#tbh im not vibing with much of anything lately

[izzy-b-hands]

the big Vent post abt my family today and that post i saw went to my fandom vent blog instead, ur welcome lmao

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

ok so here are my thoughts on the first three chapters and the prologue of tgg (and like the two other chapters we got before)

don't read if you don't wanna hear criticism on lyra, other characters, and stuff. these are my opinions and you can have your own (obviously)

also, i just want to say that my opinions will definitely change as a i read the book. this is based off of what we know now (which isn't much).

also i counted the amount of chapters for each character. lyra has 31. gigi has 28, and rohan has 24 (25 with the prologue). there's an epilogue called the watcher who i'm pretty sure is eve (and probably sets up book 2)

ok. i'll split this into parts so it makes more sense

lyra: most people here seem to love lyra, but i honestly don't think she's anything special (so far). she seems to be a mix of avery, grayson, and jameson. her inner monologue resembles avery, her coping mechanism (running) is similar to grayson's, and the fact that she showed up at school in pajamas and went to a class she wasn't even enrolled in gives off jameson vibes (the jameson vibes are not as strong as grayson and avery but they're still there). i do find her backstory interesting, and i'd like to learn more about it. i also find her acing a test for a class she didn't attend weird. it was only 10 questions but why? her attachment to numbers isn't weird, but for her to be able to detect a pattern in an test is kind of excessive in my opinion. i get that jlb probably wrote her this way so that she's able to play the game, but, idk, i honestly don't know how to feel about it (all ik is that im a bit iffy about it. avery acing a test made sense. she attended the class and studied really hard for it, but for lyra to just randomly ace an exam for a class she doesn't even attend just seems a bit random). i did like the scene where she throws a ball at her catcaller's face.

she's not a bad character, per se, and we literally know next to nothing about her character so its not that i don't like her, its just that, so far, she seems to be like every single other jlb main character (avery, cassie, etc). this literally goes for the other characters (gigi and rohan). don't get me wrong, avery is my favorite character and if lyra is anything like her, i think i'll like her. i just wish lyra wasn't a copy paste of avery.

oh, and, idk why, but thought her having a little brother was kind of cute (especially if he's really young, i'd like to read about their dynamic). her being a dancer is also nice.

i do hope lyra and avery become good friends. i think they have a lot in common (the hawthornes ruined (or tried to ruin) their lives (tobias giving avery the fortune knowing she might die, using her, skye trying to get her killed, etc), they seem to think similarly, etc) and could really hit it off. avery also needs friends who aren't trying to get her killed (*cough* rebecca and thea *cough*)

its really late, and i have more thoughts on lyra but i can't seem to put them into words so ill make another post someday.

rohan:

rohan seems very similar to grayson and jameson. in tbh, he seemed to be more like jameson, but, reading from his pov, his inner monologue is clearly more similar to grayson's (at least from what i remember, i read the chapters a while ago). im glad that he's not an exact copy paste of another character and at least a little different. after what we got from tbh, i expected him to be a jameson 2.0.

i'm glad we now know his motives and why he's participating in the game. also, i think its crazy he's been in the devils mercy since he was 5. he probably hasn't been training since he was five, but i still find this interesting. im excited to read more about his childhood. where exactly are his parents?

i don't have many thoughts on him. im still kinda disappointed he's similar to jameson and grayson, but i was sort of expecting it so it wasn't like what i felt with lyra. anyways, i think i'll like his character. i'm especially excited to read more about his childhood.

gigi:

ik she's similar to xander, but i've liked her ever since i read tbh. im still disappointed (like with lyra and rohan) about her being like xander, but i've come to terms with it. she seems really sweet and kind-hearted (a bit like sloane from the naturals whom i love). she's definitely not my favorite (that title goes to avery), but i do really enjoy her. some people find her character annoying, but i don't think so. i'm really want to read more about her (just like the other characters).

i don't think all of her chapters will be similar to the one we got bc i remember a scene in tbh where grayson said smth like 'maybe she isn't happy all the time' after seeing her a little sad (or maybe she's the one that mentioned not being happy all the time. idk i just remember a scene that mentioned that gigi isn't always happy). i doubt that all of her chapters will be like the one we got bc of this, but i might be wrong. if they are all like that, i dont think itll get too annoying bc we have rohan and lyra chapters in between hers. anways, ik i'll like her in tgg (bc i liked her in tbh even though sometimes she made me cringe)

final thoughts:

i think i'll like tgg (i liked all of the jlb books ive read so far). i'm a bit disappointed that the characters are so similar to some that we already have but i think i'll get over it. i do think that it is safe to say that, bc of this, tgg won't take tig's spot as one of my all time fav contemporary books (i separate contemporary from fantasy and stuff bc it doesn't make sense to me how im supposed to rank books that are completely different) and none of the pov characters will replace avery as my fav (this is confirmed, i see so much of myself in avery and i read her books when i was at my lowest. no one will replace her). i am quite tired so this may not make sense or might be repetitive. i have some other thoughts, but im too tired to write them down.

[ranposgirlboss]

~late night car drives with bsd charas~

this is an idea i got while listening to depressing vocaliod songs, SO HERE WE ARE!!! these are just some hc i have about how it would go, some charas are COMPLETELY platonic!! (this is mostly platonic in the 1st place tbh) this is my first time writing on this app, and i haven't written anything online in a few years, so if the formatting is weird, PLEASE TELL ME IDK WHAT IM DOIMNHG

chara list: dazai, chuuya, poe, ranpo, and yosano

GENRE: fluff fluff fluff and sillies

enjoy!!

-----------------------------

DAZAI

-HESSS DEEEEEFFF THE TYPE TO BRING YOU ON LATE-NIGHT DRIVES!!!!!

-he would probably be going to some weird ass convenience store with you at ungodly hours in the morning 💀

-HE EITHER SINGS THE MOST DEPRESSING SONGS OR THE MOST UPBEAT SILLY SONGS THERE IS LITERALLY NO IN BETWEEN

-i feel like he would mess with you and fucking drift the car when yall turn

-lets just say you get close to dying more then once 😁

-one time when yall tried to sneak out, kunikida caught yalls asses (your ears still hurt to this day from the mouthing off you got from kunikida)

-all in all, VERY FUN TO GO OUT WITH!!! WOULD RECOMMEND IF YOU WANT CHAOS!!!! OR IF YOU LIKE ALMOST DYING 10 TIMES IN 30 MINS <3333

CHUUYA

-ok so i know i said late night CAR rides BUT CMON WHO DOESNT WANNA RIDE A COOL ASS MOTORCYCLE WITH CHUUYA!??!?!?/1

-mf has HORRIBLE ROAD RAGE!!!

-i hc that when chuuya gets really pissed and the person is super rude to him, he fucking makes their car float...LIKE FULL ON 😭

-AND THEN HELL MAKE THEM SAY SORRY

-but other then his road rage, its honestly pretty chill

-i know that he has a BANGER playlist, I JUST KNOW IT

-i fell like he'd also play around on the motorcycle a bit, BUT AT LEAST HE WOULDNT NEARLY KILL YOU UNLIKE DAZAI (눈‸눈)

-id say its pretty nice and balanced, with enough calmness to make it enjoyable for the most part, but enough thrill to keep asking him to take you out <33

RANPO

-just gonna let you know right off the bat, his ass is NOT driving 😂

-there is a high chance that he JUST woke up and started banging on your door because he had cravings and well, he ran out of his snacks...so OBVIOUSLY he had to bang on your door, its important!!!

-and even if he was completely awake...he would get yall lost so fast

-so you were driving him

-honestly? its kinda funny to see groggy ranpo walk around and try to grab what snack he wants at the convenience store when he's barely awake

-bro literally drops the bag like 5 times (you picked it up all 5 bc you kinda pitied him rn 😭)

-he basically ends up sleep walking his ass outta there

-the ride is mostly quiet, mainly because ranpo falls asleep on the way back

-imagine if you played heavy metal and woke him up

POE

-HE WOULD DRIVE WITH YOU FREQUENTLY, DUE TO HIM BEING A NIGHT OWL

-these car rides would be so peaceful

-ngl he would probably sometimes take you out just to drive with you (its not like gas is a problem for him anyways 😭)

-HE HAS SUCH A GOOD PLAYLIST OF SONGS TO JUST SIT THERE AND DAYDREAM TO

-doesnt seem like a talker tbh, he might ask you if you want to go anywhere specific, but you guys mostly just listen to music together (he saves the story telling for another time <3)

-I FEEL LIKE HE WOULD MAKE A PLAYLIST THAT LIKE KIND OF HAS A STORY LINE SO IT WOULD BE SO FUN TO DAYDREAM TO THE SONGS CUZ YOU COULD CREATE YOUR OWN STORY TO THEM

-you hold karl in your lap and pet him like you're an evil villain (cannon)

-very calming and relaxing drive <33

YOSANO

-UGH IM SO GAY FOR HER

-ngl she kinda gives dazai vibes, in terms of playlist

-there has been more than one occasion when she just drunk-drove you

-LUCKILY YALL DONT DIE??!?!?!??! HOLY FUCK

-shes a small talker, OR A GOSSIPER WHILE YALL DRIVE

-yall just have so much fun talking about the ada and everything that's going on there <333

-would scream the lyrics to any 2010's throwback song, while having a (hopefully) safe dance party

-very fun to be around, and even though she drunk drives, shes def safer then dazai

-----------------------

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

PLEASE SEND ME REQS I BEG OF YOU

[gunnrblze]

Mayhaps Ghosts as Mitski songs if you’re up to that..?

Absolutely anon! Basing these mainly off lyrics tbh because I really fw Mitski’s beautifully heart shattering, emotionally compromising lyrics ≧◡≦

Hesh- I Bet on Losing Dogs (“my baby, my baby. You’re my baby, say it to me. Baby, my baby. Tell your baby that I’m your baby”, “I’ll be there on their side, I’m losing by their side” YEOWCHHH! Talk about the family dynamic there😁 IM CRYING!)

Logan- First Love/Late Spring (“and I was so young when I behaved 25, yet now I find I’ve grown into a tall child” stop actually. they grew up too fast)

Elias- Brand New City (hear me out I’m just getting the vibe. “I think my fate is losing its patience, I think the ground is pulling me down, I think my life is losing momentum, I think my ways are wearing me down”. This old man omg😭)

Merrick- Abbey (“I am something, I have been something, I was born something, what could I be?”, “there is a dream that I sometimes see, that only appears in the dark of sleep” this very much just feels like him to me)

Keegan- Francis Forever (It’s giving him and Ajax tbh (and also Hesh and Logan, it was hard to decide) “I end up on a tree lined street, I look up at the gaps of sunlight, I miss you more than anything. I don’t need the world to see that I’ve been the best I can be but, I don’t think I can stand to be where you don’t see me” EMOTIONAL ALERT!)

Kick- My Love Mine All Mine (this definitely feels like him, at least how I imagine him hehe. “Moon, tell me if I could, send up my heart to you? So when I die, which I must do, could it shine down here with you?”, “Nothing in the world belongs to me. But my love mine, all mine, all mine”)

Rorke- I’m Your Man (yes this is entirely about him and Elias to me. “You’re an angel, im a dog. Or you’re a dog and I’m your man. You believe me like a god, I’ll destroy you like i am. I’m sorry I’m the one you love, no one will ever love me like you again”. “you believe me like a god, I’ll betray you like a man” HELLOOOO?!,&?,!)

[funnyscienceman]

Ok but like WHYY did ubisoft have to insist with the one game a year thing. Why couldnt they let syndicate cook in the oven more. Why do they have THREE queer men in the same game and not do ANYTHING with them!!!

Like yes, yes, i get it, i get wanting to for once make a story in a fun setting where you dont have to think about real life prejudice and hardships and bigotry and just have characters be silly, i love that too. I do! And id be all for that if doing it just didnt waste a potentially banger study of the characters and the setting ;-;

Like god i go back and forth on this constantly. I already love syndicate as it is, i think it's fun and neat and the happy gaming vibes about it is core to its identity, it's just that simultaneous to that, three queer men in the same game!!!

like GOD im still miffed that there are only, like, two or three fics about this, and so far i havent found any discussion or anything of it, but oh my god how different all three of them are from each other. You could do so much just with having any of them in the same room — and they are often enough in the same room (jacob and either ned or roth at a time), but nothing's really done there!

we have roth who sees fcking nothing wrong with getting kids hurt, because he doesnt actually care about anyone or anything, he's just some fucking joker wannabe that yeah, sure, probably has some anger and resentment at society because he's a gay man in his 40s or 50s by now, but jesus fucking christ retaliation against homophobia does not equal rampant needless unproductive violence roth!!!

then we have ned, who — i mean he doesnt ever give his opinion on whether kids deserve any respect or anything but considering in every other department he's pretty much just Some Guy, it'd be fair to assume he also has the extremely average stance of 'dont fcking kill kids and dont blow up buildings for no good reason??' in the grand scheme of the templar-assassin stuff he has just about as much relevance as roth: roth was just the boss of the blighters, ned just finances the fryes by virtue of them working for him. He probably doesnt even know about it, and tbh i dont even know if he'd care??? But like i imagine roth doesnt care in the way of 'as long as you dont get in my way, it's all set dressing,' ned i imagine would be smth like 'are yall fckin serious? are you kidding me rn? i have to skirt around transphobes on a daily basis, now youre telling me there's a secret society on top of that with even worse ideas?? What the fuck???'

like uh, not caring about it as in 'I cant deal with this rn i need a nap'

HE'S JUST AN EXTREMELY REGULAR PERSON (besides the crime lord stuff) IS WHAT IM GETTING AT.

then there's jacob, who's the youngest out of these guys btw, fckin 21 good god he should be at the club not trying to disassemble systemic oppression— ANYWAY

(ned is 27-28 over the course of the game, btw; we dont actually have a solid timeline for anything, just the year, so tbh jacob could've also been 20 and not 21 yet during the game. both he and ned have late birthdays, just a month apart)

so, yknow, being extremely early 20-somethings, both frye twins just take a train to london completely on impulse and dive headfirst into undoing the templars that've had an iron grip over the city for basically as long as they've been alive, yknow, as you do; and throughout the game jacob has to deal with goddamn daddy issues and fighting with his sister and insecurity and trying to be an assassin — and that's a lot for a guy to handle!! Especially one who's still just a couple years out of being a teenager! That's a fucking lot and if the devs are right, then he hasnt even realized that he's bi yet! Not until roth fucking kisses him while jacob's got a knife in his throat for the aforementioned indiscriminate, unproductive violence!

i mean, granted, yeah there were gay undertones during sequence 8, but i have to admit my bias here because i honest to god cannot take those missions seriously. Roth fucking preaches this and that about freedom and whatnot and then im plopped into the mission and it's the most rule-heavy shit ive ever seen in my short life as an assassin's creed player. Like what the hell, those missions were atrocious. Apprently i need to detonate the bombs a specific way, i cant just shoot them from a distance, i have to hold a button crouching down right next to the bombs, and then run the hell away! I have to avoid THIS and THAT while kidnapping xyz! Like there's freddy's apprehend missions and then there's THIS.

at least with ned's missions all you have to do is get the shit and go… i'm still salty that ubisoft cut his questline because they fucking insist on releasing a game a year >:((

my battery's dying. All these guys are different flavors of queer on top of just being pretty different and pretty similar in various ways, and there's just… barely anything about it. Ned especially, since he's just a quest giver whose screentime totals to, like, 2-5 minutes. I just wish they really did more with the setting; not just the queerness and these three specifically, but like, evie, henry, the class conflict — like there are shreds of it, seeds, but there's not much before you kill starrick and credits roll :((

idk. im just gonna refresh ao3 again cjemddjekjx

[ceilidho]

just wanted to come on here and say how much i adore your work and that you're easily a top 3 fic writer for me. i've been reading since you first published "be real with me (don't ghost me)", and i've been hooked ever since. (i would levitate with happiness if you chose to write reylo again, but your writing is so fantastic that i have read, and will continue to read and enjoy, anything you post, whatever the fandom.) you've inspired me to give fic writing a shot myself, and if you're willing, i'd love to know more about how you use pinterest to put together moodboards for your fics. what are some of your favorite search terms on pinterest? i've used pinterest for style purposes before, but i've never utilized it to cultivate inspiration for a fic. any tips would be so dang appreciated!!

OH you're actually a real one because that's one of my least popular reylo fics and i never understood why because i thought i was a genius when i came up with that idea lmaoooo

also...once again....i am toying with the idea of turning my reylo wips into original stories since i already did so much work just for them to sit there unfinished in perpetuity :)) and if i did turn them into original fics, it would, again, be a thinly veiled reylo fic lol

also im so happy to hear that you're giving writing a shot!!! im telling you, there's always room at the table. i think ppl often second guess themselves because they think their work will be overlooked but honestly people hunger for new art.

ok first of all, my pinterest is here for anyone curious. hmm honestly my fic ideas always predate my pinterest searches, so well before i go to create a moodboard, i already have an idea of the vibe i'm going for. when i was putting the Space Plague board together, i looked up things like "alien" "star system" "futuristic" "dystopian futurism" "interstellar" (because i knew that movie had some stills i liked) "gold lights" "gold arcs" "futuristic knight". the hardest part lately is avoiding all of the AI generated garbage tbh.

like with my cowboy/western fics i was looking up things like "horses" "desert sunsets" "ranch aesthetic" "western aesthetic" "wyoming" "cowboy aesthetic" (aesthetic is a good word to use for searches lmaoo)

i personally love looking up materials and objects that im really interested in too - like, i wrote this in my notes recently, but im currently obsessed with "figs, pearls, silver, oysters, and glass" and sometimes ill build boards around those "themes" to use as inspiration as well. and that way, you have them :))

also!!! if you find a handful of good pictures, pinterest's algorithm is actually very good at helping you find even more. if you click on just one image you can usually find a ton more that are similar.

[watatsumiis]

hey! ty for liking my tsaritsa so much!!! i'd love to hear more of your thoughts on her, if there are any!

omg of course, she's absolutely stunning, your art style does her so much justice (and honestly is just an awesome gorgeous style in general!!) and tbh your design is how I picture her in my head now !!

I have a lot of thoughts and ideas about the Tsaritsa, a lot of them are just kind of ~vibe~ based and hard to convey, but i'll toss them beneath the cut!

I really like the theory that her 'ideal' is love, like it's such a fun and interesting concept

like, to begin with i imagine she was a very kind deity, not in a familiar way, but in a general sort of .. benevolent to her subjects and open to those that sought an audience with her. Not exactly 'warm', but not entirely shutting them out either

though i imagine that sort of hollowed out as time wore on and she realised that even being an actual deity didn't give her the power she needed to be able to make any real tangible changes to things or help those who were doomed from the start (which is probably a big part of why shes so anti-celestia or whatever)

despite her despair and attitude towards romantic love sort of withering, she places a heavy emphasis on familial love (including found family) and on forming bonds that will stand the test of toil and time

she comes off very aloof, especially to those beneath her, and will actively try to avoid being around others if she can help it. She dislikes forming close attachments

this isnt to mean that she doesn't care. she just cares so much that the only way she can deal with it is by distancing herself, or else she's just setting herself up for repeated heartbreak when her loved ones inevitably die.

the exception to this ? pierro.

pierro is cursed with undeath, and even before that he was someone with a fiercely loyal (and stubborn) streak.

they both told themselves theyd never allow themselves to become attached to someone else after all the losses theyd been through, but in making this pact alongside one another they basically sealed their own fate

there are no simple words for the kind of intertwined, codependent, epic-spanning love-hate they have for one another.

their bond was one forged in the fires of loss and hardened by the ice of grief. despite what they both may say, they're in it for the long haul. Tsaritsa has slowly become accustomed to this idea. Pierro has not and will still vehemently deny it.

i guess to really shave it down id call it a queerplatonic relationship. something unholy and gorgeous. two flowers holding onto a cliffside by the tips of their roots and growing around one another.

the second 'exception' is columbina. i imagine she's like a weird nibling to the tsaritsa. she was picked to be amongst the harbingers because of her ability to light up any room she's in (i imagine tsaritsa secretly has a nickname for her that's somewhere along the lines of 'songbird' because of her voice ngl)

outside of this, the tsaritsa is cool and aloof and works very hard to maintain her composure, especially when under scrutiny. she is brilliant at keeping this facade in place.

until she's no longer in the public gaze, that is.

i like to think she's a tiny bit of a goofball, she has a soft spot for 'dad jokes' that make pierro roll his eyes and rub his temples, and she quite enjoys wine (im sorry but if she were a facebook mom her page would be minion memes and posts talking about how its wine o-clock)

she also rather enjoys slapstick humour - there are a few dottore clones running around who have perfected it enough so that she has to cover her mouth with a hand to stop her subjects from seeing the way her lips twitch upwards as she holds back her laughter

she's also really, really petty. not that she'd ever do anything about it, but more than once pierro has found himself in her chambers late at night, watching as she paces back and forth, her sixth glass of wine in hand, and complains about how that 'brick-brained geo archon just won't sign the damn contract! isn't that his entire shtick?!'

she also has a soft spot for kids, or people who have a youthful energy about them. it reminds her that maybe not all is bad in the world, and that she's going to change it for the better for their sake.

I like to think she's extremely good at various sports - i love the idea featured on the asker's blog about her having an elk instead of a horse. that's so cool and lives in my brain rent free and forever tbh. her and pierro on their steeds racing through a snowy forest on a rare free afternoon

i think she would've once been the type to enjoy prosey, flowery words, long poems, romantic tales of star-crossed lovers, that kind of thing. she read a lot and even wrote some. not any more though.

she has a very stern and strict air about her and won't hesitate to play into that if she feels like she needs to, but honestly she's got a good sense of humour on her. things that pierro scolds the other harbingers and such for are often things that she secretly finds really funny

though ALSO she's a stickler for good manners. i like to think that has extended to the snezhnayans , who are, when dealing with those outside of their immediate familial circles, are super duper polite (even if their tones may come off as abrupt). there's also a very heavily laid-on vibe of 'respect your elders' in snezhnaya.

she has such motherly vibes, but in a really standoffish way. she wont tell someone directly that she cares about them or what happens to them, but it'll be rerouted through like three other people like a game of telephone. like, yeah, that one person she caught shivering while on guard is gonna get a nice new pair of gloves but it will be from an anonymous donor (or just shoved into their hands by pierro with an annoyed grunt)

honestly now ive started im kind of finding it hard to stop but i just adore the tsaritsa so much and i love love love how you draw her so much, she's just so amazing and feels so like.. real, y'know? thank you so much for this ask, i really enjoyed rambling and thinking about the tsaritsa some more. i think your design and ideas should be canon actually

[shootingstarrfish]

Do you have any tips on how you do shading ?? Your art really inspires me and I literally suck at shading lmao.

hello anon!!! im honoured i can inspire you sdfhkjh it's crazy to me that i can inspire literally anyone :,DDD <33

tbh i do all my shading purely based on vibes/what makes me happy so im not sure im a good advice person but ill show you a breakdown of how i go about shading and hopefully that might help a bit? :o i've left it below the cut because i have too much to say and it ended up being really long LOL

of course if there's anything you want more details on i'm always happy to explain, just let me know!

okay SO ill use this asmo as my example, i think there's enough to talk about here that it should be helpful hopefully

so here's my lineart and flats! i do all my flat colours in one layer because i find it easier to make everything look more cohesive when the pieces arent separated (i usually like it when the colours bleed into each other a lil), but i also just dont like the process of having to switch between layers for everything too LOL flats are unfortunately my least favourite part :,D probably because my lineart is so messy hahah

as you can see, the shading is very minimal here, just some subtle stuff in the wings/sheer parts of the fabric and some blushing on the skin, i also stole the orange under eye/liner thing from TBHK because <3

and then i clean up any messy stuff by just painting over top of everything on a new layer, i also rendered the metal at this stage because i felt like it i guess???

i dont think i did a suuper good job at rendering the metal here (because i was lazy), it looks fine but something to note about metal is that usually you want to push the highlights and the shadows a lot more, as well as the reflections because it is so shiny and smooth this is why you'll see a lot of pink and blue in the metal, to show the reflections of his hair and the sky

i would recommend using reference to get a better idea of how metal ACTUALLY works but again, i was lazy lol so that's a simple explanation based on what little i know/have observed

the jump here is a bit drastic and you might be like woah starr where'd all this come from?? but this is all in one layer-

('hard light' - 62% opacity)

this is how that layer looks as a normal full opacity layer, for reference:

lately i've been using hard light layers to shade! they're very versatile because unlike multiply layers i can do my shading and my highlights within one layer (do you sense a theme of me disliking having too many layers lmao)

SO this is where i have a bit more to say about shading you'll notice the prominent shading colour here is blue, this is because the main environment here (the sky) is blue. i dont know if that's how things work in the real world but it works for me LMAO i usually prefer to have my shading lean cooler purely for aesthetic reasons, i like how it looks more

you might also notice some areas where the blue is a bit brighter, this is to imitate reflected light, again because the environment is blue light tends to bounce around on things and reflect back even into the shadows so this is the effect im trying to get, i like to typically go with a brighter blue cause it gives things a sort of shinier? quality that i enjoy aesthetically, idk if its very accurate to real life tho it also helps me to give depth to the shading since shading isnt usually just one flat blob, and this is a bit of a shortcut to having more dynamic (?) looking shadows

i also want to point out my use of bright reds on the edge of the shadows:

i believe this is called diffraction- there's a real legit scientific reason why it happens but i... dont know what that is i just know it happens in real life (maybe not to this extent?) and it looks cool so i do it SFHJKSFH i usually blend it into the shadows though as opposed to into the lighter parts, i find that tends to look better

some miscellaneous things-

don't be afraid to throw random colours around!! who cares about realism, it's fun lmao

this artwork is a spoiler for asmo's bday so shhhhh but i did want to quickly show that you can also use hard light layers to create a glowy effect, i literally just painted the pink/orange directly on the shadows layer and it helped to make his eyes more glowy

of course i do go in and paint over a little after and add some layer effects but it helps to have that base there

now that you've learnt that i dont know what i'm doing, i wanted to highlight a couple of resources that have helped me! i hope they help you as well <3

this video gives some really interesting insights into this artist's process and some problems they had throughout, as well as how they overcame them! it looks a lil clickbaity but i promise it's good!!

this tweet also shifted how i think about rendering when i want to do something with dramatic lighting!

+ an attempt i made to replicate this (i wanna try this again lmao it was fun)

i hope that helps even a little bit, i did my best to explain but sorry if it was mostly nonsense though :,DDD best of luck with your art, anon!! <3333

[quinnonimp]

Please tell us more about your tntduo priest/vampire fic I am literally begging you

SORRY THIS IS SO FUCKING LATE LMFAO I NEVER CHECK MY INBOX i rly need to check more often i have so many asks fuck

but aaaa im so glad u wanna know more 👉👈

for once i dont rly have super many thoughts abt an au ? tbh ? like its been very difficult for me to come up with ideas since i dont know that much abt vampires n i dont know that much abt catholicism/christianity

a little of what ive had in mind so far though is cwil is this very lonely priest with no family left who took over the church for his late father - but doesnt actually believe in god all that much, just pretends for the sake of keeping something

then one night some mysterious guy shows up near closing hours and wilbur is already pretty scared for no other reason than just the vibes . they dont talk but after a while of wil staring the pretty guy just gives him a big smile and leaves

the mysterious guy is vampire cquackity, hes just here cause he was hiding away from a hunter (probably ctechno filling this role)

in this universe vampires arent particularly affected by religion itself but just weakened by faith . quackity couldnt feel anything coming from the church, so he assumed it was empty since it was late anyway . turns out there is someone there ! but it doesnt effect him, and quackity realizes the priest himself has no faith, and becomes very interested

because of this new found fascination quackity decides to come back at a similar hour every day, and luckily for him barely anyone is there on weekdays/past 6pm, so he doesnt have to worry about being weakened (and especially not for hunters since they wouldnt expect a vampire to be in a church) . wilbur and him still havent talked but quackity still has fun observing his behaviour, and wilbur just feels a teensy bit less lonely having someone come back so consistently and every single day while he closes

one day however when wilbur decides hes finally gonna talk to this guy, quackity isnt there, and wilburs so confused as to why he feels so sad about it . why does he miss the presence of this stranger hes never even talked to ? he spends the whole rest of the night distracted thinking about the mysterious guy

the next day at around 3-4am when wilbur enters the church to start his day, he sees the presence he missed so much yesterday

though wilburs not as happy as he should be, as the stranger is covered in blood next to a corpse and about to jump him

so yea idk ive been trying to work on the fic, hopefully i actually manage to get smth cool outta it and post it but we'll see !! for now im just drawing the blorbos

if anyone has extra ideas n whatnot or wanna ask more abt the au feel welcome to do so, i cant promise ill be very interesting but i will be very glad to answer lmao

[iii-days-grace]

biggest timeline lore post yay!

workin on the mediverse playlist and vibing with some story!

[currently playing - 'Graveyard Dancing' by Destroy, Rebuild Until God Shows]

@in-death-we-fall the Joesday stuff is clicking & Paul is here, and everyone is uhh. getting along happily? hard to tell.

-

tags from this post

lets break em down

so there are a few big chunks of story so far, fortunately one of my special interests is taxonomy and i have a fetish for project management [1].

-

basically two main eras:

- a youngish high school + summer camp setting [late teens/twenties]. most of the aesthetics here are from that part of the setting, which has a lot of ~magical stuff beyond the heart of camp.

and! an undead hospital drama, including Nurse Jim from the camp health centre.

most of the events concerning the aesthetics described in this paper [I'll lean into it, eh] take place at the summer camp through Nurse Jim's adventures leading camping trips with Mick.[5]

[5] tbh, that does kinda let me fold those two jobs into one - it seems pretty cromulent that the health centre would assign someone like Nurse Jim on long trips

-

#1. joey-Wednesday high school dirtbag era ft piggly wiggly [alternatively: joeypaul emo shit ft that annnoying-ass fucker in his little fag hats. [that's roughly where we'd be with this song]

#2. [few years later] summer camp that kicks off the core general events at the ~undead hospital

@custer-mp3 the sexy experimentation we all love! also i loved the idea of head(s) in jars thank you VERY much

@in-death-we-fall do not worry joey and weds are in the hospital too, I'm just lookin over their resumes rn haha. they have a umm spotty work history yknow? like they just ghosted, you know, yeah? Weird.

my pet project with @ims0vain that is watering my crops and healing everyone's bruises <3 fit Nurse Jim and kids and probably some sad stuff but also lots of fluff.

general Scrubs-inspired hospital drama theme, but jd's Dr. acula is like, a real guy probably

mick and Jim [Bubbles and Biscuit] leading camp trips out at 2. [the general summer camp AU].

-

And in a more magical direction,

we have the wild magic realm of black metal where Mick is compelled to do gay shit[4]:

[...]

ft a fey realm of eerie, black metal wasteland and a faggy dream pop valley ova dere ridge?

[feets]

[2] will wiesenfeld aka geotic, post-foetus, and probably others. the valley of the fairies is another beam of magic in the world, along with the Nurse Jim fluff stuff, since i wanted something to balance and contrast with the [NECRO I SAID THERED BE NECRO].

BUT YEAH. i found will's music on tumblr years ago and it's been a longtime favourite and a bedrock of my post-rock landscape.

[bonus faggy atmospheric tiny desk from Will, i saw someone comment that Baths [2] was 'pretty boy black metal' and after seeing blackgaze [markus Lantlôs in particular w his dream-pop projects] [3], well. [3]

[will wiesenfeld/Geotic, Vice 2017]

i really wanna make this world a cozy home for you all too, haha. right now I'm just cradling everything really gently in my hands.

-

[3] idk if lantlôs is gay or anything but his pic there ...

the juxtaposition of the metal (post-metal) thing with the softboy glitter umbrella is certainly something though haha

[from Metallum]

[4] probably with Jim yknow. but the possibilities are open. even for a greasy metalhead. loser [affectionate].

[1] eh. im autistic what can you say. also btw im enjoying putting my posts together like little citation projects haha. hashtag enrichment

[changbinsboobs]

even if members are straight gayor bi K-pop is the least accepting environment of idols relationships, lee know is already closed off more than folk realise and given a lot of stigma towards many topics in sk generally I don't think he would just announce it in fact I don't think he would care. He appears generally dgaf in many situations so maybe romance as a whole ain't his top priority. Would prolly kinda make him a crappy partner but overall there's zero romance coming from him. Maybe he gives stingy or self fulfilling vibes instead

Yeah, could be.

But tbh im very surprised at the huge amount of interest that that certain post spiked. I didn't think people would care so much or have so many opinions on it. Cuz since i posted that, most if not all my requests/ask have been either about felix or lee knows orientation and here and there some about chan and the other members😅 i actually thought thats like a mutual "knowledge" suspicion that we all knew but just agreed not to talk about or something😅

I think I'll be tuning it down on such topics in the future. Cuz i think thats more or less a private matter, and now that my reading has caused so much conversation about it i feel slightly uncomfortable for being part of making their sexuality such a big deal so i think i might not be answering as many ask about it from now on unless its something i can personally add something to.

I'll still be reading them (and your opinions) but yeah, i want the focus on my blog to rather be on different topics.

Also I've been getting lots of asks lately to which i can't really answer in a "reading-manner" but, ehm, its kind of like a conversation in a way. As much as i like reading your opinions and interacting with you, i want my blog to be mainly based on tarot (or other forms of divination or fortune telling), so from now on if i don't have anything of value to add as an answer, I'll just be reading the "asks" for myself and then delete them. Or if you want to have a conversation with me you could just message me:)

[solar-halos]

wait yall i literally can't sleep in kinda a crazy way so here are my lucy gray and billy taupe hcs. yes theyre all highly specific. yes they only make sense within the highly specific pre-canon lore i established in my fics. lets just get into it

i know it's not really feasible but i am a firm believer in billy taupe being lactose intolerant. like of course he fucking is. billy taupe ruins fucking everything

with that being said, his ass needs to watch the fuck out. one wrong move and lucy gray is tampering with his fucking food yall dont know about her

okay no seriously he'll say something like "would it kill you to cook something edible for once" and she'll be like no but this might and then sneaks so much fucking dairy into his food

billy taupe never hits her sober, but when he gets drunk, he does get a little rougher. maybe not intentionally, but, well, you know. he's naturally the bigger one, so he's not as careful as he should be

i'd love to say that lucy gray starts swinging back but i think 1) she is smarter than that 2) wasting her makeup covering up a bruise that she offensively acquired doesn't sound worth it to her. like she's gonna try to diffuse, not actively esculate the situation. i do think she's a huge Object Thrower during sober arguments though

but that's the only case of her diffusing anything bc literally any other time is fair game. billy taupe bets on the wrong dog? don't catch lucy gray in a bad mood, or else she's gonna snap at him for being a bitch (pun not intended). he comes home late from the hob? he can sleep out on the fucking porch since he loves being outside so fucking much. looks at a girl a little too long at the market? lucy gray refuses to hold hands with this IDIOT and she's telling him off the entire walk home. she's not even waiting long enough for them to finish up their shopping

they're both so insanely jealous. at first i made a joke like "haha billy taupe is the type to get jealous when lucy gray kisses him for the first time and it's not sloppy bc that must mean she had prior experience" but i was wrong lucy gray is definitely getting so fucking upset over that. i think the shift of billy taupe being the more jealous one comes when they get a bit older. men are fucking weirdos though so i can def see him getting jealous only in specfic contexts, like exclusively when theyre performing. otherwise he's like this is my girl isn't she pretty and everyone else is like shut the fuck up billy taupe

speaking of performing, billy taupe rips up lucy gray's performance dresses and her makeup whenever he gets mad about her getting too flirty. unfortunately, since our girl isn't a diva 100% of the time, all she rlly does is get angry, but it happens again and again and again until the rest of the covey step in and start switching up the defense they use. instead of being like hey billy taupe it's pretty fucked up to treat ur gf that way they're like well lucy gray obviously intends on keeping him around but he can't keep ripping up her pretty dresses or else we'll have to send her out in rags. which. isn't very good for business

this is less of a lucy gray and billy taupe hc but i think billy taupe and maude ivory had huge big brother and little sister vibes. CC represents one end of the spectrum (accepting, but ultimately dejected by billy taupe's absence) and maude ivory represents the other (absolutely PISSED. a child of divorce fr)

when they break up she lets shamus gnaw on any leftover clothes that billy taupe didn't come back for (she threw all his stuff out the window after she found out about mayfair). she also burns all the songs he wrote for her

this one is very silly but they have a custody battle over shamus. still need to write that fic tbh

tbh that's all i have to say bc atp i feel like im just gonna be regurgitating the stuff i already wrote about in my fics. but that's all for now

[obiwhat]

hi eli :D! i originally followed you for the aot content but i am also open to learning more about fmab! a summary of the show isnt needed, but could you briefly explain the relationship of the two characters you drew? +any other info to know while reading your fics or art :)

hi hi hiiii!! so happy ur open to learning about fmab after being here from the aot side of things, much much love 🫶🫶

if you’d like to: i would 100% suggest watching fmab or reading the manga (and then watching fma 03 if you feel so inclined bc tbh i got really confused by starting that first lol)

as for royai: this is the ship i’ve been obsessing over lately, it’s between roy mustang and riza hawkeye. roy is a colonel and state alchemist (flame alchemy specifically) in the amestris military, riza being his first lieutenant and right hand. if you like eruri they are a veryyyy similar dynamic — despite how clearly they love eachother, it’s incredibly complicated bc of their positions.

im so sorry I WENT OFF in my analysis below, im clearly very deep in brain rot rn — see below for a long ass answer to this ask lolll

staying relatively vague in these character analyses to avoid spoilers just in case!

riza hawkeye is a skilled sharpshooter, despite not having alchemical skills she goes toe to toe with some intense enemies and holds her own. she often comes off as stoic but is fiercely kind and loyal and just aghhh GOOD. and despite her colonel’s seemingly aloof/cocky attitude, she is one of the few people who knows who he truly is behind his mask. she knows he’ll do anything to one day turn the country around and attempt to correct past failures that they share a similar guilt in. so she supports him, often falling into a supervisory position despite being his subordinate. although, she does not do so blindly. she serves as his right hand with the agreement that at any point she could put a bullet in him, if he were to lose his way and become something sinister. (very much levi vibes right there lol). riza challenges roy to be a better person around every turn.

roy mustang on the other hand is outgoing, a “lady’s man” and exceedingly cocky due to his gifts in alchemy and his steadfast rise to power - although, he uses this persona to mask his true intention; to rise up the ranks and become ruler of amestris. he wants nothing more than to right the wrongs being committed by his country and help to fix the damage already done. in reality he really is a bit cocky, has no sense of self preservation and is sometimes childish. but he cares deeply for every person in his charge, even putting their lives above his own (to his lieutenant’s chagrin). roy’s character is often driven by a sense of overwhelming guilt or even a poisonous desire for revenge, riza is often the only one able to pull him back, to steady him. he’s a broken and messy character but he tries his best to right his many wrongs.

riza and roy partially got to watch eachother grow up, one of the things i like about them (being a first love type trope). roy stayed with riza’s family as a young man, learning alchemy from riza’s father and eventually was entrusted with the secret to her father’s flame alchemy by riza herself - to use it for good. although, circumstances from their shared lifetime somewhat tainted that naive and pure love they once had, creating this need for them both to redeem themselves - if possible. (angsty i know) even so, there is a sense that no matter what horrors they face together, they will always cherish eachother above all others.

anyway~~ in short, riza is girlboss love of my life and roy is pathetic sad boy loser core. and i love them so so dearly.

[the-francakes]

20 questions for fic writers!

Thanks for the tag @schmem14 - sorry this took me so long!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

28: 27 finished and 1 WIP

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

350,018

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter. sometimes si consider others but ideas never hit me like they do for hp

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Five Times Draco Malfoy Accidentally Apparated into Hermione Granger's Bed… And the One Time He Meant To (Dramione) - every time draco masturbates, he ends up in hermiones bed 2. An Overly Considerate Friend (Jegulus) - james confronts regulus about spying on their quidditch practices and ends up liplocked instead 3. Both (Hermione/Fred/George) - the hermione and the twins fuck or die DVP PWP 4. I WANNA SEE SOME ARSE (nottpott) - theo is on an island vaction and somehow sharing a bed with harry who has an amazing arse 5. The (Third) Worst Year (drarry) - draco has one year to kiss his true love, harry potter, or turn into a dragon... so he picks dragon like a dumb ass

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes.I do my best to because i think the converation is important and im grateful so i want readers to know. i havent lately because i get overwhelemed and im on a hiatus but yeah i try to

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

You & Lily - regulus is so tired of being used by james, he gets his mark and only tells james after they have sex to really fuck james up. then years later he returns to james to apologize by promising to save harry and its open ended but like... also cannon compliant

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

all of them are happy endings tbh... while i like writing angst, i dont like writing unhappy endings or dead dove sort of things. so pretty much any of my fics will leave you happy

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nah not really. i think its cause im in happy rare pairs world. every now and then i get the off the wall comment like 'telling somone to come is SO overdone' and im like cool bye.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

all the smut. mostly vanilla-ish? i like to change up positions or what the sexual act is, but i dont cross into anything kink mostly cause i just write what i know/like/is comfortable.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

nope. probably never will either.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that i know of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! The Quidditch Pitch Incident is in Russian Five Times Draco Malfoy Accidentally Apparated into Hermione Granger's Bed is in Chinese

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No! But im open to it with the right person

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I dont really have one. It always changes for me. I like trying a new ship so i think the majority of my fics are different ships.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

honestly, Im starting to think Echoes wont be finished. i havent had the want to write it all year and i dont think the first parts are really my best writing. so part of me might even delete and rewrite it if i start getting the vibes to pursue it again.

16. What are your writing strengths?

characterization. i love fanfic because i can use the base of what we know and grow from the tiny details to make fully developed ones. its hard for me to read some fics that the characterization doesnt match what i know from the books without explanation. like its hard for me to see hermione as a sugar baby for money and loves being doted on because i dontt hink that matches her from the books but like if you can explain she gets her strength and independence from manipulating men then im like yes okay im on board.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

im awful with commas. everyone else loves them but i forget them so much grammarly is always yelling at me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

nah. i've been living in italy for a month now and the only words i know are ciao and allora LOL - if i want it i ask someone to translate for me

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter and twilight at the same time back in 2004 ish

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I cant pick just one so here are my faves that are not my most popular because of the ships but probably some of my best writing and get really good comments. Locals Only (draco/blaise/theo) A Saving People Problem (draco/james potter snr) The Quidditch Pitch Incident (ginny/blaise) A Good Night for Whimsy and Love (ron/luna) tis the damn season (Pansy's version) (pansy/ron) Maid of Honor for a Day, Best Friend for Life (susan/blaise)

tagging whoever sees this and also @crazybutgood @vukovich @holygnocchi @phdmama @sailtomarina

[ramonathinks]

hey bae 🫶 thanks for reading my drabble, i was kinda nervy abt it omg but what kinda food does chicago have that i should try? anything that doesnt contain pork/bacon 🧍🏾‍♀️last time i left the country was in 2017 to turkey during the summer time w my friends. i miss the vibes 😭 ireland is super chill tbh, the last time ive been to the caribbeans was in 2009, maybe it has changed but its so lovely there, i recommend 100% to go 🫶

-🎀

hi hi hi bae! idk why you were so nervousss, it was really good!!! like i really enjoyed it a lot. feel free to send me anythingggg

chicago is very diverse and a lot of people say it’s has the best food everrr (it does). none of these are like sit down restaurants but harold’s chicken, sharks (another chicken place), there’s this place called jamison that sells a lot of soul food (greens, baked mac and cheese, cornbread, jerked turkey legs, etc), giordano’s (famous pizza place but i don’t really like that as much😭), i don’t think this is only a chicago place but portillossss love them. ALLL of these and probably more than im blanking on is just the best when you’re looking for a quick meal but also a GOOD quick meal that you could probably eat in the car.

i am trying to get going to other actual restaurants but for the past few years, i legit come to chicago for max 3 days (and lately not even 24 hours) and then i dip!

i wouldddd go but i am deathly afraid of highs so being on an airplane freaks me out so bad that i never been on one. any other state i’ve been to has been thru bus, train or car 😭. i’m really trying to get rid of this fear but it gets worse literally every day and idk why.

[rubyreduji]

Talk about your moots; what do you like most about them (could be a paragraph or a single sentence, spread the love!!)

IM FINALLY GETTING AROUDN TO DOING THIS OKAY FDSJAKL

its too long so it's under the cut :') i just have to much love ig

MIKA (@toruro)

my mika...ah...what do i even say about her. tbh i shouldn't say anything because if i talk about why i love mika then you guys will fall in love with her too but she's MINE. jk the real reason is bc if i talked abt how much i love her i will write a whole essay BUT here are few reasons why i love mika: we just click, like i can't even remember how we went from like having one conversation to suddenly talking all the time but i would not have it any other way i love listening to mika's 30 minute voice messages and like she just supports me so much not even in a writing aspect like i can just talk abt my problems and mika will be there for me. she's also SO TALENTED??? like i will always hold her to the highest praise bc she is perfect and amazing in my eyes forever ☆☆ things that remind me of mika: coffee dates, flower fields, pretty trinkets in antique shops

BRIE (@leejihoonownsmyheart)

one of the first moots i ever made and tbh the most important one, she was the only person on this site i talked to for like months and she basically held my hand through the first few months of this blog as i figured out what the fuck i was doing and she has never been anything other than supportive. brie literally is so nice to anyone she interacts with and she just has such a sweet presence, like i love whenever we talk even if it just for a few mintues like brie really is my big sister and i will forever be greatful for her xx ☆☆ things that remind me of brie: friendship bracelets, ice cream on a hot day, blurry candid photos

SAR (@cheolhub)

me and sar's interactions are super sporadic but always so funny and i love how unhinged sar can be like she will be feral over her men and i support that like we don't talk that that much (talk to me more sar djkfsal) but like i know that it will always be such a good time ☆☆ things that remind of me sar: stars (obvi), cool sunglasses, fun wall posters

SAVV (@savventeen)

I LOVE SAVV OH MY GOD i just love talking to him like the vibes are always so chill and like he lets me bounce ideas off of them and it's so nice because i have no clue what i'm doing every and also just his fics are like a giant warm hug and so is his personality ☆☆ things that remind me of savv: pillow forts, running a successful show (theatre kids unite), board game night with your best friends

ELV (@userelv)

I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND LIKE FDJKLDSLA elv is a caratblr legend in my mind like literally friends with everyone, writes the most insane amazing fics, and super unproblematic like i am blessed to be moots with her. i just love seeing her on my feed or in my activity it makes me all giddy and happy AND she tags me in snoopy content >>> taking her out on so many arbys dates fr ☆☆ things that remind me of elv: sunflowers, honey pots, fun photobooth photos

EM (@gyuswhore)

okay so em's whole energy is just the cutest thing every i can't explain it but like literally just makes me so happy whenever we interact like UGH WE SHOULK TALK MORE but also like i just feel like em is so funny i need more of her in my life and like her writing is just so feel good to me i love it so much (also soooo talented at drawing like wtf dfjklsa im obsessed) ☆☆ things that remind me of em: golden hour, late night baking, homemade jewelry

KAI (@lovelyhan)

you guys kai is just so cute and sweet and like fjdsaklf first off their blog theme is always so cute and well put together i love it and their writing???? HOLY SHIT I ASCEND EVERYTIME I READ SMTH FROM THEM but also just in general kai is so sweet and nice to talk to and like you can see that in the way they interact with people on their blog and just how everyone loves them so much (as they should) like i would love to talk to kai more just bc like i want all the good vibes they bring ☆☆ things that remind me of kai: cute novelty stamps, doodles in the margin of your notes, linking pinkies

SALEM (@hoeforcheol)

RAHHH FDSJKLSA so brie is basically the reason why salem and i are moots and its insane because like SALEM IS SO SWEET AND SUPPORTIVE??? we haven't talked in a hot second tbh but like i fr feel like i could talk to them abt anything whenever and wouldn't feel like a bother like it's just a safe feeling around salem i love being moots with her and talking to her and just everything ☆☆ things that remind me of salem: screaming to ur fav song in the car, silly inside jokes, exploring a new city with your best friend