molluskshell

[molluskshell]

This came to me in a dream.

A late birthday art for my two favorite goobers!

[molluskshell]

(Originally posted on July 17, 2025)

Happy Birthday, Keke!! 🎂🎉🥳

I actually did this prompt provided by the Love Live DTIYS account over on Twitter a little while ago but decided to wait for her birthday to post it.

Here she is!

[molluskshell]

(Originally posted on July 14, 2025)

“In a pineapple under the sea, there lived SpongeBob.”

It’s already July 14 in my timezone which means it’s the birthday of SpongeBob, a character who means so much to me!

Like last year’s birthday art, I drew him dressed like Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit! It’s an unusual way to depict SpongeBob, but I love it.

Wishing SpongeBob an incredible, exceptional, and extraordinary day. But then again, every day is the best day ever for him.

[molluskshell]

(Originally posted on July 14, 2025)

香澄ちゃんお誕生日おめでとうございます！！🎂🎉🥳

Happy Birthday, Kasumi!! 🎂🎉🥳

She’s my favorite character in Bandori and I think it’s because of her enthusiasm, energy, and wonder.

Here’s to more Kirakira Dokidoki moments ahead!

[molluskshell]

(Originally posted on July 13, 2025 at 12:00 AM JST)

Happy Birthday Yohane!! 🎂🎉🥳

She’s my favorite character in Love Live! I decided to draw this prompt by the Love Live DTIYS (Draw This In Your Style) account on Twitter which shows her cute vulnerable side!

It’s very different from her cool side!

[molluskshell]

(Originally posted on July 12, 2025 at 12:00 AM JST)

JPN Caption:

南條さんお誕生日おめでとうございます！！🎂🎉🥳

今年の誕生日イラストには「光のはじまり」の南條さんとATBのA106です。

これからも応援しています。いい年なりますように！

EN Caption:

It’s already July 12 in Japan, so I would like to wish Yoshino Nanjo a very happy birthday! 🎂🎉🥳

Nanjo-san is a seiyuu who also sang the ending theme of ATOM: The Beginning, so I decided to draw her beside the character A106.

Wishing her a wonderful year ahead!

[molluskshell]

So…I made a couple of birthday art over the past few days, and I realized that I haven’t shared a single one here.

…

I guess I’ll just start posting them here then.

[molluskshell]

I personally refer to the character as ‘Atom’ as it just has a nicer ring to it rather than ‘Astro Boy’ or simply ‘Astro.’ It also sounds cooler, I think.

I also have Japanese friends whom I frequently talk about my interests (like Tezuka) with, so of course I’ll use ‘Atom’ since that’s the name they know him by.

Funnily enough, I refer to him as ‘Atom’ so much that my mom—who has always known him as ‘Astro Boy’ for all her life—pretty much calls him ‘Atom’ now too.

That said, when I wrote an academic paper on AI and Astro Boy for an English class during my freshman year, I did call the character ‘Astro.’ I do also refer to the franchise as ‘Astro Boy.’

Bit of an odd one but do you call him Astro/Astro Boy or Atom? (Or some other third option)

Personally, I call him Atom as that's what his original name is in Japan ( アトム , Atomu ).

Occasionally, I'll also use Astro or Astro Boy in certain contexts, but for the most part, I prefer using Atom.

I certainly will not judge anyone who uses either name though. In fact, I welcome seeing either name!

Tezuka Productions refers to him as Astro when communicating in English, and I think even Osamu Tezuka himself would call him Astro when working with Western companies and audiences.

I will say that it was interesting hearing him called Atom in the dub of the 2023 Pluto anime! With this blog having been around since 2016 and with me using the name Atom since that time, I sometimes have to wonder how much I might've influenced the people in charge of that dub using names like Atom and Dr. Ochanomizu!

For anyone seeing this post: which name for the main character of the franchise do you like to use?

[molluskshell]

I need more of this kind of hobbit fanart please!!!

Au of the hobbits if the Shire was more in line with the 1920s instead of the 1800s!

Also Pippin has found a lil camera and is snapping a picture of Merry :P

[molluskshell]

A few days ago, I bought Sting—the sword of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins—at a novelty store in Toledo.

It got me in the mood to draw this scene where Bilbo gifts the sword to Frodo before he goes on his adventure.

I’ll also consider this as a (very) belated Fathers’ Day illustration since this scene is one of the many instances showing Bilbo being the best father figure Frodo could ask for.

[molluskshell]

In light of Aqours’ Finale Live concluding today, I’d love to share that I’m incredibly honored to have been a part of OUR ETERNAL MIRACLE, a Love Live fanbook project dedicated to Aqours!

I drew Ruby based on the Cotton Candy Ei-Ei-Oh! music video! 🍭🍫🍌🍦

This is actually my first time doing this kind of thing—being a part of a fan project, that is—so I’m very thankful to the folks in charge of the fanbook for this amazing opportunity!

This whole project is a true labor of love and features the work of many amazing fan artists; you can check out some of them at @/Aqours_PJ on Twitter!

I’m really happy with this! I did my Ganbarubest!

[molluskshell]

Silmarillion sketches, once again, ha 💎💎💎

"Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, and swung it down like a bolt of thunder. But Fingolfin sprang aside, and Grond rent a mighty pit in the earth, whence smoke and fire darted."

"But Fëanor followed him, and at the door of the king’s house he stayed him; and the point of his bright sword he set against Fingolfin’s breast. ‘See, half-brother!’ he said. ‘This is sharper than thy tongue."

"...for though at great feasts Fëanor would wear them, blazing on his brow, at other times they were guarded close, locked in the deep chambers of his hoard in Tirion. For Fëanor began to love the Silmarils with a greedy love, and grudged the sight of them to all save to his father and his seven sons..."

[molluskshell]

After ten long years, I've finally finished (and re-read) Boku No Hero Academia! \^o^/ I still like the first hundred chapters best, though. But there is a lot of lovely characters I'd like to spend more time with :'^) Here is a ten-years-after redraw as a celebration, ha. Kacchan is joining them now ✧✧

[molluskshell]

I absolutely *LOVE* how Boq’s servant uniform in Wicked: For Good looks, so I decided to draw my Boq design wearing it.

(I forgot to give him his glasses so he kind of looks like Bilbo in Boq cosplay…)

[molluskshell]

It is finished!

After a whole week, the Bilbo poll I set up has finally closed!

The results are in, and the majority have decided that Sleepy Bilbo would be the better option for turning into a sticker/keychain/acrylic stand design!

Thank you to the 157 lovely people who voted; I didn’t expect this much engagement with it, so I really appreciate all of your input!

All that’s left to do is make it a reality!

[molluskshell]

Less than 11 hours until I can finally see which design the 157 lovely people who voted here prefer!!!

Gang, if I were to *theoretically* have a Bilbo acrylic stand or sticker made, which design do you think would look better?

[molluskshell]

Okay so I made a post asking folks which Bilbo design I made would look great on a sticker/acrylic stand.

I attached a poll and made it active until next week since I expected it would take about that long to get enough responses.

It’s been more than a day and there’s already 53 votes, which is way more than I expected!

I dunno how to close the poll prematurely or even see the results until it closes, so I’ll just leave it as is and patiently wait.

Thanks for the responses, gang! Really curious to see which design got the upper hand!