#//translating his design to my style was a fun challenge!

[gas-stxtion-a]

//i'm sorry i'm so mentally ill but i've been thinking about tony and the onceler and making myself diseased.

anyway. @triggerbigger count your fucking days because i am going to hunt you for sport and you will not enjoy it

[usagifuyusummer]

Hello, sorry it took me so long (6 days), but here's your request @candyglumboy. I was experimenting a lot on these honestly.

From first to last in order, First memories/ Mortality/ Ascension (or an imitation of heaven?). I'm still unsure if these are the appropriate titles for these pieces lol.

Thanks for requesting me by the way! It was fun practice admittedly. (I still suck ass at backgrounds though.)

As usual, my insane ramblings below and some close-ups and concept art (will change if formatting is fucked up).

Oh yeah, I've been offline a lot because I'm so busy with uni stuff and... unavoidable family matters..., plus all of these took me a while to finish. I was brainstorming a lot on their request and these are the ones I've chosen to finalize.

I've decided to go with the concept of life, death, and rebirth on their request to just see Peri hugging Timmy lmao, because why not? It was to make me fulfil this request in a more enjoyable and exciting way.

I was experimenting and practicing a lot on understanding the Fairly Oddparents style in these pieces. My attempts are still far from perfect obviously, I mean the second one (Mortality) took the longest for me to finish just because I couldn't translate 3D poses into the 2D artstyle very well lol. (The second one was the hardest to make it look... well alright/pretty to me. It looks like a mess of haphazardous colors... I am terrible at coloring. I think I'll share the other scrapped poses later.)

Honestly, I struggled and got frustrated a lot with finishing these but still enjoyed the process. Here I'll list my inspirations for each pieces;

First memories - xblubotx (i won't tag them because i don't want to disturb): Their small Peri/Poof and teen Timmy fanart pieces continues to inspire me to this day. And yes!!! I see that they have made More Timmy fanart!!! Thank you xblubotx. I will continue to appreciate those in silence.

Mortality - I was thinking of loss and death a lot on this one. I thought what kind of embrace that shows this feeling? So, I used the famous, Ivan the terrible and his son painting, for the pose. I wanted to challenge myself if I could translate the 3D pose into 2D, so yeah, that's the final result... It looks like a mess of vomited red colors... I am sorry if you're squeamish towards blood by the way. I wanted to see if I could also attempt to draw blood streaming. I still think I have a long ways to go in terms of skill... For now, enjoy the nuclear baby about to explode because of overwhelming feelings <3 <3 <3!

Ascension (or an imitation of heaven) - @bevony: I hope I did not miscredit you, as I used your Fairy Timmy design for this one! I changed it a little according to my preferences/headcannon though. Still, I love their Fairy Timmy design! I like the hot pink Channel boots that they gave Timmy lol. (And the very comfortable formal fashion.) Keep on slaying~ My Fairy Timmy design will probably be heavily influenced from them when I get to that eventually... Tell me if you don't want me to, I'll back off. For now, I'll be enjoying the others fanarts of Timmy quietly.

(Additionally, my phone is slowly dying from all of these creative projects that I'm doing currently lol. Agh, I wish I had a drawing tablet or a better device to satisfy these creative urges....)

Again, thank you for the request! I'm okay with requests as I'm still not confident with my creative skills at this moment lol. So, admittedly I view these as a challenge or for practice. I can't fulfil them quickly though, as I have multiple responsibilities to do in real life. Still, I don't mind them once in a while.

I hope you like what I've done here. Sorry if it doesn't fulfil your vision candyglumboy. I'll keep on practicing my creative skills.

So yeah, I think that's all I wanted to share in the post this time. I'm still at season 3 on the FOP rewatch by the way. I am very excited to get to the specials eventually. Yeehaw!!!

Here's some concepts and close-ups of the pieces below this long massive yapping session lmao. Thank you for reading. Have a nice day <3

[iomoru]

Iomoru’s Halloween Special 2024 | Part. 1

➢ 𝐀/𝐧: It's better late than never ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ (I also changed my writing style bc it looked so ugly..) (Check other parts on "Iomoru'sHalloweenSpecial2024" tag!)

➢ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Modern! Au, Halloween! Au, Fluff, Gn! Reader, Mondstadt Boys x Reader, Second Person, Proofread

➢ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐬: Albedo, Bennett, Diluc, Kaeya, Mika, Razor, Venti

➢ 𝐒𝐲𝐩𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬: How they would spend Halloween with their s/o

© ²⁰²⁴ ɪᴏᴍᴏʀᴜ ✰ do not repost, translate, plagiarize, use to train ai, or share my work on other social media platforms.

Part. 1, Part. 2, Part. 3, Part. 4, Part. 5, Part. 6, Part. 7, Part. 8

Albedo:

Albedo would suggest going to a Halloween-themed science museum exhibit, where the two of you can explore spooky experiments and interactive displays. He gets engrossed in explaining the science behind the haunting illusions, holding your hand as he leads you through the dimly lit halls. By the end of the night, he surprises you with a little Halloween-inspired art piece he sketched while waiting for you to finish reading one of the displays.

Bennett:

Bennett’s idea of a perfect Halloween is an adventurous night in a haunted corn maze! He’s a bit jittery and tends to cling to you as you navigate through each turn, laughing it off whenever he stumbles. He’s full of bright energy and encourages you to brave every scare. By the time you both make it out, he’s all smiles, thrilled that he could share this lucky experience with you.

Diluc:

Diluc would invite you to his place for a cozy Halloween movie marathon, setting up a blanket fort for the ultimate comfort. He tries to keep things relaxed, though he does bring out some artisanal pumpkin-spiced treats and hot cider that he made himself. As the evening goes on, he enjoys watching you react to the movies more than the films themselves, offering his shoulder when a scary scene catches you off guard.

Kaeya:

Kaeya has an eye for thrill, so he’d take you to a costume party, dressing up in a suave vampire outfit that looks almost too fitting. He keeps you entertained with witty comments and sneaky little challenges throughout the night, daring you to try every Halloween-themed snack or to join him on the dance floor. You end up laughing so much that, by the end of the night, you can’t tell if the party or Kaeya was the real attraction.

Mika:

Mika would nervously suggest going to a pumpkin patch with you, eager to share a fun, classic Halloween experience. He’s a bit shy but lights up when he finds the perfect pumpkin and insists on helping you pick yours. Afterward, he gets excited about the idea of carving them together, carefully designing his pumpkin’s face and stealing glances at yours to see your progress, cheeks pink from how happy he is to spend the day with you.

Razor:

Razor is new to Halloween traditions, so you take him trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, both of you dressed in simple costumes. He’s enchanted by the entire experience, from the spooky decorations to the candy he collects, proudly showing you his haul after each house. By the end of the night, he offers you some of his candy as thanks, his face lighting up every time you laugh or compliment his howling wolf costume.

Venti:

Venti would surprise you with tickets to a Halloween karaoke event, where you both dress up in wild costumes. He belts out spooky songs with flair, getting the crowd excited and pulling you onstage for a duet. His laughter is infectious, and by the end of the night, you’re both breathless from singing and dancing. He’s all smiles as he wraps an arm around you, joking about how the two of you stole the show as the ultimate Halloween duo.

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

[brights-place]

Hey so like, I was wondering if you could do like a Branch or JD x Metal troll s/o One shots? (Rock or punk if you can’t do metal) but if you can’t do it in general, that’s totally OK. I totally understand ^^

-🪐

Branch and John Dory dating an Metal! S/O

Pairings: Branch X Reader, JD X Reader (Seperate)

Warnings: Swearing, Fluff

A/N: As an metal head I'm SCREAMING SO LOUDLY WITH EXCITEMENT! I enjoy this request so I hope you like it since I've been getting very lazy to write more since I have some tests coming up but hope you like it (,,>﹏<,,)

John Dory

- You and John dory meet inside of a metalhead concert... Well more like john dory was going to go drop Floyd off to the concert but his eyes met yours pulled in by your tall figure and your messy like state but the bat wings on your back aswell. - John dory shyly asked you about well Metal music - It turns out that you have many interests in common with each other, both inside and outside of the metal music genre about you. - It was the mutual love of music well your love for it and John dory nodding his head pretending he understands! - that forms a deep bond between you two. As you spend time with your boyfriend and listen to metal, you begin to appreciate his passionate personality and unique style, and begin to fall more and more in love with him as he does with you - You are good friends with Floyd after meeting John dory's family which is acutally pretty cute - When John dory wakes up and see's you looming over him with corpse makeup though he screams so loudly it isn't funny... It is funny - John dory knows yoy have a passion for the genre and always find ways to express yourself through it - He does get freaked out when you play it out of nowhere but hey! he loves you - He sometimes asks you to turn it down which you comply with of course - John dory tries to get you to listen to pop but when you just stare and bop your head slightly he knows you like it but it can't ever replace Metal - He wears your metal shirts just for fun and whenever you see him in them you rush over to hug him - He loves having you kiss him if your wearing black lipstick he likes the kisses since he is touch starved.

Branch

- You met at a concert accidentally bumping into each other - When Branch became a rock zombie and turned back to a pop troll he still enjoyed some rock music and maybe he would enjoy metal music too! - To branch you were a total rockstar - Branch knows how you love everything about metal, from the clothes to the music to the attitude.

- But, behind the confident and tough exterior, Branch has a soft side that only you can see

- You and Branch are a perfect example of opposites attracting. (name) is daring and unpredictable while Branch is reserved and thoughtful.

- You and Branch have a deep connection and understanding of each other despite their differences in genre - Branch is a true supporter of your ambitions and talents especially when you want to jam out and singing metal songs. - You love helping branch grow and gain confidence. - (name) loves talking about metal music with Branch and educating him on the different genres and artists as he stares at you lovingly with an soft smile

- (name) and Branch have a strong sense of loyalty toward each other. - branch always see you often head banging to your favorite heavy metal tunes. - (name) pushes Branch to be the best version of himself by challenging him and encouraging him to step outside of his comfort zone. - You have a wardrobe full of edgy and trendy metal shirts with graphic designs and slogans. - Since your a metal head if he ever finds something he knows you would like for example when vising barb with poppy he bought an Rock and Metal band shirts when he gave it to you he laughed when you kissed his cheeks

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2024 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact!

[perenial]

gene im so glad you said this cause I haven't seen anyone else comparing it to the book as source material for like character and tone but i am So sure that if terry was alive the season would not be like this but i fear good omens fans dont realise how big a factor the lack of terry's influence is?? or like they forget that good omens was never just neilman???

ok before i go any further: i rly don't want to detract from anyone's enjoyment of the season and everything im going to say comes from a place of love for a) the original novel (& season 1 to a certain extent bc it got me back into it lol) and b) tv as a medium so like peace and love on planet let people enjoy things etc etc

but

like u said, terry's influence on the book was enormous – what makes gomens gomens is the balance of his genuine warmth and precise understanding of humanity tempered with neilman's sardonic voice and general like.....savvy approach to storytelling? i guess u could call it? anyway what rly helps the book is that it took them years to write it, passing ideas back and forth and rewriting each other's work until their voices blended seamlessly and a well structured capital-s Story was created. when i praise the book for being self-contained i think a huge part of that comes from the circumstances in which it emerged: two authors with complementary styles writing in a v particular time period where they had both the space to play with their ideas and the constraints of the novel as a storytelling format from which to craft something extremely specific.

adaptations are a tricky business and a tv version of gomens produced literal decades after the book was always going to have some unique challenges, but i don't think that's a bad thing bc the challenges could prove to be creative opportunities to take both the established audience and those new to the story by surprise. my biggest hot take here is that i don't think translating a story into a different medium means it has to follow the original narrative exactly, bc each medium has its own ways of communicating information and these structures, rules and traditions in turn inform what that story is. what matters more than following a story beat-by-beat is capturing what that story is about at its core, what themes and messages and ideas it works through and how.

all this is to say i never expected tv gomens to be a perfect reproduction of the book and if it had it been, it probably would have been worse off for it. that being said, there are parts of the book – like u said, its tone and character – that needed to have some fidelity in order to pull it off, and for the most part s1 did that bc it was still working predominantly within the bounds of the novel & its core ideas. while i did have some issues w how neilman & amazon adapted some details and characterisations, i generally rly liked s1 – it reminded me of why i loved the book and it was just generally fun to watch.

s2 was. not that fun to watch

a few positives before i go ham w the critiques:

the hair & makeup + costumes were fantastic (although i feel like s1 was slightly better re: makeup?)

the sound design & score made some of the more awkward scenes bearable and thats no mean feat imo

david & michael gave incredible performances w what they were given – michael especially managed to salvage aziraphale enough that his complete 180 didnt feel completely tonally dissonant (more on this later)

the detail of the sets is NUTS and i genuinely want to see more of hell bc of how intricate and fun the props look

i actually like gabriel/beelzebub!! their getting together montage worked for me, although they could have spent sliiiightly more time establishing what it is they like abt each other so much + why gabriel wanted to stop armageddon 2.0 so suddenly

the opening scene, although not on par w the novel's & s1's, was visually gorgeous and thematically resonant (although neilman owes me royalties for ripping it off from this shitty fic i wrote back when raphael!crowley was all the rage lol)

now w THAT being said:

like i said yesterday, the pacing was fucking awful. flashbacks are hard to work w at the best of times and the way they were used in this season felt so needless, especially the 40s one in ep 4 that takes up like 90% of the episode. in both flashbacks + present day there were scenes that dragged for no real reason, dialogue that looped back around on itself to stretch out the runtime, and weirdly enough places where there should have been character & plot work where there just,, wasn't any?? for example, maggie & nina's night locked in the café – some parts of the dialogue in later episodes made out that they'd had some rly deep conversation abt how they feel about each other or even that they'd had an affair, but that isn't clear from those scenes in the café. i'm not saying we had to see that conversation in its entirety but that there needed to be more connective details – either in dialogue or direction – that gave that part of the story coherence.

(there were pacing issues w the editing too but i don't want to jump down the editor's throats on this one bc im more focused on writing & direction issues)

the second major problem that i mentioned in my tags yesterday is the protagonist shift, which is an issue that started in s1. aziraphale & crowley are side characters in book gomens – significant ones, yeah, but still somewhat peripheral to adam (& anathema who counts as a deuteragonist imo). this works incredibly well w who they are as characters: they're Just Some Guys who happen to be involved in this epic biblical-level bureaucratic nightmare and importantly, they don't want to be in the spotlight. the arrangement was created so that they could explore what it meant to be themselves away from the Big Narrative; literally any time they get involved in larger affairs is bc the plot is alive and caught them unionising on company time. the last fucking chapter is adam (& god) being like haha u guys are alright keep it sleezy and letting them go. like. hello. neil u let them go.

but then!! tv gomens s1 does something interesting at the end w the body swapping addition that i dont totally hate – it gives aziraphale & crowley the extra bit of character work that brings them slightly more adjacent to their book selves. see i kinda view tv a/c as the younger, less settled versions of book a/c; they're still caught up in the immediacy of being key players and haven't fully realised that earth is their home. i haven't watched s1 in a while but one scene i remember rly clearly is crowley throwing all those astronomy texts in the air and angsting abt when he was an angel; i remember it bc his anguish in that scene feels a lot newer and rawer than book crowley's feelings about falling. when tv a/c do their bodyswap, it gives them the chance to land a blow against heaven/hell in a way that solidifies their allegiance to earth in a way that more closely resembles what book a/c have been abt the entire time (still adjacent, though. not parallel).

the reason why this works is that it does one final pivot to orient aziraphale and crowley as almost-main characters in a manner that makes sense in relation to a) their book selves and b) the position the tv show has placed them in. a combination of factors made tv a/c feel a lot less mature than their book counterparts but at the end of s1 they're sort of facing the same direction the book ended in, albeit through their own flashy late 2010s means.

when s2 was announced i was.......apprehensive bc to me, that felt like a satisfactory ending. i get the impression that amazon saw how wildly successful the adaptation was and was like oh shit we could make way more money out of this and neilman, having all those undead darlings that he and terry killed in the process of whittling the book into a workable novel, jumped at the chance to resurrect all those half-realised ideas. but not only were those ideas probably discarded for a reason, they've either been laying in wait for years unworked or they're new inventions, which means they weren't molded in the way that the book had been. like i said before, book gomens underwent years of rewrites and creative collaboration, and i think that process was what made it so good; s2 didn't have that. even if some of terry's ideas made it into s2, his influence is still missing bc he and neilman weren't in dialogue the same way they were in the book (and in some ways s1 bc i know terry was involved in the process of adapting gomens to screen before his death).

i don't think it's a case of newer fans forgetting terry so much as it is the context of terry's involvement being so removed from the current circumstances that certain aspects & discourses (i.e. is the s2 finale queerbaiting (no), does binge watching change the viewership experience (yes), etc etc) about the show overshadow other discussions that would usually be taking place. and before anyone says it's a case of neilman forgetting terry, i definitely don't think it's that either bc thats. yknow. wildly disrespectful. but also there are larger systems and structures at play than one writer no matter how much beef i have w him and his decisions, bc ultimately he's just one guy (a powerful and wealthy guy, but just a guy) and there's a wider cultural shift happening rn towards rehashing old stories without understanding what made them successful in the first place, and that same culture just doesn't allow for much, if any, constructive discourse analysis

so yeah

[klug]

do you recommend puzzle pop? i keep really wanting to play it but i do not want to get apple arcade just for that. but i dont know of any other way to get it... so i keep waffling back and forth. i guess im mostly wondering if you think its worth it, i know youve been posting about it but i blocked spoilers so idk what your thoughts are fully

Hi anon :) This is a very good question and gives me a chance to talk about the game

So for starters: You can technically get a free trial of Apple Arcade for a month and this is honestly enough time to just play through for the story modes. I think there are free Apple Arcade trials offered through Best Buy and stuff if you've already used a trial though. If you have an Apple device I feel like it's good to just go for it and try it out?

My short answer is: Yes if you want to play for story and collectibles! Especially if you're mostly interested in the Fever characters! But no if you are more focused on online multiplayer or the Madou characters. The suzuran group actually get a decent amount of content in this game, especially Ecolo in their main story.

I can't really say if I recommend it because everyone in the fandom has really different tastes honestly? Like, if you care mostly about the Madou Monogatari characters, I don't know if you'll like it because the story focus is heavy on Sig and Amitie…and it raises more questions than anything. So I'll just put a personal pros/cons list.

Pros:

The game looks really nice for an Apple Arcade game. Yeah the models are reused, but they use the expressions/motions to their full potential and the cel-shading is great. I also love the environment design. It also isn't live service so you can play it without an internet connection.

The main story, overall, is really good. There are a few standout side stories too IMO! My favorites are Feli, Witch's, Risukuma's, Ally's and Rafisol's.

So many collectibles. The Puyo Card feature, a customizable ID card you can unlock stuff for, is probably the most fun thing they've added to this game.

There's not a lot of new songs but the new ones are very good.

The inclusion of Nazo Puyo-style puzzles in story mode is a lot of fun, but they're skippable if you're bad at them.

Photo mode is fun. Basically you have a diorama where you can pose the characters however you want, but I haven't used it much.

Cons:

Yes the models and animations are reused, most other stuff in the game is new though!

The main story starts out really strong but does feel a bit anticlimactic in the last act. If you have already read the novel Sig's Secret you most likely won't get anything out of the story, which was the case for me. I've known a lot of people who haven't and cried at the ending though.

Some of the side stories for certain characters are really whatever to me but this is subjective.

The translation can be really weird in places -- I think Suketoudara's side story is where it was at its worst, but there are random errors scattered throughout the English translation...

The music selection is a bit weird to me. Like, Rafisol's theme isn't in the game but the Color Tower theme is? It's just a weird selection.

The challenge dungeons for unlockables can feel really tedious since you're not guaranteed to get characters' special items. If you have a grind mindset and really enjoy Puyo Puyo gameplay though, this is probably fine.

The online is terrible and nonexistent. This kind of renders the Puyo Card moot if you really care about showing it off.

You will need a controller for some of the harder stages. The touch controls are fine if you just want to get through the story, but you'll need a bluetooth controller for more precise inputs.

I basically do think it was well-constructed at the start, but most likely Yoshino (the writer) ran out of space or time for the last story in the game.

[lorum-strap]

Manos pt. 1

MANOS

 Deep aromatic skin. A bartender in a taverna. He smelled of cigarettes, bitter sweet compari, disaronno, Mastika with lemon and pipire. Not all at once. It was the flood of memory that made me associate these scents with him. The flavors stuck to my tongue. Just as he stuck to the psyche.

    The taverna called “Fidiou 2” located in Athens, Greece. Fidiou translates to snake funny enough. If I want to be reminded of his essence I will lite a freshly rolled cigarette let it burn by a window like an incense. The nicotine honey that collects on the paper - I will touch to my lips. I will put compari and lime in a shot glass, swirl it around with my finger and suck on it until I get a touch of arousal. Then listen to his voice note that ends with “Kisses Goodnight.”

 A local girl in Athena brought my friend and I to Fidou. We entered the alley in which the tavern was perfectly placed. I was simply enchanted. The energy of the people in the street really fulfilled every small fantasy I had around the European way of life. Traditional music echoed off the marble buildings that towered over us. A meloncholy voice be the proud possessor of a middle aged woman with a tambourine. Accompanying her stunning vibrato, a well seasoned bouzoukia player. Very similar to a mandolin in sound and design. United their soft trance like melodies reverberating around us. 

 Upon entering this place I noticed him sitting at a table and thought to myself - what a beautiful man. I don’t think he noticed me. I was fixed on his traditional zorro-esque, young Jack Sparrow type energy. He stood out from the others. When asked what my type is in a man. I always say its never really physical but more energetic. I am attracted to the man who seeks, who ponders, who embodies. Something I’m reluctant to admit- someone who is slightly troubled at a caliber that doesn’t cause much harm. When you are curious you are always searching for other. Someone who challenges their current state in attempts to evolve.  I know this from the direction in which he gazes - down to the ground. But his shoulders are strong and reach up to the sky. So I know he will find what he’s looking for. 

The staff darted in and out with trays of shots and Greek tapas. They’re all so warm to one another. They were hugging, laughing and sharing kisses cheek to cheek in the European fashion. Shots were poured and the crew broke out into song before they were taken. Their arms layed over each others shoulders smiling from ear to ear. Ive never felt so safe around a group of strangers allowing their love to be shamelessly expressed. It was infectious. After a good many shots we danced to the next party location, this one more modern with a Dj playing mostly American top 40 from 2016. 

My company for the greek portion of my trip were Rea and Nefeli. Rea being a half greek girl from the states strong in her conviction and a great love for the culture. Nefeli, a full blown Greek and very proud to say so. Both unique and gorgeous. 

  We were receiving a lot of attention from the opposite sex. The attention was very respectful and never predatory. The boys were cute and very fun although it was the man I saw at Fidou who pulled up a chair and sat in the front of my mind.

The girls and I danced, sang and laughed until the black sky turned a dark blue. Initiation to the break of dawn. We had been out for a while. A few of the people from Fidou 2 had gotten off work and walked past the small club, rolling their cigarettes, staggering a bit dressed in black and grey colors. I loved their style. Piercings, Mohawks, and buzz cuts. Less punk and more dark bohemian in dress some could say- grunge. Us girls really enjoyed their company. There is something about a sweet and salty mix of characters that are biologically magnetic towards one another.  I asked one of the bartenders from Fidou about the guy with the small hoop earrings, low ponytail and white shirt. Ahhh! Manos! He declared. Yes, yes! Where is he tonight? Ehh he is not here tonight he works at the bar tomorrow - You should come by! He said in a thick Armenian accent. Looking towards the girls my eyes lit up. They chuckled and teased me a bit. Once my compass points a certain direction its hard for me to steer away until its proven unworthy of my attention. So I had to give it a shot.

[theblueskyphoenix]

Finally this guy appears. 

Dear GERSH it took me awhile to get this design right. I did an initial design back in November of last year that I was... eh... about. Mainly it didn’t feel creepy enough. So I let it sit for a bit and focus on some of the other characters. Finally came back to it today after having a dream and seeing this version of him. 

So, Storm and I sat down, watched some episodes and I sketched while watching. (Fun fact I am still making my way through the series properly. XD I’m in season 3 and having a good time.) And so... we get all this. 

I basically broke Skeleton King into pieces to try and improve the original design I had. Started with his head, then worked towards everything else. Cause truth be told the hardest thing for me to nail down was his head. Mainly in that... I had to allow myself to break way from giving him a realistic skull. Odd thing to say but this is due to the fact of doing things in my style rather than doing as the show did. The show stylized his skull in a way that made sense. I can’t get away with it as well in my style. So hence I had to think of something. The solution being allowing myself to warp his skull into something monster like due to what happened to him. So skull was stretched out, jaw is detached and he has his sharp teeth. Very happy with this skull over the realistic one. Again, I know, odd to say but I really wanted to keep the essence of what it was like in the show since I do like the design. Just a matter of translating. And with the realistic one I just didn’t think he was scary enough. He’s supposed to be the stuff of nightmares for Chiro. This realistic skull wasn’t it. This one? Absolutely. 

Then as for the rest of of him, the body was honestly the easiest part since what I had done initially I was already okay with. Just made minor tweaks like simplifying how much bone we see, how much bone he has, and modifying his outfit, Like giving him full on pants since admittedly, have his leg bones showing came off as a bit goofy to me. Same with the claw feet. Just seemed to silly so he gets full on boots. 

Last piece was his staff and I just decided to redesign the whole thing from the ground up. Kept elements of his canon one but wanted more power to exude from it. 

After all that, we then get the concept art render at the beginning of the post. Where we see his cloak as well and all the pieces put together. 

Tough challenge, but very happy with the end results. I look forward to doing full renders of this guy in the future. 

And yeah. Hope you all enjoy my take on The Skeleton King. 

Catch ya on the next one.

[irenespring]

House MD Drag Race Simulator: Week 4- The Ball

Commentary

Masters saw the mini challenge was a quiz and was like "finally my moment to shine"

Wilson spent the entire design challenge pretending to fail to make House laugh, only working when House wasn't paying attention. In the end House's outfit barely stuck together and Wilson had an immaculate paper dress. House had to give him that "I am grudgingly impressed by your subterfuge" smile.

Masters made an elaborate structured fashion piece that made up for the rest of her outfits being a little subdued.

Foreman won the last design challenge with fabric, and couldn't translate it to books. He spent the entire time complaining about the format. Taub was failing too so was annoyed enough to engage him. They lost valuable time.

When Wilson won the challenge he spent the time usually spent thanking Ru to roast House for always making fun of him and his style, because clearly it paid off, and House is in the bottom, so ha.

Foreman obliterating Taub at a lipsynch tracks (no one knew he could do the splits and Chase started clapping in the background).

House, Cuddy, and Masters are clearly intimidated by the power of Foreman's splits.

Everyone is mean to Thirteen except apparently House (they are clearly intimidated her by her superior drag race performance). Why Thirteen chose to open up to him is a mystery for the ages but apparently he was in one of his "decent person" moods that appear every three years or so.

Foreman and Masters smoking together is so ridiculous an image it doesn't require further commentary.

[miloscat]

[Review] Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels (Wii)

The waggle is what gives a Jedi her power.

I’m looking forward to Jedi Survivor, so I thought I’d knock a few other Star Wars games off my backlog before it releases. Starting with this, the final game based on the Clone Wars animated shows that I haven’t played yet (apart from an old MMO that is long since shut down, a mobile game that I couldn’t find a non-crashing version of, a handful of Flash games, and Disney Infinity... hmm). I’ve previously played Lego Star Wars III on both console and handheld, Republic Heroes on console and DS, plus the other DS game Jedi Alliance. The latter was actually the companion release to Lightsaber Duels, although they’re in totally different genres. This one is a one-on-one fighting game, mostly centred around the no-brainer concept of translating Wii Remote swings to lightsaber strikes. And, it was made by beloved Aussie studio Krome!

The game was in development at the same time as the show, so it’s only able to pull from first season episodes and the movie. The story mode is fairly brief but adapts certain fights that were seen on screen, with framing cutscenes made up of footage along with new narration by Tom Kane’s narrator. All the characters are voiced by their show counterparts in fact, and the graphics match the show’s 3D animation as well, so it’s nice and authentic. I would have liked to see more new content, but there is one unique scenario at least, with the final battle featuring an advanced dual-saber-wielding droid.

The cast plays pretty safe with the main saber-compatible heroes and villains from the show. Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto are unlockable by engaging with the Challenge mode, but I couldn’t be arsed. The stages are fun with dynamic layouts and events happening, like droids popping out to ineffectually shoot at you, or bits and pieces exploding and such.

It’s really the core gameplay that lets this down, as waving the wiimote and nunchuck around just never translates to a satisfying and deep gameplay experience. There are combos you can do if you can somehow get the correct directional waggles in sequence, and there are technically dodges, force fling powers, and so forth, but in practice I got through the fights by flailing madly and spamming force attacks while hoping the bot player didn’t just block everything.

Let me pull out a few choice tidbits before wrapping up. I was amused by the tutorial, where Anakin is training Ahsoka on the basics; his fully modelled hands appear on screen holding a Wii Remote and nunchuck to demonstrate the controls, which of course establishes that they exist in the Star Wars universe. The characters pepper quips throughout each duel, which are sometimes surprisingly crass insults, and can be pretty silly when a character is versing themself. Finally I recommend inputting cheats to unlock the concept art gallery, as there’s some good work in there; I wouldn’t mind seeing a comic illustrated by the Krome artists in fact!

Lightsaber Duels works in theory and Krome did a decent job filling the game out in certain areas. But relying too much on motion controls is sadly a fundamental flaw to any game design. As part of the Clone Wars project they could have gone further in the game’s content, but it seems this was compromised by the schedule and even supposedly not wanting to spoil the events of then-upcoming episodes! An absurd concern 15 years later. Still, as a fan of the show I enjoyed the character interactions and how well the game fits the show’s style, even if it’s just a bit of waggly fluff.

[miharuhebinata]

monthly game tag time!

january

1. Fayburrow

i contemplated not even including this one on this list, as it was incredibly short, but i figured i should. story was interesting & the graphics were pretty, but the controls weren't great & again, it is fairly short (half-an-hour at most), but it's completely free & overall a nice experience.

2. Heaven's Vault

honestly i have mixed feelings about this game. the story was really good, but in the end it just felt way too damn long. still, the main game mechanic of translating a language (which was specifically made for this game!!) was super cool to me, i had so much fun with it even though it could be pretty challenging lol so overall i do recommend it! besides the length, probably my biggest issue was how slow the main character moved, but still, if it sounds like something you'd be interested in then overall i definitely recommend it :)

3. Chicken Police - Paint it RED!

this was my personal favorite of the games i played in january. the art style was so unique & the mystery was fairly good, though i'd be remiss if i didn't admit it played into some harmful ableist tropes, which was disappointing. imo where the game truly shined, though, was the world-building. like i literally felt compelled to gather each & every piece of information i could, not just because i'm a completionist, but because i genuinely enjoyed learning more about the fictional world, so i definitely recommend it based on that alone lol

february

1. Bugsnax

if you've been paying attention lately then you probably already know i absolutely adored this game! literally my only criticism was the loading times, everything else was a 10/10 🥰🥰🥰 ...well, actually i do have one more very slight criticism but that would be getting into spoiler territory & i don't want to spoil anything in case someone does decide to pick it up :3

2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

tbh the controls felt super wonky the first time i tried playing this (which i actually made a post about) but upon retrying it they weren't so bad? i mean i actually managed to finish the game this time lol

but anyway, on to my actual thoughts. i thought this game was pretty good! the story was kind of hard to follow at times, but i think that's probably due to me not being super into star wars lore. also ngl cal was kind of boring to me, like i was much more invested in cere, greez, bd-1, & merrin than i ever was in cal. not that i disliked him or anything, just overall his character arc was the least interesting to me (although i do think it got better in the second half of the game). & speaking of the second half, the final fight? EASILY the best part of the entire game 🤯🤯 like honestly i have to recommend the game based on that alone LOL

3. Hitman GO

having played Lara Croft GO a couple years ago, i decided to give this one a try. honestly there's not much to say about it except that it was fun! you don't have to be super into the Hitman series to play this (i'm certainly not lol), it's really just a fun little strategy game more than anything. plus the graphics & sound design are really nice! i played it on the computer but it's made for mobile & it's only $6, so definitely check it out if you're looking for a good mobile game to play :)

[wrenandpaper]

Sorry I disappeared for a while, thanks for the love on the Kosmo piece during August! I'm kind of posting out of order, but this is actually a WIP I've been working on since ... well, apparently 2018 oh god has it really been that long

Click for my partner's piece from back then!

So this is a fun challenge between myself and my partner from 2018 jesus christ of some of our OCs from various stories we have.

I worked on this on and off, most recently in 2022, but it shows how some WIPs get buried over time! I have more love children to draw but my style has changed so much that I'm uploading this as a Part 1 and I'll do the rest as a Part 2 with a fresh start!

Even though these are all AUs, if we like the designs enough they might get new stories! So these bios are all in the "what if" scenarios that I cooked up. I don't really have updated pieces of their parents, but I'll try to describe their circumstances in the bios under the cut!

Rani | 19 | She/They | Genesis: Penumbra Waypoint | Ren x Shinji

Rani's name may denote her as a Queen, but they know they are nothing but a bird in a gilded cage. Born of a forced marriage between two would-be rebels who were caught before they could defect from the Crown, Rani has always felt like a punishment. There is love between her parents, but it was love akin to family, and as the years continue, even that seems to erode until her parents barely speak to one another.

She spends most of her time wandering castle grounds, trying to awaken her powers. Since she is the child of two very skilled individuals, she must be strong, right? She must be worth something. They have been unable to summon anything until now when small shadows form into a young chick - proving that her Father's shadow manipulation has somehow been infused with the gift of life...?

Shohei | 17 | He/Him | World of Four Seasons | Hajime x Yoshiaki

Named after a famous baseball star, Shohei was raised by two dads who live, eat, and breathe sports. Yoshiaki was his school's baseball club Captain and Hajime was best friend and his rock. Friends for many years, neither of them expected to raise a child together... but after one drunken night in their 20s, that all changed.

Shohei grew up surrounded by love, and a lot of passion for athletics. He was able to throw a perfect pitch before he started school, and he was consistently the fastest runner in his class. However, when he entered the same high school that his Fathers met at, he joined the Drama Club on a whim and everything changed.

Now he tries to hide his love of literature and the arts from his well-meaning parents, as they always had high hopes for him becoming a professional athlete. In his school life, he's more reclusive and snide than one would expect, but somehow his good looks have earned him a small but passionate group of admirers of all genders.

Mina and Jouji "Jo" Redford | 22, 28 | She/Her, He/Him | World of Four Seasons | Lulu x Kira

Mina and Jouji were born of a sweet high school romance between Lucille Cartwright, the genius of her academy, and her ever loyal and warm childhood best friend, Kira Redford.

It came as a shock when Kira confessed her near lifelong feelings for Lulu to her upon graduation, but it was even more shocking when Lulu decided to defer University to explore how she really felt about Kira. The two of them grew closer from there, until Mina and Jouji were born.

Lulu and Kira decided to move to Australia when the children were young, following in the footsteps of Kira's relatives. Despite their Mothers' best efforts, Mina and Jouji weren't very close growing up, partly because of their contrasting personalities. Mina was cautious and serious, whereas Jouji was more of a... "free spirit" [translation: dropout.] When he was 20, Jouji moved to Japan to study music... however... that dream crashed and burned under unknown circumstances, and he decided to move back home and prioritise family. Now he attempts to reach out to his full-time working Mothers and enigmatic younger sister, to mixed results.

Mina, on the other hand, only really cares about her Veterinary studies right now. Family drama is the last thing she needs, especially since she's busy dating a cute girl on Campus... well, it isn't too bad when the family is having dinner together. She could get used to it.

[mollykeaneyviscom]

Oded Ezer Workshop - Day Two

Exceptional Concept Exercise

choose one type of project from the options provided

develop concept proposal for the chosen type of project, using the basic steps demonstrated

think of a possible unique product that will be the outcome of such a project

here your ideas with other students to get their feedback and improve your proposal

find 1-3 related projects or references, that will help you to explain your ideas to others

When we started todays exercise I was more immediately drawn to option number four: Revival Project

When thinking of a revival project the immediate and obvious choice that comes to mind is a typeface revival. While this is a good option I have no immediate thoughts which come to mind and I don’t think this type of project would excite me enough. So I started thinking about what else I could revive or what could be considered a revival project.

Once again in his formulas Oded asked us for the field in which we specialise most so I decided to use this as a basic starting point. If type designers revive typefaces or create a typeface derived from old styles and outdated techniques, could this be translated into another medium. My area of interest is animation so I started thinking about how I could revive early animations or play with old animation techniques. I am not an illustrator and obviously originally animations were all hand drawn frame by frame, so instead my mind went to thinking about how I could revive, use or update old animation machinery/technology:

https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/daniel-stankler-animation-160919

https://www.itsnicethat.vcom/news/mobile-studio-architects-kanazawa-flipbook-product-design-300321 I then thought about what else I could revive, or bring new life to in a broader context. Something that sprung to mind was the number of amazing older songs which, for whatever reason, don’t have music videos. Songs have a story build into them, or a potential narrative which could be open to interpretation, so I thought it could be interesting to take an old song and create a music video for it now as a way to give in new life and highlight meaning. This reminded me of Elton Johns competition the cut, where he challenged filmmakers to create the official music videos for Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and Bennie and the Jets. This was a way of getting a younger audience to engage with his music:

I also wondered if I could find a way to revive Ancient Greek mythology stories. I studied classical civilisation in school so I have a fair amount of knowledge surrounding this subject. I feel like Greek Mythology is a really fun convergence of history and fiction which interests and engages a lot of people but there’s not a lot of ways of find out about it beyond personal research and reading these old stories from incredibly long books such as the odyssey.

Obviously Oded wants us to work in the field of design in which we specialise most which for me is animation and motion, so I began thinking about how I could translate Greek mythology and tell these stories through animation. When I spoke to Oded about this he suggested taking inspiration/animating in the art styles of this time, such as the white sculptures:

These are my references for the style of animations I like and felt could work for this idea:

I wasn’t particularly excited about any of these ideas at this stage of the day. When considering the music video idea however I thought of something that might actually work better for project type number five: Visual Research Project

When I was thinking about artists and songs I could use I thought about Sleeping At Last’s album Enneagram, which is 9 songs based on the 9 Enneagram personality types. I could research into the 9 personality types and create a visual language for each. Using this I could then create an animated music video for each of the songs.

Overall I would say I struggled more with this day, I wasn’t coming up with as many interesting ideas I was excited about for these project starting points.

[artsysotherocs]

Royal Velvet Cookie's Bakery Shenanigans

Are you familiar with the youtuber vvv

If you do, you might know about his OC, Royal Velvet Cookie, and his community, Cookie Run: Together.

Well in the discord server, he held a contest that's part of the series "Path to Beyond Creativity." The prompt was Royal Velvet Cookie playing Hide 'n Seek with our cookie OC. Since its summer break for me, I decided to join my first Beyond Creativity. So, here's my submission.

Here, I showcase Muffin Top Cookie trying to find the small cookie. He was in the middle of making bread when the tiny cookie challenged him to a game of hide 'n seek. So, off with the apron to search around the kitchen. Little does he know that the pesky Royal Velvet Cookie is hiding under his hat, Ratatouille style.

I really challenged myself making this, especially the background. The labels are written in French as I headcanon the Hollyberry Kingdom to be Erthbread's France. The jars on the shelf from left to right contain sugar, brown sugar, and flour. The container next to the pepper grinder contains salt.

My favourite prop is the cookbook that references Bacon Cookie. It's a nice thing to tie this to the Cookie Run canon. The title is English cuz the French translation was too long (I only used Google Translate, sorry).

Of course there are mistakes, whether in line work or the designs. Nonetheless, I had fun and was proud of myself when I finished it. Here's to hoping I'll win the contest :D

[wellfine]

I had a small question for you: I've noticed your body types and details when it comes to characters feel very human. Little traits in body refs come together very well in your designs. Because of how well you can convey these things, I was wondering if there are any OP characters that are more difficult for you to draw? Be it design wise or translating the OP style to your own? Hope this isn't an odd thing to ask haha

Not odd at all, this is a really interesting ask! I always love an opportunity to talk about why I draw things the way I do haha... Also I'm so flattered you feel that way, body variations are something I find really interesting and gratifying to draw so I'm glad people pick up on them and like them too!

HMMmmm... Honestly I find it harder to translate faces to my style than bodies HAHA. There are sooo many interesting body silhouettes in One Piece that I find it more of a fun puzzle trying to translate them! Montblanc Cricket is definitely a challenge for example because his body shape is sooo extreme (dat neck. You know Zoro's jealous) but that's part of why I like his design/drawing him.

I mean okay the hardest Straw Hat for me to draw is Brook LMAO but I feel like that's cheating because you have to be so precise with all those bones. Body-wise... maybe Nami? It took me a long time to decide on what kind of body type vibes she was giving me before I decided she was kind of beanstalk-y but with big boob implants. I try and draw her boobs to look fake on purpose contrasted with, say, Robin or Tashigi, and I hope it comes across. I just think it's in-character that if her boobs got notably bigger after the time skip, well, it's because she wanted big old honkers lmao!

Zoro is also difficult sometimes because I imagine his body changes appearance a lot, not just because he gains muscle steadily over the series, but even on a shorter scale he probably fluctuates between bulking and cutting. I find it enjoyable to draw him at various stages but it does mean he looks inconsistent in my art sometimes and occasionally I worry that people won't understand my intent. Sanji can also be difficult to get the right proportions for because his muscle composition is so unbalanced, like some kind of hyper-cyclist, but I don't want to make him look absurd out of context either.

I'm not a furry artist by nature (despite Everything) so the hardest body types for me to translate are definitely animalistic characters, whether they're Zoan types or Minks! Chopper and Pedro are still hard for me to draw, for example, even if Minks mostly just have humanoid body shapes covered in hair. I have a hard time clicking with them. Interestingly fishmen/mermaids are not as difficult - I think because they're more fantastical, you can be less 'accurate'?

I'm trying to think of non-Straw Hat characters... Honestly I have a much harder time drawing faces than bodies. I'm working on it. I think my headcanon for Law's body type is at odds with a lot of other fans' LOL (same as me seeing Sanji without a shred of ass), I just can't see him as being muscular at all - he strikes me as the type who barely eats enough and doesn't really work out so he's all gaunt and gangly. Kid is WIIIDDEE which is fun to draw but sometimes hard to get the proportions of. One Piece women tend to be harder to translate to my style than men because their canon body types are so much less diverse :/ but I do enjoy it too. Vivi was hard for me to settle on but I like the body type headcanon I have for her now - I just haven't had time to draw it LMAO. Oh, and Yamato can be hard, but for kind of different reasons. His body is so politicised I know I'm going to get weird comments no matter how I draw him. Giving him top surgery makes me personally feel more comfortable in some ways (visibly denouncing transphobes etc) but less comfortable in others (implying that top surgery is necessary to be transmasc etc). But that's a different kind of difficulty. I still enjoy drawing him.

Inorganic shapes are much harder for me to draw so I would say the hardest OP characters for me are characters like Franky or Brook who have bone/cyborg parts! I love Franky's post-timeskip silhouette (sir your A-frame) but I always struggle with his shoulders and forearms because they're not organic shapes so inconsistencies/scale inaccuracies are way more obvious. Sometimes Fishmen designs fit into this category a bit too.

I hope there was something useful or interesting in that answer somewhere! For me personally I would say - based on bodies only - the Straw Hats scale from easiest -> hardest to draw is: Usopp -> Luffy -> Zoro -> Sanji -> Robin -> Nami -> Jinbe -> Franky -> Chopper -> Brook. Usopp is hands-down easiest for me because I take a lot of inspo for him from my boyfriend so it comes surprisingly naturally. (Love u baby)

Thank you again for such an interesting ask and for letting me indulge in talking about myself for so long, I always enjoy asks like this!