#its so uncanny valley bc it looks like him but it doesnt

[spannardnation]

if u dont put his eyebags and moles back this INSTANT

[infernothechaosgod]

One thing imma be real one thing i don't like about some mouseverse comics is that some characters just straight up look so human, and honestly I think that theres some good missed potential with some of them like the phantom blot la creatura

Before I got into the comics for good I thought the phantom blot was suppoust to be a human and that was one of the reasons why he freaked mickey out so much bc he's just straight up activating his uncanny valley/ is somewhere where he's just straight up not suppoust to be so he doesnt look like anything mickey's seen yet but apparently he's suppoust to be a dog

I think blots design is very good without his mask he looks like one of these rich people way over their head (its bc of the mustache, brows and half closed eyes half of the time im telling you he looks like he has 500$ of spare change in his pocket at all times )

(He'd rob me out of my money on etsy)

But blots design really doesnt look like a dog and I honestly think for him thats a strenght for a couple of reasons I dont wanna fully write out here bc id be getting into character design study for like 4 pager out here but the main point is Blot is the villian and a well masked one on top of that his design being highly diffrent from others is a good thing bc he's already not like others he stands out and he's evil and he's suppoust to be creepy so I think not really looking like a dog despite teachnicly being one has its purpose and even metaphor to it if you wanna go that route (maybe bc he views himself so above everyone and so humanized compared to them that he ends up sticking out, because he is so above them he's no longer one of them and its visible in his design)

But the points above start to fall flat and explode like a comicly large firework when you consider eeeeeh

All these are background/one off characters so I understand why the designs arent exactly thought out on the same level as main characters that would honestly be ridiculous but some of them just don't look like any animals and some straight up look like humans with slightly altered face structure

And that unfortunately also goes for my best girl samantha

ily but you do not look like a dog girl T T

When I was first reading that comic i thought she got the "kitty kat" treatment but turns out its just a thing for one off/side characters

Also there are some alternative designs for already existing characters that look more human in animation that arent used for some reason probably bc the animation and comic departaments being quite diffrent and also having a giant brick ball between eachother or disney just refusing to re-brand or re-design things that are already somehow well known

Comic o'hara design ^^^

Animated o'hara design ^^^

There very slightly diffrent but I can easily tell animated o'hara is a dog while the comic ver had me a bit confused (especialy since I didnt see the ears at first)

Also o'charas first apperance IN COMIC FORM looks alot more charming to me for some reason, the same goes for other police officers

he's so fat here I love it

They look alot cuter that way imo I like their snouts alot more in that form Plus they do the side eye every dog ever gives you at some point you know exactly what im talking about 🫵🫵🫵🫵

I dont know it could just be me being picky but I feel like there would be some ways of making the side characters look more animal but still easy to draw and design, maybe something like character base's for diffrent animal species that can get altered for diffrent one off/side characters...or giving the comic artist more time to do their job crazy idea i know

Idk like i said it could just be me being picky but I just don't like that and think there are some ways to change that

This is just my opinion and rambling though so lemme know what you think maybe im missing something or you preffer them that way Id love to hear others opinion since I know there are ppl out there who put alot more thinking abt the mouseverse than i did and probably ever will

ye

[rust-is-a-car-disease]

Combining a bunch of stuff i love into 1 thing (i dont remember exactly where i read all of this)

Uncanny valley + charges via sunlight + weird biology and aging + shapeshifting isnt a genetic thing + his eyes are weird n reflective

(Basically talking abt that one fic where emi cocoons and his dad convinces him to move emi into sunlight and more... i love that fic so much both bc its great and for how they apply his biology)

I do want to talk abt his lifespan... but thats not what this post is abt

Im not into baseball but from what i understand sports doesnt really do a lot of media stuff as compared to what irl stuff ik like reality shows etc. bc they dont rly need to promote sports like entertainment stuff needs.

I just think itd be really fun if kenji gets put on one of those reality shows, maybe one where they try out hard jobs or smtg. Why? This gives me an excuse to put him in a farm setting for multiple days.

And if we put his whole team there... they get to experienve uncanny valley and weirdly reflective eyes. I include reflective eyes bc it probably would look really unsettling in addition to his uncanny valley effect when hes somewhere darker but somehow his eyes are reflecting a lot of light.

And they also get to experience how he has so much more energy since hes in the sun the whole day. And then how he has less energy on darker days if it starts raining a lot... hehehh

I imagine over the years before he can handle his aging (if he ever could learn how now thats an idea) it could very much start getting weird how his aging seems sporadic or stagnated. From what i remember i read ultraman ages could be based on emotional maturity so itd be interesting when applied to aging. As a celebrity itd be soooo fun to see the medias reaction to him.

I do really enjoy the ahapeshifting isnt a genetic thing. If we go on ultraman is very emotions based and we apply that logic to theyre emotions affect those they care abt and then apply how a lot of sentient beings mimic each other and learn like that it makes it interesting... not to mention if we r more lenient with it we can also apply it to him himself. Idk ultraman lore but wouldnt it be fun if ultramans could have another form (cough kaiju cough)? How this would apply to kenji might be different considering hes only half ultraman but for kaiju kenji sake i choose to believe in this case than ultras have more control over their forms than him but hes still able to control it to some extent. (Suddenly thinking abt the dsmp fic where tommy shapeshifted to have wings 4m grian or smtg but thats not what this post is abt i will think abt that later)

[kijosakka]

and the thoughts taunt me yet again. its just becoming commonplace at this point to ramble on tumblr before i go to sleep uhhh

theres gotta be like, a liiitle bit of established characterization summed up beyond a mess of multi paragraph behemoth rambling posts in a rb chain to rehash canon properly um,,

^ general idea is of noah knowing chris and chef before TD is even conceptualized and growing up in the industry bc of it, if only ever behind the scenes and watching in < all of the posts are actually more character studies about being Wary of the Cameras than anything else but id like to look at canon if only just to try and puzzle out/outline developments and whatnot.

starting out pre-island and segueing into his little time on island (and still being majorly character study-y):

chris, with TD being a new show and all, has trouble filling out the cast, and being fussy about the specifics of his show, is willing to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find those three castmates to pad it out. hence; duncan, ezekiel, and noah

^ duncan and ezekiel both did send in audition tapes, while noah did not, (i'd imagine here something about the TD website having everyones audition tapes release once theyre eliminated as 'bonus content'. everyone, of course, except noah.) cause, you know. up until this point hes only ever been known in The Business as 'that snappy but has surprisingly good insight into the Business kid noah who accompanies mclean', but now hes being asked to join this show he wants no part in. hes perfectly willing to help out behind the scenes, wheres hes comfortable, but chris insists -- and eventually, noah gives in.

the caveat is that he goes into the show both knowing about the resort after elimination and hyperaware of the reality tv aspect. and since, in his mind, hes elimination fodder there to make sure they have a full cast roster, he delegates himself a background character and acts as such.

hes not meant to last long, so he singles out some traits and ideas and detaches his person from them. for the length of the entire show, noah knows he wont be a person. he'll be a character made up of one-liners and quips with no character motivations or involvement in any real plotlines, someone who you see how early they get eliminated and you go 'yeah, that makes sense' and then never think about again.

^ and this is very apparent from his first onscreen appearance -- it takes a good minute for the boat to go back and forth picking up contestants even if most of the spare footage is cut, and as people arrive, even if the camp is a disappointment there's a shared sense of wonder about being the people who made it onto the show they all collectively want to be on. they chat and share excited pleasantries and theres a sense of personality that is immediately apparent to their peers because of it -- except for noah. noah has his one back-and-forth with duncan and then lets himself fade into the background from there on out.

and at first, its a kind of deal where its just like 'alright. hes shy, thats alright!!", but then it continues into when theyre all sent off and distinctly off camera. you try to chat with noah, and he gives you a non-answer or a one-liner than would be great for an audience!...if anyone were watching.

the walk up the mountain for the first challenge is much of the same: no input on the speculation about the challenge, just unnerving blankness. his facial expression is unchanging, not like he was unphased by the challenge, but more like he just isnt there for it. like the plot doesnt demand his presence.

again and again the first impression they get of this guy is a weird, offputting uncanny valley sensation. he doesnt come off as a real person, he comes off as robotic and lifeless. and its weird. i'd imagine in terms of character relationships, a lot of characters would be weirded out by him and completely write him off, while some of the nicer would insist on giving him a chance to get used to everything.

the second challenge comes -- he has his whole fake-faceplant thing that hints at something more, but again. hes a collection of ideas, and one of those ideas could just be potential, overridden by his apathy and laziness; two other key ideas.

noah doesnt touch any of the food provided during that second-first-half bit, just stands blankly off to the side like hes being used for background filler. of course he doesnt, the cameras are right there. (does no one else understand that?)

^ [*]awakeathon comes and goes; noah falls asleep, and that's.... it. no scheme, no strategy, he just separates himself physically from the cast by a few feet, and gets cozy to sleep. and then he wakes up. no insight into the character like with, say, courtney or justin. no plotting like heather. just banal averageness. a play to be overlooked.

and what was he to do? there were no real opportunities for any of his 'collection of ideas' to slot in, so he fades into the background and lets everyone else take up the screentime.

[*there is, i imagine, a kind of alternate version of events where the kiss with cody does happen and can be used as further/a more clear incentive for the events of dodgebrawl to happen.

the reason ive cut it here is because just in the context of noah sticking so hard to his hyperawareness, i would imagine he would know of and preemptively try and take measures against any Sleep Shenanigans that may happen, or may even avoid sleeping for longer because of the possibility.]

and then its dodgebrawl; he sees his chance to really flaunt his non-substance. [*]noah hates physical activity, thats one of his main Ideas in his compartmentalized collection. which better challenge to utilize it in than this one? again, hes elimination fodder. as far as he's concerned, this works out perfectly.

[*this would kind of give you a reason to change his lack of athleticism if you so wished. theres an alternate-alternate version of canon keeping this same noahs background that i might post about on here at some point, but in said AU hes more physically adept bc of his past in behind-the-scenes work. whos to say he hasnt helped carry heavy set pieces or ran around during busy hours?

it could serve to be a) self indulgent to some degree, and who doesnt love that, but also b) further alienate him from his cast, where even one of the barest traits he exhibits is just flat out wrong.

or you could just keep it as-is, and alter his attitude towards anything physical while keeping his unathleticism. or it could just be one of his chosen (truthful) traits that he decides fits with his on-screen character. its pretty ambiguous]

he gloats and inserts his quips where he can, the book hes carrying really just there to really sell it -- in terms of the cast and their thoughts, its again strange.

hes saying Words, but theyre Detached from the character and demeanor. hes putting on a performance and hes selling it pretty well, but its still hard to shake how off something seems about it. but noah does sell it and he gets voted off, off to his long vacation stay which he is absolutely looking forward to.

he arrives at the island, he gives his character interview full of non-answers, and then -- well, thats it. or it would've been it had he not noticed the obscene explosion of popularity the show had from its debut. the general public loved it, and you know what happens to shows that people absolutely adore? they get approved for second seasons.

this is the fact that tips noah straight into barring himself from all interpersonal relationships, as he was already wary simply by virtue of them being his castmates --theyre on screen, on set with him. that changes a lot about your dynamic with someone. -- and that he never really knows if theyre being watched on the playa; it is network-owned at the end of the day. so both the uncertainty and 'confirmation' of a second season lead him to avoid the cast entirely. literally.

nobody sees anything of noah beyond flashes in peripherals, disappearing books from the living area, and dirty dishes -- until theyre called for filming of haute camp-ture. and while its obvious to everyone else that theyre treading lightly around him since they, you know, havent seen him at all, noah acts completely unchanged. no acknowledgement of his absence, just the same dynamic with his castmates hes always had on-screen.

afterwards, someone tries to get his attention, to be like 'hey?????', and noah dismisses them extremely flatly. like npc dialogue. and then he disappears again, until i triple dog dare you, which im going to say they just gather everyone outside and let them do their own things until someone spins them and they have to give a dare. noah sits himself on a pool chair in his swim shirt and trunks with a book and Does Not interact with the cast at all.

^ you could spin it where they get a bunch of dares from the contestants individually and just read off from where theyre listed or whatever but this would be a chance to have alternate povs noting exactly what the characters think of noahs separation from everyone

anyway theyre called on the island for the [*]finale between owen and gwen, and he lets himself fade into the background. his work is done, it has been done, and now he just has to wait for what the segue into the inevitable second season is so he can wipe his hands clean of it (or so he thinks)

[*i think it could be written both ways, one where when the cast cheers he cheers and when they scream he screams, or another where despite the frenzied emotions around him, noah remains unaffected.

perhaps it could be used as a kind of 'well even people like zeke and eva are rowdy about this' contrast where either way it comes off as incredibly uncanny; one way, hes showing distinct emotion where he never has before, while never having shown any emotional investment in the winner. and the other way, hes completely detached from the emotions around him, to the point where he acts like its not even happening; his lack of investment in the winner is offputting, esp when compared to very early eliminated contestants who still do care.]

[electraslight]

You described Gwen's descent/arc into being the necessary realist/pessimist. I'm curious, how does that look paired with her anodite body concerns? What are ben n kevins eventual reactions?

hm, dont really get what youre asking? her appearance doesnt really change unless you meant how her pessimism and slow descent into pure nihilism pair with her physical dysmorpia being an anodite, in which case that while at first she is apprehensive about using her full anodite powers and taking off her skin so to speak [plus being generally lax while fighting for feat of collateral damage] after her apprehension is gone she kind of loses sight of whats human about her, and thats kind of the first step in her descent into the uncanny valley, with her forgetting things more often and slowly growing larger with time, becoming more and more divorced from 'human' and where once she had the appearance of a normal human girl, now theres something off about her, not even that she looks different, not totally, but in the way she walks and carries herself, and the way she treats people. shes more like a beast trapped in human skin than a girl now, i guess. as for ben and kevins reactions, i feel like bens realization hits far too late for him to do anything about it (liek age 45 he notices shes becoming more withdrawn and forgetful and losing her tether to earth) bc hes so caught up in his own shit, but kevin notices immediatly and it kind of puts a rift between them (will not go into my gwen and kevin breakup lore here but this rift is the eventual end of their romantic relationship) bc kevin feels like gwen isnt as kind as she was before and is changing but ultimately he has to come to the realization that she was never truly kind to him at first and that she was always cynical and untrusting, and it was only his wholly trusting nature and his desparation for love that convinced him that she was anything but hardened by the world. he still loves her, but its liek the way a sailor loves the ocean, you know.

anyway thanks for letting me spout my gwen lore, always love making her worse XD

gwens character arc in my brainworld is just this

[theamityelf]

dude hear me out on the mpreg aliens bc it gen makes sense for them and I am going to explain this cause it’s kinda cool idk?

ok look as a space faring species population groups are small or non existent, so kn order to avoid dying out they had to adapt to semi asexual reproduction. The mechanics of it I could go into intensely cause it’s something a lot of my other species use if they’re spread over a wide area. To put it simple and without making it WEIRD: one member of the species has both ingredients for la child, but forcing these two ingredients together requires external actions ah la the demonic tango from hell either by yourself or with others. Or surgery. Or a lot of things actually depending on species, some guys kinda just grow little plants literally it’s like jellyfish. Anyways, to keep genetic variation since not having that is bad, the species of aliens (I’m calling them gorpos but obv that’s not gonna be their official names) can co create with other species that are similar to them. By similar, I mean neuron number to body mass (the reason why humans are so… human… is because we have a large number of neurons in compared to our mass). This is just to avoid any freaks making shit I don’t want them too. anyways, this process mixes genes and then sometimes mpreg happens wether or not someone has a womb in the relationship (or we get Yuri but like… hyenas…) because the Gorpos come from these small, like jelly looking eggs, if you’ve seen a mermaids purse (which I used to collect the fuck out of) like imagin that but it doesn’t have the horn things and it’s clear because baby gorpos are translucent. Little guys. The other thing is that like… Gorpos are like just as if not more intelligent as us, some of them just have like a thing for breeding… or mpreg… idk their their own guys they can be whatever they want to

Anyways cannibalism-

that’s another neat thing for them but first ima talk about how their mouths are set up. First thing is their tongue curls, it’s like a probiscus but it’s got this really really thin needle (basically, if they wanna exchange a language or information, they fucking French each other and stick this needle in each others brains, some can do this across species. Freaks) and it’s very sensitive. Two, their mouths are absolutely full of fucking knives. Evolution kinda fucked them over on this one, that’s why they gotta keep their tongue curled up. Three is if you see one with its mouth visible outside of feeding, run. Basically if they see something that looks like them with a visible mouth or no antenna, it’s their uncanny valley since that means something is BERY wrong (Junko).

ok so they very much are built for eating raw meat literally, and that’s what they do. Cannibalism occurs when a whelp is exposed either during the parents pregnancy or after birth in intense levels to ethereal energy. All gorpos have ethereal energy (call this god energy), and those with increased amounts turn to cannibalism to get more. This gets them closer and closer to ascension. Izuru was probably forced to cannibalize at first, but ethereal energy is more addictive than heroin so at a point you can’t stop. Once ascended, they are a god. Now this cannibalism thing actually isn’t odd for gods, who only feed on each other, like dog eat dog literally, but for most species this ain’t good. It’s not healthy either because cannibalism can have many long term health problems both mentally and physically. izuru strong but at what cost… WHAT COSTTTTT… freakiness that’s the price. also cannibals tend to give themselves more teeth, what I’m saying is that Izuru gotta be careful giving Makoto kissu so he doesnt hurt him.

Oh, I'm firmly in favor! You don't have to defend mpreg aliens against me, I promise! I would accept it if it was just for fun. (And you also don't have to avoid getting weird. We're all weird. 😊)

The neuron number to body mass thing is a really interesting way to distinguish the viable species. And I like the "If the mouth is visible, you should be afraid" thing and what it implies about how they would interact with/perceive humans. (Kind of like smiling being taken as a sign of aggression because baring teeth, etc.)

This is a cool AU! Avid supporter of Izuru "Mouthful of Knives" Kamukura rights.

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. I agree with that other ask. It’s not correct to assume Hades is automatically evil in myth to justify critiquing RS (we have a lot to pick from that regard, thank you very much) because everyone in myth, save perhaps for Demeter and Hestia, were deeply flawed and complicated, Hades included. That doesn’t mean irredeemable monster, it just means complex.

The bigger issue to me is clearly RS was and is thinking from that POV, where everything is black and white, and not just in the clothes. The issue is her mentality is to “redeem” Hades from centuries of misrepresenting him is via making him even worse than all those depictions but have her and Persephone justify them for … reasons… and pinning any actual crimes on others to make him look better.

Actually, now that I think about it, the whole r//pe plot line actually seems to show us RS also is coming from this warped POV, where she thinks the text was literal (ie Hades assaulting Persephone) and decided instead of actually looking at it from a cultural/symbolic standpoint (or you know, not lying and sticking to her promise not to include SA to begin with) she instead decided her genius way to “fix” it was to just pin this likely non-canon crime on someone else to push the couple together. It’s not just a gross depiction and handling of a serious crime and trauma for the sake of “romance”, but it also shows she is not even interacting with the texts (when she’s not just making stuff up) in good faith or with nuance. She’s only interacting with it after it’s gone through and been mishandled by Tumblr a few dozen times before putting her own uneducated and biased spin on it. 

2. Ok a few things on that Maia and Hermes panel:

- why is Maia smiling like the joker 💀

- isn’t Hermes designed off Rachel’s partner? Why does he look so ugly please apologize to him

- anatomy? Even stylized? Never heard of her.

- the wings on Hermes head don’t even look like wings, this thing is getting way too into uncanny cuphead valley with how the style has gone down

- I have to imagine this is an example of her “loose sketches sent to the assistants” bc I too will draw base sketches looking goofy before tightening it up for the final inks … and these just look like they went literal with the sketches.

- Maia is the name for a literal star and yet the only actual design put into it is some .. Daisy pin? What? No stars on her dress or anything?

- Maia being only one of two named characters who don’t fit into the “tiny skinny woman” or “Lego block man” and she seems to be depicted looking rather … lazy and unkempt is not lost on me. Must have been absolute torture for her to sketch a woman who doesn’t look like a child.

Speaking of, she looks younger than her son. Can she seriously not put some eye lines or something to show she’s older? It’s reminding me if that panel if Hera with Ares and she looks like his tween daughter over his actual mom. 

3. Honestly I don’t get how anyone can read LO on a weekly basis. If you binge several episodes or the whole thing at once maybe it seems to give the impression it’s moving along, but when you read it weekly and barely anything happens each time it becomes clear how just how mind-numbingly boring and slow it actually is. I don’t buy the excuse Rachel is being “forced” to drag it out this ridiculously long either, because you can still get these many episodes out and still have stuff happen and have the story progress, yet Rachel doesn’t. She’s taking stuff that could be at most four episodes and making it be 40. 

4. i dont think its just the weird color choices, but minus maybe hera on occasion and whenever someone on the team doesnt make persephone look like a sexualized baby doll, the characters do not even look human. the color adds to this, but the atrocious anatomy, the wonky facial expressions, lack of basic models for consistency sake, and even the wild tone shifts and lack of basic characterization just make them seem like aliens attempting to look and act like humans and failing miserably at it.

5. Even beyond the shit pay (I have to imagine the ppl defending her are very aware Webtoons is watching them and has to defend these practices so they’re not canned. I’m sure a fair few are fuming BTS they aren’t getting paid better, how could they not?) but it’s like you have HOW MANY people working on LO and it still looks like so rushed and sloppy?? Like what insane time crunch are they one that literally one panel in a blue moon looks half way decent while the rest is a hot mess? like I get it’s a job and all but don’t any of them and especially Rachel (bc her name is on it) give a damn it looks this bad? Does she not care as long as she’s paid? There seems to be no pride left in the work, only monetary gain. It’s sad to see. 

6. I think when RS makes a chapter she should ask herself “does this answer anything plot important” like we knew Persphone and Hermès were friends, but their meeting has given me more questions than answers, why is Persphone so smug? She’s not like that in other flash backs. Is this suppose to be a true telling of the story or just his version? Idk her character has been pulled in different directions with an impossible time like to follow.

Like Hermès mom I bet is a cool character but I think Maia was just used for to show RS being body inclusive and trying to be like “I don’t draw same face  syndrome” but she was kinda awkwardly drawn. She got like 2 panels and didn’t really add much to the story other than we know a little more about Hermès motives but we weren’t really asking what they were considering how the plot treats him and it was already a theory he was a wholesome guy like that.

Like I guess it gave Hermès a bit of a spotlight but did hardly much for the plot other than confuse me about Persphone character development path. 

7. That anon calling HXP boring cause they don’t grow! Right on the money! To mix in the whole “isn’t slave labor bad” that’s where the two disagrees and not challenge each other in the ways of how the underworld is. Hades is king and can change it. If Persphone really cared she would do more about it, but that scene (a perfect chance for the character to actually grow) was used more as comic relief which is sickening . I feel like the couple only knows each other’s trauma but not basic stuff about one another which is so frustrating. Although a million things are happening in the story it’s just bland . I’m not saying they need to fight but they don’t challenge each other they don’t drive each other’s plots their story is “things happened and now we’re stuck like this”

8. AND ANOTHER THING IF PERSPHONE cared about the dead people wouldn’t she prevent them from becoming shade slaves to hades???? 

9. One recent critique you shared mentioned how the trial is just dragging on and on. I agree 1000% but I think the main problem with the trial is that it’s a shit show. I don’t even think “circus” is a proper definition. Rachel could’ve done something really interesting and modeled it after—well—actual trials. Instead, Rachel’s using it to drag out the story without actually contributing to the plot. This most recent chapter is a perfect example of that. It’s so frustrating.

-----FP Mention/Spoilers-----

10. FP// i'm glad i'm not the only one noticing Persephone's "sweet and empathetic" schtick isn't holding up. She clearly shows no remorse for her actions and how they harm others, and it's played off as "cute and funny" by Rachel instead of horrifying, especially because we all know if any other character acted like this with the same reasons and scenarios they'd be condemned for it, but because it's "the precious cinnamon roll" it's ok. The stans are claiming murder and torture is "girl power"

[c-kiddo]

i choose to believe that the reason cad doesnt believe in unicorns is because he has actually seen a real one... thing is, he doesn’t know its called a unicorn bc it has a different name in sylvan (i hc thats his first language sjfks). also he special interested them when he was a kid (horse(unicorn)girl cad rights) .. so he sees the drawings jester shows him of ‘unicorns’ and he’s like ?????thats a horse with a horn on? those arent real :-/ .. because it doesnt look like the uncanny valley fey creature he knows

[patchdotexe]

gonna ramble abt hlvrai appearance headcanons bc im trying to figure out how to draw everybody

gordon: exhausted rectangle. bulky even w/o the hev suit. taller than coomer, shorter than bubby, usually on par w/ benrey unless theyre fucking around. honestly even tho i draw him the most i still have NO IDEA how to draw him. FUck you can never take ponytail gordon away from me. he has a short but fluffy ponytail and its cute. also has messy bangs, might bandwagon onto “gordon has a grey streak in his hair from stress” i keep waffling on his arm bc like. im v inconsistent w if he gets it back or not, or has a prosthetic, or w/e looks either tired or exasperated 75% of the time, like he Does have an emotional range but his resting face is Tired post-resonance cascade

benrey: long hair, really messy and always tangled. somehow fits it under their helmet. looks human, if rather pale. skin has a slight grey tinge to it. also looks like they havent slept in 5 years. eyes are in permanent shadow even w/o their helmet but it just makes them look More Tired. eyes always half-lidded & expression apathetic. starts looking Less human at certain parts, like having sharp teeth when being threatening or doing the Evil Cackle. has the thing where their eyes glow in the dark if you shine a flashlight at them (it scares the shit out of gordon). teeters on the edge of the uncanny valley scale relative to other people is always inconsistent, changes height when no one’s looking to mess with them and it’s always either very minimal or “something’s different about benrey but hell if i know what” or “wait since when was benrey That tall”. not really sure abt bodyshape so that also might be a bit fluid black hair, eyes are a v dark colour

tommy: very tall and lanky w/ super curly hair & freckles! might have a tooth gap idk, im kinda back-and-forth on it. been trying to draw him Actually Looking Like An Adult bc like. he’s older than gordon. i dont really have any hcs for species stuff so he’s just like. human appearing. WAIT ACTUALLY his eyes do the glow-in-the-dark thing bc i think thats cool. like, actually glowing, not like benrey’s “shine a flashlight at me and shit your pants” thing. his ability to survive despite his high caffeine&sugar intake might also be a biological perk tommy is just. long. long face, long nose, long body. tallest of the science team unless benrey cheats. brown eyes, but they glow kinda orange-yellow in the dark i kinda wanna give him like. sneakers w/ loosely tied laces but im worried abt making him Too Childlike in vibes bc of like. yeah. i just also want the 3 scientists to have Some kind of unique outfit quirk

coomer: looks soft but is actually strong as hell. he’s built like a bear. shortest member of the science team but could easily carry all of them at once (except maybe benrey, depending on benrey’s size) has no exterior signs of his cybernetic enhancements so gordon thought he was joking until the PowerLegs:tm: thing where he just. fucking launched himself like 100 feet. probably has like, synthetic skin over it or something iunno wears tacky hawaiian shirts under his labcoat and just. generally has Fun Grandpa vibes. rolls up his sleeves at some point and then they just Stopped Existing w/ the activation of superplayer very round shapes! hair is very fluffy. eyes are a dark green (same as “ominous text” colour)

bubby: second tallest behind tommy, also a bit noodley but not as exaggerated. tommy is long circle, bubby is Long Rectangle im really torn on drawing him with Sharp Teeth bc i love seeing other ppl draw him w/ that but it didnt really vibe with me when i drew it? so i dunno im workshopping it i guess. he does have eyes behind his glasses but his glasses are mostly opaque so its hard to tell sometimes. gordon isn’t sure how he sees has like.. god idk what to call them. the term coming to mind is “platform shoes” but there’s no way thats it. ACTUALLY YEA GOOGLE SAYS IT IS bubby wears platform shoes to be Even Taller but is STILL shorter than tommy

also some ocs under the cut fdhgkzjdfgh

andi: just over 5 feet tall, very chubby / potato-shaped. this man has No muscle mass. hair is Ridiculously fluffy & is dyed orange (his natural colour is brown). his right eye is a bit fucked up so he’s always squinting with it and it makes his expressions look really weird gdzhkdjghdfj he probably needs glasses but keeps leaving them at his desk which is definitely not something i do he’s the shortest & youngest member of the science team. he’s just barely shorter than coomer. coomer can also definitely throw him straight up and he’d never be seen ever again has his labcoat sleeves pushed up / rolled up (its inconsistent) to the elbow, & wears plain colour t-shirts under it. his boots help him feel taller some of our self-insert ocs have scars on their arm bc of personal shit and im still undecided on if andi has them too. if he does, he gets them during the black mesa incident

john: short kinda-curly hair, but has been considering growing it out post-game bc of like. gordon reasons. kinda scruffy-looking. less square than gordon is + different build, but theyre the same height at least. brown eyes, hair’s darker than gordon’s, skintone is lighter. doesn’t quite have the “resting tired face” p much exclusively wears beanies and hoodies, doesnt care too much abt his appearance so he looks like a Trash Man. starts rolling up his right sleeve post-act 3 to remind himself that his arm is, in fact, there (although he has difficulty using it bc his brain gives him like 500 errors)

[edsbev]

I think they did some de-aging thing with Finn bc he lost all the baby fat in his face. it wouldn’t look so off if they hadn’t made his eyes HUGE. No one but nit picky internet assholes would have minded if they just pretended he still looked 13, but hopefully they see some of the reactions and tone it down slightly for the movie since I’m sure they’re still fine-tuning the CGI

yeah the cgi in trailers is never finished for pretty much any movie from what ive heard so it could defs be better in the actual film but its a little uncanny valley. i wonder if theyll do it for the other losers too. i mean jack imo looks the Most different. i remember seeing pics of him on set while filming and he just doesnt look like eddie anymore

[bubblebaath]

yee! ill put this under a cut bc its long and features eye/body horror

also this turned more into me rambling abt using uncanny valley srry if its not much help fjdsjf

[note before starting: this advice only mostly deals w drawing faces]

i think the best way to make something unsettling is to create a disconnect between parts of the face, so u can recognize elements of it as human, but its all....wrong

here’s a small explanation on uncanny valley with wolves as an example:

1. the one on the left is drawn as a non anthropomorphic animal (so ur brain doesnt react negatively to it having no expression) 

2. the one on the right has anthropomorphic features (humanish eyes, expressive eyebrows and mouth), and it doesnt look jarring because it uses a simple cartoony style with enlarged eyes to make it look Cutesy

3. (uncanny valley) the one on the left here has anthropomorphic features like the cartoon one (human like eyes that are shifted up the skull , an outline vaguely where your cheekbones are, rounded teeth and a smiling expression) but your brain will immediately react badly to this style due to:

human proportioned eyes, but no eyebrows to indicate expression

too much detail on the shapes of the face

too many teeth showing

the eyes not having any highlights and dark shading in/around them, which makes them appear slightly dead

4. the one on the right is simplified like the cartoon one, so its smaller eyes and more humanish eyebrows dont look odd. the shine on the eyes also helps to make it not look like a zombie

and heres how 2 apply it to ur art on purpose! this is a chibi of my oc mike, styled in a cartoonish/chibi way

his mouth/eyes/eyebrows are all in the same style and expression, so he looks cute

if you take away his eyebrows and make his eyes more realistic(ish), with way too much detail on the iris, it makes him look unsettling (no eyebrows and giant staring eyes look pretty sinister on a chibi)

it also helps 2 shift your characters view to be looking directly at the viewer, and put red highlights under the lower eyelid

you could just stop here and call it done.........but....

u can go even worse by giving ur character a set of teeth that clearly doesnt belong 2 that style! (altho overdoing the sharpness of the teeth can slightly ruin the effect imo)

if you want to make it Even Worse:

turn up the contrast on ur character and get some bright clashing colours (cyan, magenta, purple, lime green, etc) and then pretend ur a demonic child and attack the art with a crayon brush fdjsfhdksjf

you can select parts of their face and move them around crudely to make them look like a collage of sorts!! (like this guy below) make it look all thrown together!

remember to put emphasis on the parts u want to stand out (like the eyes/teeth/pupils) 

(ofc you dont have to only modify the eyes/mouth to make smth scary, its just a common way of dropping the cute/endearing factor of a creature to 0% )

tl;dr : make the style nice but also make eyes and teeth look scary and then ruin ur art with crayons from hell