#yall are so persistent

[worst-t4t-couple]

when we run out of content we make more. mcrobot will sweep.

[@tasonix10 @zjierb]

[@alfredoatthepizzahut isn't in these pictures but he was there!]

.

[chessb0r3d]

First (and second) meetings.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

I'm in love with your drawing of Wally and Howdy fighting over the arm. I love how mad Poppy is. Her saying "is2g" gave me the idea that she starts cussing more the longer she has to deal with this bs. And I'm also imagining Frank leaning against Eddie's hat saying "oh Eddie we're really in it now"

10 out of 10 artwork. Good job. No notes.

it has been Well Received it seems! i'm very pleased, i was hoping i wouldn't be the only one who found it funny ahaha

and i couldn't resist:

[jacks347]

Exactly one person asked for this but that was exactly one person enough so here y'all go, enjoy the rest of the channels and their high school tropes

Nomad

Caleb and Pack Mom - Childhood friends everyone assumes is already dating (They keep correcting people but secretly enjoy it cause they've been crushing on each other for years)

Connor and Lass - Club president and joined cause she liked him ("Come on, keep up! What are you staring at?" "You. I mean-!")

Deacon and Little One - Book smart introvert and street smart extrovert ("I've never failed a test in my life" "And I've knocked out a gang members tooth once. You tell me which one is more practical")

Chester and CM - Class clown and assigned tutor ("How do you put up with him?" "Remembering he's cute and a lot of caffeine")

Mitch and Lamb - Second generation rivals ("My dad said to tell you you won't win a second time" "Funny, my uncle said to expect it")

Beau and Chef - "Secret" admirer and knowing crush (Constantly leaves notes and gifts in her locker, she absolutely knows it's him but doesn't say anything even though she likes him back cause she thinks it's adorable)

Harlow and Captain - Frequently injured and assigned helper ("How'd you break your leg this time?" "Would you believe me if I said I fell off a roof?" "...goddammit")

GB

Yargwynn and Paradise - Lead in the play and stage manager (Paradise is actually a really solid singer but has paralyzing stage fright so they just stay as stage crew)

Mak and Darling - Delinquent and "I can fix him" girl (Frank is Mak's attempted wingman, he tries so hard to get these two together)

Guardian and Zed - Foreign exchange student and guidance helper assigned to them (Even better if Guardian doesn't speak the language well so they just stare when Zed is talking which makes him nervous and he rambles more, Guardian thinks it's cute)

Albus and Faithful - School flirt and class president tutoring him (Don't lie, you're imagining it now)

Hipswitch and Partner - Reluctant student and quiet art kid project partners (Partner talks through notes ripped from the corners of his sketchbook)

Pandora - Principal's kid that everyone is kinda scared of (Is actually really nice with just a hint of overblown ego, blame football star Odin for that)

Redacted

David and Angel - Quiet kid and popular girl fake dating (Angel dug herself in a hole and needs a fresh face to get out of it, David is only mildly reluctant cause he thinks Angel's pretty)

Asher and Babe - Football star and cheerleading captain (Don't ask, this is the one that inspired all the rest and now it's stuck here)

Milo and Sweetheart - Club presidents fighting for budgeting (SH runs the NHS chapter, Milo runs the drama club, both slightly resent each other because they need the funding)

Darlin and Sam - Frequently in detention and never in detention ("And just what has landed the school's goody goody in my neck of the woods?" "...I broke a guy's nose." "Hah, same.")

Vincent and Lovely - Superintendent's kid who ditches class and vigilant hall monitor ("Come on, can't you let it slide just this once~" "Do you want me to call your dad?" "No, no, I'll go back, please don't call him-")

Gavin and Freelancer - Academic rivals (FL actually takes it seriously, Gavin only pretends cause he loves to watch FL work)

I think I got all of them

I hope I got all of them

This is going to be a nightmare to tag-

[corethetrueidiot]

grrr ethan pokemon how do I draw you 🪦💥

So. I've been playing heart gold AND soul silver lately. you can tell what's affecting the poke brainrot now

[murdleandmarot]

The gang’s all here!! They’re on the case!! And there’s no ghost that they wouldn’t chase!!!!!

@mysticalcats’s Foxglove, @toki-toro’s Chaumet, @emimii’s Clownaire, and my own Bluebelle :)

[wanyinchen]

"you are the world's longest-kept secret."

i have made it my life's mission to draw aziraphale just obliviously yearning and pining for someone who already was smitten from the start. actually, every ineffable husbands fanart from me will exactly be like that.

(click because tumblr eats quality for second breakfast)

[kirnet]

tentatively. actium should return on the 16th of feb

[vaimetanyx]

Every time I put this thing on I'm scared I'm going to take someone's eye out with these spikes. However with this much glue in a wig it means I have to do very little upkeep between cons!

(Full process under the cut)

[Skull pauldron] [Belt] [Greaves] [Toga + sash] [Wig + Laurels] [Armbands] [Flaming feet] [Satyr Sack] [Stygius v1] [Stygius v2] [Nectar]

This was my first time ever styling a wig beyond some brushing and hairspray as I did for my Snufkin cosplay. The base wig I used was Apollo in black from Epic Cosplay Wigs, and it was really good to work with! I probably should have shaken it out and used the hair dryer to make it more fluffy before I started, but I made it work in the end

To start off - gather reference images, and section out all the main points!

Then get your sister to teach you how to shape a spike. Don't fuck it up. Repeat this for all the other major spikes using the hairspray you bought 3 years ago, your mum's hairdryer because you don't own one, and PVA glue to keep those spikes sharp and everything together because you still don't know exactly what you're doing.

Then it's time to make a bunch of little spikes for the back, most of this will be covered up by the laurels. But damn, there's gaps, because a bunch of these spikes go up when the wefts go down! A smarter and/or more experienced cosplayer would have bought more wefts to sew in to thicken the hair and cover gaps. But who needs that when you've kept all the hair you cut off when making the spikes and you can hairspray and glue that into place to hide your mistakes!

While praying that no one notices the half kilo of glue that is now your wig, time for the laurels! I actually went through three versions - the first version I discarded straight away because my wig wasn't done when I started, and as a result of not being able to compare it was WAY too bulky, heavy, and didn't cover the right area. It did look pretty though. The second was what I wore to my first con - wire and some mesh material with the 'leaves' glued directly on. The leaves for both these versions were made of 3 layers of cheap fake material petals glued together, folded and painted - honestly too much work for the end result but it is what it is.

The third laurel's leaves are made of a thin wire covered in plastic laminate, left over from years ago when we used to cover our school books in it. Cut into the right shape, I then painted them, making sure to paint in the direction of the leaves 'veins' so when held up to the light they'd look more realistic. After that they were wrapped around a single thick bit of wire and a few sections hot glued for security.

Finally it could be attached to the wig! I just used a bit of thread and sewed them on in a few places, then adjusted the leaves to sit right. For an extra touch - some of the official art has embers tailing up off the laurels, so I added a few of my own. These are just some spare painted laminate glued to wire, the wire twisted and inserted into the hair.

Part of me wants to try and remake the wig from scratch so it's not such a glue soaked mess, or to go for a more natural look that I could actually brush my hand through like the Studio Grackle trailer, but I wanted a stylised look and I sure ended up with one!

[erikkarlsson]

new group project: come up with a bit so that i can keep posting erik karlsson with a fervor that would even make kpop stans scared while also minimizing my chance of developing radiation sickness from exposure to the city of pittsburgh

[kaatiba]

After the Forest - A Book Response

After the Forest by Kell Woods showed up as a newly purchased item at my library, and after reading the summary, I downloaded it as an e-book on Libby. I love fairytale retellings, and this one about Hansel and Gretel (or Hans and Greta, as they're known in the book) looked promising.

This post will contain spoilers, so scroll past if that sort of thing bothers you!

Overall, I really enjoyed it! I was hooked from the first page by the very close and cinematic first person perspective. All my senses were engaged, and I was intrigued that this story would be grappling with Greta and Hans' trauma from being abandoned and then getting kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch, as well as the reputation they earned with their escape-by-murder.

I was also delighted that this story wove in the tale of Snow White, Snow White and Rose Red, and Rumpelstiltskin! I even felt there were some sly references to Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard! The magical realism of it all was wonderful too -- I do enjoy stories that feel like they could have happened, once upon a time and long ago. Speaking of magic, I was fascinated by the distinction between tattermagic and greenmagic, and the cost and effects of both.

The characters are all flawed -- Hans has a gambling addiction spurred/made worse by being trapped in the village he longs to get away from, Greta is spurned as a suspected witch who is deeply affected by her experience with the gingerbread witch and the loss of her parents, and frequently makes bad but understandable decisions. Supporting characters Christie and Rob have their own secrets and secret pasts that haunt them and, though well meaning, are often selfish and harsh with others. Even the antagonists are humanized, making complex villains of them all. I love that kind of character work.

As for the romance between Greta and Mathias; it was soft and sweet and so understandable. I especially loved Greta's constant refrain of 'Were they blue, or green, his eyes?'. Mathias was a lovely character, fully realized and wonderfully kind and sad and noble. One quote that made me catch my breath with the beautiful yearning romance of it all was: 

"I know you're angry [...] Even so I would follow you to the very edge of Hell had I the scent of honey on your skin to lead me."

Even out of context, it's such a sensual and longing bit of dialogue, but in context it's simply breathtaking.

Speaking of: the prose! Very lovely, very deft. Sometimes entrancing and sensory, always deft rather than flowery to the point of disorientation, and every character had a distinct voice. 

While I did feel like the middle of the book unfolded a bit too slowly, I think once I understood that this book was about Greta and other characters' internal development just as much as it was about the mysteries of the plot, I was able to settle into the unraveling of it all. The characters themselves aren't aware of the genre or story they're in, after all. I'd need another read to determine if my impression that they were sometimes a bit too obtuse or made decisions that were clearly bad ideas was just a result of my outside perspective and familiarity with the tropes.  Still, this concluded in a very satisfactory -- or at least well-grounded -- and heart-wrenching manner for all involved! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys adult retellings and expansions of fairy tales, romantic tragedies with happy endings, complicated family dynamics, the effect of trauma and grief, and magical realism.

Content warnings for the novel (non-comprehensive): brief instances of sexual harassment, assault and rape (non-graphic), gore and murder, references to cannibalism, brief/implied but non-graphic sexual scenes, and mind-altering magic using blood.

[neeshachar]

i like her so much i wish i could crawl into her skin and settle in her bones like old tuberculosis. not the harmful type, i'd just stay dormant forever, wouldn't leave her body for anybody else's. and if im lucky maybe i could metastasize and get into her heart as well. but im getting ahead of myself.

[thevikingwoman]

every time I see some post about "draw a 40 year old with wrinkles" or "this person is old don't ignore that" (the person is like, 32) or art with "Character X 10 years after canon" (and they were 25/30 in canon and now they have a full head of grey hair wrinkles etc)

I get - mad? sad? annoyed?

I mean, I know it's meant as a sort of sticking it to youth culture thing, allowing people to get old, but

have you MET someone in their 40s? how wrinkly do you think we are?

there's just something about that makes me mad as fuck

add to the fact that 95% of these are about men/masc people - and you know what people. you're not as subversive as you think you are, because men, men are already allowed to get old.

[cherrirui-official]

Ayo John Dory what u looking at man? (One of the few wips I have rn ahaha don't mind it looking a little weird/ messy I'll fix it)

[slocumjoe]

hey uhhh i went thru ur oc post history and u said gus set himself on fire?? pls context

I love this character because whenever someone asks about him I always have to take a deep breath and get comfortable and suck a breath in through my teeth. I treat him so poorly

More Gus lore, because that specific event is actually tied to the very first event that would fuck him up forever, so I can't really talk about it without going in depth.

This is explaining the core tenent of Augustijn's story, which is guilt and its dangers. Basically, where that constant guilt came from, and how it...turned out for him...

It turns out okay. Just...takes 200+ years, an apocalypse, a divorce, and his son dying! 🥳Yay🥳

Tw; Religious trauma, child abuse, suicide, drug use, cannibalism, mental illnesses, and yet another suicide attempt.

So, some background, Gus's mom, Emma, was a fanatic catholic and generally Bat Shit about religion. As you might imagine, this is the Direct Source of both Gus' questionable worldviews, traumas, and his biological inclination to uuuhhh bad Head Times.

Emma was raised mildly religious, but she...took to it too hard? Her family was not the cause of her obsession, Gus's grandparents and uncles/aunts over there actually cut her off at one point, because she was starting to worry them but reaching out led to her lashing out. So, they just...backed off. Emma herself was a simple, homebody woman, who wanted to be at home raising her kids, and tending her garden. She would have been this way even without the religious thing.

But Emma and her side of the family were prone to addiction, see? And religion became her point of fixation and obsession. This could have still been okay, if not for the church she went into. A catholic church in the Hague that was known by all for being kind of fucking out there, even by other hardcore Catholics. This was one she went into, and even her grandchild 240+ years later would feel the ripple of this decision.

Emma goes into church and gets gnarly ideas about how life works. Its a woman's duty to have kids and raise them, to be good to her husband and her house, to listen and obey her men. Sin is inevitable and everyone does it, only those that admit and accept punishment can get another chance at Paradise. God knows every action you take and he does not care for the context, he only cares about the action. There is no "well, but" under the Lord.

Emma has mental illness, some kind of depression and anxiety, so this Big Brother Watching And Judging fucked her up. Especially since her church, in particular, was physically abusive if you did not confess to anything during confession. They thought if you had nothing to confess, you were lying.

At this point, she's met and engaged to Theodore Reinier, a rich heir to a European manufacturing company. He's pretty, a gentleman, and best of all, rich, so she can have as big and luxurious a garden as she wants. She likes him. She does not love him. She's in her twenties and unmarried with no kids, and her poor family needs to be taken care of. So she marries him. Theodore is smart enough to see this for what it is, and kind enough to allow it. He lets his wife do her own thing and treats her as a friend, rather than a lover. She hates this, she wants to be a wife (she doesnt). She wants kids, he gives her one. Augustijn. This birth goes rough, and she's told no more children.

Theodore makes one rule; August goes to a different church, or he does not go at all. Theo really didn't like Emma's church and he certainly wasn't exposing his kid to that shit.

Emma pretends to agree and takes Gus to That Church. Theo doesn't attend, so he doesn't know this is happening until much later. Gus gets all the same nasty shit Emma does. Theo learns of this when he sees Gus covered in bruises from confession beatings. This puts a huge rift between him and Emma, and he pulls all the strings he can to have her church shut down.

Emma grows to resent and hate Theo and Augustijn for not being the perfect husband and child she deserves as a good, God fearing house wife. Augustijn is left to his nannies, Emma hides away in her private garden, fuming. Theodore tries to bond with his son, but Emma's poisoned that well.

Emma tells Augustijn about demons, to fear them. She specifically tells him about church grims, demons that hunt around churches in the form of a dog to drag sinners to hell. She says this as she's admiring her new obsidian dog statues for her garden.

Eventually, Emma goes yellow wallpaper and loses her mind, and is sent to therapy and put on medications. Augustijn loathes his father for his mother's state. Theodore just wants his friend and son okay. But Emma, as she's out in town, coming back from therapy, she stops at a friend's house while the friend isn't there, and hooks up with the woman's husband. Friend's husband was stern, strict with his wife, God fearing, and generally an obnoxious 50s ideal shithead husband. Everything Emma wanted. This wasn't out of nowhere, it was brewing in the background. She knew both of them from her old church.

Emma goes home, and finally having a reason for the guilt that's always plagued her, elects to acknowledge her sin. She drowns herself in the pond of her garden, stared down by three dark, ruby-eyed dogs, overseeing her passage into the afterlife. Her young son comes into the garden to meet his mother, after she's been gone all day, only to find her in a red pool. He looks up into the eyes of the dogs. He remembers nothing of this incident, blocking it out and having been too young to understand.

Years pass, and Augustijn turns to drugs as well, though his come from the darkest parts of the Hague, rather than a doctor. He turns to sex, to crime, to anything he thinks will either corrupt him so much he doesn't care, or will finally make his guilt feel justified. He wears his mother's cross necklace through it all, and sees her beloved dog with every sin.

Augustijn goes to America for college, to Harvard, studying to become a pastor himself. (This is maybe the most terrifying part of him, the fact that he almost got it). But he doesn't feel satisfied with it, has a moment of clarity and realizes he isn't fit to preach anything. The grim certainly doesn't think so. He instead follows his only friend, Isadora, into the military. The US government allowing their soldiers to do chems means his failed drug tests don't matter.

Augustijn becomes a sniper. He has always hurt people, excelled in it, but taking life frightens him, because he knows he has no right to decide who lives or dies, not like this. But he's in China, and he's told to kill. He does, and he's very good at it. His teammates marvel at just how scrappy and determined he is, like a weed, a mold.

The Biandukou Pass Incident occurs. He eats his entire team, trapped in a Chinese mountain range during a blizzard.

Delirious from almost two months of surviving on nothing but psycho and human flesh, Augustijn is let loose back into Boston, honorably discharged. His lingering hallucinations from his Daytripper addiction, mixed with psycho withdrawal, trauma, guilt, shame, the fear of God—everything culminates. He looks up and sees the figure that has haunted him since that one, awful day; the church grim, staring expectantly.

His mother drowned herself, so he thought it fitting if he set himself ablaze.

[whimsyprinx]

a fun realization I had last night is that I have neither an actual family nor a found family