#I hate translating designs into my art style!

[hiraunia]

Krys, I think your blorbos are gonna kill me.

[snakes-on-skates]

a while ago i saw this human bill design on tiktok and omg i love it so so so much 😭 i freak out every time i see it my thoughts immediately switch from normal to AUGGHHHH STOPPPPPPPPPP I HATE HIM SO MUCH HES THE WORST HES AWFUL WHAT A FREAK

[thatonefreemanversefic]

HAPPY "DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN" DAY!!! HOPE YOU BOTH HAD FUN (・ω<)!!!!

Unrelated question that you may have been asked before: which Freeman is your favorite to draw? I think a Freeman Classic (tm) is always a good time, but Cicero's design is so silly and good XD

HAPPY DAY AFTER THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN!! lets not talk about my consistent lateness ;-;

I don't believe I've been asked before, but my fav little guy to draw would probably be Martini. He's the one I've been drawing the longest and his hair is just so silly to do!! Mind is a close second tho :)

(I have a love hate relationship with Gorgeous. I shan't explain it)

I can't speak for sapph (because I am not them) but I have a hunch their fav is probably Cicero :]

[chochuuya]

soft & random headcanons with tr boys!

characters included: mikey, mitsuya, draken, kazutora, baji, takemichi, chifuyu, smiley, angry, hakkai, inui, kokonoi, rindou, ran, izana, hanma and kakucho.

⤹ mikey would subconsciously tuck your hair behind your ear when it gets out of place, while you were talking. then he'll tilt his head in confusion when you blushed and stumble on your words.

⤹ mitsuya is good with make up. i'm convinced that anyone who is good with arts/crafts are automatically pros in doing make up.

⤹ draken understands personal space, but he would always make sure you're alright by sending texts or food.

⤹ kazutora definitely cried when he heard laufey's song falling behind for the first time. (i did too)

⤹ baji is the type of person that would cover the sharp edge of a table when you crouch down to take something on the floor.

⤹ takemichi would run to a photo booth whenever he sees one, while holding your hand with his smile a mile wide.

⤹ chifuyu is a taekwondo kid and he is good with subway surfers. (i fell even more when he kicked down those tenjiku boys)

⤹ smiley would say "my brother was right about you", whenever you mess up but he won't say what exactly.

⤹ angry is a good cook and smiley would always be the food taster. he also seems like the person to make sure you never eat alone.

⤹ hakkai is a pretty boy so, he would totally have those dyed buzz cut designs and pull off every look. i also think he is a trinket person who collects cute stuff, especially keychains.

⤹ inui would hold your pinky or play with your hand mindlessly while you were talking about your day.

⤹ kokonoi knows a lot about everything and he is creative with the gifts he give you. it's been known that his love language is giving gifts anyway.

⤹ rindou is smart and he would even offer to stay up late to help you with your homework.. not forgetting to nag you a little.

⤹ ran knows how to do pottery and has a famous public spotify playlist. i feel like he would show off his skills on tiktok and would blow up overnight because 1) he is hot and 2) a hot guy doing pottery.

⤹ izana is bold and for some reason, i think he hates slow walkers. he would either nudge someone's shoulder while walking past them or simply sighed in annoyance. or both.

⤹ hanma is a fashion boy and he will change his style a lot. he is also funny without even trying and loves taking ootd pics.

⤹ kakucho is a great listener and he gives the best advice, but won't hesitate to call you out if he thinks you know better. he's a real one.

please do not steal, copy, translate, repost to other sites or claim my writings as your own. plagiarism is real!

i challenged myself to type more 🥸 i hope you like this one~ all notes; reblogs, likes and comments are vv much appreciated! ( 〃▽〃)

[zoe-oneesama]

Hi Zoe, I was just wondering since you brought up the tattoo post, would you ever want your own art on you? It sounds pretty cool to me to have your own artwork or design on you like that, but I don't have any tattoos so I dunno, heh

HECK no, I hate the stuff I did only a few months ago. I like that about me since it's proof of my growth, but every time I see a new artist or style that I want to incorporate into my style, I inevitably go through a long ass ugly phase and I cringe hard looking back.

There are so many talented tattoo artists who can draw circles around me and I believe the tattoo itself benefits from the artist being the tattooer (unless you're asking them to tattoo an exact copy, like a manga panel or silhouette, then it really doesn't matter much to me).

At most, I would come in with rough sketches of the concept I'd want just to help me illustrate what I'm picturing in my head, but there's a massive difference between what I do in my sketchbook and for a flat screen digitally and what will work for the human body and what translates into needles and ink.

[chiscribbs]

Donnie and April dressed as Hades and Persephone (from the musical Hadestown)!

One of the Discord servers I'm in was holding a cosplay contest (results are not yet in, as of the time I'm writing this) and this was my entry! I had a lot of possible ideas for the prompt, but ultimately, this is the one I felt I had to go with - I just find it interesting how many fundamental similarities there are between the two dynamics, as well some key design elements. Plus, I'll take just about any excuse to draw a dapper Donnie. So that was a bonus, lol.

I had a lot of fun working on this, although I barely made it in before the deadline, haha! It was nice to stretch my rendering skills a bit since I've been doing mostly sketches and loose concept art lately.

Some interesting things I realized during the process:

April's design is basically a modern, sporty version of Hadestown's Persephone - same basic color scheme, similar style, and she even has a black choker!

Donnie's little rectangle-shaped purple spots translate perfectly to Hades' brick wall arm tattoo. This ended up being probably my favorite detail of the entire piece.

April ROCKS those ankle-cut boots.

I hate drawing shoes and should never have picked a walking pose, but we live and learn.

[cereovo]

A set of very conceptual notes I drafted a while back for someone asking for advice on learning to draw humans. I'm entirely self-taught so this is less of a tutorial and more of a very rambling set of general principles I follow and ideas that helped while I was learning. I figured I'd post it in case anyone else could get use out of it!

I also recommend checking out:

Drawing East Asian Faces by Chuwenjie

How to Think When you Draw (lots of good tutorials in this series)

Pose reference sites such as Adorkastock

Transcript and some elaboration under the cut:

Img 1 - Drawing a face

The two most important elements (at least for me) when drawing a face are the outline of the cheek/jaw and the nose*. I often start with a circle to indicate the round part of the skull, then add a straight like and a 'V' to one side [to create the side of the face and the jaw]. The nose creates an easy template for the rest of the face's features to follow (eyebrows at the top of the nose bridge, eyes towards the center of the bridge, ear lines up to eye) and the placement/direction and overlap with other features is a very simple way to indicate dimension. [A sketch of a face that has been adjusted by moving its parts to create 3 different angles. The following text is underneath:] -Different 3/4th views can be created just by adjusting the position of and amount of overlap between the facial features. - The top of the ear usually lines up with the corner of the eye. Think of how glasses are designed [specifically, how the arms run from the eyeline to the ear] [I go on a tangent in these next few paragraphs] *One thing I see many artists do - not just beginners - is learn how to draw A Person. As in, one singular person with one set of bodily proportions and one set of facial features. It's an issue that runs a bit deeper than 'same face syndrome' because sometimes these artists can draw more than one face, they're just not very representative of [the diversity present across] real people. Part of the reason I'm talking more about how to think about approaches to drawing - rather than showing specific how-to's - is because there is no one correct or right way to draw a person. The sooner you allow yourself to explore variety - fat people, old people, people of color, people with [conventionally] 'unattractive' features - the easier it'll be! Artists often draw their own features honestly and without [harmful] caricature, so it's always a good idea to look at art made by the kinds of people you're trying to draw if you're ever unsure about how to handle something. In general, it's far more important to learn how to interpret a variety of forms than to learn how to replicate the Platonic Ideal of the Human Body.

Img 2 - Stuff that helped me

Jumping into drawing humans (faces or otherwise) straight from photo reference can be overwhelming. The trick is to simplify forms into shapes - but even this concept is sort of abstract and it may be hard to know where to begin. Good news - Thousands of other artists have already figured it out. [When starting out] I needed to learn from photo reference AND artists I admired in order to improve. [When looking at stylization you are inspired by] ask yourself: WHY does this simplification work? How can I translate it into a different pose? Instead of copying what you see in a photo reference exactly, try to focus on the general forms first. My two biggest style inspirations for humans while learning to draw them were Steven Universe and Sabrina Cotugno's art. SU gets a lot of hate [in this instance I was specifically referring to a time on tumblr when the art was knocked for 'losing quality'] but its style does a great job of simplifying anatomy in a way that still portrays a diversity of bodies + features. [Extremely simplified drawings of Lapis, Steven, and Amethyst] SU characters are still identifiable- and still read as 'human' - even when reduced to just a few lines!

Img 3 - Things I keep in mind while drawing side profiles

- Eyebrows + eyes close to the 'edge' of the face - Forehead needs enough room for a brain - Eye is > shaped from the sides - Mouth kinda halfway [between the nose and the chin] but closer to the nose - Skin/fat exists under the jaw [and connects to the neck] - neck is about one half the width of the whole head - the back of the skull always sticks out a bit further than you might expect - Sometimes less is more - contours exist on every face, but drawing them in may make your character seem much older than they're supposed to be. However, it's a good idea to use them when you *want* your character to look old! These are very general notes- every face is different and has different proportions [and playing around with them creates unique and interesting character designs]

[justaguylukas]

ART DUMP³

BUDLEY EXOTIC ESCAPADEEE!! I LOVE HIMM!! He's doing the zesty hand pose because he's zesty as fuck!! Also, I decided to stick to the actual style of the show, so I drew his jawline and hat as it is in the original design as opposed to how I would normally draw them.

MONTEZ!!! Not much to say about this one tbh, except that I still HATE drawing faces!!

ZEMMA!!! Definitely not one of my strongest pieces when it comes to the anatomy, but I still kinda love it. Plus, I got to experiment with Emma's hair and casual clothing. Also I just love how I switched Emma's scrunchie for Zee's hair tie and vice versa.

Here's Juliaaa!! This is probably the only drawing where I didn't hate drawing the backgrounds. Also this is my first time drawing Julia, and I gave her some earrings. Not much to say tbh.

MORE ZEE!!!! This drawing was originally just going to be a sketch for a friend of mine, but I eventually decided to turn it into a drawing and I'm very happy with it. And I know the heart hands aren't exactly "heart-shaped", but I tried my best.

Oooh, yikes... this drawing... I don't think it's necessarily horrible but I don't think it's great either. Drawing MK was a fucking nightmare, I did not have fun with this one. Originally I didn't want to draw the backgrounds but instead copy and paste the bg from the og show, but it looked horrible. I'm not sure if I'll draw her again...

ZEE AS A HOCKEY BRO!!! Aside from some small issues I have with it, I really liked how this one turned out!!! Now normally before I draw them digitally, I make a sketch first and trace over it on my drawing tablet. That wasn't the case with the raccoon logo, I designed it right out of my ass and I just love how it looks. I tried to make the jersey look baggy and I hope it translated well. Also the colours I used were from a bitmoji.

And here's Brad... Oh... I don't think this drawing is b(r)ad but... I just don't like the face. Also I really do not know if the anatomy is good with the neck connecting to the head. That's something that always confuses me, but I think I'm improving with my arm/hand anatomy, I think?

And finally, my YouTooz designs. As of now, I've only drawn 7 characters, Wayne, Raj, Zee (With Olivia von trashpanda), Millie, Ripper, Emma, and Caleb (With 2 additional variants of Ripper & Millie). I won't go over my descriptions for each of them, but I really do want to continue with these, it's been a long time. Maybe Bowie or MK are next? Those two seem like they'd be hard to make, so I'd rather finish them now than later.

That's a lot of tags, uh... hasta luego!!

[descendantofthesparrow]

Brutally honest thoughts on each character?

...*Each* character???? bruh thats so many, okay ill keep this short cuz im waiting for a haircut rn

well start with the vks cuz thats easy

Mal-started off strong and then just became...THE WORST, love hate relationship for her. shes my art block fix but also i hate her

Jay-i dont have strong opinions on him, he actually never stuck out to me other than 'obligatory jock dude of the friend group.' i wish i liked him more but im more attached to his fandom self over canon Jay

Evie-got boring after D1, i wish they let her keep her chemistry stuff, love her vibe but shes kinda boring to me. SHOULD'VE BEEN THE MC OVER MAL!!

Carlos- lots of lost potential with his tech stuff from the first book and movie. easily could've been an engineer or inventor but they just made him an animal lover and i got bored of that real quick.

Uma-my queen, my idol, can do no wrong i love her so much i WILL kill for her.

Harry-i love his dumbass so much YALL DONY EVEN KNOW I WANNA BITE HIM SO BAD

Gil-one of the few characters i felt actually...grew up? idk but hes one of the few characters were it actually feels like time passed for.

Dizzy-oooooooh honey, honey honey, sunshine baby, please, put the glue gun down.

Celia- they should've gone with her trailer persona. Her outfits are so bad and i wish she got better writing and designs, so much lost potential, also she should've been Jays pick.

Smee twins- why the fuck are they even here they had one line and no significance. also they should've had a Harry scene.

Aks

Ben-puppy boy, deserved to have doberman energy. got turned into a doormat by the writers and is unfairly hated.

Audrey-bitch queen, shes not a nice person and thats okay~ girlboss.

Chad- should've been the D3 villan they had that all set up in D2 with his weird ass attitude over Ben getting kidnapped on the isle.

Doug -....honestly gives me the ick, especially in D3, i HATE the long hair his actor had/has. gold is NOT his color and neither is pastel purple or green. he looked good in D1 but ICK for 2 and 3.

Jane- bby gurl, blue bird sweetheart. yeah she did some fucked up shit in D1 but she was an insecure 14 year old girl who got manipulated by Mal and other aks!!!

Lonnie- deserved so much better, shes Chinese why is she getting Japanese style stuff?!?! her plot in D2 didnt even do anything it just happened and no one cared and Jay just shoved his problems of girls playing roar onto her.

Beast- *inhale* i wanna kick his ass, and i could, lemme at him. how dare he force an entire kingdom on Ben at 16 when he didnt become king when he was 28(when he married Belle)

Belle- they took away her backbone, shes not Disney princess book worm and independent Belle. she just, lost the spark

FG- they turned her into a preschool teacher, GIVE ME MY OL COOKY FAIRY LADY BACK

Leah- *seething rage*

vk parents

Maleficent- fuckin love her, shes such a manipulative bitch and feels like a gone crazy version of a Maleficent made for kids. def not the mistress of all Evil but i love her nonetheless

EQ- shouldve been the head villain, SHE WAS THE FIRST DISNEY VILLAIN CMON! def not the same character from the animated movie but shes dramatic and sassy and i adore her.

Jafar- haha funny characature~ i wish he was more menacing like he had been. Jafar is not one of my fav villains so descendants jafar didnt exactly translate for me well.

Cruella- yeah they nailed her, no complaints about her. good design, good dialogue, good acting.

Hades- LEMME KICK HIS DEAD BEAT ASS, fucking 'daddy issues made you stronger' my butt. i hate his hair and honestly he doesnt fit the washed up punk design, he didnt deserve the speech at the end and didnt deserve to be forgiven by Mal.

Ursula- we only saw her tentacle and one line but she seemed spot on so yeah

Lady Tremaine- why the fuck was she nice in D3??? bitch is the EVIL stepmother.

Smee- spot on, i have words for his sons designs becuaee hes old not naturally white haired but hes chill, makes sense hed be a good parent, he never felt evil to me, just compliant

Facilier- such a vibe, his actor got him spot on, would've changed up his suit design but hes chill and i can see him being a family man(ignoring wicked world).

[sethan-obsession]

What are some good new RPG maker games?

I played some ages ago, but the websites have now all been nuked because they were full of ripped assets from SNES games.

ooh i can answer this

for ones with no real combat that've been around for a while, yume nikki is good, but i've mainly played .Flow, a fangame of it, which has a darker tone and atmosphere with more understandable "goals", so i attached to it much more

Ib (eye, bee, as letters) is an interesting art game that appeals to emo/scene aesthetics that i like more, it has no combat but many puzzles and an incredibly interesting setting, to me

OFF is a french-translated RPG which is kinda the best in the business, the art & music are top notch and the gameplay is accessible, if seeing pictures of it or hearing music from it intrigues you, i think everyone should give it a shot.

almost all of these are real battle sprites. you play as a baseball player (The Batter) and purify ghosts as you come into existence. the fandom came & went in 2012-2014 or so, but the game's worth experiencing, very much. more games under the cut below the image

LISA: The Painful is an excellent game that has a post-apocalyptic setting and a weird axis/style for an rpgmaker game (being a sidescroller), the setting involves you playing as a very traumatized man living in a world where all women have gone extinct and people are fighting over nothing before the world ends, the feeling of it is pretty immaculate and the soundtrack is great but strange, it cultivated my interests at a developmental period

most of the aes can be described through this trailer

LISA also has a sequel (The Joyful) which takes place after the first to tie up the story, but most importantly is that the very interesting setting & vibe set up a slew of fangames, the strongest to start out with which are

LISA: The Pointless, where you play as a very washed up martial artist who gets dug out of a trash pile by a new friend he made; a gunslinger with a bolt-action pistol that only has one bullet, and thus he can never shoot it: only threaten enemies & fake out the fact that he MIGHT shoot them, to debuff them - this game also tightens up the RPG aspects of LISA significantly, and has an IMMACULATE vibe & unique feel, it's one of the most important games to me ever

and LISA: The Hopeful, which retains more of the aesthetic of the original as well as the goofy charm while telling a very compelling grounded story.

i also contractually need to mention Fear & Hunger, it's incredibly unfair and by most metrics fails at game design but if you're interested in body horror, cosmic horror & can stomach depicted (but very much so not portrayed positively) sexual violence, it's very good art

and finally, Hylics is an incredibly artsy game that's obtuse and strange but very beautiful. it's entirely sculpted and animated with clay, but i think (as someone interested in other claymation projects, but weaned off of them after a while) the aesthetic is notably better for hylics, it doesn't feel "gross" with its humor or too, "self-referential" i'd call it maybe?

the sequel, Hylics 2, is instead fully *animated* claymation that was then ported to blender, frame by frame. there's no other project on earth that really looks like Hylics 2.

i would highly recommend playing both if you gel with them at all or think they look cool, they're both pretty cheap on steam and are accessible for an RPG (if you can figure out its silly namings and mechanic equivalents for things like health & levelling up).

none of the games mentioned here have level grinding or random encounters, either (besides some parts of OFF)! i hate that! i only like good ones, i promise!

that's all, hope this helps lol

[saltsicklover]

Part Two

Here is part two! How are we liking it so far? I have so many feelings about asshole Bob and I needed them out in the world! I hope you enjoy!!

Title: Once an Asshole, Always an Asshole

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2800+

Rating: R

Warnings: Smoking, Rude Bob, Drinking, mentions of sex, betting/gambling (all fun and games), swearing.

Second Chance Romance!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bob Floyd, or anything related to Top Gun Maverick within this piece. Not Proof Read or BETA'd. All mistakes are my own.

I do not consent for my work to be edited, reposted, or translated.

You are responsible for your own media consumption. This is a work of fiction that may contain mature themes. If you are sensitive to those subjects, please do not read.

---

During Senior year of high school, Bob was what one would've described as a big fish in a little pond. Good looking, a captain of the varsity level swim team, and came from a stable family outside of the ranching community that was so popular in Montana. His father owned portions of a large fracking business, which meant Bob's family had money; the Floyd's have always been a very wealthy family in Florence, hell, in Montana, everyone knew it too. 

He was always clade in his letterman jacket, the leather and felt adorned with pins and patches from his many accomplishments both in and out of the pool. On the left side was his athletic letter, the large felt patch covered in bars to represent the amount of hours he put into practice. Each bar the equivalent of another letter earned. 

On his right side was an academic letter, reverse colors from the first, designating his academic achievements. More pins littered themselves around the front, patches up and down each sleeve. Each patch had a date and a swim style on the top, as well as the time for completion on the bottom. 

 "Robert" Was embroidered above the left pocket while his graduation year was embroidered above the right. Floyd was done up in beautiful, scrawling letters that crossed over the expanse of his shoulders, his school logo large and detailed below. 

The jacket itself was a work of art, the older woman at the embroidery shop said it herself. After all, after each new achievement, he brought the jacket into her for upkeep and to sew the new patches into place. She liked to joke that he kept her from retirement with all of the awards he was winning. 

The rich smell of tobacco clung to the fabric of the jacket, the scent wafting from it every time Bob walked past. The tobacco was quality, the smell of cherries and smoke alone making girls weak at the knees. 

Duchenne hated that jacket almost as much as she hated the man who wore it. She hated his perfect hair and the shy smile he always seemed to give teachers, even though he was one of the biggest players in the school. Between him and his buddies, they had slept with half of the girls in the school, grade level and experience be damned. Hell, emotions be damned, Robert Floyd and his buddies left more broken hearts in their wake than anyone she had ever seen. 

The women's bathrooms were littered with magic marker on the stalls, warning of Bob Floyd and his ragtag swim team. How they would love you and leave you, the same old story as the years before. The swim team always seemed to be the hub for the worst of the worst boys, but Bob brought a new level of assholery. 

"Hey there, Douche," Bob smiled, his eyes glittering with something less than friendly. He held his cowboy hat in his hand, arms crossed over his chest. A Cigarillo's tucked behind his ear, there's always one there, ready for Bob to smoke it at any given time. 

"It's Duchenne and you know it," She seethed at him, biting back her raising tone. One of his buddies, Gene, bumps her in the shoulder with his. 

"We all know that's just a nickname, and I think Douche actually fits you better," Bob shrugs, pulling his backpack further up on his shoulder as his eyes wander over her frame. "Tell me something," He grins down at her, eyebrows raised in anticipation, "Do you always dress so uhh..." He waves his hand up and down in front of her, like he is trying to come up with the words. 

"Hand-me-down drab?" His other friend, Johnny, finishes for him, quirking an eyebrow. 

"Yes, John, exactly, hand-me-down drab." Bob nods, pleased with the description. 

Duchenne can't help but look down at her jeans, the cuffs caked in a thin layer of mud, before dragging her eyes over the sleeves of her shirt. A long sleeve white shirt is covered with a faded tee-shirt that once belonged to her older brother. She can't help but try and brush back the hair from her face, but the hair falls in front of her eyes again. The haircut she had asked for looked less chic and more like a bowl cut. She was thankful in that moment to have shoved her glasses into her bag before leaving her last class.

"I am here to get my degree, not to put on a fashion show for the likes of you, Bertie." She stands her ground, her voice only wavering a bit at the end. He shakes his head at the nickname, trying not to let it get to him. He has always hated that nickname and the way it seems to crawl just under his skin. He shivers. She is proud of herself and tries not to let it show of her face. "Unlike you lot, I plan on moving out of this town after graduation instead of being stuck here for the rest of my life."

The boys laugh at her, each thinking about their own plans after graduation. Johnny is all set to take over the family business at the mortuary and Gene has plans on taking the autobody courses down at the community college.  

Bob wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he thinks he is the only one with any real plan after graduation. He's already been accepted to a 'fancy' out of statue university in order to get a mathematics degree so he can enter the Navy as an officer. He wants to be an aviator, he wants to make a difference, but the last thing he would do is let that thought slip out. But hell, he for sure knew that he wasn't going to get himself stuck in Montana like the rest of his family had- hell, like most everyone's families had. 

"And what exactly do you plan on doing out in the big bad world, huh?" Bob teases her, inching a bit closer with each word. 

He doesn't like that he is mean, though he wouldn't say that to anyone either. He found out early on, during the first semester of Freshman year, that the only way he was going to make it through was to establish himself as a bully before he himself could be bullied. The swim team took him in first because he was good. He swam fast and had good form, overall he started as a means to an end; get the team to nationals. Soon after that, he began acquiring more awards than he could count and the meanness was so far under his skin it came out in habit. 

She did not shrink as he stalked towards her- she had never been afraid of Bob. Hell, she even harbored a crush for him when they first started high school, but as the time went on, that crush grew into hatred and loathing for his presence and the man he became. 

"I am going to be a writer," Duchenne's words are a matter of fact. The boys just laugh at her, not entertaining her thoughts anymore than that. She could feel the pinprick of tears forming in her eyes, but did her best to blink them away as they turned to saunter down the hallway. 

"Fucking assholes," Is all she can mutter. With a swift wipe of the stay tear that has found it's way down her face, she turns and heads to class herself. She fails to shake the smokey cherry scent from her mind. 

---

"Somebody order the expensive shit, we are celebrating tonight!" Natasha shouts, her body basically hurdling towards the men at the pool table. Hangman is bent over the table, lining up a shot for a center pocket. As Phoenix comes barreling around the table, her hip catches the back of his cue, dismantling his whole shot and earning her a stern glair from the blond. 

She makes it over to Bob, sliding haphazardly onto the stool next to him. Their shoulders bump and he laughs a bit, but Natasha misses it, her nose glued to her phone. 

"What's got you all excited?" Rooster questions her, wiping foam off of his mustache. 

"Sunny is why I am so goddamn excited!" She shouts, earning her looks from each member of their team as well as other patrons that have found themselves sitting near the Dagger Squad. 

"What's up with Sunny?" Bob asks, excitement behind his eyes that's shrouded by furrowed brows. 

"Who's Sunny?" Payback questions, taking his shot at the pool table. 

"She is my best friend! And also my digital pen-pal! I just got an email from her and she said she is coming out to San Diego for work but is taking vacation after her business trip is done! She wants to finally meet!" Phoenix spills, tracing her eyes over the email for the fifth time since she got off work a half hour ago. 

"Wait- you've never met this woman?" Hangman questions her with a tilt of his well groomed head. 

"Nope, never met her! Never even seen a picture. We agreed to that when we first started writing each other and I guess after all of this time we never really thought to change the agreement," Nat shrugs, turning her attention to the beer Fanboy holds out for her. 

"How long have you been writing each other?" Rooster throws out a question. 

"Ten years, almost eleven maybe?"

"Ten years?!" The group erupts. 

"Yeah. Started when I was twenty two, she was eighteen. It was the idea of the MFLAC counselor at the time, and I it was unconventional, but I got drunk one night after a grueling week during flight school and ended up on that dumb website. A drunk email later that I barely remember sending later, and here we are!" She throws her arms up ceremoniously. 

Bob can't help but laugh to himself. He knows all about Sunny. The pen-pal topic was one of the first really deep conversations Bob and Natasha shared. She was hesitant to share the knowledge of her best friend with her back seater, but she knew that if anyone were going to understand the situation, it would be Bob. 

By the time Bob zones back into the conversation, Natasha's attention is square on him, a big smile plastered to her face. 

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Bob's hand comes up to wipe at his lips. 

"Oh my God, Bob!" She swats his arm gently, "I thought you were always tuned in but I guess not," She laughs, "I said, I hope it's okay with you that I already told Sunny she could use our guestroom for the couple weeks she will be in town. I am going to take some of my leave days while she is here," 

"Oh! Yeah, definitely. Sunny is welcome anytime!" 

"Good, because she will be here next week, Wednesday. Her work thing in Monday and Tuesday, but then she will be all mine!" Phoenix practically giggles. 

"Are we going to take bets on if she is hot?" Rooster asks, his cheeks a bit red, more out of worry that Phoenix will slap him than of the words themselves. 

"Oh, we are definitely taking bets on if Phoenix's mystery best friend is hot!" Hangman said, taking out his wallet. 

Almost everyone bet on whether or not Sunny would be attractive. Bradley, Jake, Javy and Natasha herself bet that she would be, while Mickey, Callie, and Reuben voted against. Yale and Harvard wanted to vote but lost their cash at a poker game and couldn't pay in, but they voted 'yes' and 'no' respectively. Fritz and Omaha each got tasked with holding half of the bets, leaving them unable to make a bet of their own. Bob was the only one who didn't vote. Hell, he didn't need to. He knew from the way Phoenix talks about Sunny that she was going to be absolute breathtaking. 

He didn't need to know what she looked like; he knew from every little detail that Nat shared with him, and some that he read over her shoulder, that she was going to be his definition of perfection. 

Sunny was well read, well spoken, and had so many ideas about the world it made his head spin. He hung off of ever detail Nat would tell him, usually over breakfast, before they headed into work that morning. 

She always got the emails early in the morning, since Sunny was somewhere a time zone or two away. He wasn't actually sure where she lived, or where she was from. He made a note to ask Nat later. Bob loved to hear about the adventures of Sunny and the things she was up to in her world. She would write to Nat about her bad dates and the meetings that she often got stuck in that could have just been emails. She laments about her inability to find love and her hopes and dreams for the future. Sunny even shares stories from her past. Each little piece he gets makes him feel like he already knows her. 

As the night goes on, the liquor flows, specifically the good stuff that Nat ordered to celebrate the news. Half of the team left an hour ago before things really started picking up, and now Bradley, Jake, Javy, Natasha and Bob are slotted on stools, taking shots and talking about their worst memories from high school.

"I swear to god, I had no idea that she was the daughter of the district's super intendent!" Javy holds his hands up in defense, tears of laughter pouring down his face. "IF I would've know that, I most definitely would not have TP'd their house the same day I asked her to Homecoming!" 

The group laughs at their friend's expense before Hangman pipes up, "I remember Homecoming! All of the girls came to school with those giant, ridiculous, mums they wore around their necks!" The team looks at him like he has two heads. 

"You know, the big flower things that they decorated with streamers and all that crap? It was kinda like a pissing contest for the family's who had money, but I also think it was to keep dates from getting handsy. Afterall, who could cop a feel with all of that in the way?"  The team make mixed sounds of amusement and understanding, but Jake just shakes his head and waves his hand, muttering a 'you have no idea' into his beer. 

"My date and I were given condoms by my Mom before we left for Junior Prom," Bradley runs a hand over the back of his neck, a flush of color blooming over his skin. The men erupt in big booming laughs as Nat just looks at him with a wide smile. She has heard stories about his Mom and Dad and knows just how much they loved their son; she also knows that is exactly something that would happen to Rooster. 

"Did you use them?" Hangman manages to ask between fits of giggles. 

"Of course we did!" Rooster says the words a little more confidently than intended, making the validity of his statement round off into a question. 

"What about you Bob?" Javy questions, leaning in. 

"I uhh, I didn't really do school functions," It was a lie, he absolutely did, and he remembers Senior prom as one of the best and words days of his life. It was all so good, perfect really, until it all came crashing down, and it was his fault. 

The Daggers tease him a bit before deciding to call it a night. They stumble out to the parking lot, each waiting on some sort of ride service. Bob follows his drunken friends out of the Hard Deck, swinging his keys around his finger. He unlocks his truck and Natasha climbs clumsily into the passenger seat. 

When Bob pulls himself into the drivers seat, she mumbles something about being thankful that he didn't drink often, while she fought with her seatbelt. Once she finally gets it clicked in, Bob is backing up, ready for the night to be over so that he can stop thinking about the damn Senior Prom. 

By the time they hit the main drag, Natasha has turned to him with a goofy smile on her face. "So, tell me Bob, how was your Prom?" Her words come out giggly and slurred, and in that moment he hated that she could read him so easily. A blush bit at his ears as he let out a heavy sigh. 

"It was the best and worst night of my adolescence," He finally admits, throwing on a blinker to switch lanes. 

"Go on," She waves her hand for him to continue, rolling the window down with the other.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," He begins to explain, letting the memory wash over him like water that is just a touch too hot to be comfortable.

[soulsty]

....dude Fi was designed to look 13-14 according to the devs. it's really creepy that you ship her with anyone tbh, ESPECIALLY Ghirahim. she's literally a child. says a lot about you imo

Alright alright alright, let’s clear this up.

!DISCLAIMER BEFORE I START!

Do not mistake this post as me trying to excuse weird shit. Ew. I hate pro-shipping. Get it away from me.

Now into the nitty gritty-

Quoting DIRECTLY, from Hyrule Historia, it is on my lap as we speak

“• Looks 13 or 14”

Does this concept art look a lot like our finalized Fi design? Yes it does. This is the second closest to the finalized version in the book

So let’s go over more of this, and the several reasons why I think this isn’t canon.

“• metallic texture”

That didn’t stick around. I often joke that everything in Skyward Sword looks like it’s made out of fondant, and while her clothing does, her skin and wings looks much closer to porcelain.

“• a naive cuteness”

uhh, sure? She never seemed naive to me, but she is still cute so… that stuck I guess?

I don’t need to go over the last bullet point, because that is just true lmao

But here’s the kicker! Right?

“Like the Fairy Queen in Wind Waker”

The Fairy Queen is obviously a child. We know this, look at her, she also flirts with 12 year old Link iirc

But what makes this design look like the fairy queen? The hair does, it’s exactly the same, just parted on the opposite side. The grey-blue color is really similar. Her… eyes? But wait… that’s the same eye type as the regular Great Fairies? And Ghirahim?

She didn’t even carry over the circular toon style eyes in her final design

I’m pretty sure I could assume the Great Fairies in WW are meant to be adults right? Other versions always have been, and they very clearly look like an older version of the Fairy Queen… so why does Fi’s finalized design actually look a bit more like them? From the pointed eyes to the strong nose-to-eyebrow ridge, she’s starting to look less like the Queen to me…

But let’s go back to the concept art. What else does it say?

These are the same design as the other one that says she looks 13-14, just a bit less detailed

hmm… huh… that’s interesting. Her gem changes color? Well, that’s not canon

Wait what? “Connected to the arm, which is why it bends.” She has arms under her wings?

THEY TOOK HER GODDAMN ARMS

So yeah, in that same design where she “looks 13 or 14” she had arms. Do with that what you will

How about we dive even deeper into Fi’s concept art, hmm?

It seems pretty clear to me that she wasn’t meant to be a child character from the start, some of these designs appear child-like (the one next to the iron man design in particular), but lots of these are also just women

But okay, okay, let’s take a step back from Fi’s concept art. How about Ghirahim’s, what does his say?

The same age as Link? This mfer is 17?? Jesus Christ, talk about the jock kid in high school

Jokes aside, I don’t believe that, he refers to Link as a child the entire time, all of his concept art pre-finalized, just looks like old men, so I assume that moreso meant they were straying away from that design element.

I would also like to mention that Ghirahim’s concept art states in his sword form “He shows emotion without using his eyes”

While very clearly showing a picture of him expressing with his eyes, something that remains consistent in-game as well. So this could be translation error, or just… idk honestly it just doesn’t really make sense lmao

The tl;dr of all this concept art talk is this:

Don’t take concept art as fact. As an artist, concept art is literally that. A concept. I have made designs with elements that have been changed drastically by the finalized version. It’s all a process.

SO! Now that we’re done with the concept art, let’s actually move to references from the game.

At the beginning of the game, this is said, by Gaepora and Fi

Link is referred to as “a/the youth” multiple times, as opposed to Fi being referred to once as “youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable.”

Youthful in likeness. Not an actual youth, and the youthful in likeness thing could not even necessarily tie back to saying she looks 13-14, just that she looks young. Youthful is a very large age-range after all.

My second point about in-game… Scrapper. This doesn’t really lead too far, because we have no idea how “old” Scrapper is “supposed to be”, he’s a robot, he has less of an age than Ghirahim and Fi, BUT he’s allowed to be an absolute simp, to the point of calling her “Mistress” non-stop, so idk, that just doesn’t read as something a child would go through to me.

UPDATE: more evidence on the front of Scrapper, when he firsts meets Link, he explicitly doesn’t want to help Link because, and I quote “Serving children is very low in my task priority.” Then Fi appears, blah blah blah, you can’t carry the windmill propeller in your pouch, right? Then Scrapper says “Who are you!?” And does what I can only describe as his version of an AWOOGA (what being “zrrt-FWOOOSH”, paraphrased) and continues, “Your name is…Fi? Should I call you Mistress Fi? Are you looking for something Mistress Fi? …I…understand. At your request, I will carry anything, regardless of weight or destination…”

So there you go, serving children is very low in his priority, Hylia was around at the same time the LD units were active, so Hylia would’ve known about the Scrapper units priorities, (assuming they all have the same priority list) so why would she make a child? Just why? And in the same vein, why would Hylia make her servant sword-spirit a child in the first place, that doesn’t make any sense 😭

Looping back around to where this all started, what does “looks 13 or 14” even specifically mean? She looks that age, not she is that age. And I’m not going to go Lolicon topic with this, I’m not here to say “she’s like 1,000 years old! So of course she isn’t a child!” I’m here to say, lots of people look older, or younger than they actually are. She’s almost the same height as Link, so if she were meant to be around his age, she’d probably be around 16, and if she’s 16, and Ghirahim is 17 according to his concept art, where did your argument go?

Speaking realistically, Hylia probably designed her to look young and ‘cute’ so she wouldn’t scare Link. Let’s be real, her personality is intimidating, and she was going to be projecting herself into his dreams, so if she had a intimidating appearance (like some of her old concepts), Link would probably be afraid of her.

That’s all. I could go deeper into some of these points, and add on other things, but I think some stuff is self-explanatory.

Now, even if you want to discredit everything I just said, Ghirahim and Fi are both adults in all of my work. Unless explicitly stated or shown otherwise.

I draw and write them how I envision them in my head. In Skyward Sword, I have always read both of them as adults. I have not aged-up Fi for this ship, that’s fucking weird. They are both adults.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Multiverse #24 - "The Connection - Part 1"

Originally posted on September 13th, 2013

Story - Adam White Art - Joe Teanby Colours - Laura Holy Letters - Franco Villa

deviantART

wada sez: On deviantART, Joe Teanby explained this strip’s place in canon: “Adam's story is fantastic as not only does it fill in / add to the story of the first movie, but he fleshed out the characters. He also decided to give the robots a more recognisable look, and in doing so created a merging of the different Transformers universes.” The name of the location of the movie’s final battle, “Mission City”, has been changed to an anagram, per Villa: “Simmion City instead of Mission City is a writer's choice to make clear that this is an alternate universe.” Adam White offered a more extended commentary, which I’ve mirrored below alongside the clean inks and an Italian translation. Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

This was never written as a "what if" alternative reality (as much as any other stories I have seen here) but I ended up changing the city title as I figured the art choices had forced the story into that direction. . . . .  but the reality of the writing is a bit different. . . . and this looks like a good enough thread to explain those artistic choices.

When I thought up the story, I immediately envisioned the standard movie-verse, with all it's quirks and visual traits. The problem was that the two leads I had for this were arguably amongst the most throwaway of the Autobot movie characters and, unlike movie-Megs, lacked that depth of character for me to care about that incarnation of them. The cons? They seemed to have stronger elements to them. . . . so they were left to anchor the story more in Bay-land.

The reason fans got so (rightly) annoyed about Jazz's treatment was because they weren't responding to "a movie bot" dying, but a mix of what Jazz means to them (g1/animated/g2/comics/so on) and, when I started to sketch out my hideous roughs, that mix of incarnations popped up in what I actually assumed was his movie look.

So I then gave Joe and Laura the huge challenge to blend those rather characterless designs for movie Ratchet and Jazz, with G1 elements. I was amazed at what they did, and gained so much from seeing how they got their heads around that and ended up with just the right balance.

As much as I am overjoyed with the results of the team, I am even more thrilled that everyone seems to have excepted these hybrids for the characters they are. Yes, Ratchet looks different, but you can also accept its a movie-Ratchet because of the situation he is in. A credit to the team, I think!

A final note on the name. I actually hadn't added a location ident to the start of the script and Franco kindly added one during lettering. Seeing it reminded me 1) How much I hated the bland name 2) How much I really hated the dumb name. . . . . so I tweaked it in the same style that the character designs had been. :-)

[selfship-confession-box]

Head in hands I need to stop committing myself to art projects in the name of love (platonic or otherwise). I HAVE TWO ANIMATION PROJECTS NOW (ONE IS FOR A FRIEND AND NOW THIS)

I changed my laptop wallpaper last night. Which means it isn't a screenshot of a scene from the game my f/o is from (LIKE IT'S VISUALLY STUNNING IMO THAT ENTIRE GAME IS SO GORGEOUS the source game was already pretty but his game just builds on it so much more. Probably something to do with shaders and lighting engine improvements. I could go on for hours about how much I love the game itself. Point is it was a REALLY pretty shot I took of him looking out at a sunrise/sunset before this) so now I have to fill that f/o-less void with something. With what, you ask?

... I'm making a shimeji of him (or. Rather. Of a friend's design that I am tragically in love with. Shout out to her for helping design our kid. That's so unrelated but like waaaaa.) I haven't made one in years and my current style is Not Suited to translating into a traditional Chibi style (going with the most simplified version of my style possible) so this will be fun and time consuming. At least I have a drawing tablet coming in to help speed this up sobs sobs

It'll all be so worth it in the end though. I can pester him while I work. <3

— flopping down miserably because I hate animating walk cycles, 🍊⚙️

(I am SO sorry for the paragraphs I always end up writing, mod, shchsj </3)

.

[not-wholly-unheroic]

The Many Faces of Captain James Hook

With the release of the first promotional images of Jude Law’s Captain Hook for Disney’s upcoming Peter Pan and Wendy, there’s been a lot of complaints about both the costuming choices made and the fact that Law’s Hook bears little physical resemblance to the captain’s more “traditional” look and seems to be older than most versions with his graying locks. Some have even gone so far as to call Law’s Hook “ugly”—which I find rather unfair and even laughable. (If you find Jude Law in any role ugly, your male beauty standards are ridiculously high and I hate to think how hideous you must think most average people are.) Further, it’s a bit shallow to reduce a character completely to his physical attractiveness—especially a character as complex and complicated as Captain James Hook. Barrie’s Hook was described as being handsome, yes, but the popular vision of Hook as being an inherently “sexy” character is a fairly modern phenomenon in the story’s history—probably largely due to Jason Isaacs’ performance in the 2003 Peter Pan and, more recently, Colin O’Donoghue’s “Killian Jones” (who isn’t even technically James Hook) for Once Upon a Time. But the character has existed for close to 120 years, and in that time, he has borne many faces—some instantly recognizable as our favorite captain; others less so. He has worn a variety of colors and clothing styles, had nearly every shade of hair, and possessed varying degrees of facial hair. In fact, you may be surprised to find that the iconic waxed mustache, red coat, and ostrich plumed hat likely didn’t become mainstream until around the time Disney put out their version of the film. (That’s not to say other, previous Hooks didn’t ever have these characteristics. Only that Disney was probably the catalyst that solidified the look into the mind of the fandom.) For those who may not be as familiar with the history of the Hooks, let’s take a quick look at some of the lesser known versions of the character…some of whose influences can still be seen in Law’s Hook.

Here we see the costume design for Captain Hook by William Nicholson for the first production of Peter Pan, Duke of York's Theatre, 1904. You’ll notice the concept art doesn’t feature the bright red coat or any pluming on the tricorn hat.

You can see how this costume idea might have translated onto an actor in this image of one of the earliest actors to play Hook on stage, Robb Harwood.

Notice, he has no facial hair at all and although he looks like a gentleman, he’s far less “frilly” than the standard Hook is today.

The iconic mustache is also conspicuously absent in the silent film’s Hook, played by actor Ernest Torrence. He also still has the tricorn hat without any plumage. Note that Barrie was still alive at the time of the silent film when it came out in 1924, and some of his suggestions made it into the film.

Another early Hook, played by famed horror actor Boris Karloff for the 1950 Bernstein musical looks downright terrifying.

He has the mustache and the hair going on but I don’t know if I’d call him exactly “handsome” here.

Then we get to the 1960s. This seems to be about the time that we get the bicorn hat that Law’s Hook wears in the promotional photo. It shows up both in some scenes with Cyril Ritchard’s version of the character (notably, Ritchard was in his 60s when the film version was recorded, and his Hook has gray hair)—though he also has the red plumed hat we associate with most modern Hooks—and in Vincent Price’s stage Hook (sadly, not recorded to my knowledge).

Of course, we also get Disney’s version of Hook in 1953, and after that, we start to see more of the “iconic” Hook look that we’re used to with a few exceptions, such as Fox’s Hook from the 1990 series Peter Pan and the Pirates, who has white hair, no facial hair, and a dark navy blue/black outfit.

Despite looking more like an angry Quaker Oatmeal man than the usual Captain Hook, this guy gets a lot of love from the fandom because Tim Curry’s voice acting knocks it out of the park and personality wise, his Hook is both refined and threatening.

We also have to remember that even Hoffman’s 1991 version of the captain is likely much older than (and not quite as good looking as) he comes off as when he’s fully made up. Recall the scene near the end when he loses his wig:

And Rhys Ifans’ “prequel” Hook in SyFy’s Neverland (2011) hardly looks like a Hook at all when we first meet him.

Even after his transformation into the pirate we’re more familiar with, he still has the “wrong” hair color and no mustache.

Yet he manages to get the right “feel” for Hook, which makes up for everything else, epitomizing the messed up father figure in Peter’s life, inspiring both our sympathy and revulsion.

My point in saying all of this is not to explicitly praise Law’s Hook or make any kind of judgement—for that, we’ll have to see the film itself—but to simply remind folks that Hook has worn many faces over the years, and ultimately, what he looks like matters less than the actor and director’s grasp of who he is as a person. Hook, as a fan favorite, has some incredibly large boots to fill and whether or not Law will live up to those expectations remains to be seen. But let’s give the guy (and his character) a chance to speak for himself before we go judging too much. Some of the greatest Hooks haven’t always looked like what we’d expect him to.

[twilightmalachite]

Raison d’être - A Premature Burial 3

Author: Akira

Characters: Shu, Mika

Translator: Mika Enstars

"By the way, Oshi-san, I know it’s a lil’ late t’ask, but how come I’m bein’ brought with to yer family home?"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: The Itsuki's House (Exterior)

Noon the following day. At the Itsuki family villa, the building where Itsuki Shu was born and raised…

Shu: What a nostalgic house of mine.

Hmph. Although the building itself remains to be a half-hearted and unbecoming Western-wannabe. I envy that dreadful Tenshouin only in that respect.

Mika: Nnah, ya sure like the Western style, Oshi-san.

Shu: Japanese style is tasteful, but it needs to be just that. Nothing should be done by halves. I find the Rokumeikan[1] to be a disgrace upon Japanese history.

Though I suppose some art is borne from the chaos of transitional periods too.

Well, it’s fine. You know the house plenty well already, you can leave your luggage in the room that you used to occupy.

I was told the room has been left untouched as nobody’s had to use it.

In the meantime, I will greet my parents and the rest.

Mika: Ah, lemme come with ya. I’ve stayed here under their care fer a while, so I’d like to greet yer household as well. I’ve brought some souvenirs and stuff too!

Shu: Hm. It appears that you’ve learned some social etiquette as well.

Mika: This past year, I’ve been exposed to society to an extent—

By the way, Oshi-san, I know it’s a lil’ late t’ask, but how come I’m bein’ brought with to yer family home?

Shu: You’re asking this only now? And to correct you, this is not my family home.

The main residence of the Itsuki family is in Kansai. This is nothing but a villa built in Tokyo, built by a former head of the family several generations ago.

It is just a foothold; a frontier base used to advance into the Tokyo area, so to speak. Also called a vacation home.

Our main residence is a very old-fashioned Japanese-style building, in terms of convenience, it’s technology much is much more inferior than modern day—

My family moved here out of consideration for Grandfather’s poor health with the building made with a barrier free design.

Mika: So it’s kinda like a nursin’ home for yer grandfather, huh?

Shu: Yes. This was before I was born, however, so it would not be incorrect to say that this is my “family home where I was born and raised”.

And our grandfather, who had worried those around him for years saying he was dying, continued to live on for more than a decade.

Likely just an excuse so my western-minded grandfather could live in a modern, western-style building.

Mika: Nah, there’s no way…

Shu: As much as I hate to say it, Grandfather would do that.

To you, he might be nothing more than an “emaciated sick man” that you visited alongside me…

But for us in the Itsuki family, Grandfather was like the eye of a typhoon. A disaster, a windstorm that would destroy everything on a whim.

Since I was a child, Grandfather has been causing us all sorts of trouble time and time again.

No one could complain, though. This was my Grandfather, the head of the family attributed to the restoration of the Itsukis, they were dealing with. But everyone was tired of it.

And this time too, it’s likely just another of his “usual episodes”. Judging from the way Nii-sama spoke, at least.

Mika: (Ah, so looks like Oshi-san expected as much too. Thank goodness~, hopefully “Ryuu~-kun”-san and Nazuna-nii were right, then.)

(That the news that Grandfather passed away was just an inappropriate lie, or joke, and that he’s actually still alive and well.)

Mika: (And unlike what I’d heard from “Ryuu~-kun”-san, Oshi-san seems to be relatively calm…)

(Right, he’s no longer a kid that panics anytime somethin’ would happen, ain’t he?)

Shu: …What is it? Wipe that condescendingly affectionate and unpleasant look off your face at once!

Mika: Nnah~, my baaad? I dunno what t’say, when I’d lived in the house I never asked questions to try t’be considerate.

So I’m happy t’hear about your house among other things this time, Oshi-san! ♪

Shu: Hmph. Though if you hadn’t held back and asked, it wouldn’t have bothered me at all. You’re already my family, in many senses.

Well, I was rather unstable at the time, I suppose I would unreasonably yell back no matter what you had asked.

[ ☆ ]

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1. A large diplomatic building in Tokyo built to house diplomats and other guests from overseas. It stands as a controversial cultural symbol of the Meiji Period's Westernization policy. The Rokumeikan was done almost entirely in the western style, and notably does not mix Japanese and Western elements; Shu is likely referring to its status as a symbol and the westernization policy. See a photo of it here!