#As long as you do not claim the design as your own I am completely OK 👍🥄

[clownsuu]

Hello! I was looking at this one art you did of Wally that I reblogged recently and I wanted to ask if you would mind if I made a lil outfit for my Wally Plush based on it? I think it looks incredibly gorgeous and I wanted my own little Wally to look as pretty irl. If that's okay with you?

Oh I do not mind at all! I would love to see the finished work if you are willing to share!

[grub-hut]

I don't use Tiktok, never will, In my opinion I think the app should shut down. [ But that will never happen... So I will cope.] But god are ya'll are insufferable on there. The fact you have this strong par asocial attachment to Sebastian and claim that Zerum is ""ruining the character"" is just blasphemy and shows you guys know nothing to zero about writing and do not play the game whats so ever. I've talked to Zerum; Ive talked to the devs and mods ; and all the false claims and misinformation that's being spread like a wildfire IS CRAZY. Everyone's so exhausted. It takes just a couple of minutes to prove it's false but that would actually require these people to literally sit down and fucking read. Zerum never banned anybody. Zerum doesn't handle the bans in the server. If you got banned or muted, it was most likely the automod in the server that they have implemented to avoid people saying anything weird or sexual... [ A friend of mine got muted because they sent a gif that had a weird name to it; nothing related to the gif, the gif was fine and they filed a ticket and got unmuted. Its just the bot doing its job.] and even then the mods probably banned you for something completely unrelated...

and even then, can we STOP normalizing this??

Like this GRINDS my gears, it fucking rusts, it makes me want to break down and combust into flames- Stop. Stop. YOU ARE THE ISSUE. Creators want to create. Either for ourselves or for others, whatever it maybe people enjoy letting their creativity flow because ITS FUN. IT SHOULD BE--- FUN!!! We are giving you literally something free and something to ENJOY because we enjoy it just as much! This stupid fucking mindset being so normalized makes me SO SICK. " whatever is put on the internet is free reign!" you guys have ZERO respect for any creator; even yourselves and its so BLATANTLY OBVIOUS. You guys preach about "respecting artists/creators" till it doesnt fit with your agenda, because we should just "expect" our works to be disrespected and used. Like our feelings never mattered. Are we going to ignore the discussion of AI art too? Or copyright, or literally anything of that sort here? Yes, its the internet, there WILL be people who are so drastically cruel and do something you will not like. I do agree its best to ignore those kinds of people but that does not mean we should just LET it happen. It does not mean we should suck it up and take the blows. This is how people stop creating, youre killing artists, youre shunning them away because "its the internet, lol, dont get mad if ppl -" Stop it, you're teaching younger generations that it does not matter if you have boundaries or not and that your voice doesnt mean anything. I mean fuck, you put your oc here I can use it however I want then! Because you shouldve expected the moment you click post for other people to use it! Who cares right?! its OUR oc now >:)!!! No matter what the character is from, by a indie game, a comic, a book, yadda yadda. If youre gonna be scum, you are gonna BE scum. Artists should be respected and be listened to. If Zerum ships her oc to her oc, so fucking what? She created him. YES. SHE CREATED HIM. Just because she is a """co-owner" You forget she wrote and designed him. You forget its STILL HER CHARACTER. WHICH BTW, HE WOULDNT EXIST IF IT WASNT FOR ZERUM!! ITS HER CHARACTER- Not yours, and if your first thing that comes to mind " oh but shes ruining her character" then so what, its not MADE for you. Hell, Sebastian is only like 1% of the whole entire game! ENJOY THE GAME, ENJOY THE ACTUAL LORE. MAKE YOUR OWN OCS, GO WACKY WOOHOO AND ENJOY IT WITH OTHERS. If you make headcanons for Sebastian or any other characters! Great! As long as you are respectful who literally cares. HAVE FUN! Stop harassing and bullying and literally spreading misinfo; I am so sick of people with this mindset! This is why the internet is such a shit place to begin with because we just let this stuff happen. Grow up! Like PAInter said.." YOURE NO FUN AT ALL!"

[shyhandart]

Commissions Closed!

Thank you for your interest! Heres what you need to know:

I Will do:

Humans/Humanoids (object heads/elves/mermaids/etc)

Anthros

Ferals

Ponies

cannon x oc or self ship

fanart

complex/detailed designs

and more!

I will not do:

nsfw

rude/offensive gestures

hateful or bigoted art

Maybe:

• Gore (depends)

I maintain the right to turn down any commission for any reason

Pricing

I currently accept PayPal and Cashapp only. All prices are in USD

Full bodies:

Flat color: $50

Shaded: $65

Colored lineart: +$10

Half bodies:

Flat color: $35

Shaded: $45

Colored lineart: +$8

Busts:

Flat color: $20

Shaded: $25

Colored lineart: +$5

Each additional character is +50% of the base price*

*(except for busts, which are +75%)

If you have an idea for something not listed here, please ask!

Backgrounds

I have recently changed my tune about backgrounds. If you would like a background, let me know and i will tell you if i think im up to it. Complex backgrounds are a fee of +%50 as they take a lot of time. If you have multiple characters, the background price is calculated AFTER the price of the additional characters. It is up to me to decide what a complex background is.

Simple/abstract backgrounds remain free of charge. If i think a work would benefit from it, i will put a solid or swirly colored shape behind it and send you a version with and without the background so you can decide which you like better. You may request a basic background on your own.

TOS:

I retain the right to post your completed piece to any of my social medias to use as an example of my work and a testament to my reliability. I will credit you when I do.

All payments are non-refundable unless for some reason i am unable to finish your piece, or we get part way through the process and i feel that i am unable to do your character(s) justice.

You MAY:

Post your completed piece wherever you please WITH appropriate credit by either linking my page or simply stating my name and platform.

edit my art in regards to cropping for profile pictures, adding an overlay to fit a theme, and resizing to fit a platform better

You may NOT:

feed my hard work to ai

use it for anything NFT related

claim it as your own

remove my watermarks

use it commercially

What is the process?

It's pretty simple! Send me a dm with a photo of your character(s) and tell me what you'd like. Let me know if you need a few days to get the money, or if there's a time constraint (like if the piece is a birthday or holiday gift). If you don't have an idea for a pose, please include a brief description of their personality. If there's characters interacting, let me know their relationship to one another and their dynamic.

I will respond with a price and if you're ok with proceeding I will mock up a vague sketch so you can get an idea of what it would look like. This will be watermarked and it will not even be very recognizable as your character. That's because I have been scammed and ghosted in the past, even with a very rough and watermarked sketch.

After that you will send 100% of the payment in order for me to proceed. Do not send payment via friends and family. I don't want to be banned from paypal lol

I work on a first come first serve basis, but i may work on a piece while waiting for approval on another. I will let you know if there is someone ahead of you. Once payment is received i will message you frequently with updates and for approval. Once lineart is finalized, i will update less often in order to creater a better final reveal. Your final piece will already be glazed to fight against ai stealing my style.

Depending on my life circumstances, this whole process could take from 1-3 days up to a month. The later is very unlikely, and i will message you with updates if i feel i am taking too long.

Examples of my work:

These are simply commissions that ive done in the past! I have many more examples of personal art on my blog

top to bottom: Bunyo and Sasha who belong to @/ilikecorndogs, Honey who belongs to to @/mei, and Solace who belongs to @/sundryd

[glossdebut]

𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

⇢ D I S C L A I M E R S !

✧ the majority of my works will contain some form of explicit sexual content and are not intended to be read by anyone under the age of 18. minors DNI! if your age isn't easily visible on your blog, i will not follow back. if you are a minor, you will be blocked from seeing my posts.

✧ i only post x reader fics. do not request member x member fics from me, please!

✧ i provide warnings for every work that i post. other than the previously mentioned explicit sexual content, it is likely that some of my work will also include difficult topics surrounding mental health. please read the warnings for everything that i post before reading and use your own discretion to decide if you want to proceed.

✧ any fic that i post is purely and entirely fictional in every single way imaginable. nothing that i write/post is intended to reflect how i feel about any of the members of bts. i do not know these men personally and i am not writing anything under the impression that i do. consider the members as face/name claims in my fics.

✧ do not copy, repost, modify, or translate my writing without my express permission to do so.

✧ bts antis will be blocked on sight. this goes for solos as well, but that will probably be harder to catch. i don't have anything to offer you! the tannies are soulmates in every universe including my fictional ones, and you WILL see members other than your desired member in my fics, even if they are not a part of the main couple. sorry! die mad.

⇢ K E Y !

[☁︎] angst ✧ [❀] fluff ✧ [დ] smut

⇢ S E R I E S !

coming soon!

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

coming soon!

⇢ S E R I E S !

coming soon!

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

coming soon!

⇢ S E R I E S !

TAKE A BITE ⇢ ❀ დ ☁︎

『 yoongi x fem!reader, producer yoongi, music journalist reader, neighbors to friends to lovers, slow burn 』

SUMMARY: Your fledgling career as a music journalist is finally going in some kind of direction that must be on the path to success. Your coworkers like you enough to invite you out on Fridays, your boss is starting to think you’re competent enough to let you score a few bylines, and you’re finally getting the hang of InDesign. All of your hard work, late nights, and complete lack of a social life are starting to pay off… Even if it all came at the expense of the longest relationship of your life. Fine. You’ve accepted the fact that romance isn’t for you, under any circumstances. You won’t risk your career for anybody. Not even Min Yoongi.

『 STATUS: COMPLETE 』

PRICE OF FAME ⇢ დ ☁︎

『 yoongi x fem!reader, rockstar yoongi, model reader, enemies to lovers, slow burn 』

SUMMARY: You were about ready to give up, your career nowhere near what you dreamed it’d be when you started at eighteen, bright-eyed and naive. Reality for you these past few years has consisted of pouting at a camera, ignoring whispers of your name at company events, and ensuring that the stupid, tiny designer purses they keep forcing on you can at least carry a flask. But now, you’re helping a friend in need. For the first time in a long time, it feels like you’re doing something worthwhile with your life. Too bad Min Yoongi, the newest thorn in your side, seems insistent on stopping you.

『 STATUS: ONGOING 』

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

STUDY BREAK ⇢ ❀ დ

『 yoongi x fem!reader, college au 』

SUMMARY: Yoongi was an extremely effective tutor, until he wasn’t. As it turns out, dating the person who is singlehandedly responsible for bringing up your Fundamentals of Music Theory grade isn’t the smartest move in the world. 

⇢ S E R I E S !

coming soon!

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

coming soon!

⇢ S E R I E S !

coming soon!

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

coming soon!

⇢ S E R I E S !

coming soon!

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

coming soon!

⇢ S E R I E S !

coming soon!

⇢ D R A B B L E S !

coming soon!

taglist ★ askbox ★ ao3

[jacks347]

Thanks to the brilliant GB here on Tumblr I was reminded of the dreamscape episode of Bastard Warrior with that whole debacle and you know I wouldn't be here if I didn't have an opinion.

Let's talk about how Albus’s perfect world didn't have Faith in it until she put herself into it.

I've brought up this point singularly in the Discord before but this is my Tumblr where I'm making it a habit of going way too into detail about shit so here we go again.

My singular point was "Even in a world of his own design, Albus refuses to make a world where Faith loves him because he doesn't feel he deserves her."

Which is...arguably correct for the time it was proposed but far too surface level for my liking.

Because even if that is the case, why would she be completely excluded? It's not exactly like Albus is known for having a lot of friends so why would he completely cut out one of the only people that has ever treated him with genuine kindness in his life? Why not add her as just a friendly face like Devlin? He made his brother a bartender so that he's never away from him but couldn't even make Faith a passing merchant?

And then I remembered something literally as I was typing this. Yes, the world is based off of Albus’s desires and what he believes his perfect world would be but he didn't actually make it. Kravitas did.

Y'know, the demon that Faith kicked in the dick literally two episodes earlier? The one that already didn't like her and now likes her even less? The one who knows she's one of Albus’s weaknesses because he cares about her whether he likes it or not? That Kravitas?

Yeah you can see where I'm going with this, can't you?

What if Kravitas purposefully cut her out so she couldn't have an effect on Albus? Completely blocked her from his memory and made a world where she didn't exist so that Albus’s love for her didn't break the illusion and snap him out of the dream.

Am I using my own lore point of "love transcends all" to justify this? A little bit, yes. But I fully believe that if Kravitas had given Albus that storybook ending where he gets the girl and has the white picket fence life, he would eventually realize something wasn't right. He would eventually realize that this wasn't Faith, that something was missing. There's something inherently real about being in love with someone that you can't just replicate, especially with someone in Albus’s situation. And in a world with untraumatized Albus, there would be something crucial missing from his relationship with Faith that Kravitas would have no way to replace.

So what do you do with something you can't fix that will eventually break down your entire operation?

You get rid of it.

So in order to preserve Albus’s dreamscape for as long as possible, Kravitas got rid of Faith. Let Albus have his name, his brother, his career as a paladin, and never tell him that his heart is far beyond the clouds with a woman he forgot exists.

Obviously it didn't work cause Faith is so headstrong she could crack diamonds and wasn't gonna let some silly thing like a dimensional barrier keep her out but an attempt was made and I respect it.

Do I also believe Kravitas could've gone the complete other end of the spectrum and given Albus a harem so he wouldn't need Faith? Yes. Do I think it would've worked any better? Maybe. Possibly. Though I think Albus’s need to attach his self-worth to his sex drive comes from that trauma I mentioned earlier so in a world where that doesn't happen, maybe not. Who knows. I never claimed to be good at this.

Also can we talk about Faith entering that dream world? Just dropped out of the sky and faceplanted into the dirt, I'm shocked she didn't break anything. Albus finds some random lady face down in the grass probably looking like she was contemplating every decision she's ever made in her life and was just like "?? You good?"

100/10, no notes, absolutely flawless.

[ashleycodes]

COMMISSIONS - opening soon?

it has been a very, very long time since i've openly done commissions. i think i needed to take a little brain break. but lately i've been thinking about doing a commission here and there again, as i do miss it. would anyone be interested?

pricing and caveats/deal breakers would be as follows:

$250 - base price, which would include: - fully custom html templates for the skin itself - custom forum structure (up to 3 different styles per category. any more styles will be extra, price dependent on complexity and amount of boards) - member group color changes (for whole skin + member profiles) via variables for easy addition of groups in the future - separate member & staff (or ooc) main profile - light/dark button - webpage design (2 different styles) - footer webpage if desired (for affiliates, discord widget) - accessibility widget - set of general templates (general template, face claim template, member directory template, misc claims template, bbcode multi mod template, application or shipper template if needed, 1 simple bbcode, 2 post html templates, 1 communication template)

$60 - additional templates package, which would include: - 3 additional html posting templates - 1 additional bbcode posting template - a full set of development templates (image, moodboard, quote, playlist) - 2 additional communication templates - 2 social media templates + "reply" templates

any other templates would be discussed on an additional price basis ranging on $5-$10 per template not mentioned above. the reasoning behind this is that i just feel incredibly uninspired/not unique when i code templates so i try not to offer a bunch

$35 - graphics package, which would include: - a full header graphic that matches the skin - staff team graphics that match the skin - board graphics that match the skin - 1 advertisement for the site that matches the skin - placeholder graphics for "unsorted"/brand new accounts that match the skin

anything not mentioned above to be added can be discussed. there are some things i can/will do that i don't feel like take time to add in and therefore wouldn't cost money. so if you're unsure about a feature, i'd be open to discussing it before settling on a final price. i am mostly just trying to provide fixed prices so that you know exactly what you're getting.

the deal breaker in all of this might be that i will probably request a good portion of it up front or possibly the full price. this is touchy, i know, but having been ghosted on final payments after quick turn arounds i think is part of what finally broke me down and when i quit doing commissions. i am trying to offset this, however. i will code the skin directly into your site's board wrappers and css templates (so i will need ACP access). you will get to see the progress live and provide input as i go. i will provide you xml files once it's completed as well and will be available for 1 month post-completion for troubleshooting - though i have noticed by coding live into jcink, i find quite a few bugs on my own so hopefully the implementation process is smooth.

turn around time would be 1.5-2 months depending on the complexity of the skin, possibly longer but this will be discussed. if i give a turn around time, payments are made, and can't meet it, i will discuss a percentage of money back with you depending on the extra time needed.

anyway this is 100% NOT set in stone, i am just trying to gauge the interest based on my new terms/terms that would make me comfortable taking commissions again lmao. i'm not fully committing to this yet, and may very well not do this at all but it is on my mind so here we are.

in other news, i am still working on pushing out other old SH skins as multi-sale premades (none of which will ever be priced more than $30) and will likely create templates for my newest free skin, and maybe put out another more modern free skin but that just all depends on what the ADHD demands from me!!

[misquitz]

Commission Prices

I can only accept payments through PayPal and CashApp

I do also make Twitch reactives starting at $45

Terms of Service under the cut!

Basic ToS:

Payments are taken upfront before i begin on the artwork

Commissioner can re-upload the image with credits given to myself.

Artwork cannot be used commercially, or claimed as your own

Refunds given based on how much work is done. Read below for clarification.

(IMAGE COPYRIGHT)

I, the artist, retain full and exclusive rights to the original artwork. The client may not claim it as their own or use it for anything other than personal use.

All commissioned artwork is for noncommercial purpose only. Redistribution of my artwork for use in printed merchandise or as promotion of goods, services or social media pages is prohibited.

(Conditions for Reposting:)

The client has my permission to repost the artwork wherever they would like, as long as proper credit is given and my watermark/signature remains intact and unaltered.

(Prohibited Actions)

Altering my artwork in any way without asking for permission before hand, with the exception of cropping/resizing the image for an icon or other use.

Use my artwork as references for your own, whether tracing or re-purposing parts of the image.

Claiming the artwork as your own.

Altering or removing my watermark

If these terms are broken, you will be privately blacklisted from commissioning me and reported.

(PAYMENT INFORMATION)

I accept payment in USD. All payments will be taken via Paypal and CashApp.

It is the commissioner's responsibility to tell me when the payment has been sent.

(Refund Policy)

If the commission is cancelled (by me or the client) before work has started, then the client will receive a full refund.

If the client cancels the commission during progress, the amount refunded will be on a case-by-case basis and up to the artist’s discretion. I do have a rough basis for refunds:

Sketch: 90%

Line: 50%

Line and Color: 0%

No refunds will be given for completed or nearly completed commissions.

The artist reserves the right to cancel a commission at anytime, for any reason, and without explanation.

If I cancel the commission due to my inability to complete it at any state, a full refund will be given.

(CONTACT AND COMMUNICATION)

Discussion of commissions can be conducted via Instagram DM, Tumblr DM, email, or through Discord (misquitz # 7652 )

(Visual Reference Guidelines:)

Client must provide at least one clear and concise visual reference; please supplement the visual reference with any important information I may need to know to correctly draw the character.

If you link to a gallery of your character’s artwork, I cannot promise your design will be done with 100% accuracy. Design interpretations may be inconsistent between images and lessen my ability to accurately draw your character. Shading on potential pieces will also play a part in this.

I will not accept a description OC, meaning I will not work with no visual

(WILL/WON'T DRAW)

Please keep my art style in mind when ordering; I specialize in humans and chibi. Things outside my comfort zone might not be as high of quality as something I am used to doing (i.e. furries, animals, centaurs, backgrounds)

Will Do:

- Humans

- Furries

- MLP

- Chibi

- Couples

- Slight Gore

- Most NSFW

Won't Do:

- Mecha

- Full suits of Armor

- Religious Pieces

- Any sort of hateful content, such as racism, transphobia, homophobia, and characters with Nazi/Soviet/etc. imagery or paraphernalia.

(PROGRESS)

Completion of most commissions are generally estimated to finish around a few hours to a few days depending on my IRL schedule.

Works in Progress (WIPS): Certain commission types may or may not include a sketch approval stage. I will send any wips to the commissioner via DM or Discord Chat. Progress will be paused until the sketch is confirmed.

Revisions and edits:

If the commission type includes a sketch approval stage, any major changes or revisions must be made at this stage; this includes any significant changes to a character’s pose or body shape, or redrawing parts of the image.

After the sketch has been approved, no major edits or changes will be made. If the commissioner requests additional edits after the approved sketch, a price for the edits may be discussed.

If I, the artist, make any errors in the character design, accessories, or any other visual elements specified in the provided visual references, I will make these edits at no additional cost. (Max of 3 minor edits)

If you do not want me to post your commission online, you must tell me when you order.

If you want constant updates on the piece, please keep in mind that I have ADHD and tend to forget to take WIPs while I'm working.

[blade-liger-4ever]

RWBY X Transformers Partnerships 4: Optimus Prime and Mercury Black - Peacemakers

"It's just....after everything I've done, it's still hard to believe a chance to change exists for a guy like me."

"There is always hope for redemption, Mercury. However, I believe you are missing one crucial factor regarding your past."

"Man, you talk in the most ancient way. Alright Boss Man, I've told you about myself, no lies. I was trained to be an assassin, made to kill others, and steal, then killed my own father. What 'crucial factor' am I missing?"

"The fact that you were an innocent child born into a hard life. I do not deny that you were forced into committing vile acts, or that, in some aspects, you perhaps enjoyed it. However, I know that you had no say in the matter, and that until you befriended young Ruby, you felt you had been caged in the occupation of an assassin. But by choosing to escape that life, and proving your reliability since then, you have shown to be capable of changing for the better. I believe you were meant for more, Mercury Black, and if you are willing, I would be grateful to help guide you on your new path."

".....You mean it? Even though we just met like, what, a month ago?"

"I refuse to lie to you on such matters, Mercury. In my spark, I am certain that you will achieve more than you could dream is possible."

"I...well, Ruby believes in me, but I - I never had an adult give me a chance like that. Until Tai and the others, but even then, they're..."

"Cautious?"

"Heh, to put it mildly."

"I assure you, Mercury, that such caution will not be exercised by myself. Should you need anything, you can always speak to me."

"....Thanks, Optimus."

Mercury is used to adapting. As an assassin, you have to be ready to switch tactics on a dime, or create a new plan on the fly when your old one goes up in flames. It'd been drilled into him (he had the scars to prove it), and even when his perspective on life had been shattered and reconstructed by Ruby, Mercury was able to pull himself together and adapt to the change in time for the Fall of Beacon.

However, living in his sort of/definite girlfriend's house with her family and now having to deal with the revelation of giant alien robots bringing their war to Remnant is more than probably even Marcus could handle.

In order to process this curveball, Mercury decides to keep by Ruby's room, detach himself from the world, and analyze the residents of Patch while this new pattern settles in his brain.

Tai is a kind man, and though he's surprisingly tame, Mercury has caught glimpses of the senior Xiao Long's fire that has been passed on to Yang. Speaking of Yang, the fiery blond is returning to her old self, albeit more restrained than before. To be completely honest, Mercury is grateful for that progress; seeing Yang in a shell-shocked, blank state had actually hurt him. Her boyfriend Neptune has perked up on account of this, and although he gets along with him, Mercury is still confused about how he's so accepting of the existence of literal alien robots. Then again, this guy's dating the Sun Dragon, so he shouldn't be surprised that Neptune was actually excited to hear that Qrow had brought home over-sized guests.

Oh, right. Qrow Branwen.

Although the Huntsman's reputation precedes him by a wide margin, and though the hairs on the back of his neck still tingle when Qrow's eyes land on him, Mercury's initial fear of the man has morphed into suspicion and a deal of resentment. Tai can claim he was adopted into the family all he wants to, but Mercury had been taught to look for patterns and anything unusual. And the uncanny facial resemblance between Qrow and his "honorary niece" is blatantly obvious. And the scythe weapon? Please, it takes a genius to build something like that, never mind maintaining and operating it with the ease he and Ruby exercise. So yeah, the chances of two unrelated individuals having the same genius to build an intricately designed scythe weapon are a million to one - and those odds have already been stolen by the 'Cybertronians' who'd fallen through some portal onto Remnant.

Mercury is still trying to understand that, but between monitoring Ruby and the house, he's getting there.

Wheeljack is similar to Qrow, which Mercury automatically associates with the words "dangerous" and "unpredictable". He's a good engineer, judging by the doo-hickey he's cooked up on the island, but the scars and sparky look in his eyes tells Mercury that the...'Wrecker-scientist', is just as capable of destroying as he is of creating. Ironhide is what every drill sergeant wishes he could be; the giant 'Autobot' barks orders and gives assignments at great speed, usually practiced as he takes over a task from one of the others when they move too slowly. Despite that, he's surprisingly careful when dealing with Miko - and Mercury does his best to avoid her and her explosions. She's innocent, he knows that, but by Remnant, she has too much energy for his liking.

Sideswipe is...loose. Mercury can't quite put his finger on it, but he knows that Sideswipe, in spite of his bravado and snark that rivals Yang's, is fast. If he had to bet, the younger Autobot is used to moving at speeds that allow him to dish out pain with little detriment to himself. Good qualities for sure, but the way he acts like a twenty year old and carries himself like that hits a little too close to home for Mercury's comfort. As for Smokescreen, it's obvious he's the team baby - the short Autobot has the same kind of energy for justice as Ruby, as well as the excitableness and easygoing nature. Because of that similarity, Mercury's willing to spend some of his free time with him, though there are moments of eerie silence from Smokescreen, as well as a distant gaze, that makes him wonder about the guy's inner thoughts. However, the kid brushes it off with swagger, and Mercury's too deep in his own concerns to bother trying to coax an admission out of him.

However, the one he can't seem to pin down is their leader: Optimus Prime.

The Autobot commander towers over them all, with only Ironhide standing even remotely close to Optimus' height. Optimus walks steadily, with a silent strength and confidence that Mercury has never seen in anyone else's stride. Moreover, he can feel the guy's power when he enters a room, almost as if it were a supernatural sensation. Heck, even when he's standing still, Mercury can sense that power at rest, waiting to be used and capable of unleashing itself in a breath if Optimus wanted to cut loose.

But that's not what boggles his mind the most about the Autobots' superior.

It's the way he speaks.

Optimus' voice is deep and carries far, easily putting every other male's baritone and bass to shame. And yet, despite that, despite the sheer force in his voice, Optimus always speaks in a calm tone. He always uses full sentences, never utilizes slang or contractions (That's wild), and not once - ONCE - has Mercury heard his voice rise beyond an octave. It should be intimidating, should make him question this guy's status among the Cybertronian race.

And yet...the absolute warmth in Optimus' voice reaches something inside of Mercury. It reaches in and stirs something, something like a small child, to consciousness, and makes the child want to reach out to Optimus for something like comfort, and safety.

The only time Mercury can actually remember doing that is a time when he was eight, shortly after his mother had died. And his plea for consolation had been answered with a severe punishment from Marcus.

That memory makes all of his instincts scream to stay away from Optimus emotionally. Ruby understands him, accepts him, and so far her opinion outweighs the realistic worries of her family, which has given Mercury more time to continue improving himself and showing that he has changed from his upbringing. But since he's gotten to know her, he's become friendly with the other people in her life, although he can't help but keep some of them at arm's length for a while yet. Tai lets him roam the house free, Yang's willing to spar with him while Neptune cheers and mediates on the side, while Mercury and Qrow keep their distance based off a mutual, silent understanding of Ruby's true parentage between them.

So finding himself almost unconsciously following after Optimus whenever a meeting ends is more than a shock for Mercury.

It happens to him three times. The first time is when they meet, and Mercury had still been processing the Autobots' arrival. He'd all but locked himself in the guest room, and stayed in Ruby's room for a week to figure things out. The second time was when Wheeljack had finished half of the doo-hickey out in the woods, and required new equipment that required everyone's presence. Mercury had all but run back to the cabin from the shock of that lapse, and seeing that Ruby had woken up had kept him occupied for the next five days, and given him a reasonable excuse for avoiding the Cybertronians, their leader especially. However, his time with Ruby, while relieving and rejuvenating for them both, came to a head when Wheeljack stuck his metal foot in his mouth and openly identified Ruby as Qrow's daughter when they were working on Branwen's scythe.

He knew she was going to run, knew she was going to be too fast for him. But Mercury still tried going after her, mildly surprised that Smokescreen shifted into a sporty racecar to take after her as well. It seemed that he reacted instinctively too, as the short Autobot drove off without thinking to offer him a ride, and Mercury found himself chasing air and dirt before logic made him stop.

As he stood there, Optimus entered the area from the side, and Mercury's whirling thoughts consisted of one realization that the Autobot had been nearby when the fiasco began. To his surprise, Optimus asked him what had happened, and with a quick scan of the place around him, Mercury saw that Qrow and Wheeljack had disappeared - whether to chase down Ruby or not, he had no idea.

Resisting all his better instincts, Mercury summed up Ruby's real parentage and how he and Qrow had been trying to avoid it until Wheeljack ruined it. To his immense surprise, Optimus listened with keen interest, and once he'd finished, the leader thanked him and advised they let Smokescreen find her, as (apparently) the kid had ways of bonding with "human youth". Mercury quietly scoffed at the phrasing, then mumbled about the strangeness of this alien leader.

That dour sarcasm evaporated when he looked up and saw that he was trailing Optimus' moving feet.

Certain he was losing his mind, Mercury froze and tried to think of a way to leave without being spotted. However, Optimus paused and spoke his name, the patient, quiet underlying command of "stay put" rooting him to the ground. Turning around, Optimus revealed that he was aware of not only Mercury's unconscious tailing of him, but how he'd been avoiding him for the past two weeks as well. Optimus told him that while he respected his privacy and actions, he wished to know why Mercury fears him, as he only wants to be a friend to him.

The words make everything that's been building up inside of Mercury snap, and he can't help it. He yells at Optimus, blurts out that no one can be as good as he is, that adults aren't as inherently kind like him and that anything like those qualities are destroyed somehow in short order. He lashes out that he can't figure Optimus out because he's so different, so good, and honest-to-Remnant heroic, and that no one can - can...

"...Make me feel like a kid. A defenseless kid, who never....never had what Yang has with Tai."

Mercury stuffs his hands in his pockets, then stares at the ground and hopes against all reason that the world will just go back to making sense. Optimus takes two careful steps forward, bends down, and to Mercury's shock, picks him up. His hold is gentle, and he brings the hand holding him to his chest, where Mercury notices a pale glow emanating from somewhere behind the glass before the comforting warmth of his metal body distracts him and makes Mercury relax. As Mercury processes this, Optimus quietly speaks, telling him that many people are too weak to be either good or heroic, and that yes, many can be good, but will have their better qualities destroyed. Oftentimes, the latter is a personal choice, such as the Decepticons' leader Megatron, who Optimus once considered a brother before their war broke out. As Mercury detects a faint humming inside of the Autobot's chest, Optimus adds that many can and do choose to be good, and that while some possess those qualities to greater degrees than others, it does not make the entire adult world cruel.

"Life itself is cruel, and I feel you know that better than many your age do. However, if you will allow me to, I would be pleased to help you heal and learn to trust others again, Mercury."

Mercury's not sure if this is how it feels to have a father, but even if it isn't, he's gonna fight to keep it the same way he'll fight to keep Ruby safe.

Optimus and Mercury form a close bond after this, with Optimus often making sure Mercury is both safe and emotionally well after a long day. He knows when Mercury needs a push to go to bed or otherwise take care of himself, but more times than not, Optimus can tell when he should speak sternly to the boy over his sleep schedule, as well as when to put his foot down over Mercury's regular time of training, reconnaissance, and other habits. Similarly, Mercury has learned tricks of getting Optimus to take a much needed break, usually by asking for some alone time that he's reluctant to admit he needs. They make a strong team on and off the battlefield, with Optimus helping to refine Mercury's techniques while Mercury tells him about Remnant's stars and history. The Autobot leader's fascination with learning their culture softens Mercury a tiny bit, and - perhaps - leads him to learn of Optimus' past on Cybertron....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord Almighty, last year drained me more than I realized! Sheesh, I thought for sure I'd get them done sooner than this!

Anyway, I had this team up in my head almost from the get-go. Mercury needs a real father, and Optimus is the manifestation of Team Dad, so it only made sense to buddy them up. For their name, I chose Peacemakers because Optimus wishes and fights for peace, while Mercury needs to find peace - though I admit, I was partly inspired by the weapon of the same name.

Pray I get more done sooner than this, folks! I love these two franchises, and I want to get back on track for this series I started so long ago. See you around, and remember the wisdom of the greatest Prime in history:

"Hold on to your dreams. The future is built on dreams."

[wing-ed-thing]

Best (Sasori x Reader)

Synopsis: You were the best puppeteer around. Sasori tried to best you several times in order to prove himself after his desertion but failed each time. How you could be defeated like this... he couldn’t understand.

Word Count: 0.5k

Tags/Warnings: Reader Death, Puppeteer!Reader, Young Sasori, Canon Typical Violence, Gender Neutral Reader, Angst

Notes: For some reason, I’ve tricked myself into thinking that I can’t release a piece unless it’s like 2k words long or more. Why do I do this?

As he stared down at your bleeding face, he couldn’t help but wonder how his own, contorted features looked. 

“No…” His lips quivered as his calm and collected exterior began to crack. Sasori clenched his teeth. He sank to his knees between your legs as a strangled sound tore from his throat. Blood pooled below your chin, leaving a growing puddle of red on your chest. A little light remained in your eyes. Only a little. “No, no, no!” 

Sasori slammed his fist at the space next to your head. The brick behind you scraped at his skin. You stared up at him, unable to speak. A glimmer of amusement, perhaps a bit of regret, swam in the black of your pupils. Sasori gulped, one hand gripping the front of your robes as he pulled you off the ground. You didn’t even have the life in you to wince at the pain.

“I was supposed to be the one to kill you!” he screamed in your face, his frustration mounting as he ran a blood covered hand across his face. Sasori gripped his hair harshly with his other hand, smearing sweat-infused dirt across the roots of his red strands. “I am better than you! I was supposed to best you!” The hand from his hair returned back to your robes as he repeatedly lifted and slammed your back onto the ground.

He had joined the Akatsuki as the best puppeteer in the Land of Wind. 

He killed the most powerful Kazekage that the Hidden Sand village had ever seen.

He dedicated himself completely to his ninja art and no matter his innovations, he was still bested by the likes of you. You, with your simple puppets. Minimalist creations that bested his complex designs every time. 

And for you to die like this made his blood boil. 

You would die without giving him the opportunity to defeat you himself and claim the title as truly the best puppeteer in all of the Great Nations.

Your hand came up to grip his wrist. Sasori was quivering. His young face made you think of yourself when you first deserted your village. Despite your closeness in age, you deserted much earlier in life. You were familiar with the desperation, the lack of direction. With the last of your strength, you gave his wrist a squeeze before reaching for your last, intact puppetry scroll. 

Wordlessly, you offered it to him.

He looked down at the scroll in disgust, teeth still clenched and frustrated tears welling up in his eyes. Sasori wiped his sleeve across them, more spilling as he chastised himself for crying. 

He took the scroll from you, letting your torso fall back onto the ground as he summoned one of his own puppets. The ghoulish figure floated over, mouth agape to reveal an instrument with a small flame protruding from the tip. Sasori held the bottom of your scroll with his fingertips and with a snarl and curl of his lips, he set the rolled paper ablaze.

In his fury, he stood, throwing the flaming scroll somewhere into the distance. 

That would be the closest he would get to besting you.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed and otherwise supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

I think the reason I tricked myself into this was to limit how many chapters I was turning out when it came to series. Still an odd thing. This prompt gave me a lot of freedom. I kinda just wrote and didn’t worry about anything. How nice!

[thatmoththoth]

Advice for beginner artists:

1: Many people can be very rude and unforgiving when it comes to art, but just because one person calls your art trash doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep trying. It can be very discouraging to see people hate on your art, but you know what? screw those people. They are needlessly spreading negativity and you are amazing and great and awesome. Keep making stuff just to spite them, be cringe, he free, draw whatever the hell you want (as long as you aren’t hurting anyone with it) and do it for your own enjoyment and to spite the jerks who think you aren’t good enough.

2: you don’t have to put “do not steal” on things. If someone wants to steal your art, I’m sorry but they are going to steal it despite that. Make a watermark and put it somewhere on your art that’s somewhat out of the way but still in a place where it can’t be cropped out, that way if someone does repost it it can be traced back to you. Just writing “do not steal” on it makes it so that it’s not identifiable only to you, so it doesn’t really help.

3: don’t fret if someone takes inspiration from a design of yours, if you see a character with similar elements that doesn’t completely rip off your design that is perfectly fine. Creatives are in a constant state of bouncing ideas between eachother and I’ll be honest, we’re hardly ever original with the stuff we make.

4: that being said, also don’t be afraid to take inspiration from other creatives! That doesn’t just apply to taking inspiration from artists, you can be inspired by music or stories as well. As long as you don’t copy them word for word with barely any changes, you are perfectly fine.

5: tracing art is perfectly fine as long as you don’t claim it as your own art and are doing in in order to learn. When tracing think about the way the lines go together and how they form to Lear as much as possible from it. Heck you can trace my art, I am perfectly a ok with that.

6: there are many actually good tutorials on YouTube, you just have to know how to look for them. When looking for something id avoid searching with question like “how to draw an owl easy for beginners” and rather use questions like “how to draw owl proportions”. The former will give crappy tutorials that don’t really show the process, and the latter will teach you the actual fundamentals. A really good channel when it comes to learning art is Winged Canvas. They have videos on Color Theory, proportions, etc…

7: don’t worry about “finding your style” just yet. As your art grows and improves your style will come naturally over time. Trust the process.

8: if you feel like you have a really cool idea but want to wait until you’re better at art to do it? Do it now. If you constantly are waiting till you are better at art, you will never do it. Do it now, and if you feel like it when you are better at art, then you can always go back and redraw it.

9: draw backgrounds. It sucks I know, but if you start now in your journey, you won’t have to go through this whole thing of being amazing at drawing everything else but backgrounds. It… it is not fun. That being said you don’t have to draw them all of the time because you’ll probably get burnt out it you force yourself to do that every single time.

10: be kind you yourself. It’s tough beginning a new hobby, you aren’t going to be as good as someone who has 10+ years of experience, so don’t compare yourself to other artists. If you stick with it and have fun doing it, eventually you will be the one with 10+ years in art, and when that happens, I can’t wait to see what you can achieve.

-sincerely, Thoth

[artcommunityvent]

heres my rant for today: (sorry in advance for long post)

i hate how modern art communities have to “fandom-ify” every single new trendy thing literally DAYS (and sometimes even hours) after it drops. i know this is a lot of the same sentiment as those people that just go “popular thing bad” but honestly it really puts me off some medias because i dont want to associate with anyone else who likes it

do we really need a million different fan ocs and aus for EVERYTHING? and like, i know its nothing new, obviously we have the onceler and undertale aus to look back on, but its exhausting at this point because while those communities were presumably genuine, in the present day it just feels like the fandom equivalent to an industry plant. and most people dont even stick with the thing they decide to make their entire personality!!

remember when spiderverse came out and everyone made spidersonas? who can you name thats actually drawn their spidersona more than once? it feels like everyone just trend hops, and yes i know thats how the internet is but its just exhausting especially when it brings down otherwise creative and inspired works

fnaf security breach: everyone makes fnaf aus and glamrock animatronics, then spiderverse as previously mentioned, then welcome home dropped and thats becoming a shitshow with how yall are fandomizing what is essentially a small creator telling their ocs lore in a creative way, and now its happening with digital circus. im so tired of seeing projects that are cool and visually appealing becoming a cesspit of bland, unoriginal aus and piles of fanart only to get dropped when the new shiny comes out

and i wanna elaborate on welcome home for a second because i know damn well if one of these people who makes “daddy dom priest wally is actually the devil” aus had an oc they loved, and someone came along and made their own aus of it in the same way, that person would bitch and cry oc theft. some people dont even change up the characters design, like how entitled do you have to be to essentially just steal someones oc and call it your own? it disgusts me how people are treating clown and honestly i wish they would put the series on indefinite hiatus or complete their story privately to teach these people a lesson

another thing that puts me off is how every piece of media has to have the “fandom daddy” for lack of a better term. glamrock freddy, hobie brown, wally darling, or jax, its all the same thing repackaged; someones gotta be the tumblr sexyman. its so tiring—ESPECIALLY as a lesbian who doesnt really wanna center men in my life at all—to wanna see fanart of the media you like and its only: “heres the one character everyones horny for drawn in a totally different and more sexualized body type” with everyone in the comments salivating over them. i really like digital circus! but all i see are people who would walk across a mile of broken glass just to suck a fart out of jax’ ass. what about the other interesting characters? why does EVERY conversation with popular media have to be about “which guy is the most fuckable” (guy specifically because come on, when has a female character been the highlight of attention; using the previous example have you seen ONE person talking about digital circus that even remembers zooble exists)

it feels like nobody can appreciate work anymore without having to claim some form of ownership over it, to say “hey this thing is so popular and important that it is now a part of my identity!! look at my millions of ocs that i will draw one time and never again!” im just tired of people being unable to passively interact with media they enjoy and everyone seeming to fight over and prove some connection to the things they like

tldr: im tired of everyone in the art community making heaps of fanart, aus, and fan ocs for stuff the second it gets popular and then totally forgetting about it the next time something else gets popular

(and before yall bring up hyperfixations: i am autistic; i understand having so much love for a piece of media for a short while and then dropping it for no reason and its heart shattering; BUT AT THE SAME TIME this pattern is on oxford to me and its on such a large scale that it infects the greater art community as a whole)

That is indeed the nature of media consumer at its finest. I do feel like it is more appearent now due to the way most social media algorithm works. They only show what is trending at the moment, so naturally, we are exposed only to this specific thing until another trend eventually takes over.

Even artists who never create fan content can be influenced to do so by looking at the other artists, be it to dive in along the hype for the popularity of it, for the geniune fun, for the sense of community, and many more reasons.

- ☁️

[vermutandherring]

Warning: This article contains descriptions of death and images of blood.

The first part of the review: ORIGINS The second part of the review: THE PLOT

There are small spoilers that do not reveal the plot of the game, but only separately highlight certain moments in the game.

In my opinion, of all the arts, theater holds on to its academic base the strongest. We see a lot of bad painting, just as much sculpture, listen to even more bad music. But I have never seen a bad performance. Being completely honest, I visited only world classics. But agree: in order for the work to evoke emotions, it must be correctly played by modern actors. Sitting in the front row of Vampyr, I had a strange feeling from the first minutes. This state, as if everything is fine, but you do not feel completely satisfied with what you see. It was clear that the game was trying to be poetic. Jonathan's dramatic speech and the visual scene of his transformation into a vampire are reminiscent of a poem. Laconic but eloquent form, good means of expression and incredible power of the actor's voice. I love lyrics. But at the beginning of the scene I feel awkward. After playing the game, when I was making screenshots for my reviews, I started the game over. The second time, I no longer had this feeling of mild-cringe. I think the biggest reason for that was the visual part - animated cutscenes, to be more precise. Why was such a strange style chosen to tell certain moments of the story? Perhaps the experience of working on the previous project of the Life is Strange developers with a more stylized design showed itself here. It also obviously simplifies the production process and reduces production costs and time. But I didn't like this modernization of the vampire story, because it looks more like raw sketches.

At one time, I was impressed by the way of storytelling in Yakuza. Periodically, we see shots in which the characters are static, but not completely frozen. We hear them talking, but their mouths don't move. Only text and visual 'graphic' effects. In fact, this is a method borrowed from comics or manga, if we are talking about a Japanese game. Yakuza isn't the only game to use this technique though (Bayonetta seems to have a similar tool). But it looks quite organic in a bunch with realistic graphics, unlike Vampyr. Here, these static frames are replaced by artworks. I am not saying that they are bad. They just stand out from the general atmosphere for me.

Oh, what an atmosphere! The smell of baked blood and dry half-decomposed bodies, the suffocating ash of burnt flesh and the crunch of bare bones. What a strange place to be born again! Thirst. Thirst torments all of us from the first seconds of birth. It is so insatiable that it blinds your eyes. And like a blind kitten, overcoming terror, he goes to its call to take a sip that will bring the desired comfort. But no. His soul will not rest. Pain and anger, guilt and despair of loss - this is what brings with it the long-awaited quenching of thirst. This is the price of being a vampire. And now we have to guide our hero along this path.

I like the beginning of the story. It resembles a climax taken from Shakespeare. In Jonathan's life journey, the role change was indeed a turning point. In the past - a brilliant doctor who once saved lives with his reinvention of blood transfusion. And now - a cursed creature that has to drink blood to save its own life. The creator of our main character claims that death is not God's punishment, but a gift. If so, why from the first minutes we appear in all the tragic before our new gift? God level drama. But Jonathan does not believe in divine providence, he relies on his own mind and believes in the power of science. Because at the moment when humanity raised its hands in supplicating prayer to God, religion betrayed them, leaving them in the vortex of voracious disease.

The game continues to use the game space as a theater stage in cutscenes. The characters are emotional, their speeches are full of drama and have well-accented intonations, complemented by an accent. The figures are arranged in the frame as if in a well-organized performance, and the angles create the impression that we are really in the first row of the parterre. The same feeling is observed in the usual dialogues with the characters, when the camera is directed from behind Jonathan's back to the interlocutor, as if we are watching the action. This fourth wall is broken by the game itself in the section where you enter directly into the theater. Your fight with the boss and the conversation take place on the theater stage, among the red curtains and the remains of the velvet decoration.

I think that when starting to write a story, we all at some point have the desire to choose a distant era, filled with the rumble of carriages and the rustle of long hems. For vampire works, England of the 19th and 20th centuries is generally like a forbidden fruit - you really want to touch it. Dark streets, cold brick of Gothic cathedrals and the Thames bathed in moonlight. England is such an obvious place for the development of your good story that at one time the developers of the game Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One transferred Sherlock Holmes, the most English character, from the streets of his native London to a fictional island called Cordona. It was a very good move, I must say.

But Vampyr does not need to resort to such tricks. The entourage of London drowned in chaos suits the story and is its addition, not just a pretty background. By 'pretty' I mean well-executed, atmospheric enough to immerse yourself in the game, and with good, intuitive level design. Because 'beauty' is not the word that can be applied to this nocturnal horror of dirty streets and ragged houses that create a miserable appearance. Quarantine reminders and posters with calls to join the army are hung on the walls and doors, littered with junk. I'm sure Jonathan had wild flashbacks every time I stopped to read them. In short, I like the forlorn look of Greater London with its gloomy silhouettes of houses against the night sky.

You can even see the silhouette of Tower Bridge

Again, returning to the visual component. I don't know how authentic the developers tried to make them. But like the inserts in the cutscenes, they stand out from the general context, seeming too modern for the beginning of the 20th century. In my article about how games introduced me to art, I mentioned a few words about the paintings in Lady Ashbury's castle. In one of the conversations with Jonathan, not wanting to fully reveal her age, she says that she can be found on the canvases of great masters. In particular, these are Vincent Van Gogh and Jan Vermeer. I don't know whether it was by chance or specifically that the artist logically included the works in-between the works of these artists. For example, we know that Vermeer, the master of the genre scenes, painted only one portrait in his entire life - Girl with a Pearl Earring. Let's not talk about all the theories of creation, because in this context it is not important. The date of creation is important - 1665 - 1667, the late period of artist's creativity. Vermeer's portrait of Elizabeth was painted in 1666, that is, in the same time period. The picture in the game is written in a free manner. The image has the appearance of a sketch and tends more towards DaVinci's sfumato technique, besides, it has a strange and uncomfortable perspective. It is very surprising for a representative of Dutch painting, whose artists have always been famous for canvases written to the smallest detail. At that time, the public simply would not have understood a work in such a technique. This is exactly what happened to Rembrandt, who, due to his new painting style, was left without clients, poor and forgotten at the end of his life.

I forgot to take a screenshot of Van Gogh's work. I think the website where I found this picture made a mistake in the date, because the year 1666 is also indicated there. With regard to the painting technique, here we also see only an imitation of the form with a complete disregard for the content.

The same applies to the work in which Lady Ashbury is depicted with her lover Lord J. Blackwood. You won't see this type of portrait on 18th century canvases, where a full-length couple is walking against a blank wall. I don't see the slightest need for Elizabeth to be portrayed by famous artists. In the same article about art in games, I gave an example of games that successfully quote art or individual works. Vampyr's attempt to do this feels misguided. These works do not have any symbolism, do not fit with the plot and are carelessly made. I see only one benefit from them - they emphasize that Lady Ashbury is a typical Mary Sue.

Elizabeth is perfect from start to finish: a mysterious red-haired vampire who captivates the main character immediately after several meetings. She is so ancient and, moreover, incredibly charming that she's on the canvases of great masters (unexpectedly). She is noble and rich, has a talent for painting, restrains her thirst (because she is not some vampire, but a proud ekon), and is also important to the plot. But if she were a person in another work under different conditions, her role in the plot and influence on it would not change at all. Because her character does not move the plot in any way, and is practically not revealed during it. However, if Lady Ashbury has any virtues that are completely irrelevant to the story, the game will let you know about it. At some point, she simply becomes the central protagonist, around whom everything revolves, like the Sun revolves around the Earth in the heretic's imagination.

Jonathan has no reason to have feelings for her, and their romance has no reason to exist. This relationship between the mentor and the student does not develop in any way, does not undergo significant tests that could bring the characters closer. Her image generally resonates with a bunch of heroines in novels of the 19th century, where the characters are beautiful only for some imaginary purity, care, fragility and masculine determination, 'uncharacteristic of the feminine'. The two-day marathon of Dracula reminded me again why I no longer touch fiction unnecessarily. Endless descriptions of heavy sighs, exhausted faces of ladies, their awe-inspiring looks, gentle voices, easy naivety and wisdom. They do absolutely nothing, but only need male guardianship, in order to eventually reach the hero as the main prize for all his suffering. Take away Lady Ashbury's fangs and her title, and she's no different from Mina Harker.

I like absolutely every female character more than the charming vampire Lady Ashbury, about whom everyone speaks with such piety that I want to shrink away from all that with a crucifix. While browsing the Internet, I came across a comment that Lady Ashbury has that same vampiric charm that makes you immediately fall in love with a heroine who doesn't put any effort into it. Vampire charm is a concoction of modern pop culture that romanticizes ancient sponger pests. I don't see any sense in this, because instead of a complex personality, we get an absolutely flat image of a beautiful lover who can live forever at the pleasure of its beloved. In Le Fanu and Stoker, this 'charm' is the embodiment of sin, everything carnal, forbidden by religion and modern morality. That is why Carmilla and the transformed Lucy captivate others without making an effort. Because they are the personification of lust, living human passion and desire. Lady Ashbury is just a log against their background.

Nevertheless, I cannot say unequivocally that Lady Ashbery is a spoonful of tar in this beautiful story. At some points, the game finds justification for her virtues, her penchant for charity and painting. But it happens too late. The end of the story, which finally reveals Lady Ashbery, does not impress and does not make (at least personally) sympathize with her and her fate. In the whole situation, her father seems more of a victim than his long-suffering daughter. This remorse, this wringing of hands and dramatic speeches about one's own guilt… All this tired me even when I read Dracula and once again related Ashbery to Harker for me. Although Mina's help in the development of the plot is still incomparably greater than the fluttering of Elizabeth's soul.

Against the background of the gray figure of Lady Ashbury, the character of Mary is much more interesting and meaningful. The first minutes of the game, so sorrowful and filled with regret, stretch for us for the first couple of chapters, and for Jonathan - for the rest of his existence. She reminded me of my own thoughts when I tried to imagine what it would be like to live forever. When the terrible pain of losing the closest people remains with you until the end of time. When you constantly accumulate past mistakes that can neither be corrected nor forgotten. How memories of the betrayal of a loved one eat away the remnants of common sense, turning you into a monster. Mary's story arc is interesting, it really is imbued with that gothic and mysterious flair found in the works of Le Fanu and Stoker. The tragic nature of her image raises a natural question: is eternal life really better than one-time death? Is it worth going through hell again and again, or is it better to end the torment instantly? I cannot despise her even after what she has done, because we all want inner peace. But in Vampyr you have to pay dearly for this peace.

And while Mary's character is great in that respect, her reveal also makes me a little sad. Everything happens too quickly, too hastily, pulling on some dubious motives. Mary throws her motives in our faces in an instant, and instead of being pleasantly enlightened by the truth after a long investigation, all I can say is 'Oh. Wow… Poor thing'. Unlike the rest of the main characters, you don't get to decide what Jonathan should do with his sister. And maybe it's for the best. As I already noted in the first part of the review, in those cases where you have a choice, you want to do the most 'right' thing without hurting anyone. And often you only do worse, being burned by your own desire to do justice. Mary still deserved mercy, no matter how cruel it was. After all, as Dr. Van Helsing said, "But if the most blessed of all, when this now UnDead be made to rest as true dead, then the soul of the poor lady … shall again be free. Instead of working wickedness by night and growing more debased in the assimilation of it by day, she shall take her place with the other Angels".

It would be possible to talk a little more about other key characters, talk about side characters, complain about the monotonous design of buildings and premises. But I advise you to try it yourself and form a personal impression of this wonderful game, despite all its flaws. I can also mention the music separately. I know absolutely nothing about music. But an ordinary player does not need it. After all, a well-made work can evoke clear and understandable emotions subconsciously. The compositions perfectly support the general tone of the game, emphasize the right moments and set their own intonations. The deep sound of the cello sings in unison with the gloomy atmosphere and mood of the characters. Modern notes are also heard in the compositions. But unlike drawn inserts, they do not spoil the work, but really modernize the story.

That concludes the Vampyr review. It was very exhausting and I'm not sure I'll ever do such a detailed review of a game like I'm writing a research paper. And although a lot was left out (for example, the sources of inspiration of the developers), I covered all the aspects that I wanted to. I may still do a review on Vampire The Masquerade, but it won't happen anytime soon.

[arcplaysgames]

Yusuke got turned into a mouse. I wanna start there. Yusuke was a mouse.

Futaba's palace was LOOOOONG. It wasn't bad, just LONG and it had a lot of puzzles revolving around elevation, which Persona 5's map is just completely terrible at.

What was interesting was the narrative of the palace. Every once in a while, the Thieves would come across Shadow Futaba, who would try to lead them in the right direction, but if they immediately followed her, a trap would go off and try to kill them.

Which is a pretty effect blunt force metaphor for how Futaba feels. Wanting to invite people in and needing help, but having a lot of defenses and walls in the way.

Eventually, there is a door in her palace that can only be opened from the outside, by Futaba allowing the Thieves into her room in the real world.

Notigor out here handing out his fucking malware to everyone.

GOTTA SAY, she activates it and I'm like for real? she's a hacker, a random app shows up on her phone and she actually presses it? gurl.

This is new; her Shadow actually shows up like 'sup' and has a really civil talk with her. Which makes sense, she is the one who literally reached out for help, wanting her heart stolen. The entire situation with Futaba is messy honestly. She's a willing target, she's already pretty okay with her Shadow, and it turns out that the thing that's cracking her psyche is a lie. When her mother Wakaba died, a bunch of shady dudes in suits showed up and read Wakaba's "suicide note" to everyone, claiming it was Futaba's fault she "killed herself."

mmm, sure jan.

There's a truly fucking great sequence when Futaba does allow the Thieves into her room... but then hides in the closet instead and talks to them through it. She knows ALL ABOUT the Metaverse it seems because her mother was working on it.

So.

Wakaba was murdered for her research into this cognitive world, I'm assuming by the "future Prime Minister". We already know that mental shutdowns are happening around Japan. Maybe that's a weird side effect of whatever the Bad Guys are actually trying to do with the Metaverse. If you can alter people's thinking using this cognitive psience, that sounds like a powerful population control.

I'm not sure if P5 is gonna retread the ground that P4 already did and have the power of rumors and fame start to determine the course of reality, but I can see the bones of that being set up here.

THIS MOMENT IS AMAZING. I like Futaba a lot. I was really shocked at her voice, I thought they would go for a much younger, immature voice given the visual design of her character, but Erica Lindbeck is doing STELLAR work with her.

(It took me a bit to place her but I know her as Jessie from FF7:Remake, and she's AMAZING.)

The Thieves give her the calling card and am-scray to go steal her Treasure.

oh wow that's a big mom

As with every time we pick up our mandatory sensory-persona user, we gotta have a hopeless boss fight where they come to the team's rescue and cement their usefulness.

This time is pretty fun though, so I don't mind the re-tread.

Given how we've seen in previous games how a Shadow that's rejected can turn violent real fast, seeing Futaba's Shadow talking her through her trauma is genuinely very touching. I think anyone who's got depression/anxiety and has to talk themselves down from the irrationality of your own emotions knows this feeling.

What's interesting is that usually Shadow's are a manifestation of the harshest edges a person has. Futaba's Shadow however is a manifestation of her own kindness towards herself. That's powerful shit.

YOU KNOW

I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 5: THE ROYAL BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE IT JUST GOES COMPLETELY OFF ITS SHITS AND PULLS SHIT LIKE THIS AND I'M LITERALLY CLAPPING

good golly miss molly, Tronification By Tentacle UFO is by far the best persona awakening we are ever going to see, that's a wrap people.

Now that the actual Mission Control character has arrived, I don't have to listen to Makoto do it anymore, yaaaaay.

Also there is a moment when, after the Monster Mom is defeated, the memory of the real Wakaba shows up to thank Futaba for remembering her as she really was, and they get to say an "I love you" and it's genuinely great shit.

With their part of the deal complete, Futaba just fucking leaves to go handle her own, lmao. Peace out, bitches.

the palace starts collapsing because the heist is over, and we're not gonna talk about what the fuck happened with Morana's Van form voring the team! We're not talking about it!

I feel like that screenshot needs a content warning of SOME kind.

That's a wrap! Futaba immediately falls the fuck asleep afterward (which Sojiro says is actually normal for her, she'll just run her batteries down and then pass out for a few days apparently, lmao) and I have a solid 20-something days until the deadline.

When I assume Futaba will wake up and go "What? Oh, I'm Medjed, was that not obvious?" and everyone will act super shocked about this. I'm still p convinced on that one.

Sidebar: Matt Mercer (Yusuke), Erika Harlacher (Ann), and Erica Lindbeck (Futaba) are fucking killing it. I have yet to hear a bad performance from a Persona game, but these are extremely good performances. I am fairly sure that I would have less affection for the cast as a whole if I was playing without voice acting. It really elevates everything.

[kellterntempest]

Art Commissions Open! DM me for details.

Feel free to message me or send me an ask if you are interested! I would love to work with you to create the artwork you want.

Read my commission guidelines and Terms of Service below:

1) You must be able to pay on Paypal via invoice. After both parties (artist and commissioner) have agreed upon the art commission and the set price, I will send you an invoice via Paypal. The commissioner will then deposit 100% of the price upfront before I start the commission.

By submitting payment for the commission, the client agrees that they have read and accepted the artists’ Terms of Service.

2) Additional costs can incur depending on the art request. For example: level of details, additional characters, mecha, wings, armor/weapons will increase the cost of the commission.

3) All transactions are to be paid in full upfront before work begins, and there are no refunds for completed art.

4) References must be submitted for original character commissions. If no references are given, it will be considered a character design commission instead and the price will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 

5) Cost of NSFW commissions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The scope of NSFW commissions I am willing to do include but are not limited to:

Nudity, sexual acts, blood & gore & some body horror, BDSM, some but not all fetishes (please ask for clarification)

NOTE: Please let me know if you do not want your commissioned art posted on my social media.

After 100% of commission payment is submitted, I will start the sketch. The commissioner will receive a minimum of 1 progress update during the sketching process. 

Once I have sent the commissioner the sketch/work-in-progress, the commissioner must give approval of the sketch before any lineart or color is started.

I will usually take up to 3-5 days to respond to your initial order inquiry.

You reserve the right to set a deadline for your commission. This deadline must be disclosed prior to payment.

I have the right to decline a project if there is too short of a time allowance. I reserve the right to take up to 3 weeks to begin work on your project, and an additional 4-8 to work on said project as needed.

Refunds: I can refund 100% of the payment only if I have not started working on the sketch unless discussed and agreed otherwise by my own confirmation.

Once I start the sketch, you may be refunded 80% of the initial payment. Past the sketching stage there will be no refunds.

If I cancel a project, I will reimburse the lost fees and refund 100%.

You may not use the Artwork for redistribution or external projects, commercial or non-commercial (i.e. t-shirts, mugs, public flyers, etc.) unless otherwise discussed.

You are not authorized to change, modify, edit or use my works without my permission.

You are not authorized to trace over my Artwork in any way, including the use of the artwork as a “base.”

You may display my work on external sites as long as it is visibly credited and linked back to me.

You may not upload or host my work in any gallery that is intended to display your own work only.

You may not claim my work as your own.

[witchyafterdark]

I would like to knowwww… who/what are your character inspos (both design and characterization) for Eulalie?

Thank you for this ask holy moly 🤯😭 I seriously am ITCHING to talk about Eulalie but I'm shy cause I don't write nor draw, so I feel like I can't do her justice like you guys. But thank you so much!

Little picture of Eula at the beach vivarium 🥺

[CHARACTER DESIGN]

When it comes to her design, I honestly modeled her after myself when I was around her age, 15-16. Only when I was an adult did I have long hair, but from toddlerhood to mid-teenage years, I wasn't "allowed" to have long hair. My hair honestly looked exactly like Eula's in this picture, and it used to be my greatest insecurity. All the girls had long braids and cute curls, while I was stuck with boy-short hair that I needed to wear earrings just to distinguish myself as a girl.

But when I was designing her, even before the face and make-up mod, I knew I had to give her short hair. It's sort of... giving my younger self power and justice. Like, MC is very powerful but also had a hard time adjusting to life in Hogwarts as a new student. But by giving Eula short hair, it's like reclaiming identity and being proud of one's image regardless of social standing.

The face claim is actually happenstance. I just saw a face mod that was new at that time, and not many people were downloading it back then, so I thought to give the modder a download as support! But I honestly felt like she gave more uniqueness to this face claim with short hair.

I have a whole Character Profile just for Eula in the future, it's just taking some time cause I'm moving to a different country right now, and everything is so hectic!

[CHARACTERIZATION]

Eula is actually nothing like me, personality-wise 😆

She is what I would describe as an introverted extrovert, and loves to actually hang around other people in busy places; albeit keeping to herself. This is how she knows almost every gossip as Ominis (although she can't beat the King of Gossip himself). Another snippet of her personality is that she gets angry silently, and is very cutthroat in the face of rude competition. Her peers would know when she's happy-silent vs. fuming-silent; but it's Sebastian, Ominis, and Natty who can determine this best.

When characterizing Eula, I sort of allowed her to breathe life into herself without much effort. I didn't have to think so hard about her at all, everything just... fell into place, actually. I gave her a face, a voice, and she took charge of the rest. (And yes, I'll explain her from top to bottom in the future profile post 🥰)

All I know is that Eula is the best and easiest character I have ever made. I wasn't fighting tooth and nail to perfect her character or whatever; she's like a character in Toy Story, in all honesty, and I feel like Andy. I just acquired Eula's character, but she has a life of her own. And trying to "force" a certain personality into her (like making her a "Mary Sue" or have a completely different lore than the one she has in mind) doesn't feel right.

I'm just the narrator here! 😩

[warriorcatdesigning]

Genetically Accurate Warrior Cats

Hi! I'm Webs(he/they), and I'm the blog mod!

Mascots are Nettleshade(long-haired black smoke) and Raccoonmask(longhaired black smoke tortie colorpoint).

I've been interested in cat genetics for over two years. This is a HUGE project in the making, and it's nowhere near complete. I only currently have two confirmed designs.

I talk about cat genetics on here sometimes. Please feel free to correct me if I get something wrong!

Asks are open! I'd love to talk about my headcanons.

TAGS

#wc designs - the genetically accurate warrior cats design posts, all will contain a description of the cat, a realistic drawing, and a simplified version of the design. Some designs include head canons(such as karpati Purdy).

All wc designs are free to use as long as you credit me!

#wc oc -

Weekly warrior cat OC posts, featuring OCs of mine(or submissions with credit one day?)

#ramble -

I'll talk about anything given the chance! Cat genetics? Yeah! OCs? Absolutely!

NSFW DNI

I am a MINOR, I do not wish to interact with NSFW blogs. SFW blogs are fine.

DNI

-Proshippers, if you're generally anti-lgbtq+, racist, misogynistic, or generally bigoted in any way. Also if you support any of this, or anyone like this, my page is NOT for you.

-If you support Blueberry(WC cc) or Cool Cat WC:UE.

-

Adults interacting

Don't be inappropriate with me, please. I am okay with interacting with adults, just don't make it weird.

Design Guidelines

-My designs are free to use for media, as long as it does not contain any form of NSFW or bigotry.

-Credit this blog if you decide to use either version of the designs I post. Do not claim my designs as your own.

-Do not trace my art or use it without proper credit.

-Reblogging is allowed, please!!! It helps a lot with making my art known.