#it helps me with my color picking for future illustrations

[moonstruckdraws]

An Uncomfortably Comfortable Suffocation

Yesterday was a bit of an overwhelming day for me. CAS ended, but I'm not really sad about it. I've seen stories go far past when it should have ended and I'm glad it ended while it did. But other than that, it was just a bit much.

I thought it'd be therapeutic in a way to draw out the feeling.

Funfact: I like to save all the stages of my drawings from start to finish. And I'm showing them cuz why not?

[irishhorse-blog]

I've been thinking about the tracklist for Golden, especially the writing credits. I confess that I sort of expected JK to write or at least co-write some of the tracks, so I was surprised that he didn't put pen to paper on anything.

Then I thought about what he's said about himself. He's said that he doesn't think he's good at writing songs, because he can't write lyrics that he likes. He constantly says how unintelligent he thinks he is, and I think the idea of writing for an actual album was too intimidating. He wasn't convinced that he would even release an album at all, according to what Bang Si Hyuk said in his interview. By the time they started presenting him with songs that other people had written, time was running out and he wouldn't have had the time and space to write and record an LP-length collection of his own songs.

He picked "Seven" and "3D" because he thought they'd be fun to sing, and, let's face it, they're catchy as hell and were always destined to be hits. As for the other songs, I would expect that he chose them for their sonic qualities and potential success, like how he selected the first two. He wants to be a hit, both in Korea and in the wider world. It stands to reason that he would want songs that were hit-worthy with a Western pedigree, at least to some extent.

So I was reconciling myself to the idea that the songs wouldn't be heartfelt and the lyrics wouldn't be illustrative of him at all. But then...

Then I thought about how for generations, singers have been interpreting songs written by others, but putting their own emotions and soul into the words. I thought about how I have turned to other writers - poets, lyricists, thinkers - to express my feelings when my own words were too weak, or too clumsy, or when I was feeling too much to let words flow at all, my emotions standing like a log jam in my throat.

Maybe these songs weren't written by JK, but he found something in them that resonated with him. Maybe it was their hit potential. Maybe it was their sound or their "fun" quotient. And maybe it was the lyrics, which might have been saying things he couldn't find a way to say for himself, especially in English.

You can't tell me that JK wasn't feeling some kind of way when he recorded his cover of "Falling." You can't tell me that he didn't feel the words for "Begin," even though Namjoon wrote them. The songs on this album will be helping him to display parts of himself, and he will sing these the way he always sings: with emotion, with dedication, with beauty and with intention.

I'm looking forward to the album. Even if he didn't write the songs, they're still going to give him a way to express himself, and I'm here for that expression.

Quick disclaimer: I know my interpretations of these songs and these performances will be subjective, but that's the way art has always been. Songs are heard by each person individually, colored by each individual's past experiences, present emotions and future hopes. We all live alone in a way, because nobody else will ever hear or feel or see things the way you do, or the way I do, or the way JK does. Humanity is connected but separated by the very singular, isolated perceptions of life that we all have. My interpretations may not be yours, but to me, they will be valid.

Let's give "Golden" a chance. I think it's got the potential to set the world on fire, because JK is destined for greatness. He always has been. It's time to let him shine.

[kestrellady]

Book Riot's 2023 Read Harder Challenge

Challenge Link

COMPLETE 24/24

My 5th year working on this "get out of your comfort zone" reading challenge.

Full list below the cut.

1. Read a novel about a trans character written by a trans author. Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee I loved the world building in this book and the realities of living in a horrible situation such that you can't always think about how horrible the situation is. It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I can't tell if that was on purpose or a set up for a second book.

2. Read one of your favorite author’s favorite books. Frederica by Georgette Heyer I saw someone say that Naomi Novik mentioned this as a favorite and I can see why! It's clever and hilarious in the best Georgette Heyer way. The last chunk had me in stitches!

3. Read a book about activism. Between the World an Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates This is a very personal book, told as a series of letters from the author to his son, about growing up Black and the generational differences he sees between his and his son's generation, about what he's learned about the world, and what he's had to un-learn to love his son better.

4. Read a book that’s been challenged recently in your school district/library OR read one of the most-challenged/banned books of the year by a queer and/or BIPOC author. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi This book definitely deserves all the hype. It's very readable and the way it's organized, paralleling the author's own life and journey, makes it very accessible and relatively nonthreatening. I think a lot of people who've bought into the panic would be very surprised by the actual content.

5. Read a completed webcomic. Crumbs by Danie Stirling This was a super cute graphic novel about figuring out what you want from life and learning to tell the difference between what you want for yourself and what the people around you want for you.

6. Finish a book you’ve DNFed (did not finish). Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce I dnf'd this book at about 25% a couple years ago, mainly because I just couldn't get into it. This still isn't quite my thing, but I did feel like it got more interesting as it went along and there was a neat twist at the end.

7. Listen to an audiobook performed by a person of color of a book written by an author of color. How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, narrated by Lisa Reneé Pitts This includes the statement from the Combahee River Collective, as well as some interviews with the founders and others reflecting on the Collective and it's impact today. The narrator did a great job reflecting each interviewee's voice.

8. Read a graphic novel/comic/manga if you haven’t before; or read one that is a different genre than you normally read. The Sandman Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman I read lots of manga and I've been getting into comics, but this was my first foray into DC. The volume I read had the first three Sandman arcs and I definitely want to keep reading, though I might not watch the Netflix series.

9. Read an independently published book by a BIPOC author. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer This is an incredibly beautiful book of essays looking at nature through both the scientific and indigenous lenses and finding the places they overlap and complement and how listening to nature can help us move to a better future.

10. Read a book you know nothing about based solely on the cover. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected on Water by Zen Cho This was a short read about a group of bandits contractors trying to deliver some religious relics to a prospective buyer... and dealing with the nun they accidentally picked up on the way. The world building is lush and evocative and I really enjoyed it!

11. Read a cookbook cover to cover. The Sad Bastard Cookbook by Rachel A. Rosen, Zilla Novikov with Marten Norr (Illustrator) This is a fantastic (and funny!) little cookbook of meals you can make from stuff in your cabinets when you have no energy to cook. I'm already looking forward to adding some of these to my cooking rotation. And it's available online for free!

12. Read a nonfiction book about BIPOC and/or queer history. The 1619 Project created and edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones This is the book form of the New York Times Sunday edition from 2019 that commemorated the first arrival of enslaved people in the British American colonies, expanded and updated/revised. It was a good balance between longer essays that take you step by step through American history with shorter essays that focus in tighter on particular moments and topics. A must read to really understand why the US is the way it is.

13. Read an author local to you. The Eye of the Mammoth: Selected Essays, by Stephen Harrigan I actually got to meet Harrigan when he came to one of my undergrad classes and he talked about one of the essays included in this collection. This collection spans 30+ years of his writings, with many of the essays focusing on Texas and nature. I think I would have like to see a year for each essay, since it was sometimes difficult to pin down when he was writing.

14. Read a book with under 500 Goodreads ratings. The Holver Alley Crew by Marshall Ryan Maresca This is the first book in the third of the set of interconnected Maradaine series. It took a little longer for me to get into than the other books, probably because the cast is a lot bigger, but was still a fun read.

15. Read a historical fiction book set in an Eastern country. The Makioka Sisters by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki A family trying to marry off the two youngest sisters in 1930s Japan. Largely slice of life, but with a fairly abrupt, slightly odd ending. (Also, I don't really like this prompt. What's "Eastern country" supposed to be? If you mean Asian, say Asian.)

16. Read a romance with bisexual representation. A Restless Truth by Freya Marske (The Last Binding #2) This was such a fun murder mystery on a cruise ship with magic. I loved the first book and was looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint!

17. Read a YA book by an Indigenous author. Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith A spooky mystery with a great twist at the end. I really liked all the references and homages to other works, mostly horror, but also Rain is Not My Indian Name, which I loved as a kid and didn't realize was by the same author.

18. Read a comic or graphic novel that features disability representation. Monstress, Vol. 7: Devourer by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda This is a fantastic dark epic fantasy series. It's got gods and monsters and politics and a disabled main character doing her best to save the world rather than destroy it.

19. Read a nonfiction book about intersectional feminism. Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks A short, easy to read primer on the history, goals, and struggles of the feminist movement. bell hooks is one of the must read authors for anyone interested in the subject.

20. Read a book of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author. An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo I really enjoyed this collection by an American Poet Laureate. These poems were interspersed with memories and histories of Harjo's Mvskoke people and often in conversation with other works.

21. Read a book of short stories. The Moon Over the Mountain and Other Stories by Atsushi Nakajima, Translated by Paul McCarthy and Nobuko Ochner A book of historical Chinese stories written by a Japanese author. Some of these I really enjoyed and some kind of meandered. I was glad I'd read an abridged Journey to the West and had that context.

22. Read any book from the Ignyte awards shortlist/longlist/winner list. Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard Short fantasy novelette about a spare princess trying to figure out her place at court after being returned from being a child hostage. The setting was really neat and I would have loved getting more of the politics of the world.

23. Read a social horror, mystery, or thriller novel. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff This is a novel made up of short stories with an overarching plot. It was so good! I think I'm missing a lot of the references, since I've never done a lot of classic sci-fi or horror, but it was still really good. Each short story focuses on a different character, so it was interesting to see all the different backstories and outlooks.

24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat! A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa I read this one for my reading around the world challenge, but I'm repurposing it here for the 2015 Read Harder prompt #19, a book originally written in another language.

[moe-broey]

I do really want to buckle down and get my old WIPs presentable though, even if I do resort to just cleaning up pencil sketches (though ideally I would like to ink and color -- or even just settle for inking).

I talk a lot about my concepts and I feel bad/frustrated that I can't present them...

I would say the Veronica focused comic is like a one-shot, initially planned to have two pages (though only one was sketched/written out).

Meanwhile I have a long ongoing plotline that started off as a non-serious, silly comic, that I ended up having Strong Feelings about actually, which eventually would kick off all of my Askr sibs/Alfàr thoughts. There's a short interlude with Sharena and Lif as well in the og silly comic as well, as I was drawing parallels/trying to grasp the vibe... this comic did actually reach coloring stage, almost all character illustrations are fully colored, bg blank (which. The art is so old. I almost just want to leave it.)

And I guess that Is the nice thing about doing all of this as a hobby, like, nothing Actually has to be done perfectly, it just needs to look presentable. I can take as many or as few shortcuts as I want, and learn in the process what works for me.

Like, actually, I feel like my Henry/Libra/Nowi comic is a fantastic example of that -- the bg is extremely basic (borderline looks childishly done), and I Know I could do way more than that, but. All I really wanted was to draw something quick and fun that was exclusively focused on the characters, the joke, and the actions taking place. The background only existed for the purpose of Making it work -- you need to see that there's a river, that Henry is currently dragging Nowi towards as if he was disposing a body. And later, you need to see the river still, when Libra picks her up and throws her into it. Core point, it doesn't have to Look nice -- it just needs to perform a function.

Something else nice that I learned in letting myself do it poorly is that watercolors are really good for broad quick coverage. Which IS something I knew and was going to utilize in some Genshin comics, which ultimately got abandoned esp bc I lost the interest -- I just haven't actually Used the method in a larger piece. Which! I think is actually what I'm getting at.... being able to draw something small, not serious, with the lowest amount of effort required to serve its purpose, actually helped a lot in conceptualizing how I can approach future projects. And likewise, how I can approach cleaning up older ones that don't quite stand the test of time.... but again, I may just opt for filling in the necessary blanks (fully coloring The Characters if it got to that stage) and cleaning up what I can with updated art (which would end up being pencil sketches).

Another thing is I really want to organize everything somehow, beyond my art tag. Especially because a lot of these thoughts are interconnected, even in the case of the Veronica one-shot. And of course, the other WIPs, while disconnected at first glance, Are the jumping off point for a storyline that has A Lot of different parts. Plus, on top of all that, I actually have a lot of comic/story ideas for my summoner OC. Either to present characterization/parallels, or to be a part of another broader storyline that's interconnected as well.

I think. Maybe the main thing to get sorted Is whatever is closest to being finished, and starting from there. Which also means I'll want to figure out a navigation system..... hgnghghnhghbngh......

[anzuhan]

hi, i hope you don‘t mind me asking this out of the blue, but i was wondering if there were any artists that inspired you to choose the style of your work? i especially love the way you pick colors for your illustrations and i feel like that kind of style has become much rarer recently (or maybe i just never come across it), so i was super happy when I found your blog and all your great art! i hope you have a lovely day/night and a lot of fun with future drawings :)

thank you for all the nice words <3 my main inspos are LAM (ramdayo1122 on twt), onono imoko (_himehajime on twt), terada tera (@ trcoot everywhere), rurudo (i forgot their @ but you can probs find them just by rurudo :( ), unxi (unxxi on twt), bebe (slso known as bebe pp or bebe fate, i forgot their twt handle too😭) anddd these are all i can say fastly off the top of my head. i mostly base my linework and stuff more around works like bebe's, unxi's or rurudo's and color like a combination between lam's and onono's! terada's works are also great inspirations always.. the colors too <3

my favorite game of all time is sadly dohna dohna (minors dont look it up, its an eroge) and onono made the work for it. i am very very much in love w onono's works and though i tried to emulate a style more like his in the past (youll notice on some older illust), i now try to mix them all towards something im both comfortable with and enjoy making.. and enjoy seeing the end product of too! i learnt painting first thing which is silly i know but im generally more comfortable with painting than cel shading (like onono's) sooo um yeah 👍hope this helped u anon

[a-gay-old-time]

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them (or Draco Malfoy’s Guide to Stop Dying and Start Living Instead) by @greaseonmymouth 

Includes art by dustmouth 

Massive thanks to the author who helped a lot with getting artist permission to use the art! This is my copy of this fic, I made one for the author that’s currently on its way to them so I will post pictures of that later! This story meant a lot to me--I loved the characterizations of Draco and Harry and the way they grew both as people and as a couple throughout the fic. The illustrations for this fic are gorgeous and I tried to pick bookcloth and paper that would pick up on some of the colors in them. I’m very pleased with how this turned out, it was my first flatback book and my first time making an author a copy which I’d love to do more of in the future!

[mellobluemoon]

Let's Begin! A beginner tarot guide/advice

Hello you beautiful people! Here is my first entry into a series of posts where I will delve into talking about tarot to help the beginner tarot reader. Welcome! I want to make this as fun and interactive as possible for all of you so don't be afraid to ask questions! I'm here to help in anyway I can.

But first off, my name is MelloBlue. I have been a reader for almost 2 years now (1.5 years specifically) and there is a couple of things I'm learned in that time in regards to tarot:

1. Treat tarot like a new language

Like Japanese or Spanish, tarot is its own language. It is a world of its own with its own history, culture, and stories. Each deck has its own personality and its own story to tell which can make it even harder for a baby tarot reader. There's so many symbolic images, motifs, roman numerals, colors, pattens, designs, so many things that it can be easily overwhelming at first. What is the Chariot? Why are there naked people standing under the Moon? Is the Tower card bad (and am I doomed)? There are all things I was worried about when I first started reading.

It wasn't until I listened to the podcast Awakened Tarot by Jaclyn Kitzman (@awakenedtarot) that it was explained to me that tarot is the story of life, death, and rebirth. Specifically the Major Arcana tell this story. Which makes sense when you think about spiritual awakenings and us just growing and changing as people: the old version of us dies and we are reborn anew.

I will be making a run down of the Major Arcana (and Minor Arcana) in a future series of posts to illustrate this concept. But just remember to be patient with yourself while learning. Everything will make sense in time. Don't worry if you don't understand something initially or if your guide book's explanation doesn't make sense either. Just remember you are learning a new language (and doing a damn good job at doing it)!

2. Tarot is Intuition

In Encanto Mirabel is shown to have a great sense of intuition. She feels that there is something underneath the surface in her family's history that is causing their house to fall apart. She only gets glimpses and pieces of the true story of what is happening to the house. Even though she doesn't quite understand what is happening, she lets her intuition guide her to the truth. This is exactly what we're doing in tarot.

When you do you first 3 card spread it will probably not make any sense to you (I know mine didn't for about a month)! But the more you study and look at the card you can start to put the pieces together. It's like you're a detective and the cards are the clues to what you are asking.

When I start reading I say out loud whatever immediately comes to mind, no matter if it's the "traditional" interpretation or not. Your readings are there to help and guide you and whatever your interpretation is is the right one FOR YOU! As longer as the reading makes you feel seen, heard, and is helping to guide you in your journey that's all that matters. There is no right or wrong: It's all about you my dear!

It gets a bit harder when you start reading for other people but I recommend just reading for yourself for a couple of months to fully feel comfortable in trusting your gut instinct.

3. Tarot should be FUN!

Be like Stitch...enjoy your deck and have fun!

Over the time I've been (somewhat) involved in the tarot community I've seen a common type of attitude among new (and older) readers alike: tarot is taken VERY seriously. Which I understand, tarot is a form of divination and should be treated with respect. I recommend only picking up tarot if you have a natural, energetic calling to it for your own spiritual protection. Someone who has a natural calling and interest in tarot might not have the same protection as someone who is only doing it from a place of ego. Don't do it because it's the latest trend, or it looks cool. Do it because you are genuinely interested in it. I believe the serious aspect of it comes from reading for other people. I do take my role as a tarot reader very seriously because I am starting to affect the energy and mental state of other people. But if you're just doing it for yourself just enjoy it!

Don't worry about getting your reading right, or understanding something on the first pass. That will come with time. Get lost in the world of tarot and all the beautiful artwork that is created! Buy that silly looking cat deck (I really want the Cat tarot deck) or the cutesy unicorn deck (which I have and love). Tarot should be therapeutic and cleansing. After most readings you should feel lighter, more healed, and left with a greater understand of yourself and the world around you.

It can become addicting so I would watch out for that but if you treat it with moderation it can be a great addition to your life.

Oh! And always pick the deck that calls to you. Cause she will become your best friend. I always feel rejuvenated after getting a deck that calls to me. Your deck does not have to be gifted to you like tradition insists. You can get your own deck!

4. Clear you mind before a reading and start taking baths more often

Go to the calmest, quietest place in your house to get into a calm energetic state before a reading. When I am super stressed and tense from the day, or if I'm exhausted, I tend to not be able to receive the message as clearly. I try to think of it as you turning yourself into a tuning fork to become in synch with your intuition, your spirit guides, and the universe. I try to put on some meditative music, dance, sing, or will just do a quick guided meditation. Anything to get myself into a clear headspace. This place for me is my room where I have a mister emitting grapefruit essence into the air while I read (It helps me greatly to ease my anxiety and calm my ADHD brain). I recommend to not do tarot when you are tired. I did that once and got the worst migraine of my life.

I also recommend getting into the habit of taking energy baths when it becomes harder to clear your mind. I try to take a bath every month or every other month (I'll also dive deep into energy cleansing baths but this youtube video by stayforevertrue will help you to get started)!

I hope these tips and advice was helpful to you!

I'll be back with the first in a series of 3 posts focusing on the Major Arcana. See you soon!

-Mello

[mi6-cafe]

WEEK 2 DRABBLES ARE HERE!

Now, let’s refresh your memory.

For the second week of LDWS, our true l- our writers were asked to write a drabble between 150 and 200 words, based on the word deck from the point of view of an outsider.

THEY DID SUCH A GREAT JOB!

(this is a purely illustrative gif of an outside observer of the goings on at Q’s flat, not a prompt)

READ THE DRABBLES AND VOTE!

hOW?

Read the drabbles & Pick three favourites!

Vote for them on this form!

Add some feedback for the writers!

That’s it! You have done your civic duty and voted!

Vote!

Read the drabbles below the line.

#1

Title: Eulogy for the Aston Martin Author: Misha / artsytarts Warnings: Canon Typical Violence (mainly directed at vehicles) Summary: Around 007, life and death go hand in hand.

The moment I leave solid ground and fly, pointed directly at the deck of the ship, I know my life is forfeit.

I realize now why the other machines pitied me after I was assigned to the man they call 007. I see his blue eyes blazing as he concentrates, gripping my steering wheel. They say he’s careless, but judging from the few days I’ve carried him, I know different. He’s not careless. His destruction is calculated. Only once I was obsolete, once he depleted my ammunition, blew my doors off, and pushed my motor to breaking point did he make his decision: To use me as his missile.

I count the milliseconds as the deck rushes towards me. Without a word, 007 pushes the ejector button and I fling him out into the open air, out into safety and freedom.

I am to be his sacrifice.

Before I hit the ship to perish in a blaze, I decide: I have no use for resentment. Like so many machines before me, I have granted him life.

That must count for something.

#2

Title: All In Author: sorion Warnings: none Summary: Bond is handy with cards, and Felix likes to watch.

There are few things as satisfying as watching James Bond clean a table in poker. Felix has learned that pretty much the moment he's met Bond, and the entertainment value hasn't changed in the years that have passed.  

On the contrary: Felix has learned some of Bond's tells. Not the kind of tells that would let him win against the insufferably unbeatable agent, but Felix recognises the spark that lights up in Bond's eyes, only seconds before he wipes the confident smirk off an opponent's face with a winning hand.  

Another thing he can see is whether Bond enjoys the game for its own sake or just really hates one of the other players. He knows it's the latter when the opponent asks for a rematch and offers the deed to a hotel in lieu of liquid funds, and Bond agrees, provided that they use a new, unopened deck of cards.  

The opponent blanches near imperceptibly, and Felix smirks into his drink. Oh, yes. Very satisfying.

#3

Title: Voyeuristic Displeasure Author: sunaddicted Warnings: none Summary: seeing everything is not so fun

Bond's hands were big and rough, stronger than they had any right to be.

He had been observing them with varying degrees of interest over the years, stuck behind his computers or out in the field - air straining in his lungs with the knowledge that the other's life depended on how fast and how smart he could be.

He watched Bond strut along the deck, hand poised low on someone's lower back, head tilted down in a way that suggested he was focusing on whatever he was being told, seemingly enraptured in them - Bond played the part well but he knew what signs to look for, to spot the seams of the almost perfect façade: he darted glances around, favoring his right side, trying to keep under the eye of the cameras that he knew to be in friendly hands.

The hand slipped lower, fingers teasingly dipping beneath the edge of the brightly colored bathing suit his companion was wearing - shameless.

Almost teasing.

He stood up with a weary sigh, empty mug held aloft: he was going to need a strongly brewed cup of tea, if he had to watch Bond flirt his way into another bed.

#4

Title: International Man Of Mystery Author: Merc / moon_of_mercury Warnings: none Summary: Some players never make it to places like Casino Royale. Others... acquire nice cars on the way.

She has encountered many interesting characters in her career, some more remarkable than others. Poker tends to attract extraordinary people. It isn’t always easily definable: something about this man arrests her attention the moment he walks up to the table, asking to join the game even though she’s already cutting the deck. 

He flashes a cocky smile at everyone, reads his opponents like a professional, and pleads with her to let the unlucky Mr. Dimitrios bet his car to win his money back. She complies, amused. Such self-sufficient arrogance would be offending if not for his friendly politeness. The way he eyes the man’s wife is not mere casual interest either. Those intense ice-blue eyes have already seen every opportunity. His body language may seem relaxed, but there’s an awareness in his movements that hints at explosive potential underneath the calm surface. 

For an exhilarating moment, she revels in being a part of this man’s story. It’s as clear as day that he’s used to playing for much higher stakes. She wonders what the real prize here is.

Dimitrios has lost again even before this stranger shows his cards. Men like him bend luck to their will. 

#5

Title: Crossroads Author: Hexiva Warnings: None Summary: James Bond visits a fortune teller.

The man’s cold blue eyes look past Serenity as he steps into her fortune-telling tent, and she shivers. His aura is like ice, a vast glacier with life frozen deep down inside it. He reminds her of a mobster from some old movie, wealthy but brutal. 

“What do you want to learn?” she asks.

“The future,” he says, distractedly. She follows his eyes to a bearded man standing at the high striker, speaking in Russian. 

She shuffles her deck. “There are two paths before everyone,” she says. “This choice is yours.” She draws two. “First path - The Lovers, the Star. Companionship and connection bringing hope. Choose the Lovers' path, and you will find a new beginning. A second chance.”

“And the other?” he asks. His tone is flat and apathetic. He doesn't believe in hope.

She draws again.  “The Emperor, the Hermit, both reversed. Rigidity and repression bringing isolation and misery. Choose the Emperor's path and you will end up alone.”

But the man is looking past her at the Russian, and he stands. “Thanks." A wry little smile. "But I think I already know what path I’m on.”

She watches him go. In his shadow, she sees the Emperor.

#6

Title: Observation Deck Author: Anyawen Warnings: none Summary: Mallory and Tanner contemplate employee relations.

Mallory surveyed the scene before him, sipping his scotch and trying, fruitlessly, to tune out the horrid rendition of 'Deck the Halls' playing overhead.

"We should do something about that," Tanner said, coming to stand beside him.

"About what?"

"That," Tanner replied, gesturing in the direction of Bond and Q. "Them."

The Quartermaster, decked out in a horrible Christmas jumper, looked exasperated. Bond, naturally, looked smug. They appeared to have entirely forgotten the holiday party happening around them as they argued. Flirted. Whatever.

"Trying to stop that from happening would be an exercise in rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic," Mallory said with a bemused smile. "Utterly futile."

"I don't want to discourage them," Tanner protested as Q cracked an unwilling smile at something Bond said.

"What, then?"

"A little push? Mistletoe? Lock them in a closet?" Tanner suggested hopefully.

"That might be construed as stacking the deck in your favor," Mallory observed mildly.

"You know about the bet?" Tanner spluttered as Q stole Bond's champagne glass and drained it to Bond's mock outrage.

"Spy," Mallory explained succinctly.

Tanner nodded wry acknowledgement.

They continued their silent observations a few minutes more, then Tanner asked, "What day did you pick?"

"April first."

#7

Title: Nighttime Invasion Author: SouffleGirl91 Warnings: vague references to blood, swearing Summary: Q’s cat is not impressed by 3am visitors

Thunk.

A crumpled heap hit the floor. She hissed, tail bushy, ready to pounce on the intruder.

“Oof!”

Gunpowder Man was invading her space.

Again.

“Q?” Gunpowder Man whisper-shouted. He sounded different. “Are you awake?”

Something dark dripped from his nose.

She sniffed cautiously. He stank of copper and salt. Still, it was better than the strong, sour reek of last time.

A light came on in Father’s bedroom.

Gunpowder Man lifted himself up and wobbled to the sofa. Walking on two legs seemed harder for him than usual.

“Bond?” Father came traipsing up behind him, making the room light up. “What the fuck? It’s 3 in the bloody morning. You couldn’t wait?”

“What, you’re not happy to see me?” Gunpowder Man used the false-happy tone Father used when he tricked her into The Basket.

Another dark drip.

“Don’t be stupid,” Father tsked, petting Gunpowder Man softly on the shoulder. That should help; Father gave the best pets. “Why don’t I put the - Christ, Bond! What happened to your nose?”

“It’s not broken. She hit me when I told her I was staying.”

“I thought psychologists were meant to keep their cool,” Father sighed. “Come on, let’s clean you up.”

#8

Title: A confession of a deck Author: scarytheory Warnings: none Summary: James Bond would be lost without me.

I'd like to think that James and I are not just colleagues, but friends.

You know, we’ve been through a lot together. Cottages in forgotten lands, first-class casinos, important fights – I’d always been with him and helped him along the way.

But this game is different.

“That’s not fair, James,” the opponent says, watching his stack of cards.

“I’m not cheating, Q.”

The opponent snorts. “You may be the best player the MI6’s ever had, but even you can’t be THAT good, 007. Aces again? That’s not very subtle.”

“You were the one who said poker is just basic math and all about the art of reading people. So stop whinging and take off your shirt.”

Beg your pardon?

There is something disturbing in the air. I don’t think I want to give the good cards to James anymore. “Happy?”

The shirt falls to the floor.

“Immensely.”

The next round, Q loses his pants. I’m starting to think that this isn’t even about poker!

“I won.”

Finally, it’s over and I can relax again. Even though I’m not sure what this young lad can have that James Bond would be interested in… oh.

#9

Title: Camouflage Author: IrishWitch58 Warnings: None Summary: A certain agent and their partner are in the field. The local perspective.

Grace's eyes were drawn to her first customers on the deck overlooking the harbor. They were as unlike as could be but Grace would have known they were together with just a glance. The subtle leaning in, the eye contact, the briefest brush of a hand. Not honeymooners but the established kind of connection that took time and patience. The younger man was dark and slender and had a tan that was honey gold. The older one was broader and blond and that one sent tingles up her spine. Her brother and his military buddies were like that, poised and watchful. She didn't see a weapon but suspected he was armed. They'd arrived three days ago in a beautifully restored vintage sailboat, walking the less traveled portions of the island.

Passing Grace, Mimi muttered “Spies posing as tourists.”

Gracie scoffed at Mimi's imagination. What were they spying on here, conch recipes? Then a new boat dropped anchor. The blond saw it first and the dark haired one checked the tablet he always seemed to have before nodding and finishing his chowder.

The pretty sailboat pulled up anchor the next dawn and the new boat was found derelict two days later.

#10

Title: Missing Him Author: Nana-chan Warnings: Summary: Austen the cat watches as her human pines for the Blond One

From her perch on the living room sofa, Austen looks disapprovingly at her bespectacled human. He is out on the deck again, smoking and no doubt pining for the Blond One. He is a relatively new addition to the household and has been gone for several days now, as is his habit. Keats—that dummy—misses him, too, as he meows and gazes forlornly at the front door.

She herself is unsure of the Blond One, but she doesn’t like it when her human is all sad and distracted, reeking of cigarette smoke and unresponsive to feline overtures of comfort. She feels powerless to help him. How did one man become so essential to her human’s happiness?

Then a key turns, the door opens, and there he is. The Blond One dumps his bag in the foyer and heads straight for the deck, pausing only to give her a brief head scritch. She watches as he folds her human into his arms and starts grooming him in that strange way humans have, with their mouths fused.

She hears her human laugh, gladness and relief evident in his tones, and finally, she makes up her mind about the Blond One.

#11

Title: Origin of a Voyeur Author: stormofsharpthings Warnings: none Summary: There was a legitimate reason to start going through all the Q Branch security footage, dammit!

After the small accidental volcano destroyed lab 7b, no one could recall who’d last checked the fire suppression system. Exasperated, R pulled up the security videos in hopes of spotting someone. The recording of Q and 007 was entirely unrelated, but she just couldn’t look away.

Q had been helping Bond dress for some formal event, tuxedo carefully tailored to conceal the equipment Q was arranging around his body. The scene resembled a squire helping his knight, except...

R bit her lip at the way Q stroked his fingertips down the front of Bond’s suit to check the drape of the fabric, evading Bond’s hungry gaze with a sly little quirk to his mouth. Then Q leaned close, reaching around to run his hands over the back of the jacket, lingering a little over Bond’s well-proportioned backside before he sank to one knee and brushed along the sides of the trousers.

“There, all decked out,” Q murmured.

Bond reached down to cradle Q’s chin in his hand and Q looked up with a provocative lick of his lips, the heat almost visibly simmering between them. Bond took a deep breath, his fingers tightening, and Q ‘s eyes widened and then slid shut as he turned to brush his lips against Bond’s thumb. When Bond made a low rough sound, both Q and Rani swallowed at the same time.

Then the outer office door slammed and she hurriedly shut her computer down, blushing. But she saved a private copy first.

#12

Title: The Bet Author: Venstar Warnings: none Summary: Bets are made, there will be blood.

Oh, yes. It was going to happen. The tension was palpable in the room, yes he said palpable in his interior monologue. Just fucking get closer. Do it already. He was going to win that bet today by fuck. He leaned forward in anticipation, eyes locked on target. Yes. Yes….Keep going...almost….

*AH-OOH-GA!! AH-OOH-GAH!! AH-OOH-GAH!!*

Fuck, goddammit. Not again! He narrowed his eyes. There was no way another attack by water was happening. Dammit. Fake or not they were going to have to clear the god damned building. He sighed heavily as he turned sad eyes back to where 007 and Q had been quietly eyeing each other. They were gone. “What the fuck?” Where? There! The orange of Q’s cardigan turned a corner.  He was not about to lose the 'THEY FINALLY MADE OUT DAY' be! He ignored the rest of Q’branch’s leads as they ordered the evacuation.

“Davis?”

Fuck. It was R.

“And just where are you going? Exit is that way.”

He turned with hunched shoulders to find R smiling at him. Her eyes flitted past him to where Q and 007 had disappeared to. “THAT bet will only be won when it’s officially my day.”

#13

Title: Specs and the Lady Author: solarmorrigan Warnings: None. Summary: Louis has been a bartender for a long time, but occasionally patrons can still surprise him.

The Friday night crowd seethes around the bar in waves, laughing and calling out their orders. Louis has been a bartender a long time, which means he can keep up with the steady roll of vodka-tonic-scotch-and-soda-bottle-bottle-pint and still keep an eye on the floor for trouble.

Trouble like the man in specs and a loud jumper bumping into an over-drunk man in a worn football jersey, spilling both their drinks.

Specs’ mouth forms the word ‘sorry,’ but Jersey isn’t having it. He grabs Specs’ jumper, but before Louis can even call for Paul—their unofficial bouncer-bartender—a lady slides in between them, curly hair and cunning eyes, and pulls Jersey’s hand away.

Jersey shoves the lady, and viper-quick, she decks him. Jersey goes down.

Louis lets out a surprised laugh. The lady looks quite pleased. Specs looks exasperated, though Louis doesn’t know why; if he had someone like that in his corner, all squared shoulders and terrifying heels, he’d be delighted. Then again, from Specs’ half-laughing attempt at chastisement that carries in the surprised lull in noise (“Really, Eve?”), this isn’t the first time it’s happened.

“Just take Jersey out,” Louis bids as Paul moves in, “Specs and the lady are fine.”

#14

Title: Eyes on You Author: oldestcharm Warnings: n/a Summary: The Quartermaster is enjoying his afternoon and Bond is far too concerned about his garden.

She's good at her job. So good, in fact, that she's currently hidden from sight with her scope right on MI6's Quartermaster himself. He's sitting on the deck of his house, enjoying the sunny weather with a girly drink in one hand and a laptop resting on his thighs. He's typing furiously, paying no attention to his surroundings. All she has to do is take one shot.  

Then, the sprinklers turn on.  

She does her best to not make a sound even as her phone buzzes.

4:27 pm:

There are over twenty cameras on the property.

4:28 pm:

I suggest you get out of my hydrangea bush. James worked rather hard on the garden and he won't be pleased to find you there.

A click behind her — probably a gun. "You've ruined my garden."

She turns around and finds herself face to face with the legendary agent. She cringes. "I'm... very sorry?"

Bond does not look amused. "You're fixing this before you leave."

"You're not going to kill me?" she asks, heart pounding.

"Q wants you for his team." Bond sighs, looking more annoyed than anything. "Either you accept or I'll shoot you."

Well, it's not exactly a choice.

#15

Title: Over It Author: MrKsan / starrboned Warnings: Canon-Typical language Summary: Tanner is nervous.

Ferrying through the maze of the Thames tunnels was often a nerve-wracking job. More so when his passengers were nervous. More so when it was the Chief of Staff who was sitting across from him, restless, tap-tap-tapping on his cardboard box.

Tanner gave Jack an awkward smile as they docked, climbing the narrow ladder just as the Quartermaster stormed into view.

“I’m going to skin the twat alive, Bill!“ he hissed, making Tanner stumble to a stop. “Didn’t even try to cover his tracks.”

Jack grinned. Only one man could piss Q off that much.

Tanner sighed, resigned. “I’ll inform M-”

“Already did,” Q huffed.

"Oh?"

"Not risking my career for him again, Bill."

Jack dared a peek at the couple; the conversation was taking an unexpected turn.

Tanner blinked, once, twice, before seeming to come to a decision. He shoved the cardboard box at Q.

“Thought we could share breakfast, since our dinner last night was interrupted? Bad timing, of course- ”

"Bill,” Q said, and Jack saw the silver of a smirk. "I would love to."

Pulling a crumpled cigarette from under his heavy coat, Jack couldn't help but grin to himself.

MI6 and their drama.

Go vote!

[subjectnumberx]

Thumbnailing: Subject's Way

Thumbnails are an important workflow tool artists use to make creating their works more efficient. They are essentially tiny, low detail versions of the idea you may have in mind, and save time by helping you catch potential compositional errors, clashing colors in palettes(if you blob some colors on), and poses that simply might not.. work in character art as well as many other things not mentioned.

I am a very visual person and sometimes putting ideas to paper really helps me focus better on the task at hand. Organizing things into steps on the page really helps me not get overwhelmed. It might prove helpful to you as well.

In this tutorial, I'll take you through my workflow process when planning paintings and simple character illustrations.

I start off the process by doing a ton of sketches of whatever thing from many angles, poses, etc. Usually if I have a certain image in mine I simply sketch that and adjust little things like angle, placement of limbs, etc. Work teeny tiny, you can enlarge it later. I,t really depends on what the goal is for that piece what the process looks like. Here the goal was to just draw a character, so I have many options.

environment sketches look a bit different for me, as I will sketch them in literal cubes. I am still working through the technique. I just haven't gotten good enough at them yet to consider a tutorial by me would be helpful to anyone though.

Like with piece D, it's good to plan compositional elements here too. I added the moon that would go in the eventual background, swords in the hands of B and E, etc. Had I had more time, F would have gotten rough roses, but I digress.

After I have base sketches, I do very rough lines so I know what I'm looking at, and it primes me for what I could possibly have issues with in doing the final. I keep it VERY loose and don't dwell too much on details. If I'm drawing a character, I'm not even going to look up references, unless their silhouette is very complex. There is not much need for accuracy here. Just to nail down your subject's silhouette.

At this point, you can start eliminating which poses you don't want. Here I was very indecisive so I went through with sketching all of them.

At this step ill also take the time to plan variants if I feel like I would be indecisive about them/need them for certain platforms (optional).

Here's where things start to actually take the form of thumbnails. I work large and draw most of the anatomy of the subject so that things are positioned correctly in the frame. Draw the whole of something, even if you know it's going to get cropped out. There is nothing worse than trying to draw in a way that is already cropped, it messes up your anatomy bad, and you'll spend more time trying to fix it, especially if you are just starting out as an artist.

Physically drawing a box around them to help with framing is really good to help plan the composition of the final piece. Again, you can eliminate stuff here as well if they don't make interesting compositions. Consider the rule of thirds and how much breathing room you want or need in your piece. The one not in a box was eliminated because I didn't like the pose nor would it make a very interesting piece.

I also use different colors on the boxes so I can overlap them and keep my eyes from getting confused where one "drawing" ends and one begins.

If I'm planning portraits/art in my painterly style, I'll take the time to block in some colors just to see what I should shoot for in the final. I will also do several pairings of colors in their own sets of thumbnails if the piece needs it/i want varients. I highly suggest blobbing so that you can see how potential colors will play with one another. Learning the teeniest bit of color theory will help, I promise, but for now, i'lI'lll refrain from the mini-lecture.

these three two (you'll see), I figured would make better cel-shaded/quicker pieces due to how zoomed out they are, any true details I would want to focus on don't exactly work for my current style faraway. Be sure to tailor compositions that suit your style. I will be keeping these sketch ideas for future reference.

It's important to remember that just because an idea doesn't get used in this piece, that doesn't mean it can't be used in a further piece down the road. I actually have a horrible habit of deleting my thumbnails after I'm done with them, but if I'm thumbnailing in a sketchbook? I find myself browsing back over them for future pieces to get some rough ideas of what could work later.

One last thing, you don't have to plan as many thumbnails as I did, but I do suggest at least 3 or 4 to really stretch your creativity.

Thumbnails also make for a good warm-up. If you're curious, I did the initial sketches in this order: A C E D B F. I think it helped me loosen up a bit, but you can be the judge of that.

I went back and tried another approach for a painting, but now I have the base for 3 paintings I could pursue, albeit rough, but it's good to learn how to paint like a sculptor, I digress.

That's all there is to it. the key is being clean enough to get the idea down, but rough enough to save time. work small, using basic shapes to create silhouettes. You can enlarge it later and use it as a base sketch.

Last two cents: I've also learned that sometimes if a piece is just not working, it's probably more than likely a compositional issue, anatomy, or perspective, Which is why thumbnailing can help you catch these issues early.

happy drawing :)

a/n: this is my first time really creating a tutorial. this might not be groundbreaking information for some of you and that's okay. this tutorial was initially created for someone in an art server I'm in on Discord, hence the slide-text-slide format. I have taken the images and text from that and compiled them here to make it easier to pick up the tips. I do not consider myself a pro on any of the things mentioned by any means, merely my take on it all. Get multiple sources, educate yourself, practice, and find what works for you. - Sub

[mizelophsun11]

Mizeloph's Tale Chapter 7

Pairing - It is still General Kirigan x OC Sun Summoner but will eventually switch over to Kaz Brekker x Sun Summoner OC

Summary - Anna is continuing to adjust to her life in the Little Palace and her life and things will continue to pick up once she is presented to the king. She is missing some of the old parts of her life and thinking about it her childhood before crossing the Fold.

Word Count - 2273

-

Anna had been dressed in a First Army uniform that she knew all too well. What she was not used to was the golden veil that was attached to her hat, she had a hard time seeing through it. Something else that was different was her hair that had been tucked into the hat so it wouldn’t be seen. The idea behind it being that Anna would truly be seen for the first time as the Sun Summoner when she pulled her hat off in front of the king. She and Genya were walking to the courtyard where they would meet General Kirigan. He would take Anna over to the Grand Palace for her to be presented in front of Ravkas monarchy and other important people.

“Can you please explain to me again why I have this veil? I just don’t see what purpose it has” Anna said as she touched the veil

Genya tapped Anna's hand to stop playing with the veil “you look fine”

Anna sighed and stopped touching it “um, so I was wondering, is there any way that I might be able to leave the Little Palace? It wouldn’t be for a long time I swear” Anna was starting to feel the effect of being sealed away in the Little Palace and wanting to just get out and possibly see her friends

“But you have everything here that you might need” Genya knew that there was more than just missing a some items, but it was dangerous for Anna to leave the Little Palace

“Yeah, but there are a few things I wasn’t able to get before I was whisked away to the Little Palace” which was true, she had been dragged to the carriage and taken away before she could even think about what was happening “I could go back, get those items and make sure that I stay safe” she also hoped that getting those things would allow her to see Mal and Alina

“What could be so important that you would want to go back there? Plus, you were attacked on the way here, why would you want to risk that?” Genya thought that maybe if it was truly important maybe something could be done, but Anna’s friends would have to wait to see their friend

“I know it's a huge risk.. But it’s my sketchbook, I’ve always had one since I got to the orphanage.. It’s stupid I know, but it’s really important to me” for Anna drawing was very important to her. With it she was able to make new friends while also thinking about her first friend Kaz. In the orphanage, Anna and Alina would draw pictures that reminded her of the places she and Kaz use to draw in the dirt. Ketterdam was not for someone with artistic talents like Anna, but she remembered Kaz supporting her passion. Anna knew that she could never make a career out of drawing; it was always something she used to just escape. Now that she was in the Little Palace Anna needed a little bit of time to escape.

Genya nodded “It’s not stupid, I will see what I can do, now come this way, we don’t want you to be late to meeting the king” she pulled Anna along

Anna smiled a little and started to blow at the veil still trying to make the best of it “now this is fun, I can’t wait to get this thing off” she kept blowing at it

“Stop that!” Genya laughed at Annas antics

Anna laughed, she was having a good time with Genya, they had gotten along from the beginning and it was really nice. With Genya at her side she felt like she had made her first friend in the Little Palace. She knew that friends were probably hard to come by in the Little Palace with everyone being cold stone serious, but Genya was different and Anna loved it.

“Remember, no one can see you until King Pyotr does, I’ve told you this when I was tucking your hair into your hat” Genya said

“I still don’t understand why, it’s not like other people have already seen me before, I am just the supposed Sun Summoner now” before she was a living myth Anna was just a regular map maker, why was it so important now to cover up what she looked like?

“It’s all ceremonial, the King wants to see you, a humble girl taken from the ranks of his army, as if he is taking credit for you” Genya tried to explain

“Yeah.. but still I feel like I should be wearing a kefta or something, not a cleaned First Army Uniform that has never seen a speck of dust ” Anna said

“You’ll get a Kefta once he has seen your power” Genya knew that this was a lot for Anna and was trying to be there for her

“Yesh, that power that I definitely have a full grasp on..” she said sarcastically, Anna just wanted this demonstration to be over with, she wanted to start training right away

“The important people who will be there are King Pyotr, the Queen, Crown Prince Vasily, and the King’s spiritual advisor, the Apparat. He’s a greasy rat, then there will be other Lords and Ladys there close in the kings court” Genya went on but something grabbed Annas attention

They had walked past a library, Anna stopped for a moment to look inside and see the rows of books. When she had been living at the orphanage Anna would read any book she could get her hands on in order to escape the world she lived in. She had also taken interest in books with illustrations, she always enjoyed the prospect of drawing what she was reading. Another escape she had acquired when Anna was taken to the orphanage, with the drawings came the reading.

“Wait, did I just see a library? Please tell me that is available to us” Anna asked really hoping it would be someplace she could visit

“Everything here is available to all of us, General Kirigan built this palace to be a home for us so we could thrive and not have to always look over our shoulder” Genya knew that it had not always been like this, a palace safe space

Anna nodded “has a Grisha ever escaped?” she joked, not being serious

General Kirigan knew she was joking, but decided to approach “does that mean you are going to make a break for it?”

Anna turned around to see General Kirigan “oh, I didn’t mean to, it was just a joke, sorry” she smiled a little and he smiled back

“It’s alright, I know you are still adjusting to life here, it’s good to laugh a little” he wished that sometimes he could smile more and laugh, but he was always serious and take care of everything, the world was on his shoulders

They walked out to the courtyard that connected the Little Palace and the Grand Palace “The royals paid for a palace that looks like crap?” Anna said without thinking “oh my.. I just said that”

General Kirigan chuckled “I couldn’t agree more, I think that the Grand Palace us the ugliest building I have ever seen”

Anna smiled “well that’s good, otherwise I would be questioning your sanity”

General Kirigan looked at her as they walked “I hope the room was to your liking, did you get some rest?”

“Yeah I did, surprisingly, once I was finally able to fall asleep it was probably the best sleep I have had in a while” Anna had gone through so much she had tired herself out, she needed to rest “but now there is this demonstration and I don’t even know how to summon the sun properly.. I am scared that I will fail in front of everyone”

General Kirigan stopped, Anna noticed and faced him, understanding he wanted to have their conversation before entering the Grand Palace. “Remember the promise that I would keep you safe?” Anna nodded, she knew that he would keep his word to her. “During this demonstration, just focus on me and you will be fine, we will get through this together. All of this is for formalities and I promise I will be by your side every step of the way” General Kirigan smiled at her and grasped her hand “we have nothing to fear” Anna felt at ease and her worries had dispersed.

They let go of each others hands and continued on to the Grand Palace “once we sees what you can do then get his blessing, you will remain here to train” General Kirigan said

“His blessing? I know he is the king, but I thought you ruled the Grisha” Anna asked, she knew that there was a lot to learn so she hoped that she wasn’t coming across as stupid

“I only lead the Second Army, the King has the final say in things, but I always make sure that my Grisha have the best and are not held back”

They walked into the Grand Palace, as they walked down the large stairs she looked around at the room filled with people. As Anna and General Kirigan walked to the center of the room, it felt nerve racking, there were so many eyes on her. General Kirigan and Anna both got to the center of the room and bowed to the monarchy. Once everyone was settled in Anna looked over to General Kirigan who nodded to her, she took the hat off allowing her white hair to flow free. The people in the room gasped and began to whisper, the unnatural color catching everyone off guard, this made Anna even more nervous. Eventually everyone became more quiet once the Queen spoke up.

“Your hair color.. I have never seen anything like it before, it’s.. interesting” the Queen said trying to appear as nice

“Thank you, Your Highness” Anna was able to spit out

The Queen continued to look at Anna curiously “what are you?”

Anna was still feeling nervous and looked to General Kirigan pleading for help without saying a word “She is Anna Mizeloph, the Sun Summoner moya tsaritsa and she will change the future. Starting now..”

General Kirigan brought his hands up to call forward the shadows into the room, making it dark. Anna watched as the room was consumed with darkness, she looked to General Kirigan who then faced her.

He gently grasped her hands and put his under hers “now call the sun”

Anna nodded, she brought her hands together beginning to call the light, then she felt General Kirigans hands come under hers and the light moved out completely surrounding the room. She was glowing, feeling every molecule of light and the energy that came with the sun, warmth and power. Anna looked up at General Kirigan and smiled, she felt more like herself than she ever had. In the moment, it felt like it was only them in the room, wanting to get lost in each other but remembering they had an audience. General Kirigan then let go of her hands and the light she had summoned disappeared. Everyone in the room was clapping and cheering, the Sun Summoner had been found and the people could not be happier.

Their transe was broken by the King's standing ovation “Bravo! Bravo! How long will she need?”

“Destroying the Fold will not be easy. She will remain with me in the Little Palace to train.. Undisturbed” General Kirigan wanted to get his point across to the King

The King nodded “Then train her quickly, our wars have been a noble pursuit, but this chatter from the West about becoming a sovereign nation needs to stop. The sooner we are one country again the better”

“Agreed, moi tsar” General Kirigan and Anna bowed and turned around “you were perfect”

Anna smiled “thank you, it felt amazing, I don’t even know where it came from” she was still feeling the joys of using her small science truly for the first time

General Kirigan stopped and looked down at her “it came from everywhere, because you called upon it” he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek “Welcome home, Miss Mizeloph” she blushed a little and smiled watching him walk through the group of Grisha that had gathered around to greet her

One Grisha gave her a hug “it’s such an honor to formally meet you” Anna smiled and saw the Squaller, Zoya approach her

Zoya smiled and hugged Anna “white haired Ketterdam trash” Zoya whispered into her ear

Anna didn’t have enough time to react as Genya grabbed her arm pulling her through

“You are truly one of a kind, the entire country is going to be talking about you now” Genya smiled and pulled her away from the group

Anna walked with Genya back to the Little Palace, she was still in shock, first she had been able to summon the sun. Then after it all, General Kirigan had given her a kiss on the cheek, she touched the place where he had kissed her. She was surprised by it, but it was actually kind of nice, she was feeling so many different emotions. Once they got back to her room there was a blue kefta that had gold embroidering that resembled the spiralling rays of sun. Anna took off her First Army uniform and put her new kefta on, she went over to a mirror and looked at herself, she felt like she finally finding her true home.

-

Author Note - Thank you everyone who has been reblogging my chapters and leaving comments! I really appreciate everyones support in my story! Please feel free to continue leaving comments if you would like to! Also if anyone would like to please feel free to pm me and if you would like to talk I think that would be amazing!

Tag List - @rika90 @itsemy01 @hotleaf-juice @teatimeforusreaders @benbarnes-supremacy @graciefullygracie @aleksanderwh0r3 @klaudosh @herbatkazmilosica

[lorebird]

I’ve been thinking about Darkstalker a lot today....... so what else to do but dump all my thoughts into an essay lmao

I haven’t reread the second arc yet, only the first, so I’m working off memory here — but I wanna try to articulate the way I’d like to see him written. This works in some magic system revamps and stuff which I’ll explain when relevant!!

Funny little criticism

First off. I REALLY don’t like the way animus magic is written,,,,, what on earth does it mean to lose parts of your soul, in a way that isn’t just plot convenience?? Again, this is just from memory of arc 2 and the special edition, but it feels like animus magic doesn’t have much consequence Until It Does. Like,, DS was selfish and manipulative BEFOFE HE WAS BORN?? He’s “evil” from the beginning for fun and flavor, what does his magic actually Do other than change around the ratio of good:evil in his funky lil soul reader,,, it feels like we don’t see anything on the spectrum between “a few spells here and there without consequence” to “time to murder my family!” I also despise how albatross is written but that’s a rant for another time

Idk I’m just Really not a fan of canon animus magic. Idk exactly how I’ll be redoing it, but I know I’m cutting the soul stuff entirely. I think it’s more interesting and adds more nuance if Darkstalker’s descent isn’t as involuntary as animus magic makes it seem.

Anyways, on the topic of DS being Evil from the start — his redemption??? Like, you’ve got Scarlet, who is only ever acknowledged as evil. She’s never given anything close to a chance at redemption, bc she’s illustrated as Evil™ through and through. But Darkstalker, who is arguably worse than her, gets to start over (against his will???). Girl why??? I have a theory that DS was written to be a tumblr sexyman industry plant actually /j

Ok actual rewrite ideas now

So another magic related thing is moon-given powers. My rewritten world has “moon gifts” for each tribe, from fire resistance in MudWings to frost breath in IceWings to color changing in RainWings. This is cuz I’m writing things slightly more grounded in biology, so having magic abilities from moonlight made it a bit more sensical (as opposed to coming up with biological mechanisms for it all, plus why IceWings would develop frost breath from their common ancestors that breathed fire).

Anyways, all this to say that mindreading and future sight is pretty common in Darkstalker’s time, because it doesn’t require a full moon. Any amount of moonlight lets the abilities develop somewhat, and it’s on a scale — you can go from full Clearsight-level premonitions to vague ideas of the future that seem more prominent than others (“I feel like we’re having soup for dinner more than the possibility of having steak for dinner”). This is sorta what Fatespeaker’s got!! Same goes for mind reading, you can have incredibly clear visions of what others are thinking down to above-average empathy from picking up emotions.

Because of this, ancient NightWings were actually a very emotionally in-tune tribe who were very aware of each other (it helped that they didn’t have to endure the food shortage issues of modern NightWings). Enter Darkstalker: an incredibly powerful dragon who had the potential to be the greatest and most empathetic of them all. And yet,,,,,

I want to tackle DS’ arc with the idea of “frog in hot water.” I wanna look at the gradual change, keeping in mind the environment he grew up in, and go more in-depth on how those ACEs affected the way he used his magic. The way I kinda see it is “used to help others” > “used to help loved ones” > “used to prevent harm” > “used in a way that infringes on others’ autonomy” > “used in a harmful way against enemies” > “used in a harmful way against dissenters” > “used for violence/widespread discord”

By the time he comes back during arc 2, he’s full-gone and stuck in the boiling water. But he’s still got his charisma and an understanding of what it’s like outside the pot, and that’s how he ends up freed and causing chaos. It’s only with enough experience outside his isolated worldview that he can come to realize how wrong he and his actions were, and willingly give up that power. With that reset, and without the trauma that edged him into the path of abusing his power, he gets to start over in a better environment and live a quiet but happy life! Though I’ve got some personal hcs about the magic not staying buried, and letting DS/Peacemaker redeem himself by having access to the same power as before, but making the right decisions this time around. Idk I just think it can make for a nice story about overcoming trauma and self-loathing if he does find out who he used to be

TL;DR I think Darkstalker is much more interesting by removing the built-in issue of losing his soul. To me, it’s more interesting to write him in a way that examines the effects of unlimited power in the hands of someone who keeps pushing past boundaries. Imo it also makes Peacemaker more interesting to eventually unearth those abilities and memories, but remain a good person

[macaronnya]

So I just saw the announcement about the EN server shutting down or at least dicontinued (hopefully just for now) and I might just burst into tears 🥲 I want to put my thoughts or rather feelings of the journy up until now on here to come down but maybe also as some form of comfort for anyone who needs it? It's very long and might have some broken english as it's not my first language so do keep it in mind please 😅

Anyways, I started A3! last year on march 7th because I saw a youtube video of people cosplaying Sakuya and Sakyo. At taht point, I already knew of A3! somewhere in my distant memories back when it was JP only. I decided to try out the game since I was getting bored of my current mobile games and the few reviews I could find of it were relatively positive. I had no idea just what a big part of my life this game was about the become 🤧

Btw I'm listening to some A3! songs right now, specifically Sakuya's 2nd character song, and it's not helping me 😢 So at the time, lockdown just started 2 days ago, which left me with a lot of time playing it and, I kid you not, I gulfed the main story down like it was the last slice of cake at home. I have 2 siblings. I think I finished it in a week or so despite it being only unlockable through leveling up, and if my memory serves me right, you need to be around lvl 75 to unlock all 4 episodes. As one can see, I was VERY invested in the story. It was just so....nice? I don't know how to exactly describe it but I was surprised by how likable everyone was. Of course I didn't hold such strong feelings for everyone back then as I do now but I was intrigued enough back then of nearly everyone, which is kind of rather rare in such types of games, no? At least for me it is, although I haven't played terribly a lot (Love Live, MLQC, Mystic Messenger).

I really like how the story actually continues through the events and how it alternated between stories exploring certain characters more (show events) and stories focusing on just them having fun. Getting to know everyone bit by bit and seeing how everyone grows closer to each other, not only within their respective troupes but the whole theater, makes me really all warm and fuzzy and it's found family, what more could you want?

Also, I really like Izumi, our dear MC 🥰 Even though she's supposed to be our self-insert, I found myself really enjoying reading her thoughts, observing her reactions to other characters' shenanigans (like her 'I do not see' to the members plan of faking their identity to bail Citron out lol) and just....her personality. Trying not to digress here but she has a lot more personality than other MCs in these joseimuke games and it makes her interactions with others not only bearable but even enjoyable. I'm not saying that this is what a perfect MC looks like or that she's superior to bland self-inserts. After all, it depends on the story, gameplay and other things. It's just a nice bonus I'm very grateful for. I mean, I got really emotional when Izumi performed with the other staff members all of the plays the actors have put out so far for the first anniversary. Her realizing she gained a new dream for her lost one just really took my heart, broke it in thousand pieces and then mended it again.

I also love A3! songs ❤ I did wonder how they would work in this franchise since it's not about idols but actors, though I guess there was nothing to worry about. I really like the duets because it's always a different duo and hearing them singing together, harmonizing with each other, complimenting each other, just fills me with undescribable joy. Of course the songs also slap pretty much every time. Even by limiting my options to 1 troupe, I still wouldn't be able to pick only one favourite (I like the majority of Winter's song tho, like Shoutai is just 🤌 and my sibling blasted Unmasked non-stop so I can't get it outta my head anymore). Gosh, I was so excited for 'Double Solitaire' since it would complete trilogy of the Hyodosakas singing together. I was really looking forward to getting all the songs and I was even saving up for Summer Troupe's 6th play.

If I had to describe the game A3! in one word, it'd be "charming". Coming to game itself, there are so many little quirks, that on their own aren't anything groundbreaking or big but together give the game its own flair. Live 2D is pretty common to see nowdays in games because it brings the characters to life through movements like 3D models. But I think A3! is able to illustrate it just as well, if not even better with their 2D sprites. Citron moonwalked by flipping the image over and sliding across the screen, Hisoka appeared out of nowhere by coming from above the screen, they do a little jump when they're happy, they go down a bit when they're sad. And that's just things with their whole sprite. The little drops when Tsuzuru finds himself in an awkward situation or is worried, the little note when Sakuya is happy, the hearts when Kazunari is lowkey flirting with Izumi, it's so cute! Or Omi's O.O face, Taichi's crying face (the usual one, not his face when he cried out of guilt of betraying Mankai), Yuki's done expression, H O M A R E AHA! They each have at least one personalized expression and also quote. Can you hear Kazunari's Yoropiko~☆, Citron's humming, Taichi's loud ass whining and scream of terror, Tsumugi's awkawrd laugh? It's brimming with life.

But also the UI (?how it looks) is joyful. The main screen's background cascading shapes changes depending from which Troupe your current character is from, the loading screen has sakura petals and a bird, the colors are very bright and saturated fitting to the overall color palette of the whole game, the little notebook during practice showing all the necessary infomation and a little sketch by the characters. It's just really charming.

As frustrating as it was, not getting halloween Tsuzuru after 110 pulls or Valentine Omi after 120, it was my first time ever understanding why gachas are called hellholes. Through my strong connections to the characters, their cards automatically appealed to me more. But the art is also so good???? Azuma is always looking flawless obviously but Omi's unbloomed Wolf card, where he is standing in the sunset looking at his camera or Kazunari's Shinobi card, unbloomed all concentrated on his panting and bloomed all shiny smiling like the fireworks in the background? Breathtaking everytime. I also appreciate it not needing multiple copies to unlock the whole backstage story.

I think I'm slowly running out of things to say, which might be good for whoever managed to come this far. I have to say though, A3! helped me through the pandemic. Being a perfect distraction to the world's chaos and more importantly my crushing schoolwork and worries for personal future. I'm a very pessimistic person but seeing the characters overcoming their hardships through the help of their to-be "family" and just being happy doing trouble, gave me a little hope and light for a bit every day. I came to cherish everyone, even those I like the least. I haven't felt like this since Mystic Messenger, which was also a game, that helped me through a difficult time. I can only wish to a shooting star, that it's not the end for the EN Server yet. While yes, the JP server is thriving and I could just switch to reading fantranslation, through my experience, my enjoyment considerably sinks playing like that and I wish to fully enjoy A3!.

Anyways thanks for reading (maybe again). Sorry for all the possible errors on the way here. I'm writing everything directly without too much thought. If you want, you can also share your experiences in the comments. It's always nice to share good memories with others.

Edit: I accidentally posted it already but I wasn't actually done 😓 When I said I had a lot to let out, I meant A LOT

[cqtlatte]

damn your art style is so pleasing to the eye :0

do you use any particular art software, brushes or technique? I'm a beginner at digital art, so I'll take all the advice I can. thank you for your time!

Hi anon!! Thank you so much, it really means the world to me <3

There’s so many tangents I can go on to give different advice for you, I think because we often think there’s a concrete formula to improve. I hope the advice I give here will help down the road, and that I don’t sound too all over the place here! (lol)

As for programs and such, I use Clip Studio Paint EX. I used to be a PRO user for quite some time but upgraded for the extra features (mostly for webtoon creators/animators), it isn’t a necessary switch at all if you only want to focus on illustration.

Paint tool SAI is also a good lightweight alternative! Before I got a better laptop, my old HP couldn’t really handle CSP; it lagged a whole bunch.

---

I tend to jump around a LOT between brushes to toy around with effects and stuff, so it’s hard to give a specific set, however I use these the most:

https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1697201

https://graphixly.com/products/theonewithbear-sumi-brush-pack-for-clip-studio-paint

Along with the darker pencil (default brush in CSP)

and a few brushes from the DAUB brush pack.

I don’t use every single brush in every set all the time either though! Usually when it comes to picking brushes for yourself, it 100% relies on how comfortable you are with using them. You'll definitely know what feels good for you, and what doesn't when you try them out!

Some people (like me) enjoy more textured brushes, and others are comfy with clean brushes for lineart, and others like soft watercolor brushes or oil brushes.

Don’t be afraid to tweak brushes either! It takes some time to learn how to do this, but there are lots of tutorials out there.

---

I think the most important thing is to first find something that you enjoy drawing/painting a lot, and experimenting a bunch on that. Don’t be afraid to try new things!! You don’t always have to follow the basic workflow of sketch > lineart > color > shading. Mix it up a bit! Include colors in your sketches, paint over your sketches if you don’t like doing lineart! If you do like making super clean lineart, work on different types of lines to make it more fun! Art is like a form of play and messing around, it shouldn’t feel stressful. Be willing to make lots of bad art (even though that can be hard sometimes), so that in the future there’ll be less bad art and tons of good art! Don’t worry too much on developing a style, since this will come naturally the more you draw.

---

(also, a word to those who post art on social media!) -

Don’t ever forget to draw what YOU enjoy, rather than focusing on what you think others would like to see!

For a long time before this year I felt like I was constantly hitting a brick wall, and I didn’t know why I didn’t like drawing as much as I used to, and why my character art felt so boring to me. When the covid pandemic hit, I was forced to take a loooong look at my art, and decide ‘I still have a long way to go..’

Something clicked when I sat down to work on some acrylic paintings on canvas for my uni portfolio: I wasn’t allowed to include fanart, since the university didn’t accept that. I also didn’t want to only include digital art either, so that I could add some variety! So, I painted.

I was forced to think more about colors (something I was neglecting, since it’s much easier to color digitally and hit the undo button 10000000 times when I wasn’t happy with something)

During that time, I found that I really REALLY liked painting landscapes and working with bright colors, so I also started to incorporate that into my digital art. Turns out other people enjoyed that as much as I loved creating it, so from there on out, I’ve just been toying around and experimenting on new things ever since!

---

Anyway I hope this doesn’t sound too abstract. This is my first time giving formal advice so my brain is going into overdrive mode.

[tae-kun]

The Hiatus Is Over

The Group Has Been Formed

Empathetic Society, is a new group/platform where me and a few others will be dedicating our time, skills and effort into creating dope content that accurately represents all POC. Something that is not seen often in our communities especially in mainstream media.

Tumblr has always been a great place to not only try new things but find dope content and people that are like you that will support it. Over my 3 years of being on here i have found so much support in my writing and promotion of black content.

Anyone thats been following me should know that im always vocal in calling out inadequacy and straight up bullshit that is found in the black community. The formation of this group/platform is a way to continue that in a more impactful way for not just the black community but all minorities that deal with the same issues.

We are here to create a space for creative POC to not only find dope content thats not your typical or generic content, But also be a way for other dope content creators that don't normally get the attention or recognition they deserve to finally have a way to be seen.

We're supporting the artist, writers, singers, crafters, poets, gamers, etc that normally get overshadowed by the typical rebloging of old Twitter post or Aesthetics that's gets over circulated on here.

Most of the best content that has made tumblr standout to me has been buried underground. So here's my attempt to bring that to the forefront.

Welcome to the Underground.

Welcome to Empathetic Society.

The Members-

Tae-Kun:

Specialties/Role: Writer, Editor, Promoter, Organizer and Creator of Empathetic Society

Upcoming Projects: Telephone (comic), Class of Clairvoyant (comic), Eyes Behind The Mask (comic), Coon in a Colorful Heaven (Book)

Art Made By: @varakis @cryptidw00rm @boyofzoot @maysworkshop

Afro-Ami:

Role/Specialties: Art, Comics, Character Designs

Upcoming Projects: Telephone (comic), Eyes Behind The Mask (comic)

Links: Instagram, Tumblr

Bribrique:

Specialties/Role: Comics, Character Design

Upcoming Projects: Dirty Affairs (comic), Clairvoyant (comic)

Links: Instagram, Tumblr

SosaTheCloud:

Specialties/Role: Comics, Graphic Design

Upcoming Projects: Class of Clairvoyant (comic)

Links: Instagram, Tumblr

Varakis:

Specialties/Role: illustrations, Comics

Upcoming Projects: Tba

Links: Tumblr

Upcoming Releases:

Working on project: Tae-kun, Afro-Ami

Category: Comic

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Release Date: Between June - August

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Content Creator Spotlight:

Event- Content Creators will be picked and promoted to help gain attention to their pages or content.

Start Date: TBA

Game Night:

Event- Play competitive games with or against Empathetic Society with the chance of winning cash rewards!

Start Date: TBA

CONCLUSION:

As you can see we are a serious group of content creators than plan on being around for awhile. Through out this time we'll be uploading content from pictures, comics, animations, to videos. Please follow everyone and support all of their work.

Later on we will be announcing our Patreon where you will gain access to our big projects such as Class of Clairvoyant, Eyes Behind The Mask, and future content to be announced.

Also if you're a content creator that also wants to be a part of the group, message either me or one of the members and we can begin the process of getting you in. We're only accepting 2 more at the moment. But as we expan so will our members.

Thank You All for reading and we can't wait to bring you guys all of the content we've been working on and have planned.

You'll be seeing more from us soon 😁

[break-slash]

Puzzleship JP & KR Fancomic Recommendation List

UPDATE (19-12-2020): Added two more artists and two more titles on the Japanese lists!

I don’t consider myself as someone very tidy and organized, but I just like making lists of the things I love, somehow. Hence this post. I haven’t been in the fandom for long but I thought I’d share some of my favorites primarily from two sites: pixiv and postype. Most of the postype ones are behind paywall, and I will mark them differently.

Some of my favorites come from the same artists, so I’ll also link their pixiv profile on top of my favorite work of them.

(I actually bookmarked a lot and picking them isn’t an easy task, so I will update this step by step. If you see only a link of an artist, that’s the reason, but I can guarantee you will love their works! Feel free to recommend me yours through reblogs or DM as well!)

Japanese

Artist: CYHGM

She is a Chinese and is more active on Weibo (she posted tons of puzzleship there, but my Mandarin is beyond rusty so I could only cry in despair lmao), but she has two fancomics that I absolutely adore of. Those two mentioned fancomics are:

The Past and The Future. You can check my translation for this one here. It tells about Atem who gets transported to 3000 years later before his coronation, and that’s where he met post-canon!Yugi. Just... everything about this comic is so wonderful. I teared up at the last page, not gonna lie ;_;

The Pharaoh and The Fairy: An Ancient Egypt-slash-fantasy AU featuring the S0/TOEI casts. The fairy Yugi was saved by Atem, and it’s an obligatory for fairies to grant their savior’s wishes. However, Atem doesn’t exactly have something he wants of, and this confuses Yugi on how he should repay him back. Pure undiluted sugar, and fairy!Yugi is just so cute.

Artist: Fushitas

Arguably one of the most popular Puzzleship fanartists in the JP fandom (look at their number of followers on Twitter, man), but maybe it’s also due to the fact they were in AoT fandom too. They’re mostly active on Twitter, and if you also watch Zexal, they draw tons of Yuma-centric pairings too. They have released lots of books, and their prices on the reseller sites are... well, let’s just say, unbelievable. Just to show how famous they are. 

From everlasting to everlasting: Set after DSOD. A mysterious figure appears in front of Atem, claiming to be his queen. Everyone in the after life somehow acknowledges this person, which makes him even more confused because he’s the only one unaware of this. On the living realm, Yugi who is on the way to his home got hit by a truck (isekai much??) and when he woke up, he suddenly plays the role of Atem’s queen. I’ve always adored Fushitas’ drawing, and this is no exception. The story is pretty simple, but is still good! The ending of this comic is everything I’ve always wanted from the canon lol. 

The King’s Guest: Ancient Egypt AU. The councils are starting to get worried because Atem shows no interest in marrying someone, so Shimon opens up a “chance” sort of for civilians to become “someone for the Pharaoh to talk with”. The civilian Yugi takes this chance right off the bat, and stuff happens? This one is just so sweet and the misunderstanding later in the story kinda cracks me up. I really love the way they build the two’s chemistry in here.

Artist: usi 

They only draw two puzzleship fancomics, but both are so good and explores the themes I’ve loved from the pairing.

The Lotus’ Devil: Set post-canon with a flashback. It tells about Yugi’s regret in the past where he wanted to show Atem a small pool supposed to be full of lotus flower only to arrive seeing them not blooming. Fast forward to the post-canon, he found out that there’s actually a monster residing on that pool. I really, really loved the ending scene of this one.

Who’s The Detestable, Fortunate Guy Here: I think this is set sometime in the canon story, although the exact timing is unclear. It’s a short comic of Yugi asking Atem to pretend to be his date and go on a “dating practice”. A very pleasant hurt-and-comfort kind of story, and who doesn’t love a story of them dating anyways? :”D

Artist: Houzuki Anzu

She doesn’t draw much YGO, but she has some Arc-V and 5D’s fanarts too if you watch the series! 

Hourglass: Sets after the Memory World arc. Yugi keeps hearing a strange sound inside his mind, and he finds out there’s a huge hourglass standing there, guarded by the will of Millenium Puzzle. Apparently, the hourglass is linked to Atem’s remaining time in the living realm? Anyways, the ending of this comic might look like a cliffhanger, but I personally think it isn’t. I love the theme this comic picks to explore and the way it is presented.

Present: Same setting with Hourglass, but this one focuses more on Atem sorting out his feelings about the Ceremonial Duel and what he has learned from Yugi in general. It’s a very nice extra detail that the canon slightly lacks of, and I just love... bittersweet stuff in general haha.

Artist: Chiriko

Are you the type who wants puzzleship to be full of happiness and fluff and nothing else? Well, she has a number of comics to fill that need! I actually love all of her works, but if I have to pick, these two are my favorite:

...Don’t Ever Leave Me Again: A short story about Yugi having a nightmare of where he was stuck in the fire accident at Otogi’s store. Well... this isn’t a fluff sort of, but it’s... a happy ending still? /shot

[Untitled]: A dialogue-less comic, but this is the sort of post-canon what-if that I really, really like. Atem stroking Yugi’s face while sleeping is just... so soft man....

Artist: Komori Nea

Their art style was one of those that’s very noticeable and has a certain charm on it. They are pretty active on Twitter, and even draws puzzle comics once in a while that haven’t been uploaded to pixiv (which is why I recommend you to check their twitter gallery too haha)

The Soul Stays Awake: Post!DSOD. Atem comes back from afterlife in hoping that Yugi would be as happy as he is, but months after, Atem’s existence still hasn’t been registered on Yugi’s life just yet. Another post!DSOD take that I like which involves the fear of another farewell and uncertainty, but this is a good hurt-and-comfort. I swear, it’ll hurt you just... for a while. :”)

The Attack’s Aim: Set during the canon series. A short comic mostly portraying Yugi’s hidden strength but also the tenacity of duelist that is not only targeted toward the opponent, but also to Atem, without the person actually noticing it. The last page of this one is so... soft and gentle I had to put it into this list.

Artist: caf

Often draw with S0/TOEI style, characters and characterization in mind. Their coloring in illustrations is so soft, plus artists who specialize in S0/TOEI style can’t be found so easily. Their comic style is not a manga-like one and they write the dialogues with handwriting, but if you can read hiragana and write and understand how kanji works (so you can write it on translation machine), their comics are easy to understand!

magenta: S0/TOEI AU where Yugi and Atem are two separate person. A short comic of Yugi lying under the rain as Atem searches for his whereabouts. I really love the way they portray the rain and the atmosphere surrounding the scene. Or maybe I’m just biased with rains in general, ahahaha.

Yuugi and Mao’s Stay Home: Same AU as above. Our two boys has to face the same shit we do IRL in this comic, which is quarantine. Atem offers to cook something for Yugi since he can’t eat outside. You love seeing Yugi eating stuff? This is a perfect comic for y’all. 

Artist: Kkyut

Artist: Kayu(i)

Others:

Gemini: As Atem comes back to the living world, Yugi faces the dilemma of having being separated by “his other self” physically and mentally. A short comic, but the lines the artist used are so... beautiful. Like, the way they describe Yugi’s loneliness?? Just hits the park so much. 

Until The Hourglass Runs Out: Set after the Memory World Arc. As their farewell day goes closer, Yugi decides to give Atem a full control of his body at school so he could spend his time with Jounouchi and the gang more. However, things don’t go as smooth as Yugi had expected. If you like that little teeny weeny pain before the Ceremonial Duel, this comic perfectly suits the taste. 

see you sometime: Post-canon. Mahaad offers Atem a chance to meet Yugi in the living realm one more time, but with several conditions. Firstly, he could only stay for a day at maximum. Secondly, Yugi won’t be able to remember who he spent his time with after Atem hangs out with him. Thirdly, Yugi will not be able to “recognize” this Atem; he will only be registered in Yugi’s mind as a new classmate. A bittersweet comic in whole, but seeing the two having fun like a normal teenager would just makes me grin.

After The Rain: A dialogue-less comic, so everyone would be able to read this right away. A short comic of the two, but still very cute and wholesome!

The Tropics of Horus: Post!DSOD, Atem has to chase Kisara who lingers around Kaiba’s soul and he needs Yugi’s help to bring Kisara back to afterlife, but he has his own ulterior motive. This manga is so dialogue-heavy and might be hard to dissect especially if you don’t understand JP grammar and context, but the time spent trying to understand the meaning behind every words will be worth it. That much I guarantee. Just... everything about this comic, and how Atem’s “ulterior motive” connects to our boys’ adventure in canon series are so well planned. You can also purchase the R18 version in a form of the book here (toranoana)

Christmas Day: S0/TOEI puzzleship hint (dark puzzle???). There’s something in store for Yugi in Christmas, but this one might surprise Yugi a lot. It’s not that the prompt of “Atem gets separated from Yugi temporarily” is uncommon, but it is still a sweet one and makes you smile throughout the pages. 

Korean

All titles mentioned here are not free unless mentioned otherwise. Also I don’t understand Korean except being able to read Yugi and Atem’s name, so my story interpretation might be wrong. If you understand Korean, I’d really love for you input! ;_; 

You can check out on how to buy comics from postype here

Yugi’s 2020 Birthday Anthology: Rain and After End

This is an anthology consisting of four titles, but they share the same (or similar) setting where Atem is reincarnated, but he doesn’t remember his past (or has not yet, depending on how the story portrays it). Some are age-gap (adult!Yugi and high school student!Atem), so you might want to consider that if it’s not your cup of tea.

To Like Someone is to...: Age-gap setting. Mostly tells about how Yugi deals with his feeling as the reincarnated Atem in front of him turns out to have a feeling on him. I like how the story’s conclusion is that Yugi will sort it out slowly while also teasing Atem how he’s “too early” to date Yugi w.

In A Circle: A story about how the two met through an online chess game. Iirc Yugi works in a game company and Atem is sort of a famous e-sports player in this setting. There’s a lot of dialogue in this one and the app sometimes can’t process them very well, but I liked what I can understand from it! not very convincing is it haha i’m sorry i shouldn’t have done this

Familiarity: Age-gap setting, where Yugi becomes Atem’s caretaker. The comic mostly focuses on how Atem notices how kind (or too kind) Yugi is sometimes, but there are times where he feels distant. The plot where Atem gets into a fight with the other kid in his school because the kid mocks Yugi, and how Yugi just... accepts it even when Atem doesn’t want to say his reason of punching the kid is just.... god... I love this kind of age-gap setting like this I guess ;_;

Touchdown: Age-gap setting, but Atem is older in here (university student). The two goes to Atem’s university festival and they think about their own feeling when they got separated. On their way to drop Atem off, he confesses to Yugi, but Yugi is still unsure on his overlapping feeling between the reincarnated Atem and the Atem he knows. Make sure you play Motohiro Hata’s Rain and Aimer’s After Rain during the car scene to make the “rain” mood works even better :”)

Others:

Try For Point: A continuation of Touchdown, where Atem (like, the one from the past) visits Yugi in his dream and helps Yugi in sorting out is his feeling toward his reincarnated self. Atem’s advice is so sweet and there’s one certain line from this comic that I remember very deeply - there’s a part where he says, “If you don’t pull out the card, you won’t know what card it is, right?” to help Yugi clearing out his hesitancy ;w; at this point, I curse myself for not being able to understand Korean

[ygreczed-3]

Your wonderful ideas

...That didn’t inspire me at the moment but... They’re all really creative and sweet ! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me :)

Anonymous :

Aww, isn’t it cute ! I really love poetic quotes, they usually inspire me for more elaborate illustrations, with colors and all. I don’t have the time for this today but I really loved this one.

Anonymous :

Thank you so much ! I think that this community really helped me get better and supported me... So you can all thank yourself for my art lmao ! BUT ! THIS AU THOUGH !!! You should like... write a fanfic ! it’s so good ! You have the human-machine duality, and Connor’s quest for identity but in a whole different universe ! I find it amazing ! What about an ending where Connor stands in front of a beautiful dawn (just like the movie), and realizes Hank saved them all, and he starts to cry because he thinks he has lost him forever... and then Hank comes from behind him and they hug and kiss ? OMG I really love this AU (I love the Matrix trilogy !)😎

@pinkwebby :

Ahaha ! I know Reed900 is a very fertile field for all kind of jealousy tropes ! They’re not my favorite but I’m sure some people are gonna enjoy this prompt so I share it anyway ! I can totally see Nines crushing something he holds, wearing a 100% “-_- face”... while watching Gavin from afar ahah.

@skyfitzgeraldthefucker :

Awww, cute quote 💖 I really believe they can’t live with each other too ! Sorry I didn’t pick up your idea Sky, hope you were happy with the one I illustrated anyway ! Take care too my dear !

@taonpest :

Ohhhh !!! I admit I really really hesitated between this one and the Reed900 idea ! I finally decided I missed Reed900 and wanted to draw them... But this pose is really cool ! I always struggle to find interesting couple poses for some reasons... This one really is great ! Thank you for sharing ! Plus Hank and Connor chilling in a pub is sooooo nice to imagine ❤ (Also, I really wanted to thank you for reblogging my comics every time. Reblogs help spreading my art and it’s truly gratifying ❤)

@theneekytree :

Hhhh no 😭 No angst here I can't take it, I'm not ready to 😂 The problematic of Hank's mortality really is a topic I avoid because it makes me really too sad ! I know this is like the summit of romantic tropes, Eros and Thanatos, love beyond death and all but I just don't like to think about it. I know this is a reality for Hank and Connor but I'm in total denial when it comes to artistic representation of it 😂

Sorry I didn't illustrate it 🙏 I might be seen as a naive person but I really have a sweet spot for "feel good" vibes 😊

Anonymous :

What ?! Angst again !!! Geez you really want me to cry 😂 Makes me think of a never completed series with Hankcon slowburn... Hank being dumb and dumber and refusing to date Connor because he thinks he's not good enough for him... Then he finally changes his mind but Connor went to Cyberlife to get an update and lost his memory in the process... and forgets he loves Hank. This fic hurt my feelings so much 😭

@just-a-fangirl7 :

That definitely counts as Hankcon ! And I'd love to draw Reverse AU Connor one day ! Maybe on a future comic ? 👀 Thank you for this proposition ! I really liked it, if I had more time I'd definitely have drawn it 🤝

Anonymous:

Ahahah yes 😂 Connor getting full angry at someone/something trying to hurt Hank is one of my favorite tropes ! We all see how Hank is acting protective with Connor, but I'm sure our favorite robot boy could go "full murder" as you said on the people trying to hurt his beloved partner. Really, nice idea ! It's a bit hard to draw imo 😅 I wasn't feeling like challenging myself ahaha !

Anonymous:

Such a GAVIN REED thing to do ! They really like to mess up with each other ! Nice idea anon, maybe it'll give someone out there the inspiration they need !

@kiisekii96 :

LMAO ! I'm not exactly good at baking either ! And I can like... totally see Connor trying to cook something really sweet for once to surprise Hank (because he usually tries to cook healthy and Hank finds it lacks salt and sauces ahaha)

But then it's way to sweet, even for Hank 😂 The man would be "I changed my mind, I prefer when you cook healthy" 😂

A bit hard to draw, plus I'm excessively bad at drawing food 😂 But very nice idea !

@au-bunny :

As I said I really like cute lolita dresses, and I'm sure Connor amd Nines would look great wearing these, but I was in a mood for something dramatic and glittery 😂 I really liked the choice of dresses ! You took opposite black and white patterns dor each boy... Cute 🥰

@wingedauthor​ :

Thank you for the compliment ! And LMAO that would have been that, Gavin trying to spar and Nines kicking his ass like a boss ahaha ! Nice idea !

Thank you everyone for your propositions!

Maybe I’ll do something like this again when I reach the 2k followers milestone (I have no idea when i’ll reach it but heh. Or a lotery again. We’ll see !