#HALF WAY POINT. YES

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

i vote that next year instead of reading Dracula we do a Jeeves & Wooster Book Club. those two never got the rabid tumblr shipping fandom they deserved (disqualified for the sheer technicality of being published a century too soon). we must correct this injustice

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 198

Now Bruce was not expecting to reincarnate upon his death. At least he thinks he died, he’s pretty sure he did. There wasn’t any other reason for him to be a well, literal baby. Around two he thinks, which fits well with the fact that it’s around that time that babies start forming memory recall, if he, well, remembered correctly. 

But while he knew about reincarnation thanks to Shayera and Carter, he’d never exactly given it much thought towards himself. Because seriously, what were the chances of such a thing as him being given another chance? 

So he was quite surprised at his situation, experimentally opening and closing pudgy hands that looked well, just a tiny bit off. He’d never been that pale before, he thinks, even back when he never went outside like, ever. 

He turned his gaze towards the mobile above him with a sort of idle curiosity- a mixture of bats (ha) and other trinkets he wasn’t familiar with. It also caused him to get his first good look at his parent, asleep on a rocking chair right next to the crib. 

Huh. They had the same pale skin he did, albeit in the light it looked like it was slightly tinted blue, and while their hair was white they didn’t exactly look old. They looked surprisingly well rested for raising a toddler too, unless they had a nanny or something similar… He rolled over, managing to very shakily push himself to his feet with the help of the crib. 

Why was standing so hard as a toddler? And why did he have his memories of everything except how he had died anyway? 

His head whipped up from where they were staring at his feet when he heard a snort, finding his parent awake and standing. Somehow silently enough that he hadn’t noticed- or he was that easily distracted by the unfamiliar giddiness bursting in his chest. 

“Morning little bat,” his parent easily picked him up and held him while he inwardly sighed at the nickname. Of course his bat motif would follow him into this life. A low rumbling almost caused him to jump, his body relaxing before he could fully register the sound. The… purring? 

Oh. 

He wasn’t human this time around. 

[omtai]

it feels everytime mcr does something major everyone has got to complain for the next week and a half. feels like christmas dinner daily on tumblr the way everyone’s fighting all the time

[rinasaurusrex]

shadowheart? i'm not that into her, she's fine or whatever, i mean—*trips* *dozens of save files before every shadowheart conversation spill from pockets* fuck, those aren't mine i swear, i'm holding them for a friend, i—*slips on pile of save files* *dozens more save files from the new game i started as a selûne cleric for Extra Drama™ fall out as i fall to my knees, desperately trying to pick them up* i can explain, hang on LISTEN

[fullbrave]

speaking as a huge fan of the guy (to put it mildly...) i can't stop thinking about how much it sucks that gray's character arc is lowkey the only thing the cs finale actually wrapped up in a satisfying way. not that it couldn't have been better, obviously, but apart from feeling rushed i think it was pretty much as strong and thoughtful a conclusion as they could have pulled off in five minutes like that. meanwhile everything else in the episode is equally rushed but seriously lacking in substance by comparison and i'm like... come on man. what are we doing here? what's this show called again i'm pretty sure it's not Graham Calloway

[raptor-claw]

ep 25 season 1 plaza prom of ok ko is so goddamn special to me.

carol being ko’s prom date and him being ecstatic by that fact. gar and carol dancing, with gar saying another full sentence to her (granted, he short-circuited even just trying to get that sentence out, but imma let the man have his win). brandon and magi lying about having dates to impress the other but then just going together, with that frankly illegally adorable dressage exchange scene. nick and joff just being together together in the background casually the freaking cuties (love them clocking brandon and magi as well, they were totally being like “aww, we were like that once” <3). rad finally being in with the alleyway teens and being so gosh darn happy about it, as well as his whole dance battle with raymond (the killer moves, raymond being a fabulous diva but still getting gloriously humbled - pure perfection). enid being allergic to the crap mainstream music and then finally being able to jam out to her own tunes (the fact that dj-ing is one of the only things she actually shows she cares about and takes seriously is so precious to me). being able to see all the background/minor characters just enjoying the party alongside the main characters is so refreshing and amazing (i adore colewart and potato’s antics and their adorable prom picture).

it’s genuinely one of my favourite episodes of any show ever. they all mean so much to me. i love shows which just embrace showing the normal life of its characters, shows which aren’t afraid to have slow moving episode plots. ok ko is literally one of if not the most comforting tv series i’ve ever watched; all the characters have their own personalities and are just so fleshed out, even if they’re only supposed to be minor characters, and idk it just makes me so happy. the show makes me feel like a little kid again in the best way possible - it makes me laugh and cry and get cuteness aggression strong enough to level freaking mountains and i adore it. ok ko makes life worth living and is one of the greatest things created by mankind. anyway go watch ok ko let’s be heroes if you haven’t already, i just think it’s neat :3

[sunlaire]

The GoT au: Lord Crozier having james try on the new set of armor he bought for him. James is standing there while Crozier rounds him, adjusting the cape, asking if everything fits comfortably. And james, hopelessly in love and trying not to show it, can only manage a "yes sir thank you sir".

Also including @clandestinegardenias commentary because it made me Light Headed

[lycanpunk667]

Putting this guy through more horrors than thought humanly possible actually

[invinciblerodent]

a couple of my favorite unaltered, spoiler-free early game shots of the gorgeous ms. gallus, for your viewing pleasure

[toasteaa]

JAIL.

[justaz]

teehee au where merlin is beloved by like all of camelot and just has everyone wrapped around his finger (not that different from canon honestly) and one day arthur is on his way out on a mission from his father that merlin insisted he be on bc uther found out about his magic and merlin just wanted arthur far away from it so he didn’t have to witness it. uther knows that merlin cares deeply for arthur and was genuine in the compromise so he allowed it. after arthur is gone, uther orders the pyre to be built and merlin is burned before sundown.

since arthur’s mission was top secret (again insisted by merlin) no one knew where he was or how to send a message to him to let him know what was happening. the citadel is ROCKED bro like a lot of them are in shock and weighed down by grief (especially the guards and knights that were forced to follow their king’s orders). this was like the first time that almost the whole citadel knew who the sorcerer was and they all adored him. organizing happens rather quickly especially with the knights and guards turning a blind eye to the conspiring of high treason that’s literally happening right in front of them.

arthur meanwhile runs into either morgause or nimueh somehow idk and they tell him about the deal his father made and shows him the contract he signed and points out the line that states the deal calls for a life to be taken in exchange for a life made which makes it clear that his father knew somebody was to die for it. he pulls a quick 180° and dashes back to camelot, arriving in the middle of the night to see fires burning high as the rioting citizens scream and shout calling for justice and listing names that seem vaguely familiar but he cant place.

arthur, already hellbent on patricide, hears the fate that befell merlin and his rage is multiplied tenfold. he marches through the streets with tunnel vision until he finds his father who seems relieved to have his son back until he draws his sword against uther. arthur doesn’t argue or insist he draw his sword. arthur just lists his two people, his mother and his merlin, much like the rioting people outside are.

uther stops him: you look down on me for building a kingdom on blood, but that is what you’ll be doing if you kill me

arthur barely blinks: then i guess i really am your son

uther’s head is paraded around the city until morning

[bacchuschucklefuck]

LIVING for your ponytail Yugi he’s so cute 😭💖

thank u! i hold dear in my heart the way yuugi is like a little plushie that wants nothing more than to die a noble death

[the-physicality]

.

[crehador]

the huge cast in dead mount death play occasionally makes for such hilarious moments, like there are so many different teams and factions that when two people fight for the first time they often have no idea why they're fighting or have the completely wrong idea of why they're fighting

and they'll say seemingly clever things like "so you can turn parts of your body into a bat... ah, i know... you must be solitaire's apprentice" with complete certainty but like no babygirl. there are 50 other unaffiliated people in shinjuku who could've taught her to do that

[qaanngi]

being economical and borrowing my art summary template from 2019 lol. notes under cut

I did want to do something similar to my 2020 art summary which had notes/thoughts on each digital piece baked into the image itself (and is also the prettiest lmfao) but I haven't been as proactive or even content since then sdfhsdkflds but I'm also of the opinion that artists should talk about their work, even if I still struggle to call myself one T_T

I met my monthly quota of one digital piece per month + one coloured sketch per month except October, which tends to be the month of exceptions since some sort of art challenge crops up. This year I opted to meme countdown loosely for Veilguard, and was the most free and loose I've been with drawing but also kind of burnt myself out a little on that front.

I do appreciate that there have been a few style experiments in the monthly things (March/Sept./Oct/Nov). I always found my style to be pretty generic but able to emulate other styles a little as a result. Except anime/manga evidently. But that means I can evoke different tones with different styles and do really left field stuff, which is always fun and leaves a lot of room for experimentation and a diverse body of work, which I prefer.

Managed to land LNY piece, which is a tradition I want to keep. I think my favourite piece is probably June's, the Lumine/Paimon/Osse/Scylla piece, which I referenced a screenshot because the location in-game was too pretty for me to not draw it. The Lumine/Girl With a Pearl Earring piece I'm pretty fond of, only because it was a genuine study of an old master, and I think it turned out well. The Lucanis minimalist piece is also a favourite, and it was me doubling down on the things I'm better at instead of trying to aspire to whatever the fuck I've been trying to do. Improve in some way I haven't defined yet, or operating on the notion that there is always room to improve (which is true and healthy to think), but also I guess a sense of dissatisfaction that my work is Objectively Broken in some way and desperately needs to be fixed. What's it like being content with your style and process?

The 2019 art summary had a template for Honourable Mentions since I actually managed to do more than one piece per month throughout the year (tho admittedly a lot of those were schoolwork). That's kind of been a struggle since 2021 for Reasons I still haven't fully recovered from, but I did manage a few extra things this year, chief among them the 19/20 Day Countdown mark for Veilguard, which I really wanted to do since I did one for Inquisition 10 years earlier, and I'll probably do one for the next Dragon Age game lol. I'd also like to probably redo the Inqusition one, and do full illustrations for both since I can actually draw backgrounds now. Something for 2025 I guess.

Others among the Honourable Mentions include a twt xlmi event piece I got a ton of "omg it's giving Sailor Moon + Tuxedo Mask" comments which makes it sound derivative as hell 🙃 The concept, was the moon (Lumine) and her night sky (Xiao). He is often associated with darkness and depicted looking at the moon pretty regularly. Also he is literally fading into black in the piece. My interpretation was that the night sky is quiet, and it darkens the sky so we can see the moon. The moon sits in the night sky's embrace. I actually quite like this one, the more I look at it. I've also used Giant Moon in the Middle of a Drawing a lot throughout the years, so that absolutely tracks. Maybe I should do one every year.

Other Honourable Mentions are my friend's commission (she was so patient with me), a noir Neve piece I did around September-ish too (was supposed to be a comic, might revisit the idea. I picked up reading comics again and was inspired to give one of my greatest inspirations a run - comic art, specifically the way they ink), and a quick lineless illustration for the xlmi zine I helped with.

For daily sketching, I only filled about 4-ish sketchbooks this year, all about 30-32 pages, but I've started to double up on pages so each is filled with more than one thing. Some sketchbooks were lazy in terms of what I did than others. Some were great, and had a lot of stuff where the things I practice (people in environments, action-oriented things, foreshortening, the bane of my existence) were abundant and pretty well executed. With the exception of one Lumine sketch that was so very in my own style that I really love and an adapted sketch of an OC, the favourites are all very action-oriented, and I'm glad. I really love the ones with Lucanis and Rook since there's genuine contact and an energy to them that feels very alive, which is something I've been working desperately towards, so it's nice to see it pay off. In a little daily drawing no less~

Around June there's a huge shift in subject and I all but ditched Gnshn immediately, which I think is healthy. I spent an inordinate amount of time in the months leading up to June and throughout with my daily sketches trying to force change my style to be more anime-esque since the gnshn fandom isn't particularly fond of western art styles, of which mine is painfully so. I have a lot of uncoloured sketches of Lumine that I'd like to get around to, but feel like a waste of time now. Leaving trying to make it in the gnshn fandom behind has been good for me, and it's been really nice to go back to the shit I love, which is just fights and blood. It's funny, since I ended my Cybird Ikemen run with swords and blood to jump into soft, cute shippy art for xlmi only to return to swords and blood.

Appropriately, I started my art blog ages ago for my silly little Dragon Age doodles, and I've returned to that. So: thanks, Veilguard. I hope I'm still fixated on you throughout all of 2025 because I have a loooot of ideas. And hopefully the patience and skill to get them out there.

[batsplat]

love your aesthetic post! vale and jorge… truly another level of divas. i do appreciate it when riders are committed to being visually identifiable on track. curious about your thoughts on the ass patches as part of the aesthetic?

also iirc marc’s cartoon ant was designed by the same guy who did vale’s turtle + stuff (back when he was managing his merch), it used to be on his helmets when he first started motogp. rip cartoon ant… another victim of sepang 2015 😔

(aesthetic post) ass patches very cute distinctive motogp thing!! like the cheesy championship celebrations... or hand grabbing on cooldown laps... or how the leathers have weird humps and look deeply awkward to walk in but inexplicably motogp keeps making the riders shoot almost all the promo material in them... tbh motogp really did need valentino because the sport is just conceptually too fruity to be allowed to remain the reserve of the hyper masculine sphere. like it's a shame that it's still just heterosexual men riding those bikes - but at least it got that sorely needed injection of camp and fun. actually I should've mentioned the ass patches thing in the original post because of course that too is something valentino heavily influenced, concurrently with a similar evolution in motocross (x)

the camera thing is also funny and I kinda want them to keep doing it forever, just a very dumb motogp thing that adds to the specific quirky appeal of the sport. ik on this website they're appreciated as like. showcasing an attractive attribute of the male form. which obviously I personally have no real thoughts about but if they introduced dyke riders I think I'd probably be pro. idk I think they should have dyke riders

anyway on the cartoon ant thing. that does sound about right, I kinda suspected it might have been another casualty of sepang but did not want to spread Misinformation On The Internet and couldn't find a source. so. though I will say I also can't really remember seeing that ant on stuff 2013-15, idk in general it kinda feels like marc could've integrated it into more stuff. and if he didn't want a cutesy cartoon ant post-2015 fallout, he should've gotten himself another ant!! just ANY stylised ant. I feel like having an animal associated with you is such an easy slam dunk in terms of branding... acosta's doing a good job with it right now, like he's got a cute stylised shark and it's something you could reasonably see yourself buying merch for and it's just something fun they're associated with

in general I really am just pro riders having Things. I also think jorge's 'the martinator' thing very finely straddles the line between cringe and camp... and camp ofc in the truest sense is failed seriousness, like it's very campy in the disconnect between the attempted coolness and the profound silliness of what we are witnessing. idk part of the joy of motogp 2 me is watching vinales dress up as a gorilla between my fingers or hiding my face in my hands as pecco pulls out a guitar or sliding off my chair and hitting the mute button whenever marc starts dancing on podiums. the artifice and the performativity and the drama is what gives the sport life... it wouldn't be the same if it weren't so dumb