#love love love the uniform composition on these

[commsroom]

... which oblivion has not yet swallowed up and buried. 🌊 (art by @hehearse, who is always wonderful.)

[mtkmsp]

THE RETURN OF COVID Horror/thriller movie style!! I don't think I could find enough words to express how much I love doing those posters............ For this one, I felt like the cast of "antagonists" of the movie would make for a pretty awesome composition and mood, and paired with the church setting I think I got something pretty interesting, haha. More below!

As it happens, a fandom friend asked if I could maybe some day record my process, and therefore I did! (and went the extra mile adding goofy horror songs to it...) Check it out if you're interested :)

I've detailed it in the YT vid description as well, but my process is rather straightforward. I tend to be a "lazy person" in that I like to, ideally, spend the least time possible on anything, and so far this process is how I've best achieved that while still managing some rather complex pieces. I like to be extremely rough with my sketches and prioritize dynamism and composition, and I usually take my time repositioning the characters until I'm satisfied before I go any further. I don't have the best mental visualization so I usually try to have a very rough idea of what I want before I directly jump to sketching and mostly ideate there. The lineart is very straightforward as well. I come back later to adjust line thickness here and there but otherwise I just "trust my brush". The fake fisheye perspective is entirely wrong and made up so I needed some custom perspective lines to know roughly how to position the background elements.

I do come back with composition guides after I'm done with the lineart, just to check how the illustration is doing. I prefer not to use them at first because it tends to "constrain" me a bit too much, and I like to remain very free as to maintain a feeling of spontaneity, which is why I will only fix the composition afterwards (when I do). Coloring is then fairly streamlined, with background colors/atmosphere guiding the overall color scheme followed by character coloring and additional details. The most fun part comes with the post-processing, where I go wild with additional fog and light shaft layers to add depth to the entire thing. I use a bunch of additional tone curve layers to adjust the colors and make it more uniform, as well as one blurred, flattened copy of the illustration with strengthened contrasts, in overlay mode, to add some vibrance, and a noise layer for texture. That's it! Thanks for watching, for those interested :))

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

fellow + gidel ssr time fellas

(This bastard took an entire soft pity :(( but hey, I got a Dorm Uniform Jade dupe and finally FINALLY my first Dorm Uniform Floyd on the way, so I ain't too pressed about it.) RISE UP FELLOWIVES NOW’S YOUR TIME

***Character profile, voice lines, Groovy, and vignette spoilers below the cut!!***

First off! His official profile, coffin, and candy (Fox Candy):

(School) Grade/Class: None

Birthday: May 17 (Taurus)

Age: 26

Height: 181 cm

Dominant Hand: Right

Hometown: ???

Club: None

Best Subject: Mathematics (specifically Arithmetic)

Hobby: Watching theater

Dislikes: Saving money

Favorite Food: Apples

Least Favorite Food: Potatoes

Special Skill: Sewing

We finally get confirmation of Fellow’s age! (He had previously said in Playful Land that he was 20-something.)

I love that Fellow’s best subject is math Deuce is jealous/j; it makes so much sense given that his inspiration, Honest John (and Fellow himself) aren’t good at reading. It’s that whole “kids are either good at math or English” stereotype. In Japanese, the phrase 算数 is used. 算数 refers to arithmetic, or very basic math taught in elementary school (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing). That specific phrase explains Fellow’s elementary level of understanding. His dislike being saving money is also related to numbers; he spends the money he has right away to get by in the moment. Fellow doesn’t really have the skill or the luxury of financial planning, he has to focus on the here and now, looking out for both himself and Gidel.

OMG, his favorite and least favorite foods???? 😭 Playful Land has apple (core) flavored candies and popcorn… and again, this is a reference to Honest John and Pinocchio’s first encounter! He takes the kid’s apple and eats it, lol cnsvwiwguwkw Potatoes being his disliked food… Maybe it’s because it’s the “poor” man’s vegetable? Because potatoes are so versatile, keep for a long time, and are filling because of the starch content, Fellow might resort to eating them a lot, so perhaps as a result he got sick of the taste.

What I find most interesting about Fellow’s profile are his listed hobby and special skill. He largely comes off as despicable and a slimy scammer (which he is, don’t get me wrong), but we can see different sides to him in these details—both the inner child that had his dreams trampled but remains hopeful about the future and the big brother figure/guardian to a child. Gidel is actually formally referred to in Fellow’s profile as his (non-blood related) brother, which made my heart melt 🥺 TWST must know I have a thing for beastmen who act shitty but are actually excellent mentors to the children/j

Fellow enjoys watching theater. It’s a way of transporting you away temporarily to new worlds with crazy stories and emotional performances. When words aren’t enough, you sing. And when singing isn’t enough, you dance. It’s an area that’s so full of life and joy, at least from the audience’s perspective. I’m thinking that watching theater must have been a form of escapism for Fellow, especially with how accessible it is (think of like street performances). Watching theater might also serve a dual purpose of teaching Fellow how to come across as amicable and friendly, which says a LOT about his character. He’s resourceful and able to learn from unconventional sources, then is able to apply those skills to real world situations.

Fellow’s special skill being sewing is surprisingly very cute! If you’ve taken one look at his and Gidel’s designs, we may have already spotted some of his handiwork. There’s mismatched fabric patches on their clothes!! The stitches look so clean too. The patterns not matching is probably because Fellow just used whatever scraps he was able to get his hands on, but I also like to imagine that he tried to make the best of the situation by incorporating the mismatched fabrics in a fun way (like the diamonds in his pants).

Next, can we talk about the composition of that GROOVY????

It’s another reference to the same Pinocchio scene! Fellow’s holding his book like Honest John did and it looks like he’s trying to teach Gidel the alphabet from words scratched on the sidewalk. Notice how the C is written backwards too 😂 He even wears glasses like when Honest John was trying hard to act like an intellectual.

And Gidel!!! Pencil and pad of paper in hand, he looks so interested to learn (something which was hinted at in Playful Land). Gideon in the film is also shown with a pen and pad of paper, scribbling down nonsense as Fellow pretends to diagnose Pinocchio.

Gidel glances up at Fellow with an expression of admiration. I love how wholesome their relationship is depicted as, it leaves a warm feeling in the heart.

The framing of this Groovy is very interesting. We have Fellow to our left—a direction has historically been associated with evil (in Italian, the word for left is even sinistra, as if to imply something sinister) and in the darkness. Gidel is the one to our right and in the light. It presents Fellow to us as someone who has given up on his dreams—but not completely, since we see some light touching his hat, gloves, and highest features + he is currently teaching Gidel and still has dreams of opening his own school. Gidel is shown in the light because he’s still a naive child that doesn’t understand how the world works. His dreams haven’t been destroyed yet, and there’s hope for him to have a better life since Fellow is looking after him and instructing him.

CHECK THIS OUT, GIDEL FOLLOWS FELLOW TO CLASS LIKE MARY'S LAMB OR SOMETHING????? Gidel pops out from under the desk or out of/behind Fellow's cape! Gidel also joins Fellow on the homescreen.

Some of Fellow's expressions are so priceless... For example, look at him in Flight! There's an unsure face and a little bead of sweat. (He makes a lot of pathetic accompanying sounds too, lol) Flying takes magic, so he's probably not confident or powerful enough to maintain flight for long stretches of time--though when he does nail it, he looks ultra smug.

ADGKVAVFOOEFIEQOfsl HIS SHOCKED FACE

How uncool, Fellow-san...

His attack sprites are very similar/identical to what we saw in Playful Land--Fellow's just playing for the opposite team now.

Gidel hops into battle to assist, so I guess they count as the first two-character card. It's been a while since I've seen these animations, but I think I can appreciate them a lot more now. I'm noticing new little things like how Fellow adds a bunch of showmanship into his attack, little flashy flourishes and even presenting Gidel with his arms splayed, as if welcoming a star to the spotlight. The attention to detail really is crazy for these.

If you want to read his voice lines in full, you can find an excellent fan translation of them here! I'll just be remarking on things I noticed while combing through the voice lines myself:

First off: bro calls himself Fellow Hones-SAMA???????? OKAY, KING 😭 Love that confidence you got goin' on there...

bifabsiyofbefe Love how he just reads a textbook and then flat-out admits he has no clue what the heck it's saying. Hey, honesty is a virtue.

Ace 💀 He has the balls to play a prank on an adult... I kind of want to know what the prank was, but at the same time I feel like I should be shaking my head and telling him off for doing it in the first place. I do appreciate that Ace being shitty brought out Fellow's true personality there for a second though, I live for it when Fellow gets real steamed and starts shouting that the NRC students are brats or that they should drop out if they have no motivation in school.

The way Fellow automatically clocked that Kalim is way too trusting and would surely be in danger even if he wasn't the one to come for him... Fellow, watch your back. Jamill WILL come for your sketchy ass for what you did back then.

I didn't find anything super interesting in Fellow's comments about Ortho, but I do think it reveals that there is value in him coming to school. It's only at NRC where Fellow can see such a curious thing like Ortho, and that speaks to the value of really going out there and being exposed to different things. That's part of Lilia's own growth arc too, and a large part of why he now spreads that same rhetoric.

Fellow remarks that Ramshackle is "pretty sweet", which means one of two things: either this is the refurbished post-book 6 dorm OR it's still the shabby pre-book 6 dorm, but since Fellow and Gidel have never really had their own stable housing, even run-down old Ramshackle seems like a massive upgrade.

Fellow and Gidel must have been so happy to see that lunch at NRC is free and served buffet style (so there's no limits to how much you can take). On top of that, they got dead chefs from 5 star restaurants staffing the kitchen! Those two really hit the jackpot, I hope they eat well.

AVUSDGVUADOVIAISDBIDAS THE DIALOGUE IMPLYING FELLOW CASUALLY BYPASSED THE SCHOOL'S BARRIER AND OTHER SECURITY MEASURES... So Chenya-core of him, really. Fellow may not have magical might, but he's seriously street smart to have found a way in like he has.

Small detail but I appreciate how Fellow has lines which call attention to Gidel. It doesn't just remind us that Gidel is there too, but it also demonstrates to us that Fellow actively tries to include him in the conversation despite Gidel's muteness (a condition which may lead others to outright ignoring him or talking down to him).

LAST THING (though it's not in MysteryShopTL's linked post): in his birthday greeting to the player, Fellow says that both you and him don't have talent for magic, so you should get along. I didn't think the game would acknowledge the player and Fellow's similarity in that sense, so it was very nice to be proven wrong.

And to finish off this post (which ended up being way more massive than I thought it would be), a quick summary of the vignettes!! If you want to read them in full, please check out MysteryShopTLs’ post!

In vignette 1, Fellow and Gidel are putting on a street performance in Silk City. Fellow collects fees from the onlookers and then tries to milk more out of them by spinning a story about how Gidel is a puppet that can walk without strings. Buuut Gidel moves like a normal living being and sneezes, which ruins the ruse and leads to the crowd getting mad at them. The duo run off, but Fellow reveals that while the locals were looking at Gidel, he used magic to steal some of their precious metals and jewelry. In the next vignette, Fellow and Gidel have moved on to Fairest City. It's said that they live a nomadic lifestyle and hop from place to place, never staying for too long in any one location because word of their scams may spread and cause a situation where they cannot reasonably make money through their lies. (Cute detail: Fellow listens to Gidel's suggestions on where they should go next and even praises Gidel's smarts.) This time Fellow's trying to auction off a magestone that he claims will allow anyone who holds it to use magic. The people of Fairest City don't believe him and give him the cold shoulder, which upsets Fellow (since he really hates it when others look down on him). He ends up using his UM to get his audience to be more pliant and manages to sell the magestone for a pretty penny. At the end of this vignette, Fellow drops a line about how he and Gidel are so free, how they can do whatever they want since they have nothing holding them back. I really love that thought~

AND IF YOU THOUGHT VIGNETTES 1 AND 2 WERE FUNNY HAHA TEEHEE CUTE, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE VIGNETTE 3 💀 VIGNETTE 3 FELT LIKE IT WAS A TARGETTED SNIPE ON MY HEART

The setting is Sunrise City! Fellow and Gidel are being chased off by an angry person they tried to rob. It looks like they're unsuccessful today and will be going hungry. Gidel tries opening a random can of OIL in search of food, so Fellow scolds him and tells him to leave it be. Apparently Gidel does this a lot when he's hungry (just grabbing random shit and trying to eat it), even though Fellow has tried teaching him how to read. THIS IS WHAT THE CONTEXT OF THE GROOVY IS, FELLOW SQUATS DOWN (like we literally see his 2D model lowering) AND DRAWS IT ON THE GROUND FOR GIDEL TO SEE. O is for orange, I is for ice-cream, and L is for laugh. Fellow realizes that L is the only non-food word, but he couldn't come up with anything else. I wonder if like... this is some common game they do to distract from hunger. They have to imagine the food they could have but can't. And L being "laugh"? That can't be a coincidence. Fellow could have used any other L word as an example, even if he couldn't come up with a food that starts with L. It makes me think he picked "laugh" on purpose in an effort to lift Gidel's spirits and to try and distract from their circumstances.

Aaaah, as I was saying! Fellow gets upset that he doesn't know as much as your average 26-year old would since he never went to school. Gidel seems to sense his frustrations and reassures him with a pat, which reenergizes Fellow. He says he'll try to find some food, so Gidel should focus on making a fire. While gathering wood to burn, they come across a job posting by a shady rich man that Fellow and Gidel supposedly did another job for in the past. Fellow suggests that they check out the job and if they don't like it then they can leave. ADSKJBBSLDIADBLUBAB These are the events leading up to Playful Land... meaning that Fellow’s showmanship is wasn’t something he developed at the amusement park, but as a general coping and survival mechanism to get by day-to-day.

I uh. May or may not have cried a little at Fellow and Gidel's really wholesome interaction 😭 I MEAN YEAH OF COURSE I'M A SUCKER FOR BIG BROTHER CHARACTERS (and we certainly see that in how Fellow scolds Gidel and looks out for his wellbeing, both in the vignettes and in Playful Land) but also???????? ? ? ? ? ?? ?????? ? ? ? ?? I love Love LOVE how Gidel is shown to be supportive of Fellow as well. Fellow as the older person, the adult, and the able-bodied one of the duo is pulling most of the weight when it comes to getting resources and handling communication. However, Gidel plays an important role in their dynamic as well. He's the heart and the emotional support that Fellow needs when he's down in the dumps and being hard on himself. Gidel not only serves as a "reason" for Fellow to work hard (to support a child), but he also gives Fellow motivation and hope that tomorrow can be another day. YOU CAN REALLY TELL HOW MUCH THESE TWO CARE AND LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER OTL

OOOOOOOoooOOooOOGGHHHH MY HEART *clutches it* I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, I CAN'T HANDLE THE ONII-SAMA OF IT ALL

[obsob]

I'm an artist who has difficulty colouring work, so if you're ever comfortable sharing i would love to see what the process of someone else to who colouring does not come natural look like! I love how your colours turn out, so warm and cohesive without being washed out. When I look at the process of other artists I admire they often seem to hit on their colours quickly, so it would be very helpful to see the process of someone who struggles more, like I do.

hi !!! i posted process vids for these three drawings which u might find helpful but they go pretty quick so i will try and explain more!

-my big number one advice is doing underpainting, this is all the yellow u see me use in the process vids. this is partly so i can alpha lock them for easy colouring but also, i use semi-opaque brushes when doing my main colouring which lets the yellow peek through every part of the drawing, giving everything a uniform undertone! very very helpful i recommend it a lot :3 things like overlay / multiply layers can help bring all your colours together as well and make a big difference. i also like to use soft light / subtract layer modes. just play around!! i do however think its good practice for your drawing to work without those modes as well, you dont want to rely on them to make the drawing work, just enhance it! heres a drawing of mine with and without the various layer modes - a big difference and more impactful with, but the drawing on the left still looks fine without!

-as for how i go about choosing colours i hve two ways. mainly nowadays i just eyeball it but i also sometimes use colour pallets like these! how i make these palettes is by auto generating palettes from images in procreate which is so so helpful. if u see artwork u rlly like the colours its a great way of trying those colours for yourself without having to do as much thinking. when u get a sense for it u can start coming up with your own palettes!

-i cant talk abt this without talking about colour theory. i am not an expert but its really worth familiarising yourself with what colours work / contrast each other. if u want to, for example make a warm toned drawing u simply just stay away from cool toned colours! u can still have them in, but there still needs to be a warm undertone that can be done with the underpainting or just eyeballing! i hvent used palettes for a long while now and ive always found it easier to choose cohesive palettes with these than using the like big wheel or smth.

i prefer picking colours like this bc i feel like i can more easily control the undertone, than if i was picking off a colour wheel etc.

a lot of my success just comes from practice and experience! but smtimes colours r just stinky n are hard to get th vibes for . i usually just walk away and take a break and smtimes have an epiphany and other times if ur rlly struggling just throw the whole colouring out and start again !! and if ur rlly rlly rlly struggling take a look at ur actual drawing again. smtimes if ur composition/ shading etc is weird it makes the colours go on wack bc u dont have a good foundation!!!!!

anyway i dont think i explained this well. go forth and colour ur brain is big etc

[iyeonjuni]

rain - l. hs

a/n: quickest drabble i wrote in my LIFE perhaps in 15mins im bored dawg

warnings: none

wc: short

heeseung wipes the corner of his lips as he felt the stinging sensation of raindrops landing against his skin. what was once the blue glaze of sky soon turned into the dark hover of clouds, the sun no longer gracing itself amongst the heavens above.

it’s been a long time since heeseung felt himself under the rain, slowly feeling the weight of his clothes become heavier and heavier, his hair drenched and his vision became blurrier the more he stands out on the open road. though something about the rain felt like a warm embrace to him, a breath of fresh air– it could only leave a smile on his face.

what was it about the rain that heeseung liked so much? was it because it reminded him of sunghoon? his childhood best friend, where he would play with for hours, jumping into puddles which would splash onto their shirts. was it because it reminded him of his best friend in high school, jake? a time where they would be caught late to school due to rain, unable to waste time any longer– with backpacks above their heads, running as quickly as they could to the school gates; what was once their white shoes turned muddy in an instant, their uniform soaked through. or was it because it reminded him of band mate, jay? who he was once caught busking in the middle of the street– who somehow had an eye for heeseung’s talent as he borrowed his vocals, strumming along the strings of his guitar, creating beautiful melodies of composition.

though there were so many memories that he cherished with the rain, there was one that he will never forget. the one with you, where you found him alone sitting on the sidewalk with his head down. the rain was pouring a lot heavier than the past few weeks with no sign of stopping, there was not a single shelter nearby. but you, stood there with an umbrella above his head, not caring if your backpack nor shoulder was wet– instead you sat right next to him, all in comfortable silence.

you didn’t have to do this, you were only someone he had class with. and yet, the kind gesture had him lifting his head, eyes red and swollen with the shadowed tears he had been letting out but he had to take a closer look at you. and of course, you were beautiful.

even with the rain that decorates the scenery behind you, you were like the sun. heeseung never knew that such a small gesture could evoke so many unspoken feelings.

perhaps this is what love at first sight felt like?

but all was history as that very night he walked your home, you let him in to dry himself. you were never the type to be so forward, but yet something about heeseung’s yearning eyes, strung you along. to help him, to hear him, to embrace him.

and so you did.

as heeseung stares up at the sky once more, and once again the rain showed no signs of stopping– he couldn’t bring his feet to find a place to shelter himself. because the rain welcomes him, it presents itself with memories that he will also keep close to his heart. just like now.

“heeseung! you’ll catch a cold!” he recognises the bright familiar voice as he turns to face you, a smile adorning his face as he watches you run over to him, an umbrella in hand.

you gave him a quick peck on the cheek as you handed him your umbrella, intertwining you fingers as you look up at him. his eyes full of adoration.

“let’s go home.”

[funbirdnest]

Blackbird (Translation)

I worked in the translation of the story for the past week and I have been unable to shut up about until now. This translation work was done in collaboration of @spectralpooch who worked as English proofreader and provided a lot of insight of the english grammar and composition. I was also helped by Yuko and Asher who helped with wording.

I hope you get to enjoy, even if just a little, the love we all put in this story that we have been waiting seven years for. 

Blackbird

The fantasy is burning.

—At the end of the day, love always prevails.

—Hard work and good intentions are always rewarded.

—As long as you wish for it with all your might, your dreams will always come true.

Such are the nonsensical, gibberish words that everyone recognizes as downright lies once they reach adulthood. And burning within a bonfire is the pile of papers—the representation of the very innocence of a young boy who earnestly believed in those lies.

The embers of dreams and hopes are stirred by the updraft caused by the hot air.

Ashes and soot soar up, miserably staining the clear skies.

“Aah, what a terrible shame.”

Hibiki Wataru looked up at the sky and, in sharp contrast to his words, trembled with pleasure.

He is a beautiful man.

Long, silver-white hair that resembles moonlight incarnate. A physique blessed with a perfect golden ratio.

He is wearing his elegantly designed uniform in quite an incomprehensible way.

His facial expressions and gestures are refined and effusively charming, and it feels as though wing scales and fluorescent lights should flutter around him with every step he takes.

But it is precisely because he is too beautiful that he can stand out in any town.

Every person who passes by throws him a strange look and either turns away or flees the scene as if having just encountered a monster. It is the most appropriate reaction when confronted with a monstrosity, but—

He wants them to at least scream.

To curse, spit, and throw stones at him.

It hurts the most to be ignored.

As if to convey this point, Wataru gestures towards them in invitation to do so—but the only one willing to approach him is a slightly dirtied pigeon.

"Aah, Gil! Poor you, Gilles de Rais¹! Your feathers are completely sullied!" 

Wataru laments while rubbing his cheek against the pigeon perched on his shoulder.

"When you are covered in soot like this, you look more like a crow than a pigeon! Crows are really smart, and they can become great ‘entertainers’ when trained, but people often hate them for no reason—it's troublesome, isn't it?"

At the sight of Wataru having a conversation with a pigeon as though it were completely normal, the people around him begin to back further away.

"... But right now, I have the feeling that such an individual would be the most suitable companion for me."

As Wataru mutters sadly to himself, the soot-covered pigeon pulls his hair with its beak.

“That hurts?! It was just a joke, Gil! Are you jealous? I've raised and looked after you since you were an egg, so there's no way I could ever discard you and look for another partner! Please cheer up—oya?”

As the pigeon goes all out on him, something falls down from the crevice of its beak. 

Cinders.

The wreckage of a dream that had been carried by the wind from afar.

“That's splendid! This will solve the problem of my ink running out!”

Wataru exclaims with pleasure and mashes the cinders with his fingertips.

Then, with fingers stained in black, he writes his name in the bundle of documents that he had been holding.

“—With this, it’s finished.”

Embracing the bundle of documents as though it were his most prized possession, Wataru trembles again.

“I wonder if he will be happy with this.”

***

There was a war.

A tragic conflict in which boys hurt and killed each other for the sake of their own dreams and ideals—for the sake of love.

Of course, although it has now become a gloomy and sorrowful memory, it was not actually a battle where people fought with guns and blades and bathed in each other's blood.

All of them were idols.

Standing on the stage, singing and dancing, their top priority was to bring people happiness.

However, at that time, their place of residence, Yumenosaki Private Academy, was not an environment in which idols could properly live as idols. Everything was decayed, stagnant and rotten.

There were those who stood up in order to change the situation at hand.

There were also those who tried to fight back in anger and sorrow after everything they held dear had been mangled in the name of the "revolution" the others had raised.

They turned the things that were supposed to make people happy into weapons, abused them, and imposed their own resentment and misery onto others.

As a result, this vast and boundless world was changed only slightly.

But the price that had been paid was extremely high.

—Yumenosaki 's era of conflict.

—The first revolution.

—The beginning of the end.

Regret consumes everyone whenever they remember the tragedy of that time.

***

A hospital room.

The brand new hospital in the vicinity of Yumenosaki Academy had been built with a sole purpose: to provide an immediate response on the occasion that a single person's physical condition changed for the worse.

Leading-edge medical equipment and top-notch doctors had been assembled in order to forcibly prolong his existence—sometimes even diverting attention from other, more urgent patients.

He is one of the world's most distinguished billionaires, the scion of the Tenshouin conglomerate, Tenshouin Eichi.

He is the leading actor in the conflict that unfolded in Yumenosaki.

He loved idols more than anyone else.

However, as a result of the kingcraft instilled in him from an early age by his private corporate tutor, the clear mind he has naturally possessed since birth, and his cold heart, he came to massacre the very thing he loved with his own hands.

The many sins he committed in this ironic twist of fate tormented him and made him sick.

“...”

Tenshouin Eichi is lying down on the floor of a very spacious hospital room.

He is also a beautiful man, but there is a crack distorting his beauty.

Seemingly because he hasn’t been eating, he has become emaciated, and his blond hair, which resembles sunlight incarnate², is disheveled and dull. His hospital clothes, composed of high-quality material, are completely wrinkled and dirtied.

Like a baby bird that fell from its nest.

He had ripped off the intravenous drips and other pieces of medical equipment designed to keep him alive and smashed them to pieces.

There were doctors who genuinely cared for Eichi's well-being and those whose interest in treating him stemmed only from professional duty—Eichi shunned them all equally with curses and threats.

—I don’t want to live anymore.

—So, please, don’t treat me.

—Someone like me doesn’t deserve to live.

“No.”

Eichi, withering and on the verge of death, hears a voice reply to the soliloquy he hadn't expected anyone to hear.

There is only a single small window in the room. No matter how hard one might try to contort their body, it would be impossible to enter through—regardless, it was from that very window that Hibiki Wataru's towering silhouette soundlessly entered. 

It is like a dream.

As if it were a magic trick, he suddenly materializes.

“—It's you. Hibiki Wataru of The Five Eccentrics.”

"That story has already concluded, so will you please stop referring to me that way?"

As he casually replies to Eichi, who had spoken as though in a trance, Wataru strides across the hospital room.

He steps over the countless broken pieces of wreckage scattered across the floor, but never breaks anything.

“Let's readjust our mindset! Now, while we still have the chance to bask in the success of our stage performances, let's sit back and recharge our batteries! That is our duty, Tenshouin Eichi-kun!"

“Just what the hell are you doing here?”

Eichi mutters reproachfully, glaring up at Wataru with cruel eyes.

“Did you come to mock me because I thought I was victorious but wound up losing everything?”

Presumably too prideful to continue behaving in an undignified manner, Eichi staggers to his feet and then takes a seat on the mattress.

Having refused even the cleaning staff, this dirty hospital bed is now his only throne.

“Or do you intend to seek vengeance on behalf of your fellow Five Eccentrics?”

“No, not at all? Although there were some underwhelming parts, you still persevered and accomplished great things atop the stage! You have my praises. I have no reason to make fun of you!”

Wataru continues, his tone cheerful. Scattered, multicolored petals surround a broken flower vase—he gathers them up, grasps them in one hand, and opens his palm to reveal a single perfect flower.

"Besides, my beloved friends, The Five Eccentrics, were not actually killed. They're not that fragile, so I ask that you do not disparage them."

Though his eyes flash with hostility for a single instant, Wataru hides it with the ease of putting on a mask.

“Shu is slowly recovering his strength in the comfort of his dolls and the mutual love they share. Kanata, too, is embarking on a new life together with the inexperienced hero who saved his heart. And, of course, Our Majesty, the Demon King, Rei, too—indeed, someone like him will never die, even if he's killed.”

As he mentions each of the remarkable members of The Five Eccentrics, Wataru smiles.

“And the youngest sibling whom we risked our lives to protect, Natsume-kun, doesn't have a single scar. He quickly found the bluebird you set free, and is venturing forth into his life—not as a member of The Five Eccentrics, but as a human and idol.”

"...They're so strong. Everyone, all of them, are strong and splendid human beings worthy of respect—unlike me. Hiyori-kun and Nagisa-kun, too. It appears that they’ve already begun to move on to their next stage."

Looking somewhat astonished, Eichi hangs his head like a confused lost child.

“Am I really the only one who can’t move? At the end of Yumenosaki's conflict, or the saga chronicling the subjugation of The Five Eccentrics, am I truly the only loser?”

“No, no. I feel the same way. It's embarrassing to admit, but—I don't know what I should do next.”

With a dumbfounded expression that mirrors Eichi's, Wataru fidgets with the flower with his black-stained fingers.

“I'm quite satisfied with how things concluded on that most wonderful stage, even though we had to settle for the second-best result—but I'm at a bit of a loss, as I have no further plans for the future.”

"I see. Would you like me to apologize? By casting you in the role of the villain, a symbol deserving of ridicule and disdain, I turned you into the target of everyone's malice."

“Yes. Thanks to you, no one trusts me enough to work with me, so all of my future plans are now uncertain. I suppose I could arrange a stage and enact a story of my own choosing, but… A one-man show would be a little lonely, wouldn't it?”

"I thought that you would always be happy to stand onstage no matter what—even alone."

“Regrettably, I'm an entertainer whose only purpose is to make others happy. If I were to stand onstage all by myself, I would lose all motivation.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Wataru quietly offers Eichi the flower.

”And so, I thought I would ask you, the organizer of the most satisfying stage I have ever stood upon, for another commission. That's the reason I came today. Of course, I am also here to visit the sick."

“Was that sarcasm? I humiliated and denigrated you and your beloved friends. I trampled on and killed all of you for the sake of my own dream.”

“No one is dead, Eichi-kun. Everything that took place is just a story.”

”Are you really going to behave like a sore loser and pretend like you all weren't actually hurt?”

"No. If I were to hold a grudge and get angry at you, it would be an insult to my friends' extraordinary performance in their roles as villains. That's why I won't give you the pleasure of my vengeance.”

“I don’t understand your reasoning.”

“It’s a mystery to me too. This is the first time in my life that I have ever felt this alive. It's as though something I cannot quite comprehend is stirring inside me.”

Wataru speaks with an innocent, puzzled expression on his face, as though he were a child who had just tripped for the very first time in his life.

***

“Oops. I went off on a tangent just now, but I meant to give you this gift earlier.”

Suddenly coming to his senses, Wataru quietly hands Eichi the flower in his hand.

The instant that the flower touches Eichi's fingertips, it transforms into a bundle of documents.

It’s just like magic.

“... Oh, my goodness. As always, your magic tricks are beyond comparison, Hibiki-kun.”

“You and I are not particularly close, so don't blurt out things like that as if you know me.”

“I’ve always been watching you.”

Eichi speaks honestly, seemingly too tired to maintain a strong front. He proceeds to look over the bundle of papers.

His expression dawns with astonishment.

“This is—”

“Fufufu. This is the pipe dream³ written by our beloved younger brother and only son, Natsume-kun. He poured all of his heart and soul into it.”

Wataru explains, satisfied with the surprised expression on Eichi's face.

“This is a scenario envisioning a way in which we, The Five Eccentrics, could have achieved victory over you in our final battle the other day.”

“Oh, that's right, just before the decisive battle, you and the other Five Eccentrics had some kind of exchange. I was preoccupied with other matters at the time, so I didn't pay much attention to what all of you were up to.”

Deeply immersed in reading, Eichi flips through the stack of documents carefully. A grin slowly begins to form on his lips.

“Fufu. So cute; it’s really like a fantasy story. ‘I don't want my beloved Five Eccentrics to lose. I want us to have a happy ending where no one has to be sacrificed—’”

"Indeed. He filled the pages with such impossible fantasies and impractical delusions."

“... It was only by defeating you on that stage that we somehow managed to settle things in a conclusive way. If the five of you had won that day, we would still be enmeshed in the middle of an unending conflict.”

"Exactly. I anticipated as much, which is why I was unable to accept this. This present, packed with that child's—with Natsume-kun's—dreams, expectations, and love.”

“And, because we followed the premeditated arrangement, everything went smoothly.”

“That's true. But, just as one would expect from a story desperately written by our beloved child... It's very compelling, isn't it? It'd be heartless to ignore it altogether and just throw it away.”

Wataru gently caresses the pile of documents as if consoling a little baby.

“And that's why I quickly examined the contents, committed them to memory, and secretly copied them. Only moments ago, Natsume-kun burned the original copy himself, so—that child's fantasy should, by all accounts, have been completely erased from this earth.”

Wataru laughs like a naughty child who just successfully carried out a prank.

“Everyone will assume so. And even though this is an imitation, the contents are extremely close to the real thing. No, rather, the contents are only the things that I chose to resurrect in accordance with my own preferences.”

“Hmph. But there's no way you can actually use this, right? It's just a bunch of delusions with no grounding in reality. In other words: worthless garbage. It's nothing more than a work of fiction that fabricates convenient plots for foolish readers who yearn to avert their eyes from this harsh reality.”

Eichi drops the pile of documents onto the dirty bed and sneers at it.

“It has no bearing on the real world. Those kinds of stories only exist in the minds of idealistic writers. It's not the real thing. It's not reality.”

“Right. And so, I'd like to ask you, with your firm grasp on reality, to please rework it.”

“...?”

“You're hospitalized, so you have a lot of free time, correct?”

Wataru smiles, carefully gathering up the documents Eichi dropped one by one.

“Please use that spare time to improve upon this document. And adapt it into a new story in which The Five Eccentrics, your opponents, achieve victory.”

“What would be the point of doing such a thing?”

“You must be prepared for anything the future decides to throw your way, no matter how incredibly low the chances of it actually occurring may be. You know this better than anyone, but you were born with a fragile constitution, so—you could die at any time.”

“...You're right. And now that I've lost my will to live, I'm even refusing treatment.”

“And if you, the main character of this story, were to die and abruptly, nonsensically disappear from the narrative, the entire plot would collapse.”

“.....”

"Do you understand what I mean, Eichi-kun?"

“I understand, Hibiki-kun.”

Eichi's eyes, as cloudy as a corpse's, begin to sparkle.

“I have a responsibility. A responsibility as a protagonist—as an author. I have to be prepared for when my character dies and vanishes from this world—from the story.”

"Yes. However, you don't strike me as an expert storyteller, so I thought it'd be convenient to use something as a basis—for the story. This pipe dream written by Natsume-kun is quite suitable in terms of both content and quality, right?”

“That's right. It's the story that the child prodigy, the youngest member of The Five Eccentrics, wove out of his own life force.”

This time, Eichi doesn’t sneer sarcastically. As he praises his enemy, an honest smile appears on his face.

“Thank you, Hibiki-kun. Since this is a story founded on the premise of my imminent death, I can't let Keito, who hates the thought of me dying more than anyone else, write it.”

Eichi's eyes widen, surprised at the deep affection with which he spoke these words.

He'd assumed he'd lost everything. And yet—is he only now remembering that there are still things worth loving?

“I'll write it. To ensure the story will continue after I'm gone.”

Growing more and more energetic, Eichi stains his fingers with the filth splattered across his bed and begins to scrawl on the back of the stack of documents. His handwriting is so sluggish and messy that no one besides him could possibly read it.

“First of all, let's ensure that I get defeated while I'm still alive. After bringing down The Five Eccentrics and seizing control of everything, I become a power-crazed tyrant. And so, a new generation of heroes stands up to defeat me. It could be Natsume-kun, the surviving member of The Five Eccentrics, or someone else.”

“Yes ♪ And then? What will happen next in this story?”

“It's not enough to merely change the person in power. The masses themselves should mobilize and take action into their own hands to improve the world. Yes, the next step is the people's revolution. That's why... errr... aaahh—”

Eichi is so absorbed in the moment that he scatters the documents. He clutches his head with both hands.

“I can’t work through my thoughts! I'm not a genius, so this is really hard for me! Aah, this is pathetic, and I have no right to ask this of you, but—Can you help me come up with more ideas, Hibiki-kun?”

“Yes, with pleasure ♪ I also have some time to spare, after all!”

Wataru sits on the bed and happily gazes at Eichi, who has become entirely absorbed in the act of weaving⁴ the beginnings of a new story.

“I look forward to seeing what sort of stage I'll stand on next. Aah, in both my past and present, this has always been my only source of happiness.”

“I'm out of paper! I also want something to write with! Hibiki-kun, isn't there somewhere nearby where you could buy some?”

“Yes, yes. Aren't you supposed to be my fan? Are you sure you should be bossing me around like this?”

With a smile that seems to say, Well, it doesn't really matter, Wataru shifts like a bird about to take flight.

“Come on, let's celebrate, let's weave, let's create—a story! In this second iteration, the tragedy will become a comedy! Yes, I'm certain that this next work will be a very enjoyable story!”

“Enough, enough! Stop saying unnecessary things and just hurry up! Before life leaves my body!”

“Yes, yes. You really know how to put people to work, Mr. Author... ♪”

………

And so, Hibiki Wataru chose to assist Tenshouin Eichi in the creation of his story.

Together, they supported one another, engaged in heated debates, and envisioned the future.

It was at the end of that gloomy winter when the two of them, now fine, the rulers of Yumenosaki Academy, were defeated by the revolutionaries of Trickstar.

It was a season when the seeds carried by dirty, exhausted birds finally bloomed into flowers.

1. Gilles de Rais was a leader of the French army and participated in the Hundred Years’ War alongside Jeanne d’Arc as a companion of arms. Later in his life he went on to become a serial killer of children and was condemned to death and hanged. 

In the story “Cinderella on the Stake's Stage,” it’s revealed that Wataru also has a pigeon called “Jeanne d’Arc.”

2. Akira describes Eichi’s hair as “陽光を固めたような” = “As if sunlight has taken physical shape”. Likewise this is also the way he describes Wataru’s hair “月光を固めたような” = “As if moonlight has taken physical shape”.

3. We chose to interchange the words pipe dream and fantasy through the story but they often refer to the same script Natsume wrote.

4. Weaving reads as “Tsumugi” here.

[gach-artblog]

Commissioned by @/ Đức Nhân (FB)

I got the chance to draw his MC (Troy) with Mammon in student uniform this time. The high school romance trope is used so many times but it always have so much potential, I love the carefree vibe of Mammon and Troy in their student days. Thank you so much for commissioning me! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

Process below the cut:

1. Ideas:

The client sent me some references including high school uniform and sunset and stairs background so I came up with some ideas for the prompt. I tend to sketch out the thumbnail before going into any further detailed sketch. The 1st one was picked in the end.

2. Detailed sketch:

I roughly worked on lighting and composition of the artwork but in more details. Since they're walking together in the sunset, I added an orange overlay to get the overall vibe.

3. Lineart, flat color, shading, and final rendering:

I actually didn't make a completely new lineart with this one as usual because my sketch is good enough, I only cleaned it up a little and continued with the shading. If there was anything I'm not happy with, I would just paintover and use the liquify tool for corrections. The more loose painterly look also suited the carefree vibe of the piece better than the clean lineart and shading look.

The red thread wasn't there in the first sketch but I think it makes the piece much more dynamic, glad that my client loved it too.

And that's the end, thanks for reading! (o゜▽゜)o☆

[sanctus-ingenium]

Do you have any tips for picking colors and choosing the composition for your drawings? Love your art soooo so much btw

picking colours: i know for a fact i already answered an ask like this once but i can't find it, my response is the same though: experience, knowing what looks good with what, practice, etc. sorry i can't be more helpful on that one

composition: for me i try to direct the eye of the viewer and introduce contrast between values and textures. i made this to sort of explain my main approaches

Areas of high detail can include lots of small lines, a grainy texture, halftones, etc. Either way there's a lot of things for your eye to get caught on. These areas naturally draw the attention of a viewer. So what I do is make sure those areas are the important parts of the drawing - these are the areas i want people to spend most time looking at. I use linear elements of the drawing to direct the eye to the detailed areas. But overwhelming detail everywhere I look can be offputting too so I include areas with low detail and no texture, negative space where the eye "rests", and place them in contrast with the highly detailed areas. This way, the important subjects of the drawing stand out more.

For an example of that, check out 'eye of the otherworld' and try to imagine what it would look like if i had added dense hatching/texture on the birds, and left the horse kind of flat and with a uniform texture. the birds would become the subjects of the drawing instead of the horse.

you can use this to subvert expectations too. by drawing the viewers eyes to an area and then leaving it blank where they expect to see something highly detailed, you can add a disorienting atmosphere - i did this in 'centaur of attention' to invoke the sensation of actually staring up at a rack of studio lighting and a presenter whose face you can't see while the cameras are rolling

Contrast in values (light/dark) is really appealing to the eye. In almost every example there I use black or near black right up alongside paler colours. I really really like value contrast so I use it a lot

[thisautistic]

Hi! Question for you, as a gifmaker: how do you compliment someone who makes gifs?

For artists you can mention their line work, their colour palettes, composition etc, and for writers you can mention quotes or imagery or character moments you enjoyed - what sort of things should you mention for a gifmaker?

I'm sure it's appreciated to have someone say "wow your gifs look really cool/pretty/amazing" etc, but I know it always means more to me when someone picks up on specific skills or methods needed for my craft - not to downplay more general nice comments! But having someone mention specifics always feels better (to me at least 😅)

I love seeing all these incredible gifsets but I don't know how to give specific compliments - what kind of details do you notice in gifsets that people can look out for to comment on when they see them? All I can think of is sharpness? Image quality? I know there's SO much more to them but I don't know the language to talk about them 😔

I'd really appreciate any pointers you have!

oooooo! okay so first I'll explain about how you make a gif:

you make gifs by taking a video clip (or screenshots depending on how you do it) and you form them into a timeline. then you use adjustment layers to change the brightness, colors, vibrance etc

Imo the BEST compliment i can get as a gifmaker is 'wow your colors are so beautiful!' 'theyre so bright, uniform (because sometimes its hard to get them looking the same in different shots (yes really!))'

like you said I like getting compliments like 'these gifs are so SHARP (smooth, the quality is so good)' that's a great complement to get for sure

and last but certainly not least 'i love these moments you chose!' because depending on the quality gifs can range from about 20-100 frames (that is 1-5 seconds) so sometimes we are not able to get exactly what we want in each gif.

personally my favorite thing about giffing is the coloring part so it always makes me feel amazing when someone mentions that!

I love this question! I'll add more and reblog if I can think of any.

also gifmakers please sound off in the replies about what your favorite compliments are to get!

😘💖🫂

[katz-chow]

deranged reader my beloved, my daughter, me. back again in the spools of my brain.

warnings: exactly what the title is. fem! reader, pwp, blood, gore, manipulation (?), toxic reader (?), reverse harem w/ soap & ghost eventually the others, pnv, fingering, overstim (fem)

🏷️ | @warenai @reese-is-right

part 1

you came from a normal life before joining the military. your parents love you and so does your younger brother, he's a pain in the ass but aren't all siblings? cookie cutter houses lines the suburban streets, grasses cut, and christmas decorations find themselves on the houses as soon as december hits, no sooner to avoid hoa fines.

It's actually silly how you turned out this way, a small malicious brain in a body of a well cared for girl. in many ways it was like taming a wild animal; your nails were manicured on the regular, hair neat and put together, strands never where you hadn't meant for it to be, and your uniform was pristine, never stained, never wrinkled. on the outside, you truly where just the sweetest young lady that was meant to sing christmas carols at nursing homes and gain pinches on your cheeks as tips.

but you can't fully tame a wild animal though. in many cases, tigers eat their owners, monkeys maul them, and raccoons abandon home after trashing it. you, were simple. you don't bare your teeth to your owners or unsheathe your claws, you pin them. you pin them in a way that artists pin beetles and butterflies, perfect and spayed out for display and enjoyment.

and that's what you did to the 141. you made them yours. it came easy, natural- almost instinctive. everyone wants to be liked, right? so what if you're extra, extra good at that? you're just charming!

it started with soap. he was an easy target knowing how friendly he is. after finding out he's a demolitions expert, you stepped in asking him rather complex questions on the molecular composition of the explosives he found himself building. and he gladly explained it to you, not having a lot of people who know chemistry on such a level outside of an academic space.

the two of you spend lunches together relating his chemistry knowledge to your biology knowledge as an ex-medic. together you were Biochemistry, what a bunch of nerdy POS'.

quickly that lead to more chemistry in the comfort of your bed as well, having the two of you wrapped up in the sheets as he fucked you hard and fast, his name spilling out of your lips like an echo in the void that is your thoughts.

his dick rammed into, your ankles on his shoulders and his grip on the back of your knees as he bends you in half.

after that night, it became many more. soap was now just johnny. the two of you shared loving glances and plenty of playful touches, a slap on each other's ass when the other passed by, a ruffle of hair, and arms wrapped around the other's waist, cheek to the muscle of their back.

ghost, observant as ever, found this quite aggravating as he thought you were his to hold. while you and johnny fumbled with carbons and phosphorus, ghost had picked up more paperwork than normal, training more recruits than he normally would, just to go and ask you for help. which, being the nice person you were, happily agreed to help him empty his plate.

silence filled the air besides the occasional sound of paper shifting and being flipped, or tossed to the side. some pens scribbling on the paper and against the hardness of the wood also found its way into the comfortable silence and the absence of words. ghost's eyes dashed up to look at you, chewing on the flesh of your lip as you focus on the paperwork that he had asked for your help on. he sees the blankness of your face, how nothing else seems to move or show any signs of emotion besides the gnawing of your teeth.

he quirked an eyebrow at this, how unusual you are...how fascinating. almost as if in a trance, a stupor, a daze as your aura pulls him onto his feet and over to you. he hovers over you, only your wooden desk in between.

"you and soap..." he started and as quickly as the daze came, it left him to fumble for the right words. you look up at him, the same bored expression on your face before you wide your eyes just a tiny bit in surprise and realization.

your head tilts to the side, deciding on letting him grumble with his own choked words. and he, in fear of such situation, opted to shut his mouth and walk back to his desk, picking up from what he left off.

a giggle escapes your mouth, "you can ask him." you say playfully, going back to your own sentence to write and finish up.

the two of them were a pair, always have been- and easy to hook both with the same, sweet bait of your kindness. sooner or later, you got what you wanted, two playful dogs that tend to your every need, whether to pick up some food for you, run to your room to get a file you forgot, knock someone's teeth out for your collection, or to pull orgasm after orgasm out of you until you’re a panting mess. that last one was your favorite.

you sat in simon's lap, knee bent with your leg thrown over it, spreading and keeping your thighs from closing. johnny's fingers thrust into your sweet heat as your sharp nails continue to dig into the back of simon's hand, holding onto the flesh of your waist tightly. behind you, you could feel simon's dick twitched as more of your slick dribble down onto his own trousers. his hot breathe against your ear grounded you just a bit as johnny's thumb grazed over your swollen clit. "that's it lovie...one more for us yeah?" johnny snickers from his place, crouched right in front of your pussy, all wet and puffy from the many orgasms that the two of them have taken from you. you whined as he continue to tease you, fingers languidly pulling in and out of your cunt as his thumb swipes over the top edge of your bud. you cry out. even his feather-light touches on your wet clit draws you closer to the edge until your mind goes numb, your pleasure boiling over the edge once again. your body convulses as simon's grasp on you tighten. "good girl, come on now. i kent you could do it..." johnny praises as his fingers pumps in and out of you quicker, pulling every last drop of your pleasure into his palm.

now two of them were playful with you, you were theirs and they knew how to share. their sweet little play thing that was always too good to them, so obedient.

simon now wishes that you were as obedient in the field as you were in bed as he sweeps through the building in search of you. he curses to himself for letting you slip past his field of vision and his attention, going off on your own with a simple "be right back".

he believed it but that was almost an hour ago, and this building is not big. however, the concrete walls and fluorescent lights rendered this place a labyrinth. rifle in his hand, held close and alert, he quickly tip toes up the stairs, observing the twisting quiet hallways, its greenish lights making him feel sick.

he continued on, careful in the thickness of the silence, making his heart thunder and his steps heavy, like forcing through gelatinous air. a wail rung through the concrete walls, not yours, but a shriek of agony, the only sound being made in the longest minutes in his life.

he jogged on, gun tight in his grip, ready to shoot the poor bastard that stood in between his darling and him.

your voice got louder as he got closer, he turned the corner, meeting you and a man in an empty room, door swung open. the man knelt on your feet in front of you. crimson pipes and frayed pieces of his bicep dripped down thick, molten blood onto a pile of rumble from the collapsed wall. simon froze, his own blood flowed thunderously in his ears as he felt his chest shook.

your face showed the same picture as it did when he made you take over his paperwork all those weeks ago. a plain, empty, broken face stared back down at the man on his knees. he mumbles something in russian quickly, petrified in his spot as you held the saw onto the top of his head. his pleas faded into nothing as his voice grew raw from overuse. a simple, broken, "please" breathed out of his exhausted lungs.

simon saw the way his unsteady back raised as he took a quick breath and how it shakily exited his body. blood continued to drip from his exposed bone and muscle. the man's body swayed, weakened from the lack of such plasma flowing through him. a man on the brink of death didn't scare simon, he has been where you are now. he has seen death like an old friend from school, bumping into it every so often.

the dread that filled his body and weighed on his shoulders was your reaction- or lack thereof. you didn't care about his pleas, or how the light in his dull eyes extinguished from tight-lining in between life and death. you didn't care that his arm was discarded behind you. you didn't care about the severed arm, laying in a dark pool, drenched in blackness, just a foot away from your backside. you didn't care.

the man's hand grabs onto your leg, begging, pleading for mercy, even as death was eager to take him. simon sees his breathing becoming staggered, shallow, knowing death is standing over your shoulder, staring on, waiting for you to make the final blow, to end his life.

but you don't. a satiated hum of approval rumbled out of your throat as you dug the jagged blade of the hand saw into his skull. the man pulled from the well of his energy, enough to let out a sluggish, hoarse sob. he bent over more, trying to escape the digging of the steel into his scalp, failing.

you pull back the blade, making you cut deeper and the man choked on his anguished cries. satisfied, you yanked the blade out, leaving the man to hiccup one last plea as you kicked him off your leg. he falls to the ground on his side, his chest rising ever so slightly. you step over him, throwing the saw to the other side of the room, it's weight hits the concrete with a 'thump'. simon doesn't speak, and neither do you. he walks behind you, rifle still drawn. and you know why.

[sunoorintarou]

Catharsis: Polaroids.

Phos!Reader × (Platonic) Gojo Satoru

Warnings: Gojo being himself, Gojo being concerned about the reader, probably the fluffiest part so far, still pretty sad, mentions Phos' defection at the end, brief mentions of Haibara, Riko and Geto.

Notes: The urge to post like 5 parts of this a day😔 I'm tryna pace myself and like post once a day but I already have like 5 more parts done, perhaps I like this idea more than I thought😭 maybe I'll post mini snippets about phos, like a Playlist or smthn to listen to while y'all read, idk, might add songs to certain parts? Expect me to post about Catharsis and Catharsis only for a while tho💀

"Gojo - sensei?"

Gojo turned to face you, seeing your silhouette in his doorway. He almost wondered if this was a dream, pulling up his blindfold to look at you. It had been a good few weeks since you'd approached him, approached anyone for that matter.

"Y/n! My beloved student, it's been so long." He grinned, standing up and running to you comically. You didn't move, letting Gojo wrap his arms around you, forehead against his chest. You didn't hug back either, however.

"Ah, I know this is sudden, but could you do me a favour?" You asked, bashfully.

"Of course! Now, what does my lovely, precious, adorable student need?" Gojo used his animatedness to hide his concern and relief.

"Can- can you go out with me?"

Gojo paused, eyes widening as he pretended to blush, fiddling with his hands and swaying like a school girl.

"B- but, you're my student, that- that isn't allowed." He said shyly, batting his eyelashes at you.

"Not like that! I just want to go to a store." You huffed in annoyance.

This was how you found yourself walking through the crowded streets with Gojo, in search of what you were looking for.

"What are we looking for anyways?" He asked. Although you hadn't noticed, Gojo had been using his cursed technique nonstop since you left Jujutsu Tech. He refused to take any chances.

"You'll see." You sighed. It was winter. The air was cold, and your face was practically buried in your scarf, hands stuffed into your pockets. You hadn't worn your uniform in a long time, settling on sweatshirts or one specific hoodie Yukio had leant you that you never got to return.

Gojo watched you, noticing the little changes in your appearance. You had gained confidence and strength, back straight and head high, the jacket you were wearing looking ever so slightly less oversized than it had before. You were always covered from head to toe, your body composition something you often found embarrassing, not to mention hard to explain to normal people.

Watching your back as you walked in front of him, Gojo really noticed how things had changed. You had never previously walked in front, always settling for standing back and walking in silence next to Megumi.

You were an awkward but energetic kid. Always smiling, always happy, watching out for the group, making sure no one was left behind. You had reminded him of a girl he once knew, one he had failed to protect. And a cheerful boy who used to hang out around Nanami.

Now, however, you reminded him of someone else. Someone who had meant the world to him. His one and only best friend. And he refused to let you walk down the same path as him.

Your eyes lit up when you noticed the shop you were looking for, stopping in front of it. You looked at Gojo for a second, handing him your bag.

"Please wait outside with this, sensei." You said. And with how bright your teal eyes were in that moment, Gojo couldn't say no.

When you left the store, you had a plastic bag, the contents still concealed. You led Gojo across the street, to the park, letting him watch you in curiosity as you began opening the box inside the packet, assembling whatever was inside.

You had your back facing him, feeling embarrassed as you rushed to put what you had bought together. It was going to snow soon, and you had to be quick.

"Sensei! Y/n!" Gojo turned at the voices, eyes widening when he saw his other students returning from a mission.

You finished just in time, holding up your brand new camera and taking a picture of the moment Gojo noticed them. Capturing their smiles and excitement in the first snow.

Although Gojo and the others hadn't realised it, you had built up your resolve. Your fear of forgetting everyone had built up, and now you had found your solution. Even if you did forget their faces, you would never forget the way they made you feel.

Not even a year later, however, Gojo could only question what was going through your mind. Your room was empty and clean. Bed made neatly. And in the centre, was the only part of you they had left, your camera. The memory card was still in it, full of photos of everyone and everything from your team to Shoko and Nanami. Photos of everyone's birthdays, of a cat you had seen that reminded you of Gojo, of Nobara's favorite crepes, Megumi's demon dog, Yuji's disgusted face after he had eaten one of Sukuna's fingers. And a note on a piece of white paper was on top of it, with only the words: Thank you.

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Another day of brainrot, another batfam character to draw. I've just fully given myself over to this Batman obsession. I've been reading the comics. I've read more comics in the past two weeks than I thought I would in my life. I have a TBR list for comics. I'll make a weekly rambling when I finish the current arc I'm on. Today, you're getting the current Robin, Damian Wayne!

Initial trace! He is cocky, he is short, he will beat you up while rocking skorts! I'm finally drawing an edgy robin in their robin suit, so he gets pants! Damian has the most complicated costume to draw by far, so there were specific elements that I was really focusing on learning for this trace. Namely, his irregularly hemmed cape, his 3 piece skirt thing, the "fins" on his gloves, and his armored boots. While I do like the armored boots, Super Sons is one of my very first comic loves, so I decided to make the red detailing more like laces than armor panels, since Damian has ridiculous high lace up boots in that comic.

Chibi time! I had a lot of fun with stylizing Damian, but he definitely didn't make it easy on me! I think it's a combination of his costume being much more complex than the other's with many more layered parts, and him being a shortstack kid, which is not the age range I usually draw. I think the biggest design detail I focused on here, is that I wanted him to have more or less the same hair as Robin from the Animated Teen Titans from 2006. Just that ridiculously spiky style that clearly took way too much hairspray. I know that Robin is technically Dick Grayson, but the creators always said they thought of him as more of a composite character who took elements from all the Robins, and Damian has always rocked a spiky hairstyle, so I felt they could share this.

Characterization pose! Damian is the kind of person that is always ready to throw hands for any reason, and he's also the kind of person that takes any kind of perceived insult way too seriously. So I drew him pouting and ready to punch someone. I decided to put him in a Gotham Academy uniform for his civvies, mostly because of the Super Sons movie, but I did consider putting him in shorts because it would be so funny to see him dressed like a regular kids who runs around and skins his knees and stuff. I also gave him his sword. I know he's trying really hard to not use it, but he's KNOWN for being the Robin with the katana. He deserves it. While I don't love this final illustration as much as I love some of the others I've done so far, I think it did come out okay. As always, the Robin text is traced.

Nightwing Edition

Red Hood Edition

Robin (Carrie Kelley) Edition

Red Robin Edition

Spoiler Edition

[ryuichirou]

i know you don’t play the game/gacha, but do you have any particular favorite cards/designs? i personally love deuce’s star sending card, it’s so sparkly ✨i also like ace’s newer playful land card, it’s kind of sexy??

Anon! Sorry for the late reply; every time I start thinking about your ask I realise that I just love way too many cards aushdia Deuce’s Star Sending card is great, everyone’s outfits from this event are gorgeous; and Ace’s new card is honestly amazing, so I completely agree with you.

I’ll go through all the characters and try picking one favourite one + list the other ones that I like… it’s a lot… I’ll try not to pick everything lol

Also sorry if I use different names for the same Event in this post, my brain is a bit fried because of the amount of information. But it was a fun reply to write nevertheless.

Riddle – Labwear Groovy, the atmosphere on this one is just lovely and Riddle is very cute; Swimwear (+Groovy) because I'm weak...; Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Birthday Boy Groovy, Halloween (+Groovy), , Suitor Suit Groovy, Apprentice Chef Groovy, Broomquet (+Groovy)

Ace – Playful Land (+Groovy), it’s way too cool, I think this is actually my favourite Ace card lol; Suitor Suit (+Groovy), Apprentice Chef Groovy, Broomquet Groovy, Fairy Gala Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Basketball Jersey (+Groovy).

Deuce – Rabbit Wear (+Groovy), it’s so difficult to pick between this one and the Starsending one, but Rabbit Deuce is super charming; Starsending Robes (+Groovy), Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Birthday Boy Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Clubwear (+Groovy), Broomquet Groovy

Trey – Halloween Groovy, I really like it when Trey gets to be a bit spooky and creepy, so this one is honestly easy; Broomquet Groovy, Outdoor Wear (+Groovy), Lab Coat (+Groovy), Labwear Groovy, Ceremonial Robes Groovy.

Cater – Broomquet Groovy, the composition and colours on this one are so sweet; Pop Music T-shirt (+Groovy), New Year's Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Dorm Uniform, Playful Dress Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Halloween.

Leona – Labwear Groovy, but I'm biased because this is the one Leona vignette that I really liked + it's funny lol; Gala Couture (+Groovy), Birthday Boy Groovy, Kingly Garb, Halloween (+Groovy)

Ruggie – Outdoor Wear (+Groovy), really like the angle and the atmosphere, plus honestly happy to see Ruggie enjoying himself lol; New Year's Groovy, Halloween Groovy, Port Wear Groovy, Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Broomquet Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy

Jack – Beans Camo Groovy, such an intense and beautiful card, it’s very energetic; Labwear Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Port Wear (+Groovy), Dorm Uniform, Club Wear Groovy.

Azul – Halloween Groovy, although it’s super difficult to pick one, I love pretty much all the Azul cards LOL but this one is special because Azul is super unhinged...; Masquerade (+Groovy), Labwear Groovy (fuck yeah AzuIde card), Birthday Jacket Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Beans Camo (+Groovy), Broomquet Groovy, Tsumsitter (+Groovy)

Jade – Halloween (+Groovy) COME OOOOn when it comes to “unhinged” Jade has the best cards to be honest, he’s so deliciously psychotic on these + the new New Year card is SO NICE that it broke me; Apprentice Chef Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Outdoor Groovy, Dorm Uniform Groovy (+ Groovy VIL SHOE), Birthday Boy Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Broomquet Groovy.

Floyd – Swimwear (+Groovy), I picked something spooky for Azul and Jade, and I originally wanted to either pick the Dorm Groovy or the Beans Groovy for Floyd, but then I saw the Stitch cards and they made me so happy that my hand slipped; Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Beans Camo(+Groovy), Outdoor Wear Groovy, Basketball Jersey Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Broomquet Groovy, Playful Dress.

Kalim – Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), I thought I’d pick the Pop Music Club one, but then I looked at this groovy again and I god I think this is objectively one of my favourite cards from all of the boys simply because of Jamil’s bracelet reflecting Jamil’s concerned eye; Pop Music (+Groovy), New Year's Attire, Apprentice Chef Groovy, Playful Dress, Gala Couture Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy.

Jamil – Harveston (+Groovy), this one annihilated me, I cannot pick any other one, although Jamil is so gorgeous all the time that frankly it's unfair; Dorm Uniform (+Groovy, fuck), Basketball Jersey (+Groovy), Gala Couture Groovy, Masquerade Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Silk Adorned (+Groovy), Birthday Jacket Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Broomquet Groovy.

Vil – Halloween, let's face it, this is objectively the best Vil card, the legs, the outfit, the composition, it’s legendary… I honestly love this one much more than the Groovy version; New Year's (+Groovy), Beans Camo (+Groovy), Outdoor Wear (+Groovy), Silk Adorned (+Groovy), Labwear Groovy, Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Birthday Jacker Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Broomquet Groovy, Playful Dress.

Rook – Beans Camo (+Groovy), I feel like this one has such a strong "Rook" presence, but at the same time it's kind of unusual in a way; Halloween Groovy, Lab Coat (+Groovy), Dorm Uniform, Ceremonial Robes Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Broomquet Groovy, Apprentice Chef, Port Wear (+Groovy), Tsumsitter Groovy (bonkers).

Epel – Harveston (+Groovy), the ultimate Epel Card, both versions are very beautiful; Rabbit Wear (+Groovy), Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Birthday Jacket Groovy (yay Floyd) Birthday Boy Groovy, Broomquet Groovy

Idia – Masquerade (+Groovy), I think I literally picked every card of Idia lol he can do no wrong, but the Masquerade ones just hit different, they're so dramaticly delicious; Harveston Groovy, Suitor Suit (+Groovy), Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Birthday Boy Groovy, Starsending Robes (+Groovy), Birthday Jacket Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Ceremonial Robes Groovy (aoba looking ass), Broomquet Groovy, Apprentice Chef (+ Groovy)

Ortho – Cerberus Gear (+Groovy), because Ortho is a BAD DOG this card has absolutely no business being this cool, it’s been almost a year and I still can’t quite express how I feel about it; Fairy Gear (+Groovy), Playful Gear, Rabbit Gear (+Groovy), Birthday Gear Groovy, Ignihyde Gear (+Groovy), B-Day Jacket Gear Groovy, Broomquet Groovy, Precision Gear Groovy, Burst Gear Groovy (I'm biased), Stargazer Gear Groovy.

Malleus – Dorm Uniform it's gotta be this one, it's stupidly gorgeous and has a HEEL, I feel like this one expresses Malleus' entire being perfectly, but it was hard to pick between this one and the Masquerade+Halloween; Masquerade (+Groovy), Halloween (+Groovy), Labwear Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Birthday Boy Groovy, Broomquet Groovy, Silk Adorned Groovy, Apprentice Chef Groovy.

Lilia – General's Armor (+Groovy), it's so difficult to pick one for Lilia omg all of his cards are pretty great but this one is so ICONIC that I honestly have no choice; Swimwear (+Groovy), Halloween Groovy (FACEEE), Dorm Uniform (legs), Broomquet Groovy, Suitor Suit Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Pop Music (+Groovy), Kingly Garb (+Groovy)

Sebek – New Year's (+Groovy), another difficult one to pick, maybe I'll change my mind after we watch ch7, but Sebek looks so good in this outfit and his face looks so good on this one + the perspective makes me weak; Armor of Eternal Night (+Groovy), Harveston (+Groovy), Masquerade (+Groovy), Dorm Uniform, Ceremonial Robes Groovy, Labwear Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Broomquet Groovy.

Silver – Halloween (+Groovy), the colours are gorgeous on both of these, but especially the non-groovy one: the teals and the blues work so wonderfully with pink accents, Silver is super pretty on this one; Gala Couture (+Groovy), Ceremonial Robes Groovy, Labwear Groovy (this one is so silly he's so serious), Broomquet Groovy, Birthday Jacket Groovy, Dorm Uniform (+Groovy), Birthday Boy Groovy.

[ninja-kitty-more-like-no]

Joyride

This is not a story about godhood.

Did you know that gray wolves had been extirpated in Yellowstone National Park by 1926? You don’t know what Yellowstone is, but the concept of a wolf is familiar to you. A wolf is the archetypal predator, a relentless and pursuing beast. Even when you cram yourself down into a human form, you are the wolf. You hunt. You live. You always live.

When the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, they leveled out the unchecked deer and coyote populations, and sent a rippling trophic cascade of effects through all levels of the ecosystem. Foxes became more abundant. Hares and small birds consequently consumed less food, altering the material decomposing in the soil, which in turn altered the composition of the soil itself. The park thrives with the reintroduction of its natural predators. You are a natural predator, no matter what name you go by– Wildmother predating Melora predating Asha, the girl with the terrible wolf eyes let loose upon the streets of Aeor.

The people in that floating city were built of flesh and terror. They were gamey between your teeth. You stalked the streets even as they forgot to fear you.

You are not kind. You are not good. You are hungry.

This is not a story about godhood, but it’s not a story about mortality, either. Before you were a woman, you were crazy, and before you were crazy, you were right. You’re divine like dirt. You love dirt. You’d eat dirt til you died if they let you.

No caloric value, but you’d be full.

This is not a story about Yellowstone. You don’t know what Yellowstone is. You don’t care. Yellowstone isn’t something you can put your teeth to. Yellowstone isn’t prey or predator or scavenger or decomposer. It doesn’t matter. Aeor could be Yellowstone, the way you’ve decimated the natural order, but it’s not. That’s not the analogy. That’s not what this means.

Years and years and years ago, before any of you had even conceived of the invention of years, you were chased into this world by a monstrous force you named Predathos, and it changed you. You all locked it away behind prison bars, and your siblings said, oh, phew, it can’t get out now! Good job, everyone, we did it! And you watched their revelry, watched them thrill in their success, and your sibling whose name was taken from you came and sat by you and asked, Melora, what troubles you? And you had run your tongue over your teeth and said nothing, because it was the nothing that had been troubling you.

Wolves eat, yes? Wolves eat because they’re hungry. You’ve been hungry. When you were growing up in Aeor, your mortal father found you locked inside the henhouse, screaming and wailing, covered in blood and surrounded by chickens, and you weren’t crying because the chickens were dead, but rather because even their living flesh could not sate you. You understand hunger. You understand.

What troubles you about the nothing is that it always exists in the absence of everything else. It is a self-contained void. Given enough time, it collapses, and something floods in all over again. Listen– listen, yes, there is a point to this. There is a point. You ask the woman who killed your sibling where he went, and she had stared at you through blank plaster eyes and said nothing and you had said I would like to go there please could you get me to the nothing and there had been the dull crash of something unimaginable and distant and you had known that there was only one way to that great next nothing and it was no longer her.

The Raven Queen shepherds mortals. Without her, they would live forever, invasive and unchecked. You love them, but your love is a hunger, and mortals can only love you the way that a tree loves the gardener and his shears. That is a tenuous love. You are still hungry. You are unchecked too, Melora, Asha, and that is the truth that no one else seems to realize: you are not a wolf. You are a deer in a park ranger’s uniform, and you have extirpated the wolves from Yellowstone, hidden them behind a gate and stranded them on the moon, and you have no fear of anything anymore. You and your ilk locked away the primordials. You and your ilk tear each other and your creations to pieces.

Do you really love these things that you’ve made, Wildmother, or are you lying? Why are you lying? You know the truth that no one else can accept. You’re not eating because you’re hungry. You’re eating because you’re bored.

You are not a wolf. You are a doe. You live in Yellowstone, which is called Exandria, and the people cry out for the wolves to return, and you do not refute them, only offer a correction on the nature of the noun. No, children. This is not Canis Lupus. This is something older, which we call Predathos. Predathos is the wolf. Predathos is the wolf. Predathos is the wolf.

You are driving this world like you stole it, because you did. You are a little girl in a henhouse, ripping out the throats of these plump, friendly birds with your milk teeth and sobbing for something you do not understand when all you receive is blood. You’re hungry for something that blood can’t sate. You offer your power in resurrection, and watch from the bushes, glowing eyes in the darkness and the brush, and the question goes, oh, my love, welcome home, where have you been? And the response is always nothing, nothing, nothing.

You’re on a joyride without a roadmap, and you’re in the backseat, and you are the only one in the car who realizes that the road ends. You are the only one who realizes that it must.

You lick your lips, and begin to drool.

[chicago-geniza]

The Trouble With Angels (1966) was made for me in a lab. What if Mädchen in Uniform were set at a convent school and instead of ending with a suicide attempt about thwarted lesbian desire it ends with the protagonist becoming a postulant because she develops a mentor-protegee/in loco maternal relationship with the Mother Superior. Parts of the script and several shot compositions were evidently inspired by both Mädchen films, but especially the 1958 remake with Romy Schneider. I love a nun movie!!!!!!!!!

[miapcain]

are the outfits in VDtWOF inspired by anything in particular or generic in a way?

Thank you for the ask! I love getting these :p

I had the opportunity to borrow a historian's rare book on 14th century bohemian clothing after he heavily criticized the last game I had a big hand in, Rhythm of Triverz, for period inaccuracies. That gave me a convenient ceiling for the most advanced gowns and armour you could expect in the region at the time. Resources on this are extant online but many don't cite their sources and most good ones are maintained on individual german historians' websites, so I need to do more research on this in general, but here are my basic rules for designing their clothes:

Everyone wears long gowns. Hose were pretty rare in this period. Women might have slightly longer dresses

Everyone wears a plain "shift," a garment that's worn under the main article of clothing. This is the one that gets washed

Garments, even rich ones, are unicolour. Mixed fabrics and colours appear later.

There's very little embroidery or detailwork on regular clothing

A garment will be worn with a belt, which might be longer the higher a person's status, and a pouch carrying an eating knife and other personal items

Most people will wear a head covering. Married women will always cover their hair outdoors, other women might do so too, and all women and girls cover their hair in church. Most common hats should be bundhauben or gugel.

A garment can be worn with a contrasting cloak (blue/red is a common one)

Jewellery is occasionally ok, but no piercings (?)

Shoes as we know them are more 14th/15 century; no big boots. Most shoes will be more like pointed leather socks or for ladies silk slippers. Poor people might wear wooden clogs.

No or very few fancy cuts. Later on you see tunics and gugel with with triangular or even fancier hems; This possibly exists very rarely in a limited capacity on things like a noblewoman's 'Kruseler' veil at this time, but that's probably it.

No black. No one depicted in this comic would be rich enough to waste money on black dye. Nuns and so on wear undyed or brown wool.

Military clothing is more "primitive" than might be expected. Not really any fancy visor helmets or big articulated suits of armour yet, most men-at-arms and even knights wear a mail shirt and a surcoat

As I understand, and I'm more than happy to be corrected on any of this, this applies almost universally. Peasants working in the field will wear dyed colourful garments, not plain rags. If it's hot, you don't take the outer garment off, you tuck the front hem of it in your belt to expose the shift. Masons will climb ladders and haul stone in this stuff. Some labourers or craftspeople will wear an apron and other specialized clothing like a toolbelt, too.

Note how Vesna wears a plain linen shift under her nicer yellow dress. I usually draw her with the sleeves all the way at the wrist, which would be the appropriate way to wear them, but she has it folded back here to make the composition nicer.

Bonus: Amusing pictures of King Václav IV slaying (150 years after when Vesna is set) and the "work uniform" of a bathhouse maid