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[wombywoo]

local cuisine 🤌

[wombywoo]

do you have any ghostsoap favorite fics, perhaps?

boy do I....

I should preface this by saying that I'm pretty...particular with what types of fics I enjoy reading (I only like certain character interpretations/tropes/writing styles, etc) so bear with me...

These are all mostly canon-compliant, non-AUs, ones that I regard highly~

Seasons--by StinglessWasp: This is pretty much my go-to fic rec for anyone into CoD and ghostsoap in general. It showcases everything I love about these characters, in a setting that feels as authentic to the games as possible, while also exploring the depth and sincerity hidden under the surface. So well-written and paced--the dialogue and military references all contribute to that 'feels like a mission out of the game' experience. Plus, I just love this interpretation of our boys--the humor, the inner struggles, the intimacy--Wasp 100% *gets* these characters and it's a joy to read <3

Except You, You Can Stay--by Iravaid: While this one isn't *technically* ghostsoap until the last chapter, in my opinion, it's required reading for anyone who gives a shit about Simon Riley. This is *the* character study--an intimate dissection of Ghost's past that seems so realistic and grounded, you forget how ludicrous those comics really are. Ira takes such care in treating these heavy topics with delicacy and effectiveness. Each chapter has you going 'oh wow, this is even better than the last', but as a whole--it's a stunning, fleshed-out glimpse into Simon as the character he was always meant to be. And the final chapter which eases you into his relationship with Johnny is so authentic and sweet, it just makes perfect sense that they should be together, and that this poor poor man deserves some goddamn love <3

bleeding in the house of god--by revolvermonkcelot: This is a really great 'missing scene' fic, a perfect opportunity to explore the in-between moments that the game so carelessly chooses to gloss over. I can't praise Monk's writing enough--it's slick and crisp and very tasty; the imagery just jumps off the page and you can practically feel the sweat. Plus, the dialogue exchanges between our two boys are so well-timed and in-character--love all the slang and British references~ This whole fic reads like an addition to their mission flirting, and I'm all for it! You can truly tell this author has such deep understanding and experience with this franchise (winkwinkwink, this is a joke) Read it--it's good!

The Dead are all Living--by Kabbal: This fic blew me away when I first read it. It's such a unique take on the retirement trope, I just adore this interpretation of Simon as an aging recluse while he builds his home. I tend to lean towards more subtle, grounded characterizations of Mr Riley, and this really fits the bill. All of these glimpses and fragments into his post-military life contribute to an overarching love story; the scenes with Johnny are so poignant, it's like you're pining alongside them both. I love how not-perfect they are; flawed and difficult and real. There are some moments and lines that just....struck something in me so deeply. I'm sure I'll still be thinking about it for a long long time <3

Portrait of Taction--by a_platypus: Another Simon-centric fic that I absolutely love. The character voice in this is off the charts, I can hear him so vividly in all of his inner dialogue and stunted attempts at conversation. Simon is so endearingly dense in this fic, you're just waiting for him to finally get his act together, but the clumsy, oblivious steps he takes in his relationship with Soap are truly a treat to read. I love this version of Johnny too--confident and considerate, but still hopelessly crushing on his superior. It's comedic, well-written, and the paragraphs describing Soap's journal give some of the best insights into his character I've seen <3

come on, haunt me--by flyby2: This was a really good long fic that I took my time savoring. What could have been a typical 'on leave' fic instead took time to develop a unique spin on the backstories as well as throwing our boys into some wholesome encounters. Both Soap and Ghost felt very true to character, and I appreciate the exploration of PTSD and the subsequent struggles that come along with...all that. There was a really nice balance in having their romance spread across the chapters, and I can promise a very sweet, happy conclusion <3

in the mess of it all--by flowersferns: A lovely one-shot that exhibits some of my favorite aspects of these two characters. I'm a sucker for 'one of them is hurt, the other is freaking out, they are both idiots in love, etc'. There are some really great dialogue and character moments in this, plus the overall prose hits hard. Love this take on their romance--the mutual trust, the familiarity of their bond. And just the general theme of impermanence--the inevitability of what this relationship means for them--two soldiers, willing and ready to sacrifice their lives at a moment's notice, still clinging to each other because...god...that's all they have---big fan of this :'D <3

Lapsus--by Lisbetadair: Another really great one-shot and 'missing scene' fic. The authenticity in the writing is spot-on--it's like you can feel Soap's pain right off the bat. I love how smoothly the banter flows between the two, and the attention to detail and references all help lend to that 'hardened military man' exterior. Ghost smelling like flowers because of a face wipe is such a delightful addition, plus the scene where Soap is, ah, donald-ducking it in just a t-shirt with his jewels out is such a funny mental image, I still think of it fondly from time to time. It's funny, it's surprisingly cute, it's very in-character. Stick around for some awkward but adorable cuddles <3

I'm sure I have more to recommend, but these are the ones I can personally endorse for now~

[wombywoo]

random question but...what's your mbti? or if you dk, your zodiac? you're very sweet and i just like hearing about mbti's / zodiacs:D

Ok, so I had to look this up because I forgot what it is, lol, and I just retook the test because I also forgot what my previous results were when I did this over a decade ago! But! My mbti is INFP✨ And my zodiac is Sagittarius ♐ Do with this what you will~

[wombywoo]

Love your art!!! The way you collage and tone stuff is just a feast to the eyes 😩👌🏻🧑🏻‍🍳

I noticed you don’t really draw ghost with a lot of facial scars ect, how do you feel about him being semi heavily (imo) head cannoned w/ a Glasgow smile ect? Or do you have some other scars/injuries you head cannon??

Have a wonderful day!

Hmm..I suppose I haven't given Simon a lot of scars (just the main ones on his forehead/cheek/lip and a few fainter ones around the face) There are vague ideas on how he got these, mostly combat-related....

I've seen a bunch of people draw him with a Glasgow smile and it definitely looks cool! I just don't personally draw him with it because...well, honestly, I can't imagine him receiving that type of injury. Turbo trauma terrible taco tuesday backstory aside, I think it would be a bit...too much for him to have his face obliterated like that, lol (not that I even adhere to the comics 😔✋)

I guess I just prefer him with more subtle facial wounds 🤷‍♀️ Gotta maintain that anglo-saxon bone structure 💅

[wombywoo]

I realize I got to show Simon's boy-2-man transformation, but not Johnny's, so here you go~

My Baby boy has grown into such a fine GENTLEMAN! Not so WEE anymore, right??? He will always be that little 'troublemaker' to me, L.O.L., but now he is out there SERVING HIS COUNTRY. God bless my Johnny AND the Troops. <333333 XOXO

[wombywoo]

Helllo! I am always truly amazed by your art and it never fails to put me in a trance with all the extra things in the backgrounds of them too! I do wonder how you went about studying anatomy and such, it always is such a tedious task for me to focus on and learn about each muscle if I want to draw some beautifully handsome military men, you know?!

ahh thank so much! I try to add some special stuff to each piece, so I'm glad it's appreciated 🥰

as for anatomy, I haven't done that much *actual* study (don't ask me where the latissimus dorsi is 😔) I'm more of a visual learner. This can be achieved through figure drawing exercises, or just learning how to *perceive* (by this I mean--what is it you're actually seeing as opposed to what you expect to see?) Understanding proportions and weight and pose are all very important, and these come more from analyzing real-life people as opposed to a medical diagrams.

I think getting a good idea of where various muscles are is a good start, but I often find that when drawing a figure 'less is best'

an example here:

Sometimes, *too much* anatomical detail makes a drawing look exaggerated and more like someone's peeled his skin off, lol

I lean towards a more subtle approach to musculature, choosing which areas to highlight and which to let fade into the rest of the form.

Biggest piece of advice--use references! ALWAYS! I don't care if I've been drawing for years, I almost always have a reference on hand that I constantly refer back to. It's necessary if you want to draw something realistic, or else you might just start inventing new body parts 😭

And if all else fails--just throw some hair all over it to hide the mistakes 💅

[wombywoo]

Hello!!

I wanted to ask if you would be willing to share how you go about finding the references for the injuries you depict in your work? Your pieces where the CoD boys are sporting injuries, fresh and old, are always so lifelike and to my untrained eye seem entirely medically correct.

I have been trying my hand at drawing the boys retired and resting as well, but I’m finding it difficult to decide what work injuries to add and how to find the respective references.

How do you decide what injuries to portray? And how do you go about finding the reference material?

Your huge fan, amustikas

Oooh ok ok! I'm gonna post my answer publically because I think others would find this interesting too!

To preface, I am definitely NOT a medical professional, and as such, a lot of the stuff I choose to depict in my art is not so much..ah, medically accurate as it is....aesthetically pleasing 🤭

I'll start with scars, as a lot of us enjoy slashing up Simon's face with them, lol. Generally, I'll do a cursory google image search for the type of scar I'm looking for (be warned, these can be graphic) with searches like 'burn scar' 'surgery scar' etc. But I find that for things like cuts and lacerations, real-life scars are a bit innocuous and lame 🤷‍♀️ Unfortunately not everyone's skin wants to retain that perfect slash look™️😔

So what I usually end up referencing are costume prosthetic scars ✨

As you can see, they're pretty gnarly:

And you definitely don't have to go this intense, but I find that the dramatic, carved-like appearance of these translate better to art than a realistically healed wound 🤙

The other thing to consider is the prevalence of injuries in the military. From what I've gathered, the most common will be back/shoulder/limb injuries, just a general fucking up of the whole musculoskeletal system in general due to constant overuse 🤕 Hearing loss, shrapnel/blast/burn injuries are also common, as well as all the negative psychological effects :') goooood times (not)

I think it's neat to look up real-life examples of these things, but it can get a bit intense if you're squeamish...

SafeSearch is OFF, the horrors are REal 😳

So yeah...I tend to tone things down, all things considered...😅

For this particular piece:

I researched broken humerus injuries and treatment 👍 Poor boy 🥺(Yes, I am aware that I consumed entire articles and did a shit ton of research about this just to go ahead and put a female's x-ray in this fucking picture sdfghjkl rip💀😭)

But here you can see the actual process for applying the brace for this particular injury:

Neat, eh?

When I draw Johnny with a knee brace, it's usually a real authentic one you can buy on amazon:

Product placement blast!!!💥✨ Bezos, where is my cut?? 🫰

As for ones like this:

I tend to just...scatter some wounds around and patch them up accordingly, lol. Bruising around the eyes is common with any head injury, and surgical stitching will offer a nice puckered skin effect mmm 👌 (I swear I'm normal abt this)

I'm sure the medical malpractice lawsuits are stacking up for me now, but again--it's usually more about the ✨visuals✨

My parting advice would be--go nuts! Feel free to maim and mutilate and mangle to your heart's content 🥰

Thank you for the question, Amustikas! I love your art as well 💗🫶

[wombywoo]

random aside but--have we lost the 'search google for image' function entirely?? I know google effed it over when they introduced the lens feature, but I used to have an extension that would allow me to still search for images, yet in the past two months or so the extension hasn't worked either!! 😩 this is a necessary tool for searching for the best quality/size of an image for references, and also for reverse-searching my own art to see if it's been reposted 😤 has this been happening to anyone else?? help

[wombywoo]

what are your thoughts on australia for No Reason At All

🌸🌸🌸x1000💥🤼💥🐊🦵💪🐊💥🇦🇺

no further comment 😔

[wombywoo]

i want you to know that every once and a while i think of your 'he's just british, i'm sorry.' comment on the post defending yourself from someone accusing you of using ai and i mcfucking lose it. that was the funniest fucking comment i've ever seen about sam's looks. (i love sam. but he is just british.)

asdfgh thank you 🤣🤣artificial 'art' technologies have not yet achieved that perfect bland Mancunian look™️and they never will! 💅

[wombywoo]

There is nothing more perfect on earth than your version of Simon Riley. I am so not normal about his big ears. My god they’re perfect for him, I hope he never ever grows into them and I that Soap loves them as much as I do. 😂❤️❤️

I was gonna make this post to prove that yes, he does grow into them eventually, but now I just feel like an overbearing mother posting an update on facebook 😭

look at my YOUNG man, he is so handsum and brave!! I am so very PRoud and Blessed!!!...XOXO

[wombywoo]

I did promise to show my process of making backgrounds so here it is 🙆‍♀️✨

to start off--here's the line layer before I begin adding anything:

I still think this composition is a bit weird, but...eh 🤷‍♀️

next, I compile all of the references I've spent numerous hours foraging for:

these are all from basic google searches; for this piece, I looked for images relevant to the theme, so we have some vintage military manuals, illustrations, even a real army application form that I filled out in Johnny's name 😅 sources for these can vary, but I've had good luck perusing ebay listings for a lot of these scans 👍

next, I kind of just...scatter them around the page, seeing what fits where, keeping the figures as the focus but letting the background fill out around them:

I then start adjusting them more, utilizing various overlay options (hard light/ pin light/ multiply/ color burn are usually my go-to ones in PS) it takes some fiddling to see what looks best:

then I add a few more personal additions for flavor ✨

next, I adjust the colors a bit:

then I adjust the colors even more, bringing out the electric blue and pink to make it pop

here's the full bg without the figures:

and here's the completed piece:

as you can see, I did add a few more elements in the end, as well as adjusting the colors further with the addition of the fully rendered figures 🙆‍♀️

all in all--this is pretty much how I create all my backgrounds, like a fun little scrapbooking project~

[wombywoo]

fresh blood 👶

[wombywoo]

Overseas 🇺🇸

[wombywoo]

favorite CoD character?

goodness gracious how could I possibly pick a favorite from the... *counts on fingers* four ½ characters in this franchise I care about??

(jk, it's Soap 🤫)

[wombywoo]

opinions on cod fandom in general??

......no comment

[wombywoo]

#unfortunately this young man and his cringefail haircut have bewitched me body and soul 😔

hands down one of my favourite tags on this site because you are sooooo correct

My (and Ghost's) reaction when the cute new sergeant takes his helmet off for the first time and we have to physically and emotionally grapple with the fact it looks like he glued a snickers bar to the middle his shaved head 💀😭

and yet....