#some part of me really really wants to draw things that are more and more true to myself...

[egophiliac]

Hi there! I really love your comics and how expressive they are. How do you go about making the characters in your comic so expressive?

thank you! 💚💜💚 I am REALLY bad at explaining things, so my apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, but maybe there's something helpful in here somewhere. :')

1. warm up! drawing is a physical activity, after all! so if I'm planning on sitting down and drawing for a while, I usually start off by taking a couple of minutes to doodle a bunch of circles and lines and random shapes, just to get my drawing arm goin' again and get back into the physical groove. just stuff like this:

and just do that for however long you feel like! you can kind of feel when your arm starts to loosen up and your strokes get more confident. it makes it a lot easier to get those swoopy big lines and gestures!

2. play around with how you use your lines! paying attention to the shapes that they're making will change a lot about how much force and life your drawing feels like it has. (no way is better than another, it just depends on what effect you're going for and how it looks as part of the larger whole.)

and you can also use lines against each other to get different vibes:

it's not really a matter of "you need to make sure all your lines are always doing this all the time", it's more like...being aware of it, and getting that into the general thrust of a pose, if that makes sense? like a lot of smaller lines of action, beyond the big one that goes through the spine.

(just gonna use my own art as examples, apologies)

if you have a good foundation of tension, then all of the little bumps and contours of a character's details won't get in the way of it, and it'll still come through.

and don't forget about negative space either! the spaces between things have their own interesting shapes too!

I don't mean this to come off as, like, all these extra things that you need to be constantly thinking about and stressing over. more like...just try different stuff and then see how it works and how it changes the feeling! if you find a good shape, see if you can exaggerate it and make it more interesting, and how that affects things! angles and shapes are a LOT of fun to experiment and mess around with, especially when you're going more cartoony. :D

3. acting!

just...spending a little time to think about what the characters are actually doing! (aka the "figuring out what everyone is doing with their hands" bit.) this is more a personal preference, but especially in multi-panel comics, I like to have them be in the middle of doing stuff. not just big actions, but smaller things -- like even just how they're sitting or standing -- so that it feels like we're looking in on the middle of a scene, instead of a couple of characters just standing around neutrally and staring straight ahead while talking at each other.

this probably sounds really obvious, but it is one of the most fun parts for me! I love trying to find some little action or something that they can be involved in, especially if it's relevant to their character or adds an extra joke. (for some reason this usually involves me being mean to Sebek) (I'm sorry)

it doesn't need to be everyone Always! Doing! Something! all the time, especially if starts becoming distracting (sometimes they do actually need to just be standing around neutrally and staring straight ahead, especially if there's a bigger action going on that you want the audience to focus on instead). but even just figuring out some kind of non-neutral pose for them to be in can add a lot and make it feel less generic!

3. thumbnailing!

this is, again, very much a personal preference; unfortunately, every artist really is different, and we all have different processes that work better for us. so I can only speak to my personal experience! but I find what helps is to start REALLY rough -- not so much as in messy, as in not trying to start right into actually drawing everything out. like, literally just starting with stick figures and :O faces.

it probably doesn't sound relevant when talking about Drawing Expressively, but I find it's really, really helpful to have already figured out what everyone should be doing (acting!) and what the overall general layout and flow of things should be, before getting into the actual meat of drawing the characters. like having a sketch for the sketch!

(good compositional flow is something I struggle with, and text layout especially, so this stage also helps a LOT with making sure things are fitting where I want them and staying consistent/not breaking screen direction/etc.)

then after that, I can go ahead and focus on getting those Shapes and Lines and Angles and all that, without having to think too much about the layout or where things should go!

(of course, the downside of that is that my thumbnails are usually way better than my actual drawings, alas alas.)

4. this is more philosophical, but...give yourself some slack. the stress of Making Things Look Good is, ironically, often the biggest problem. (see: thumbnails looking better than the actual drawings.) so...let yourself draw shittier and without regards to accuracy. make things just for yourself without thinking about posting or showing them to anyone else. draw stupid faces and wrong proportions because they feel better that way. focus on what's fun and not on getting a perfect end result. "draw expressively, not well", as they say -- you can always tighten up things like proportions and details later, if you really want to.

that's all WAY easier said than done -- god knows I haven't really managed it -- but even just aiming for that attitude really, REALLY helps. if your lines are confident, they'll look a lot more alive and expressive than lines that are exactly technically precise but have no rhythm in them. (this is why tracing photographs tends to look so weirdly stiff and unrealistic, by the way -- even if you're drawing realistically, you usually need to exaggerate and stylize a little bit so it doesn't look lifeless.) it's a balance between caring about what you draw, but also being willing to let things go a little bit.

↑ I hope some of this helps! I don't know if any of this was actually what you had in mind, let alone much of it actually made sense outside of my head. :') but hopefully you (or other people) will be able to get something out of it!

[skitskatdacat63]

For @sansebastinae and @boisinnot, my fellow saint seb truthers :)

+ the usual

Yayyyy finished a drawing! Haha only took me...2 weeks. I kept going back and forth on whether I could finish it tonight, and I really wasn't going to. But then I looked at the unfinished version on a different screen and was like oh? Not too bad actually?? So I finished it :) First of all, ofc, here is the process. Kinda weird seeing it for smth like this, it makes me feel like I'm the painter in rennaisance au, not Mark dhjfkf

Ah I was gonna draw a silly renaissance au comic to accompany this(read: lighten the mood), but it's 5 am and I've still not really drafted it well, so! I'd like to finish it at some point bcs I wanna draw more chibi comics, but when I finish smth, I can't help but immediately want to post it, so part 2 will have to wait. I'll show you the outline though so you can at least imagine 😭

^ So many renaissance and beyond paintings of Saint Sebastian are always the most horny thing ever. Like pre/early rennaisance, yeah he was naked and all that, but they were pretty chaste, and uhhhhh suffering?? Well the newer paintings are suffering, but in a different way, if you know what I mean.

So I feel like Mark's the type to be overly pedantic about it, and refuses to make borderline porn of a saint, I mean, god forbid, Seb!!! But then he just. Does anyways. Because he can't control his lust for Seb even when drawing him half dead. I just imagine him holding the paintbrush in a death grip like "must not be horny. Must not draw him sexy. Must make him chaste." And then he ends up with the one seen above. Seb is all smug about it. "Wow you'd wanna fuck me even while I'm all bloody and dying? 🥺"

Mark: "oh I'll make you bloody, alright."

But god so funny to imagine Seb doing all these different slutty poses, like arching his back as much as possible, the cloth nearly falling off at all times, etc etc. And Mark finally lands on this pose bcs he hopes the suffering will outweigh the horny. It doesn't. Also Seb is genuinely serious once he actually gets into the pose, focus mode on. And honestly that's even worse for Mark, bcs it's so much more arousing to see Seb in his element, focused. Tbf I think Seb could be drinking water, and Mark would still find some way to sexualize it. Don't look at his sketches!! They're just filled with Seb doing all kinds of random activities.

Also! Here is the painting I referenced this off of, must give credit where credit is due ofc

The Dying St. Sebastian by François Fabre

Also this isn't really relevant in the context of this drawing specifically. But I looked thru a bunch of Saint Sebastian paintings while trying to find one I could reference, and I came across this middle ages one that actually looks so much like boy king seb 😭 I guess it really is meant to be!

St Sebastian between St Roch and St Peter by Pietro Perugino

Lmao but do you see the difference between early rennaisance and later work???

[icedroppedinparasolcider]

Momoi Airi is a Trans Woman

This is headcanon at the end of the day and there's nothing wrong with disagreeing, but the way she's written regarding her sense of identity as an idol, the choice of phrasing they use when she talks about herself in reference to others (namely Shizuku), and the connections her visual motifs provide to concepts and other characters tied to or commonly seen as trans just makes it incredibly hard for me to view her otherwise.

A lot of what I have to say is very personal to me; I'm a trans woman myself, and Airi's writing and experiences connect with me and my own transition journey in a way I haven't really seen anywhere else in media (I'm not a very prolific media consumer). So it's entirely possible a lot of this is just me projecting onto a character I care a lot about. But while I've adored Airi before this revelation, I didn't reach the level of attachment I have for her until the realisation of just how well she's written through the lens of a trans girl. Specifically one who's, for the most part, entirely socially transitioned but keeping the fact she is trans secret.

When Airi was little, she was, as she herself describes, very boyish. She'd get into physical fights with boys around the neighbourhood or at school, she'd come home most days covered in dirt and mud from playing with her majority boy friend group of the time. She was intensely defensive of her little sister, most of her fights being with possibly bigger-than-her boys because they were mean to her sister. It formed a reputation for Airi, a reputation that followed her as she began to deviate from these patterns and pivot her interests and activities hard and fast thanks to starting to watch idols on TV. She was enamoured with them, would rewatch recordings of their performances and interviews over and over so she could emulate it and be more like them. She'd stop getting into fights, stop playing with her rougher friends; everything started changing dramatically thanks to her being introduced to a new "type" of woman: an idol. Something Airi wanted to become, and was willing to change everything about her to be.

These changes weren't socially easy for her, though, with backlash coming from these old friends and classmates because of how girly she was trying to become. The idea of being a tomboy was something Airi started to consider a bad thing, a gross thing. During her Colourful Festival side-story, To You Who Yearns To Be an Idol, amidst a conversation with her younger self Airi calls the little girl a tomboy, something that makes the younger Airi immediately deflate and shy away from the conversation. It upset her to be called that, especially by an idol, something she wants to become. Which leads to the younger Airi talking about how she's been treated by her peers for changing the way she dresses and not playing the same way she used to, for changing the way she talks, with her being talked to like she's doing something horrible and wrong for simply chasing a dream of who she wants to be. And in this conversation, Airi says a particular line that changed everything for me:

This is said in response to Little Airi's repeating of what the boys in her class call her as she wears cuter, girly clothes. That she's some big, mean monster who shouldn't wear things like that, who could never become an idol. Effectively telling her that she could never be a girl because of the way she used to behave. She started as someone rough, someone harsh and dirty, that's not something she should—not something she could—change. Something we see in present day that she's largely internalised through her struggles with what it means to be an idol, her struggles with calling herself an idol.

For Airi, being an Idol and being a Girl have become synonymous with each other. Her ability to be an idol, to draw that attention, have a smile that sparkles on stage and in front of the camera, spread hope and joy to other people; this part of her identity has grown beyond her job, it's who she is as an individual. Being Momoi Airi, the second year Miyajo student, is inseparable from Momoi Airi, the ex-QT member and now member of MORE MORE JUMP! And if she can't be the image of an idol that exists in her head, that she's always viewed idols to be, that Haruka and Shizuku manage to embody, that Minori is becoming, then can Airi even really call herself as much of a person, of a woman, as them?

Airi's been in this constant uphill battle where she believes she doesn't sparkle as much as the other idols around her, so she puts more effort into learning how to make herself sparkle, but manages to convince herself that because she struggles with this, she's less of an idol than those very peers. It's in large part what Ice Drop is about, Airi's difficulty finding satisfaction with her work as an idol because it doesn't shape up to her own expectations and beliefs of what an idol "should be", because it doesn't match what she sees other idols she looks up to, like Shizuku, doing. Something also portrayed during Airi's conversation with Shizuku in Chasing the Radiance Beyond the Blue Sky, where she outright tells Shizuku that because she doesn't have the same physical appeal she has to fight harder and use different strategies to get any attention as an idol. And if Shizuku is the "perfect idol", and Airi will never be able to achieve that, can she even call herself an idol?

If she can't call herself an idol, does she even deserve to call herself a girl? Or are the harsh words of her grade school classmates right about whether she should be wearing the cutesy clothes?

A large part of Airi's struggle with this, why it's even a spiral in the first place, ties into her nature as a Solid Heart student as well as why I see so much of myself and my transfemme journey in Airi's story. It doesn't matter how many people tell you that you're enough and that you've done what you set out to do, not if every thought in your head is telling you they're wrong. According to everyone I know, I pass really well as a girl. My voice is naturally feminine, even without masking it very hard, I've basically never been misgendered since growing my hair out by strangers looking at me, I've even been told by close friends that they'll forget I'm trans because I'm just "one of the girls" to so many of them. And I appreciate all of it, so much; I'm very lucky to have had such a smooth social transition. But none of that changes who I see in the mirror, who I hear when I talk, what I feel when I wake up in the morning forced to acknowledge my body. I'll never be a "real girl", not until I fix these things, and it's entirely possible that it's impossible to truly get rid of this feeling.

That's what Airi feels regarding her identity as an idol. Everyone in the world could tell her how good an idol she is, how much hope she spread as Happy Everyday, how beautiful and bright her smile is. But that will never replace or fully mask the doubt in the back of her head about whether she's really an idol, because nothing that she used to do aligns with what she's always seen idols to be, so much of what she does today is so different from the reality of her dreams. She's not that idol, so is she even an idol at all? I'm not that girl, so am I even a girl at all? Obviously I am, and obviously she is, but it's a feeling of doubt that never goes away.

Airi needs to constantly be an idol, or she's not an idol at all. And, at least to me, this has come to mean to Airi that if she's not an idol, she's not a girl. Because all of the work she put into being cute and girly was to be an idol. If she can't accomplish that, does she even deserve to be a girl at all? Or is she just a fraud wearing a mask trying to make people laugh on TV?

[tinydefector]

Gosh I'm so gay for holomatter avatar of Cyclonus like you can smack with those tits

So may I please request a smut with holomatter cyclonus with gn reader

Pretty women

Cyclonus x Human

Word count: 2-3K (didn't count XD)

Warnings: Smut, holoform, titplay, fingering, slight breeding kink.

Gods holomatter Cyclonus is so fine. Just GOD FUCKIN DAMN!! May have gotten a little to into writing this. But like if anyone draws Cyclonus in a corset I will drool. Cause I can tell you there will be more with Cyclonus holomatter form cause damn he be fine.

_________________

their eyes linger on Cyclonus from across their hab suite. It felt strange watching him, well, not technically him his Holomatter avatar. It was gorgeous, almost Victorian woman like and he was wearing a corset, studying the holoform in a mirror. His hair shimmers in the light, dark purple curls that they wish to run their fingers through the locks but didn't want to mess up the curls either.

"Cy, I've gotta know what made you pick this as your holoform?, She's... you look really pretty. " They state while continuing to watch him as he over looks his form. Cyclonus glanced up from the mirror, his violet eyes narrowing slightly as he registered their presence.

"I did not choose this holoform," Cyclonus replied, his voice calm and measured. "It was assigned, holomatter works in rather strange ways. And as for your comment... thank you, I suppose. However, I have no interest in the aesthetics of a holoform. It is merely a means to blend in with organic when we visit other planets." He paused for a moment, studying the individual's face. "Is there something specific you wished to discuss, or did you simply feel the need to comment on my appearance?"

Their eyes continue to linger on Cyclonus in the holoform. Their hands slowly brushed his hair to the side. The purple locks feel almost real. "Can I touch?" They ask softly. Cyclonus' optics narrowed further as their hand reached out to touch his holoform's hair. His initial instinct was to pull away, to reject such intimacy. But the softness in their voice. He hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on their hand, before finally nodding. "Yes, you may," he replied, his voice softer than usual.

As their fingers brushed against his hair, he couldn't help but feel a strange sensation, almost akin to a shiver, travel through his spark. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that he couldn't quite comprehend. But he allowed them to continue, their touch gentle and affectionate. Leaning into the touch as their hands cup his face, tracing his eyebrows and nose.

"I must admit," Cyclonus spoke up quietly, his optics now focused on their face. "This holoform... it allows me to experience things that I never thought I would. it feels... different, yet strangely intimate." He reached out, placing his hand on top of theirs, a subtle gesture of connection. Though still reserved, there was a hint of warmth in his optics as he met their gaze.

They lean in and pull Cyclonus into a kiss. Hands gripping his hips. Purple lips  smears between the two of them. Their chest is flush agaisnt Cyclonus breast. "Fuck, you look stunning, like I know your handsome in general but your really pretty in this form" they hum agaisnt his lips.

Cyclonus' optics widened in surprise as they pulled him into the kiss, their hands firmly gripping his hips. His initial instinct was to pull away, to maintain some semblance of control over the situation. But the intensity of their kiss, the way their lips moved against his own, ignited a flicker of desire within him. his own hands, finding their way to their waist, holding them close. The taste of their lips, the warmth of their body pressed against his, it was a sensation unlike any he had experienced before.

When their lips finally parted, Cyclonus' eyes were dark with a mixture of desire and uncertainty. He leaned in, capturing their lips in another heated kiss, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling, to experience the intimacy in such a different form.

"Cy.." They whine softly, hands slowly trailing up the corset he wore, hands kneading his breast as they kiss him again. "Can I play with your tits please?" They ask. Pressing their face into his shoulder and peppering small kisses across his skin.

Cyclonus felt a surge of heat rush through his systems as their hands trailed up his corset and kneaded his breast. The sensations were foreign, yet undeniably pleasurable, strange with how soft it made him feel in that moment. "Yes," Cyclonus replied, his voice laced with a mix of desire and vulnerability. "You may... play with them."

He tilted his head back slightly, giving them better access to his shoulder, as their small kisses sent shivers down his spine. The touch of their lips against his skin, combined with their hands exploring his form, it had him melting in their hands like putty.

Cyclonus grabs them, slowly leading them backwards before pushing them down onto their bed. A gasp leaves them as they scurring up to rest on their elbows as Cyclonus sits himself in their lap. A large grin falls across their face as they look up at him hands moving to grip his hips.

He watched them with a hunger in his optics, a hunger that matched their own eagerness. feeling the warmth of their body beneath him. Their hands gripping his hips sent a jolt of pleasure through his frame, and he leaned forward, his own hands finding purchase on either side of their head as he hovered over them.

The grin only served to fuel his desire further, and he allowed himself a small smirk in response. As their hand moved to untie the corset, he held their gaze, the air heavy with anticipation. The slow untying of the corset seemed to stretch out time, heightening the tension between them. "Pest," he mutters softly.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against their ear as he whispered, his voice low and husky. "You're very soft, its nice having you under me," he murmured, his breath warm against their skin. "And I find that... exhilarating."

He claimed their lips in a searing kiss, his hands roaming their body with a newfound urgency. The corset fell away, forgotten, Their lips moved against his as they discarded the corset. Hands are coming up to cup and squeeze Cyclonus breast. Teasing the nipples while pressing them together. "God, they are so soft. You look like a Goddess on a throne, " they utter breathlessly.

Cyclonus' systems buzzed with pleasure as their hands cupped and squeezed his breasts, teasing his nipples. His head tilted back slightly, a low moan escaping his vocalizer. "You have a way with words, little silver tongue teases," Cyclonus murmured, his voice filled with a mix of desire and appreciation.

Thier lips work down Cyclonus' shoulder, nipping and sucking on the soft skin before finally taking more of his nipples in Their mouth. Sucking and pulling on it while they continue to squeeze and leave finger marks in the soft flesh of the other.

Cyclonus' breath hitched as they worked their lips against his chest, back arched, a low moan escaping him once again. The exquisite blend of pleasure and pain coursed through his circuits, driving him closer to a precipice of desire. "That feels good," he mumbles out, eyes closing as he slowly grinds down against their thighs.

They continued squeezing and leaving finger marks on his other breast, slapping them and pushing them together as they pressed their face into his cleavage, humming contently, the flames of arousal rising within him. He threaded his fingers through their hair, his grip gentle yet firm, encouraging their actions, guiding them where he wants their lips.

Cyclonus moans loudly, They leave a bite mark on the underside of his breasts, blowing cold air across the abused flesh before moving onto the next one. Fingers dancing across the perky nipple. Their other hand gripping Cyclonus' thigh. "Mmm could spend hours doing this, best tits on ship," they mumble again the warm flesh.

Cyclonus's frame tensed as they left a bite mark on the underside, the mix of pain and pleasure sending a surge of electricity through his circuits. Their fingers danced across his perky nipple, He couldn't help but let out a low growl, his optics flickering with a mix of pleasure and a hint of amusement at their words. "Flattery will get you everywhere, sweetspark" he replied, his voice laced with desire.

They moan loudly as Cyclonus presses his chest into their face. Their fervour matched his own growing desire, and Cyclonus let out a low growl of pleasure as they left bite marks, hickies, and bruises on his sensitive skin. The mix of pain and pleasure intensified the sensations coursing through his frame, driving him closer to the edge of pleasure.

He couldn't help but arch into their touch, his body responding eagerly. "What equipment do you have on this pretty form, valve, spike, both?" They ask before once again nipping down on Cyclonus' nipple and suckling hard.

Cyclonus' frame trembled as they asked about the equipment he possessed in his current form. "I have both," he replied, his voice husky with desire. "A valve and a spike." As they suckled hard on his nipple, Cyclonus' back arched, moans escaping his vocalizer. The sensation of their lips and tongue working over his sensitive flesh sent waves of pleasure radiating through his circuits.

He threaded his fingers through their hair, his grip gentle yet firm, encouraging their actions. Their hand works under Cyclonus skirt, eagerly running fingers along his shaft before teasing his clit and pressing fingers into him, curling and thusting. "Mmm so pretty, look even more divine as a carrier, bet this form would plump up so nicely," they coo while suckling. Leaving Cyclonus' nipples sensitive and tender. "Might have to get Tailgate to spark you up for me, get you nice, and plump with a baby," they tease.

Cyclonus' optics widened as their finger thrusting into him caused a gasp of pleasure to escape his vocalizer. He moaned, his back arching as they suckled on his tender and sensitive nipples rotating between them, the sensations intertwining with the pleasure their fingers continued to elicit from him.

Thier fingers drive Cyclonus into overload before they catch his lips in a deep kiss letting him right out the orgasm on their hand. Cyclonus's body trembled with an overwhelming surge of pleasure. His vocalizer released a series of unrestrained moans and gasps as the intensity of the sensations consumed him.

In that moment, his world narrowed down to just the two of them. As the pleasure subsided and his body slowly calmed, he found himself gazing into their their, a mix of gratitude and desire flickering within his own. He reached out, his hand gently cupping their cheek, as a soft smile touched his lips.

"Primus preserve me," he whispered, his voice shaky. They smiled up at him as they pressed their face against his chest. kissing his soft and tender skin skin. "Can we do that again at some point?" They ask with a lopsided smile. Cyclonus' optics softened as they pressed their face against his chest, leaving small kisses on his skin. Their lopsided smile warmed his spark, and he couldn't help but return the affectionate gesture.

"Of course," he replied, his voice filled with a mix of affection and desire. "I would be more than willing to interface in this form again," He brought his hand to gently stroke their cheek, his touch filled with tenderness. "Both you and Tailgate are pesky scraplets," he added.

"Awww don't act like that Cy, you'd look so pretty as a carrier, this form would totally be a milf bod" they tease back, leaning up to kiss him again.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/748370073567313920/i-think-for-me-one-of-the-big-stumbling-blocks-i

I agree with the points in replies that it’s the pushy loli guys’ behavior that marks them as creepy and you’ll never know the people who are quiet about it, because they are not creepy and show that by respecting people’s boundaries.

But idk… people in the reblogs are insisting that there’s never any relationship between the fiction you like and your IRL fetishes and, cmon. Can we all agree that that’s oversimplified in the opposite direction? Some people do choose particular media because it gets them off. And there’s def anime that wouldn’t appeal to you unless you’re specifically into the idea of fucking lolis being a-ok. It’s different from media that has other features and that’s one element of it, or it’s specifically about that it’s an unrealistic fantasy,

I think the conversation isn’t helped when we act like admitting that means you support censorship or think things should be banned, or support anti style harassment. I mean there’s a difference between the kind of thing anon is talking about with privately judging people, looking out for red flags, deciding privately that you don’t want to hang out with people who are into certain things, vs. harassment campaigns and callouts and trying to get people fired like antis do.

Fiction rarely has an exact 1:1 relationship with what you are into IRL… but it’s also not completely UNrelated all the time, either. Especially when talking about porn. And by telling people it’s ever wrong to even privately judge people for those preferences you ARE in fact discouraging people noticing red flags and also just forcing them to deny their lived experiences.

….is what I think anon was trying to say anyway.

I don’t think erasing all nuance really helps anything but deliver people who’ve had experiences like anon’s into the hands of antis. Like there needs to be a safe space for people especially women and LGBTQ+ people who’ve dealt with abusers and creeps who used media as a part of their abuse, to talk about their experiences without being shouted down for not having the “right” rhetoric.

I think part of why antis are a problem is a lot of people aren’t finding much other room to talk about that. Anti spaces are the only ones that seem to acknowledge that. Like I think anime fandom especially younger spaces really have an anti problem because anime fandom more broadly has such a big creepy dude problem and, even if not every single person who likes loli/shota/etc. is a creep, it’s hard not to notice that the friendlier an anime fan space is to discussing that stuff or discussing rapey slavery isekai or whatever, the more it draws in higher numbers of creeps. You can be a non creep and like that stuff, but it does have an overall higher percentage of creeps who like it than, say, your average shounen action show and let’s not pretend we don’t understand why.

--

[livesincerely]

“Eddie,” Buck says, with an exasperated edge—like he’s been calling his name for a while.

He’s moved out of his chair to kneel down on the kitchen floor at Eddie’s feet, head tilted up to catch his gaze, like he thinks the closer proximity will make it easier for him to hold Eddie’s attention.

And, well, it does. Just not in the way Buck probably means for it to.

“Sorry,” Eddie says, unrepentant, raking his eyes over the massive swell of Buck’s biceps, the sharp wings of his collarbone. “You’re kind of distracting.”

“I’m— I’m distracting?” Buck sputters, incredulous. “Have you seen you?”

“Can we please be done with the talking part, now?” Eddie interrupts before Buck can really get started, trailing his fingers up along his shoulders until he can cup his hand around the nape of his neck. “Please?”

“Eds,” Buck huffs, even as he settles into his touch. “I’m trying to make sure we’re on the same page, that I don’t hurt you.”

“Are you planning on hurting me?” Eddie questions mildly.

“Of course not—“

“Then you won’t,” he says. “I trust you. Stop worrying so much.”

“Uh, I am precisely the correct amount of worried, thank you—“

Eddie tips forward and slots their mouths together in a kiss.

Buck’s mouth falls open around a shocked little exhale and his lips part ever so slightly, soft and wet against his own. Eddie presses his advantage, flicking his tongue against the ridge of Buck’s teeth—tentative at first, then teasing—and it’s like things just spark, embers smoldering until they burst into flame.

Buck kisses Eddie with a single-minded determination that makes his heart beat double time in his chest. He licks into Eddie’s mouth like he’s starving for it, like he might devour him whole, his hands tight around his hips, and Eddie can’t help but arch into him, desperate for his touch.

He tugs at the hem of Buck’s tank top, separating just long enough to pull it over his head, then he’s trailing greedy hands over all that bare skin. Buck retaliates by sinking his teeth into his bottom lip—it stings deliciously—and he slides his hands into Eddie’s hair, tilting his head just so, kissing him deeper, and good god, this man.

It’s like he can’t get close enough. He’s all but hanging off the edge of his chair as their mouths move together, wrapped up in Buck’s arms, surrounded by that mouthwatering scent, and it’s still not enough. He’s aching somewhere deep within, some primal instinct trying to claw its way out of his chest and make its home inside of Buck’s, and it’s the easiest thing in the world to get his legs up around Buck’s waist and draw him in until they’re tangled together, a matched set.

Buck makes a low, hungry noise against his mouth. Then there’s a hand under his thigh, another high on his back, and then Buck’s scooping him up and rising smoothly to his feet.

They don’t go far: Eddie’s ass lands on the kitchen table, and there’s the rustle and clatter of Buck sending a roll of paper towels, a bag of recycling, and a pile of unopened mail to the floor with one huge sweep of his arm.

“Eager, are we, Buckley?” Eddie pants against his mouth, a thrill of arousal shooting down his spine.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want me to wine and dine you first?” Buck volleys back, his gaze dark with desire. “Because I’m more than happy to take things down a notch—“

Eddie shuts him up with another kiss.

[notedchampagne]

I think I agree that fandom super girlbosses Ianthe's fuckery and infantilizes Harrow, I just question if those depictions are meant to make Harrow less/ degrade her, or make her more relatable to the given creator. Fandom has a nasty problem of really leaning into tragedy and trauma as a way to relate to characters more. I think I just see this emphasis on Harrow's suffering, and by extension the riffing on it, as the fandoms take on affection. "I like you, I relate to you, and this darkness inspires me to draw/ write/ etc." Which is still fucked but I'm just not sure if its entirely racial. Like, respectfully look at your depictions thus far, Harrow is a bit of a lovable mess and Ianthe is barely there but still a girlboss (we all know she's a mess too but it takes up a lot less space). Couldn't anyone say you too are focusing in on Harrows flaws? Isn't this part of the pull, to watch Harrow grow we have to start somewhere? And we love your Harrow, and some kids (especially people just picking up fandom lingo) turn to really shitty "feral rat freak child" compliments because that may just be the way they feel comfortable with engaging (and maybe how they feel complimenting the things they see themselves in, but I'm speculating). Again its shitty fandom is so anti earnest compliments but if race does play a part I just think its significantly less then we may initially believe.

yeah i see your point! i make it a challenge for myself to capture harrows complexities and sorrows to invite nuance into the discussion - and a lot of people have said that she is relatable, and im glad the connection goes through. its why im not actively mad at everyone that calls her a wet cat here and there simply because its easier to say than "she looks so sad and i want to wrap her in a blanket and put her in a warm place about it". but you dont really see people calling the sixth or judith, who are also tragic and relatable, as "goblins" or "feral things". race might play less of a part in it like you said but i still think its significant when it comes to general perception: if someone recommended tlt to me and described harrowhark as "the wettest most feral batshit skrunkly [more adjectives that sound like she straight up cannot take care of herself]", then if i read it and saw that she was a mentally ill maori girl, i would be upset that shes associated with those traits. again this is just a personal thing and it does vary case by case but your input is good

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

Angel Dust Redesign! (7/7)

FINALLY I AM DONE WITH THE MAIN 7 FREAKS.

Depending how I feel I might throw in some bonuses but these guys are your only guarantees! Going to be posting the full lineup separately because I don’t want to clutter this post!!

God okay where to start. I was talking about them in Husk’s post so let’s go with that. Angel’s clothing restrictions are his necklace and shoes. I might go on a bit of a tangent with this so forgive me 💔

For the necklace let me get this out of the way: yes it is a BDSM thing! I’m terrified people are going to take this as me being a weirdo but please as an adult content creator give me some space to explain before anyone jumps on me and hits me with a metal pipe. The intentions behind symbolism matter HEAVILY. I am against Vivzie’s portrayal of Angel’s abuse and the chain/collar imagery because it is blatantly either her being incredibly uncreative or her inserting her kinks into her shows. I think it is completely fine to use suggestive items in this way as long as the intentions are clear and not just there for no reason.

I would’ve probably done something else like a corset as a restriction, but I’d like to stop being so shy about Angel’s actual job. He is a pornstar and removing that outward aspect of him is taking a big chunk of his character away. I need more people to acknowledge that Angel enjoys sex and actively wanted to explore this side of himself. With the slip chain however, I would also like to portray how things Angel enjoys in his job have been used against him and made him come to resent what he does when he is forced into it. I think thats a pretty understandable thing to show.

This is harder to explain but the gist of it is just don’t be afraid to acknowledge Angel’s job. It’s okay to use sexual things as metaphors. Have you heard any christian song ever/hj

Alright with that out of the way, with the shoes. Angel’s feet are a large insecurity and discomfort of his which already makes his shoes some sort of restriction on their own, however if controlled, they can be made to stumble forward, fall over, etc. I wanted to show how Angel has freedom to go mostly wherever he pleases, though once again, that free will can be taken away very quickly.

I hated his suit so all suiting is gone entirely. He’s supposed to look attractive or eye catching at the very least. I’ve also added back the outer fangs he had in my first redesign!

I am much happier with the new one in comparison to this old guy. I know it’s only a few months old but you can really see how differently I draw him and the details I pay attention to more like the shape of his hair. Aside from the old one! I wanted Angel himself to still keep the reddish pink to show wrath and destain being masked as lust, except now his clothing is actually the pinkish-purple lust colour and it covers more eye grabbing parts of his body like the chest, hands, hips, and so on.

I don’t think I’ve ever outwardly mentioned Angel having polycoria but he does and it’s probably my favourite feature to draw aside from his hair. About the hair and fur: Angel used to have spots and basic stripes before his contract with Valentino, where afterwards they began to curl into their cordiform shapes. Most physical overlord changes with hair and skin tend to not go away, so depending on who you make a contract with it’s either a fun perk or a sort of scar.

Once again, not sure if I will be continuing with anymore in this specific lineup, but if I do end up posting more of these I really hope you like those too! 💣

[vapolis]

The ethnicity (or the real world equivalent ethnicity, rather) ask makes me wonder about Vapolis. Of course the city shows a cosmopolitan nature, but now I wonder more or less where the city would be ubicated, roughly, if it was part of the real world. And what would be the real world ethnicities that woud be more populous there?

Now, I wasn't really thinking about my merc ethnicity at all beyond physical appearance (that is, mostly colouring), but it seems interesting to give it more thought. I do assume you would want to make the whole thing free for the reader to decide, making any potential ethnic background available, in a similar way as you do with gender. Yet, I do enjoy making MC's that fit the world as much as possible. And playing as a different ethnicity than my own (I'm Latino, technically mestizo, I guess, but closer to white than anything) can be fun and enlightening. Or so I learned when I played another IF (Merry Crisis, I think it's the title) where you have to be Singaporean. It's always an interesting thought process to have, since you come to realize some cultural differences and similarities between your own culture and others.

Of course, this IF is purposely nebulous on this matter, as most IFs tend to be (to allow the player to make themselves as much as possible).

I'm wondering more from a slight ethnographic curiosity than anything. But also probably would help me with deciding a name for my merc, since I do enjoy making the entomologies of my MCs names make as much sense as possible in the world's they inhabit. Here I understand I have a lot of freedom in that regard, yet, freedom can be a curse since it means an infinity of choices with not clear boundaries other than taste and aesthetic compatibilities.

I wish I had a grand answer to this or specific location in mind, but to be honest I was mostly inspired by cities I've been to or want to visit.

especially Tokyo and Berlin play a big inspiration in how the city looks and should feel like, but I can't imagine vapolis being either in Japan or Germany or around that area. I want the city to feel independent to anything we have in terms of actual cities even if I draw inspiration from it and, seeing as, especially Berlin, is known to be a city that's full of cultures meeting and people from all over the world finding a home here, even if only for a little while, I want Vapolis to feel similar.

there's no ethnicity that's the most wildly spread in vapolis and it's a big mix of cultures and people and traditions clashing to make new ones.

I know that's not what you're looking for in terms of answer to decide for your own merc, but I really want everyone to feel free in choosing the name or ethnicity or anything else about the merc. they're your character now, and as we have seen from the ROs and side characters, the names are all a wild mix of old and new and strange :)

[mr-payjay]

analysis of oj's thought process in this scene for funsies (quick warning for suitcase being put down and seen as inferior by another but it's not character neg)

why is oj being a massive fucking bitch? 🤔 Let's analyze.

so, obviously oj is living off a power trip in this episode. interesting implications about his actual power as a hotel owner. actually, at the beginning of the episode, we can see that he is NOT RESPECTED. salt lies about cleaning up, pepper demands him where the towels are (and he smugly lets her enter the DEATH TRAP DOOR? implying a familiar but negative relationship), and in general oj (and paper sort of but that's not relevant) seems to be the only caretaker while the rest of the residents are more like customers. though it seems they are *meant* to help out (such as salt being supposed to clean).

anyway. once oj gets the temporary host role for inanimate insanity, he immediately gets excited. we transition to the scene outside the hotel and he even does a little twirl! oj starts to read off the paper mephone uses (which oj has happily vandalized with drawings of himself and a snarky little message, this points to his general disdain towards mephone) and is trying to go Smoothly through with it. once the teams start fighting, he doesn't even try to figure out who's telling the truth, preferring instead to eliminate a random person. he REALLY likes to be efficient with his time, huh? that's talked about more in the next paragraph, but in this one i'll say a bit about his hatred for inanimate insanity. for the whole episode, he is uncaring of the show's rules, guidelines, structures, etc. he eliminates someone at random, he makes the contestants clean the hotel NOT as a challenge then flips a coin to determine the loser (only after they question him), he makes them sing for no reason other than to be entertained, he zips through every step as fast as possible. he does not care at all about ii, despite being so eager to host it. why? because hosting it means he gets to boss around a group of people (and he can make them clean his hotel! something he really needs help with!!), he gets to take mephone's place and mess with his stuff and disrespect his show, and generally he gets to sort of... take out some of his lasting frustrations surrounding ii. i don't think ANY of the season one cast is fond of inanimate insanity (and especially not of mephone), even if it brought them together (also not always a good thing). oj certainly isn't.

once he picks suitcase, he starts by calling her "whats-your-face" (thank you for noticing mari), then a few seconds later calls her by her actual name. thissss is so interesting to me. he KNOWS her name, apparently. but he called her a mean name first. this can either imply that he forgot, that he's just being a jerk for the hell of it, or both. i think it's both. a mix of his obsession with productivity and his need to be superior motivates this. he wants to get the elimination over with as quickly as possible, so quickly that he doesn't even bother to remember her name right away, because he's SO efficient that he just simply Doesn't have time for these things (in his mind). so it makes him feel both superior to her (disrespecting her), makes him feel good about himself (he feels like he's just being Productive and Time Efficient and part of that is that he has "no time" to do anything else but work). basically, he DID forget her name for like, a singular second, he just didn't bother to wait a moment or correct himself instead of calling her something else.

and for telling suitcase she's ruining the show? let's bring it back to ii1. oj insults people whenever he feels like it. he's pretty mean, and he's worse when he's stressed. he insults people particularly for being "useless" (such as to bomb), and is quick to fight back against anyone who challenges him. a pushover like suitcase is easy to demean. and it makes him respect her even less when she's being so meek! oj thinks his snappishness is justified by the fact he's, once more, simply being time efficient ("we've got a busy schedule!"), and that she is just wasting his time. i said earlier that oj doesnt respect inanimate insanity. so why does he accuse her of ruining the show if he doesn't care about it? well, because this is *his* episode. his time to be the host. even if he disregards the usual way things run, he's still going to get upset if something conflicts with *his* plans. he wants to get this over with and get them to clean his hotel, not much else (again, he's still enjoying being in a position of authority, he just likes to be nonchalant about how Superior and Powerful he is now). if someone's interrupting that, he's going to assert himself. oj always fights back against anyone who challenges him, and suitcase is too much of a doormat to stop him from shutting her down.

now for oj telling her to step back. this part is petty. he's irritated but also kind of. happy about being irritated. "what," you say? well, see, suitcase is genuinely trying to follow his directions. she just doesn't know how *much* to step back, obviously. so oj keeps shooing her a little bit at a time until she's finally offscreen, and you can tell he's a little bit annoyed by it. but this is part of the power & superiority once more! he gets to boss around someone "inferior to him" who is just soooo stupid that she doesn't even know where to go. and oj has to shoo her over and over because she's just not getting it (since he is sooo very much smarter than her and she is just completely incapable of following OBVIOUS directions.) but it's okay she is simply a Minor inconvenience (in his head) that he has dealt with now. also note that he could've just pointed to where she had to go. does this paragraph make sense? he likes being able to tell others what to do and have them do it, so even if she's kind of annoying him by not completely understanding the instructions, he still gets to assert his authority quite a bit.

this analysis is particularly focused on the scene in the video but i do bring up some other parts of the episode to support it.

[spanieltower]

UMINEKO: BATTLER'S LOWTIERGOD MOMENT

Hey, check this out!!! I think I really knocked it out of the park with this one. It was a couple of streams back on the NezumiVA (tm) readthrough, during a particularly intense scene, Battler slapped Beatrice and told her to uhhh... well, you can read the speech bubbles! I thought this was really shocking, partly in a funny way because of the LowTierGod vibes and how little I was expecting it, but that really was an intense moment, and I wanted to depict it! Partly as a shitpost, partly because it's really powerful! This is one where I used harsh lighting, I love doing that, what with the swirling red magic stuff, the golden butterflies, the blue eyes, and the shadows!

While drawing this, I looked at the manga and anime versions of this scene. I think the manga's definitely better, the posing and animations of the anime were so so painfully stiff, but they both portray Battler's anger as a more cold and collected thing, I think that's a massive mistake. The VN has him crying here, I wanted to bring that energy in!

This piece is meant to convey equal parts an "awesome" intensity, the extreme emotional state of Battler, but I also wanted to portray him as a more threatening figure at the same time. In this scene, regardless of how "real" it was, Beato was seriously caught off guard and did not have the power in this scene. There's an emotional vulnerability, a fear and sadness to her that I wanted to maintain.

I also had a little help from my bestie @banmitbandit on this one! I wasn't posing the leg very dynamically so I got their help with it! Also got some text advice and the font I used from them! Thank you bestie!! <3

Anyway! I'm excited for Episode 4 this weekend! Apparently this is the longest one by far so a little scared but still excited! The end of episode 3 was really exciting! Things got shaken up to a level we haven't seen before, I've got no idea where things are headed. I remember someone suggesting drawing the drrrropp! at the end, I probably won't because this was involved enough (although you can make me do that if you like), but that really was some cool imagery, as well as that window shattering (even though that was actually illustrated). I can only assume there will be more wonderful moments in the future. Time to begin the next game!

[lunarharp]

What led to this (orufrey comic, cw an uncomfortable/creepy scene)

[stergeon]

> FERDINAND II.

And so your PLANT shall henceforth be known as FERDINAND II.

The thought of needing to inform FERDINAND I of his having a namesake makes you a bit ill, but you are already hard at work devising several plausible excuses for the gesture. Something about how you've named it after the one most invested in its naming, or how it is similarly prone to drooling. Yes. Yes, you will be able to deflect quite easily, should the need arise. It has nothing to do with your fondness for FERDINAND or your desire for a substitute in his imminent absence, no—again, you are not so prone to sentimentality. It's about the drool.

Well, anyway. Best to move on with your day and think about something else, lest you grow maudlin or cultivate further affection for the PLANT. May the GODDESS be merciful and never cause you to develop inclinations that could be described as paternal.

Now that your plant has received sufficient care, it is time for COFFEE. You set to making your morning brew. By CHANCE, there happens to be sufficient water remaining in the kettle for FERDINAND I to have TEA, should he wish it.

Per your TIMEPIECE, it is now a quarter to eight. You have made excellent progress on your PRE-BREAKFAST TO-DO LIST thus far: the only remaining task is to remove FERDINAND. You are starting to get rather peckish and would like to be rid of him quickly, but over the past week, you have found that extracting the man from YOUR QUARTERS is a more arduous task than it ought to be.

#007 | < | > | JOURNAL | HOW TO PLAY | SEE ALL POSTS

[dpraved]

a couple of eidens and kuyas from my awful and wretched sketch files

[lulu2992]

Where are they? What are they drinking? What is she saying? Why is he smiling? Is this a “No Cult AU”? If it is, why did I bother drawing all of John’s tattoos anyway?

I don’t know... I visualized this scene, drew it almost immediately, and it made me happy.

It still does :)

And I did it! One year later, I’m done posting all the “old” drawings I said I would post! :D

[gunstellations]

to love and be loved