#Been experimenting w art styles and I really like this one!

[theusernameiwantisntavailable]

Fanart of my amazing moot @cosmicpoutine's webtoon lonely prince club, it's so so good you guys, give it a read!!!

Headmaster Maya is probably my favourite character design wise! I'm always so excited when she appears, hope I did he justice!

Version with overlay under the cut :)

[fallowfield]

he can be girls

[sableeira]

sketches that I couldn’t get to look the way I wanted when I rendered them in the style of the other two works. So I just messed around a bit.

hiii long time no art and I’m late but I’m not immune to skk 109 angst

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, today we have a rec list of bottom Louis fics with twink Louis. If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog the post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Sweet Little Virgin | Explicit | 2,304 words

Harry and Louis are roommates and have been for years. Harry didn't know Louis was a virgin, until now.

2) Suspenders And Lace | Explicit | 2,784 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Harry has a thing for suspenders and white lace. Louis happens to have a thing for being a good boy for his Daddy.

3) You're A Good Boy And You Know It. | Mature | 3,234 words

Harry Styles a big famous pornstar, a young alfa sensation. Big and strong with tattoos all over his body, and a big alfa cock. And Louis Tomlinson is just a barely legal omega who is about to make his big debut in the porn industry, about to be knotted for the first time by the one and only Harry Styles.

4) Just a One Night Stand | Not Rated | 3,250 words

He heard Harry hum then he felt his hands on his waist, his thumbs digging into his skin. The grip he had on his waist was so unbelievebly strong, and Louis couldn't wriggle out of his grasp. But maybe he didn't want to get away. Maybe he wanted this.

5) The Rich And Beautiful | Mature | 3,341 words

Louis Tomlinson aka: "Teasy Tommo" dances for the richest man in England and gets more than what he bargained for.

6) The Library | Mature | 5,088 words

Louis works at a library, and Harry really needs a biology textbook.

7) When You Die (I Become Alive) | Not Rated | 5,797 words

“Saw your twink in the staff room," Niall says as he enters the elevator. “Have to admit, that ass is big.” "He is not my twink-" Harry is looking at his reflection in the elevator, "-but I'll see if he works out."

8) Wicked Games | Not Rated | 6,996 words

Prompt: Louis is the socially awkward kid who has anxiety and self harms and just isn't popular. Harry's the really popular one who never picks on anybody but has some pretty assholey friends who pick on Louis a lot and one day they pull his pants down and see that he's wearing pink boxers and most people laugh and Louis is mortified so he runs out but Harry follows him because he thought it was really hot and then they have sex with Harry cherishing every part of Louis body and making him feel important.

9) Deflower Me | Explicit | 20,154 words

Louis is a proud virgin, and no matter how much society tries to make him feel like a freak for not acting on his natural urges, he doesn't suffer from his lack of experience. He has never felt drawn to someone in a way that made him want to get involved sexually with them, and he isn't planning on rushing himself so he can get some because people think it's what he should do. In walks Fratboy, the Serial Haunter of His (wet) Dreams, who thankfully has a little business going on that might be just what Louis needs.

10) A Couple Months Too Long | Mature | 21,291 words

"I mean who wouldn't be scared when a cute little twink comes to tell a famous rockstar that the great sex in a doorway they had ended with a baby." And yeah, now Louis is staring at him with wide eyes. Louis is a fan of Harry's and they fuck and end up with a child.

11) Heart Open, Bloodstain On My Sleeve | Explicit | 35,706 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

“I couldn’t help myself,” Harry admits, one hand coming to rub the back of his neck, “I stared at you for a good while before I finally got the guts to come up to you. You looked so pretty sitting there, with your little ankles and your pencil in your mouth, so enthralling… art in front of art.” Louis’ not sure what to say, so he just kind of sits there, eyes bugging out as he stares at Harry. “I mean, like you’re not an object!” Harry rushes out, babbling. “I just, there’s something about you that’s so captivating, and maybe it’s the way your eyes are like a watercolor painting of the sea, or how delicate your hands look when you draw, but I just wanted to get to know you. It’s not like I pick up random boys at art museums usually, I swear. Not that I’m trying to pick you up! Unless you want to be…God, fuck I’m sorry this is so awkward now. I can go, um, if you want."

12) Take My Pure (And Wash It All Away 'Til I'm Cured) | Explicit | 40,629 words

And Louis decides, as the boy slowly starts backing away with that cheeky grin lighting up that whole stupidly beautiful face, that he should sue him for emotional abuse just for the fact his pecs stretch the fabric of his shirt like that alone. He really should. He might even win the case.

13) Falling Out Of Fashion | Explicit | 42,123 words

Harry Styles has been the established face of the Grimshaw House of Design for two years. It’s a prestigious and coveted modeling contract Harry took away from once-famed supermodel Zayn Malik. With the model transition Grimshaw’s designs went from a more urban, Zayn-forward aesthetic, to a Harry-favoring flowery, flowing femininity in the Grimshaw designs for men. So when Harry sees a dress Grimshaw made for a famous Marvel actress, “only a tease”, Nick says, of the evolving look, Harry knows Grimshaw is shifting his aesthetic. Harry wonders if he can pull off the look. Or could Grimshaw be looking for a new face?

14) A Love Like This Won't Last Forever (And I Don't Mind At All) | Mature | 53,978 words

“I thought you’re a woman.” “Excuse me?” “Rumour has it that I’m about to have a new stepmother. Just didn’t expect it would be a man, though twink would give a much better description.” “I’m not a twink.” Louis crossed his hands in front of his chest defensively. The man looked at him from head to toe and gave him a sweet fake smile. “Yeah, you are.” “I’m not— hold on,” Louis loosened his arms and now playing with his thumbs, “what do you mean stepmother?” The man extended his hand and stupidly Louis reached for it. Once the bigger hand engulfed his own, the man shook it. “Harry Styles, pleasure to meet you. What should I call you? Stepmother or the mistress?” Harry tightened his grip. “Or maybe a homewrecker?” He gave him the most cruel smile a man could offer.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[caustinen]

Loving your Hollywood Clegan AU so much!

Curious though...how do they transition when their relationship becomes public? Are there any issues with fan backlash? Or being an openly gay actor? What about the increased paparazzi attention or stalkerish fans? :O

Hello lovely person!! As usual this got a bit long but I hope it answers the question a bit at least 😂💘

To start off with, I usually reimagine my fics in worlds that don’t have homophobia because I personally don’t enjoy writing it/making it a plot point, there’s so much amazing art in all forms dealing with it that it doesn’t feel like trying to erase a very real problem/ignore it because obviously it unfortunately is a big part of queer experience for a lot of people, it’s just that I like to imagine worlds where that isn’t a factor just so there’s also places to escape that, esp in silly fanfiction that I write – that’s what I also enjoy to read as a queer person myself! So while it would definitely give this au a lot of depth, I’m at least not right now including that in these replies <3

As for the other stuff, I have not thought about it a lot even though these should be kinda the main questions for this au… So let’s think about it!

Paparazzi – John dislikes paparazzi as much as anyone but Gale despises them. He finds it a bit invasive but kind of a “part of the job” con for John and later their relationship in the public when it happens when arriving to/leaving events, but when he first catches someone taking his picture while leaving the gym or his office he gets very antsy. This creates some tensions for a bit as John understands his stress but also feels like they talked about it beforehand and now he can’t really do anything about it. When they’re out together and they spot paparazzi John always tries to block Gale from the sight, pull him behind himself or guide them some other way. They love to travel and it’s also easier to avoid being spotted when they’re away from LA/New York. It’s bad for the first few months but eventually the attention on them eases up a bit and they can go back to the new normal with only occasional encounters with the paparazzi; Gale also grows more accustomed to it and knows how to dress to and act to hide & make it a bit less intense.

Fan backlash – I think this would be an interesting thing to explore. Even though a lot of the fans are just happy for John, there are also some who have become too parasocial/illusioned about him after being fans for years (and he is a heartthrob and charming and widely accepted as “boyfriend material”) that they get upset when the relationship is revealed, starting to talk shit on social media about John never having been genuine and has only been lying to his fans meaning he never actually cared about them, and through that getting to insult his work and that they only went to see it because he’s hot but now it’s ruined. John was also shipped with a lot of his previous castmates and some shippers are also upset and saying he “setteled” for Gale who’s “just an ordinary office worker” when he could’ve had a flashy Hollywood Romance – while many see his fiancés shyness and soft-spokeness in public as adorable, some say he doesn’t match John’s vibe at all, and the fact that John also seems different with him is not a good thing and they start to psychoanalyze their relationship. John couldn’t care less for some angry comments on his insta but some of the hate is directed towards Gale, and he’s a bit taken aback when he starts to receive DM’s telling him to leave John immediately and accusing him of manipulating him into a relationship with “someone like him”. John is obviously very upset by all of this but Gale reminds him that he’s seen it all at work and can handle himself.

Stalkers – The other extreme of Gale haters would then be the people who get like way into him real fast, he’s beloved by the masses, sure, but these people are more like a cult (probably of the similar style of fan as the one’s who turn against John in the previous point, like highkey parasocial behavior but when John starts to date publicly it’s like “no, he’s OUR boyfriend” but not in a funny way you know). The line is blurred to some people what it means that John revealed he has a partner, it’s not a ”new part of him” but a real person of his own that happens to be dating their favorite actor, and this gets lost on some people who start to treat him almost like he was Bucky’s pet (idk if this makes any sense but like as if he was just a cute little thing he can post pics about and doesn’t really have an agency of their own AND the fans feel like they ”know him” when they actually know nothing about him except that he’s dating their idol). Gale’s not expecting to get any “fans” of his own, so he’s a bit weary when he’s asked to take pics with people without John or given stuff on red carpets etc, and especially when people really cross boundaries and try to gift him/them like condoma or sex toys or lingerie (I’m thinking of that one interview where they showed Austin his fan merch and there was the thong with his face on it and I’m thinking someone gifting a similar one of Bucky to him and him being absolutely horrified) or something else kinda projecting their own fantasies into them, or playing it off as a joke while it’s actually really distrurbing — just because they’re out doesn’t mean the relationship opened for other people to comment on. Then of course there’s just the usual internet hellhole-stuff, people start sending him really inappropriate messages about his body/looks/what they’d want to do to him given the chance that he maybe didn’t expect because he doesn’t believe John when he tells him that’s like notably attractive. I could also imagine for example a moment where someone approaches them when they’re leaving an event or something and Gale is being professional and polite but the other person is really overstaying their welcome/not following social cues but talking to him like a friend would and when John tries to politely lead them onwards the “fan” grabs Gale’s arm or something and it causes a small scene. Gale is stressed in these situations mostly because he fears how they’ll reflect on John’s image if he’s presented as being rude to fans but luckily these are rare occasions.

Despite all of this, they both are happy that the relationship is public, there are more pros than cons for being able to build their future together without having to be each others dirty little secrets (idk why but it came to my mind now that Gale is so the type that since he couldn’t always tell people he had a partner, everyone would either hit on him or try to match him with someone because “how is someone that pretty single?!” and this would annoy the hell out of Bucky despite him being the one with millions of options at any given moment, i like some jealous bucky :D)

Hope this was satisfactory!! Any more ideas to these scenarios? I’m so used to doing just fluff/smut so this was a fun challenge, thank you! <3

[charbies]

I'm mashing together my review of totk and reactions to random encounters with the masterworks I've had lately into one stream of consciousness

Totk should have had true continuity, not a 6 year time skip that we never get to see, experience, and feel. It's not that hard to bridge 2 games with a 1-2 min cutscene, esp in a zelda game. Majora's mask starts with quick, but meaningful exposition that bridges OOT to MM! The intro to wind waker is a 6 minute long cutscene!! This series thrives with its detailed, intriguing intros, so what happened?? Before I even launched totk the night it came out, I booted up botw and replayed the final boss & ending because I was so stoked to see the transition in story/world and wanted to honor both games. Instead boom, we're walking in a cave w/ no context.

I was so disappointed that zelda wasn't a companion character to link in totk, it was disempowering to her character arc. Really thought this game would build off of botw's snippets of link & zelda working together in memories. The teasers and trailers for totk gave this perception that she would be there (which would also "break tradition" like devs wanted, ffs). When I was on the tutorial island I was fully convinced I'd be finding her and we'd reconvene like "ok what's next." When I realized 20 mins into the game that she was GONE gone, as in will not reappear likely until the end of the game damsel-in-distress-style, my verbatim thought "wait... really? Is this still going to be good?" Which was kinda sad, for a game I waited so many years for :/

I had major pet peeves with the copy/paste nature of the cutscenes with the old sages. The dialogue, bgs, pacing, literally all identical. They just hot swapped the character models for the sages and said that was good enough, wtf!!! I live for cutscenes in games, I have since I was like 5. This felt lazy, and seriously demotivated me from completing the dungeons bc I knew there was going to be nothing novel or intriguing to look forward to

The secret stones were gimmicky af. Sorry. Also stupid name, they couldn't even opt for "sacred?" Ik in other languages they have way cooler names, which would have helped. Link's fucking thanos glove of stones was a stupid gimmick, I cannot believe they didn't think to alter that concept to be more mythical, or creative, or just original. I would have killed for the stones to relate to the triforce in some way, or to do away with the stones and have this game connect to the triforce, since the whole direction of this story was going back to ancient myth & lore.

the Zonai lacked depth, and honestly just felt like a boring distraction even tho they were supposed to be a central focus of this game. I 1000% agree with other folks posts on the take that rauru was a flat, 2-dimensional colonizer. Sonia got sidelined. yikes. ew. no thanks.

^similarly, ganon really was given no character or depth imo. It's like they did a fantastic job making him visibly LOOK scary, so they didn't bother to give him motives beyond "I'm bad, I do what I want."

the cliche "back to normal" at the end irked me. Link could have come out with no arm, keeping the zonia arm, or at least scars w/ the zonai arm pattern and that would be meaningful. Zelda got factory reset from irreversible draconification in a method that for all intents and purposes, could have been done as soon as link got rewind ability. There was no investigation or inclusion of the other dragons, which seemed like a missed opportunity. Actively working on reversing her could have been a main quest in game!! Like 1. Complete all dungeons/get all stones, 2. you can now go round up the spirits of rauru & sonia and reverse zelda yippee, 3. you and zelda go beat the shit out of ganon together. The dragons fighting was beautiful, powerful imagery, but honestly I think too much potential was traded away just to execute that one fraction of the boss fight.

The masterworks book annoys me, which is sad bc I love concept art. I wanted to be a concept artist growing up, I can accept that you'll often see things that never make it into the final cut. I was enamored with early posts abt things like zelda's haircut, char designs, etc.

But more recently I'm seeing the anthology side of the book taking major liberties that it didn't even bother showing us directly or alluding to in the game, and I think that's such a cop-out. They are literally telling us instead of SHOWING us in the game they release a year ago, and spent SIX YEARS making. There was a festival celebrating the return of zelda/defeat of ganon?? Freaking show us that!!! Show us link & zelda acclimate to post-calamity life. Show us imperfect, non-linear healing and resilience. I would have loved a festival scene w/ link and zelda that conveys the nuance of celebration and recognition of their efforts, and the contrasting weight of what they went through. Show me zelda, exhausted after a festival struggling with guilt and indecision about whether to bring back the monarchy with hyrule's restoration. Throwing in a "oh btw imagine if we actually had done this" post-game makes me so irritated and feral. It's like the post-release canon is sidling up to fanon and saying, "hey look we can do that too! look at our fan art" idk if that makes sense, I don't think I'm explaining it well. But it just feels disingenuous.

I'm not a timeline purest, I don't need everything to interconnect, but I don't love how assertions in this book invalidate connections and lore of other games. Also really don't love how this game overwrites and sidelines the sheikah.

I know majority of my disappointment stems from my own, personal expectations of a game that, let's face it, was probably given many mandates and initiatives to appeal to *everyone* in broad, lackluster ways. I still love the world and characters of zelda, if anything, totk reaffirmed what I love and want to prioritize in my art that I didn't see present in this game. Fun fact I used the world of botw to learn a lot about drawing landscapes & composition. It actually inspires me a bit to try to learn to do comics, which has been a longtime goal I've been too busy and/or timid to pursue lol.

mmm anyway if u read this and any of this resonated DM me and lets froth at the mouth and commiserate lol

[your-unfriendlyghost]

hi broski ummmm what programs do you use for art and what brushes

I use procreate! For lineart/sketching I usually use a slightly modified version of the Shale brush in the default procreate “calligraphy” section- just w/ the streamline feature turned down to zero and more like…size variation? (Idk I modified it a year and a half ago I don’t completely remember what I did lol)

Then for my grayscale comics, like these,

I use this Copic marker brush w/ just straight up black and varying levels of opacity. Usually I don’t use blending brushes in these, but in my most recent one I did.

For my colored stuff tho I use a lotta this pencil brush for everything (shadows, highlights, base flats, etc) and then depending on whether I want something more painterly (like the ocs on the left) or more cell shaded (like stevepop on the right), I either use soft texture brushes or a chalk brush (I cannot for the LIFE of me find where this chalk brush came from?? I’ve been digging but idk I can’t find it outside of my duplicate??) for highlights

Some other brushes/brush sets I use (all of them are free as of rn ‘cuz I’m broke):

Habook Brushpack (specifically the rectangle one- it puts down flat colors nice and fast but also doesn’t annoy me the way most “ink” brushes do!)

Laurenillusrated Brushpack- I use these mainly for skin, they’re really nice. (Also, @laurenillustrated is on tumblr- her art is so pretty, it’s like a storybook istg. Check it out if you haven’t it’s AMAZING)

I’ve recently started using @loish’s brushpack too, and I ADORE these brushes. I used them a TON on the Christine poster. You can get them by signing up for Loish's Digital Art School, which is a great collection of art resources as a whole, and it’s totally free. Would absolutely recommend

And finally, for the halftone texture I like to put on everything, I use the Halftone Hospital Basic Tone Kit. All of their brushes are fantastic, definitely check them out if you like the look of traditional art but also like the lower supply cost of digital art lol. Or just in general, ‘cause they’re great

(Then for the paper texture overlays I love so much, I usually use stock photos tbh.)

Anyhow, these are some of my favorites. But I do use others too, and this all came from years of playing around and finding what I like! I had this phase about…1 1/2-2ish years ago where I hated my art style and nothing was coming out right. It pushed me to try a bunch of different brushes- in retrospect I don’t think the brushes were what made it better, I just improved over time, but I had a lot of fun trying out different brushes. So definitely try ‘em out and experiment, because it really is a fun time :))

(As for my workflow, I talk about that here if you wanna know more about how I draw!)

[its-a-me-mango]

For how long have you been drawing? Your style is amazing!

Oh thank you so much!!! ;w; I've been drawing my whole life but I only really started focusing on it since I was 13, my styles changed a lot over the years and I'm happy where it is now! There's still room for improvement (I'd like to get better at anatomy and be able to draw more dynamic images) so I'm always trying to improve whenever I can, I always enjoy playing around and experimenting with my style as to not limit myself too much, so I'm always happy to hear that people like my stuff regardless! :D

I do feel that my art progression has slowed down since 2020 but I'm still happy with where my art is now! Progression/improvement can happen at different speeds so it's not something I worry about, besides it means I still like a lot of my older art, even if I could do it better now.

Actually since you're here, come look at the best drawing I've ever done, I cannot top this one, I cannot improve upon it, it's amazing.

12 year old me knew what the fuck was UP, this shit is awesome

[conceptofjoy]

SHIT I loVee your real boy seb. hes like if autism and adhd had a child. him having selective mutism and hiding behind someone close im crying. ive been feeling down/tired lately and seeing him made me genuinely giggle and smile. AND AHHH his interactions with other kids i love how you do the relationships in your posts not only <333 in your art style he and his expressions look so familiar and close.. hes my baby. my head aches its so good. seeing seb doing his bunny deals warms my heart like chocolate cheesecake in the microwave in fact. HELL FUCKING YEAH DESTA GO ON!!!

btw thats offtopic as hell but im that anon who originally said dorkhell LMFAO i saw you made the word? a whole hashtag uhoh! i opened my jaw like a smol bird opening its beak 180 degrees so that its mother bird would feed it WHEN i noticed. its actually so funny to me because i didnt even think about that too long. just a sudden thought i decided to add. but yes... this is your inheritance now joy (>_0)

well back to seb im about to disintegrate into sand. i really like how everyone uh... treats him in some sense? though he, i admit, may be a little disaster here and there but they love him <3 so, the way people treats seb with some kind of understanding (im not sure if thats the right word b i cant find anything better than this) is frankly comforting. i just go all "god damn it" as a person who was that neurodivergent child growing up. i may repeat, but i just adore your relationships between all the characters and I DARE to wander into another field BUT the vriska polycule,,... damn yes thats the thing anyone needs to see to make their earth spinning like its should. and they all care deeply about each other despite their ways of showing it is different. i see now!!!!

i literally cant form sentences anymore but they all are so dear. tyyy for making&sharing your art w random people on the internet again!! puts a turtle in your hand and frogblinks at you

AAAA THANK U puts turtle in a well maintained tank. everyone loves little seb n even though no one rlly has experience talking with kids, all of them are nd + have sibling energy/experience. his mischievousness matches a lot of the others lol.

hes a smart kid and knows how to use his cuteness/ how to play dumb to get out of situations (youngest child behavior) but is also incredibly silly. he takes after hal a lot in his smugness and dirk in his explosive displays of affection.

guh thank u so much for ur kind words. im glad i could make u feel better :) also dorkhell was just so good lol its so fitting. i should def elaborate on the vriska polycule l8r but it would take SEVERAL posts lmfao

[iraprince]

god i feel u so much on the not being able to use fancy detail brushes thing, i also use a textured brush (idk abt you but it stops me from obsessing over the lines being 100% Absolutely Perfectly Neat & Even) and i cry every time i see a cool brush that would just look totally out of place in comparison lmao. i keep telling myself someday ill make a whole bunch of custom ones that match my main brush... someday.....

I REALLY THINK THAT'S JUST WHAT WE GOTTA DO.... i do feel like by slowly playing w other ppl's custom brushes (i have to really recommend @robogart, @inspiderwiht and @pharanbrush as artists who create custom brush packs that i REALLY love!), i'm starting to understand very gradually what all the different settings and tweaks and adjustments do, which helps a lot + does make me feel like eventually i can work my way up to tackling my own...!

when i first started out the brush settings panel was SO overwhelming, so it felt like any time i downloaded a brush it was like. either i like it or i don't, and one tiny gripe abt it could ruin my experience w a brush that could otherwise be super useful and fun for me!! bc i didn't really feel capable of really getting into the guts of it and fucking around (also esp when u are on deadlines and stuff it's like. bro i cannot afford to Find Out rn and also i simply do not have time to spend an hour trying to figure out if i can make the pressure curve on this thing play nice w me). BUT giving myself a little bit of time whenever i'm doing personal doodling or warmups or w/e to experiment and mess around has been really really good for making me feel like i can take more control over the tools :D

I GUESS i am rambling majorly and a lot of this has nothing to do w the actual point of ur ask (esp the kind of. stamp brushes or fully drawn stuff like clothing trim/buttons/etc where it really IS like okay either it can blend w ur art style or it can't) BUT my point is just. grips ur arm in solidarity. by fucking around a tiny bit each day. one day we will understand digital brush composition + function enough to make our own. and then it's over for all of you bitches

[single-malt-scotch]

Given we are two episodes in to bdubs this HC seasons I will ramble a tad about his format this season and the timeline/comparisons to past ones!

Let's talk in parts for a second. For thumbnails. I didn't really know what to expect tbh. He's been going more minimalist in thumbnails for a while now- HC S9 and Create have very simple thumbnails very focus on the builds (if they occur in the HC video). Go from season 7 HC to now and they've changed a Lot. S8 was simple too if you take away the color overlay. But S10 is mega simple. There isn't even a title on the thumbnails!

Then intros. S7 and S8 would randomly have an intro of "welcome to hermitcraft!" And sometimes none at all. S9 started "welcome to hoymicraf" (how do we spell this) consistently. Additionally all those seasons had some intros beginning with some third person camera to start a scene (more consistent as time went), or without that intro in season 7, 8 and 10 we'd also just start in first pov while bdubs is already in action. Additionally intro music was always very energetic, and so far what we heard in his first s10 intro (and based off the time lapses) we are getting something way more chill. Ep2's intro is one of those exceptions for the specific scenarios that happen sometimes. The choice of situational music.

General editing? Kinda crossed over with intros here because intros have very blatant editing with music and camera etc. Tbh the biggest thing to any season is music choice, which changes how things feel entirely. Past seasons had faster paced songs in intros and many building segments had orchestral, so on. The way those building segments play out has slowly turned into bdubs cutting it up to fit the beat of music, which is most apparent now in S10 and bwb S3. For S10 I feel like this enunciates the calm music even more as it puts emphasis on what is the louder/more striking note of the song. Through S10 episodes right now we have seen more use of replay mod in more than just the intro. Usually wide shots with music. Thought out compositions and wide shots often showing scale of things around him. Even purposefully taking moments to stop and pause and linger on the shot. Definitely more cinematic, and completely different with his it slows down.

It is interesting to see what some people might feel is a total 180! Considering I have seen the flow of his format for so long "slow" is not unfamiliar but because he has grown so much as a commentator he handles this very well. It's not "old inexperienced commentator" slow. Because you can tell if you pay attention he isn't different from who he has been in recent years. He's always the same and going this direction is done w the same level of development and experience. Hes still silly, he's still got energy. It's just presentation! It feels different a lot by how he's editing.

Even so it makes me wonder Why. Was his previous loud style and high energy more aimed at when his kids were just born and very little, and he had an obvious shift to making his videos possibly more appealing to children and be child appropriate? Has he 'mellowed out' for any particular reason? If you watch him a lot, especially his Livestreams (the member ones rly) bdubs thinks hard about his building skills. He is genuinely an artist aiming to improve every day and I think he's gotten a lot back into really expressing his thoughts and feelings regarding the art. It's been a gradual focus returning I have seen. Perhaps he has decided to lean into this more on purpose, and in doing so that shifts his focus away from what people felt was "childish" acting. But it's important to remember, as a bdubs lover, the analysis here isn't actually one to say he's "changed" because he hasn't. As a content creator he knows what he's going for and to some level has consciously made these changes. We still got bdubs, he's just doing it different. And honestly if you were turned off by the energy of S9, I highly recommend giving this season a watch if you want something more artistic, and good discussion about building process.

[stormingfrost]

Reviewing all Rise Of The Guardians related media

I found as much media in this franchise that I could (I know there’s some more that aren’t available anymore, like the apps) and I’m here to give my opinion on all of them. Even if I gave something a low rating, I still love and cherish it as a part of my collection! 

There’s four sections: movie tie-in books, online comics, Guardians Of Childhood, and miscellaneous pieces of media I can’t sort easily 

Movie tie-in books

The Art Of Rise Of The Guardians

        Setting - 4 stars

    Plot - 3 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

I love the concept art book so much. I find it very interesting to see how movies are made, especially animated ones. All of the different details and story elements and decisions are so cool. I had to do a double take on them calling Jack a 'hunk' that's so funny. And the art is just so gorgeous!

Guide To The Guardians

        Setting - 3 stars

        Plot - 2.5 stars

        Engagement - 4.5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 3.5 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

I love fun facts so much! Each guardian gets a section w/ information, and an activity to do. I really like it! It's my second favorite of the movie-tie in books! Has trading cards with even more fun facts! (I found high quality pictures of the cards from GoldenDragon on DeviantArt, if you wanna take a peek at them.)

Hidden Truths and Other Stories

        Setting - 3.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 4.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

It has two original stories:

Monty and Jamie discussing their experiences with the Guardians before the events of the movie

How the elves came to work for North!

Getting something from this world that I haven't seen before was so fun and exciting! My favorite of the movie tie-in books!

Hidden Truths: 

   The story of Jamie and Monty is really cute. Jamie keeps a book to keep track of the magical things that he sees. Monty shares a time when he was at a boys scout camp and got attacked by a stray dog, only to see ice appear out of nowhere.

With Friends Like These: 

    The elves are funny, and North and the yetis reaction to them is hilarious. They help North, and he decides to let them stay.

Worlds Of Wonder

        Setting - 2.5 stars

        Plot - 1.5 stars

        Engagement - 4 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 4 stars

        Overall rating - 3.5 stars

        Recommendation - 3 stars

I actually really like this. The play-set is cute and the little booklet gives some information about all the characters. It's something that I would've adored as a kid. It’s got a mixed rating bc it’s a pop-up play-set with mini paper cutouts of the characters, not a story. It’s a bit hard to rate with all the others. 

Rise Of The Guardians: Movie Novelization

        Setting - 3.5 stars

        Plot - 3 stars

        Engagement - 3.5 stars

        Characters - 4 stars 

        Style - 3 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 3.5 stars

        Recommendation - 3.5 stars

It's not as well written as I hoped it would've been, but it isn't a terrible read. Overall, I like it, but it does change, add, and exclude lines that were in the movie. Some changes I like, some I don't. It's not bad, not good.

Just meh. If you're a fan of rotg, you'll enjoy it well enough.

Jamie To The Rescue!

        Setting - 3 stars

        Plot - 3.5 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 3 stars

        Recommendation - 3 stars

It's a cute illustrated version of Jamie's view of the events of the movie. It’s a picture book for children, I can’t really enjoy this in the way it was intended to be read, because I’m not a kid. I like it, but it's not my favorite by a long shot. 

The Story Of Jack Frost

        Setting - 3 stars

        Plot - 3.5 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 3 stars

        Recommendation - 3 stars

It's another cute illustrated version of Jack's view of the events of the movie. I like it, but it's in the same category as Jamie To The Rescue! in terms of kid books that an adult is reading. 

Rise of the Guardians: A Deluxe Pop-Up Book

        Setting - 4.5 stars

        Plot - 3 stars

        Engagement - 3.5 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 2.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 3 stars

        Recommendation - 3 stars

It's fun to see the events of the movie in an interactive book! But some of the art is... just not very good? It's fine for the most part, but then Jack's eyes are suddenly in two different places and the characters look uncanny. Overall, I like it but the art leaves much to be desired.

Made In The North Pole

        Setting - 2.5 stars

        Plot - 2 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 2.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 2.5 stars

        Overall rating - 2.5 stars

        Recommendation - 2 stars

It's fun, but it's just screenshots from the movie and pngs with related text

Not a lot of effort was put into this as other books and it shows. It's cute tho, definitely a kids book meant for children. 

Rise Of The Guardians: Mix & Match

        Setting - 2 stars

        Plot - 2 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 4 stars

        Enjoyment - 2 stars

        Overall rating - 2.5 stars

        Recommendation - 2.5 stars

Not my favorite but I can recognize that I am not the target audience for this kids book. Probably my least favorite personality.  It would be fun for a kid though, the interactive element is good but overall it's not the best. It's just not for me.

Online comics

Learning To Fly

        Setting - 4.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

I like how he sees how the world works and learns from it. It shows how smart he actually is, and how much he had to learn in those 300 years. I also really like the panel where he is looking up at the birds. Very cool. Just Jack flying with a flock of birds is really cool.

Spring 1968

        Setting - 4 stars

        Plot - 4.5 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

This art is just GORGEOUS. Short and sweet, although I do wish we got to see more about the blizzard of '68. You just know Jack is laughing in the background somewhere. I seriously cannot get over how pretty this comic is. I want this art tattooed on my SOUL

Cat Nap

        Setting - 4 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

This is so adorable I can't even. Sandy's attempts to entertain the cat and the cat just not having it. Short and sweet and it's Sandy and a cat. What's not there to love?

The art is gorgeous. So cute!

Winter Spirit

        Setting - 3.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

Jack making snowmen for a group of kids. Adorable. Also, new Jack outfit besides his colonial one and modern one. I love how the snowmen glow with Jack's magic it's such a cool detail. Jack making things fun for a group of bored kids is so on brand. Very cute and fun!

Pitch Black

        Setting - 5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 5 stars

        Recommendation - 5 stars

Pitch gets offered to be a Guardian, but he refuses and takes offense to it. It's so interesting to see Pitch being more friendly to the Guardians, especially because this is the moment that started their fight. I love the different lore here. The books by William Joyce would've never had this happen. (Also ties in super well with Johane Matte's unofficial comics. I recommend reading those as well. This is her tumblr and this her deviantart) 

Guardians of Childhood

The Man In The Moon

        Setting - 4 stars

        Plot - 4 stars

        Engagement - 4 stars

        Characters - 4 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 4 stars

        Overall rating - 4 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

Very cute. The drawings are amazing. The story is obviously simple, but it's a bit awkward trying to fit Pitch and the lore in there when the story is mostly about MiM making a smile on the moon’s surface and balloons. 

The Sandman

        Setting - 4 stars

        Plot - 4 stars

        Engagement - 4 stars

        Characters - 4.5 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 4 stars

        Overall rating - 4 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

Different from the novels, but still good. Very cute, and the art is gorgeous. Golden Age/Pitch stuff was less sudden and awkward. 

Jack Frost

        Setting - 4 stars

        Plot - 4 stars

        Engagement - 4 stars

        Characters - 4 stars 

        Style - 5 stars

        Enjoyment - 4 stars

        Overall rating - 4 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

Very cute! Pretty art. Less confusion about the Pitch/Golden Age stuff, mostly because it was at the beginning as set up rather than just shoved in the middle as a long paragraph on one page. 

Nicholas St. North And The Battle Of The Nightmare King

        Setting - 4.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 4 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

Cute, whimsical. We see the very beginning of the Guardians- hints at Santa and Mother Goose. Start of the relics, the macguffins of the series (more on that later.) 

E. Aster Bunnymund And The Warrior Eggs At The Earth's Core!

        Setting - 4.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 3.5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 3.5 stars

        Overall rating - 4 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

I liked this book more than the first one. We set up Emily Jane, we get more characters, and the world is expanded on. I liked how Bunny is a dork, how Pitch's weapons absorb light, how Pitch touching Nightlight turned his hand human. I do wish there was more on Bunny's negative feelings towards Pitch, seeing as he did kill Bunny's people, rather than Bunny not really caring at all. 

Toothiana Queen Of The Tooth Fairy Armies

        Setting - 4.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 3.5 stars

        Characters - 4.5 stars 

        Style - 3 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 4 stars

        Recommendation - 4 stars

I wish we had more on Tooth's character. I love her so much. This book frustrates me because all of the other Guardians’ homes get exact locations, but Tooth's is just "Asia." Like where? Tooth's home is only implied, and it sucks. Plus, she's the only POC in this cast, and she's a bird. The book itself was okay (ignoring the orientalism). I liked some of Tooth's backstory and the build up to meeting Emily Jane. 

The Sandman And The War Of Dreams

        Setting - 4.5 stars

        Plot - 5 stars

        Engagement - 4.5 stars

        Characters - 5 stars 

        Style - 4.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 5 stars

        Overall rating - 4.5 stars

        Recommendation - 4.5 stars

I liked the full backstories and the pay off for Emily Jane, Nightlight, and the relics. It feels tied with the previous books. I don't like how rushed Sandy's parts are. Also the kiss thing is just weird. I love Emily Jane's character, wish we got more of her as Mother Nature. I liked how Sandy got blisters from the nightmare shield, it's reminiscent of his death in the movie. I liked it. Favorite book in the GOC series. 

Jack Frost The End Becomes The Beginning

        Setting - 4 stars

        Plot - 3 stars

        Engagement - 3.5 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 3 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 3.5 stars

        Recommendation - 3.5 stars

This book is a WILD ride. But definitely a better read if you aren't expecting it to be like the movie at all. The ending was good. I liked Shadowbent. It's inconsistent with the other books, it retcons a bunch of things. Like the relics. They aren’t important anymore just because. This book has unnecessary details and tangents that could be cut out (or even just shown, rather than told) because they do not add anything to the story. Joyce should stop using real historical figures in this book. Jack's staff is alive, btw. I'm still not over that. Or that Tumblr sexyman Jack Frost, Elsa's boyfriend or whatever, is besties with Winston Churchill (????????????????)

Miscellaneous pieces of media I can’t sort easily 

 Rise Of The Guardians: The Video Game (3DS version)

        Setting - 3.5 stars

        Plot - 3.5 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 2.5 stars 

        Style - 3 stars

        Enjoyment - 3.5 stars

        Overall rating - 3.5 stars

        Recommendation - 3.5 stars

I'm gonna be completely honest here: this game is a low effort cash grab. It’s a movie video game, my expectations are low and it met them. It's enjoyable if you like beating things up, but the gameplay gets repetitive quickly. I liked it well enough played it twice even but I wouldn't say it's the best. The game looks much better (better graphics, gameplay, voice acting, and multiplayer) on Wii/PS3/Xbox 360, I just don't have those consoles.

The Man in The Moon (2005 short film) 

        Setting - 3.5 stars

        Plot - 4 stars

        Engagement - 3 stars

        Characters - 3 stars 

        Style - 3.5 stars

        Enjoyment - 3 stars

        Overall rating - 3.5 stars

        Recommendation - 3.5 stars

The art style is a 3D version of William Joyce's art style (which is fine but gives me Coraline book cover vibes.) The bowler hat is apparently the boogeyman's, which is hilarious (because Joyce wrote the book that became Meet The Robinsons.) VERY early concept of this universe, used to pitch the idea to Dreamworks. It's funny how the core concept is there, but how different it is to both the movie and the books. It's alright, I do find it more interesting than entertaining, because of how much the concept changed. Can't have William Joyce without the robots. 

[kalpeavaris]

hi this is really random but.

i found your art scrolling through reddit the other day(it was on the sub, not reposts) and then happened upon your tumblr. i love your art and the way you draw the drones.

the subtle little detail lines in the eyes, especially with nori, the way you work with the designs to fit what you need. it's just all really amazing to look at. and the fankids are so nicely done too!! may even convince me to ship something i currently don't.

keep up the good work! :>

Ahh, thank you so much for your kind words anon! I absolute appreciate them! ;w;

I was struggling heavily with my MD-related artstyle because I've always been a semi-realism artist (mainly drew humans and animals beforehand) - and I wasn't sure how to adapt. Joining the MD fandom and tumblr seeing so many amazing artists take their spin on the drone's style had brought so much inspiration for me to experiment!

My artstyle may change in mach fuck speed, but I'm absolutely honored when people love it! (also not gonna lie, Nori & Uzi are my favourites to draw, especially Nori since I can play with the aspect of 'age' in their designs seeing how she's one of the oldest drones in the show technically).

And ppl liking the fankids makes me even happier since they've become these lil goobers in my head I can't escape from (especially Jecka, she's my fav lol) so I just... hold them gently and show them everyone :D "look those are my kids!" "those are... drawings" "stfu it's called adoption"

Will do, anon, will do!

[adhdo5]

oh I am interested to ask if you had any spoilers when reading/watching mdzs the first time? especially did you already know _the thing_ with nie huaisang like you did with junwu or not?

also as I already said I really love your art your style is absolutely perfect >>>>>

Okay second query first THANK YOUUUUU I am so . Ahwhwhdhegegeg ;w; tht my Images are well received in the world

And first query second: I didn't! I went into CQL pretty much entirely blind –and really bc I knew it was in Mandarin and my friends were doing a watch party so I was like Oh I'll hang out and get some listening practice in! – and I had some REALLY good experiences for it. I did not even suspect the Thing with NHS and the friends I was watch partying with had a BLAST about this it was so funny reading the thread rewatchers were talking in after we finished the series bc I immediately LIKED NHS and I was going Omg yay NHS my perfect meetup boy right up until the Reveal during which I was like OH MY GOD???? MY PERFECT MEETUP BOY!!!!!!! and by god I've been Xiyao posting too much I need to NHS post again I love that guy so MUCH he's a solid favorite character contender and the first I recognized

The only thing I was ~spoiled on was Meng Yao getting a new name bc one of my friends slipped up and called him JGY once and I saw it before they edited the message, and that's only a spoiler in CQL (though tbh I prefer the pacing of how CQL introduces you to JGY, hot take; it's probably in solid part because I was show-first and am just biased toward the thing I knew first, but also the thing is . It was SO fun to meet and get attached to Meng Yao and then see him do more and more fucked up things and go UM . WHAT THE FUCK. literally Lan Xichen simulator)

More fun things from watching CQL blind

I fully bought the core misdirection, in part because I was kind of confused as to what was going on the whole time

When we started I was like "this is fun and charming! I like these characters and such I'm interested in seeing where this goes, though this isn't Seizing me like a new Thing or like Hannibal did it's not lifechanging" And then we got to Lotus Pier arc, and for like three days of episodes in a row (we would watch 2 eps a day) I cried every single time,and then I was like HEY GUYS... I THINK THIS IS LIFE CHANGING NOW

When we finally got out of the time skip I did some speculation as to who died and in fact called that it was Nie Mingjue because in terms of status quo changes "NHS is sect leader now" would function and give NHS something to do that he didn't have otherwise and NMJ was the most narratively killable

After WWX got stabbed at Carp Tower I was genuinely very afraid for a second that she was going to actually die for real, and my friends were like THIS IS A ROMANCE THEY HAVEN'T EVEN CONFESSED?? and I was like YEAH BUT WHAT IF THEY FINALLY CONFESS AND SHE SUCCUMBS TO HER INJURIES IN LWJ'S ARMS OR SOMETHING!!! IT'S SAD AND I'M SCARED??? and had to be assured that it's in fact not the kind of romance where Anyone Can Die™ and happy ending for the main couple is genre guaranteed. But there's a canon divergence idea for you

Before we watched the finale I speculated FURIOUSLY as to who was going to die. Hang on lemme get screenshots

I also remember saying something along the lines of specifically "I'm scared that Jin Guangyao is going to merc Lan Xichen and NO ONE is going to be happy about that, least of all Jin Guangyao" but I can't find it. Kind of yuri of absence about the actual Xiyao ending. Sorry I'm frenzying I just checked the clock and I have an hour to eat breakfast before we watch the finale

Bonus:

[dkniade]

Offering to Cook Food and Seeing Your Reaction

ITTO, ALBEDO, ZHONGLI, KAEYA

(Not intended to be reader inserts but you can think of them that way.)

.

Experiment Notes

To get a feel for how Itto talks in English dub and try an informal speaking style

To properly appreciate food and incorporate a character’s setting to their dish

To convey key character traits in a short mundane scenario within a small word count

To imply what the other interlocutor said by the character’s reaction and change in topic in the next lines

Content Notes: Albedo’s part shows him being people-pleasing and having difficulty accepting compliments. Zhongli’s part briefly touches on grief and implied character deaths.

ITTO: Cooking Food

You hungry, buddy? Snacks are great but with that sorta growl— Hah! You’re gonna need something more. Well, you’re in luck~ Arataki “Number One Gourmet” Itto knows a whole menu’s worth of dishes by heart. Fried, sauced, pan-seared, you name it!

ITTO: Dish-Tasting

Tastes good, yeah? Heh, when you’ve got a gang to feed, y’learn to whip up bites that’d keep ya full. ‘Course, they come back askin’ for seconds! I know, I know, don’t be shy~ Get in line. I’ll whip up ten more batches! Hahahaha!

-----

Man, your tummy’s growling—

--

I know it tastes amazing.

‘Course it’s good! That’s all these years of cookin’ for the gang! That’s right!

.

ITTO

good at cooking snack food for the gang (think 小摊 or 夜宵 sorta food)

Easy to make stuff that are oily and deep fried, going all ham in sauce 

huge ego, lighthearted, cares for Arataki gang

It’s quite surface ‘cause that’s what I got from his Voiceline profile

ALBEDO: Cooking Food

You’re hungry? I suppose I’ve carelessly let time slip by indeed… Very well, I’ll prepare some Sunshine Sprat. I imagine you’ll need a larger serving than me with your constant travels. Still, I hope it satisfies your hunger.

ALBEDO: Dish-Tasting

How is it? It may seem simple, but this dish requires slow cooking over low-heat for the butter to melt into the fish completely. I removed the bones and applied seasoning, but it may still be a bit bland for you. …Ah, it’s delicious? Yes, the ingredients are fresh from lakes at the bottom of the mountain. …My cooking skill? The combination of ingredients to create reactions is not unlike alchemy, after all. In any case, is the serving size okay? I don’t have a big appetite, so— …I— Traveler… Erm, excuse my reaction to… Thank you. I’m happy to hear that…

----

You’re hungry, you say? 

If I may ask, do you prefer Mondstadtian snacks or a full dish? …

----

Though seemingly simple, this dish requires

I made sure to remove the bones as they might be unpleasant for you,

…Ah, really? I’m glad it satisfies your hunger, then.

…Ah, it’s delicious? Yes, the combination of ingredients to create reactions is not unlike alchemy.

Because of my skill? It’s nothing.

If you need more— It was the perfect size?

.

ALBEDO

Good at making Sunshine Sprats and knows some Mondstadt snacks Klee likes

Quality and elegance over size in cooking

Takes great care in cooking and making sure the one eating is satisfied 

(wait, he’s asking a lot of questions, this feels a little extreme, ah but it’s taking care of his friend, so he wants to know despite his lack of experience)

Too worried about others’ reactions and living up to their standards 

Explains compliments away by linking cooking to alchemy, but eventually takes compliment for himself 

This last part was hard to word

ZHONGLI: Cooking Food

The art of cuisine takes patience and skill, so the preparation cannot be rushed. This soup requires a certain technique and seasoning, but its ingredients are minimal so it will only take six hours to prepare… Although, I’ve been advised to prepare it beforehand so you do not suffer from hunger for so long. Please wait for an hour for the last few ingredients to be fully cooked…

ZHONGLI: Dish-Tasting

At times like this, I look back on memories I’ve shared with my companions. Years pass, yet still I wish to taste wine while sailing away from the harbour… Would you like some? …No, that’s all that I ask for. Being able to share mundane moments with you is what makes them memorable. Even osmanthus flowers are more beautiful in your presence.

----

First, one ought to source the fresh bamboo shoots

When preparing dishes, one must have patience 

I’d like you to wait a little longer.

----

The simple act of sharing a 

Years pass, yet still wine tastes the same…

.

ZHONGLI

Good at making Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup

High quality ingredients, dish has a refined taste that’s complex but not very strong 

extra patient, doesn’t mind that something takes 6+ hours to prepare, explains origin of every ingredient 

Reminisces on times past and sharing mundane memories with friends 

It explores the meaning of the line in the Chinese some more. Here’s a Twitter thread that analyzes the line from the context of the original Chinese poem and also in Zhongli’s setting

Man the bit about sailing across the harbour and drinking wine only makes more sense in Chinese…  It’s so bittersweet…

KAEYA: Cooking Food

Oh? Well, you’re in luck. I happen to know a few dishes that pair nicely with wine. …What? You don’t drink? Such a shame that I can’t share this joy with you! Still, I assure you these will be delectable even with apple cider.

KAEYA: Dish-Tasting

What? Surprised that I know how to make ham samples with olives and cooked fish? Hehe, don’t you know Cider Lake provides many ingredients for bar dishes? Of course I can make them anytime I want, but it’s more fun seeing you enjoy them~ Eating with good buddies tops even the best of wine, wouldn’t you say?

-----

Well, I’d say we deserve a break after all this work today. 

Such a shame that you can’t enjoy the full experience with me!

Well, I assure you these ones will satisfy you even with apple cider.

KAEYA

good at cooking 下酒菜 (like fried vegetables and fish) 

(German ham samples, olives, and cooked fish) 

Always knows the best alcohol to pair with the dish

Teases, lazy about work, but confident in his cooking skills while praising the taste of wine

Puts emphasis on praising the Traveler’s presence

Drops a line about how it always tastes better with friends around 

The line between explicitly complimenting the Traveler and implying his loneliness is so damn thin

I am flattered writing this 

.

.

.

[thirdtimed]

just had the experience of really liking your life series winner gets a wish post and then experiencing the one two punch of isat reference and hxh reference and really liking your art style and then opening your blog to see an inscryption reference. followed for sure ^_^ beautiful world

oh my god, three for three.. i actually havent played inscryption yet but its been in my peripherary for a while (lots of friends who adore it!) so maybe one day i will learn to distingush that little guy from grumbot for real.... so cool to find someone else w so many shared interests :D i love hxh in particular & its one of the only other series that's filled me with as much fervor as hc/life series is currently LOL. nice to know i can share this stupid joke with someone else now