#so you can tell even if its drawn in a completely different style

[lacnunga]

I love people's book character designs. Whenever i see characters drawn in the artists own special little way i just live it love it

[wuntrum]

do you have any tips for an artist who wants to start making one off comics? i really enjoy your artistic direction and style of story telling so i’m very interested in your thoughts on it

yes, definitely!!

-read lots of comics! and a variety of them, too--both ones in the sort of genre/style you'd like to make, but also ones in completely different genres, lengths, places of origin, traditionally/indie/digitally published, simple to experimental formatting, etc

-in relation to the last one, if a comic you read really speaks to you, take some time to study some page layouts from that comic! how do the panels vary from page to page? how much space is the text taking up? what sort of "shots" (to borrow from cinematic language lol) are they using? these shouldn't be fancy, just little thumbnails, but i find it really helps. here's a few i did from a guest in the house by emily carroll

-start smalllll. its really important to build up your stamina, just like with any new sort of skill. if you wanna make a graphic novel thats 200+ pages long, you should make some comics that are 1, 20, 50 pages long and see them through to the end before taking on a super big project.

-this is related to the last point, but i think keeping your cast of characters small at first can also help build up your comic stamina. signals was the first longer comic i made, so i specifically really wanted to focus on just jeanne (and occasionally her parents and peers when they showed up)

-character sheets are helpful, but i also think the easiest way to start getting your characters drawn consistently is through actually drawing the comic! there's also gonna be panels where they look "off" or whatever, and its literally fine, i promise

-through the smaller comics, experiment with how you go about writing your story! theres no right or wrong way to write/plan out a story so, it takes some trial and error to figure out what will work best with your work flow. for me, i've found success in making a timeline of events for the story -> loosely guessing how many pages i'll need/want per section of the story -> freewriting (trying not to edit too much, just dumping all the words out) -> thumbnailing/loose sketching/editing text (all sort of happens in the same step; i find i need the layouts in front of me to understand what i need/don't need from the text i wrote) -> tight sketching -> final . but, if that flow doesn't work for you, try something else! i know a lot of comics people find success in writing a script first, with indications of page and panel-by-panel breakdowns

-take shortcuts often and without guilt. its a lot of work to make a comic! theres just a lot of drawings involved, that most people aren't gonna look at for very long! i especially recommend for infrequent/difficult things, like buildings or crowds or cars or bookcases, using some sort of 3d asset/brush to make your life easier. if you can reuse a drawing and change the crop/expression, do it!

-use some sort of tracker to track your progress on how many pages you've sketched/inked/finished. even if you don't have an external deadline, i think it's still good to give yourself some sort of timeline to work on (i recommend setting "ideal" goals and "realistic" goals, especially if you're working/still in school/etc). for signals, i used google sheets, because you can set up columns to be attached to little circle charts, so as you check off your progress, you can really easily see how much you've done/how much you have left to do (as i type this i highkey forget how i did that before, with signals, so...you might need to do some sheets experimentation to actually do this lol. but there's probably other trackers you can use too)

-understanding comics and making comics by scott mccloud are both great books, highly recommend them (easy to get second hand/from your library/🏴‍☠️)

-lastly, haveee funnnnn

[thanksjro]

Transformers Holiday Special (2015) — Wishing You and Yours a Delightfully Secular Wintertime, Containing Absolutely Zero References to the Birth of Christ

Despite what some might like to think, Christmas isn’t for everyone; even with all the commercialization, at its heart, it’s still about the Baby Jesus. You can tell that we haven’t shaken the Christian connection, because the cover for this special issue has the father, the son, and the holy spirit, which is hidden behind the company logo.

And if Rodimus doesn’t stop screwing around, his resurrection’s gonna have to happen a lot sooner than Easter.

Because this is a comic special, things are going to be a little different. Instead of one standard-size issue, we’re getting three mini-stories, each with their own writer (from each of the comic runs that were publishing at the time) and artist. Our stories are listed here:

Don’t worry about what Ultra Magnus is up to behind that text.

Now, you may ask, why on earth am I covering this issue, which is a specifically Christmassy one, now, when it’s not currently Christmas? Well, according to Roberts, the story “Silent Light” takes place after MTMTE #49, and #50 is when the crew manifest for the Lost Light gets shaved down some, so realistically, this is when “Silent Light” happens in continuity. So I want you to keep in mind that Getaway’s Christmas isn’t going so great.

I won’t be going back to catch up on the other runs’ plots, as the Christmas stories are stand-alone.

Getting into it, our first story is:

Penned by Mairghread Scott and drawn by Corin Howell. We open up on a cityscape featuring a happy sun and some eye-searing narration boxes.

I went to Howell’s Twitter to see what her deal was, and was greeted with a banner consisting of a sexy succubus lady with her boobies out, so I’m going to assume she simplified her style for this issue, since mecha are hella difficult to draw.

Also, I hope you like the structure of How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, because that’s what we’re getting for the next little while, complete with chunky, white text on painful-to-view red.

Our story opens with all the transformers from the colonies visiting Cybertron and making friends with each other. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts, which pisses off President-King Starscream to no end. Being the drama queen that he is, Starscream feels that everyone should be paying attention to him 24/7 and feed him grapes as he reclines on a sofa, because hasn’t he done enough for all these sorry sacks of shit? He hasn’t even caused a war, unlike the last guy who was in charge. Bumblebee (who is a ghost) tells him to just be fucking nice for once in his miserable life, but Starscream wouldn’t be Starscream if he could settle down like that.

Our god-king of the planet calls for his aide, Rattrap, who is going to be in his alt mode for the entirety of this story, to help him set up for a public broadcast addressing his need for attention and adoration.

He sends Rattrap off to deliver the tape to the news, which seems to consist of two very sleep-deprived individuals. Because they’re apparently the only two robots stupid enough to attempt to cover the nightmare hellscape that is Cybertronian current events, the last bit of Starscream’s tape is cut off when one of them falls asleep on the switchboard. This turns Starscream’s personal worship holiday into “For the Love of God Be Nice to Each Other” Day. Everyone takes to it beautifully, getting BFF tattoos, going on vacation with their husbands, hugging in the straightest gay way possible, holding parades, giving each other bombs, and getting absolutely shitfaced.

Starscream, distraught that nobody is giving him the emperor treatment like he had wanted, sulks in his twin bed, then moves to his dinky little throne as the night wears on, making the most miserable faces he can the whole time. Eventually, Chosen One Day ends, and he’s been completely ignored. Very sad.

Then, there’s a knock on his door, and Starscream creeps over to the peephole just in time to be smashed flat by Wheeljack slamming the door open. Last time we saw Wheeljack he was assumed dead by most, and floating in a tank at Starscream’s behest. He’s gotten better since then, clearly.

Wheeljack came with friends— the entirety of the main cast for Windblade/Til All Are One, to be exact— and they’re here to make sure that Starscream isn’t completely alone on this friendship holiday he accidentally invented. Everyone toasts to his good, totally intentional idea, and Starscream decides against killing all of them for at least the next 24 hours.

Now pay attention to this next story, because it’s actually canon-relevant, because of course Roberts would write a holiday special mini-comic that ties into his overarching plot. Fucking nerd.

Our artist for “Silent Light” is Kotteri (or Kotteri!, as it’s been written on some of their other publications) the pen name for Ikumi Fukuda. Kotteri is primarily a manga artist, having created their own works and well as working on other projects. I admittedly can’t find much on this person, not even their preferred pronouns, TFWiki itself using “they”, which I will default to. All of the info they’ve provided themself is, of course, written in Japanese, but even running things through a translator only proves that information to be purely professional. Their personal Twitter is protected, and my follow request was never answered, as far as I know. There’s a fan Twitter account for their art that claims “she”, but I have no way to verify, and I don’t want to assume anything based on art style, because that’s sort of shitty. Let it never be said that I didn’t do my due diligence here— I fucking hate using Twitter.

We open with Rodimus having just returned from Meteorfest, a festival where you surf on meteors and avoid your co-captain and SIC’s calls like the putz you are. He’s greeted by said co-captain and SIC decorating assembling a Christmas tree cloaking machine and finishing each other’s sentences like an old married couple. Rodimus tries to deny the existence of Minimegs, then we get our heavy-handed and lampshaded explanation for the crux of the issue. Megatron handles Minimus like a baby doll as the two of them explain that the Lost Light is about to hit Mauler territory.

Maulers are notorious for wanting the Cybertronians dead, but Megatron is too much of a macho man to pussy out and go around them. So instead, the crew will be hiding in special sleeping pods that will mask their spark signatures, and pray to their pantheon of gods that no one notices the ship the size of Manhattan. Brainstorm has like fifteen new inventions, despite being on house arrest from his lab. Megatron’s autobot badge is wearing a hat. Merry fucking Christmas.

Over at Swerve’s, it would appear that everyone’s favorite television junkie is closed for business, as it’s just him, Nautica, and Whirl, sitting on the floor getting absolutely shit-faced on subspace-filtered engex. This might’ve been an issue, as folks are supposed to be bedding down in their B.E.D.s for the next leg of the trip, but Swerve slipped Magnus some Bing Crosby earlier so they’re cool right now.

There’s a banging at the door, and Whirl decides to answer, even though it’s not his bar, because if it’s trouble come a-knocking, it was probably looking for Whirl anyhow.

When Whirl answers, however, it’s not Magnus having caught wind of Nautica disrespecting the Autobot code, but an entirely different flavor of problem.

Now, I know that thing Whirl’s holding looks like a fucked up Hitachi Wand, but it is, in fact, an entire-ass baby robot. It seems that when Cerebros (Fortress Maximus’s friend, if you’ll recall) sent the engex through the subspace, this infant Cybertronian (Luna One-ian?) got mixed in with the other supplies.

We learn a bit about how baby Cybertronians work before we remember, oh right, this kid is gonna get everyone killed if they catch wind of her spark, since there isn’t a B.E.D. for her. Yes, it’s a girl! Congrats to our three idiots on their Cybertronian gender non-conforming little princess.

They gang decides to shunt her back through the subspace hatch, so they head over to where it’s currently being housed— the office of Ultra Magnus. Nautica, using her wits and all the tools in her arsenal, smashes the window to the office and they break in. The empty Magnus Armor sits in the dark like a grim monument to being married to your job. Whirl informs Nautica how to comfort the baby that he super for-sure doesn’t care about, handing her off while he uses his titty glass to replace the window in the door. Swerve tries to bite through iron chains holding the subspace hatch hostage, only to be stopped by the sound of justice coming down the hall.

The gang, of course, looks suspicious as hell standing stock straight immediately in front of Magnus’s office, but Minimus rather likes the change of pace out of these goofy morons, and is maybe also trying to deflect his embarrassment at being caught performing his own personal karaoke. He sends them off to their B.E.D.s, and it looks like all’s well that ends well until Whirl asks where Sparky is.

Yes, he named the baby.

Don’t worry though, he’s totally not attached or whatever.

Nautica, in her panic to not be caught stealing/vandalizing/using equipment she doesn’t have the clearance for, stuffed Sparky in the Magnus Armor. And also put the helmet portion back on the body, for some reason. Anyway, it looks like our little princess is gonna be a load-bearer when she grows up, because Magnus is up and looking for hugs. Nautica, a paragon of level-headed thinking in times of crisis, handles this in the best way she can.

And that’s a wrap on Minimus Ambus! Let’s give him a hand, folks! And let’s also give a hand to the new Ultra Magnus, Miss Sparky Whirldòttir! Where did that little scamp get to, anyhow?

Swerve nominates himself to be the one to drag Minimus to a B.E.D. to sleep off his concussion, leaving Whirl and Nautica to track down the baby.

The scene changes to Megatron announcing a last call for beddy-bye time on the intercom, just as Ultra Sparky enters the room. She looms over Megatron, putting him in a very compromising position as he hits the intercom button with his arm. Rodimus, climbing into his own B.E.D., wishes that his co-captain and SIC would stop being gay for, like, five minutes, or at least wouldn’t do it where it can be broadcasted throughout the whole ship in audio format.

Whirl and Nautica come save Megatron from the onslaught of physical affection, stating that “Magnus” has had a bit too much to drink. Megatron orders them to bed from his fetal position on the countertop.

It’s bedtime, but we still haven’t figured out how to get the kid back to Luna 1 so the Maulers don’t super-murder the whole crew. Nautica leaves Whirl to figure it out, getting into B.E.D. and wondering who the fuck knocked on the door in the first place. Whirl tells her not to worry about it and to go to sleep, so he can be the one to deal with this mess.

Whirl, notorious for doing all the nastiest jobs— former Wrecker, intended bullet sponge for the time travel situation, attempting suicide via Megatron— is going to add another tally to the list labeled “Reasons My Peers Don’t Really Like Me All That Much”, by throwing an entire baby out the air lock.

However, Whirl is being written by Roberts, who would never allow the number of robot babies to go down, so Sparky’s adorable assimilation of Whirl’s signature physical features gets him right in the soft underbelly he swears doesn’t exist.

Wow, Roberts put a baby in that robot. Surely this is as overt as we’re going to get with this imagery, since we’re in a major publication and not some fan-fiction!

ANYWAY

Whirl wakes up in the Medibay, emptied of infant and freaked the hell out about it. Velocity— who I will remind you is basically the only medical doctor on the Lost Light, since everyone else is too busy getting railed by weeaboos and joining unethical polycules to do their actual jobs—informs him that his daughter is, in actuality, a massive colony of scraplets that combined to look like a newborn.

It turns out that Nautica is a bit of a snitch, having spilled the beans after she woke up. Whether or not she thought Whirl had thrown the baby out the air lock isn’t really addressed, but thank god he didn’t, because then we would have had to send everyone’s favorite gun-addled dipshit to jail for the rest of forever. Checking security footage revealed who the mystery knocker was— it was the scraplets, forming the shape of an arm.

When Nautica asks how the hell they all survived this, seeing as Whirl kept the murder baby, Whirl informs her that he cut off power to his own spark to allow everyone else to live, including his sweet baby princess, winning him a #1 Dad mug, and also several emails from Rung to please make an appointment with him.

Whirl’s miracle Christmas baby lied and stole with the intent to murder everyone on board, and that makes her the ultimate daddy’s girl.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this canon-important holiday special story about Whirl becoming a father.

In our third and final story, it appears we’ve been transported to Whoville, by the talent of our MTMTE Season 1 colorist, Josh Burcham. Within Whoville resides Anna Log, a human woman who owns two turbofoxes and sleeps in full military body armor on her couch. The wall in her living room suddenly explodes, revealing a late-night visitor.

Motherfucker, you are supposed to be on the ship right now.

Mega-Claus fusion-cannons Anna Log, and we cut to a film noir office where none other than Thundercracker has his feet up on the desk. The art grayscales for this section, as he narrates that he’s a detective. He’s wearing a fedora. It’s January 7th. He has a mysterious past and probably thinks that makes him very sexy.

The phone rings, cueing Buster, Thundercracker’s puggle, to put on her own fedora, and the two go to see the crime scene, where Thundercracker is the same size as a normal human man and wears a trench coat.

It turns out that Anna Log is the director of security for the entirety of planet Earth, which is sort of a big deal. When Thundercracker and the cops look at the security footage, they see who did it— Santa Claus, played by Megatron himself. Fucked up.

Sure, pal.

Thundercracker must now fly to the North Pole and kill Santa, because that’s how the law works. He transforms, flies by Club Penguin and a Coke commercial, reflects on his job, and then gets ready for a fight with Santa’s security measures, as Busters glowing nose warns him of incoming danger. She’s very talented, Buster.

Thundercracker makes quick work of the cybernetic security reindeer with his twin energy katanas and Buster’s jetpack. He kicks down Santa’s door to find the jolly elf himself standing in the dark, potentially rabid. The two start kung-fu beating the shit out of each other. It should be noted that this Santa isn’t the Megatron Santa, who shows up behind the two as they brawl, but rather original-flavor fat man Santa. How Thundercracker didn’t notice this isn’t addressed.

Thundercracker demands to know why Megatron dressed up as Santa Claus to commit a murder— the murder part made sense, Director Log and Megatron would be diametrically opposed— and Megatron reveals the greatest slight against himself he’s ever known.

Framing Santa for murder ain’t exactly gonna turn that coal into a diamond, Meggy baby.

Thundercracker clocks Megatron, he becomes besties with Santa Claus, and they ride a flying tank into the sunset. Thus ends Thundercracker’s most brilliant writing project yet, which he was reading to Marissa Faireborn this entire time.

Marissa isn’t terribly impressed, poking holes in all the little nonsense bits, while also not feeling thrilled about having been killed off in the first two pages of Thundercracker’s book. While the two argue, Buster and Ayana Jones make a Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! reference together, and the issue closes out with a big ol’ Autobot symbol, even though Thundercracker was a Decepticon, Ayana and Marissa are humans, and Buster is a goddamned dog.

Thus ends the Holiday Special. Up next, more direct story progression!

[clambuoyance]

I really like your style. Was it intentionally designed, or did you just sort of fall into it over time?

I wouldnt say I intentionally designed it, as in I haven't sat down and Engineered a specific style, and instead it was more of me finding what I liked and wanted to incorporate into my style.

You could probably trace my style back to its influences. I used to draw really round shapes (I still do but like they were just ovals and circles...I guess i just like that shape) until I started watching How to Draw Anime tutorials in middleschool T-T (shoutout to Mark Crilley lol)

But when I first joined social media back in 2016, I found all these crazy artists with really unique styles that really influenced me. I was drawn towards artists like star_bite/prince_canary and rawrgyle/grassflu who have very dynamic expressions and character poses :0 (also they ended up working on a Batman and Superman project respectively and how wild is it that my icons from forever ago now work on projects aligned with my current interests!!!) And as you get exposed to different artists you get exposed to the many ways you can Draw things and along with your natural affinities towards certain things (such as me being attracted to Bright and Bold colors and Shaped styles) you kind of naturally build a style.

And part of that is also just having fun Trying things out? Sometimes I wouldnt even try to emulate their style as much as I tried to just...do what they were doing? As in making my ocs and putting them in fun poses, and doing color palette trends and such etc.

I hope that helped! If you're curious I can break down some of my style checkpoints over the years. As you can see there was still some major anime influence in my style back then when I first joined social media around 2015/2016

Around that time, I also discovered the fandom around the Cartoons popular at the time, so I drifted away from anime and drew things like gravity falls/steven universe/otgw etc etc so it got Rounder I guess. I really liked how stylized characters looked and got obsessed with Shape Language and assigning characters distinct Shapes (box vs triangle vs circle etc). I also read a lot of webcomics and stuff like that so those played a part I guess

And then around 2019 I saw more artists drawing anime fanart with really sharp angles, which was completely different but so cool to look at so I tried to incorporate more angles into my art. I still had that very cartoony style but tried to push the Sharpness a tad bit more if you can tell. (I think the name of the artist I liked was jeluto?)

I think around this time I also focused a lot more on color as well and did a lot of paintings then and whenever I did more Painterly stuff I tended to switch Styles into something Less Cartoony T-T

Then by 2020, I revamped my ocs, actually tried to break down and study my own style and how I would draw them, and my style kinda fell into a mix of round vs sharp edges I guess. I tried to give myself Rules which I would follow when stylizing a character to keep it more consistent and intentional.

Then in 2021 some of that Fun Part of stylizing characters into something more Cartoony kind of took a backseat as I focused more on Pose Work and Body Expression instead which I think helped a lot :0

And here's some recent stuff from the past year! Still very cartoony, but less so than 2016 I'd say, and still using really bold colors!! Still love my Soft Vs Hard angles B]

And overall have stronger pose work :) I'm sure my style will evolve as I learn more and experiment more, because one thing I want to focus on is backgrounds and environments :0

[emprcaesar]

just watched poor things!!!!

i find this movie so delightfully strange. in the beginning it really was such a fever dream with the fervent and colorful setting. l liked the black and white in the beginning to show her constricting circumstances without any color and then when she leaves with duncan color enters her life. she doesn’t understand the situation but she is filled with such curiosity.

her being her own mother is so incredible. it reminds me of that one ethel cain lyric.

she can never escape the melancholy of her mothers life the hopelessness and monstrosity of all of it. she slowly sees the horrors and understands why someone could be drawn to suicide. but the difference is she has a need to know more that draws her to believe in the good in people. she says multiple times that people can always improve. people can be awful but she believes they can always be better.

the setting and costumes and makeup in this movie is INCREDIBLE. i won’t be surprised if they win the oscar for best makeup and hairstyling. they explore this world through the costumes and makeup. this whimsical and futuristic edwardian made me fall in love. the way bella’s costume reflects her maturity when in the beginning her clothes are reminiscent of diapers and childlike silhouette. and as she matures her style changes and shows her own personality that is not influenced by whatever man she is with (when she is a prostitute in paris).

her father figure being called god because his name is godwin is so funny and deep. she relies on him and her religion and faith is dependent on him. but like any person who is raised with religion and didn’t anything different you begin to question it. she cares for him and so much of who she is (her vocabulary and way of thinking) is because of being “raised” by him. but she also develops her own ideas and beliefs when she meets new people and experiences new things. when she returns home at the end of the film and tells her he never made her she was a complete person before and after him.

the men in this movie is so interesting. harry was an amazing character. when he apologized for purposefully upsetting her because he just hates her blissful ignorance and happiness and she’s like it’s okay i understand and i’m glad you did it. and when she told him he’s a hurt little boy and that’s why he act in such cynical way.

duncan who is a crybaby that scream in bella’s face and flips out on her and she meets his emotions with complete apathy and reason. her past husband that said she was his property to conquer and she did not waiver in her determination and confidence in her own being.

i have to talk about cinematography the camera angles and the fisheye lens and the wide shots were so captivating and interesting. it gave this movie such a unique and singular look that you rarely see in film. those shots would only work in a movie as strange as this one. it truly was a marvel.

the movie was a bit slow in the beginning and the plot was fairly boring when she was just having sex with duncan ALL THE TIME. but it started to pick up when she was on the ship and began to question the world around her and her own morals.

i’ve seen a lot of criticism for this movie saying it was like a pedophiles fantasy and glorified it but i think you are entirely missing the point of the film if you believe that. yes all these grown men going for this women with the mind of a child is very disturbing but that’s the point. it’s calling out men for their strange sexually fantasies. duncan begins to hate bella when she begins to mentally mature, saying she lost her spark. the spark being her having a child’s mind and blissful ignorance.

there is A LOT of sex in this movie its one of the big plot points. i actually don’t really like sex scenes in film and tv so that’s my one critique but i do understand why it furthers the plot. the sexuality of women and how bella felt it to be liberating even when she was prostitute and felt indifference for act when she wasn’t given the choice who she would have sex with she still took pleasure in it like when toinette gives her head then cuddles with her. she likes sex but she loves the before and after as well. she wants to speak with someone and understand who they are and she wants the aftercare of sex as well. she doesn’t want sex to be this one sided transaction she want both participants to feel safe and happy.

also love the score for this movie. it was eerie and strange, but oddly beautiful.

i really liked this feminine twist on such a classic story like frankenstein considering mary shelley wrote frankenstein as a desperate plea to her father because she felt neglected in her childhood because of him. frankenstein has always been feminist literature. all in all i’d give this movie a 4.6/5 i really enjoyed it!

[pridepurgatorium]

— Differences To Some Are Similarities To Others

@ombrotherlylove2023 , Mammon and Beelzbub

Day 2: Arguments and Bonding Experience

Gluttony and greed are strikingly similar. Both ruled by the ever-consuming want. Greed is flashy in its presence, you know what a greedy person wants and you know what it means for them to not get it. Gluttony, however, is subtle, it’s never sated, it always needs to be fed. It creaks up on you, slowly, but always there. Maybe that makes it scarier.

Their respective avatars did not often fight. Mammon was drawn to materialistic items, cloths of the highest quality, befitting a god, clothes, of the flashiest styles, jewels, of the ones that shimmer the most, cars, the ones that go the fastest. Whatever it was, if it had a high price tag, Mammon had to have it.

Beel needed food. Not in the way we need to survive but rather to fill the bottomless void of him. Gluttony cannot be sated and therefore, he cannot be sated. He misses the days when he was satisfied. Since the fall, there has been nothing that will fill him. He’s empty. 

So when Mammon (that scumbag I tell you —Levithan [probably]) complains about his greed, angry he didn’t get a modeling gig and that he’d have to look for another one. Beel wants to snap. Mammon and him are similar, yes, but the difference is that at the very least, Mammon will be temporarily satisfied. Once he gets money and buys the next newest shiny thing, he will be full. It’s a patchwork fix and Beel knows it. He knows he shouldn’t get mad at Mammon and that they were perhaps the only two people to truly know what the curse of unending want feels like, but he does.

“At least you can be sated! Even if only temporarily!” 

Beel does not shout, maybe even mumbles it a little, but regardless, Beel is perhaps the most level-headed out of them, if he has a problem he will bring it up in a calm manner and have a discussion. He does not argue.

“What’dya say? What does that gotta do with anythin’?” Mammon asks.

“I’m sorry but I think I should text you my feelings so I don’t say anything rash, I’m angry right now.” Beel said, taking a moment to step back.

 BeelsBurgers: I am like a bottomless hole personified! You are more like a slot machine at a casino, contempt to wait for the next gambler, which, now that I say out loud sounds silly but it wasn’t meant to and I am mad!

Mamooney: LMAO. ur so silly.

BeelsBurgers: I’m just, I don’t know what to do and when I see you complaining about not having something you want it makes me angry and I don’t really know how to deal with it. 

BeelsBurgers: And I know it isn’t your fault and that if anything we should understand each other but I can’t help but feel like I got the short end of the stick. And also I’m sorry for getting mad at you.

Mamooney: I mean, it’s valid to be upset or angry because you feel I have something you will never have and I can’t begin to imagine what you go through on the day-to-day, but it’s unfair to only look at one part of me and say that one of us has it worse than the other. I’m the second oldest so my sin is stronger than yours, there’s a downfall right?

Mamooney: And I don’t mean to make this about me, I just wanted to show you an example. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to completely stop talking about what I want, it’s in my nature, but Beel I believe we are very similar.

Mamooney: So when you feel angry about your sin, I want you to talk to me!

Mamooney: i mean! only if you want! but why would you want to talk to the Great Mammon!?!

Mamooney: [Sticker sent: Laughing, menacing crow]

BeelsBurgers: Thank you Mammon, and thank you for chatting online. I have…difficulty properly expressing my emotions in person but I usually don’t get angry or anything.

Mammoney: Ofc! 

Mamooney: [Sticker sent: Proud devil holding peace signs]

Chat end

Maybe Beel would still get angry at Mammon but it would be ok, he knew, because he had his understanding big brother.

Ok so some things I wanted to note, I thought the idea to have them text eachother was really neat because I often have to do it myself anddd I know this isn’t Mammon centered please forgive me 🙏

[fangirlfindings]

I Dream of Rukia was so much fun and so nostalgic for me - I remember watching reruns of I Dream of Jeannie when I was a kid, late at night.

So I'd love the Director's Cut of that fic 👀

Ahh thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it- I also grew up watching I Dream of Jeannie, so it was a great nostalgia trip to revisit it while thinking of how to adapt it to IchiRuki.

There’s not a whole lot that was ‘cut’ from the fic (I had more ideas for prequel or sequel hijinks) but there were a few things I had in my notes that didn’t quite fit in the fic itself. 

My favorite part is a blink-and-you miss it reference to Rukia dressing as a nun as one of her disguises at Ichigo’s office. It went something like this:

A short figure draped in black and white swept down the office hall. Mayuri watched her pass, continued on his way towards a corner, and then stopped. He called out and rushed in front of her. “Wait! Who are you? What are you doing here?!” The woman under the habit- of a style not seen for a hundred years- gave him an overly sweet, reassuring smile, with enough acting confidence to make Julia Roberts jealous. Then, in an airy tone, reassured him there was no reason to worry, she knew where to go in the building, and that she was helping with an exorcism.  Before Mayuri could respond, she glided out of sight. He rushed to tell Mr. Yamamoto. But as soon as the words escaped his lips, and his boss stared at him incredulously, Mayuri had the overwhelming urge to go lie down. 

Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to mention Hanatarou! He’s a genie friend of Rukia’s, although with a different skill level:

Hanatarou was a genie in the way that the Professional Golf Association included mini-golf. All the tools were technically there, but while one was a respected sport, the other mainly consisted of crying children and empty wallets. Hanatarou never meant to cause harm. He simply had trouble with his powers from time to time. 

Then there’s the ‘Viking friend’ Rukia gave Ichigo one day:

She had met a Viking, once. He was retired for some twenty-three years, having plundered until his heart was no longer in it. It was always a shame when one’s hobbies weren’t enjoyable anymore. The consequence of years gone past, and of growing old. The speeding of time that not even a genie could stop. Not usually, anyway. Although Rukia had never tried.  But Rukia was certain he would be lively company to Ichigo during his dreary, lonely workday.

Finally, when Rukia was looking to spruce up Ichigo’s house, I cut one idea in particular:

Rukia blinked, and a rather bland framed portrait of a countryside was replaced with an oil portrait of a woman. It was an unremarkable painting in every regard, except for the fact that it was the Mona Lisa.  “How’s this any better?” Ichigo squinted at the picture. “You can get cheap prints like this anywhere.” Rukia snorted. “You insult me. You believe I would get a mere copy? I have higher standards than that.” He let out a strangled sound and jerked away from the portrait. “Y-You can’t do that! It’s- won’t someone notice?!” “It is alright,” she said with a pleased smirk. “It is taken care of.” - Continents away, within the halls of the Louvre, a gaggle of tourists crowded around a wall. It was completely blank except for a small note. It read: ‘Will return after dinner’. A poorly drawn rabbit waved from the corner.  - Later in the evening, Yamamoto’s wife peered at the painting closely with a keen eye. “I’ve seen my fair share of art. We collect them, you know.” She squinted. “Not a bad imitation… I’ve seen better, though.” -

Finally, by the time the evening was done, news had spread about the ‘Bunny Bandit’ who stole the Mona Lisa. News Specials were aired. Internet theories began to form. Tourists asked for refunds. Then, the painting appeared back in its rightful place. It was blamed on Banksy. The story slipped quietly into the depths of the internet; with Ichigo and Rukia none the wiser. 

Anyways, I know this isn’t a full ‘Director’s Cut’, but I hope these extra tidbits were enjoyable nonetheless! Thank you for asking! <3

[evelhak]

📕Book rec: Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura🐺

In this blend of magical realism, mystery and fairytale elements, seven students who are avoiding school, find themselves pulled to a strange castle through a mirror. If they play a game and find a key hidden in the castle, they are promised one wish. In the attempt to escape their lives, the kids are not only drawn to the game, but figuring out why they were brought to the castle, while also looking for someone who understands, in each other.

Recommended especially to lovers of: fairytales, character-driven fiction, reality bending, psychological depth, social commentary

Spoiler free personal thoughts:

Everything about this story, its characters and style match what I want to read and what I want to write myself, too. Reading this book was like being home for me, the layers, the metaphors, the fairytale references, the connected lives, the interaction between characters as individuals as a part of a whole. The web of meanings. The hope and healing in the discussion of hard subjects. It made me reflect a lot on my own past, and my reading taste and writing taste too, because I seem to have read it at a point where I've felt for a while that some other people want me to write differently to how I want to write, and reading a book like this, a really successful book a lot of people love, a book that I thought was a really, really important book, makes me more confident that there's nothing wrong with striving to write books that are in a similar realm as this absolutely gorgeous mix of reality and fantasy. It was a really inspiring read.

The mystery was completely obvious to me from the start, and plot-wise the book actually didn't surprise me once, every revelation at the end, I had called from the first clue. Did I care? Absolutely not! Because everything about this story was so filled with meaning and purpose. That's really a mark of a great story, isn't it? It doesn't matter if you know what's to come, because you're eagerly waiting to see how exactly those events will unfold, and you care about the characters so much, that you want to see them discover what you already know, and you want to see how they will do it. A lot of the scenes at the end of the book appeared in my head like scenes from the most beautiful movie I could imagine, and they definitely made me cry, they were just so fulfilling.

I think this book is like therapy for anyone who was lonely at school or experienced it as a traumatic environment. It has a variety of different experiences and people who react in their own organic ways. From a psychological viewpoint I think this book was masterfully written, especially because it's so relevant to understand different ways in which people react to hardships and abuse, how many forms they can take, how hidden it can be and how individual the circumstances inside the bigger phenomenon.

Maybe if there was anything that was less than perfect for me personally, it was the scene where most of the mystery was explained, reflecting back on the clues. I felt it was unnecessarily long and detailed, because I had picked up on all those clues, and it felt redundant to read the explanation because that part wasn't done in any particularly innovative way, it was just an explanation. But I understand it has its place, since this book is aimed at younger readers, and it will also be useful for the readers who may not have picked up on the clues for any reason, or readers who read this book over the course of a longer time, and may not remember everything from the beginning.

Also, the blending of reality and fantasy was particularly well executed, because you really couldn't tell where one ended and one began, but everything in this book is still relevant for reality even if the fantasy wouldn't be true, and that's what made me cry at the end the most, I think. Because in a lot of stories similar to this, when the fantasy fades, the lessons from it become too intangible, and the reader is left to guess whether they had that much meaning at all, because the characters have essentially just returned to where they started from. Not in this book. This book actually goes the extra mile and doesn't leave the reader to do the writer's job at the end. It didn't aim to appear elusive and mysterious at the end for the sake of appearing mysterious, it really ended with a feeling of "this is what I wish for you, this is what I wanted to show you" instead of "go figure out if I even told you a story". I really, really, really loved that.

[josiebelladonna]

okay, i officially hate art contests.

you know how yesterday i was saying that ai has cheapened art on pretty much every level possible? well, art contests play a role in that, too. probably a bigger role, tbh, and ai is merely writing its obituary.

i just think of all the contests i’ve ever entered, starting with the science fair in elementary school where my dad and i built a trebuchet together and we all thought that was going to be a slam dunk. our catapult lost out to your stereotypical volcano eruption of cola and mentos. A CATAPULT!

then there was an art contest in middle school, when i entered a cartoon in—i don’t remember what it was exactly but i had drawn a picture full of people in my cartoon style, fresh off the press from the winter before. i lost to the crappiest drawing you’ve ever seen, and i knew there was some favoritism going on there.

then there was soundgarden’s fan art contest in 2016. i entered a drawing of soundgarden themselves into it and i had absolutely no hope for it just from my past experiences. get this: it actually won… but no one on my facebook cared. i think one person liked it, but that was it (this was 2016, too, way before ai came about and ruined everything). the other girl who won got support out the nose. i also hated the prize, too, so figure i distanced myself from the whole thing. what, we put our hard work into this shit and you can’t even be bothered to do better than vinyl records?

then there was chalk on the walk the year before and in 2018. i drew a koi pond in 2015. got bupkis, not even a “thank you”. i drew chris with my heavy metal flowers in 2018. got a bunch of people stopping and taking pictures and asking me questions, but i didn’t even get an honorable mention. i don’t even know who won either year, i don’t even remember them.

i entered my beatles drawings into the state fair in 2018, all four of which i spent hours on. got nothing: i lost to the shittiest drawing of edgar allen poe i had ever seen in my entire life, and i wish i took a picture to show you guys because it really was that godawful.

now here we are with mermay. did all my stuff this year by hand and i’m starting to wonder what the hell is even the point now when it’s obvious they like the clean, digital, disney-ish stuff better. the month isn’t even done yet and i’m starting to feel like a complete idiot for even bothering with it. really, i feel genuinely embarrassed for even attempting it in the first place. i’m just gonna post the remaining ones and then just be done with it, i’m not gonna give a shit about the winners (plus, i’ve been on ig four years now and you’d think, logically, my account has grown by now. fuck me, right?)

i’m thinking of participating in a fashion one for edward gorey’s foundation later this year just to try something different but… now that i write this out, i really, really don’t know and i’m starting to regret even considering it. i have the worst track record with these things and my so-called family and so-called friends wouldn’t give a shit if my life depended on it. i can just see their reactions towards it, too, like “oh, great, here we go again… another contest, another forgone conclusion… get a real job, sweetie”. the people who claim to care about me don’t care at this point. they didn’t care in 2016, and they really don’t care now.

I don’t win contests. i never can, either, simply because of the whole unspoken act of favoritism. you put your heart and soul into a portrait of your dead friend or into four of the four lads from liverpool and you fucking lose to cheapness and amateurness in the worst way possible taken to its dumbest conclusion. they also shortchange artists, too, like the prizes for the chalk on the walk competitions were like gift cards. the soundgarden one had fucking vinyl, not meeting the guys or having a say in the art for the next album or anything awesome like that. just: “here. vinyl”. (worse, they didn’t even tell us what it was until after the fact, so yeah, figure i totally felt used and it left a bad taste in my mouth). because of this, they are very limiting. you can only get away with so much for the sake of the dumbest conclusion you can possibly think of.

art contests are complete bullshit. don’t bother with them if you respect yourself.

[leffee]

Alright better late then never again sorry about the wait 😅 I don’t know what to call these they are headcannons and thoughts of mine mixed lol

-Pepper and her hair she rocks it long and short because she likes to mix it up and will do either or depending on how she feels

- penny and zoe stay up watching murder mysteries they both enjoy the thrill and mystery and the snacks

- zoe has so many shoes any style and pair any color she has an addiction her friends had to hold an invention for her to try and convince her that she may have a problem but she always justifies it with the same phrase zoe: “it’s not a problem you can never have to many shoes darling”

-whenever minka and vinnie are being to much Russell with toss a balloon in the air and tell them that it can’t touch the ground it keeps them entertained for hours until they pop it and whine about it later lol

- sunil is in his own head a lot he often puts to much thought in to so many things and stresses himself out so much especially when it comes to vinnie he is his biggest worry for many reasons but luckily shahrukh keeps him grounded enough to be as normal as he can be

- Russell hates any sort of public display of affection at all he whenever he sees another couple doing so he gets so uncomfortable that he rushes past and ignores it BUT he has made progress with it over time and is now able to give vinnie cheek kisses

- one time for her birthday pepper tried to make zoe a perfume she tried for days with different scents she settled on one but didn’t think it was good enough zoe was over the moon and said it was the best gift she’s ever gotten she’s never used it and has it as a keepsake in a special spot in her room ❤️

- drunk Russell is fun Russell he doesn’t do it often but when he does he asks for someone to watch over him to make sure he does nothing crazy like the last time… (pepper: “it was so awesome he tried to jump off the roof and everything!” (penny: “so Russell really thought he could fly?!” (Russell: “I don’t wanna talk about it…”

- no one lets vinnie drive if they can help it. it’s not that he’s bad at it but he definitely makes everyone wonder how he hasn’t gotten in an accident yet lol

- shahrukh is vinnie’s second Sunil he sees him as someone who can do anything because he’s never seen him fail but he’s just as protective and patient and nurturing as Sunil is so vinnie’s drawn to him naturally

- minka is the queen of squish mellows she loves them and her friends keep giving her more she determined to have them all her friends know that her birthday isn’t complete without her opening one swish mellow her happy squeals are worth her addiction

- vinnie does have a set of glasses but he doesn’t wear them often even though he’s supposed to especially while reading anything but he thinks he looks dorky in them so he hides them and pretends he lost them till they are found randomly and he gets a talking to about how important it is

- penny is so fluffy after showing that she has to brush herself for what feels like forever to feel normal again lol

- shahrukh can drive a stick shift he’s tried to teach the others how but the only ones to pick up and have interest in learning were Russell and pepper! Vinnie didn’t understand,Sunil got to nervous, zoe prefers automatic cars, minka wouldn’t pay attention to the instructions and penny was ok at it but said she’d do in in emergencies only

- vinnie can nap anywhere in any position at anytime no one knows how he does it but he does and its a mystery to everyone and he can’t explain it

- I know you love him so one more about vinnie he wants a tattoo but can’t decide what it should be or where it should go and Russell won’t let him he thinks they are not necessary but he still won’t give up on convincing him anyway

Alright that’s all I got for now I hope it’s ok I feel like I owe you more lol I’ll try to write as I think of them 🎉

Mhmh a whole new and long batch of headcanons just for me? The happy hours is what I call it! But don't worry, you're not late at all, I want you to only do that when you have the time and want. So without further ado, let's do this one more time~

yeah, honestly, I see it. I will always prefer long hair on her but that does not mean I dislike the short one. And her mixing it up? Hell yeah. I love Pepper hair :) and hair in general :) actually if you have any more hair headcanons or someting like that I'd love to hear it

eyy yo, that's such a good idea actually. Maybe I'm biased becuase I like murder mysteries too, but still. Do they watch them together is the question. Cause at least I like to imagine that they do. Penny provides the snacks and Zoe always promises herself she won't eat that much this time. She fails. They probably watch them for longer than they planned, "Darling, did you know it's 4am already?" "Wait, what?!"

yeah xD she probably has that with all kinds of clothes, but shoes are her favourite. She has everything at this point, she might as well draw lots which one to wear that day but we all know she wouldn't do that because she would try to match her shoes with her outfit etc. I also love when characters who clearly do have a problem are fully sure they don't. At least those are just shoes in this case >.>. Zoe: "So I have a problem-" Pepper: "You sure do."

lmao, ok, this is hilarious. Especially the whining part xD Vinnie is definitely a whiner, I'm sure of it, source: trust me. Russell's just like: "take this and leave me alone."

Sharukh that I like strikes again, what a sweetheart. And omg Vinnie is Sunil's biggest worry *crying emoji but in a good way*. Tbh for a good reason too. The way I see it if Vinnie knew that he would simultaneously love it and hate it. Because hurray! Someone, let alone Sunil, likes him so much that he is his biggest worry, but at the same time he really doesn't want to add to Sunil's burdens, you know? I also like that "be as normal as he can be" bc it sounds like "okay, normally people can be up to 100% normal but your limit, Sunil, is like 80%."

ayy he just powerwalks away while probably giving the couple a disgusted look. Or maybe not, I'm not sure. And Vinnie was so happy about that first public kiss because he's like that and needs others to know that this person here is his and only his boyfriend and they can't have him

okay, that reminds me of that one headcanon for Minka's birthday that I came up with literally like a week ago, but I will keep it for later. As for now though, aww. Pepper was probably like: "Well, this is shit, there's no way Zoe of all people will like it." But she did! But what if, hear me out, Zoe did use that perfume but only for special occasions, like, let's say, Pepper's birthday. And then the first thing that catches Pepper's attention when Zoe comes is how she smells because she immediately recognizes it and is almost in tears

I just, yeah, if fun Russell were to be a thing, one of the times when that happens is definitely when Russell's drunk. It just fits. It's the only time when he willingly asks for someone to watch over him instead of the other way around as it usually is. I don't blame him, trying to jump off the roof? Tststs. Someone help him

lol. Adding onto that, I headcanon he was the first one to get his driver's licence. First of all, I headcanon that even if they are all the same age he's older by months than most of them (Zoe's the only one older than him) and has birthday in April (Zoe has in January), second of all, because he didn't care about doing it during the school year unlike Zoe who put it aside until summer. And he told no one that he was doing that and then one day he just came with his driver's licence and was like "Guuuuess what?"

brooo that's so cute actually. Not only that but since Sharukh looks veeery similar to Sunil that also naturally drew him in, and because of that he unconciously already expected Sharukh to be like Sunil. Judging by association went right this time. Or maybe he's just naturally more easily drawn to taller people, I headcanon that he is, but doesn't realize it

okay, I'm not in fact okay now. Because I didn't know what those squishmellows were so I googled it and now I know. Omg, they are so cute, Minka is so right. Even worse, I now feel like spending my money on that, nngh, I shouldn't but I will be thinking about it constantly now (there's a banana one?! And a bee?!). And that one headcanon that I have come up with recently: For her birthday Minka's friends besides regular gifts all bring her a small amount of something: it can be ribbons, bows, small seashells or anything. And then she makes a painting in which she incorporates all those things. It's a tradition

okay, listen, because this aligns almost perfectly with my headcanon. Though it's not a main one for me for Vinnie, it's more like an on and off headcanon. But yes, he does have glasses that he absolutely refuses to wear. He's short-sighted and that's partly why he trips over things so much

but why would she want not to be so fluffy, pls this is adorable 😭. They all probably do that to some degree tbh just not as much as Penny. Besides VInnie of course 😓. He's a bit jealous about other's having fur you can't tell me he wouldn't be

okay, what on earth is stick shift *googles a few things* ohhh, it's those cars. It's crazy to me that there are countries where average car is not a stick shift one. Here, it's a common one and it's way more crazy if you have an automatic car. But as someone who tried and failed multiple times to drive a stick shift car (never got my driver's licence due to that as well as huge anxiety and now I couldn't even get it if I wanted to because one of my damn legs doesn't work anymore, so no driving for me) I absolutely see the appeal and why they wouldn't want to try it. Waaait, I see what you did there, Sharukh has interest in cars and he's the only one who can drive the "more complicated" type of car, I see. Good for him, he should be in fact proud

yes yes and yes. This is another one of my on and off headcanons, but in short, I agree. Even when sleeping normally, he can, granted very occasionally, sleep in the weirdest positions that no person should be able to fall asleep in. And he does usually take multiple naps throughout the day (it's to maintain that image of high-energy person, when in fact he's not that, but can do it due to those multiple naps. He's not chill, in fact he's just very very tired :) )

yes, yes I do love him ^^ very much. And what do you know, I agree with this one as well. I do headcanon that he would have a tattoo, idk where and what but he would. Well, I do have one scenario that I'm not sure if I want to make one of my main headcanons for him but it sure does exist: so he has entirety of his ribs tattooed with patterns. I actually, let's say borrowed that idea from Ink Sans. I don't even like him but that was kinda epic. Just google Ink Sans tattoos and you will know what I mean. So anyway, Vinnie got them but didn't tell anybody. Not because he intended to hide it or anything but because he had no reason to say it and then he just kinda forgot that nobody else knows that. And many months later they all went to Zoe's because she has a pool (lucky her) and that was the first time since he got those tattoos that he was shirtless in front of any of his friends and so they were all shocked. "Woah, I didn't know you had all those tattoos, have you got them recently?" "Hm? Oh yeaaah, no, I got them months ago." "Months?!" "Yeah, I... kinda forgot about that." Wait. What if Vinnie in this headcanon would get a tattoo of Russell's name?? Kinda cliche but they way I see him it sounds like something he would do. (Again, that obsession thingy that in my head he always has more or less)

Ahhh, that was great. Screenshotting those ones too so I can have them in one place because I love them. And don't worry, you don't owe me anything, but I do definitely love seeing your headcanons and thoughts and stuff.

[privateersmokey]

Estinien hasn’t showered in any of his 30 years being alive on Etheris. He smells like warm pennies, dirt, blood, and vast amounts of sweat. The only time he has ever been washed was right after the Final Steps of Faith. Estinien enjoys a very normal pizza. Tomato sauce, pepperoni, cheese (any kind, cause he doesn’t know what they all mean), and some sausage.

Krile and Tataru are both very dutiful in the showering habits. Tataru especially is known for using very bougie shampoo and conditioner.

Both of them enjoy average pizzas. Tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and Krile specifically likes broccoli and olives.

Minfillia also showered regularly, but that’s kind of hard for her to do now unless you found swimming in super dense aether a bath. She likes tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, Chicago style, with extra marinara sauce on the side.

Thancred only showers when he deems his hair is finally too greasy. Maybe once every two weeks.

Thancred does not like pizza, and instead will eat whatever toppings people discard or breadsticks. They are really good breadsticks.

Urianger showers often enough, maybe three or four times a week, however it is impossible for him to wash off the old book smell. Forever will he smell of old wood and the oldest possible parchment. He is gluten free, and since Eorzea does not really have any pizza kitchens with gluten free pizza, he typically either denies getting any. However, If anyone offers him a slice he’ll take it and eat it, because he is polite. (He has not told them yet)

No one has ever witnessed Y’shtola with wet hair and lived to tell the tale, yet it is very clear she takes great care and showers often. She gets a pesto base with basil leaves, ricotta and mozzarella, pepperoni, various garnishes, and a glass of wine. She also likes a garlic dip for her pizza crust.

Alphinaud, like a good little lordling, washes often, as to keep up appearances, just as he was taught. Fourchenault once stated that getting Alisaie to take a shower is like trying to move a very large mountain. It will not budge for anything unless you threaten to take away its weapons. Or threaten it with weapons. Whichever is easier. She is sporadic, and is definitely the one who didn’t apply deodorant before entering the band room.

The twins always share a pizza with each other, however they can never agree on toppings, so it ends up being a mishmash of different things. They just take off what they don’t like whenever they grab a slice. Alphinaud is more drawn to slices of ham, pineapple (you ever notice how fucking weird the word “pineapple” is? It doesn’t even come from a tree, therefore it cannot be from a pine, nor can it be an apple, since apples are completely different? So then why is it called a “pine apple???” I really don’t get it), bell peppers, olives, and mozzarella. Alisaie on the other hand prefers a more classic style. Tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, with the addition of spicy peppers such as jalapeños (Alphinaud explodes if he eats one).

G’raha showers “often enough,” (whatever that means) but is extra sure to do it before he interacts with the WOL in anyway. He also tends to make sure to always apply the WOLs favorite smelling perfumes and triple checks his hair so that it’s just perfect.

G’raha will have whatever the WOL is having, and if the WOL is not there, he’ll just have tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and sausage, and will occasionally mix in something new just to be “adventurous.” (Do not ask about the hot pepper or the pickle incident).

Lyse, unlike Alisaie, showers on a somewhat regular schedule. Like Alisaie, she is also the one who forgets to apply deodorant. She will eat literally anything on her pizza, and sometimes doesn’t get any just so she can ask everyone else for a slice of theirs.

[hallous]

hi!! so i dont have a commission for you, but i do have a question if thats okay! i think your art is absolutely gorgeous, and i love your style and how pleasing it is to look at with how you use lines and colors. i really do love how you draw and sketch and i was hoping you could give me some advice. i really want to start getting into art, but i just have no idea how. i have a little sketchbook with some pens that a friend gave me, but when i sit down and try to actually do anything, i just have no idea how. i dont know how to start, where to start, or even how to begin the process, ya know? ive never actually drawn or sketched anything before, so its all completely new to me. do you have any tips that you think are good for beginners to learn? or anything you did when you first started out that helped you? if youre too busy to answer any of this, thats absolutely fine! i just wanted to ask because of how much i admire your skills, so i figured i should just take the risk. i hope youre having a really wonderful week, and thank you for taking the time to read this behemoth of an ask lol

oh hello! first of all, thank you so much!

secondly! i don't remember exactly how i started to draw. my mom often tells me i used to do it since very little, but don't really have any memories of it ahah.

that aside! i remember getting into anime and how i liked the pretty pictures i saw! i used to try to copy styles i enjoyed, mainly card captor sakura and inuyasha. even so, whenever i tried to draw something of my own it wouldn't look how i wanted, but i was stubborn about it and kept going.

drawing is magical but also tortuous in a way? it takes a while to get good at it and it's often a bumpy ride. so after all that, what i can tell you on how to start is just: pick up a drawing, an anime or manga panel you like and try drawing the eye maybe? or just a floating head, something like that 😊 experiment with how drawing with a pencil feels, how the drawing with a pen feels! how to add color with the tools you have.

most of all, have fun drawing and trying different things! it doesn't have to be perfect specially because drawing is something that keeps on evolving as a skill the more you do it.

i hope this helps in some way 💕

[maryellencarter]

(this post largely drafted last night before i went to bed)

OH MY FUCKING GOD I FLURRIED REVALI :D

okay so i remembered that "hyrule warriors: age of calamity" had a demo, so i downloaded it on my big switch (i had previously downloaded it on my switch lite and Not enjoyed it on such a small screen, it made me motion sick) and found i enjoyed it much better on a tv that holds still, so i went and bought the game

and basically the conceit is that it's a prequel to breath of the wild, which happens a hundred years after an apocalypse called "the great calamity", and this game happens during the run-up to that apocalypse, hence "age of calamity" -- except with a time-travel twist, so you go in *thinking* you know how everything happened, but then you start to notice events that aren't quite the same.

I honestly wouldn't recommend playing it if you don't already know Breath of the Wild. The story is very much a prequel, and most of the big moments rely on you going "oh fuck I know what's about to happen" or "oh my god what just happened I was expecting something completely different".

The emotional heart of the story especially, which is *amazing* -- I haven't played nearly that far yet but I've watched a complete playthrough, which is why I knew I'd enjoy it (there are a couple of *extremely* spoilery scenes especially that, to me, make Breath of the Wild's story significantly better in retrospect)... where the fuck was I? Right. It does its best to stand on its own, but in my opinion you really have to have seen all the "memories" in Breath of the Wild that tell the story of the Calamity era, in order to get the full impact of how certain moments play out differently.

The playstyle is mostly not at all like Breath of the Wild, although it retains a few core concepts. In Breath of the Wild, you generally fight one enemy at a time, or camps of about six to ten at worst, and it's completely open-world once you leave the tutorial -- the top speedrunners in the world will beat the tutorial level in about thirteen minutes (no one has yet discovered a glitch to let them skip the tutorial, but if anyone ever did, the fastest time would suddenly drop by about ten minutes), spend the next four minutes getting to endgame location Hyrule Castle, and fire the final shot in the final boss battle at about 24 minutes after gaining control of the player character, Link. It's very much focused on exploration and discovery with some combat on the side.

Age of Calamity is what they call, if I understand correctly, a "hack and slash" combat game -- you face thousands of weak enemies at a time and basically zoom around annihilating them with overpowered moves. To balance the challenge, there are several mini-boss battles in almost every level -- even the levels where my best time is two minutes or less have 2-4 minibosses. You have to defeat the minibosses using some strategy and timing techniques and some special moves (mostly drawn from Breath of the Wild) along with clobbering them.

One of these techniques is the "flurry rush" -- if you predict your enemy's attack correctly and time a dodge at precisely the right moment, time slows down around you for a bit, and you get to hit the enemy a bunch of times in a row without getting hit back. The timing/dexterity required on these dodges can be extraordinarily tight -- I'm absolutely crap at them in Breath of the Wild, but I'm doing surprisingly well at them in Age of Calamity, which is to say I've successfully done at least a couple dozen since buying the game a few days ago, compared to like one total that I remember in Breath of the Wild (other than the ones in the shrine that teaches you how to do them).

SO. Point is. Other than the "hack and slash" basic style and the Breath of the Wild combat elements, Age of Calamity is built a lot more like Lego Star Wars than anything else I'm familiar with -- it's got a fairly linear structure, you play the main story in order (with little sidequests that unlock after each mission), and all the levels are repeatable. You play each level the first time with one or some of a certain set of characters, but then if you get a character that's unlocked later, you can go back and play most earlier levels with that character. (If you have more than one character in your party while playing a level, which not all levels allow, you can hot-swap between the ones you're playing, also very much like Lego Star Wars gameplay.)

There are something like 22 playable characters, I forget if that's including DLC or not, and some of the later unlocks are quite spoilery for major game story points, but it's no secret that the first seven characters are from Breath of the Wild -- the player character Link, the titular princess Zelda, Zelda's sidekick and BFF Impa, and the four "Champions" who (in Breath of the Wild timeline, anyway) died during the Great Calamity and whose spirits guide you through the four dungeons, called Divine Beasts, each of which has a boss fight against the evil being that killed its Champion.

(The Divine Beasts are notionally giant war mechs, but in Breath of the Wild they function solely as dungeons, and their mech capabilities only show up in cutscenes. In Age of Calamity, there are a few dedicated levels where you play as each mech, which is a hell of an experience and was the first part in watching the playthrough where I went "I need to buy this game eventually".)

The Champions are each from a different... species? Ish? Link and Zelda are both Hylians, the closest to baseline human in the games, and Impa is a Sheikah, which I'm not clear whether it's a species or a race of human or Hylian, but they all have white hair and are known for building elaborate technology full of secrets. (The Divine Beast war mechs are attributed to ancient Sheikah builders of a time period 10,000 years before Breath of the Wild.)

The other four species, or whatever they are, are Gorons, who are roughly spherical rock people who live on a volcano, eat rocks, and generally roll around like the stereotype of armadillos instead of walking, although they do have arms and legs on a roughly humanoid body plan; Zora, bipedal shark people who originally started out as enemies in the Zelda franchise but have been friendly for several games now, and are firmly friendly in these two games; Rito, human-sized-ish bird people who, in the great tradition of animated bird people, use their wing pinions like fingers (this is especially noticeable as they're famous archers); and Gerudo, who are a culture of eight-foot-tall iron-bikini-wearing human-like warrior women with truly improbable waist-to-hip ratios.

In the base Breath of the Wild game, since it's mainly focused on discovering things in a random order at your own pace, there was about enough room in the story for each Champion to have one personality trait (and one superpower and one trademark weapon, which you inherit after beating their dungeon). So the Goron Champion, the white-bearded Mighty Daruk, is jolly and overenthusiastic, with the superpower of becoming temporarily invulnerable; Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion, is the most badassful of all the Gerudo, and controls lightning; Revali, the Rito Champion, is overconfident and smug, and can fly upwards on a personal updraft while other Rito can only glide; and Mipha, the Zora Champion, finds herself in the unfortunate position of being the designated love interest and designated healer.

(You know how a video game for a presumed male audience that includes a romance element might have that one girl the game really pushes the romance with, who's very sweet and demure and probably shy, likely fills a support role, and has a really specific voice type, kind of... musical almost to the point of breathlessness? That's Mipha. It's not her fault. :P She's also a fish lady with tits -- admittedly subtle, but definitely there -- because... game devs, man.)

The DLC for Breath of the Wild included a storyline called "The Champions' Ballad" that fleshed out the Champions a bit more, beyond the flashback apiece they got in the base game, and Age of Calamity fleshes them out a *lot*. I already loved all of them except Mipha -- like I say, it's not her fault, it's just that everybody else has a voice with oodles of personality and she has That One Particular Voice, very much like Liara from Mass Effect, that sets off every bit of romance repulsion I've got. Plus, her whole added personality in Champion's Ballad was "jealous of Zelda for being the girl Link is bodyguard to and therefore goes around with all the time", which didn't fucking help. But in Age of Calamity she gets to have conversations with other characters besides Link, and because of the way you can mix and match all your characters, you can even get her to have (mostly not voice acted, but well written) little interactions with the other female characters -- Zelda, Impa, or Urbosa being my options so far.

Anyway. Where I was trying to get to in this here essay. Other than Mipha, I do love all of the Champions a lot in every appearance they have. Daruk is very loud and friend-shaped, and also his temporary shield of invulnerability helps me out a lot, because I'm a klutz in video games and very bad at not getting hit.

Revali is that character who has to point out at every opportunity that the player character really isn't all that, which makes a lot of people hate him (especially since he pairs it with pointing out that he himself *is* all that). Me, having seen myself be the player character since the beginning and smack into walls and die repeatedly to creatures with one hit point, I will basically always agree with that character that they have some valid points. Plus, his voice acting is the perfect blend of snotty but exasperatingly lovable, and he has what I personally love best out of maybe all the music themes in the game. Plus, his superpower is the only one that's useful outside combat -- his personal updraft is extraordinarily useful for exploration in the cliff-heavy, slippery-when-wet world of Breath of the Wild.

And Urbosa is just... really badass, also really well voice acted, protective of Zelda (whose deceased mother was her close friend), and I mean. She controls *lightning*. I wasn't sold on the Gerudo designs in Breath of the Wild, or in the Zelda franchise in general -- they're very swaybacked with giant hips and tiny waists (with six-packs), and the positioning of their iron bikinis sort of on top of their arched-out chests makes them look like their boobs are attached wrong. It's definitely a fanservice design for people who have different tastes in fanservice than I do. But actually getting to play as Urbosa, whose weapon tooltip says that her combat moves "resemble a beautiful dance"... they really fucking delivered on that description. It's like the perfect balance of power and grace. I've been replaying all the levels as her, trying to master her moveset, because she's very, very gender. I don't know if it's just that I feel more comfortable dodging as her or what, but all or almost all of my "flurry rushes" so far have been as her.

So *anyway*, of the levels I've unlocked so far, four of them are the recruitment missions for the four Champions. Two of the Champions, Mipha and Daruk, agree to join you right away, but you have to help them clear their territory of attacking monsters first. Urbosa has a brief introductory battle against her soldiers (for reasons) before you get to take over and play as her for the rest of the level.

And Revali... oh, Revali. So his core personality trait in Breath of the Wild is that he really hates not being the player character, and resents Link for being the player character, which in Breath of the Wild is because Link was chosen by the semi-sentient(?) Master Sword, the weapon required to defeat final boss Ganon. He doesn't actually break the fourth wall to bitch about it, a la Deadpool, but he gets as close as he can in a non-fourth-wall-breaking game.

In Age of Calamity, of course, Revali *is* going to be a player character, and also you don't get the Master Sword right at the beginning of the game because it would be way too overpowered (and also there's a fucking amazing battle and cutscene later leading up to the point where you do get it, which really makes it feel earned). So the game sets up his contentious relationship with Link differently. Specifically, his whole recruitment mission is based on the "for reasons, he's convinced we're the people who have been attacking his people's home, so he's going to kick our collective ass". It's actually justified very well as part of the time-travel plot.

SO you spend this whole mission battling your way through the Rito army to try to get to Revali and explain that you're not in fact here to attack the Rito people -- the win condition is literally listed as "Clear up the Rito's confusion", which cracks me up -- and then you fight Revali himself as the level's final boss. He's a zippy little bastard, constantly airborne, very hard to hit, and because he's supposed to be your own level when you meet him (although I always overlevel ridiculously), he packs a ton of health. Urbosa can knock out most other bosses at that level with a single snap of her fingers, the way I've got her overleveled, but the same move only damaged Revali by about a sixth of his health.

So! That part where you have to predict the enemy's attacks in order to dodge them? Revali is *so damn fast*. He barely telegraphs anything. He starts to draw his bow and before you can twitch you're flat on your back. (This is pretty true to the draw time and power of the bow you inherit from him in Breath of the Wild, just exaggerated for the faster-paced nature of the Age of Calamity combat.)

BUT. I was playing this boss battle last night, Urbosa versus Revali, and I fucking flurried him! I had him on the ground, and I was interspersing clobbering him with dodging around, like I do when I play Urbosa, and one of my dodges landed just right -- it was luck as much as anything, I absolutely do not have the gamer reflexes to flurry Revali on purpose -- but I managed to knock him down from half health to zero with that one move, so I feel pretty damn accomplished. ^_^

[em-uhhh-lee]

1/31 readings

Today we were assigned to watch three episodes of the Mobile Suit Gundam series from 1979. I had only heard of Gundam before, of its many iterations and the popular model Gundam suits that people build, but I had never seen any part of it or knew anything about the plot. (Likewise, I'm not familiar, generally, with any other mecha anime).

There were a few things that stood out to me when watching.

This show is obviously a bit older, and the animation reflects that. Despite this, the style felt familiar. I think people nowadays think of the way that characters are drawn and animated in this show and others like it as the "quintessential anime look." Even though I haven't watched much anime, much less anime from this era, I recognized the iconic-ness of the style from how often I see it referenced or emulated in more recent works.

Another thing that stood out to me was the reluctance sometimes expressed by Amuro regarding his operation of the Gundam suit. There is a moment when he's in the middle of a battle and comments that he knows that there are humans inside the Zaku, but he still has to fight in order to protect his people. Later, when he returns to White Base, Officer Bright tells him "As long as you can work the Gundam, you're a pilot, not a kid anymore. Your duty now is to protect this ship." The show makes a point to comment on Amuro's age multiple times within the first two episodes, making these moments where Amuro is confronted with the reality of his mission more tragic. He is just a kid, but this is war and so he has to be a soldier first. It made me think about earlier readings and discussions we had in class about Japanese soldiers during World War II, how so many young men had to leave their lives behind when they were drafted, and either died or returned to a completely different world.

[travelsbloging]

What Is Anime? Everything You Need To Know

Anime is a kind of animated style that comes from Japan or is inspired by it. In Japan, the word "anime" is used for all cartoons, no matter where they're from. But outside Japan, "anime" refers specifically to animated movies from Japan. These are known for their vibrant visuals, lively characters, and interesting themes like sci-fi, romance, and supernatural elements. So, you can think of it like this: all anime shows are cartoons, but not all cartoons are anime.

Anime creates feelings through its technical tricks like dramatic close-ups, zooms, bright lights, and vivid colors. But what makes people love it goes beyond just how it looks – it's the interesting characters and exciting stories that really capture the audience.

History

Anime has been around for nearly a century. The first confirmed example, Namakura Gatana, came out in 1917 and was just four minutes long. It had its ups and downs, facing challenges both in Japan and globally.

Various artists have used anime to push artistic boundaries and tell diverse stories. The genres within this category are as varied as the art form itself. Many people in the West have a specific idea of what anime looks like.

The artistic styles seem endless, and how artists express themselves varies. Regardless of the different types, one thing remains constant in anime productions: the process takes a lot of time.

The Process Of Creating Anime

Making anime is similar to creating animation in the Western culture from a technical standpoint. However, it demands a significant amount of time and effort. The process involves writing, storyboarding, workshopping, animating, voicing, and refining the stories. This extensive journey can take months, sometimes even years to complete. A team of artists handles these projects, typically guided by a director.

Despite modern technology making digital animation tools available, producing anime remains a challenging task. Digital advancements have expanded the creative possibilities, using techniques like enhanced lighting, but the hard work of the artists is still crucial.

The uniqueness of anime comes from the creativity of the artists who bring these animations to life. The medium allows for bending genres and telling stories that might be impossible in other forms of audiovisual storytelling.

Popularity Of Anime In The USA

Anime has been popular in Japan for almost a hundred years, and now its TV shows and movies have gained fans worldwide. In the USA, people started enjoying anime since the 1960s when Speed Racer aired on American television.

Studio Ghibli had major success in the 1990s, with Spirited Away winning an Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Picture at the 2001 Academy Awards.

Even though anime didn't initially have mainstream appeal, it has drawn a significant Western audience. This popularity led Western animation studios to create shows influenced by anime, like The Boondocks and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

This brings up a question: Can American cartoons with anime vibes be called anime? While fans still debate this, the general agreement is that anime strictly refers to Japanese-produced films. However, the line is blurring as American and Japanese artists collaborate on new projects.

With its Japanese roots, anime has become a unique storytelling form that captures global interest. Pioneers like Hayao Miyazaki, Makoto Shinkai, and Satoshi Kon have not only created some of the best anime films but also some of the finest animated pictures ever. Whatever your preferred genre, there's likely an anime that will suit your taste.

Do Adults Watch Anime?

Most animated shows in the United States are made for kids, with some exceptions. Adults in the U.S. usually prefer live-action entertainment over animation. In Japan, animated shows are created for people of all ages, and anime characters and series are enjoyed by individuals in their 40s, 50s, and beyond. Anime can cover adult themes, from serious drama to explicit content, even though it's all in animated form.

Top 10 Adult Romance Anime

How To Protect Your Kid From The Downsides Of Anime?

Let's talk about some concerns with anime, especially for children exploring this world. Many anime TV series and movies are created for adults, posing a risk of exposing kids to potentially offensive material like violence, vulgar language, nudity, drug use, and sexual content – similar to an R-rated live-action film.

However, as anime becomes more widespread, a quick Google search can help determine if a specific show or movie is suitable for children. This allows parents to set appropriate boundaries. Thankfully, there's a variety of child-friendly anime available.

To protect your child from potential downsides of anime, visit your local bookstore (like Barnes & Noble), where you'll find shelves dedicated to graphic novels. Remember that manga, the source material for many anime, carries similar risks of exposure to unsuitable content.

If your child shows interest in anime, take the opportunity to learn more about it together. Understanding what anime is and why people love it can help you connect with your child's interests.

Next, figure out your child's preferences and what they watch. Discuss your family's views on acceptable content and consider using parental restrictions on streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu to limit exposure based on your child's age. Remind children that they can always come to you if they encounter something unsettling.

Anime is widely available on the internet, becoming a significant part of online culture. You can find a plethora of anime content, including full-length movies, TV episodes, hashtagged messages on social media, fan fiction, and more. Popular streaming platforms like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix offer a range of anime content, both old and new, suitable for kids.

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