#trying to design some iterator ocs

[raintemper]

The process of trying to design an oc is so funny..l have this idea of them in my head, and when I try to design them I just think, no they don't deserve to look this cool they're actually a sad loser

[hellaverse-reimagined]

Husker: Reimagined

Character critique + explanation under the cut:

Husker is my 2nd least favorite Hazbin Hotel design, right after the radio demon himself. Husker’s design, however, ranks #1 as the most frustrating, based on this origin and the executive decisions made.

Throughout the wiki, Vivziepop is quoted referring to Husk as a “magician”, but watching the show, we don’t get that at all, not even from his design, which while it showcases a lot of card suits, still invokes more of a casino/gambler vibe than a magician. Even when he used playing cards as weapons in episode 4, it still came across as more of a gambling thing than a magician thing to me, so I am approaching Husk from more of the casino angle, with magic tricks being a footnote in his abilities.

I like how Husk is characterized as a “husk of his former self” - a dry-humored, secretly empathetic straight-man who’s good at reading people, all which are well-presented in the show. I think that he’s used too much as a tool for lazy expositing by the writers, so my version of Husk will be more of the strong silent type who is only speaks intentionally, besides grumpy grumbles.

As for his design, the magician/casino thing feels tacked on considering that he was originally an oc gifted to Vivziepop by her younger sister, favoring nostalgia over effective character design.

His design doesn’t feel like a professional character design, it feels like a professional deviantart OC. Not to imply that I am a professional, but I do believe that Vivziepop has poor and tacky character design sensibilities.

Besides his real-world origin, being a winged cat doesn’t seem to have anything substantial to do with the way Husk lived or died besides “hating cats” and a possible “death by falling” which feels so tacked on and lacking creativity, which is why I have opted to make Husk a manticore from myth and legend, to make sense of these design elements from his official design.

I chose to make Husk a manticore bc in my iteration, I see him being a ruthless casino owner with possible mob affiliations in life, reduced to simply being a gambler in Hell, where he regained power by dealing in souls which ultimately became his undoing.

The Manticore of myth is described as a man eater that swallows people whole, even the bones, which I think in this case could be a tongue in cheek way for how he treated people in life as a ruthless casino owner.

I think that gambling away his soul to Alastor would be humbling and would have helped him gain some perspective with how his victims felt in life and death, making him more quiet and withdrawn as a result, speaking only when he feels necessary. This makes what he does say have more weight, making interactions feel more meaningful when he opts to speak.

My biggest gripe with Husk, of course, is that he is voiced by Kieth David. Husk’s official design is not something befitting the voice of Kieth David. I suspect they cast him mainly for his singing voice, as the majority of VAs trying out for the role were only doing Rick from Rick and Morty impressions, as according to the wiki, Vivziepop cited Rick Sanchez as inspiration for how she’d like his voice to sound like. I don’t think Rick would fit either for the modern Husk, but his voice would definitely befit the original DeviantArt design.

Thus I decided to make a design for Husk that would be befitting for the voice talents of Kieth David, opting for a heavier, more boxy design, with 70’s inspired clothing (the era he supposedly died). I used more oranges and yellows for his color palette to cite his sins of Gluttony (orange) and Greed (Yellow/Gold), while also throwing in some green sheen in his black dragon wings and scorpion tail, to balance the everything out. I kept the tophat as I think Alastor would force him to wear it to hide the only part of Husker’s demon form that he actually likes about himself- his coif of hair (as seen in the flashback in Episode 4). Alastor would do this as a silly way to torment him.

I also kept his suspenders, and kept the card suits motif but much more subtly. The clasps on his suspenders are diamonds, his nose is an upside-down spade, the tufts on his ears and the white patch on his chin are vaguely heart-shaped, and I plan to make his paw pads resemble clubs. Not pictured is an Ace of Hearts tucked away in the brim of his hat.

I dont know how big or tall to make him, but I do want him to hold an imposing figure when compared to anyone sitting down at his bar. His wingspan is definitely going to be bigger than in his official design.

I personally am not a big HuskerDust fan, simply because I see them having as having a mentor/student relationship, with Husk being a glimpse into Angel’s future if he continues down his self-destructive path, and with Angel being a symbol of hope for the future for this old grizzled man.

Also, you can’t tell from the show, but Husk is canonically supposed to be in his 60’s??? I look to rectify that with visible crow’s feet and wrinkles when he emotes.

That is all I have for now, here is a bonus Husk drawing as a thank you for reading this far 🙌

Likes + reblogs appreciated 🧡💛❤️

[zorangezest]

So I got a question for ya, how'd you come up with your oc's? Was there any inspiration or did they just pop up and start flooding you with ideas?

what have you DONE you’ve unleashed the yap, sorry for the wait I wanted to compile a proper post for this lovely question! huge ramble under the cut because if there’s always something I can yap about it’s my darling dirtbag kids

I’ve actually been extremely unhappy with my ocs for a long time, so that’s why their designs are extremely inconsistent LMAO but struggling with them so much taught me a lot about what kind of story I wanted to write versus what I thought would make a cool story—I think I was trying to make them way too serious and that’s just. not really fun for me?? I love cool stories like arcane, spirited away, and chainsaw man, but writing something like that is a completely different story hahaa

I uh. I have a really bad habit of making characters before figuring out a story for them, all my current characters have been around for YEARS and have never adhered to a proper plotline so they’re always changing from one thing to the next HAHA the character evolution timeline for some of these kids is. unfathomable. this is a whole life cycle

just. don’t even get me started. pinchesso used to be wearing yin’s skin. yin used to be dead (he still is, but differently). that’s just the previous iteration. it goes so much farther. kill him

i have a lot of story ideas floating around but I always thought they were too silly or not what people would be interested in—I have like a whole roster of cartoon characters I’ve never posted anywhere—but surprisingly it was drawing all these goofy transformers comics that made me step back and go. what the blucking bluck was i on?? I genuinely haven’t had so much fun creating as I have making stupid comics that make people laugh, and I think that’s why I’ve always been unhappy with my kids, because they never stood for something that I loved to do. I love goofy, wacky stories with hilariously serious undertones, so, really, creating for this fandom has taught me a lot, and reminded me of what I really wanted to do—you have all given me inspiration to make things as silly as I want :)

On a side note, if I could give a face to all my artistic struggles, it would probably be my darling Roro’s:

like. This used to be her!! She had no joy! No whimsy! Nothing! I was trying so hard to make her like an edgy broody character. WRONG! Batshittification laser!

Sorry this is so incredibly funny to look at side by side HAHA

Will i always be struggling with characters? Yeah probably! But Im really happy with the direction they’re going heh heh.

thank you if you’ve read this far! this got quite long and quite personal my bad chat, I saw this question in my inbox and went ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ tysm for asking and being curious about my kids!

[flickering-nightfall]

I loveee how you draw iterator antennae,, please tell how do you design them?? Personally for me one of the hardest parts of designing iterators

Also - Love you art! Have a good day/night :)

Tysm <3

This one's tough, I don't really think too hard about how I design antennae. I just go with whatever looks right and fits the character lol but I'll try to talk about it anyways.

Moon and Pebbles are based off their in-game appearances. They have changes between depictions though so there's some wiggle room. Pebbles' is based off his sprite and Moon's off of one of her art pieces. (Her dull blue color is pulled from her sprite.) This seems to be popular in fan depictions too.

Sig and Suns are also based off official depictions. Sig I took some more liberties with - he really should have rounder, more protruding headphone bases. But I wanted some variety in headphone bases and he kind of just... ended up with a geometric shape theme to match his diamond mark. This is their only official image, so I just shrugged and gave them some broad small antennae that would be hidden at the back from this front angle, because I wanted to. (Bald Sig is valid but I like what I did hah)

Suns is a mix between the in-game art and the concept art by (I'm never sure what name to use here, but the art listed on the wiki is by-) Minkimaro. Mine's gotten more blocky/volumetric antennae over time, and every time I draw them their collar gets bigger. It's an addiction. They have to be comfy.

Wind and Innocence both have more unique antenna, and multiple segments. I wanted to balance them out with the others design-wise, but I wanted them to be distinct from each other too. So Wind gets these wide fan antenna and Innocence get triple thin antenna on joints.

And here's some OCs for variety.

I guess here's some stuff to chew on-

Shape, width, size of the base headphone parts

Shape, width, size of the antennae

How many antennae? Are the antennae all the same size/shape?

Embellishments (such as the extra details on Flicker's)

Does the design suit the character's look? If they can emote with the antennae, how does that fit their personality?

If it matters to you, how do your antenna work, mechanically speaking? If they can move, do they have ranges? For example - Suns' antennae have great horizontal range, but they can't fold them down past their headphone bases.

[mywifeismothman]

Oc world intro:

Realized I’ve only shared this stuff to my TikTok but want to cover it here too.

So first of all I was inspired by Alice and wonderland to create a 1950’s Alice in wonderland inspired circus where each character represents a character from Alice in wonderland.

It all started with this character:

Simone was a one-time design inspired by the white rabbit I loved so much I wanted to give a story, she was followed by a second character who I wanted to mirror her and is inspired by the Cheshire Cat. Don’t worry they are lesbians

Here’s Simone and sherry’s old designs, this is when I locked in and decided what direction I wanted to go with this world so I ended up redesigning them. I felt like Simone’s outfit didn’t fit the aerial performer vibe and they were designed before I set the time period.

Here are their next iterations:

With Simone’s second design I leaned into the aerial performer vibe with a lot more 1950’s inspo for her hair and outfit. Before, her hair was really anime-girl-esq and it didn’t really fit in the setting. I mostly wanted to keep her watch motif, stripes, she’s got some Roman numerals on her and stuff. For her casual outfit I gave her a poodle skirt despite them usually being work by teens, just to represent how she’s somewhat childish, since I imagine her to be bright and cheerful.

Sherry’s second design didn’t change much expat for a few card motifs here and there just to bring back in the setting. I mostly made her face more distinct and unique, and gave her more time-appropriate hair. I really tried to add as many stripes as possible though, since I often associate the Cheshire Cat with stripes.

Here’s some little doodles of them

Here’s my current character spread:

Most don’t have names but from the left to right the characters are inspired by the character: the caterpillar, the white rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, Alice, the mad hatter (my least favorite design that I’m gonna redesign), and the queen of hearts.

The roles I know of so far are:

The caterpillar- costume designer and hair and makeup.

White rabbit- aerial performer

Cheshire Cat- clown and sidekick to other acts.

Alice- child attending circus and sneaks in and gets stuck with the traveling circus.

Mad hatter- magician

Queen of hearts- ringleader

The main idea for the circus is that it takes place in a bleak, collectivist world (gonna use a limited color pallet on the world to emphasize that) and each one of them are freaks of nature, or do not belong. The circus is them coming together to bring joy to people while also trying to find where they belong. I don’t really know what the conflict is gonna be but I have some ideas.

Alice, the protagonist, will end up in the circus after attending the circus with her grandmother and becoming enamored by it. Leading her to sneak into one of the cars while they pack up to go.

Another thing I’m figuring out is that I think each member of the circus has a special ability , mostly to disconnect them from the main world even more. Like with Simone’s watch motif, something with time.

Little character details:

-the caterpillar has a pendant where encased is a piece of the dried wing of her dead homoerotic situationship

-the pattern on the tie holding Simone’s ponytail matches with sherry’s bow tie

-Simone and sherry also share some colors from each other’s pallets. Simone has one purple pupil, sherry’s stage makeup is red.

-on the edges of Simone’s bodysuit, there are Roman numerals, a gold band and then lace.

-the rim of Alice’s dress has hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades to represent cards.

I’m also considering changing sherry’s name to cherie, but still pronounced sherry, because it looks more like Cheshire and I think I could make Simone make some stupid ma Cherie jokes.

I’m still figuring stuff out but this is basically what I have so far :3

Here are some more drawings tho:

[kociamieta]

Your iterator ocs are so cool!! Any tips on designing one of my own?

ohhh i'd love to see what you come up with!!

appearance wise, i usually try to come up with a motif/something to represent the character, and modify what i find the most important in an iterator puppet (face markings, antennas and such) to fit that in some way. so with TFB, i wanted nature, and there she is, green and with antlers. VOS - an object of worship, with all that excessive gold. RFiM - rain, hence the droplets and almost cloak-like cape.

basically, it's pretty fun to take a concept and make it work with iterator "rules" (not that there's any real ones; find what makes them stand out to you and play with that)

personality wise, you could consider things such as: what were they made for? what was their relationship with the ancients? what about their fellow iterators? are they still working on the great task? what about personal ascension? how did they adjust to the changes in the world? do they modify any organisms? in what shape is their structure overall? .....

so: how would the idea you chose for the design work in rain world's setting?

[octylish]

Out of curiosity, what’s your process for character design and implementing your inspirations?

ooh uhhhhhhhh honestly i'm not 100% sure how to answer that LOL i typically just go with the flow

though if you really want me to go into deeper depth i can try ??

basically when i want to make a design i already have a few ideas in my head like maybe character archetype or general theming. for instance my oc Buoy's entire deal was combining dogs and sailors together while also being really cute

i thought a more light-hearted approach would suit him since well . that's his entire deal . since the beach influence as beaches are often associated with the summer time and having fun :) and then an aquatic aesthetic would tie in everything together so it'll be cohesive

i also try to do a lot of wordplay? like how "sea dogs" is a slang term designating old sailors who have been at sea for a very long time.

you can see this in a few of my other designs such as my mafioso (forsaken), being a literal loan shark, and my hyperlaser having some elements alluding to lynxes because he is lynx-eyed

other things i consider is how the character would carry themselves. are they active? do they care about how they look? how clumsy are they? how intimidating are they? do they think of themselves seriously?

like for my banhammer design he is completely covered up in armour to protect themselves, treats themselves very seriously and is pretty damn scary, so their design features a lot of spikes and sharper shapes. scythe, on the other hand, is much more relaxed and confident in herself, but shows it off in a way different to banhammer. bh shows it via his bravado and demeanour, while i think scythe is much much more obvious about it and basically shows herself off (i.e. the open shirt, confident smirk)

same thing goes for what kind of vibe i think they should have. you can contradict this with their personality for fun too!! like for sword i think would give off very "heroic and brave" vibes, but that completely shatters the moment he starts talking because he is so naïve and earnest. rocket, in turn, comes off as much friendlier and more clumsy than sword, but in reality carries himself with more maturity (???? not sure how to convey this but yk what i mean)

now for implementing inspirations,

it mostly just boils down to what i think would look cool on them HAHAHA or what little things i can sneak in to wink at the person who notices.

like icedagger already has a whole "winter" aesthetic going on so i just implemented it to his jacket and made it look like a snow angel. subtle things like that are best i think. same goes for my chance design having a lot of gambling/card game/dice elements implemented because 1. its awesome and 2. i thought the original iteration was rather plain

you can convey this however you want, but i found that sneaking it in through the shape/silhouette via clothes or body is most efficient

i DO try to keep the inspirations to maybe 2-3, 4 MAX. too many little secrets and you get the viewer lost. character design is a form of STORYTELLING, and if you can't get your message across on the first or maybe even the second go, then i think it's best to cut out a few concepts. a first-time viewer of your work should be able to understand WHO and WHAT your character IS on a surface level when looking at the design. you can work on the little intricacies later, but first and foremost you need to understand just WHO this character is before designing them

anyways yap session over sorry i like character design a lot

[wrenkenstein]

OC creation musings + Juno retrospective

I was rewatching this video by Rea, and it struck me that this exact phenomenon happened to me in 2022, with the first inklings of Juno's design - back when I couldn't decide on whether or not her name would be "Juno" or "Kite", and desperately trying not to make her a scientist. She's obviously come such a long way since then, having now become a very well-known character in the fandom, but I often think of the fact that had she not become on of my artistic passions, I probably wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today.

Juno is absolutely everything to me. She is a representative of my passion for storytelling, and she connected me with so many of my now closest friends - one of which is currently living in my house! How crazy is that, man! All of which I can attribute to simply becoming so fixated on my own OC that I couldn't stop thinking about her, or drawing her.

Of course, that's come with some highs and lows. She's getting a professionally done cosplay, a 3D model and potentially a Battlefront mod - but she also has her own dedicated group of haters who think she represents the 'wrongs' of fandom, lol. I certainly have recieved my fair share of 'Juno hate' in my 3-4 years here, but the positivity and support make it well worth dealing with a few rotten apples. It's radiant and outpouring, like a warm ray of sun, and it keeps me going deep into the night.

Anyways. Total tangent. Want to see all her design iterations? Yea you do ;) Here's the first ever Juno ref!

I made this on my phone in 2022, at the tale end of watching TCW and back when TBB was just one season. You can definitely see that the idea was always there, just a bit disjointed in its application. That gas mask on her helmet ended up causing a lot of confusion, so I removed it in later iterations - but to this day, I think this one picture is what really captivated me. Something about the aura, man,, she scary lookin

Then, of course, I had to draw what her face would look like - if it hadn't been for a RP, I don't think I would have.

Woah - she's like a whole different person! And you can see the beginnings of her white hair streak, though back then, I wanted i to be really subtle. And I was soooo adamant about this lol. She also was almost beat for beat Ellen Ripley, and you can see me paint over a picture of Sigourney below with her OG faceclaim haha.

Then we have the Juno-ing... part two. Where I went darker!! Both in themes, and in her color scheme. This one still has so much personality, and I remember being obsessed with how I drew her eyes and face back then. Nowadays, I think it's hideous. xD This was also around the time I was phasing out her gauntlets and oxygen mask, but both still remained for practicality purposes, even if they didn't serve anything to the design. Oh, and the hair streak. Now it's a Thing :tm: but it isn't really flowing well with the design - not yet, anyways!

We finally get to a point where I, begrudingly, accept the fact that her white streak is going to be her facial focal point - and at this point I'm laughing about how much I tried to avoid it LOL. But here, we also see her get more and more refined. Her face is still a bit wonky, but the stern vibe and posture are starting to come together and tell more of a concrete story, even if the reference doesn't have as much color or personality as the last one. I also did this one for my senior year of college!

I even designed her some totally BS civvies - and I gave her a s2 paint job, which admittedly looks hideous LMAOOO but we ball regardless. The second design was scrapped anyways almost immediately. The civvies stayed!

And then, of course, THE FINALE! Her face went through so many iterations with her current ref, but thus far, it's been the longest standing and most accurate one. It atually started out just as me goofing off with a marker pen in CSP, that quickly changed to "hey... this could be something good." And I was right! This is the Juno that's currently circulating today, and I've been polishing and refining her as I go, since I still feel as though I could perfect things.

And then, of course, her various outfits, which I posted about a while back. Oh - and have you seen Baby Juno?

Well now you have. :)

I think it's so cool to see how someone can fixate on a character and pour so much love and thought into them, that this character becomes their entire brand. Juno inhabits every part of my brain space and is what I think about 24/7. I'm so proud of how far she comes, and she reminds me about how incredible fandom can be and continues to be! Something about her is just so intoxicating to me. I can't get enough of her, and I can't wait to keep developing her over the years to come.

Which then begs the question - what is your equivalent to this entire thread? Do you have an OC like Juno, who you're fixated on and who dominates your creative pursuits? Do they have multiple artistic iterations? Because if you do, share them!! I WANNA SEEEEEE.

Anyways, that's Wren's Ramblings for today ~ I got bored haha

SHARE YOUR OCS!!!! >:0

[mewguca]

NMMST's design is so adorable, love her cat mask

Thank you!! I wrote some stuff about my thoughts / intentions behind it, in case anyone was wondering. For the design itself, I took inspiration from phony by Tsumiki, aha.

also side tangent idk what to call the Iterator Builders. I tend to prefer the fanon terms bc they allow for a more clear distinction between the Depths Ancients (past civilization) and the other ancients mentioned in-game that relate to the civilization that built the Iterators. but between fanon terms I'm also torn between Benefactors and Architects, aha. so for now I will confuse EVERYONE by constantly switching between them. yay!! ((in-lore I'll probably stick with Architects for the sake of simplicity; Benefactors will likely be more of a Class Signifier for people responsible for Iterator Construction and others with a lot of influence??? idk man world-building is hard.))

thanks for reading I will try to make more story and worldbuilding stuff. if you have questions about my OCs feel free to!! ask. disclaimer that many things are subject to change

[erinwantstowrite]

i feel like if you released a 24 hour + video of you talking about your plans for your original book i would sit and watch all of that with no breaks. so: would you be willing to share at least the bare bones of the plot you have now? or even some tropes that would be in it? or maybe random questions like how many main characters? how many povs? if it's sci-fi or fantasy? just stuff like that!

ahhhh!! i'd love to talk about them because they're constantly rotating in my brain!! i hope this doesn't get too long but we all know me, i can never stop yapping 😭

(okay this is present erin editing before posting and yeah this got long guess who called it. anyways there's art and stuff under the cut as well)

(Marked this as mature with violence only because there is an image below where I drew injuries/cuts on a character)

This book has been a thousand different books in all kinds of settings, plots, lessons, etc, and that's because I've had these characters since I was in middle school. At first I was so obsessed with them that I'd write and draw them all the time, to the point that my teachers were concerned I wasn't paying attention. I was seriously into magic and fantasy at the time because Harry Potter books were still the epitome of writing to my middle school brain. Ruby was a wizard with a bird theme that lived in the countryside and one day found out that her town was "alive" in a sense... But after I lost that sketchbook with all of the details (devastated to this day), and started venturing into other books series and shows, etc, I sort of forgot about the og story or what it was like. What remained was a love for the characters I had made over anything else about them, so I'd end up writing stories with a different theme each time, but the ocs being the same, just with their backgrounds shifted. (Around the time I was obsessed with VLD, Ruby was in a sci-fi plot set on a planet in another solar system.)

One of the most recent iterations was Ruby and the other characters essentially struggling to understand death, life, and everything in between. The story is called "Behind the Blue Glass" and I still really like that title lol. All of them had died on the same day, at the same time, just in various different ways, and then all of them came back to life in the same manner. They all developed different powers from the experience: Liam could float/manipulate gravity), August's body was essentially a phantom that could go through objects and disappear, Vin could possess people, Jean had an empathy link with the dead and could talk to and see them clearly, and Maya could figure out someone's cause of death/also tell when people were about to die. As for Ruby, she's the only one who can move freely between the land of the living and the land of the dead. It's different from Jean seeing the dead, as she's still in the land of the living.

The plot of that story was Ruby having dreams/visions of these other people she had never met before and knowing she needed to find them and set "something" right, but she didn't know what. She sets out to find them anyways, and they each join her on her quest to find everyone simply because they never got an answer to how they came back from the dead and find it weird that they all died on the same day and time. They solve deaths of ghosts they come across, meet people who are still grieving lost ones, have to lay some of the ghosts down to rest- all while figuring out why these shady people have started following them and trying to stop them from figuring out what happened to them. I even made some first draft titles (definitely, 10000% inspired by PJO because I was reading it at the time):

to top it all off, it's set in the 2010's I believe? Around that time. Just because I think more books should write about the time era

I have some (recentish) art of the characters:

first image: (Liam on the right, August on the left)

this is what Ruby looked like when I was first designing them for the story:

They're meant to look dead-ish but this art was SO long ago when I wasn't confident in my art so Ruby just looks like a wet rat or smth idk what is going on here

And here's Vin!! I don't hate this drawing of him that much, surprisingly, but this was also drawn a while ago

and this was some art i was planning at the time:

i think that's all of the art that i have for this story (at least on this computer. My old laptop might have more but it's been laid to rest)

to be honest, i'm still thinking about writing this story, but Ruby's name would be changed because at this point, this iteration of her character is VERY different from present day. She's two different characters at this point 💀 that's how you know I've had her for SO long because she looks so different from her original drawings.

The latest version of Ruby ended up in a story with completely different characters in the cast and a completely different setting (even if some of the characters were inspired by their og versions). It's called "The Clocktower's Chime"

It's very much inspired by those reincarnation manhwas. I like those stories but they all have the same plot over and over, and while I was more interested in the versions where the character is sent back in time to live their life again but with all the knowledge they had in the future, I always struggled with the aspect that the characters' mental age is far older than they are. It makes the dynamics a little weird, but they can be excused unless it's a romantic dynamic, I would think? I dunno, it was hard to get into the plots mostly because of that.

So I used Ruby as a placeholder OC and came up with a story where upon their death in the future, someone casts a spell or a god sends them back, and instead of having a mental older age, they get a journal with all of the details of their future. Ruby woke up one day and found a journal written by herself that detailed everything about her future up to the point of her death. It was more like a book, however, rather than a journal. It just looked like a journal because it was in her handwriting.

So Ruby gets this book, doesn't believe it at all, until she notices that there are way too many "coincidences" lining up with the events of the book. She starts believing it could be true, and then decides it must be when she finds out that a prominent family in the country she lives in is going to visit her hometown. In the book, they were there because they learned that Ruby was their daughter that had been kidnapped as a baby and believed dead. However, in the book, Ruby had spent her entire life living as a weapon instead of a daughter, and she died by their hands when she refused to kill a woman that is prophesized to end a war that would devastate both countries.

Ruby is, like, 12 at that point. So her kid brain is like "obviously I run away and go to school in a different country and tell everyone I have a different name and there's no way this could go wrong." Except before she can even do that, she runs into Julias Parlia, a Duke's son from the country that is supposed to be her enemy in the future. Ruby is like "shit this is THE worst adult to run into and I haven't even gotten to the running away part of my plan" and Julias ends up being the reason she doesn't even get to the train station. He's fucking hilarious by the way. He's got a well adjusted family with two loving parents and a bunch of little siblings and he basically picks Ruby up by the scruff of her neck and is like "I want this one she's insane."

This is Julias (kneeling on the ground to talk to Ruby) and Emelie (Julias' knight and childhood friend, she's so silly)

and this is the part where I share art from many months ago... when I posted my most recent art and said Ruby keeps getting buffer every time I draw her, I meant it 💀

Ruby and her love interest, Cecelia

This is Vekenti, a character that was also supposed to be a "villain" in the original timeline. Ruby goes looking for him to prevent his death as well, and Julias obviously is like "Omg another weird kid, how delightful!" Everyone thinks Vikenti and Ruby are related, but they are not. They're just raised as siblings in both timelines and have a lot of the same mannerisms

Julias' love interest (unnamed? I can't find her name anywhere) and him

REALLLY old drawings of what they looked like in the OG timeline (I desperately need to redesign these because I could do better now)

Julias and Ruby again

and that's all the art I have for this one (besides the other post of Ruby I posted today, this is the story that that version of Ruby belongs in. She's looks very different now!).

All of this has been in the back of my mind for a while, and I've been trying to figure out which story I would want to write first. Middle school Erin would love for me to finally write Behind the Blue Glass, but sometimes I find myself wanting to write a fantasy story like Clocktower's Chime a lot more

[elfdragon12]

In Transformers, there's a spectrum when it comes to character adaptations. We have the original personality on one end and "that's just an OC made to look like the original" on the other. There's also "that guy shares the same name, but even the appearance is completely different yet we're supposed to pretend it's the same guy", but that's mostly the live action movies (I don't think anyone pretends the Unicron trilogy characters are the same as the G1 characters--well, except for Starscream).

Tarantulas does make a perfect example of this spectrum. You've got the original guy whose a creepy, selfish, and immoral scientist, then you've got IDW1 Tarantulas who is mostly the same but now with emotional attachments--just different enough to be distinct, and then you've got ES Tarantulas who is just an OC made to look like the original.

Grimlock iterations are mostly closer to the original personality end of the spectrum, TFA cranking the dumbness of the G1 cartoon to 11 and Aligned and IDW pulling more from Marvel (RID15 Grimlock is actually not the Grimlock?? Like, he's just a different guy??). Different, but the personality is recognizable. But then Cyberverse goes fully to the "that's just an OC" end. ES Grimlock is closer to the "that's just an OC" end, but pulled back and is a bit more recognizable.

Prowl is also one of these characters, but his adaptations usually have little focus or are on the "just an OC" end.

Swindle and Starscream are characters who show up frequently yet their adaptations rarely go into the "that's just an OC" end as they have very popular personalities that have stood out since their introduction. ES Swindle is still a liar and con man. Even Unicron trilogy/Armada Starscream is recognizable as Starscream despite the design being pretty different.

There are some people who try to argue that, because a character has the name and same general appearance, it's still the same character even when the personalities are wildly different. However, I don't think it's a helpful approach to conversation or character tags. Three people each talking about G1 Prowl, TFA Prowl, and IDW1 Prowl aren't talking about the same guy. If I'm talking about Grimlock in the general sense, it's safe to assume I never mean CV Grimlock. Honestly, it's just better for everyone to acknowledge that some of these adaptations are just different guys and that's okay.

[maryymaruu]

So I did say it's expected of me to create fan ocs ( ´ ▿ ` ); making ocs is kinda my thing~

I'm in the process of working out my Iterator oc! I don't have very much on them just yet, as you can see I'm just trying things out.

What I can tell so far is only their name, Three Signals. I only have some vague vibes and ideas, still just a brainstorming phase if anything, but couldn't hold back from doodling already.

Going to use this more like an archive than anything introductory- nothing set in stone just yet~

Here's a closeup to the design iteration I'm more inclined on~

[spnfanficpond]

June 2024 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words. (Click here to learn more about how to nominate a fic for an award!)

Nominated by @autisticandroids

The Horror of No Detrimental Redaction by sp8ce (AO3)

Really top tier whump that is also a super attentive cas character study which is also willing to sit with him in a really uncomfortable space

The Trapdoor by hal_incandenza (AO3)

it's an epic rewrite of dabb era with a level of attention to detail that i've rarely seen in any fiction. the metatextual elements are carefully woven in and the character beats feel real. plus, it's an almost episode by episode rewrite and the new monster of the week casefic elements are fresh and fun. also it answers the question what if apocalypse world was good.

finer things by @explainslowly

i think it's maybe the ultimate pinnacle of the deancas triangulation of desire genre. when dean and cas have weird sex via a woman... one of my favorite things. and this is my favorite iteration.

By Your Hand by @restlesshush

this is my favorite relitigation of moriah that i've ever encountered. cas is so crazy in it. you can kind of feel that things will eventually work out without that coming off as cheap. it's perfect

~*~*~

Nominated by @candygrammes

LIMBO by entselene (AO3)

It's the creepiest. angstiest, scariest story I've read this year. Sam wakes up in Sioux Falls Hospital horribly injured, with no idea what happened. Not only that, but Dean is nowhere to be seen. Why? Has Dean abandoned him?

Nominated by @charliethealpaccaso

Strange Encounters by deanandsam (Ao3)

I loved the idea that there are dog versions of dean and sam along side the main sam and dean that I found it cute but also opened up a whole side story I wish there was more of.

Dogs Don't Pay Taxes by Zetal (Rodinia) (AO3)

There oddly is a huge lack of dog!sam fics on A03 that I love to try and spread the word of the ones that are out there. This one was cute both prompt wise and just made my day when I came across it

Faithful Companion by brokenlittleboy (AO3)

What if during season two Sam developed a whole new issue with his psychic powers and turned himself into a dog then this is the fic for you. Dean does mess around with him in this fic but I think it was a fun and interesting read for the concept

~*~*~

Nominated by @glygriffe

Why’s every song is about love (or drinking too much) by @quietwings-fics

They didn't give us enough Sam and Castiel scenes in the show. Here's a bitter-sweet one between the two of them, talking about Dean and the whole 'unrequited love' thing. A ficlet the gives a Destiel fan just the right amount of heavy heart.

It’s the Stars that Lie by @seperis

Ok, this fic doesn't need recommandations, but it's still needs public praises. To fully appreciate it, you need to read the fever dream that is Map of the World first, but I love how the author builds on the glimpses that the episode The End gave of the apocalypse!world. The OCs are interesting (and many of them are POC), and the lovely slow burn between Dean and Castiel is spiced up with the fake boyfriends trope.

Since I've Been Loving You - Remaster by tgel210 (AO3)

I like Castiel's first-person POV, Dean being a musician without being a rock star: it feels close to home like my next-door neighbor is talking to me about the love of his life.

Closer than they appear by sunkenfox (AO3)

Dean and Castiel figuring out what their life could be together by looking at Misha and Jensen is interesting. Even more interesting is the concept that like it or not, the Supernatural characters would not exist in their world without the writers and the actors in an other world. That Dean and Jenses share more than a face; same for Misha and Castiel (even if the difference are more obvious between the last two). A story of discorvery on a meta level, hiding inside a cute Destiel and RPF romance.

he feels no control of his body by withthekeyisking (AO3)

A wonderful but sad exploration of Sam Winchester throughout his life; from his lack of bodily autonomy to his dying faith in god(s) and humanity. With just enough brotherly love to leave the reader aching from loss and something like betrayal. (I love Dean, but he his a royal dick to his brother sometimes)

~*~*~

Nominated by @handsliketruth

evergreen endless by @whiskeyjuniper

A glimpse of endverse!Dean and Castiel during the earliest days of The End, via Chuck (prophet? god? something in-between?) as he continues to chart their story...and struggles to keep them from their inevitable collision despite their wildly infuriating pattern of falling into it... (full disclosure, this one was a gift for me, but I would rec this anyway 💛 dark, spicy, funny, clever meta fun)

But I Ain't Dead Yet by @bloodydeanwinchester

I cannot wait to see how this one plays out! Clever and charming with a fun hook: what if s4 Dean and Cas time-traveled back to 1x12 Faith to save Layla? (I would read a million words of Dean watching faith!Dean and Castiel get along 😂)

~*~*~

Nominated by @heavenssexiestangel

Bad Day Love by @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes

it's a cute pick-me-up story with one of my favorite ships. I really like how Arthur is so soft with Dean here.

Bedtime Routine by @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes

It's another rareship of mine andI love how they care for each other here and take care of Emma.

The Fool's Journey by @ladyknightskye

I know I was the artist for this story but - what Meg wrote for my art is awesome and it features one of my favorite characters - Gadreel. The journey he has in this fic is extremely important

~*~*~

Nominated by @jinkieswouldyoulookatthis

Presence by @ani-coolgirl

This story broke my heart in the absolute most beautiful way. It's sad and sweet and doomed and it haunts me still.

~*~*~

Nominated by @mariekoukie6661

Stitches by @kittenofdoomage

Its cute! I like it!

Sweet Little Lies by @impala-dreamer

I like how funny it was despite all the angst!!

~*~*~

Nominated by @masoena

Nothing Ever Really Ends by @nyxocity

Beautiful heaven fic with Sam and Dean, bring tissues, post S15E20

In Silence Sealed by @fiercelynormal

Dean loses his hearing but starts talking his thoughts out loud beautifully written Smitty short

Love, Your Brother by @eninkahootz

Sam and Dean communicating by letters btw heaven and earth post-series. Work in progress and so well written

~*~*~

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

Cretaceous by tiamatv (AO3)

This is a cute, fluffy romp through Jurassic Park as a Destiel fic! You don't have to love dinos to love this fic, but I imagine it would make it even better. If you're looking for something sweet and light to read before bed, this is the bedtime story for you!

~*~*~

Nominated by @rainythursdaynight

Clean Air by @anactorya

I read this story when I was maybe 16 and re-read it twice or three times in the year after. That being said, I can remember it almost excruciatingly well. I'm a post-apocalypse gal and I crave anything in that genre, so it was doubtless that I'd love this story. But the world-building done in this story? The characterization? The tension it manages to build? It's so gripping and exciting and I remember reading it worried out of my mind for the characters and exhaling the deepest breath as the story drew to a close. It's a not too dense read and an enveloping one, you'll forget you're above ground by the end of it!

Empty Spaces by @schmerzerling

This story made me fall in love with writing again. It's so heavy with how it distributes emotion in its words, but also so soothing too. This reads like watching a glass vase get tipped over the edge of a table and, maybe distantly, wondering if someone will catch it in time. But it doesn't quite matter because the flowers are beautiful and if you're crying then it's about the flowers and not the vase. I highly recommend this story to everyone, heavy as its contents may be. I felt safe reading this, I ached, I adore this story beyond words can capture.

Phantasma! by @thisisapaige

I very rarely read things that are horror inclined (funny as that is given the nature of Spn), and maybe this story is not considered horror either, but it left me just on that edge of eerie and it was exhilarating. Most of the story is sweet, and cathartic, as Dean rebuilds his life outside of his family and finds that in Castiel. But the mystery of it all, the unknown, it left me waiting for the other shoe to drop and this writer was excellent at making that payoff worth it.

The Art of Falling by @zipegs

This story was gritty and ugly and didn't pull back punches when it came to its emotional weight. Recovery is a nightmarish process of relapse and pain and relief and this story embodied this with its characters beautifully. This story was lonely, in the sense that its only two characters yes but it also felt a lot like reading about two characters pitted against the backdrop of everything. The world, the universe, existence. It made me feel small but so vast at the same time, and it was so utterly human (funny given the context of the story). It's a short and beautiful read that left me aching but in a way that was comforting as opposed to alienating.

With The End Came You by @lotrspnfangirl

I adore zombie apoclaypse AUs but so few of them focus on the characters' growth alongside the events of the series. And so few of them do side characters justice. This story was THE exception. Not only does the progression of the characters not sideline the plot and vice versa, but the story handles people so so well. You have those that stick around for long, and those that don't, and it treats both parties so faithfully that I'm left emotional over side characters I've only had a page worth of content with as much as the main characters I'm with the entire time. This is a zombie apocalypse AU that puts people first and foremost, and its so human and such a rewarding story to those that have even the smallest interest in these types of AUs. And the progression of the plot is so smooth and natural, TWD could never (and I love that show so take with that as you will).

~*~*~

Nominated by @samanddean76

Dark As Midnight (And You Don’t Look The Same) by @kassyscarlett

This is a story that follows a young Dean (17 years-old) out looking for a good time and running into an older man that gives what he wants. Not realizing he knows him, that he is in fact his Sammy. This story is so good! Time-travel, the follies of youth, needing to be protected from yourself, and realizing years later what that random encounter really was. It is part of a series, but works as a stand alone. But the entire series is worth checking out.

Coming Out Of The Dark by firesign10 (AO3)

It's a story about others helping one they know is broken, giving him what he needs so he can move on and live the rest of his life. The Richesters visit Sam in the bunker after Dean's death, and give him one final night together, so that he might carry on. It tragic and beautiful and has all the feels. Highly recommend.

~*~*~

Nominated by @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes

Interspecies Romance and Its Associated Perils by suspiciousflashlight (AO3)

I have read this story many, many times. It’s adorable and hilarious. It’s cute and awkward in a way that someone who isn’t sure how to tell about a weird scar or birthmark is. The ending is the best part of the entire thing.

A Helping Hand and Thrilling Touches by mydestielbabies_67 (AO3)

I don’t normally nominate smut but this was just amazing. It was beautiful, and what and intense.

The Cherry Pie Club by zation (AO3)

This is a work in progress. It’s great! Zariah is such a great writer in so many genres. This one is about Dean exploring bdsm for the first time and ends up also realizing things about himself too. Poor Dean learns the hard way that it is Cas he loves about bdsm but still. Their connection and energy with each other is felt as you read. Highly recommend reading!

Absolute Beginners by @ahurston

Chapter 5 made me scream then go feral and foam at the mouth.

Dancing moves by faithlesshunter (AO3)

I am not normally one to read infidelity fics; however, this is destiel. It’s the holidays and Cas and Dean get left alone to reconnect. They tried to be a couple at the beginning once Cas came back from the Empty but they weren’t ready for it. Now, years later and they are! The confessions and the hot smut is just so exacting for them. It’s gorgeous! Dean has always loved Cas and Cas still loves Dean. Oh, I’d love to see how it works out but this reconnection is just purely intense and the dopamine is addictive. Good luck. MUST READ!

The Case of Dean and Castiel's Extremely Resolvable Tension by CanonFodder (Tartan_Temptation) (AO3)

This is hilarious and hot AF! It starts out explaining the premise and drives right into it where Dean finally gives in. He is so happy he does too. He gets a wonderfully deserving reward. Poor Sam and his need for eye bleach. Lol!

Objects May Appear Smaller by @valandrawrites

The instant connection of Cas and Dean, and the science of this story makes this a one-of-a-kind a/b/o. Despite it being incomplete, it’s such a fluffy and fascinating read. It keeps you wanting more with every one of the six chapters. I hope one day they get inspired to write more.

Sentinel by Followsthebees (AO3)

I love this story. I love that it’s a different take on Castiel—he’s a gargoyle. It’s such a fascinating story and their connect is seen by the readers but not Dean. It’s interesting how Dean starts to notice and how intense and romantic it gets. Sex and flying are fascinating, man. This is written oh so well!

Three's Company by @luci-in-trenchcoats

Cas x f!Reader that becomes Cas x f!reader x Dean. It shows a very healthy ethical non-monogamy relationship. I love how the Reader initially freaks, I think, and when Cas and them come to talk to Dean, he freaks too. Everyone is patient with each other though. It’s as it should be when introducing polyamory to non-poly experience people. It’s so sweet and wonderful to read. It’s adorable. This is how poly fics should be.

Ketch and Release by NichePastiche (AO3)

Oh, the fluff and growth! I love this series so so so so much! I always get excited when I see they wrote more. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

~*~*~

Nominated by @spnbabe67

Finish What You Started by @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

I love the tension that melts into silly goofiness.

Spin Cycle by @winchester-girl67

I usually don't do a lot of fluff but I loved the way the writer did this one.

~*~*~

Nominated by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Take A Shot by @rizlowwritessortof

It's just so sexy and Dean. Guh.

Rest by @zepskies

It's swoony and cozy and melancholy, and I love that for us.

The Iceman Cometh by @talltalesandbedtimestories

Ice play is one of my favorite things. Pair that with Dean Winchester, written by Sandra, and, well, you've got a winner.

Damned If I Do by @zepskies

I liked Lisa and Ben, and this is a very satisfying way to show that!

~*~*~

Nominated by @whiskeyjuniper

Truth & Despair by @shallowseeker

It's so compelling, every time a new chapter is posted I'm so excited to see what happens next. Also it's Shal's first fic and they're almost done with it so I wanted to celebrate it :)

(Divider by @glygriffe)

THANK YOU ALL, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

- From your Admins and Manta Rays, @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, and @heavenssexiestangel!

[ganondoodle]

Hello 👋

Swallowing my nerves at last to send you an ask! I was just wondering, what inspires your designs? Are their inspirations in stuff like movies or games? Or just things you come up with yourself?

i .. honestly its kinda hard to tell, sometimes i just randomly think of something, like some detail, or color combination and try to incorporate that into a design somehow; it can come from anywhere, like the color scheme of a pithaya/dragonfruit is something i have been wanting to make a design with for ages but havent come up with anything good in all those years ;O;

im a very easily fascinated by color, espeically in nature, like sometimes i just stop and stare at something like i froze in time bc i just woooooooooooooah color! i probably look like a weirdo doing that though

its really hard to pinpoint anything specifically, the most is probably .. other artists? i guess? which always makes me nervous bc my memory is shit in most areas of life and i worry myself to pieces whether i unintentionally "stole" an idea and just dont remember and think it was my own, it goes further that sometimes i see something that makes me want to draw a similar concept but dont bc i dont want to 'steal' even if that couldnt be further from my intention (have been accused of that before ..)

that said for my ocs specifically .. most are rather old and have just kinda evolved out of their awkward first iterations (shargons first iteration was a hauro-howl- copy that was really just some human covered in feathers .. another oc was once a hellboy copy but in green- havent drawn nor redeisgn them in ages lol), the biggest inspirations for them is a mix of animals, bonus if you dont see them often- im a big shark, whale and sea creatures in general nerd so i tend to take from them as a priority but always trying to be less directly animal and mostly just .. features that work together

Eadrya is one of the newer OCs- i started to write but then looked at my folders and oh they are from 2017 .., i even made a design timeline for them how much they, and my art, have changed back in 2020, so thats also way outdated now lol (they apparently started as a whale .. thing? its like a pokemon evolution lol)

this is them now (i like this sketch still, though shargons design is now also outdated lmao)

this ones from early 2023 so also outdated now but you get the point

for demons i try to be a bit more wild on shapes and colors while still adhering to the rules of how they work (humanoid form, demon form, animalistic, one element each and more or less made to fit that, 4 arms is very common, look to be bost scary and wild but also something that would make you stop in tracks and stare in awe and fear if you crossed paths)

often times designs just kinda .. happen, i have maybe the idea ok i wanna make something with a white and red pattern also moose or those big horned cows are cool and kinda scary so maybe sth akin to that (though this one is technically a redesign too- its also pretty much entirely different)

for non demons but still non human i go for a much more restrained design, mainly inspired directly by an animal and giving the color scheme a good spin, plus adding unconventional body shapes, like ki'ita is also a good example, her old idea was just orca anthro pirate and just by making the white green instead in her most recent redesign already adds that little spin to it

that can have its pitfalls though, as i often fall into the big arm small head small legs scheme over and over xD

alot of it is trial and error, deciding on the colors can take me hours bc im always searching for my little rule of having one contrast color that shows up in very few places to draw attention to it (like with Eadrya its those bright yellow eyes and thingy at their tail)

and that is all about myy own ocs, when its fandom stuff it works kinda similar though, either in the connections i wanna draw or just thinking it further- like how deities in destiny work also just kinda .. happened like an ever derailing train

like for demise i was at first really just im gonna give him horns bc horns are cool and he got those on the starting mural in the game- so how his hair work? well maybe it isnt hair actually and just unbound energy, im making him a deity too and fit hylias design to his so, yeah, then so how does it work, ok he gotta have a skeleton still, but what if his entire actual body is made up of pure magical energy with its core in the ribcage? with the core in the ribcage >:3c and the scales you see are just like cooled down lava as an armor bc his thing is fire and earth !! the normal blood? is a thin layer of skin imiated from mortals to keep the scales together and flexible so if he ACTUALLY gets hurt hed bleed magic that looks more like lava and any normal blood you see is just the armor- so why does he have a skeleton still instead of being just energy? maybe its gotta be bound to something OH and what if all of the deities started as mortals like a mirror to the trio later on and the gods cannot have direct influence to the worlds so they needed a right hand that is neither god nor mortal but both by killing a mortal by whatever their element will be (demise burned, hylia drowned etc) and their skeleton and spirit is kept but put into a body of magic- OH what if their spirit core is like almost piloting their bodies like a mech in a way bc if youd look close youd see that every strand of magic is actual a hand of their spirit so it makes it more weird and other bc hed be able to reach out with thousands of burning claws of all shapes and sizes like the beheaded forest god at the end of mononoke- SO if hed lose and arm or something all those strands would untangle and rearrange his bones back together-OH MY GOD the whole armor idea works so well for ghirahims dark armor so what if demise had two swords once and lost one and since has forged an armor similar to his own for ghirahim out fo fear of losing him t---

and that all is a process that happens over several weeks and months not rarely while i am drawing something mindlessly and suddendly *have a thought* and omg that makes so much sense-

so "what" inspires my designs? an ever derailing train of thought about making cool thick monsters that arent the evil thing to get rid of for once? cool color schemes? idk it just kinda happens??

[chil-aglia]

Because I’m curious about your characters, and it shows me a bit of their psychology, how do the other OCs you have deal with a bitey baby Brutus?

Do as many or little as you’d like. It’s just for fun

(Context for this image. My friend’s iteration fed him cheerios from a dog bowl)

I’ll add a little bit more of Adriaen to give you a better understanding of him. I’ll even add the twins (future kids of Adriaen and Leo) cause why not!

Adriaen: Not the greatest with kids at first, since he’s kind of awkward and doesn’t know what to do, but for some reason kids like to stick with him. Looking after Brutus however, didn’t seem that hard for him to do, probably because in a way, he saw this little guy as family considering who the dad is.

Ronin: He’s like the fun uncle that kids love being around. Sure he’s not related to the turtles but he’s like a family friend and teasingly insists that he should be designated fun uncle Ronin. If he looked after Brutus, he wouldn’t mind and just try and have fun with him, taking him sight seeing, going to the park. He tries to not be a bad influence on him too much, but he will allow him to eat and drink and stay up late as much as Brutus wants to.

Giovanni: Anxious at first, especially when Brutus tries to bite him. But after some time of just observing him, he feels calmer and he lets the big brother/uncle instincts take control. He knows he’s not exactly this kids uncle, cause the father of Brutus isn’t his Raph, but he’s a version of Raph, so….it counts? Maybe? He’s definitely more of the cautious babysitter, making sure Brutus is well fed, sleeping on time, all that stuff.

Three: Is not a fan of kids. They’re icky, touchy, and can’t follow orders. He’s avoiding Brutus, he’d didn’t want the responsibility of looking after someone else’s kid. But if you continue to persist, he’ll eventually agree. But wouldn’t be all that excited. He doesn’t know exactly what to do, he tries to feed him, but the moment Brutus tries biting him, he’s saying “fuck that” and just gives him food on a plate or bowl and let the kid do whatever he wants with it. You know that meme where a guy has a baby taped to the wall behind the couch and the guy is sitting on the couch watching tv? Yeah, that’s essentially what Three is doing. Just because he’s an alternative uncle of Brutus it doesn’t mean shit to him—

Nico: He’s trying his best. He’s not bad at babysitting at all, after all he had to basically watch his younger twin and Casey Jr at times. He’s more of the responsible one. Plus, hello? Alternative cousin? Brutus is family in a way, so he’s making sure he’s like, staying alive and uninjured. Though, he does get a bit awkward and confused on what to do.

Matt: Terrible influence. He’s playing pranks on others and gets Brutus roped in somehow. It’s all in good fun and he’s like the fun cousin that you can get along with. Matt, despite him being a goofball, can and will lock in when it comes to babysitting younger kids. But he’s not going to be serious about it, he’ll play with Brutus, watch some TV, and go on adventures. But he’s also making sure Brutus is safe as well.

hope you liked this!

[calronhunt]

as someone really inspired by all your works, i’m very excited for descon and ive always been really curious as to what inspires your stories! alongside possibly drawing from your own personal experiences, was there any specific pieces of media that you drew inspiration for aesthetics, story beats, and character archetypes for descon from?

Well....................Fate and Faith were originally The Owl House selfship (Fate/Belos, not Faith) and self-insert guys. Leander is basically me just taking Belos and making him my oc. Faith in their original iteration was a Grimwalker of Fate made by Belos and passed off as the two's child (Fate was still in Faith's head, it was just a lot more headcanon-y stuff than my own world building). I wanted to keep the reincarnation aspect of Fate and Faith's deal which is what brought the idea of a reincarnating chosen one idea (inspired pretty hard from atla).

The aesthetics are pretty inspired by Gothic Horror kind of things! Frankenstein and Dracula and the like. Desaturated, dark places spaces with gothic architecture and turn of the century kind of design, mansion hidden with secrets and mystery, that kinda thing. Some of the body horror stuff in it is inspired by books like Manhunt, as well as stuff like The Thing, maybe a smidgen of SOMA in regards to like...the existentialism of it all. (descon isn't a horror comic, it's not trying to scare you, but I do take some aesthetic choices from those medias).

ooough there's definitely more, but I'm drawing such a hard blank. I will say though, that most of Descon is about my personal experiences/feelings!! A lot of the stuff that goes into it Feelings Wise is stuff that I talk about with my therapist. It's a super self indulgent story for me!!