sit down and re-read the Pollyanna books or the Little Women series but seeing them on my shelf takes me back to those pre-teen days devouring every classic I could get my hands on, mostly in paperback form because those books have been re-printed again and again. If a book is lovely but has no real value as a book anymore either because it’s inaccurate or too fragile, or if it’s had a million re-prints, why not have it as décor? Décor is meant to give a home a feeling and what inspires more feelings than books?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

[revyn-moonfox]

Commenting on the the magnus archives episodes, part 3 (I think) - spoilers ahead

MAG 16 Arachnophobia: I was fully prepared for that episode to destroy me, I can't stand spiders, but now I feel like it could have been worse, at least it was only one spider at a time, my nightmares are filled with a bunch of spiders... which I guess he got at the end, but that wasn't described in great detail, so I was okay. Apropos the end: I was a bit confused because I read this episode was the most obviously paranormal one, and honestly, thinking the spiders from your youth are haunting you isn't so much paranormal, I thought episode 15 with her beeing found with candles she didn't pack was worse, but then I got to the end, and him beeing found incased in Web... uah. And come on John, you wanna try to reason that they came from one week of lying there?! Ugh

MAG 17, the Bone Turner's Tale: immediately after the first few sentences I was like: oh no, this is a Leitner one, isn't it? And sure enough it was... I don't even know what else to say to this except type out the Leitner Rant, but that is a lot of text, and this post will already be very long. At least John is a bit more inclined to believe the tale when there is Leitner involved.

MAG 18 The Man upstairs: I needed a bit more time for that episode because I have a very active imagination and got nauseous towards the end...

MAG 19 Confession | & MAG 20 Desecrated Host || : love the connection to the hilltop Road episode. Also, did somebody say religious trauma? Because these episodes screamed in answer. The beginning of 19 was... worrying to say the least - "We will get to the cannibalism of course" ehm, hold on, what? On another note, these episodes made me suspect that John's predecessor realy had a sorting system because that was at least the third episode in a row with the flesh entitie! While I honestly was just waiting for the first appearance of the Vast...

MAG 21 Freefall: finally, the Vast, I don't know what exactly sparked my obsession with it, but I like this entitie (as much as you can like a fear personified) since I first saw a art-tiktok about it weeks ago. Nothing much to say to this episode tho, except that John got sceptic again, he had such a good run of taking things seriously before.

Ending the Episode with the quote "By God Martin, what are these things?!" Was a choice...

MAG 22 Colony: Did I ever mention before that I love Martin? Well, I do, and now that he actually speaks for himself once, I feel even more justified in saying that.

Two options here "poor Martin, just wanted to show a picture to his (future) boyfriend" or "King wanted to stick it to his asshole Boss" I'm in the party of both. Both is good.

Also, after this episode the following post I found on Pinterest suddenly makes a lot more sense

I also asked myself how much the entities blurr together, because, while this was mainly corruption, there was also darkness because the lights didn't work in Martins flat, right?

I was so happy when John showed that he cared for Martin, in telling him to life in the institute for now :)

The creepy text messages at the end sparked a conversation between me and @regulus-needs-swimminglessons and I wanted to share one of his comments to that:

These text are so funny because there are basically 2 options

1 (the boring one) Jon and Martin don't text a lot so Jon doesn't actually know what Martin's texting style is like so Jane was able to impersonate him easily

2 (the better option) Jane was looking through the past texts giggling and kicking her feet while reading funny passages out loud for her worm friends so she could copy his texting style but she had to hold back to not end every message with "❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰😍😘😘😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️😘😘😘😘🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱😘😘🥰🥰❤️"

MAG 24 Schwarzwald: at first I was convinced that the headline was read by someone else than John, because it sounded weird to me. Then I got reminded that German words, like Schwarzwald, just get pronounced weirdly by englishspeakers, which is totally normal, so back to the story. An old letter to Jonah Magnus, did Elias read these 👀. The comment that there was no account of a Johann von Württemberg confused me, because Johann is/was a fairly common german name, especially in the higher up families. And there was in fact a Johann Friedrich von Württemberg who lived from 1582 to 1628, but that's not the one reported here, I would guess. He ruled as the 7th Duke at that time. Anyway, the Grave gave me slight Lukas-Family vibes, even tho I know that not the case, the involved entitie here is the Eye not the Lonely (even tho it kind of screams the lonely to me too, I mean, it's the Schwarzwald, and he described it as silent on lonely, but oh well)

Martin, scaring John by walking though the archive without pants. 🤣

Sir that is his living room and he can wear whatever he wants 😌 Martin can do whatever he wants, wherever he wants, just because he's awesome, and I love him.

MAG 24 Strange Music: I don't like dolls, I don't like clowns, and that's all I'm gonna say to that... But there is finally an appearance from sasha, which is awesome ^^ And again, something incredible: John is inclined to believe a Statement woob woob

MAG 25 Growing Dark: I mentioned religious trauma before, and I will mention it again, because this is exactly that. A bit frustrating to go back to "mh, we don't believe this because the author isn't even believing himself"

MAG 16 Distortion: Michael! My Dude! Be a dear and miracle me a towel, would you? Oh whops, wrong fandom, wrong quote... anyway, hello Michael, and hello Sasha. Its a bit sad to hear every archival assistant tell in their statement that they feared to come forward because John would judge them... But Sasha is hurt, and the "most level headed" so of course he believes her. Also, she's a little heroine, because she went to that place only to save John (and Martin, and the Archive, but oh well) first time that not beeing able/wanting to quit got mentioned, intrigued for the future.

MAG 27 A sturdy Lock: Everything involving the spiral always confuses me. I feel sorry for the old man, and am very interested what the statement from his Son is gonna be. But what do you meant the door had no knob or keyhole at the end?!

That's all for now, I'm currently listening to MAG 28 Skintight, but that will be in my next post I assume. So good bye, I hope you had fun with my incoherent rambling. (And again: please excuse my grammar, English is not my first language)

Okay byyyyeeee

[aquilacalvitium]

Hey, I really liked learning about Nate from you. I also would like to hear about FNAF if you're up for it? I like the art I see around for it, especially the Sun and Moon boy, but have never really engaged passed that. I know it's based on a horror game which is Not something I've got the guts to play 😅 but I'd love to hear about the story of it and about the characters if you'd like to talk about them?

OH HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

Gif from FNAF The Musical

Now I'm letting you know right off the bat that this post is very long. Much longer than my infodump about Nate. If it's too much I don't expect you to go out of your way to read it all.

I've explained the first three games and will explain the rest in a reblog :)

That means if you wanna know about the Sun and Moon boy, that'll be in a reblog too since they're very recent characters.

So if you rely know nothing about FNAF then I'm going to start with the fact that it does involve child murder. We never see anything on screen, but it's pretty obvious that it's happening/has happened. And of the very few gruesome events they actually show, they're all in 8-bit so it's just like a few red pixels.

I hope you're buckled in because I'm about to walk you through ALL OF THE GAMES FROM BEGINNING TO END. Also I'm not the best with lore, I'm not very smart, but I'm going to explain it to the best of my knowledge which considering how complex this franchise is, that's all anyone can really do.

FNAF 1

A small indie game called Five Nights at Freddy's drops suddenly on the 8th of August in 2014 and immediately blows up. This game was a last-ditch attempt by developer Scott Cawthon to create a successful game after several previous failed attempts. His previous game had recieved some negative feedback with reviewers saying his characters moved like "creepy aniamtronics", so he ran with the idea and made a game centred around creepy animatronics.

You play as a night guard keeping an eye on the four animatronics in this Chuck E. Cheese style pizzeria: Foxy the pirate fox, Chica the chicken, Bonnie the bunny and Freddy Fazbear. You're informed that the characters wander at night to stop their servos from locking up and that if they see you, they'll think you're an animatronic endoskeleton with no suit and will try to stuff you inside one. Now considering those suits are full of metal and electronics that would crush you to death, that's not really something you want to happen. So you must ration your limited battery power to keep an eye on where the animatronics are in the building and closing the doors to your office to keep them out. As the week goes on, the animatronics get more and more aggressive with only Bonny and Chica active at first, then Foxy joining in and eventually Freddy himself.

Now on it's surface this is already pretty scary, but then you realise weird newspaper clippings starting to appear on the walls in the cameras. A close-up look at these clippings tell the news story of five children going missing at Freddy Fazbear's. A suspect was caught but discharged due to no evidence being found. Papers dated a little later talk about complaints from restaurant patrons that the animatronics are starting to stink and weird fluids are oozing out of them.

While it's never officially stated, it's made pretty obvious to the player that the five children who went missing were killed and stuffed inside the animatronics. But wait, there are only four animatronics, right? Wrong! While Foxy, Bonnie, Chica and Freddy are indeed the only four on show, there is a secret fifth animatronic referred to as Golden Freddy.

Golden Freddy appears on rare occasions in the camera. Upon doing so, he will then force the camera to close, revealing that he's somehow appeared inside your office. Staring at him for too long will cause the game to crash and shut down, and the only way to survive him is to flip the camera back up as quickly as possible.

And for a few months, that was where the story stayed. Five murdered children and five murderous animstronics. Up until November of the same year.

FNAF 2

(Got sick of looking through the gif gallery, it's like 98% stim boards ugh)

FNAF 2 was like FNAF 1 but bigger! Instead of just five animatronics, FNAF 2 upgraded to eleven! You had the brand new "toy" animatronics with brighter colours, smoother textures and an overall much cuter appearance, and the old "withered" animatronics rotting away in the back room. On top of them, you also had two brand new animatronics referred to as Balloon Boy (BB) and The Puppet/Marionette.

This game's mechanics were pretty different where instead of having an office with two doors, you had two air vents either side of you, one massive hallway right in front of you and zero doors. Different animatronics would approach you from the vents or hallway and you and to remember which ones could be stopped with the torch and which ones would leave if you had a Freddy Fazbear mask on. The Puppet and BB were unique in their own mechanics. BB wouldn't kill you if he got in, but he would steal the batteries to your torch making you defenseless against certain characters and constantly laughing his extremely annoying laugh. And the Puppet remained inside his gift box in Prize Corner as long as you kept his music box wound up. Let the music box run out and you'll start to hear Pop Goes the Weasel which unfortunately means that you're now dead. 100%. The Puppet is on his way and once he's out of the box there's nothing you can do to stop him. At all.

Now the immediate impression everyone had was that this game was a sequel, until you looked closer at the evidence. For one, the withered animatronics - aside from being withered and broken - look very different to their FNAF 1 counterparts. The guy on the phone who talks to you every night (dubbed Phone Guy) is still alive even though he died on night four of FNAF 1. And the Phone Guy also states that once you've completed your week, you're free to move to a day position and Phone Guy himself will probably take up the role of night guard - the position we replace in FNAF 1 after his death.

FNAF 2 takes place before FNAF 1! But why do the animatronics want to kill you if the FNAF 1 killings haven't happened yet?

Now it has been a while so my knowledge about the earlier games is a tad rusty, but between every night there is an 8-bit mini game such as Foxy Go! Go! Go!, and Give Gifts/Give Life. In Foxy Go! Go! Go! You play as Foxy leaving his stage to entertain children. You do this once, then twice, and then three times. But on the third time, there's a strange purple man standing to the side of your stage. Once you leave the stage, you find not five children but five ghosts. The children are dead, and the purple man is to blame. We can prove this in the mini game Take Cake to the Children in which you control Freddy doing as the name suggests and taking cake to children who get progressively more upset the longer you take. But you notice that at the top of the screen, outside the pizzeria, is a single, lonely crying child. That child stays where they are until finally, a purple car pulls up and the purple man from earlier gets out. The player can do nothing but watch as the child's tears grow and grow until they become a ghost. Then the purple guy gets in his car and drives away. That child is dead.

Finally, in Give Gifts/Give Life, you play as the Puppet. There's no beating around the Bush here, you're in a room with four dead children. The Pupept goes to each four and gives them each a present, but that doesn't work. They're still dead. He then goes around again, doing as the title says and giving life. He places an animatronic head on each child. Once the fourth head is on, you get jumpscared by Golden Freddy and the nights continue. But if you're incredibly perceptive, you may notice that there is a single frame right before the jumpscare in which a fifth ghost child appears in the middle of the room.

These are previous murders, ones that all took place before the FNAF 1 location opened and ghosts that possessed the original now withered animatronics. But what about the toy animatronics? Well they're easy to explain.

Phone Guy explains how these new high-tech robots are built with face recognition software and have been programmed with a list of criminals in order to keep the children attending the restaurant safe. Whoever you are, whoever you're playing as, you are one of those people. Or at least you look like one. More on that later.

So then there came FNAF 3

This game is set thirty years after the closure of the last Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria - the FNAF 1 location and it doesn't actually take place in a pizzeria, but rather a low-budget horror attraction based on the rumours and myths surrounding the pizzeria franchise.

You work as a security guard keeping an eye on the attraction the week before it opens. You're accompanied by Phone Dude, similar to Phone Guy in that he speaks to you over the phone and gives you information, but a different person altogether.

Night one is entirely uneventful as you listen to Phone Dude drop a whole bunch of information on you and when he finally hangs up you realise it's 5am and nothing has happened. Yup, night one is actually completely harmless. But then night two starts and Phone Dude tells you that "we found one. A real one." He quickly has to go and leaves you with bunch of recordings that he mentioned in night one which all turn out to be training tapes from old Fazbear locations voiced by none other than our friend the Phone Guy! Quickly, you'll notice something moving in the cameras and sometimes even hallucinations. These are the Phantom animatronics and they're not actually there. They appear suddenly in various places and unless you manage to flip up/down the camera in time, they will jumpscare you. The good news is, they can't kill you since they're not real. Instead, they cause all of your systems to crash which you then need to reboot. Yeah, this game has various systems that break down randomly throughout the night that you need to keep active in order to survive.

But there is one animatronics that's both real and a real threat. Springtrap.

Springtrap is... disturbing. He's worse than all the other animstronics we've met so far. I mean, his jumpscare is a little tame compared to them, but when you realise just what he is? Yikes.

Focusing on his mechanics first, you need to keep him away from you by blocking air vents and luring him with voice recordings. He's actually not that difficult as long as you keep a close eye on him.

Now, just like FNAF 2, this game has mini games between each night. You can play them all normally and complete them all as intended, but that will lead you to receiving the bad ending. Getting the good ending requires finding clues within those minigames, performing certain actions in the real game and then playing bonus mini games which are now accessible. BUT, you then need to glitch out those mini games in order to find crying children and give them cake. It's weird.

Doing all of these will eventually lead you to the minigame Happiest Day. Technically you can access and beat this mini game on any night, but you must complete all the hidden mini games and then this one to get the good ending. In it, you control a child in a puppet mask walking through a Fazbear restaurant. You walk past the four children you met on previous nights now wearing character masks and give them one a big cake. A fifth child standing on the other side of the table and crying will then put on a Golden Freddy mask. Finally, all six children will disappear, leaving their masks behind.

Beating the game after this will give you to the good ending. The children's spirits have been set free and are no longer possessing the animatronics.

So, what is Springtrap, anyway? Well... gore warning.

The normal minigames throughout the week have you playing as animatronics following a mysterious "Shadow Freddy" through an abandoned and broken Fazbear Restaurant until Purple Guy from FNAF 2 shows up and dismantles you. On the final night, you then play as a ghost child. Going to the room where Purple Guy dismantled the aniamtronics will trigger an interesting situation. Four other ghosts will block the exit while you chase Purple Guy. He will be thoroughly freaking out and will keep running away until finally he runs inside a limp golden rabbit costume in the corner to hide. He seems victorious, laughing at you. Until you hear a sudden crunch and he starts shivering. Slowly, he collapses to the ground as red pixels spray out of the suit. So what happened?

Well in the tapes left by Phone Guy, you will learn about suits called Springlock Suits. These function as normal animatronics but include springlock mechanisms. These mechanisms hold back all the animatronic parts, allowing a person to get inside and wear it as a costume. But there's a huge problem here. That's a lot of animatronic parts being held back by tiny springs. So... what would happen if a spring failed while a person was inside?

You also learn from the tapes that after a certain sprinlock failure, the safe rooms in the pizzerias where the suits are kept are being bricked up permanently.

Springtrap is the Purple Guy. He's the child murderer. And he was crushed to death inside a golden rabbit springlock suit. He was then bricked up in a wall for around thirty years, rotting and decaying, until the room was finally reopened and the suit collected for Fabear Frights, the horror attraction.

That's pretty messed up, huh?

WHEW! Okay this post is getting pretty long and I don't want to overwhelm you. I'm going to leave it here, but I will reblog and it and explain the next three games when I can.

[mooncalfe-art]

Hello again!

This time...I got a difrent type of question.

Recently, I have heard and seen more and more cases of A.I being a problem for a lot of people , mainly artists , for many reasons.

Is geting pretty ugly. I'm starting to see cases even in the world of Hollywood . By eny chance, are there eny problems , or signs of trouble caused by A.I in the world of the comics ? IDW or in general ?

I myself can't stand this A.I shite. Never did. Tho, only now it seems to really shows its potential to ruin a lot of lifes and overall quality of evrything it "touches". It just dose not feel right, no matter in what is used. It started as a joke..but now ,it seems pretty serious.

What is your opinion on this topic?

There have been a few comics with AI-generated covers and I saw one with interiors made entirely with AI images but cut-and-pasted together like a collage which was kinda interesting. AI "art" is obviously rotten at the core because it uses other artists' work, which also means it can never create anything fully new, but I also feel like it's a neat thing you can mess around with along similar lines as experimental random music like Phillip Glass or experimenting with sampling and things like that. I've seen enough AI art to see that some people have distinct "styles" of images they generate, or they come up with methods to create weird stuff by playing around with negative prompts trying to get the program to produce weirder and weirder images. I've seen some truly creepy AI images, creepier than anything I've seen a person come up with, and I feel like there has to be value of some kind in that even though I don't know exactly what that value is. I don't know if the images various AI programs produce are "art" per se but I feel like there's something there that could be explored. A good example is the Loab stuff if you're familiar with that, it's really interesting.

All that said, though, like I said it's rotten at the core and I'm not sure AI imagery can ever overcome that and move past it, especially with how it might affect artists' livelihoods (such as the recent Marvel Skrull show credits and I'm particularly concerned with concept artists as it seems like it's really easy to produce imagery like that, I could see some studios just plugging things into an AI generator until they get a cool monster or whatever and cut out the middleman). Only time will tell, I suppose, as it's still early.

[yyumemika]

Rainbow After the Rain/ Episode 4

Season: Autumn

Characters: Souma, Izumi, Shu, Aira

Aira: —Just as I thought, it’s sold out here too. This place is idol territory after all. It’s natural that fans and resellers would keep an eye out… 

This is the only convenience store in the whole shopping district. Uu, maybe I should give up already…

Izumi: That dejected face. You really haven’t found it yet, have you? 

Aira: Eh? What’s Sean-senpai doing here?  Am I in the way somehow…? 

Izumi: No. You turned your senpais down even though we said we’d help you, all I can say is you’ve got guts. Do you still not understand? 

Aira: I’msorryI’msorry! I didn’t mean it like that!

Just that, I’m sorry you guys had to waste your time on something like this…!? 

Izumi: Huh? You’re really going to say it’s none of my business when I’ve gone out of my way to worry about you? 

Aira: Th-That’s… Not what I mean!? 

(Ah, Sena-senpai’s lovely face is so close!? Even though he’s angry I can’t help feeling a little satisfied…) 

Izumi: Hey! Are you listening?  

That expression is so creepy, as an idol you should be more reserved. Don’t you realize anyone could be watching?

Aira: R-right. I’m sorry! But… Are you really sure about this? 

Shu: There’s no need to feel guilty, Shiratori. If it hadn’t started to rain we would’ve abandoned you without a second thought

Izumi: Hang on, you don’t need to say all of that. Don't you ever watch your language? 

Aira: (Should Sena-senpai really be saying that?)

Izumi: …What’s with that look? Did you have something to say? 

Aira: N-Nope! It’s nothing! I mean, didn’t Itsuki-senpai just say it’s raining?  

Souma: Yes. We actually got caught in an evening shower. We had to buy umbrellas at the “convenience store”

Aira: Ah, so that’s why. I thought the weather looked suspicious

Izumi: Right. That’s why you don’t need to be sorry. The rain doesn't look like it’ll let up any time soon, so we might as well help while we’re buying umbrellas.

Aira: Thank you so much. But, it’s really okay 

Izumi: You’re not trying to hold back, are you? 

Aira: Nope. The collaboration cookie tin I’m looking for is sold out at the convenience store. This is the only one in this shopping district 

If we look somewhere else we’re going to end up getting wet 

Souma: Are all the “collaboration cookie tins” really sold out? Perhaps Shiratori just missed them? 

Izumi: There is a possibility. We aren’t even sure what the cookie tins look like. Isn’t there anything that tells you what it looks like? 

Aira: Give me a moment. If I look up the goods page on my smartphone… Ah, here it is! 

Souma: Oh, what an unusual tin. With such a bright colour and distinctive shape, it might be difficult to overlook… 

Shu: Wait a minute! May I have another look at this image? 

Izumi: What’s up? Have you seen it somewhere? 

Shu: No. That's not it. But this colour, and this shape… 

Yes! I want this! 

Izumi: …Huh? Wait, what the hell are you saying so suddenly? 

Shu: It’s not sudden at all. Are you not already aware of today’s goal? 

Before, I had actually been searching for some sweets that convey Japan’s “kawaii culture” 

Souma: “Kawaii culture”? What kind of era and culture is that?  

Aira: No, it’s modern culture, Kanzaki-senpai! I didn’t think Itsuki-senpai was the kind of person to be interested in that kind of thing 

Itsuki-senpai’s style is definitely fine art! You wouldn’t think he’d have an eye for pop culture 

Izumi: Well, considering Mademoiselle, it makes sense, right? 

Shu: Non! Don’t bring her into this. However, I have no intention of treating “kawaii culture” as inferior

These days, Japan’s “kawaii culture” has gained quite the popularity overseas. It’s also popular in France. 

I was looking for something to bring back to France as a souvenir, but nothing caught my attention… 

However, this cookie tin is perfect. It would be the perfect way to reciprocate the macarons I received from my friends overseas

Aira: Umm, in other words, you want one of these too, Itsuki-senpai? 

Izumi: In short, yes. But did you forget that the problem we have right now is that these are sold out? 

Souma: Hmm. I just went into the “convenience store” to look for it, but I couldn’t find the tin Shiratori showed me

Izumi: See, it’s just like Kanzaki says. No one would have any trouble if you could just say you want something and then get it!  

Shu: Hmph. Shiratori said earlier that he looked around Saison Avenue. In that case, he must have looked for a convenience store along the way 

Have you considered searching Time Street? 

Aira: Ah! Now that I think about it I haven’t looked there yet 

Shu: In that case, let’s try there first. Considering it has been dubbed a “nightlife district” it shouldn’t be short of convenience stores

Aira: R-right! Thank you so much! 

Izumi: Wait a second! Are you really willing to run to Time Street without an umbrella? 

Shu: Oh, now that you mention it, it was raining. I was too absorbed in my thoughts and completely forgot

Souma: There’s no need to worry. I bought umbrellas for the four of us earlier, if you’re in a hurry, please use these

Aira: Ah, you’re amazing, Kanzaki-senpai!? Thank you! 

Izumi: You bought these when you were in the convenience store looking for the cookie tin, aren’t you sensible, Kanzaki 

Souma: I just looked while I was buying them. I did as Sena-dono said♪ 

Izumi: I’ll pay you back later, and make sure everyone else doesn’t forget

Shall we hurry to Time Street, then? It’ll be annoying if we come this far and can’t get our hands on it

Previous | Next

[reallyunluckyrunaway]

5 Twisted Book Recommendations for People who have a Dark Sense of Humor...

1.) Beautiful Darkness by: Kerascoët

The novel tells the tale of Aurora, a girl who finds herself taking a leadership role in her community after a horrible disaster occurs... The story starts out with a whimsical tone, but rapidly devolves into a more morbid narrative.

Beautiful Darkness is wickedly good and creepy. Surreal, surprisingly disturbing, and well...dark.

The twists in this made my jaw drop. Especially the initial one. It acts as sort of an anti-fairytale of sorts. Complemented with its cute, cartoon- ish, and simplistic art style. Its pleasant watercolors and... super bloody deaths and graphic violence. Obviously!

There is so much to unpack in this gorgeous graphic novel. Themes of death and mortality, the innate savagery within humankind, and so much more than I can get into here.

(Although if you are curious... you can read a better deconstruction of the novel here:)(Hopefully after you read it).

2.) The Bunny Suicides by: Andy Riley

Over The Top and hilarious. This is a series of feel good comic strips with no solid plot lines except for featuring cutsie creatures, (bunnies in this case) attempting a single goal: to die in the most brutally and over complicated ways imaginable. As a depressive person myself… I found this hilarious. As the name suggests, this was exactly that. A bunch of bunnies “ “unaliving “ themselves in a darkly humorous fashion. And somehow there was humor to be found in its gruesome yet, not gratuitous pages, unlike *ahem* some other shows with similar punchlines…

For me, this was what “Happy Tree Friends" was trying to be… Slightly edgy, fairly dark, outwardly innocent, and weirdly—fun?

3.) Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom by: Terry Blas

✨Camp✨ is in the name and in the game for this graphic novel. When a group of misfit kids staying at a fat camp for the summer find out that one of the councilors have been brutally murdered, it's up to them to find out who did it, and if the killer plans on striking again… There's a nice diversity to the characters here, and their sleuthing reminded me of the Mystery Gang meets Sleep Away Camp. The art style was round and soft, and was somewhat reminiscent of the Gravity Falls art style to me.

5.) Stray Dogs by: Tony Fleecs

Stray Dogs, written by Tony Fleecs and illustrated by Trish Forstner follows a group of canine friends that wouldn't be out of place in a G-rated movie. But instead of discovering the power of friendship, they use their limited detective skills to uncover that their new owner is, in fact, a serial killer. Stray Dogs, is a strange mix of a cute Disney movie, meets "Silence of the Lambs." The overarching mystery pulled me in instantly, and the hits keep coming.

6.) I Kill Giants by: Joe Kelly

I Kill Giants is the story of a loner at school escaping into a fantasy world. But all is not as it seems with Barbara, and Barbara is not what they think she seems to the children at school that torment her, her family, or her only friend. Because Barbara has a secret: She kills Giants.

The art was sketchy, and simplistic, but charming.I liked the simple main character design. Which remained distinct, while also not trying too hard to be quirky.

[maleyanderecafe]

Home Room (Manga)

Created by: Chiyo

Genre: Drama/Suspense

As of now, this manga has only five translated chapters, but I do think it has the potential to be a yandere story just based on what's going on. Supposedly, it does get a bit more weird as it goes on, but for now, we'll just do with what we have. Thanks for both Cherry and @lovesick-boys-club for showing me this manga. Lovesick-boys-club actually has a lot of good recommendations in not only manga but other things like TV-Shows when it comes to male yanderes.

The story starts out with the teacher Aida asking the student Sakurai to answer a question. Sakurai can't answer it, not because she doesn't know the answer, but because she's been glued to her chair as a prank. Aida ends up bringing her to the nurse's office, and we see that Sakurai actually has quite the crush on him. There is a flashback about Sakurai and her mother: two opposites, her a studious student and her mother who often worked away from home. One day, her mother didn't come back, only leaving her money for rent and food. At this time, Aida ends up coming to her house and that's when she fell in love. While Sakurai gets herself unstuck from her chair, Aida ends up trying to find the culprit in the class but to no avail. Sakurai is working at a restaurant being harassed by customers while Aida watches over her. We find that he was actually the one who glued Sakurai to the chair. The next couple of scenes involve Sakurai drinking a tea that helps her sleep deeply while Aida hides under her bed to watch her. The next day, Sakurai sees Aida hanging around with other students while she stands to the side. Aida finds the other students annoying, even seeing them as just "processed food" while he sees Sakurai as the "pure product". While walking home, Sakurai's friend worries about the bullying she receives, but Sakurai seems content as long as she has Aida to support her. Aida seems happy hearing this through his tracking device installed on his phone and prepares for tomorrow's bullying. The next day, Sakurai is in the library, while Aida gets interrupted by a student. He wishes dearly for the student to leave, but luckily his trap works and the students drag him into the library. He finds that his trap worked on the wrong person and we see why he has such a twisted outlook on life. His mother committed suicide when he was young, and he started to develop a hero complex. After learning about Sakurai, he plans all of these problems so he can save her.

The first thing that stood out to me is how much realistic this manga is compared to a lot of the ones I usually recommend. I actually gives me very heavy I Love You Kyoko-san vibes both in art style and in story. The way the yandere goes about actually getting Sakurai's attention is very different than what I normally see, which is to cause problems for her only for Aida to swoop in and save the day. He definitely has his creepy moments of spying on her through not only tracking devices but also hiding under her bed. He seems to plan out different things to make Sakurai's life worse, only for him to come in and save her. In this case, Sakurai seems to be okay with all of this bullying so as long as she's able to talk to Aida and even takes a lot of advice he gives, much to his satisfaction. Aida seems to have little interest in other students despite being pretty popular with everyone and only really cares about Sakurai. Cherry tells me that in future chapters it gets a bit weird where Sakurai actually seems to get a harem of some sort (?) but until then, I think this one is pretty interesting to read!