#I had this idea last year where I wanted to make a gradient of all the outfits he wears in the movie

[pixlerelish]

🤍 Raees moodboard for @misha-69innit 🤍

[canmom]

How do you live?

I (finally!) saw Miyazaki's new film 君たちはどう生きるか (How Do You Live?/The Boy and the Heron)! It's been out in the States for a while, and in Japan considerably longer, but it took a while to make its way over here.

I remember at the time it came out, people were having fun riffing on the incredibly cryptic marketing campaign, which consisted only of this rather abstract poster...

In the spirit of this, I resolutely avoided watching any trailers or knowing anything at all about the plot of the film. I picked up a thing or two here and there - I knew to expect some amazing Shinya Ohira animation for example, and you couldn't really avoid seeing the bird with teeth! - but overall, I had no idea.

There's plenty of great writing about this film in English already, such as kvin's fantastic sakugablog piece which discusses the physicality of Ghibli's animation, its weight and springiness, as a throughline. The stuff that kvin talks about really stood out to me as I watched this film. You can likewise read detailed interviews with Toshiyuki Inoue (fantastic interview for sakubutas) and Akihiko Yamashita on fufuro.

First up, the credits of this film are pretty much a who's who of the greatest jp animators of the last 30 years, and they've had some 7 years to cook it, so naturally this film looks fucking amazing. This is absolutely the kind of film that only Miyazaki could direct - its design language feels so familiar and yet it's iterating in all kinds of visually imaginative directions that show that yeah, the old bastard's still got it.

And like, god, man. This film's animation is really something special. Its real-world scenes in particular are full of shots that require an unbelievably strong sense of space, of both subtle and broad acting, the classic Ghibli attention to detail on mechanical objects and everyday tasks. It's full of bouncing and squishing and squeezing and oozing things. It loves to draw crowds and swarms of people and animals. It's the kind of film where any given shot would be the absolute star-of-the-show sakuga moment in just about any other anime film. If you wanted a complete statement of the Ghibli school of animation, it would be hard to do better.

And yet, for all that Miyazaki's known for his tight control over animation and heavy corrections to animators, in this film he had to step back from that kind of role and hand over the sousakkan reins to Takeshi Honda, who steps up admirably - as kvin writes above, bringing in more realist elements to the bouncy Miyazaki style to create a really effective unity that grounds all the big fantastical elements of the film and fills the first act with tension.

Alongside all that excellent key animation, the film's colour and photography departments evidently understand that well-chosen colours and good highlight shapes beat all the digital gradients and overlays you can imagine - the drawings get plenty of form from the strength of the animation, and the flat shading really pops. The backgrounds are as delicious as ever, skyscapes and vegetation and opulent interiors with the just-slightly desaturated and harmonious colours that just kind of remind you that oh yeah, it is still possible to do it this way.

Basically it's a Ghibli film lol. You know how it is.

But what of the story...? What's all this technical magic in service of?

The film's story has something of the feel of a serial story, perhaps reflecting Miyazaki's (in)famous process of working out the film gradually as he draws the storyboards. Certain ideas, like the parakeet empire, arrive in the film rather suddenly and then become fairly central to the plot. There's a clear emotional throughline, but this is not a film that is in a hurry to explain itself more than it absolutely has to. It wants to keep its magical elements numinous and mysterious. I would say, though, it's generally more satisfying in this approach than some of Miyazaki's other later films like Howl's Moving Castle, and resolves a lot more clearly.

So what is it like, About? Well, Miyazaki has been pretty open about channeling a lot of his personal relationships into the film, and a lot of it seems to reflect more or less obliquely on him. It's what they call a 'personal film'. The protagonist's position as the son of an aeroplane factory owner during WWII is straight-up from life. What about the old sorcerer, haphazardly stacking blocks to keep a world alive, and looking for someone to succeed him? The reading's kinda obvious, even if Miya himself says this guy is based on his memory of Takahata. Well, he can be both...

To say more I'm gonna have to delve into the spoiler zone. See you below the cut.

OK so! Let's try and get some thoughts in order.

first, a plot summary type of thing

Our first act introduces us to Mahito at roughly the moment his mother Hisako dies in a hospital fire. This is midway through the war, which is present mostly in the background - now and then we see soldiers marching around, and of course Mahito's dad runs a factory producing warplane parts, not entirely unlike Miyazaki's own father although seemingly a bit higher up the ladder.

We jump forward a little and Mahito's father remarries - to his deceased wife's sister, no less, and she's already pregnant. This is Natsuko, who does her best to play the role of mother, but Mahito still has big traumas and he is understandably not entirely on board with the idea of welcoming a mum 2 who looks almost exactly like mum 1. He moves with Natsuko into a huge old house complex, a mix of older Japanese architecture with a more recent Western wing where the family currently sleeps - and staffed by a small army of colourful old ladies who are eager for any canned meat or cigarettes they can get their hands on.

Also there's this freaky heron that keeps bothering Mahito. It seems to have something to do with a mysterious tower which turns out to have been built by his great-uncle. Mahito visits the tower, but can't make his way inside. Natsuko tells him not to go into the tower.

Mahito goes to school, but naturally they don't much take to the new rich kid on the block, and so after being attacked by his classmates on his way home he injures himself with a rock. (His dumbass dad is like, who did this to you son, I'll fuck 'em up.) For the rest of the movie, he has half his head shaved to accomodate a bandage, which is the sort of attention to detail this movie loves.

The heron has started growing teeth and talking to Mahito, telling him to come to the tower. Mahito is convinced it's a trap, and after a maybe-dream sequence in which Natsuko shoots an arrow to drive off the heron, he steals cigarettes from Natsuko in order to get one of the servants to sharpen his knife, and then constructs a bow and arrow out of bamboo - using a couple of the heron's feathers. Constructing the bow and arrow is shown in immense, loving detail.

In the process, he witnesses Natsuko walk into the forest, and also stumbles on a book: How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino, which contains a handwritten message from his mother. He looks at this book briefly... and this is about the extent of the connection of the film to the book, beyond thematic parallels.

The maids notice that Natsuko is missing. Mahito tells one of the maids, Kiriko, that he saw her go into the forest, and they follow, finding an old road that gives another approach to the tower. They're greated by the heron man, who is increasingly emerging from the heron's beak to reveal a big warty nose. He's some kind of like... heron selkie or something, a gnome in a heron skin. There's some wonderfully grotesque animation around this guy.

Heron dude taunts Mahito with an illusion of his mother Hisako. Mahito threatens him with the bow - the heron guy is like, do your worst, not realising it's a maaagic arrow. The arrow chases him around the room and pierces his beak, fucking up his magic. At this point, the tower master shows up and orders the heron to guide Mahito. Heron guy sends everyone through the floor into a fantastical world...

Mahito arrives in front of a huge, sinister tomb. He approaches the gate, and a swarm of pelicans walk up behind, crawling all over him and pressing him through the gate. This causes a storm to start brewing, since opening the gate seems to piss off the stones or something...

A fisher woman resembling a much younger Kiriko runs up and chases the pelicans away. She takes Mahito under her wing, explaining that this world is inhabited mostly by dead people, but there are also these little round guys called the wareware, who gain the ability to fly when they eat a fish's guts.

Kiriko, uniquely in this world, has the ability to kill, so she catches fish to sell to the other inhabitants and feed to the wareware; she and Mahito butcher a huge fish. Mahito fairly quickly figures out that she is somehow the same Kiriko that entered with him. She has tiny charms representing the other maids, which serve an apotropaic function.

That night, staying on Kiriko's huge derelict ship of a home, they watch the wareware rise into the sky to be born as humans in Mahito's world. They're attacked by the pelicans, but a fire-wielding magic user called Hisa (hmmmmmmmmmm) drives the pelicans away. Mahito shouts at her not to harm the wareware, but Kiriko assures him that more of the wareware will survive thanks to Hisa's intervention.

Later, a singed and dying pelican explains the pelicans' predicament to Mahito in a scene that calls to mind the animals in Mononoke-hime. The pelicans are foreigners in this world, they don't have anything to eat, so they take it as their role to eat the wareware. The heron man arrives on the scene too, offering to help Mahito find Natsuko as Mahito - coming in to his own as a protagonist more - buries the pelican. Mahito distrusts him but eventually Kiriko persuades them to give working together a try.

Mahito and the heron set out. As they pass through a forest, the heron reveals that thanks to Mahito's arrow, he can't fly and do heron shit anymore - and by magic law, only Mahito can fix the hole. Mahito applies his new woodworking skills to fashion a bung for the hole. The heron tries to stage a top 10 anime betrayal, but then the bung needs more work, so Mahito fixes it, and from that point on, the heron joins the party and he and Mahito are fast friends.

(You might wonder why I just call him 'the heron' and not by a name. He never gets named! He's just the heron man.)

Mahito and the heron arrive at the house of a blacksmith who's supposed to help them find Natsuko, only to find it guarded by big buff parakeet men. The parakeets are splendidly goofy round guys - they remind me of the heedra in Nausicaa. The heron draws the parakeets away, and Mahito enters the house, only to find, uh oh! More parakeets. The parakeets prepare to eat Mahito, who is not carrying a child and therefore fair game unlike Natsuko, but Hisa shows up and burns them with fire magic. She looks just like a young version of Mahito's mum! Funny that. Hisa helps Mahito escape into her house through the fire, and then takes him to infiltrate the parakeets' empire.

In the human world, the maids explain the backstory of the tower to Mahito's dad. It's a weird meteorite that came from space, it turns out, and Mahito's great-uncle built the tower on top of it before eventually disappearing inside. Mahito's dad overprepares in an elaborate getup complete with katana, and goes to try to rescue everyone.

Hisa leads Mahito to a corridor full of doors which open into all the different worlds, including his own world. Mahito briefly glimpses his dad coming to try and rescue him - the two see each other briefly, but the parakeets catch wind of the whole thing and attack, and so Mahito and Hisa have to flee back into the magical world. We see that the parakeet guys turn into regular parakeets when they come into the human world. Mahito's dad becomes convinced he turned into a parakeet.

Mahito and Hisa make their way to the delivery room where Natsuko is resting, waiting to give birth. On their way, lightning starts emerging from the stone - Hisa explains that the stone is sentient and pissed with them. Mahito insists on approaching Natsuko despite this being a huge taboo. They have a heart to heart - Natsuko's mask breaks and she tells Mahito she hates him, while he finally starts calling her mother, as he's assaulted by paper charms that tear at him violently. They part, with Hisa burning the charms to free Mahito, but it's too much and they both pass out.

Mahito dreams of meeting the sorcerer, who stacks irregularly shaped wooden blocks, and explains that stacking the blocks is necessary to maintain the world, buying a few days at a time. The sorcerer reveals the huge flying rock that is the source of his power; he also shows Mahito some blocks, but Mahito somehow divines that these blocks are 'stone for building tombs' and stained with malice. The sorcerer approvingly says this is a good sign for Mahito's ability to succeed him.

While they were asleep, the parakeets have captured Hisa and Mahito. One of them is preparing to eat Mahito, but the heron arrives just in time to save him. They Metal Gear Solid their way through the kingdom while the Parakeet King - a big swaggering guy very like the colonel in Castle in the Sky - goes to press a claim on the wizard, using Hisa and Mahitos' taboo act of entering the delivery room as a bargaining chip. There's some very funny scenes where the parakeets cheer for their king.

Mahito pursues the parakeet king, but the king destroys the staircase behind him, and talks to the sorcerer. The sorcerer is inclined to wave away the transgression, because he wants to let Mahito succeed him, but the parakeet king seems to be bringing him around. I kind of forget how this part went, but the parakeet king goes away from the sorcerer for a bit while Hisa is freed from her prison thing.

Mahito climbs back up with the heron man's help, arriving in the sorcerer's little subplane. The parakeet king quietly follows him, after telling his aides to inform his subjects he was a good king. Mahito approaches the sorcerer, who reveals he has found a new set of blocks, unstained by malice, and again invites Mahito to succeed him. Mahito says that his self-injury is proof of his malice, making him unfit for the job.

At this point, the parakeet king intervenes. Angry at all this sorcerous malarky, he desperately attempts to stack the stones himself, but when they don't stack, he flies into a rage and slices them with his sword. This naturally causes the world to start collapsing, and everyone runs to the doors to escape into the human world.

Mahito has by this point figured out that Hisa is his mum, and he asks if she really wants to go back to their world, knowing that she will very definitely die in a fire not much later. But she is naturally on board with this. Young!Kiriko goes with her, suggesting that she and Hisako entered the magical world at the same time. Meanwhile, Mahito returns to his own time, with Natsuko and the heron. All the various parakeets and pelicans come out through this door too. Old!Kiriko is restored from her apatropaic charm.

As everyone celebrates their safe return (and the appearance of a fuckton of birds), the heron tells Mahito that he ought to forget what happened in the magic world. We skip forward again, with Mahito - now with a baby sibling - setting off to Tokyo. Roll credits!

now let's comment on it

This is not a film that necessarily prioritises an internal logic playing out - new elements enter unexpectedly even quite late in the film. The sorcerer's motivation is murky until late on; the parakeets become major antagonists despite entering only halfway through the film.

There is a certain temptation, knowing how autobiographical this film is, to take it is a roman à clef. Mahito is of course a young Miyazaki; the old sorcerer's concern about finding a successor might be about Miyazaki wondering who should take over Ghibli or if it should just be allowed to die. Under this schema, the parakeets might be Ghibli's legion of fans, or the merchandising empire that prints their designs on every possible product. kvin's article develops this kind of reading, finding some angles I wouldn't have even considered, such as how the idea of weight communicated by the animation factors in to such an allegaroy. It's also something suggested in Miyazaki's own comments about the film, where the sorcerer is Takahata, the heron man is producer Toshio Suzuki...

It definitely helps to know a bit about Miyazaki's background when approaching this film. However, I think it would be reductive to go too far with this kind of reading, and take everything as an allegory for something in Miyazaki's life. The film still has to stand on its own feet!

'Coming of age' is the spin put on it by some outlets, like the BBC. And this is accurate to an extent. The arc of this film is similar to Spirited Away: Mahito starts out sullen and traumatised, but like Chihiro he transitions over the course of his journey in the magical world into the kind of determined Miyazaki protagonist we're used to. On this coming of age angle... well, also like with Chihiro, I don't find the Mahito of the first part of the film especially unsympathetic, his alienation is extremely natural given his situation. Mahito's dad kinda sucks! Living in wartime Japan also really kinda sucks, even if you're the son of a rich dude. But definitely over the course of the film Mahito has a change of heart towards Natsuko, and forms friendships that motivate him to try to protect them. His character arc definitely sees him become 'more prosocial'.

However, there's another angle that's pretty important - the idea of the weight of 'malice', the cursed existences of the pelicans and the like, and the fantasy of building a utopian world that is free of these things. This returns to a theme of Nausicaa, the manga in particular, where Nausicaa discovers that the world she knows - the toxic forest in particular - is actually an elaborate artificial system for cleansing the world of pollutants, that the clean world on the other side will be uninhabitable to her and her people, and that the architects of this system wait in stasis to replace them in this utopian future world. Nausicaa destroys them, commiting instead to an uncertain future.

In Mononoke-hime likewise, we encounter the lepers and former sex workers of Irontown clinging on to the 'cursed' world. Their extractivist project proves incredibly destructive, but the film still regards them sympathetically, and the resolution sees them perhaps finding a new way to live - and San, the feral girl, reconciling herself to the idea of humans.

Here, although the parakeet king forces the decision, Mahito has already declared that he doesn't believe he's fit to oversee a utopia, but instead that his place is in the awful, violent human world.

The film, and the book it's vaguely based on, are titled How do you live? In Japanese, that's a plural 'you' (君たち). There's a lot of ways you could read it, depending on who you take as 'you' - a child asking an adult how to live, or equally a future question of how will you live. This is a lot more explicit in the novel - which I have not read, but here is a summary courtesy of wiki:

Junichi Honda is a fifteen-year-old junior high school student, known by his nickname Koperu, after the astronomer Nicholas Copernicus. He is athletic and academically gifted, and popular at school. Koperu's father, a bank executive, passed away when he was young and he lives with his mother. His uncle (on his mother's side) lives nearby and visits frequently. Koperu and his uncle are very close. Koperu shares about his life and his uncle gives him support and advice. His uncle also documents and comments on these interactions in a diary, with the intent to eventually give the diary to Koperu. The diary writing, which is interspersed with the narrative, provides insight into the ethical and emotional trials that Koperu shared with his uncle. The diary entries, which cover themes such as "view of things", "structure of society", "relation", etc. are in the style of a note written to Koperu.[8]

Thinking like Copernicus that our Earth is a celestial body moving within the vastness of space, or thinking that our Earth is fixed at the center of the universe, are two ways of thinking that, in reality, are not only related to astronomy. Even when we think about things like the world around us or our own lives, the truth is that we are still revolving around them after all.

In the end, Koperu writes a decision on his future way of living as a reply to his uncle, and the novel ends with the narrator asking the question "how do you live?" to the reader.

The author of the novel was a socialist, who had been imprisoned by the nationalist government, and wrote the book intending to impart lessons on ethics. The version of his book published after the war was heavily edited to strip the book of political content. But it's also, perhaps paradoxically, a book that centres on very wealthy characters, aimed narrowly at educated boys, though it became a widely read classic.

Studio Ghibli's films, from both Miyazaki and Takahata, have a habit of being framed as imparting something to the younger generation - something the pair seem to have seen as a mission all the way back in the days of Panda Kopanda. For example, while Grave of the Fireflies is seen as the classic tragic war movie, for Takahata it was also aimed at criticising what he saw as the careless, consumerist generation of the 80s; the stubborn arrogance of the protagonist supposed to reflect on this. It's an attitude that also emerges in their comments about Chihiro. And, indeed, one of the first things we heard about How Do You Live? was that it was aimed towards Miyazaki's grandson - and more broadly towards that generation.

So what does this film have to say to the younger generations? Let's have a look at it from Mahito's POV.

For Mahito, the adults in his life are all pretty complicated. His father is enthusiastic and well-meaning but incredibly oblivious to what his son is going through (we might recall some of what Miyazaki wrote about his father in Starting Point, describing him as basically a grifter). Natsuko is masking pretty hard, trying to play the role of Good New Mum and connect to her newly acquired son, but there's an intrinsic distance. It is understandable that Mahito would want to reject them.

Mahito is... not entirely a passive character, he goes to some efforts to for example fashion the bow and arrow and repair the heron man's beak, but mostly he is pulled around by the plot into a strange world he doesn't understand. At first, his instinct is to retreat, even to the point of self-injury. Once he arrives in the magical world, he has acquired something of a purpose (finding Natsuko), but he gets pushed into near-disaster situations (the pelicans piling up to push him through the gate at the tomb) or stumbles into circumstances where something is expected of him (hey kid, gut this fish!). Gradually though his exposure to this world pulls him out of his shell. He runs into conflicts and injustices that seem intractable - the wareware and the pelicans - and has little power to intervene except to bury the bodies.

Eventually, he gets to carry out his main objective - finding Natsuko - but despite finally deciding to accept Natsuko as his new mother, he finds himself rejected, not just by her but also by the earth. Perhaps feeling responsible for getting her into trouble, his new objective becomes rescuing freshly-damsel'd Hisa. But now new adults want things of him - his great-uncle has decided he'd make a fine successor. Mahito has to make a decision here about what relationships he wants to commit to, what sort of life he wants to build - and he chooses the world he found so alienating at the outset of the film, the one which hurt him by taking his mother, not to the secondary-world fantasy.

It could be a 'this world is all we have' sort of statement, perhaps. But also the last act of the film feels like it gets a bit caught up in Castle in the Sky-style adventure-story beats.

I do feel like some aspects of the film ended up a little underbaked - which is an odd thing to say because it's not a short film and there is so much in it already. But Hisa for example - she's got badass powers and all, but I feel we barely get a chance to get a sense of what motivates her. Why did she enter the fantasy world? She acts at first like she doesn't know Mahito is her future son, but rapidly becomes incredibly devoted to him (in a way that reads a little romancey lmao). So much of her screen time is dedicated to having her convey the secrets of the world that it's hard to get a bead on her as a person.

Likewise, Natsuko - why did she enter this world to have her baby in this special ritual delivery chamber? She clearly knows more than most of the characters, but she gets kind of sidelined after Mahito confronts her, with wizard shit becoming more central. The animation does such a fantastic job of selling her feelings in the first part of the film that it feels like a shame that she drifts away at the end.

The progression of the film feels rather like a dream, where everything is arranged by symbolic significance to Mahito. It makes sense... on a magical level, where the secondary world is shaped primarily by parallels in the real one. So the tiny apatropaic statues of the old ladies protect him because they represent the role the real old ladies have in his life. Hisa has fire magic because Hisako died in a fire. Once Mahito has come to his personal resolutions about returning to the world, the magical one is no longer needed, and it collapses.

This is not such an uncommon role for magic in a story. In Miyazaki's own works, we have Totoro and Spirited Away, where a magical world provides direction or relief to a child's real struggles. Or take for example Okiura's film A Letter To Momo, in which the three yōkai recognise taking care of the grieving Momo as their explicit purpose as spirits. This magical world comes to Mahito to help him come to terms with losing his mother, and reorient himself towards living in a painful world.

Meanwhile, the sorcerer, whether he be Miyazaki or Takahata, is quite a distant figure. He may maintain the magical world by stacking his blocks, may be the authority which factions within it must plead to, but he also rules from afar in a vast empty palace full of long halls and open air spaces. His main company seems to be a big fucking rock, with which he made a 'contract'. He's generally handling it a bit better than, say, Ushiromiya Kinzo - he receives the parakeet king with good humour - but he's a pretty flawed god of his little world. So much of this world seems to pre-exist him, it's not something he constructed. Still, when he shows up, you pretty much have to do what he says.

If this is about Miyazaki's relation to Takahata, it seems like quite a sad portrayal. But 'unapproachable patriarch' does sorta describe their role in the studio from what I understand (c.f. Oshii's infamous article comparing them to the Kremlin).

When it comes to the question of who should succeed Miyazaki, we should probably consider the matter of Yoshifumi Kondō, who was being set up as the next big Ghibli director until his untimely death - which allegedly Takahata was willing to accept the blame for. The mythology built up around Miyazaki and Takahata is double-edged.

Here are some rather startling comments from Toshiyuki Inoue's interview. Inoue is one of the most impressive animators who ever lived in my book, the other star of the realist line besides Okiura. Just have a look at his booru page: iconic scenes from GitS, Akira, Millenium Actress; even in more recent films, he pretty much carried Maquia, and steals the show with his scenes in Miss Hokusai.

And yet even he was intimidated to be working alongside Miyazaki when he first came on board for Kiki's Delivery Service, fresh off Akira:

I believe you’ve always been a fan of Miyazaki’s, why were you scared to work with him? Toshiyuki Inoue: I had heard quite a few scary stories. A lot of acquaintances had worked on Nausicaä, Laputa and Totoro before that, so I knew how scary he could be when he got angry – I had heard stories of people being fired mid-production, things like that. How was it actually? Toshiyuki Inoue: Not as scary as I had imagined. He’d only rarely scream in the studio. But he did get angry. I’d sometimes be called to some separate room and lectured alongside Kōji Morimoto and Masaaki Endō. It felt like being in school all over again.

'Only rarely'. Honestly. Inoue describes how difficult it was for him to adapt his logical, analytical style to Ghibli's stretchy, bouncy characters - and how Miyazaki would disparage him if he, for example, drew a ship inaccurately.

For Inoue, coming back to How Do You Live was something like a 'return match'. He talks about how an older Miyazaki was no longer able to strictly correct the animation, and in general age was limiting him, but he still feels that Miyazaki is fundamentally superior:

Toshiyuki Inoue: I’ve always wished for a return match or a way to redeem myself. But even if I say that, I know I can’t even pretend to rival Miyazaki. I just can’t win. He’s extremely smart and learned, and on top of that, as an animator he always transcends common sense: he’s so talented that I know very well there’s nothing I can do against it. The more I learn about him, the more I realize I’ll never be on that level.

Miyazaki's genius is undeniable, but man... it's not a good mindset to cultivate if you want to find a successor lmao. If even Inoue doesn't feel he can measure up, who the hell could?

Mind you, it does rather seem that Miyazaki had mellowed out by the point of How Do You Live?. Here's Yamashita:

Akihiko Yamashita: As I said, the core of an animator’s job is to follow what the director asks, so whenever I had trouble with that, I’d go see Miyazaki to show him my roughs. He’d advise me on the things that were missing and reassure me about those that were good. He really helped me to gain more confidence in myself.

Reading these interviews underlines pretty hard that we shouldn't get too caught up in the mythology of Miyazaki the mighty auteur. While the story may be all on Miyazaki, and most of the character designs (with the notable exception of Natsuko)... so much of the details of the animation, the stuff that really makes this film land, is primarily shaped by everyone else - Honda in particular, but also the individual key animators who interpreted his scenes. I really need to get my hands on a copy of that Industrial History of Studio Ghibli book to get a less Miyazaki-centric perspective on the studio's history.

I do not feel, having come out of this film, any closer to knowing the answer to that eternally pressing question of how do you live - I guess I'm still working out my answer to that one, and I will be until I die. And maybe that's rather the point. I think this film still carries some of the flaws of Miyazaki's later films - despite having so many iconic scenes, it doesn't quite seem to know where it's going. But I am so glad to have seen this in the theatre (I saw it at the Prince Charles theatre in Soho with friends, the theatre was completely packed!), and glad Miyazaki managed to get this one out before he goes. Whatever happens to Ghibli without its sorcerer, it's been a hell of a thing to witness.

[missmeganlee]

Take Aways from the OMR Beauty Live

They started testing fragrances February last year

Omar asked Edvin about this December '22 right after Jimmy Fallon (he told Edvin all about OMR beauty, Intro, and the idea of a fragrance collab). Edvin's been a part of the OMR Beauty journey from the start

They're really proud that nothing got leaked lol (the closest was a picture of them on a balcony, which happened to be at the OMR Beauty office)

Edvin tested the fragrance on his family

They came up with the name pretty quickly. Cause it combines where they both come from, Omar with music and Edvin with cinema. And they liked that it was a word that is universal to *almost* every language (Omar specified to at least the languages they speak)

According to Edvin it's not fruity. It's warm, sandalwood, citrusy

Omar describes it as cosy

They have not tried layering Intro with Duo yet, but Omar has layered Duo with other fragrances. (Omar did end up trying layering the fragrances during the live)

They had trouble with the coloring for the box it comes in because of the gradient, which was Edvin's idea. The bottom starts at a peachy color and then goes into a very light purple

When they first started making the packaging the colors were too bright

Edvin thinks it smells like Stockholm in summer or like a summer night

"If you buy Duo, you're guaranteed to get laid" - Edvin Ryding

Edvin helped cho0se the bottle cause Omar couldn't decide. But once Omar saw Edvin holding the bottle they ended up choosing he knew it was the one

They had the idea for it to be orange because the scent was warm

Their favorite part of the process was starting and getting to be creative with it

"Intro is the OG and Duo is the rebel"

Edvin wore Duo while they were shooting s3 and smelling it brings him back to that time (I remember him saying in an interview that he likes to use 1 specific scent for each project he's on so that he can connect the scent with his memories during that time)

Omar wore Intro while shooting s3

The website crashed lmao. We crashed the site

"When you put it on sun is out. When it dries down sunset" - Omar

It's limited cause they wanted to do something exclusive for us

We'll find out more about the story soon. They've only released teasers so far

it's a vegan fragrance

[crescencestudio]

๋࣭⭑ Devlog #38 | 2.27.24 ๋࣭⭑

How is it already almost March omfg.

Anyways Happy Valentine's Day month!!! This year, I was swamped with work, so I didn't get a chance to make Valentine's Day art. I did make a Valentine's piece last year though.

BUT we did have beloved @magunalafay make these Valentine's Day cards this year for the community!!! <3 If you missed it, well Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!

She made these as a gift, and I love her very much. Maguna u r so talented

This month was pretty busy for me, but I'm super happy with the progress made this month ^^ I feel like I've started the year off in a pretty good groove after it being all over the place for a hot second, yay!!!

This past month, Etza and Druk's routes. With the revamped demo finishing its revisions, it left a lot more time for me to focus writing on full route development.

If you missed the announcement, I FINISHED Etza's first draft!!! YAAAYYY!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!

That means 4/6 routes are finished in terms of the base writing, which is so exciting to MEEEEE. I've always seen Etza's draft as The Milestone because with their route finished, it would mean the four Central routes are done writing. And to me, while there's a good chuck of writing left, we are nearing the end of it.

There's only two routes left and that means it's about ~100k words which is CRAZY compared to when I had ~300k to write (:cries:). Even if that sounds like a lot, once I start chipping away at those routes, that 100k goes into the "double digits" aka 90k...80k... etc. and that makes me want to pee my pants

We also finished editing Druk's route, yay!!! So we reached a lot of milestones this month ^^

We are nearing the end of the Vui background commissions. It's very bittersweet; I'm so used to mentioning him in my devlogs now </3 There's only like 3(?) more BGs left for him to make, and then all of the BGs for the game will be finished. Very Wild! I think Alaris will have 25ish BGs, and they are all Stunning.

It's been a while since I showed you all a BG, so I'll give you all a preview of one I just got in!

Isn't it cozy? Guess whose house hehe

I personally have been doing a lot of sprite work this month to finish the final art assets for the demo. I added some expressions to Druk and Aisa that I'd been procrastinating (I don't even know why I was procrastinating them). And I finally finished Mom and Kimura's updated sprites! Patreon already saw them, but I'll show the new versions here too ^^

Preview of Mom (left) and Kimura (right) updated sprites. Now everyone's sprite styles are cohesive YAY!!

Aside from sprite work, much of my "art" time has been on finishing up/putting together the last of the screens for the GUI. Specifically, I got THIS BABY up and running. She is my crowning glory.

Memory Screen to Replay Unlocked Free Time Dates

Oh my god.... You all have NO IDEA how much of a pain this was to code. There is a transparency gradient going on in the left and right B&W previews (courtesy of community programming angel feniks/shawna).

And then the effort to have the Titles and Descriptions of the Previewed Date change tilted me on Multiple Occasions. But we finally got it to work thanks to bestie @siyo-koy pointing out I just coded one stupid "if" statement wrong LJAFSLIEFJIEJ. But the effort was WORTH IT because I'm so proud of her!!! I hope you all like it too as a way to relive Free Time Dates. I had a lot of fun with the Titles and descriptions.

I also put together the Stats and Affection Screens

Preview of Personality Stats & Affection Screens

So I coded both of them a bit differently from each other. The Personality Screen shows you a breakdown of your traits so far. Think of it like a pie graph! So in the preview picture, your choices indicate you are 33% Brave, 16% Charismatic, etc. I felt like this was a more natural way to portray personality rather than how many bravery points you've collected so far!

And then for Affection, it works in a more traditional way, where it counts it based on how many you've gotten out of the total amount you can get. This way, as the story progresses, how close you are to the person reflects how much your relationship as developed!

I've also added little descriptions underneath each that change depending on the percentage. So for example, if you have gotten 82% of the affection points for Kuna'a, the description of your relationship might change as well hehe

Other than that, I've mainly focused on getting the demo together. We released the beta demo earlier this month (? LOL). And the feedback has been so kind!!

A lot of this month was spent polishing so that the demo can be ready for early access and eventually public release. I updated sprites, made sure music crossfades with each other so that transitions between soundtracks feel smoother, I added/polished all of the screens I needed to (e.g., Memory Room, Full Credits, Cleaning Music Room, Adding Stats Screens), and I FINALLY as of yesterday added the Voiced Lines!!

One thing I added in the Extended Demo that I'm really happy with is the use of Extended Pronouns (courtesy of Angel Feniks). Below is a preview of how it works now!

Preview of Extended Pronouns Function. Credit to Feniks

Basically, you can choose multiple pronouns for yourself, including custom pronouns (e.g., xe/xem, fae/faer, etc.). On top of that, you can choose how often you'd like the pronouns to alternate (e.g., every line versus every scene) and what kind of terms you'd like to be used for you (e.g., neutral vs. masculine vs. feminine)!

Overall, the demo is getting closer and closer to release!!! Early Access will hopefully be ready by the end of this week or next, so if you all would like access to it, please feel free to subscribe to my Patreon for this upcoming month! Available to Wyvern tier ($5) and up.

I didn't have any time to really play any games this month because I was drowning in work LMFAOSLJIEF. I did play the Threads of Bay demo by @lavendeerstudios and it was GORGEOUS! Very cute game with lovable characters and charming visuals. Andrew, I will have your number

Every other section was really long, so I'm going to throw it here even though it's not market research. But Intertwine recently hit 600 ratings, which is crazy. Thank you for still enjoying that game even if it's not one that is my main focus anymore. I'm really happy people still like it :on the verge of tears:

Anyways, this has been a long devlog. Here's to continuing to Ball in March. Hope you all have a great rest of your month, and I'll talk to you soon! <3

[arcandoria]

Virtual Photography Process

I got an ask that I posted by accident before being ready, so I'm going to make this a post I suppose fmdlksg Anon was asking about my Reshade Preset for Cyberpunk and what my VP process is, so here it is!

Anon, I don't quite have a VP process. Not in a trademark way anyway. My VP varies wildly across the years and generally speaking I just go with the vibe I feel at the moment!

I've had phases where I would barely do any post-processing at all and only rely on heavy Reshade, I had phases where I'd do some minor color tweaking and add a lot of effects like dust and sparks, and my current one where I do pretty much all my color tweaking in post-process and only really use light Reshade to sharpen the image and make colors pop a bit.

My current Reshade is a tweaked version of a friend's preset. I have an average rig, don't have any Fancytracing, so Reshade is mostly there to sharpen the image, deepen the colors and try to compensate for my GPU's limitations. I forgot to use Otis DOF for this example, but nowadays I don't use any Reshade DOF, and rely only on Otis'. I also only use Otis lights because I can control what each light does a little better than AMM lights, but I used AMM lights a lot when I first was VPing.

It's when the game's closed that I have my fun with colors!

I do my coloring on RawTherapee, which is a free Lightroom. Mostly I make use of the Film Simulation, sometimes layering multiple, sometimes using only one.

I then move to Photoshop which is my last stop and my "correction" phase. I have a huge library of actions and gradient maps I paw around for any last coloring (specially making shadows more matte and less defined), tweak contrast/brightness, and add some blurring and noise (beloved).

I probably have actions/gradient posts reblogged on my repository blog (@halkuonn), I can't point you to a single place because I've been dragging these around for over a decade and across at least 3 computers...

Honestly, don't get too attached to a single workflow with your VP. VP is art and art is meant to be a creative outlet, if you start putting too many rules and step by steps on your personal workflow, you'll probably get frustrated fast.

My current workflow is way lengthier than how I took some of my older VP, but that's because I feel like doing it. I don't necessarily feel like it's better or worse, it's just a different way I've been doing stuff and having fun with VP.

This is from 2022 - I wasn't using Otis Freecam, relied on AMM Lights, and did some mild/low post-processing - things like making the shadows a little bit more purple with Color Balance, and adding A LOT of blur manually because I didn't know how to use any of the DOF shaders. I was using Pinky's Preset back then.

This is from 2023 - the fuck it we ball era. This has like... 0 post-processing. I wasn't using Otis DOF (I don't think it existed yet), but I was already using Otis Lights learned to use the DOF shaders. The only thing I was doing for post-processing is add Noise and slap my signature (which this one doesn't even have lmao). I already had a new Reshade preset from my friend, but didn't really tweak any of it.

From this year! I still wasn't using RawTherapee a lot, but it was the start of my "I'm going to do everything in post-processing" era, with shadows not as dark/contrasted and everything a bit hazy.

So yeah! Don't stress about having a single workflow, or the best workflow, or even the most appropriate Reshade. For me the less I try to be biblical about my VP process, the more I enjoy taking it, and in turn the more satisfied I am with the results.

If you want more of a tutorial, I can try?? doing one?? but really the only thing I have been consistently doing with my VP all these years is slapping some extra blur and adding Noise on PS.

Hope this helps or at least provides some software recommendations / process ideas though!

[carionto]

The spirit never dies, but please watch over it

(Previously)

"What are you doing, Captain?"

"What? Going outside of course. Uncharted lands and all that. You said the atmosphere is mostly harmless and I even put on my suit. You can't stop me, Zhao. I outrank you. So there!"

Captain Knoslark of the crash-landed Radiant Dusk at Everest made this declaration pretty much the moment the chief engineer said we weren't going to be flying anytime soon. Something about the warp jump frying all quantum-based computers and connections. Oh yeah, can't contact Earth or anyone really.

Turns out going through a hole in space-time really does breaks quantum entanglement, so that kinda sucks. Or perhaps even that has limits on distance, the furthest anyone tested was from one end of the Milky Way to the other. Or maybe there is something in the physics of space between galaxies that we don't understand yet.

Regardless, we're totally alone and roughly 12 to 30 billion light years from home, depending on if we landed in the target galaxy or one that moved into its place from the time when the light from it reached us. Every celestial body being unknown leaves a lot of room for guessing.

Now, given the circumstances, a normal ship and crew would not permit this and simply declare the captain unfit for duty and his second would take over. However, we are a crew of 27 civilian engineers, researchers, scientists, and technicians, and only a third have some military training, the captain not being one of them, and all of us are... a bit on the odd side.

In short, three people eagerly volunteered to join the captain on his expedition outside - Engineer Emily Halliday, Physicist/Botanist/Microchemist/(and like five other PhDs) Haespar Kraus, and Trisha, no last name, she just appeared aboard a few years back and is generally helpful and real fun to hang out with, she knows so much random trivia.

The world outside was... flat, but layered. Some areas only had very small types of vegetation, think like a grassy field, but orange with grey flower-like clusters everywhere. Then there is basically a hard cut wall of this deep red and brown bushes and small trees with super wide trunks that suddenly jut out in their area. And the tall spindly trees? that kinda resemble stretched out cobwebs and have this hazy transparent look to them except at the top where it's a really rich green field of dense foliage.

There's some variations further out, but that's the general idea. Almost like someone haphazardly painted with only base colors on a canvas and refused to mix or gradient them.

"We are entering the red bushes now. I feel a tingling sensation, Zhao. This is fun! I wonder if we'll encounter animals here. If we're stuck here for too long we'll have to start farming. I've always wanted to be a rancher, you know, but space beckoned me!"

"Yes, captain, I know. Please be careful and return from your trip soon. Trisha, knock him out if he tries to bring back a pet."

"I heard that, Zhao!" "I know, don't make Trisha knock you out." "Hmmph. You're no fun." "I am paid to not be, sir."

There was a bit of grumbling before Knoslark ended the call on his end. Thankfully, the other three kept their channels open, as you are meant to do, so the onboard crew always knew what was going on. Unfortunately, drones are one of the things that utilize quantum connections to operate, so it'll take time to refit them to receive radio signals.

Suddenly, nearly all of the scanners and receivers on the ship noticed a variety of new signals and distant sounds - explosions. Repeating ones. And... are those fireworks? Since the Dusk was grounded it couldn't really properly scan the whole planet, just the area immediately around them, so they had no idea if this was inhabited by anything resembling a civilization.

Not long after that, there were physical impact signals coming from the North-East side of the ship. Cameras revealed there were several groups of quadrupedal creatures not unlike rhinos with giraffe necks mounted by smaller bipedal ones that sorta resemble moths, but made of jelly and fish scales?

"Captain, Emily, Kraus, Trish! Get back to the Dusk right now, there's natives on this planet and they don't like the ship." Sergeant Zhao shouted into the comms.

"Gonna be a moment, Ying." Trisha replied, "The Cap'n got himself stuck on a tree. Some kinda sticky fungus lives on the higher branches, we're working on choppin' it down."

"Well hurry, the density of the heightened vegetation makes it impossible to see with our scanners what's inside. You might not have much time."

"We'll be done in a-

The words got cut off by the whole cobweb-tree area rapidly ascending, revealing a titanic creature of fur, mud, and countless short but lumbering limbs coming out of the ground, just as the local star began to set over this world. All other similar patches did the same. The shorter red bush areas then began to glow a faint blue releasing little clouds of dust just above. The titans made their way over these hazy spots, and remain stood there for the time being.

The assault on the Dusk by the locals had ceased during this commotion. Aside from the hum of the single active reactor, everyone was silent for a few minutes, broken by Trisha coming back on:

"Ying, we're fine it looks like, but you got a better view than us, what are we on?"

"Uhh, a giant... headless moss turtle thing? It's not the only one and seems did not act because of you, so you should be fine, but hurry back here." Sergeant Zhao then addressed the onboard crew:

"Drop whatever it is you're doing and get a shuttle working NOW. I don't care how basic, I'll fly it manually if need be. We are not leaving anyone out there!"

Continued->

[solveliss]

TTRPG Questionnaire

GENERAL

Name: Olivier Sroka

Alias(es): Also has his Mother's last name Vastervoort, but father insisted on his last-name for the prestige of having sired an Aasimar son. Very rarely, Berith will call him Oli.

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Place of birth: Vasterland

Spoken languages: Celestial, Common, Elvish

Sexual orientation: Gay

Occupation: Doesn't really have one?

Class: Beast Barbarian

Ancestry: Aasimar; Very rare, highly sought for. Most, if they are even found to be aasimar, don't have much in the way of ANY obvious traits... But Olivier is very obviously aasimar.

APPEARANCE

Eye color: Gold

Hair color: Blueish/black base, with streaks of gold. Underside is a gradient of orange to yellow to white

Height: 5′7"

Scars: no; but lost his wings (Pinioned, in essence. So only has half of his wings.). Appearances and all...

Burns: no

Build: Decently muscular, but strength is deceptive. Much stronger than he looks.

FAVOURITE

Color: Gold, blues, The colors of a sunset, a sunrise.

Hair color: No preference.

Eye color: None either, although gold's nice.

Music genre: Operas. Full of emotion.

Entertainment: Used to fly and explore, but ever since he lost his wings does much of the pastime favorites.

Pastime: Cataloguing birds; he has a book he made filled with images! Sewing, Studying, Fencing, Reading.

Food: Stew (Any type of meat).

Drink: Ginger tea

Books: Any. Man is a voracious reader (It helps ground him).

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Currently IN university!

Had sex: Yes

Had sex in public: NO

Kissed a man: Yes

Kissed a woman: No, not interested

Gotten tattoos: No

Gotten piercings: No

Had a broken heart: No

Been in love: Hahah, Yes. With a certain tiefling...

Stayed up for more than 24 hours: Possibly, getting lost in sewing, or reading.

ARE THEY

A cuddler: BIG cuddler, extremely touchy.

A kisser: Yes

A smoker: No

Scared easily: Normally, no. But against certain subjects...

Jealous easily: Yes and no; not worried, but does get a little jealous if attention is elsewhere at times.

Trustworthy: Extremely. He always tells the truth.

Dominant: If he's in his Serious mood, Yes.

Submissive: But generally, very passive/submissive.

Single: No, courting a tiefling noble named Berith.

RANDOM QUESTIONS

Have they harmed themselves: No

Wanted to kill someone: Yes

Actually killed someone: Yes (to his great regrets)

Ridden a horse: Yes, various creatures actually!

Have/had a job: No.

Have any fears: Ah. Well. A severe fear of heights; an airship ride rendered him practically useless. Also his father; There are a LOT of tangled emotions there, but he both fears him and still loves him, despite what he's done.

FAMILY

A bit of a mess:

His mother is Joanne Vastervoort, a mostly solitary monsterhunter. Was not considered a noble, had a child with Raymond (Olivier's Father), Lunera. Raymond came back years later and demanded another child now that Joanne was considered a noble; This one produced the Aasimar he wanted.

Olivier was raised mostly by his Dad, with occasional visits to his Mother. It was Not a Good Time with dad, who exerted extreme control over Olivier.

His stepfather is named Furness, a gnome commoner who loves making guns. Firness has 3 half-gnome children with Joanne: Juno and Charme (18yo), twins, and Novis (16yo).

Olivier adores his siblings (Full and half) greatly, and equally... But Olivier is considered the only Noble, and heir, of his family.

And Olivier has no idea where ANY of them are at the moment.

A snip of a picture I did of his Serious side vs his "Radiant Revelation/We're gonna get them" rage side. .....Ignore the fact his hands don't have the gradient fade, I literally forgot cause I got absorbed in just shading skin LOL.

The fullbody is by 0LHA0 on Deviantart!

[madamegixxysticks]

Why Neumorphism is kinda sucky

(Take this with a grain of salt, I'm just explaining what this design trend is and the problems it might have, and a tad of me talking about other design trends.)

So... Neumorphism? What the heck is that? And why is it getting trendy or something with companies like Microsoft to a degree?

Well, let's get this out of the way first, it's this design trend that apparently is supposed to be an "in-between" to skeuomorphism and flat design.

And it's more focused on color and barely any contrast.

If I had to compare it to anything, it would be like those fancy rubbery remote things that seem to have bumps over buttons with just the numbers, icons, whatever on the bumps. Kinda what you might expect from the hospital or perhaps an hotel.

Created by indie Figma community designers in 2019 (Almost 6 years ago upon reposting this from my DeviantART page), Neumorphism also was inspired by Glassmorphism which pretty much got more attention thanks to Apple in 2013 with their release of IOS 7.

Now that I got that part explained away, what does one piece of this look like? Well, thanks to the internet, it took me a few seconds to fish you guys an example from the Aesthetics wiki!

(Take a look at the wiki's page about this HERE!)

But, right away I spotted some potential problems with this UI design style. Even the co-designer of this, Michal Malewicz noticed it almost right away.

As you can see, low contrast may sound soft and cute on paper (And soft on the eyes), but it might make it difficult for some people to see what's there, especially with certain colors which would be like a domino effect. A lack of color can make it difficult for somebody to see where a button is.

I'd like you to imagine 3 buttons, one is a neumorphic button with just a shadow to reveal its presence, another is a flat button with a very easy to see color, such as a dapper shade of blue, and the last button is has both that shadow and color, and perhaps a notable gradient in the button just for fun.

And all 3 of them have "I'm a button" on them in a nice simple font.

Now, remove that "I'm a button" part. Now, can you see the problem with the neumorphic button? It almost blends in with the background!

The whole purpose of this design trend is to be soft... Yet, it's too soft. Which for those with visual troubles would be probably no different than wearing a blindfold. And those with low quality screens might not be able to see the light shadows at all, which may give them the wrong impression of nothing being there.

This is what draws me to design trends such as Frutiger Aero/Metro more, not only they look nicer, they also don't have these problems I mentioned here, but they might even help older people, like your grandma get an idea what program does what!

I'm not going to want to admit this, but if I had the choice between either this or flat design, I'd pick flat design. Yes, this last part sounds hypocritical for me to say because I'm not much of a fan of Flat Design myself.

[sundslime]

Another Object Comic Blog 2

Back at it again with another name change! This one’s probably the last one for a bit though.

A good amount of progress has been made on the idea of the comic since my last post in March. That is, I hunkered down with some buds and actually made a kind of rigid outline of how I want the plot to be structured. A good amount of ideas were leftovers from Exclusion Delusion but more fleshed out with a cleaner idea for a possible ending in mind, which makes me happy! Every time I’ve taken a stab at a comic like this I usually drop the idea because I don’t know how I’d end it, so having that in mind has been reassuring.

Here’s a mostly redacted look at the outline of the story, mostly for the sake of keeping things a surprise! Who doesn’t like a good surprise? I will leave a synopsis of the beginning of the story though, so here! Objects of many different locations live on a planet with only them and are all aware of/ friends with each other. Ornament is the main character of the story, who on their (TBD)th birthday travel around the world in search of artifacts warning of an impending doom. After a year, the end of the world takes the form of a competition in which each challenge takes place on a different planet.

Unlike the plot, the biggest point of contention has been the actual characters to appear in the comic! Truth is, there’s been dozens of characters that have had the possibility of appearing in the comic. Some as main characters, and others as more comic relief side characters. Sizing down the original fifty plus characters has been no easy task, and I’ve joined a bunch of calls with some buds trying to decide which characters should stay or go has been a struggle. I’ll probably come to this decision on my own since these are my characters and only my most cherished of children will make it in..

The spreadsheet above was originally where I listed out all of my ocs and we went through them all and talked about how which characters could act and little quirks they could have. I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t help give me an idea on the characters I FOR SURE wanted in.

Ornament’s a character I’ve wanted in the comic since day one, they’re GUARUNTEED to be a main character. I used them in this enviornment as a test of how I’d draw backgrounds in the comic.

As another small experiment, I tried to go back to my last comic Sunburn and redraw it with the skills I have now in a style I might’ve liked back then, I’m pretty happy with how it came out!

Below is another character with a similar style. She’s also guaranteed for the comic, her name’s Inkwell!

More onto the look of the comic...

I’ve also been messing around with a potential style for the comic. It’s another one of those things that I’ve been putting a lot of thought into, but at the end of the day I think I have a good idea for what I want to do.

My biggest inspirations for this comic have always been my favorite object shows (ONE, Battle for Dream Island Again) and their saturated colors and simple designs, and Homestuck and the many many MSPFAS out there (Vast Error, A Guy Gets Revenge). Drawing objects in this style consistently has been a bit of a struggle, but I’ve found myself gravitating towards big and round hands, and tiny lil’ feet.

I don’t know if I’ll lean as heavy with the gradients and blurs though, since they’ve given me mixed results. I think I like the look of them when minimally used so I’ll probably stick to that.

Another art related thing I heavily debated on using was sprites. At first, I wanted to completely opt out of using any sprites for the sake of simplicity, but with the help of some really nice people I not only re-sprited old characters, but decided that I might go with this sprite style for the new characters. They’re so silly that it’s been hard for me to say no!

Another thing I want to note before ending this post is that just like all of my other comics, I do not mean for this to be the job of a crew where I’m only a writer.

This is my comic, and something I’ve wanted to make. Chances are that just like Sunburn, I’ll be writing a large part of the comic and drawing a large chunk of the panels. I wanna carry the weight of this because its my story!!! With that being said, anyone’s welcome to help! If you’re interested, feel free to DM me on Discord @sundSlime#2003.

TLDR?

Progress on the comic has been underway, but there’s a lot of stuff left to iron out. Hope you guys like what I have so far! Have a good day :)

[colonyworkshop]

Hello everybee~ 🐝

Once again it is time for me to celebrate the Anniversary of Colony Workshop and look back on everything I've achieved so far. I'm actually a little late posting this but I'm not going to let that stop me!

First of all I would love to say a big Thank You to everyone who's been following my art pages for the past few years. It has been a lot of fun working on these cute bug drawings and I'm really glad I've had a nice reception to my sketchbook pages and other odd bits I post. Your support means a lot to me and it has really helped me to continue working on this WebToon passion project~ 🦋

~~~~~

And now for the part where I get to toot my horn about everything I've achieved this past year!

In the last year I've definitely put out some of my best quality work. I really feel like I've gotten used to creating and using assets to make better backgrounds quicker, and I've been getting more out of gradients now that I've spent some time learning them.

I have also improved on my WebToons processes noticeably. I learned how to use rulers and got a bit better with vectors, which makes it so much easier to do all the weird panel sizes and text bubbles! I think the switch to mono-colour was a good move too. Especially now that I've figured out how to make it a gradient layer.

I'm always learning new features and techniques with Clip Studio, and it's so satisfying to solve a time saving problem. It feels mad how much more I've learned in the last 4 years, despite feeling like I had a pretty good grip with it then!

Another big success for me this year was selling art at Furcation 23! It was my first time selling at a Dealer's Den so I was quite anxious, but everyone was super friendly and I got to chat a bunch~ A fair few people picked up the special Honeybee Gala prints in the Honeybee frames. To those people- I hope it brings you happiness every day! 🐝

I'm all set to run a table again later this year, so come say hi if you're there! I'm super looking forward to it but there is much to prepare. I have a pretty good idea of extra things to bring this time- sticker packs, small prints, acrylics. But there's still a lot to do and there's more I want to draw so it might be a bit of a mad rush getting everything done!

~~~~~

Just a little bit about changes I'm implementing for this next year-

Some of you may have noticed by now that from January I stopped posting my usual monthly newsletter, and this is a decision that I will keep going forward. For the first few years of Colony it seemed like a really good idea to keep a monthly newsletter going so that I could do little recaps on what I had been working on and share my thoughts on how it was all going. However, I kept finding that I didn't always have a huge amount that I was ready to share and when drawing projects ran on over a few months it was causing me a bit of stress and guilt seeing the same thing recurring on my to-do list. Coupled with the time cost of writing a little newsletter every month it started to seem like I was better off drawing instead.

I am definitely trying to gain some confidence with social media and would really like to be comfortable enough dropping small posts with my thoughts every now and then, but for now I want to focus on reducing unnecessary stress and give myself as much drawing time as possible!

I really hope that little updates and WIP posts will be a good way to go. I'm actually pretty bad for forgetting to post things and when I get going with a big project it can end up being the only thing I focus on. I don't really want to trap myself into a routine of forcing myself to post, but I would really like to find a comfy middle ground where I can make a post once or twice a week and boost engagement!

~~~~~

To sign off this Anniversary Newsletter I'd love to give another big Thank You to you all! The past 4 years of Colony artwork have been amazing and I'm so glad to have a setup to work on my little WebToon. I've really come so far since I started digital drawing in 2010 and it's been amazing to work on something meaningful to myself. I really hope I can keep this energy going and expand my audience as I release more episodes!

Wish me luck! 🐝

[somerunner]

An actual idea that I've had over the last few months/a year, compared to the edutainment Pokemon idea that took a few minutes to think up, is a sort of metroidvania.

The twist is that you have to keep using your abilities to keep them. There's a timer where you lose your abilities over time, and it recharges as you use your abilities. It recharges far more if you use your abilities to actively platform, or defeat an enemy.

I had the idle thought of naming each of the abilities after calculus concepts such as "gradient" or "power rule" and you could probably expand that to be a broad coverage of all topics, such as "history knowledge" or "math shorthands" but in any case, it would be hard to link up real-world concepts to the abilities you're using.

You don't have to link up real concepts to the abilities anyway, since the main theme of the game is "use skills or get slightly worse at them" and you don't have to also tack on real skills to learn at the same time to get that message across. Instead, just add heavy-handed messages throughout that tell the player directly. Maybe some kind of narration like in "The Witness" or "Getting Over It" or something.

I don't know programming, level design, or anything to do with game-making by the way. So I'm likely to never ever make anything resembling this. If you want to though (or someone already has!), please lemme know so I can play it, I am in love with this idea

[nolanfa]

I uhhh, smoked? it. Dunno the actual word in english. Like raku. The end of raku, where you make it black by burying it in sawdust that then smolders and the clay absorbs the smoke and turns black. Except here I surrounded it with paper that I lit on fire, but it's the same idea.

Some pictures of the process here; detailed explanation under the cut

It's regular white (maybe a bit creamy, but basically white) earthenware. After the biscuit I:

1) heat it up in a kitchen oven (in theory you should smoke it just after the biscuit is done, when it's just out of the kiln and still super super hot, but I do not have my own kiln so I can't); maybe when it's hot it takes the colour better, even if it's just 200°C / 400°F and not 1000°C / 1800°F ? I need to do more tests to know conclusively. I was fearing thermal shock might make pieces break if I didn't heat it up first but that does not seem to be an issue.

2) put it somewhere that won't catch fire, surround it with scrunched up newspapers and ads, and lit them on fire (in theory you should do it with sawdust, leaves if you want fancy patterns, horsehair or feathers for even fancier patterns, but this all only works if the clay is hot enough to make it catch fire on its own; the way I do it I need to lit the fire myself, and so fancy patterns of this kind are out because the combustible starts burning away from the clay instead of catching fire on contact). Every so often I get a couple of green-ish spots (like at the base of the tail / the haunches of the big panther above, mostly visible in the last picture), I'm assuming because of the ink burning. Using plain paper or just black-and-white would probably let me avoid it if I wanted to, but I haven't tested it because I like it. If your clay is kiln-hot you should put a cover on it so the smoke stays and tints it darker, but the way I do it I feel like that smothers the fire and doesn't help, at least for small sculptures (maybe because the container is about five times as high as the sculptures so the smoke stays trapped but too high to touch them) (more testing necessary).

3) sometimes a second or third pass is necessary if the smoke pattern is not dark enough

The panther on the post above is about 40 cm / 16 inches on the longest dimension; I recently smoked another batch that's much smaller, more like 8-15cm / 3-6 inches on the longest dimension, and the patterns are imo much less interesting because it's closer to a plain gradient (because if you put a big pattern on a tiny sculpture you don't see the whole pattern, just the border of it):

I had some interesting effects in the first smoking (the same as the big panther), tiny white spots, like this (this hare is medium-sized, maybe 20cm /8in long), but I have no clue why, or how to reproduce it (I use clay with grog, so maybe it is linked to that? Who knows.):

I added some water droplets to the recent smoking and it does seem to keep areas from darkening as much, which allows for some more pattern control (here on the flank/back under the arm) (I did it on the tail too, and it did not break due to thermal shock, which was a concern I had; but the change in color is not quite as visible as I'd like)

And once a few years back I kept smoking something for a bit longer than usual and it got very deep black-brown and shiny, kinda like when you burn sugar and it caramelizes; but I think it was a leftover product in the container I smoked in (it had contained paint before so maybe some kind of oil...?). I'd like to be able to reproduce it but I like my lungs in working order (so no burning unknown chemicals on purpose) and also I don't know how to do it so far (ooooh, I could try sprinkling it with salt or sugar or something, I know you can glaze with salt (... at 1000+°C / 1800+°F) so it might gitimeve interesting results).

So yeah, I don't really know what I'm doing yet, but you don't need to know what you're doing to have nice results.

This Big One is about 40 centimeters on its longest dimension (the tail. The tail is the longest dimension. As it should be - do yourself a favor and look up snow leopard tails' pictures).

[dustofthedailylife]

A Fennec Fox's Guide To Botany

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Summary: Tighnari comes back from a day of work and is greeted by yet another new patient who has consumed poisonous mushrooms in the forest. That it would be another fennec fox he'd have to save is a surprise - yet not an unwelcome one.

Pairing: Tighnari x Fennec Fox!Reader (gn!)

Tags: Fluff, SFW, mentions of food poisoning and corresponding symptoms (Reader)

A/N: Back with a new fic! This is the first time I wrote something for Tighnari outside of headcanons and I hope I managed to portray his character well. I brainrotted about the idea of this fic a while ago and just couldn't get it out of my head. Hope you like it! :3

→ Part 2 (A Fennec Fox's Guide to Love)

Today had been a rather uneventful day in Avidya Forest. Now that Irminsul was cured, thanks to the efforts of the Traveler, the number of Withering Zones that still remained throughout the forest steadily decreased every day and they were generally easier to deal with, too. Additionally, Collei was as energetic as ever now that her Eleazar was cured. 

Though just as Tighnari came back from patrol training with Collei Amir, the Search and Rescue Dog Trainer of the Forest Watchers hurriedly ran in their direction as soon as he spotted them back at the camp.

“Master Tighnari!”, he panted breathlessly and came to a halt in front of the pair.

“Amir? What’s wrong? Did the dogs eat poisonous mushrooms like last time?”, Tighnari retorted half amused.

There really was always something, wasn’t there? He should be surprised but he really wasn't anymore. There goes his chance of getting some downtime for once.

“No! Well… yes. I mean, no, not directly.”, Amir stammered.

“Well, what is it now? Yes or no?”

“Please just come with me and take a look.”, Amir prattled on before he quickly hurried back towards the medical hut.

Tighnari didn’t know what was going on yet but his gut feeling told him that it meant nothing good. It wasn’t rare that he was called over to assist with a patient but never before had he seen Amir so anxious.

As he pushed past the entrance of the hut he found Amir and another Forest Ranger standing in front of the bed where he could vaguely make out the legs of a heavily shivering person. If he had to take a wild guess it was likely yet another fool who couldn’t tell a poisonous mushroom apart from an edible one. The usual tourist; they ate everything they could find on the forest floor.

Tighnari sighed deeply and pushed past the others towards the bed and that’s where he found you lying. He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw you. You were a fennec fox just like him. The fur on your features was mainly golden-beige colored and had a color gradient toward the tips of your tail and ears that matched your hair color.

Your ears were flattened downwards against your head, your eyes were pressed shut and your mouth was pulled into a pained grimace. Beads of sweat were running down your forehead as you were writhing on the bed with your hands clasped over your stomach and your tail tucked in between your legs.

The anger that had been welling up inside the pit of his stomach the entire way here was gone the second he laid eyes on you. 

All these years he spent thinking he was the only Fennec fox left in Sumeru and then you suddenly appear out of nowhere with a strong food poisoning. As much as he wanted to be as annoyed as he usually was towards tourists, he couldn’t quite bring himself to be. Especially not when you looked so incredibly beautiful. It felt wrong to him to think about something like this in the current situation but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. 

“What happened?”, he questioned Amir without averting his gaze.

“We found them while on patrol. They begged us to help them because they were in horrible pain, babbling something about eating mushrooms and that they were hungry… as soon as we arrived here they started hallucinating and were completely unresponsive. They seem to be deteriorating fast.”, Amir explained with a quivering voice. He looked like he was scared out of his mind and close to tears.

“Did they mention what they ate?”, Tighnari inquired, trying his hardest to keep his composure because if he didn't you'd be a goner. 

He found himself thinking that it is lucky he returned right on time because no matter how good his Forest Rangers otherwise were when it came to medical emergencies or unprecedented incidents, they were completely unfit to deal with them.

“They mentioned something about a… red starshroom with white dots, I think?”

“Star Death Cap… abdominal pain, nausea, fever, hallucinations. Highly poisonous…”, Tighnari mumbled to himself as he rummaged inside the medical cabinet in the corner of the room. He took out several medical supplies and a small bottle containing a bright green liquid.

“Master, can you still help them?!”, Amir hysterically interrupted while nervously dancing around on the spot behind Tighnari.

“Not if you keep making me nervous, Amir. Leave, both of you. I need room to think.”, he bit back.

Amir waved to the other Forest Ranger who had been present the entire time as well and quickly left the hut with a worried frown painted on his face.

Tighnari took a deep breath and pulled a chair in front of the bed where you were lying. He took out a flashlight and pulled your eyes open with his the pad of his thumb to test the reaction of your pupils; and if he was being honest things weren’t looking too good. Your eyes barely reacted to the light at all and you didn’t even seem to properly notice him. Even though he knew from himself that fennec foxes had a high toxin resistance, he still needed to act, otherwise, things were looking grim for you.

He stood up from his chair again and went to grab the cup with the medicine he had concocted for this specific type of mushroom, although he has never had to use it before since people usually didn’t eat the mushroom you seemed to have consumed. It was bright red and basically screamed “danger, don’t eat me”. Although that didn’t seem to be enough to stop you from eating it. If you were going to make it, he’s got to ask you what in Celestia you were thinking.

He lifted the cup to your face and carefully aligned it with your lips when you suddenly grabbed his wrist and looked directly at him.

“A-are you a god?”, you breathed out through pants while you stared at him with eyes wide-blown in surprise.

“What?”, he startled. You were probably hallucinating again, but even though he was very much aware of that, he couldn’t stop his heart from beating an octave higher. “No. N-no! I’m Tighnari, I’m a Forest Watcher.”

“You’re the Dendro Archon!”, you revered and clutched one hand into the fabric of his sweater as soon as you saw the Dendro vision dangling on his hip. He tried to loosen your grip on him again in order to not spill the medicine you so desperately needed to take but you held onto him for dear life.

You pulled yourself up and snaked your arms around his neck, your fluffy tail slowly swaying from left to right behind you while you nuzzled your head against his cheek with a soft hum. Your soft ears brushed against his cheek and he could feel the heat that emanated from your body. The poison in your system was causing you to burn up rapidly. If he didn’t hurry up now the protein in your cells would start to coagulate and he couldn’t let that happen.

“I’ve dreamt about you a lot. I’ve always wanted to meet you… and to think you’re so handsome, too.”, you rambled on, making his heart flutter uncontrollably in his chest. “If I make it you have to promise to give me a kiss.” If you were planning to keep going like that it was he who soon needed medical attention instead.

Despite you making his head spin, Tighnari decided to take advantage of your hallucination-induced confusion and used his “role” as the Dendro Archon to make you comply so he could finally make you take the much-needed medicine. 

“I’ve come to help you. It is my job as the deity of Sumeru to protect its citizens and I have sensed that you are in grave danger.”, Tighnari vowed. He could feel your grip on his sweater loosen and saw you look deep into his eyes, flattening your ears against your head in awe again. “Will you let me help you?”

You slowly nodded and let him raise the cup with the medicine to your lips. You felt a light burn shoot through your system as soon as the bitterness of the medicine enveloped your tastebuds. You contorted your face due to the unpleasant taste and soon after felt how your eyelids suddenly grew heavy, making you fall into a deep slumber.

Once you had fallen asleep in his arms Tighnari carefully tucked you in and rested your head on the pillow. He softly brushed over your hair and ears before smiling to himself. All you needed now was a good night’s sleep and you’d be as good as new.

As soon as the sun rose over Avidya Forest the next morning, Tighnari went back to the medical hut to check on your condition. He had brewed some tea and prepared some pita pockets for you to eat since he figured you must be hungry. He had thought about making his signature mushroom hodgepodge for you but considering that you had just overcome mushroom poisoning, you probably wouldn’t be eager to eat them again immediately.

When he entered the hut he found you sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and eagerly staring at him.

“Good morning! Welcome back from the dead!”, Tighnari greeted you.

“Ehe, good morning.”, you awkwardly chuckled, scratching yourself behind your ears while avoiding his gaze. “Thanks for saving my butt yesterday.”

“That’s what we do here. You somehow managed to consume one of the rarest and most poisonous mushrooms in the entire rainforest.”, he explained.

“Guess that is just my luck, as usual.”

"You're lucky fennec foxes have a high poison resistance."

"We do?"

"We do.", he nodded with a small smile. You were beyond adorable to him.

Tighnari passed you a cup of the herbal tea he brought along with him, as well as one of the pita pockets, which you hungrily devoured like someone who hasn’t had anything to eat in a week.

“Say, what made you eat the mushroom anyway?”

You awkwardly averted your gaze again while you felt the blood rush to your cheeks in embarrassment. You were incredibly ashamed about your absolute incompetence, especially because of the attractive man in front of you, who just happened to be a fox like you, too.

“This is kind of awkward… but I’m from the desert and am about to start as an Amurta scholar at the Akademiya in a couple of months. I wanted to get acquainted with the local botany and… I kind of got lost in the forest and eventually was so starved I started collecting mushrooms.”

You were supposed to become an Amurta scholar and managed to consume the most poisonous mushroom in the entire forest. It was so ironic that Tighnari wasn’t able to hold back his laughter which flustered you even further and made your ears droop. At least the fact that you were from the desert explained why you didn’t understand the local flora and fauna.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you.”, he said as he wiped a tear out of the corner of his eyes. “It’s just a bit ironic is all.”

“Yeah… I know. I’m kind of embarrassed about it as well. I can’t make a bigger fool out of myself at this point.”, you awkwardly chuckled.

“Mhhh, I don’t know about that, you thought I was the Dendro Archon yesterday and called me handsome.”, Tighnari casually remarked. “Oh, and then then you made me promise to give you a kiss if you end up making it.”

You spat your tea out in full force following his last sentence. How was he able to recite it so casually when your heart was about to burst out of your chest? Archons, how embarrassing.

“I take that back… apparently I can make an even bigger fool out of myself. Forgive me.”, you retorted, pulling your ears over your eyes with your hands in an attempt to hide behind them. And while it was correct, you did think he was incredibly attractive, you had probably ruined every chance with him after this encounter anyway.

Contrary to your beliefs however, Tighnari thought you were beyond pretty and adorable. Even more so when you were flustered.

“Well, coincidentally this handsome Dendro Archon happens to have graduated from Amurta. So, if you’re willing, I could give you a quick rundown of the local botany.”, he proposed cheekily but not without a blush starting to bloom across his own cheeks as well.

“You would do that for me? That definitely sounds like it could save me from trouble like this again in the future.”, you agreed with an awkward chuckle as your tail began to wag.

“Perfect. You’re free to rest here as long as you like before we start your personal crash course… oh and by the way, the name’s Tighnari, pleased to meet you.”, he introduced himself, stretching his hand out for you to shake; unknowingly making both of your hearts flutter in unison.

“I’m pleased to meet you, too.”

What a curious little fox you were. He couldn’t wait to get to know you better. After all, he still had to fulfill the promise he gave you.

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife || reblogs, comments, and asks about Genshin or my fics are always greatly appreciated! Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

[midorisudachi]

I just love Captain Rex & Ahsoka Tano sooooo much! I've been recently watching SW Rebels for a 2nd time (after having watched TCW & TBB for a 2nd time this past January through March), I'm just experiencing "all the feelings" 10x more than having had watched the series for the first time. The reunion of Rex & Ahsoka always gets me teary-eyed. I wish they had more time together, which is why I drew this. They deserved more time with each other in Rebels. How long had they apart when they reunited? 15 years? Since they last saw each other at the end of TCW? (Which, by the way, always makes me cry, especially the last episode of TCW.) And why must the Clones age 2x faster than an average person? *Cries*

I gave Rex & Ahsoka are more semi-realistic appearance, while still keeping my art style in there. I wanted to give Rex a more "salt & pepper" look to his beard. And yes, the proportions of his head are correct: he is looking down, so you would see more of the top of his head.

Do you think they would be cute as a couple? While drawing this, I had the idea in my mind that they are just bonding together as two long-lost friends who haven't seen each other in forever. But there is also that part of me where I think they would have been a cute couple, if things had gone right (a.k.a. if darn Anakin hadn't ruined everything for every one). They both deserve to have more love in their life.

And I am very pleased to say that this piece has become my post popular ("Liked") work on Instagram!

Line artwork was done with Sakura Pigma Micron Pens, and then coloured in with Copic Markers (for the skin tones) and Ohuhu Markers. The textured gradient background was done in Photoshop Elements (since I had no idea what to do for a background).

[welcometodiehop]

Life Goes On Without You- A Replaced! AU part 2

A/N: I did NOT expect all the positive feedback on the first fic, and someone even asked for a part two! I initially had NO idea how to continue it but now i’m pretty excited to get this one done. Hopefully this one will be more readable since i’m still learning tumblr fic writing.

Read part one: here

GN reader x Brothers and Dateables (platonic Luke)

CW: Traumatic flashbacks and a bit of swearing.

You don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve last seen the sun. The last time you felt the warmth of another. To the others, you’re a distant memory. Something to be kept in a glass case, to “preserve your memory” as they call it. Did Lilith weep as you wanted so desperately to when you first came along? If only you could ask her.

It’s another tour day, you forget when the last one was. Was it a month? a year? maybe more? It doesn’t matter to you anyway. You take a good look at the two figures you hadn’t seen before. A woman with gradient hair and strange eyes, and what you assume to be an angel from his attire- though he looks like a sopping wet kitten in the rain. You could almost bring yourself to laugh a little. They seem to call themselves “Thirteen” and “Raphael” respectively. You don’t tend to pay attention to people anymore, but Thirteen keeps giving you an odd look. Almost concerned. Maybe she just finds dolls creepy, you did when you were alive.

It wasn’t until the late hours in the night that you got your answer. You were awoken by the lights being turned on as you saw Thirteen cone into the room and slowly shut the door behind her. She approaches you and gives you a small “shhh” as if you could speak. She lifts up your shirt and opens the chest compartment where the magic stone holds your soul is placed. Taking the stone, she holds it up to her ear and asks:

“Hey, are you awake? You have to be bored out of your mind in here, right?”

You wonder if she could hear you like this, but instantly banish the thought as you try to communicate back.

“Yeah, I can’t tell how long I’ve been like this.”

“So you are alive… If I knew someone did something like this I would have dealt with it a LOT sooner.”

You can’t believe your ears. Someone just talked to you… and they could hear you! Many questions swirl around in your mind, but you settle on a “You can hear me?”

She huffs out a puff of air in amusement.

“ This isn’t my first time dealing with a soul stone, us reapers have to keep an eye on these kinds of things if we want to be good at our jobs.”

“Is there anything you can do to help me?” you ask.

“ Duh, that’s why I’m here. Everyone’s probably going to be pissed at me for doing this but I’d be a shitty reaper if I didn’t help lost souls pass on. So tell me this, how about give you a break and help you start a new life? Sound cool?” she looks at you expectantly.

You don’t quite know how to answer. Yes, you’ve been suffering in this immense boredom and loneliness for what feels like forever now, but to leave them all is-

“Yeah, sounds cool. I’m tired of sitting here all day anyway.”

They’ve abandoned you. It only makes sense that you move on with your life.

“All right, I still don’t know if this will hurt but brace for impact-“

“Impact?-“

You don’t get to finish your question as Thirteen slams your soul stone on the ground, shattering it. That’s the last thing you see.

———————————————————————

Your name is (Y/N). If someone asks, you’d say you live a pretty good life. You have loving parents, a pretty good apartment, friends here and there, and can sometimes muster up the courage to talk to cute people at the café you frequent. However, work tends to be a slog. You’re an accountant at a hotel chain you don’t care about. Corvo… something? You really can’t be bothered to remember. You make enough to probably go on vacation, but you can never really make time. Punching in numbers day in and day out numbs the brain, but you can’t complain. After all, everything else seems fine.

“So then (Y/N), we- hey!” your coworker snaps their fingers in front of your eyes to get your attention. “ Earth to (Y/N)! Space cadet, I’m talking to youuuu!”

“Ah- sorry, just sort of spacing out. What were we talking about again?” you reply.

“Man, have you been getting enough sleep lately? You’ve been spacing out a lot lately.” They ask.

“I dunno, I feel fine, it’s just that-“ you look at your phone, “Crap, break’s almost over. If I don’t get back to work our supervisor is gonna put me in for review.” you shudder.

As you’re opening the door to leave the break room, someone stands in your way. He wears clothes so expensive that you feel poor just breathing around it. You crane your neck up to look at him, golden eyes boring into yours. This definitely isn’t your supervisor.

“Um… can I help you?” you muster out.

“Ah- yes. I’ve actually been looking for you, you must be (Y/N), right? I’m DD, CEO of this company.”

DD…? Are those just his initials? you think to yourself. Today’s just getting odd, what would the CEO want with you? You look back at your coworker and they shrug. Figures they have no idea what the hell is going on either.

“So um… what do you need from me? Lemme guess, you’re gonna fire me in person?” you manage to give an awkward laugh.

Yours however, pales in comparison to this man’s boisterous one. Genuinely amused, he seems.

“No, no. Nothing like that. Just come follow me up to my office. I would just like a little chat with you.” he says.

With how awkward this is getting, you wish you were about to be fired. But reluctantly, you follow him anyway. You feel a pit in your stomach begin to grow, and DD notices. He tries to pat your back and give you a grin in order to comfort you, but it brings minimal success.

Once inside the office, you’re met with 11 other people. Some wildly not dressed for an office setting, and why is there a child in here? They look at you with expectant eyes, some filled with a tinge of sadness, others a sense of hope. You sit down in one of the leather seats in front of the desk, wanting to sink into it, never to be seen again. Living in the chair dimension sounds heavenly right now.

“(Y/N), we-“ the blond one with the obnoxious tie speaks up.

He didn’t get to finish as DD sat down at his desk and waved his hand, a silent order for him to stop. He looks at you with a serious expression, one that contrasts with his seemingly jovial nature he’s shown previously.

“ (Y/N), we’re about to ask questions that may seem odd, but just know that everything we tell you is the absolute truth.” he says.

You raise an eyebrow at him. Things go through your mind at breakneck pace.

If this company is run by a cult, I’m sending in my resignation letter and leaving without two weeks notice. you think to yourself.

“To start off, I suppose we should tell you things about ourselves. My true name is Diavolo, and I am the crown prince of the Devildom, land of demons.”

You open your mouth to speak, but 9 of the figures, including the man apparently named Diavolo, show what appear to be their true forms. They all are large an imposing, sporting horns and various extra appendages. You recoil in fear. Demons?! Aren’t those just the creatures that religious zealots tell you that will steal your soul? Why are they right in front of you? Are you going to die?

You look at the remaining three, and point to them, mustering out a shaky “Wh-what about them?”

“Well, I’m a sorcerer,” the pale white haired one motioned to the other two beside him. “and these two are angels.”

Yup, this is way worse than a cult. You turn back to Diavolo, your body shaking.

“What do you want with me? I haven’t done anything particularly bad- and it’s definitely too early to die-“ you get cut off.

Diavolo’s eyes soften, as do the rest of the people beside you as he slides you some photos. “Do any of these look familiar?” he asks.

You look through the photos, each more confusing than the last. There you were, smiling and laughing with some of the people in the room, some of the photos of you arguing, some where you console the others, others where you were being consoled. You’ve never seen these people before, when did they get these photos? How do they all know you when you’ve only met them today?!

“I… I think i need to go-“

You rush to get out of your seat and push past the people surrounding you. As you make it to the door the serpentine-esque demon grabs you by the wrist, in a desperate attempt to get you to stay.

“(Y/N)! Please don’t go- not yet!”

You turn to get your arm out of his grasp but a searing pain stops you. He lets go of your wrist, as you stare at the mark that seems to be branded on the inside of it. Soon, other parts of your body begin to burn, each with different markings. You fall to the floor and gasp in pain. You look up at all the concerned faces watching you-

When suddenly, it hits you like a truck.

All those memories: the exchange program, the pacts, the sorcerer trials, the tender moments you’ve shared with each of them. The pain eventually subsides as you stand up, feeling as if you were floating. You smile at them for a moment, whispering a “You guys….“

But the rest of the memories come back as well. The mind numbing boredom, the ache to feel their touch, the melancholy of being forgotten and the burning hatred of being replaced by another. Tears well up in your eyes. They overwhelm you with so many emotions, and you choke out twice the sobs as you do words.

“ How could you?… How could you guys leave me alone like that?! What was I to you?” You sob.

They all surround you trying their best to hug you all at once. Lucifer then speaks up.

“We were so consumed in our grief…we didn’t know what to do.”

“We’re so sorry (Y/N)! We promise to never leave you alone again!” Asmodeus sobs with you.

Words now elude you. Is it really right to go back to them? After everything that happened?

“ What… happened to the other exchange student?” you ask

“They… ended up being unable to stand us anymore… I guess we sort of drove them nuts.” Belphegor says.

So they still remembered you even after the exchange student left. This still all feels wrong. You love everyone so much but you can’t stand being around them after everything they did. It hurts more than words can describe.

“Will you come back to us? We’ve really missed you-“

“I can’t.”

You interrupt him before he can finish.

“I just- I love you guys so much but… I think I just need some time. Time to think. Time to… get this all figured out.” you say.

“But-“ Mammon says, “ We’ve spent all this time looking for you and-“

“If it’s time they need then it’s time they’ll get. we need to respect that.” Diavolo interrupts.

He pushes past everyone else and hands you your old DDD and lays a hand on your back.

“If you ever need us, we’re here for you. Take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you. I think I need to head home and lie down…” you reply.

They all give you your space to leave and you wave them goodbye as you head through the door. You shut it behind you softly.

You begin to cry again.

[sailxrmxrs]

Could you do a prompt like that one royal arranged marriage with nightowl?? Please??

yet another royalty au from yours truly but this time it's with nightowl! i wanted to make sure i could do the request justice without it being too similar to my arranged marriage xyx one so i took a little extra time to think of how to go about writing it and hopefully that paid off! the idea for this one actually struck me at like half 4 in the morning where i hurriedly typed out some very incoherent and sleepy notes for future me to string together into something half readable. for this fic we've got star crossed lovers who met years ago and are reunited once more AND at a masquerade ball no less. also nightowl being his charming self, as per usual. enjoy.

Evening settled across the kingdom, its skies a gradient of shades blending into one another to form an artist's masterpiece above the palace grounds. The sun was starting to retreat beyond the horizon, its golden light the last remaining remnants of the day before night would befall the land. Until then, all one could do was admire the warm orange hues bleed into shades of deep blue and purple, light puffy clouds stained in similar blotches of colour as they would soon fade into their backdrop come nightfall. It was rather picturesque, you had to admit as you leaned on the iron railing of your balcony. Tonight, there was a masquerade ball to be held in honour of your birthday, as was the tradition each year since you'd come of age. You didn't hate attending such events, but every time they came and went, you couldn't help but be reminded of that first masquerade ball held for you in celebration of coming of age. Nor the mysterious noble you'd met under the light of the stars right at the very balcony you stood upon in that same moment. He hadn't appeared at another ball since, and you'd lost all hope at ever meeting him again. Especially since the news had broken that you were betrothed to the prince of a neighbouring kingdom. You'd been told of the prince's name but didn't care to listen or retain the information, considering your affections still resided in that one night those few years ago.

Five years had passed since coming of age at twenty years, the night just as beautifully scenic and perfect in preparation for the ostentatious event. You were dressed head to toe in finery of the most exceptional quality—silk and tulle of a pale blue colour with hints of seafoam green hidden in small accents about your person, commissioned and designed for this specific evening. Sitting atop your face was a mask of midnight blue, tying your ensemble together. Truly the image of a young elite royal about to make their debut into society. Admittedly, you were excited to be a guest of honour even if it signalled taking on more royal duties in preparation for your future rule. To spend one night indulging in the more excitable aspects of royal life was certainly no privilege to turn one's nose up at. And you intended to make it a truly unforgettable night. Even now, as you waited to make your official entrance down the ornate marble steps, you could feel your blood humming in anticipation for the night that awaited you. A distant chorus of violins and low cellos sounded through the closed doors before you, the sound of a harpsichord muffled as it played along with the heavenly strings.

The ballroom was alive with infectious energy—a blur of colours dancing about the room. You'd joined the fray of dancers, various nobles offering up their hand to the guest of honour. The entrance had been spectacular, polite applause from your onlookers as they welcomed your arrival. There had been a small procession to announce and make your debut official. Thus began the airs and graces of high society, careful glances and innocent touches as you danced with a new partner as each closing note faded, another song rising shortly after. Even taking the strict rules of the regency into account, it still felt like a breath of fresh air flushing your entire body in a rejuvenated energy. Chest heaving and breathing laboured from the exertion of dancing, you took your leave from the centre of the ballroom in search of a quiet moment to yourself. Being thrown into the fray was, after all, a tiring endeavour for someone making their debut into society.

Night air kissed your skin, cooling the growing warmth from the interior festivities. Clouds concealed the twinkling stars embedded in the vast depths of the sky, only a few smatterings of bright light shining in the darkness. The moon was a solitary figure positioned far off to the right, sitting above the forest behind the palace grounds. Beneath the balcony upon which you stood was a wall of ivy and a stone bench decorated with dahlias and peonies of white and pink. Stepping stones led a trail beside a small pond lined with rectangular stone bricks. With the overhead lanterns hanging from the balcony and the light of the moon, it looked an idealist corner of peace and quiet, entirely far removed from the buzzing energy throughout the remainder of the palace grounds. You'd lost count at this point the number of times you'd felt yourself nearly falling asleep under the warm sun while sitting in the private alcove.

"Lost in thought there, my liege?" A mysterious voice called, emerging from the pathway leading to little slice of relaxation. The voice belonged to a noble looking man about your age, adorned in a white muslin shirt tucked into a pair of dark brown trousers and underneath a burgundy waistcoat, a matching velvet jacket folded over his forearm. His tentative smile was visible beneath the pink and lilac mask he wore as he slowly approached so as not to startle you. "Apologies for the intrusion, but you looked as though you could use some company."

"Oh. I just needed some fresh air," you replied, hands absentmindedly tracing lines on the balcony railing. The stranger nodded, making to leave as though he'd been a disturbance. Noticing his intended direction, you held out a hand, calling to him. "Wait! I don't mind the company. If you're still offering it, that is."

A warm smile grew on Nightowl's face as he paused, eyes trailing up your figure in amusement at your panicked concern. "It would be my pleasure, my liege."

"If you're going to stay, then at least grant me the courtesy of dropping the manners and honorifics. I've heard far too much of it for one night already."

"Gladly. Though you should probably get used to it. There's no end to the tiring politeness and rules of royal life. Trust me." Nightowl took a seat at the stone bench, his jacket now draped over the backrest while he lounged. There was something relaxed about the way he sat, no sign of the eloquence you'd become accustomed with from the other guests at the ball. He was an enigma of a human, and one you were determined to solve. At some point you climbed down from the balcony to sit beside him, so engrossed in the exhilarating energy that encapsulated you both. He told stories of his own kingdom, revealing his own royal status too. To be able to connect with someone so easily, so fast, and for that person to understand the life you'd been born into to... Something about Nightowl made your heart beat a little bit faster, skin flaring with warmth at each gentle brush of his arm against yours. And as he rose from his seat, pulling on the jacket he'd left laying over the stone bench, he offered out a hand.

"I couldn't live with myself if I kept tonight's guest of honour all to myself." His smile was warm, eyes illuminated by the light of the moon.

"Do we have to? I like being out here with you." Despite your reluctance, you accepted his hand and stood with him.

"And I like having you all to myself, too. But who said we have to say goodbye? Surely you wouldn't deny me the pleasure of one dance, would you, cutie?" Nightowl punctuated his offer with a wink, raising your hand to press a soft kiss to the back of your hand. "So? Will you allow me the joy of a single dance?"

"All of my dances tonight are yours," came your response, fingers interlocking with his as he manoeuvred his arm into a more appropriate offering. Stern looks of disproval would be inevitable if it were known that you'd been alone together without a chaperone. But, naturally, the two of you devised a plan to enter separately and magically gravitate towards one another across the ballroom, easily falling into the dancing as though it were as natural as breathing. The music swelled around you both, igniting something wild and uncontained. Hushed whispers spread across the ballroom as they watched the two of you dance as though the music was made for you and you alone. As one song died down, allowing the next to flourish with life, your dance continued. The dance didn't cease, propriety and modesty a far distant thought with each synchronised step. You were both deeply aware of exactly what message you were silently sharing in your repeated dances, but the bond that had formed so quickly was too potent to cast aside in the sake of public opinion. Let them believe you were courting. Let them all believe in your intentions for one another. As far as you were concerned, there was nothing but sheer truth and honesty beneath the graceful dance of entwined souls. Only a few mere hours had passed and yet you felt as though you'd never known another person so profoundly nor cared for them so intently.

Eventually there had to be an end to the dances, the watchful eyes of your parents reminding you just how public the display had been. But that didn't mean the wonder of the evening had to end.

"Meet me at our spot in an hour? I'd like one last moment alone before the night is over, cutie." There had been no time to reply nor acknowledge the nickname he'd assigned you, whisked away by your mother as you sent a secret smile in his direction, knowing he understood your acceptance. There would be time to reunite and enjoy the other's presence without prying eyes later. For now, you'd let the other nobles of the ball take your attention, though a spare thought always lingered elsewhere. Every now and then you'd feel a pair of eyes on you as you were pulled into conversation with some foreign dignitary and every time you'd glance and find your gaze met with those familiar eyes hidden behind the pink and lilac mask. At some point in the evening, those glances had ceased but you didn't think much of it, assuming Nightowl had gotten lost amongst the dense crowd of bodies and heavy layers of fabric moving about the ballroom.

Once the hour has passed you managed to sneak away, feigning a headache. After all, the balcony was located right by your private quarters so who had to know exactly where you were heading? But, unlike the fairy tales and stories of romance, this one did not have the same happy ending. Even now as you reminisced on that night it still brought a pang of stinging pain to think of the empty sight you'd been greeted with. You'd waited a little while, hoping he might have just been held up in conversation that he couldn't escape, but too much time passed for that to be true. So you'd returned to your bedchambers, downtrodden and fighting tears, to collapse in your bed still fully clothed. The following morning at breakfast you'd heard no end of chastising comments for fraternising so publicly with a foreign prince at your coming of age ball. Barely listening, you played with a loose thread as words of propriety and appropriateness flew straight over your head. And now there was no way for you to contact him, find him, let yourself fall even deeper into your affections for him.

Sighing as you gazed out at the setting sun, a member of the palace staff called out your name to inform you of tonight' balls beginning. Tonight you were dressed in a deep shade of burgundy, the similarities to Nightowl's attire all too familiar. But there was no way you could explain the ache in your chest to anyone. It had been made abundantly clear that he was not an option for you; there was no future that promised he would be in it too. Over time that realisation had gotten less painful, but all those memories dredged themselves back up again each year another of these balls was held. And especially given the news you'd received recently that you were to be engaged and wed in order to secure the kingdom's power and alliances. Politics and kingdom treaties were barely topics of interest, yet so much of your life, past, present and future, relied on them. Donning your mask, this time a matching burgundy lined with rich gold thread, you prepared yourself for the evening ahead. The noble to which you were supposed to be married was apparently a guest for the evening, though you'd barely been listening to his name nor country of origin. Not when your thoughts were already so clouded by another.

The ballroom was erupting with life, so full of wonder and hope as prospective couples danced under the candlelit chandeliers. Music played as elegantly as always, the notes dancing their way through your entire body. And yet, your heart was simply not there. You'd been pulled into dances with unfamiliar nobles, allowing them to dictate your moves simply because you did not care to fight for yourself. Besides, as guest of honour, you couldn't possibly cause a scene. The lesson had been made crystal clear that you were to be a model member of the royal family—to believe you could live a life of love and freedom was a hopeless thought you'd banished long ago. At least, you'd tried to. It was far easier said than done. While your thoughts were distracted, you barely registered the song reaching its conclusive notes. The noble with which you'd danced bowed and took his leave while you hurried a matching gesture. Though, thanks to the evening's busy atmosphere, it appeared no one noticed your distracted mishap. Or so you thought.

"You don't seem as poised as I remember." A voice called from behind you. A voice that, despite the five years that had passed, you knew you remembered. Turning, you were met with those eyes. Those deep brown eyes that, even when hidden behind the shadows of a mask, were just as mesmerising as always.

"It's you. You're here. How?"

Nightowl bowed, careful not to bump into the waltzing bodies surrounding you both. "You didn't think I'd pass up such an opportunity as this, did you?" He stepped closer, hands falling into place as they'd done all those years ago. A moment of hesitation stuttered your movements, though you lowered those defences and let your hands find their home with him.

"Well, what would you have me believe? Our parting words were a promise to meet alone and yet when I ventured to our meeting place I was met with just the shadows and moonlight. No intentions to court or make your affections known."

"That is where you are wrong, my dear. I had every intention of declaring my every thought and feeling known. But, my reputation, as it once stood, did not," he explained, eyes struggling to meet yours as his cheeks flushed with shame. "I was in not state to rule nor take up a spouse—a fact that your father made very apparent that night."

"My father?"

"Yes, he cornered me after we danced. Which, if you must know, was the most wonderful memory I have. Though I do believe you look even more radiant now than you did then. A true achievement, you must know."

This time it was your turn to flush warm under his gaze. Nightowl led you in the dance, gently spinning you around before his hand returned to your waist once more.

"Your father expressed a disliking toward me. Though dislike may be wording it too lightly. He believed I had set out to tarnish your reputation so as to benefit my own kingdom somehow. Entirely false, I might add." Nightowl gently caressed a thumb on your cheek as an absentminded smile stretched across his face.

"And what about now? Have your intentions toward me changed or is this simply another single night of whirlwind romance for you to lock away and steal back to your kingdom? If there is no future for us, why torture me further?"

Nightowl paused, the song still cascading around you both. His expression turned serious, the lazy grin falling away and the sparkle in his eyes turning dark. "My intentions with you have not shifted since I first laid eyes on you five years ago. Not a single day has passed where I haven't thought of you. I intend to have you in every way possible as determined by law and politics. But, more importantly, I intend to spend my every waking moment etching every piece of your being into my soul. I wish to gaze upon your face, the stars that dwell in your eyes and commit every minute detail to memory. Yours is a beauty both inside and out that I have dreamt of for five years. Eternity is but a fraction of the time I wish to have with you, but I intend to spend each second of that eternity loving you in every way imaginable. If you will have me, that is."

You stared up at him, mouth agape at the confession. There was no telling what honeyed words had been about to spill from his lips, and yet you'd never expected such a declaration of love. "But, I am betrothed. Promised to another we could never—"

A finger softly placed itself on your lips. "Ah, wrong again, cutie. That night taught me a valuable lesson to cherish that which I hold dear, and so I endeavoured to ensure I could reunite with you once more as the eligible man I am today. Though, if it is not your will, I will leave and never return."

"Don't speak such dreadful horrors," you replied, this time placing your own finger to his lips. "If you ever doubt my own intentions I will seek to make your life hell."

Nightowl laughed, the sound musical and melodic—far more enchanting than a thousand orchestras could ever be. "Noted, your highness."

"Would you perhaps care to take a moonlit stroll under a certain balcony?" You asked, fingers dancing on the fabric of his sleeves as you admired every inch of his face.

"There is nothing I could want more, my love."