#I learnt to draw better to draw these much needed scenes

[tennant-the-tigger]

Proud of you, Eddie

Wayne makes time to attend Eddie's first gig at the hideout. He hasn't stopped making time since...

My Stranger Things Art |  The Munsons

[rowan-of-waterdeep]

I have a love-hate relationship with the character of Astarion.

I love the depth, the emotion, the sheer humanity that Larian managed to imbue into that little bunch of pixels.

I love that Larian pulled Neil in time and time again over four years to work on Astarion *with* him.

I love that Neil helped to shape Astarion's story. Advocated for him. Pushed for the *right* dialogues. Was the person to say "He wouldn't say that!"

I love that Neil is both passionate about Astarion and vehemently does not want to be him.

I love that Neil did such a wonderful job on Astarion's voice and movement. He deserves every damn award he's received.

I hate that the other actors didn't seem to get the same opportunity to engage with their character and put out the same sort of performance as Neil did. Because yes, he did an amazing job. But the playing field does not seem to have ever been level.

I hate that Neil in particular has had so many issues with fans because a vulnerable hurting character attracts the predators.

I hate that the other characters didn't get the same level of attention and love, and that it shows so damn dramatically.

I hate that Wyll, our only Black companion, got 6 months of Theo shoved into a sound booth with lines thrown at him and often no idea of what would be coming that day.

I hate that Theo seems to have never had the chance to really grasp or understand Wyll's story, let alone advocate for him, because everything was so rushed and he was basically burning the candle at both ends.

I hate that it shows so much in Wyll's story, his interactions, everything.

I hate that I love Astarion and constantly resent this fictional character a little because he gets to be an oil painting and the other characters are a collection of crayon drawings and sketches.

I hate that despite the glaring issues with the characters and questlines, Larian has still done better than most *major* game studios when it comes to thoughtful, considerate representation and diversity, and how far there is to go.

I hope that Larian were using Astarion as a litmus test. That they wanted to see if pulling in the actors at the start and engaging them heavily - instead of worrying about spoilers and leaks to the point of hurting their game - would lead to a better, more real character. If maybe having a single person advocating for each character would provide a better, more cohesive user experience in the end.

I hope they learnt that yes, people will engage far more heavily with a character when they're rich with detail and feel like real people.

I hope they learnt that to do that, you NEED to have someone in charge of keeping the character on track so you don't wander off into the weeds trying to follow every bit of customer feedback, especially when it's racist or sexist or transphobic or homophobic.

I hope they learnt that yes, letting the actors engage with their characters creates a bond that enhances the performance and adds veracity to emotional scenes. It makes the story feel as though it has a flow to it.

I hope that in their next game, they do better.

I hope that we, collectively, expect them to do better.

[33max]

Day Thirteen, Moneyshot - Summer of Cum 🤍

One of the first things that Daniel learnt when he started doing porn was that everything can be faked. The boners. The intimacy. The pleasure. Sometimes even the cumshot.

It’s only happened to Daniel a few times, when the director is looking to finish up the scene with a big ending and Daniel is nowhere near close to coming. It’s an easy fix though, they quickly pause and put some liquid silk up inside his scene partner. Then, just like magic, on camera it looks like Daniel has fucked a huge load into them as it coats his dick and leaks back out.

It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Sometimes when Daniel has been extra busy, filming back-to-back scenes, it feels like he’s not really got anything left in the tank anyway. At least when they fake it they will make it look like Daniel is coming buckets.

In porn, you just have to understand that your partner isn’t always going to have the time of their life, and that’s not necessarily a reflection of your performance.

Max does not see it that way though. Looking up at Daniel with big blue eyes when the director asks Daniel how close he is, and Daniel has to reply nowhere near, sorry.

“Do you need me to clench?” Max asks politely. He’s pretty much bent in half, his legs resting on Daniel’s shoulders while Daniel is buried deep inside of him.

“No you’re good Maxy,” Daniel replies, “I’m just not feeling it today.”

“Is it me?” Max frowns, eyes wide with disappointment. “I can of course do better…”

Oh for goodness sake. Of course Max would be one of the only porn actors that gets upset when he can’t draw out a real orgasm from his costar. Max has always been competitive, with other bottoms, but also with himself – Daniel should have seen this coming.

“Max don’t be weird about this,” Daniel says gently, kissing one of Max’s rosy cheeks politely in an apology. “Last time we filmed together I had the opposite problem, remember? Your tight ass set me off too early.”

Daniel watches as Max’s face relaxes a little as he replays the memory in his head. He gently caresses Max’s thigh where he’s bent in half for Daniel, feeling the little soft hairs there tickle against the palm of his hand. Sometimes he thinks Max is too sensitive and sweet for porn, as the more experienced one he feels a little bit protective of the kid.

“Are you sure you do not want me to clench?” Max asks, tightening around Daniel like a vice to demonstrate.

Jesus.

“Mate, stop that,” Daniel laughs, “You’ll clench my dick off with those ridiculous ass muscles!”

That gets Max laughing, fluttering around Daniel, and it’s still not going to be enough.

The cameraman hands him the bottle of liquid silk and Max pouts as Daniel pulls out of him and drizzles the milky lube into his hole, pressing it in with his fingers.

When he’s done he presses a chaste kiss to Max’s hole, where he’s red and a little puffy from the stretch of Daniel’s cock.

When the director yells action he fucks back into Max, the liquid silk oozing out of him around Daniel’s dick, getting the money shot that they needed.

[dnf171]

Maybe a time after everything goes to hell where Max and Daniel maybe verbalize the fact that Max won't ever return to F1!

this was such a good prompt!

cw: implied child abuse

Outside their window, it’s raining. Fat droplets of water pelting against the glass, the noise reminding him of the gravel that would smack against his cars side panel every time he lost control.

It makes Max think of the TV show Victoria liked so much when they were teenagers. She’d told him, like letting him in on a secret, that when it rained in the first scene you knew it would be a sad episode and when it was sunny, a happy one. Something that the writers did to set the tone, that she’d learnt about in the English lessons Max must have sat in two years earlier drawing racetracks in his notebooks. And didn’t Max think that it was smart?

From the other end of the sofa, Daniel is muttering under his breath. Eyes darting backwards and forwards across the cracked screen of his iPad, the creases in his forehead mirroring the jagged lines in the glass. Max wants to reach over and smooth them away with his thumb. He doesn’t move. He doesn’t want to see what Daniel is reading.

If he got up and walked in the opposite direction, to the window, he’s lived in Monaco for long enough to know he’d see the yachts rocking on the waves. That a tourist admiring the view from their hotel room might be sure they are violent enough to make millions of dollars of aluminium crash into one another, leaving nothing but an expensive mess. Max knows better.

This is his life.

He can’t remember the name of Victoria’s show now, but he can remember the way he’d told her that it was stupid to think the weather meant anything, and then the way he’d felt sick watching her face twist up unhappily, and then mean. Her eyes got small and her mouth wider and she had told him that he was the one that was stupid, that she knew because she read his school report, that he had made their mum cry.

What did Max care about school? He had never needed to be smart. On track, he’d needed to be fast, and off-track lots of different things, but mostly compliant.

“This is all bullshit,” Daniel declares darkly, too loud for Max to pretend he hasn’t heard over the rain. “The things they’re writing- God.”

Max wants to ask why Daniel reads it so incessantly if he knows it’s all not true. It makes Max wonder if he’s waiting for the day he’ll agree with one of the journalists’ points, and then have an excuse to reconsider all the rest. Then that makes him feel mean because Daniel has never not believed him, even when it would have made his life nicer, easier.

Instead, Daniel has punched the paparazzi for him. Smashed the man’s camera lens into unusable shards.

Max stretches out his leg, prodding Daniel’s thigh with his toes. When he looks up at Max, his smile is tired.

“I can’t wait to watch these fuckers choke on humble pie when that cunt goes to prison and you win like, ten more championships, Maxy.”

He reaches for Max’s foot, holds his ankle, his thumb brushing over the knob of it. The iPad slides down far enough on his lap so Max can read the headline now, Father of F1 Champion Describes Son's History of Lying, Paranoia. A cold prickles his neck as though the rain is coming now from their ceiling, icy beads of water sliding down his spine.

“I think I will not win any more championships,” he says, pulling his foot back to tuck it under his body, and Daniel’s face falls.

“What do you mean, baby, you could win them all,” he insists. His voice is almost annoyed sounding, like maybe he thinks Max would try fishing for compliments from the one person who had to lose just so Max could win so much. But then gentler he adds, “I know you could.”

Max knows he could too.

“I think I do not want to.”

For a moment, Daniel is silent.

“You love racing,” Daniel tries again, this time like stating a fact. One Max isn’t sure is true, and he wishes his memories weren’t so slippery so that he could grasp in his hands a time he knows it was.  

“I cannot go back,” he says, because one thing he does know is that any love there is, it’s roots are twisted around something rotten. “Daniel, I-“

I want to say no.

He wants to call Victoria to ask her the name of the show. To close his eyes and open them in Rotterdam, curled up on her sofa. For them to watch an episode together with the curtains drawn against the storm battering at both their doors.

[delicatemusickingdom]

Book 1 Part 2 Chapter 1.3

Chapter 1.3

The opportunity came unexpectedly quickly. 

It happened about a month after the Imperial Knights’ raid. On that day, Yuri wasn’t doing anything in particular, just wandering around the plaza. 

“The ‘Dark Wings’ has appeared again!” 

The one who had shouted it excitedly was not an adult but a child. Another child would hear that shout and start to run as well, crying out as if they had seen it themselves. Rumours quickly spread throughout the lower quarter like a message spreading through a battlefield. Yuri wasn’t sure how much of what he had heard was just hearsay, but that wasn’t important right now.

The ‘Dark Wings’ had appeared. What's more, they had done so in broad daylight.  

“Hey Yuri, where are you going?!” 

Noticing how obviously Yuri had reacted to the voice, Hanks called out in an attempt to stop him, but it was too late. By that time, the figure with the fluttering black hair had run off, slowly becoming smaller in the distance. 

I’m glad it didn’t happen during Teacher Norein’s class. Yuri thought as he ran. And would they have let me go if it was during my manual work? If Grandma Jiri had been there, probably not. Either way, neither Norein nor Jiri are within sight. I’m in luck today.  

He caught one of the children who were yelling out repeatedly and questioned them. 

“Hey, is it true the ‘Dark Wings’ has appeared? Where are they? Give me the name of the place.” 

As he expected, the child didn’t know anything beyond what they were yelling out. He confirmed who they had heard it from, then started running again. The second person had also learnt the information by hearsay. The third person had slightly better information. 

“I didn’t see it, but a bunch of the Imperial Knights came running here, one after another. They were shouting all kinds of things, like ‘It’s the ‘Dark Wings’!’ and stuff like that.” 

The information was a little unreliable, but after hearing where they’d seen the knights, Yuri started running in that direction. 

It was unavoidable that he’d be spotted by the knights and draw attention to himself, but since they were in the middle of a hunt, surely he didn’t need to worry about that. When the same thing had occurred the last time, the knights hadn’t spared a glance towards the boys from the lower quarter.  

When he recalled the time from back then, he instinctively thought to look for Flynn, but soon changed his mind. That guy viewed the ‘Dark Wings’ as an enemy. It was out of the question to ask him to follow Yuri. 

First of all, if he tried to search for Flynn — who’d mostly likely be swinging his sword in front of his house. Today was his turn to use the sword — he might miss out on this golden opportunity. It’s better if I go alone. 

As he thought about various things, Yuri felt a strange sense of déjà vu. No, it’s obvious the streets would be familiar to me. But still—?

Oh, I get it. 

Yuri understood immediately after seeing the scene that lay before him. The familiar row of drab-looking houses, devoid of any colour. The Gray Alleyways. 

Yuri slowed down his pace and looked around. If the ‘Dark Wings’ escaped into that grey-white labyrinth once again, then there was no doubt the Imperial Knights would be at a standstill right in front of it. Even when it wasn’t nighttime, the Grey Alleyways was confusing enough as it was. Yuri didn’t think the knights would easily step foot into the area, even for fame and achievement. 

As expected, when he arrived he could see the knights pacing back and forth in front of the district. They were moving around in a hurry, barking something at each other. 

But to his surprise, the knights split into groups and entered the Grey Alleyways through several streets that served as entrances. Were they emboldened by the sunlight? Or did they see this as their one and only opportunity to capture this sworn enemy of theirs? But they were incredibly cautious, and looked rather reluctant to proceed deeper in. Were they scared of the ‘Dark Wings’, or the district that was the source of all kinds of shady rumours?

Do they seriously think they can catch the thief with that kind of resolve? Their opponent is the ‘Dark Wings’, you know? Though he didn’t know much about the thief either, Yuri smiled bitterly. 

Regardless, assuming the ‘Dark Wings’ was inside the Grey Alleyways, with the knights acting like that, it was looking more and more possible for Yuri to meet with the thief without any disturbance, if he did it right. It didn’t seem that difficult to sneak inside without getting caught and interrogated by the knights. 

The question was, did he really want to go inside? That was the Grey Alleyways. This would be his third time, and even if it was currently daytime, he didn’t really feel like the conditions were more advantageous as compared to before. He didn’t have charcoal with him to use as a marker. He came this far because of momentum, but he wondered what Grandma Jiri and the other adults would do to him if he ended up causing another disastrous day for them. 

Should I turn back? The moment his common sense whispered that, Flynn’s face came to mind. The argument they had — the chivalrous thief — criminal — 

Yuri stepped forward. He didn’t know if the ‘Dark Wings’ was really inside or not, and even if they did, maybe they had already passed through the labyrinth and gone somewhere else. There were a mountain of other things he was worried about, but he didn’t dare think about them right now. 

If things start looking dangerous, I’ll just turn and head back. Yeah, if things start looking dangerous I’ll head back right away.

He pretended not to notice that he had also thought the same way the last two times he had been here. 

****

In the labyrinth at night, the darkness was the first thing that hindered your way. Because there was no such darkness in the labyrinth at day, the labyrinth itself became easy to perceive. However, deceptions can still arise from being able to perceive things. It wasn’t a given that the sunlight would always help. 

Yuri silently stepped out from one of the streets, quickly catching up to the knights ahead of him. They were probably intentionally rattling their armour loudly as they moved to raise their own morale. With all that noise, even the one being chased would easily notice it, but thanks to that, Yuri didn’t have to worry about the knights hearing the sound of his footsteps.  

The knights didn’t seem to be familiar with the district, and as they advanced, every few steps they would check their surroundings. At the next fork, Yuri stopped following the knights and chose the other path. The idea was to quickly overtake the knights and catch up to the ‘Dark Wings’. 

He had felt a little more at ease while he could still see the knights, but once he was alone he no longer felt that way. After all, without any markings, he had to memorise the way back all on his own. Even if it meant missing the ‘Dark Wings’, he had to avoid that disaster at any cost. 

Still, now that it was his third time here, while the labyrinth was as dangerous as ever, he had ceased to be bothered by the numerous shady rumours surrounding it. Now Yuri only paid attention to the labyrinth’s real threat  as he progressed cautiously.

The sound of clanking armour had already faded away. He couldn’t spend too much time here. Yuri quickened his pace. 

Then suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. The moment he turned his head in that direction, he thought he saw a vague black shape disappear — as if sucked into — around the corner. 

Thought? No, there’s no mistaking it, I did see something. Like a bolt of lightning, Yuri dashed towards it. 

Forgetting his prior caution, he ran straight ahead and turned around the corner. For a moment, he saw it — just as it disappeared around the next corner. It had only been a moment, but because he had been looking for it, this time he recognised it more clearly than before. It was black and covered in cloth, but there was no mistaking it — it was a human foot. 

Yuri ran. As he ran, he became convinced that the person he was chasing was the ‘Dark Wings’. It was definitely not one of the monsters featured in the rumours of the Grey Alleyways. 

He turned around another corner. Again, it disappeared around the corner ahead. Isn’t the distance between us shorter than before? I’m not sure. It might just be my imagination. But I won’t lose sight of it.

He was chasing down a great thief that even the knights hadn’t managed to find despite working as a group. That thought made his heart flutter in excitement. Him, all alone. And in the Grey Alleyways, too. 

—— In the Grey Alleyways? 

Yuri felt as if a cold vice had gripped his heart. Ignoring the true meaning behind that sensation, Yuri stomped on the ground as he ran. 

The next corner ahead is the closest I’ve ever been. I saw them disappear around it. I’ll definitely get even closer to it this time. The ‘Dark Wings’, the legendary chivalrous thief, and the great thief beyond the knights’ reach. I’ll catch you, and then— 

Driven by his impatience, Yuri turned around the corner. 

He came to a sudden stop as if he'd crashed into a pole. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. 

Yuri was looking at an ashen-grey street identical to the ones he had passed through before. A street pressed in by buildings on both sides. The sky that peeked out from above, between the towering walls, like a narrow river. That scenery was no different from what he had seen so far. But — it was a dead end.  

Ahead of Yuri, the road ran straight into a building, like colliding and breaking into pieces, and cut off there. There were no doors or stairs. Not even windows. Surrounded on all three sides by cold, merciless walls, the road stopped there in a dead end. 

Yuri looked up as if praying for help, but all he could see were flat and smooth walls that impassively extended up towards the sky, with nothing that could be used as footholds. 

It looked impossible to climb unless someone dropped down a rope from above. And even if that were the case, he didn’t think anyone would be able to climb over the walls in such a short period of time. 

He couldn’t see anyone. Not even a shadow peering down from above. The ‘Dark Wings’ — or at the very least, the thing that he thought was the ‘Dark Wings’ — had suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a single boy stunned and alone in the middle of the labyrinth. 

As he panted heavily, the emotions he had forcibly pushed aside earlier came flooding back into him. Where am I? 

Yuri turned to look behind him. Although it wasn’t a dead it, it was an ashen-grey street that looked no different from where he was a few moments ago.

Where and how did he come here? He was so intent on chasing down the thief, he neglected to pay attention to his route. Yuri turned his focus inwards, desperately trying to retrace his memories. Inside, though, his heart was a mess of emotions. 

Should I look for the marks I made the last time I was here? No — more importantly, was that really the ‘Dark Wings’? Maybe it was something else, like a monster that lurked in the Grey Alleyways, that lured in anyone who came inside deeper into the labyrinth and then devouring it —

“Stop it.” 

He intentionally spoke out aloud in an exasperated tone. No matter how panicked I am, this and that are totally different issues. Yuri shoved aside the gossip that had resurfaced in his memory, as if chiding it. 

Thanks to that, he regained his composure. What he was facing a real crisis. If he became overwhelmed by these kinds of strange emotions, he’d end up being unable to make rational judgments. That was the one thing he needed to avoid. 

He inhaled slowly and calmed himself down. Then, he began carefully recalling his memories as he walked. 

Once again, he recalled the scene where the figure had disappeared around the corner. But this time, he focused on his surroundings. The figure and the scenery would tell him which direction he had turned. Which corner is that? Right, it was where that broken pot was. The next one? It’s in the direction of that crack in the wall —

Once he calmed down, Yuri was surprised to find that he had unexpectedly remembered quite a lot of details. He had thought the labyrinth had the same repetitive scenery for miles, but there were surprisingly a lot of differences everywhere, and the place was full of landmarks. It was a good indication — at least, he prayed that it was so, and not his own wishful thinking. 

Yuri continued walking while praying he was on the right path. When he finally made it back to a place he recognised as the place he had carefully memorised before, he let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart. 

I did it. I really did it. I came back. Looking back, there was nothing special about the clues he had used to get back. He thought it was strange, but thinking about it, it was most likely a matter of perspective and awareness. Like, if he decided everything looked the same, then he wouldn’t be able to see what was really in front of him, that kind of thing. It was, as usual, a troublesome place where he couldn’t let his guard down, but nothing more. Just logic and the knowledge he already had was enough — provided he didn’t lose his composure, that is. 

I see, Yuri thought. So this is what Flynn was looking at. 

Before he knew it, the Grey Alleyways had ceased to be a scary place. 

That figure had most likely been the ‘Dark Wings’. He didn’t know how they had vanished, but they must have confounded the knights in the same way. He hadn’t been able to meet that, but the thought that he had been able to touch upon a part of their power gave Yuri a certain amount of satisfaction. 

The only thing that’s left is to go home quickly. Without realising it, his footsteps had grown lighter. 

“Well, this is troubling.” 

Yuri suddenly heard a voice say from around the corner. Instinctively, he stopped in his tracks. He held his breath, and quietly approached the corner, and peeked around to see what was happening. 

A knight was there. He must have been chasing the ‘Dark Wings’. But something was a little off. The knights had been moving in groups, but he was clearly the only one around, and he was slumped down on the ground. He had taken off his helmet, and it was lying careless on the ground next to him. 

For a labyrinth rumoured to be inescapable once you enter it, I sure often run into people in it. Yuri thought, feeling somewhat doubtful about the whole thing. 

“Heeeeey, is anyone there—?”

The knight raised his voice and called out casually. His voice echoed faintly and, as if it had been sucked into the streets, disappeared. The knight and Yuri strained their ears for a reply. But even after waiting for a while, there was no response, nor was there a sound of clanking armour. 

“No use, huh…”

It looked like he had been separated from his friends and gotten lost. 

He’s acting all frightened, and he’s blocking my way. Serves him right. Feeling a little exasperated, Yuri started walking away to find a detour around. His legs suddenly stopped as if they had been caught by something. He looked back at the knight again. The knight was just sitting there, unmoving.  

What is that knight going to do?

Yuri thought to himself. He could save the knight by telling them the way, or letting them follow him. But as a resident of the lower quarter, he was reluctant to have anything to do with the knights — let alone save one of them. Besides, if he let the knight be, if they were lucky, they would probably be able to get out of the labyrinth on their own, or reunite with their friends and escape that way. 

‘If’, that is — and if they didn’t? 

Knights. Yuri looked at the man’s face again. It was the face of an adult who looked tired and half-resigned to his fate. Strangely enough, it wasn’t so different from what the people in the lower quarter looked like. It was easy to forget, but behind that intimidating and expressionless helmet that Yuri was used to seeing was a human face. 

The violent acts of the group of knights who had visited the lower quarter the other day. They had destroyed many of the residents’ things for no reason. And it wasn’t just that time. Time and time again, the knights have tormented the residents of the lower quarter and brought suffering to the people. 

Was that knight part of the group that had barged into the lower quarter and wrecked the place, doing as they pleased? If he was, so what? And if he wasn’t, then what? 

“Listen well. Those knights are only a small portion of a much larger power at play.”

Yuri felt like he heard a voice admonishing him. 

‘Only a small portion’. Only a man. Someone who could collapse and die in the streets. Just a man. 

If he ignored the man and went on his way, what would happen? The moment he imagined abandoning the man and going home, the image of the man trapped in the labyrinth while suffering from hunger and thirst surfaced in his mind. 

Numerous thoughts appeared and swirled around in his mind, making him feel fed up. Fed up as he was, he knew that in the end, he had no choice but to follow as they dictated. Geez, fine. Good grief. 

“Hey, uncle.” 

Hearing a voice suddenly call out to him — a boy’s voice at that — the knight was so surprised he almost jumped from where he was sitting. He hurriedly got up, looking around while his hand rested on the sword attached to his hip. 

Even when Yuri appeared, the knight stared intently at him, as if trying to determine if he was an illusion or someone suspicious. Eventually, looking satisfied, he let go of his sword and, as if a thread had been cut, slumped down on the ground again. 

“You surprised me. To think there was someone in a place like this. I was told no one lived around here.” 

Hearing his unexpectedly friendly tone, Yuri lowered his guard a little. 

“I don’t live here. I live in Fountain Alley.” 

“Fountain…? Aaah, in the lower quarter.” 

The knight looked puzzled for a moment upon hearing the name Fountain Alley, but soon nodded in understanding. 

“Still, a kid from the lower quarter, huh? Why are you here? There are a lot of scary rumours about this place, you know.” 

“……This place is like our playground.” 

Yuri chose his words carefully as he answered. He wanted to end the conversation quickly and start moving. 

“I see. The kids from the lower quarter sure have a lot of guts.” 

The knight smiled. To Yuri’s confusion once again, he couldn’t detect any malice or sarcasm in the knight’s words. 

“Hey uncle, are you lost, by any chance?” 

As he said it, he wondered if he was being too direct. Would the knight feel like he was losing face and get angry? But the knight only nodded awkwardly and scratched his head. 

“Well, it’s pretty embarrassing, but you’re right. I came here on a mission, but after getting separated from my friends, I became completely lost. To be honest, I was starting to think I was going to die like this, stranded and alone.” 

He picked up his helmet and stood up. Then, as if he was gauging Yuri’s expression, spoke. 

“Are you on your way home, kid? If you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate it if I could accompany you until we get out of this district.” 

“Isn’t anyone going to come look for you?” 

“I wonder about that. Maybe so, if I was someone important, but unfortunately I’m just a lowly underling.” 

Saying that, the knight let out a laugh. So there are also eccentric knights like this. How can he belittle himself in front of a child from the lower quarter? Yuri gave him a small shrug. 

“If you want to follow me, uncle, I don’t mind.”

Saying that, Yuri started walking, as if he had come to a concession with his grudge against the knights as a whole. 

“Ohh, thank you, thank you. I owe you one.” 

Behind him, Yuri heard the sound of someone standing up in a panic, followed by the loud sound of clanking footsteps. At least it I don’t need to be worried about him suddenly drawing his sword and slashing me. 

****

As they headed towards the exit of the Grey Alleyways, the knight continued talking without stopping. Maybe he couldn’t bear even the briefest moment of silence, or he wanted to endear himself even a little bit more to the boy from the lower quarter who was his literal lifeline. 

Yuri didn’t actively engage in conversation, only nodding or chiming in occasionally, but the knight didn’t seem to mind. 

He really is a strange knight. He isn’t interested in me or prying into my affairs by asking me questions, and apart from how he’s dressed, he doesn’t seem like a knight at all. In fact, he could pass off as a lower quarter resident that was accustomed to wearing armour. Yuri had had a superficial impression of the knights up until now, but now he felt it change slightly. Although a small part of him still raised objections to that. 

“Hey kid, you’ve heard of the ‘Dark Wings’, right?” 

The knight spoke, without any reservation or care put into his words. Yuri almost burst out laughing. He’s even chattering about his mission? I mean, it’s not much of a secret, but still —

“Despite being a thief, he’s quite skilled, that one. He’s brought a lot of grief to quite a lot of very important and high-class people. We came here because we were chasing him. You said you were playing around here, right? Maybe you did see him.” 

Hearing that, Yuri felt his heart beat faster, but the knight didn’t seem to expect an answer. Taking the boy’s silence as denial, he continued talking. 

“We already have a ton of records related to the ‘Dark Wings’. Enough to make a small list of the things he’s stolen. Of course, these records weren’t written just yesterday. The ‘Dark Wings’ has been around for a long time.” 

According to the knight, the oldest record of the Imperial Knights mentioning the ‘Dark Wings’ dated back to roughly more than three hundred years ago. The range of his secret activities extended over many cities and continents, and he would disappear for years, or even decades, only to suddenly resume his activities. 

“I don’t think the ‘Dark Wings’ is an organised group, or anything like that.” 

After talking about the records for a while, the knight began to develop his own theory. 

“Depending on the times, he could be an individual, or an organisation, but what’s more, his methods of operation are too varied. Of course, all organisations change given enough time, but even considering that their actions vary too much. Most likely, the ‘Dark Wings’ is a name for the people who take it for themselves whenever they want to be called as such. ……Wait a minute. Doesn’t that mean if we catch him, another ‘Dark Wings’ will eventually appear somewhere else? …..Good grief.” 

The knight looked up at the sky after saying that, but quickly pulled himself together and began speaking again. 

“Well, in any case, I’m sure the real first ‘Dark Wings’ did exist, but there’s no way of confirming that now.” 

“Isn’t it recorded in the oldest record?” 

Yuri said, feeling a little uneasy at how carelessly the knight was acting while speaking about such matters. He hoped the information he was being given wasn’t so secretive that he would need to be silenced after this. 

But it seemed the knight was satisfied enough that the other party had displayed an interest in the conversation. He shook his head, grinning widely like he was suppressing a laugh. 

“You think so, right? But that’s probably not the case. If you look at the records, you’ll see traces where quite a number of them have been altered afterwards. Most likely, someone from a later era thought the same way and changed all records of thieves to the ‘Dark Wings’. And by doing that, they made the crimes look like the work of a single thief or thieves’ guild…… Oops, forget I said that.” 

In other words, when a thief performs a deed worthy of being noted down in the records, their name will be erased and they simply become the ‘Dark Wings’. Yuri understood but also didn’t quite understand the logic behind it, but admitted that there was something fascinating about the idea of there being various ‘Dark Wings’ in various eras. 

That figure on that moonlit night. That figure that had disappeared around the corner. That was it. That was the current era’s ‘Dark Wings’. It was as if he had brushed against the edge of something big enough to transcend time itself. The boy felt his heart pounding. 

****

“You really saved me. Here’s a token of appreciation from me.” 

The knight looked visibly relieved as he held out his hand face-up to Yuri. In his palm were several coins. 

It didn’t look like the knight from the ‘other side of the wall’ was any more familiar with the Grey Alleyways than Fountain Alley or the lower quarter, but at least from here you could see the upper layers of the imperial capital in the distance. Even if he didn’t know the way, if he kept looking in that direction while heading uphill, there was no doubt he’d eventually reach the citizens’ quarter. 

“……I don’t need it.” 

Yuri had instinctively reached out, but midway through, he pulled back his hand and said as such to the knight. That way of thinking — that he had saved the knight for a reward — had touched a nerve in him. 

The knight seemed to have read his thoughts from his reaction. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” 

The man lowered his hand, regret evident in his tone. Yuri pretended not to notice and looked around. They were in a slightly open street facing the Grey Alleyways. A while back, there were knights going back and forth through this street. 

How long has it been since then? It feels like it’s been hours, but it also feels like it’s only been an hour. He could get a rough estimate if he lifted his head to look at the position of the sun in the sky, but Yuri didn’t dare to, savouring the taste of the question on his tongue instead. 

They were the only two people on the street. If they walked further down the street, they would most likely meet other residents of the lower quarter, but at this moment, it was only Yuri and the knight. 

“You’ve really been abandoned, huh, uncle?” 

The knight shrugged at Yuri’s words. 

“The ‘other side of the wall’ have their own issues, kid.” 

Yuri didn’t understand the meaning behind those curt words, but despite that he could still sense that it was there. 

“But that’s probably going to change from now on.” The knight’s voice was suddenly filled with passion. “The current Commandant is trying to change all sorts of old customs and traditions. Of course, he’s not going to be able to change everything all at once, but still.” 

Yuri realised the knight was staring at him. The knight was telling him something serious, and important. When Yuri returned the gaze without making light of his words, the knight nodded vigorously and broke into a smile. 

“When that day comes — someday it will — let’s meet up again, kid. I’m sure we’ll be able to talk about more things then.” 

More than you already are? Inwardly, Yuri smiled wryly, but it was true that he felt a little bit of hope and anticipation for the future. 

‘Someday’. When will that be? And what and how will things change? Yuri couldn’t imagine it, but he smiled back at the knight anyway. 

“Sure thing. Until then, make sure to stay alive and well, uncle.” 

Those were their parting words. The uncle nodded one last time, and then waved his hand and left. 

Yuri felt that the promises they exchanged had a meaning to it. He didn’t understand it now, but he was sure it would all become clear when the time was right.

Suddenly he realised that even until the end, they’d hadn’t asked for each other’s names. But the knight’s figure was slowly disappearing into the distance towards the castle walls, and it was already too far away to call out to him. 

Prev | Index | Next

[creepylittlelady]

I need to know more about Lazari in your AU

She deserves more content from fans

Hi! I'm so sorry it took me so long to answer this ask, and also thank you for sending me an ask in the first place! I love answering questions, even if it takes me a bit to respond :3

I agree with you, Lazari deserves better. I mean like, even her own creator did her dirty man, SHE HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL!!! Her concept is so cool and her own comic did her SO DIRTY. I hate the treatment she gets from fans too.

Yeah I get it her comic was terribly written and was the origin of the 'I HAVE CRAYONS AND PAPER!!!!!' meme and the characters were poorly written and the lore was inconsistent and the fanservice was weird and the story/tone was ALL OVER THE PLACE. But like, don't take it out on my baby Lazari please she deserves better.

I wanna do some more silly headcanons of her this time around, I might make a separate post on more serious stuff about her ;)

So, let's get cracking!

Lazari Headcanons!

-She's on the Autism Spectrum, diagnosed and all :3. She also has ADHD, also diagnosed! She's the representation we deserve to see in this fandom lol.

-She's Chibiworks. Okay, let me explain:

SO, when Lazari first came into the Mansion, she was just an 8 year old girl with demonic tendencies who was abused by her hyper-religious mother who hated her. She hated herself, she was shy, and she believed that she was nothing more than a monster, a mistake. But all of a sudden she goes from that to the DAUGHTER OF THE EMPEROR OF THE UNDERWORLD, a literal DISNEY PRINCESS (cuz yk she's his daughter), and now she literally lives in a Magical Forest in a Magical Mansion of Serial Killers, Ghosts and Demons.

She thought that the world around her was super interesting considering she never got to see much of the outside. She loves drawing, so she drew about it. She drew about the potential greater stories unravelling around her, making her own characters based on concepts she learnt about whilst exploring.

She made I Eat Pasta for Breakfast as a way of letting her imagination go wild around this new environment she found herself in. She made characters to interact with the people that already existed, and gave them purposes.

(Btw, several of the weird stuff and the not kid-appropriate scenes in the comic are retconned out of this version.)

She also made Creepy Frozen Pasta, just saying. She also wrote The Seer. She wrote every Creepypasta comic in existence. Found a cool Creepypasta comic series? Lazari wrote it.

-She LOVES drawing. Her artstyle is very much manga-inspired and she loves creating her own OCs, which are littered throughout her work. A lot of them are directly based on concepts, such as many of Zalgo's followers in IEPFB being based on the idea of Zalgo having a cult of personality around him.

-She's definitely an animation meme kid. I'm deffo self-projecting but she is the DEFINITION of the weird kid. She makes animation memes of everyone in the mansion. She makes animatics of actual stuff that happened. She makes amateur dubs of her own comics.

-Manga is her biggest hyperfixation. She collects TONS of them, and directly draws panels from her favourite manga to improve her drawing skills. Her favourite Manga series of all time is Fruits Basket :3. Her room is basically just all of her drawing scattered around the place.

She specifically likes Horror and Shoujo anime, despite the fact that they're basically polar opposites. Alongside Fruits Basket, she really likes Madoka Magica!

-She definitely makes AMVs of her favourite animes. She deffo writes terribly written fanfiction about her favourite anime couples kissing and giggles whilst writing it.

-She's also a Gacha Life kid FUCKING FIGHT ME SHE DEFINITELY MAKES GACHA OCS. She definitely stays up until 2am with Sally watching 'Hated Child turns into Hybrid Princess' videos. Lazari gasps in shock every single time and Sally is just sitting there extremely confused.

-Sally is her best friend. She lore-dumps to Sally all the time about her special interests, and Sally listens intently and nods along. She even writes notes about the lore of her favourite series! Sally is a super supportive best friend, and any time any of the ghost kids make fun her for her autistic behaviour she puts them in their place.

-Despite this, the two of them argue a lot, because they're kids and just of course they do. Fun fact! The reason why Sally only appears like once in IEPFB is because Lazari initially wrote her in, then the two got into a fight and she took her out of the story. They made up soon after but Lazari thought it would be too awkward to add her back in and Sally just accepted it.

-She has a very unorthodox form of common sense. With that I mean she has none at all. Once the mansion was on fire, and Slender screamed at her to get up and evacuate. Her reaction? She told him to leave her alone and let her sleep.

-She really likes Vocaloid, and her favourite Vocaloid isn't even a Vocaloid. Her favourite, uh, singing bank, is Kasane Teto! She claims that her robotic voice (before the SynthV AI transfer) was pleasant to her ears.

-Her favourite Vocaloid Song is Kasane Territory, because of the animation meme of course >:D.

-She also definitely tried to make a Storytime Youtube Channel but everyone in the Mansion made her delete it because she was sharing personal information about them all. Like genuinely she'd be like 'SO THE OTHER DAY MASKY AND HOODY WERE ON A MISSION FOR SLENDERMAN AND THEY KILLED THIS ONE GIRL WHO LIVES AT THIS ADDRESS IN THIS STATE'.

She has like zero concept of Internet Safety.

-She's a massive Melanie Martinez fan. She got Sally into her music, and back when Melanie Martinez was like just getting popular she'd sing all of her songs super loudly in the shower. Once Slenderman referred to the house as a 'Dollhouse' and Lazari screamed 'DOLLHOUSE BY MELANIE MARTINEZ? HEY GIRL, OPEN YOUR WALLS, PLAY WITH YOUR DOLLS-'.

-She used to be a massive Roblox kid in 2017 and was also an MSP kid. Christ she was on so many virtual worlds, she was even on Animal Jam sort of.

-Fanon Masky, Hoody and Toby were invented by her. Fanon Masky was made PURELY out of spite for him. The first time they met was not pleasant, as he called her a brat. Lazari vowed to humiliate him in every way possible from that point forward. She found out that he hated children, hated Slenderman, hated Cheesecake, hated the texture of Crayons, and hated jokingly being called a twink by Toby.

All of that combined? You got the Crayon-having, Cheesecake-eating, Skinny, Scrawny, Slenderman dick-riding Fanon Masky that we all know and love. The other residents found out about this strange new version of him and it became so popular she drew individual fanarts of him and handed it to all of the residents. Even Slenderman has a picture of Cheesecake Masky on his Office Wall. Somehow Masky didn't find out about this until a long time after the fad ended.

In my AU Hoody is a selective mute who doesn't verbally communicate with anyone besides the Proxies, so he was deathly silent when he first met Lazari. She misunderstood this as him just being shy and so Shy UwU boy Hoody was made.

Fanon Toby is just a sarcastic persona Toby puts on to piss other people off. She misunderstood this as his REAL personality and alongside the waffles thing that Jeff and Ben always mentioned (Toby stopped liking Waffles long before Lazari came), Fanon Toby was made.

-She made the Dollmaker (yeah he exists) make her plushies of everyone in the Mansion + The Zalgo and a few of her OCs. What does she do with them, you may ask? She roleplays with them with Sally. They've made a bunch of random ships with this, and now they're both avid Slender x Zalgo shippers. They also ship EJ with a lot of people as he has such a versatile personality, but they mainly like EJ and Jeff.

Lazari also found out that Masky was sort of intimidated by Nurse Ann so she shipped them very vocally in front of him.

-She's a massive Sanrio-girl, and her favourite character is My Melody :D. She's watched the entirety of Onegai My Melody at least like sixteen times already.

-She tried to learn Japanese, and failed miserably. She can sometimes read Hiragana if Kagekao writes it really carefully.

-Her own handwriting is really terrible, almost illegible. It's a gift to be able to read anything she writes.

-She's a part of the Mansion's Literature Club, and Ben nicknames her the Natsuki of the club, as she's always insisting that Manga is literature.

-She argues with Slender, as he believes that comics and Manga shouldn't be considered literature, as they're all pictures and barely any words. Lazari TO THIS DAY debates him about it.

-About her demonic urges, they're manageable as long as you give her a random body part to chew on every once and a while. She doesn't lose her control like she once did when she first came, and she's not as dangerous anymore. She's like a saint compared to EJ.

-As she's a half-demon, she has some godly amount of brute force strength. She can carry someone thrice her size and force open any door, no matter how many locks are on it.

She also has an incredibly high pain tolerance. Once she got scratched up pretty bad by EJ when he was in a particularly bad Demonic State, the girl didn't even notice until Lulu noticed.

-About Lulu, she was actually assigned to show her around when she first arrived at the Mansion! Lulu had told Slender earlier that she wanted to take charge of whoever came after her, and has a really good relationship with Lazari. She's one of Lazari's favourite people.

-Her relationship with her dad is...strange. On one hand when she does get to visit they generally have a nice time, however due to how much she reminds him of his deceased little sister, sometimes he'll accidentally call her 'Lily', which dampens the mood a little bit.

-Stripes ADORES her. The two sisters are very close and Stripes just loves her so much, she even made her her Teddy Bear that she's famous for carrying around :3.

-She had a phase where she called herself an irl Yandere. Thankfully she stopped after like a month but it was very funny lol

-She loves Nightcore! And Trance Music, oddly enough. One of her favourite songs is 'Be Alive!' By Stian K. (Search up the song. If you recognise the song from a certain animation meme of her then you deserve all of my respect).

-Her favourite food is Chocolate Strawberries.

Okay, if you want to ask some more serious lore-related questions then go right ahead and I'll answer! I just have so much of Lazari since she was one of my comfort characters when I was little and first got into Creepypastas. I see a lot of myself in her and I'm so peeved that the fandom either completely ignores her or dislikes her, like she's got so much potential! She's an incredibly important character in my AU actually, and one day I'll make a post detailing her correlation with the greater story :3

Hope you enjoyed! If you're new to this blog and are just seeing this post, then I have an AU named 'Puppet Strings', with its own lore and interpretations of the characters. If you're curious, come check out my blog and you can ask me questions!

[inklessletter]

I absolutely love following along with your art and the process behind it! I'm curious about more behind the scenes stuff, as I have picked up digital art after not having drawn regularly in 10+ years.

When you do your drawings, what steps do you take? Do you use real references? Skeleton sketches? I'd love to know more about how you approach things digitally!

Oooh, first of all, thank you so much @emeraldzephyr! It is such a lovely thing that you decided to pick it up again!

As for how do I organize myself for drawing, every person works with a different procedures and it is important to know what works for you. For me is organization and inspiration.

For me, the most important thing is having references. It is more important than experience, more important than skill and even than inspiration. When you start messing with a blank canvas you need to know first hand where you want to go, or at least, have an idea. I won't likely start drawing without some references pictures. I learnt this when I took classes last year and this is probably the only thing that actually fully stuck.

My main resource for them is Pinterest, and I navigate through it with intent. I also have multiple packs of pictures of models and references that I have purchased in Artstation. Either way, references, to me, are essential and necessary. In Pint for example I have different boards, some for poses or compositions, some other for finishing, some other for colors palettes, or effects, or styles. I may have (and it is likely to be that way) multiple references for a single illustration ("I like the composition of this one, but the color palette of this other one, but the light works incredible in here, and wait, how was exactly the curvature of the nose of Joe Quinn in this perspective...? Shit! Keery's moles!! How were them distributed in the right side of his face? asdfadfs").

So you see, this is the first and the main thing I do. And I am also fattening with pins all my boards anytime I've got the chance (on my way to work, in public transport, waiting in lines, etc.), so I don't run out of ideas.

When it comes to actually drawing, I always make my canvas extra large and fit the main reference there so I don't get it out of sight (probably the one I'm using for composition) and make a first sketch than I later proceed to fix because it is often that I get wrong the proportions or the perspective, and that's okay. I can do five or six layers of sketches and then I do a first lineart that is messy, but it compiles everything that I have from different references. I spend a lot of time with this. Before shit gets serious and you start with colors, it is important for me to be happy with the sketch, or I may work a lot of hours on this particular illustration and you will end up hating it because "fucking shit, that ear is too small, how didn't I see it before!!!! [yes, I have no shame in showing what I think I failed miserably, the next piece was better, and so on. I keep learning everytime. I trust the process in broader aspects of art, not only in piece by piece]).

I create folders for the color process and try to organize the layers in it, first painting them with plain colors in separate layers and then adding layers once the whole illustration is fully coloured, first starting with shading, and then to light.

For me it is really important to play with the different effects of layers, play with opacity, gradients, brushes, tools, etc etc. I always find some effects that I wasn't expecting and the quality of my work will rise up just because I just found something interesting that weren't expecting at all, so, yeah. I play a lot with my software. All the time.

And finally when I am happy with it as a whole, I add a few filters (noise, blurs, etc.) If I want a very specific effect and I don't know how to do it, I have no doubt in stopping for a minute and finding a tutorial that teaches me how to do it (like the flare in this illustration, or the video effect moving color channels in this one). I always keep in mind that I should not get frustrated when I don't know how to do anything because I can always google it and it is a great opportunity to learn something new.

I am so so so sorry if this was too long, and probably it wasn't interesting enough, but that's what I do. And again, I want to make myself clear when I say that there is not a correct way to do things when it comes to art, this is just what works for me. I am no expert, I had to try and fail many many times to find the right approach for me without getting sad or frustrated. I, myself, have reconnected with art not that long ago after a decade, too.

I wish you the best of luck with your reunion with digital art!! Looking forward to seeing your pieces <3

[upthenorthmountain]

One nice thing about drawing the same character over and over is that it lets you see your progress. I feel like I’ve made a fair amount!

When I drew that first picture in September 2014 I was 32 years old. I’d always wanted to be able to draw, but just never got round to it or knew how to get started. Like a lot of people, fandom is what inspired me and gave me the push I needed. It’s the most amazing feeling to be able to draw now, to be able to get down what’s in my head, to make things I love and am proud of. I know I still have a lot to learn but that’s where the fun is!

If you’re one of those people always thinking ‘wow I wish I could draw’, here is how I did it:

I worked through the book You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler, which a friend recommended to me (if I'd known then about the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards I'd have used that too, but I didn't. It's good though)

I filled up a couple of sketchbooks with terrible drawings, mainly figure studies from quickposes.com and bad drawings of my blorbos

Finally thought I had something good enough to post, posted it, received so much support and love that I carried on, and I honestly cannot thank all of you enough for that

Kept drawing and drawing, making myself do the things that were hard or that I thought were above my skill level (harsh truth: you will never get better at the hands if you don't draw the hands)

After a little while I thought 'I wonder if I can use my iPad as a drawing tablet', and started using the Procreate app (then about £4, now about £10 I think, still a flipping bargain), first with my finger, then with a stylus that came with my iPad case, then with a slightly better stylus I bought on eBay, then two years ago I got a better iPad and could have a Pencil which is AMAZING

I have also recently taken two Procreate courses on Domestika which taught me a lot of things about drawing in general and Procreate in particular and I should probably have sought this information out sooner! They were Atmospheric Scenes in Procreate: Paint with Color and Light by Ramona Wultschner, and Female Character Portraits in Procreate, by Natalia Dias, and I would recommend them both

And I kept drawing a whole bunch and my friends were super encouraging so I just kept going and didn't stop

I have tips! Things I've learnt along the way

If you use Procreate, look up and learn about clipping masks, alpha lock, streamline, liquify, Gaussian blur

Don't worry too much about brushes, I mainly just use the hard and soft airbrushes and two versions of round marker (one with low streamline for sketching and one with high streamline for line art). I have a spotty one for freckles and that's about it really for what I use 99% of the time. People will try and sell you brushes by making you think you'll be able to draw like them if you have the right brushes but you won't and you don't want to draw like them anyway, you want to draw like YOU

Use more layers than you think you'll need, you can always merge them later

You will suck at first. You will suck so bad you will want to cry. But you have to be terrible, it's the only way to get to not terrible. The only way you STAY terrible is if you give up

Just when everything seems awful and everything you draw is crap and you don't ever want to draw again, that is when you must KEEP GOING and PUSH THROUGH because you are about to level up. Persevere just a little bit longer and soon you will be staring at your own hands thinking 'HOW'

Drawing is a learnt skill. There is no such thing as Talent, just people who've spent longer learning and practicing than you have. Eight years ago I couldn't reverse park my car, either, and then I got a new job where it was really handy to be able to reverse park in the car park and now I'm really good at it. You can improve at anything if you're willing to put in the time! GROWTH MINDSET!!

[darkened-storm]

Mayblade Day 11

Another 500 words, here we go! This scene needed a bit of a refresh and to finalise some details. Thanks to @bladerbunny for her feedback on the technical side of things!

Music

She looked up from the page as the door to the recording room opened and Matt joined her, placing his guitar carefully down on the table before slumping into the couch beside her, his gazed fixated on her sketchbook. “Are they the new designs for Seraphina’s weight disk?” She nodded, distracted by the casual way which fingers played with the ends of her ponytail. “Can I see?” he asked unexpectedly. “Shouldn’t you be practising?” she asked, glancing towards the recording room. Through the sound-proof window she could see Mike discussing something rather animatedly with the band’s drummer. “Mike wants to make some changes to the opening riff,” Matt explained, looking bored. He gave her ponytail a gentle tug towards him and reached for the sketchbook. She watched him fan through the pages. “I had a thought about your redesign in class today,” he told her. “Endurance type beyblades are at a disadvantage when facing an attack type like Carlos and Enrique’s because their lightweight design means they can’t absorb as much of an impact.” Steph nodded, surprised by his knowledge. “Yes,” she said, “but even with the modifications we’ve made to the weight disk so far, Dizzi’s simulation still gives us a negative outcome.” He took the pencil from her hand. “That’s because even with the added weight, your spin velocity is still too low. Think back to what we learnt in class today; what are the the three things that define angular momentum?” “Velocity, mass and radius,” she answered without thinking. “But I can’t make Seraphina any heavier without sacrificing her overall stamina.” Matt shook his head. “I’m not talking about increasing the weight of your beyblade - I’m talking about changing the distribution of that weight.” He began to copy the sketches of her weight disk onto a new page, but changed them slightly, making the outer edge of the weight disk thicker. “If you distribute more of the weight towards the outer edge of the beyblade, you’ll get a greater rotational inertia - ” “And it will absorb a greater impact,” Steph said, catching onto his train of thought. She frowned, staring at the drawing and trying to imagine it in three dimensions. “Generating enough torque at launch is going to be tricky,” she mused. “Perhaps,” he agreed. “But you’ll be able to withstand Carlos’s attacks better.” The door to the recording room creaked open and Mike stuck his head into the room, waving a handful of music sheets with bright red scribbles on them in Matt’s direction. “Hey Matt, we’re supposed to be making music in here.” Matt rolled his eyes and handed the sketchbook back to her. “Now they want to practice,” he muttered, hauling himself to his feet and picking up his bass guitar. Mike was grinning now, looking as though he’d just reinvented the wheel. “So get this; for the opening riff …”

[jorjawdesign]

Vector Drawing Swap 

Homework Task (W2-3) 

The goal of this task is to show our understanding of past lessons and our skill level with the pen tool by creating vector drawings with a partner. Firstly, we each create two pencil drawings of an object or scene then swap these drawings with our partner. Then, using ehc other’s pencil drawing we draw them as vector line art in Adobe Illustrator using what we have learnt previously. Once our vector drawings are done, we send them to our partner to be revised and improved, our feedback is then given to our partner. My partner for this activity was Lizzie, her post about this task is here - https://lizzietylee-op.tumblr.com/page/5 

Step 1: Pencil Drawings 

I found my icons on the website 'Noun Project’ one is a superhero and the other is a cactus. I chose these icons because I thought they would be a good challenge and would need to be made using different tools/techniques like the stroke properties or trying to blend different paths that can’t be made with one line. I also drew these in my workbook which I think is interesting as it shows how different making vectors are to drawing with pen and paper, for instance making perfect circles, straight lines and being able to create different line weights that are even throughout can be done and changed easily with Illustrator but by hand you need the help of stencils/things to trace, different pens, rulers, etc. 

Step 2: Vector Drawings 

I received these two pencil drawings from Lizzie to be created into vector drawing using Adobe Illustrator.

At first, I thought these drawings looked quite easy to recreate in Illustrator, however I did struggle a bit with blending the different paths/shapes together, so it looked like a whole shape and not multiple different ones. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to use the ellipse or rectangle tool in our vector drawings, so I decided to challenge myself and create everything with the pen tool using what we learnt about the shift tool to create straight lines and ‘perfect’ circles. If I could improve these drawings, I would want them to look a bit more like the pencil drawings like make the racoon’s eyes look cuter and not as psychotic which I think is because the eyes are symmetrical whereas the pencil drawing is more asymmetrical which adds to the cuteness. I also think the painting icon would look better as all black like the pencil drawing. 

Step 3: Improvements & Feedback 

After creating each of our drawings into vectors we are now to send them back to each other to be improved and for feedback. Overall, both Lizzie and I found that there wasn’t too much to improve on and it was mainly just nit picking at the small things.  

The main things I altered of Lizzie’s vectors were to follow the specifications of this task – no fill and 4-point stroke, these changes to the drawing did affect parts of the vectors which I had to fix, so there are some parts I fixed that likely wouldn’t have been there if Lizzie was aware of making her drawings no fill with 4 point stroke. I think Lizzie did a great job with the cactus vector as it did not require many changes and I had to really look to find something to alter, the cactus spikes on the outer side of the circle did have to be moved closer because I changed the drawing to a 4-point stroke, other than that I only needed to adjust some anchor points on the pot/vase which created corners or didn’t make the shape flow nicely. I was really impressed with the main cactus shape, as it looks quite seamless and like she used the ellipse tool (not sure if she did or not).

The superhero icon needed a bit more work, the cape was affected by changing the drawing to no fill but other than there were a few parts that just needed to be straightened or connected to other paths such as the arm and the bottom of the legs. A part I fixed was the head where the anchor point handles needed to be adjusted to make it look like a circle, I am not the best at doing this and so it does not look perfect but hopefully somewhat better. Another part I fixed was the shoulder area where the arm joins with it, the shoulders were created as a part of the cape and the line that connects with this part creates a weird corner, so I added an arc that follows the shoulder curve to make it flow better. I really liked how this vector turned out and at first glance it looks quite easy to recreate but there are parts, especially with trying to connect/blend the different paths that make it quite difficult.  

Overall, I think Lizzie did a great job with these vectors, I did have be quite fussy with what I altered/improved and there were a few parts that I found and had to be fixed because I changed the drawings to no fill and 4point stroke. This was also a great way for us to practice our pen tool skills and learn different ways to approach making vectors. I believe this activity also helped me learn what I need to and want to improve on with my pen tool skills as well as what I want to learn more about.  

[grad603-poppi]

B4

Lecture notes

Disneys 12 Principles of Animation:

- Squash and Stretch

- Anticipation

- Staging 

- Straight action and pose to pose 

- Follow through and overlapping action

- Slow in and slow out

- Arc (travelling in an arc) 

- Timing 

- Exaggeration 

- Solid drawing

- Appeal 

Workshop

In the workshop we learnt how to navigate after effects.

We learnt about:

- Key frames 

- Shortcuts

- Compositions

- Wavelengths in audio

- Frames in seconds

- Grids and guides

- Saving and rendering

- Layers

- Source text

- Squash and Stretch

- Layer controls

SDL

After this class I went home and practised some of what I had learnt. This is my first time ever using after affects so I needed to spend a lot of time learning.

I tried constructing a composition in photoshop and using the “import and composition (retain layer sizes) I inserted into after affects to test my skills on animating each layer.

I created a newspaper composition.

Feedback from teachers suggested a few things about this composition

1. The text and shapes were to close to the edge of the page

2. Their was too much negative space 

This was my solution 

- I feel that this uses space better

- resembles more of a newspaper 

- uses text and layout style of 1980′s newspapers (sans serif type, dark grey paper, high contrast images

DESIGN STYLE^ WHY?

Typefaces: 

I have selected kilographg because bold, condensed sans-serif typeface were very common in newspapers in 1981, so this contacts my kinetic type to the time period of the audio to enhance the feel of being taken back.

I choose Avenir for body text because it is simple, readable and pairs well with Kilograph

Colours:

After researching, newspapers in both New Zealand and the rest of the world consisted of the colours, dark red, black and white, with often a grey-toned textured paper. 

Additionally, red black and white are closely associated with New Zealand, most specifically with the Maori culture. Because this event was such a significant let down to the Maori population, I feel that using these colours makes a statement and reminds viewers the importance of this event by relating it to the people it affected the most. 

Thirdly, I want to make red an important colour because it signifies the true violence and horror that came from the Springbok tour. The audio supplied to me has a very eerie feel, and I want to enhance this visually. 

Textures:

I have also added a few reference textures to use when constructing the newspaper scenes in my animation. 

[tennant-the-tigger]

The Munsons

After school Wayne and Eddie would hang out at the trailer park tables. Little Eddie doing his homework, while Wayne has his coffee before he heads off to work.For Wayne, this is his favorite and most precious part of the day. That hat collection in the trailer is 100% Wayne’s, and the mugs too. Some are merch from places or events he visited, and the rest of them are from Eddie who gives him a new mug every Father’s Day.

My Stranger Things Art 

[iliveiloveiwrite]

8 from misc. And 6 from steamy scenes with Benedict Bridgerton. ❤

Treasure Hunts // Benedict Bridgerton

a/n: I'm so sorry for the wait! please read the warnings, this isn't straight smut, but it gets sort of heavy. for all the smut I read, you’d think I’d be comfortable writing it... but alas I am not.

warnings: this gets steamy - making out, fondling, grinding, stripping. female reader, marriage, married couple, fluff, treasure hunts.

wc: 1.4k - this really ran off from me, it’s meant to be a blurb.

As every season in London comes to an end, yourself and Benedict make your way back to My Cottage, your children happily staying behind with their beloved grandmother. The time alone was precious. As much as you adored your children, you missed spending time alone with Benedict where adult matters could be discussed or a treasure hunt could be planned on behalf of your husband.

It had all started when Benedict brought up the idea of a night once a fortnight dedicated to the two of you where there was no talk of the children or of the family. It was to be a night simply for the two of you. However, deep within the country where there were no major functions due to the end of the season, there wasn’t much that could be offered in the form of a date night.

It was why instead of waking up to your handsome husband, you felt a crinkle of a piece of paper. Frowning in your sleep, you force yourself to consciousness, reading the words written there.

“A meal a day, mostly in the morn. You’ll find the next clue, tucked in the torn.”

Your sleep addled brain takes a moment to catch up with itself; your eyes adjusting to the morning light as the words on the slip of paper become clearer. Sitting up in bed, you hike the sheets over your body to protect yourself from the chill as you try to figure out your husband’s plan.

The torn?

It comes back to you in a rush. A chime of laughter; the press of a kiss; the smell of cologne. The torn was what Benedict and you called the ripped piece of wallpaper behind the sideboard table. In the very early days of your marriage, it was even harder to keep your hands from Benedict. In this particular instance, Benedict was at fault, capturing you at breakfast. The sideboard banged against the wall to the point of damaging the decorating – something the both of you realised as Benedict was re-tying the laces of your dress.

Dressing quickly, you rush down to the breakfast room, heading for the sideboard where you notice a slim piece of cream paper sticking up between the wall and table.

Snatching it, a private smile adorns your lips, remembering the very moment that had led to the damaged wallpaper. Years had passed since that day, yet the need to have your husband in every shape and form hadn’t lessened. As Benedict slowly began to grey with age, you found yourself more attracted to the man than ever.

Shaking your head, you open Benedict’s note. “We greet here, but never eat. We smile here, but never beam.”

The drawing room.

The answer comes to you immediately, not needing the time to decipher the note. It had become a custom through your marriage that you would not be the family that live their lives in the drawing room, waiting for others to drop by and visit. Early on in your marriage, Benedict decreed that the drawing room would be suitable for formalities, but the real part of your marriage would take place in another room in the house – a room suitable for living, not performing.

The drawing room is cold when you enter; the morning sun not high enough in the sky to begin warming the room through. A fire would need to be lit should you enter again on the hunt Benedict has sent you on.

Pausing in the doorway, you think for a moment as to where Benedict might hide his next note. The drawing room was so rarely used; the both of you choosing to host family and close friends in a much more informal setting.

In his elegant scrawl resides a riddle: “My spine is stiff. My body, pale. I’m always ready to tell a tale.”

Gathering your skirts in your hands, you keep tight hold of the riddle, marching through the house to the small library where Benedict knows you spend most of your time when not occupied by him or the children.

There, on the small table you use to rest your teacup, lies another piece of paper. Without another moment to lose, you reach for the paper, not giving yourself enough time for pause, desperate to know the next clue in your treasure hunt.

“When I’m not by your side, you’ll find me here.”

Not so much a riddle, but a test on your behalf.

Benedict was an artist. He was a husband, a father, an uncle, but he was an artist before he was all those things.

His studio is on the second floor of the house; located at the end of the corridor, down the hall from the children’s nursery and playroom. Benedict wasn’t an artist that needed silence to focus; in a house of eight children, silence was a virtue yet seldom found, so he learnt to focus with noise.

You knock once, entering anyway. Benedict never minded the interruptions; he rather enjoyed them, knowing he would either get to talk to you about art, or kiss you senseless.

Your husband stands by the large window; hands clasped behind his back as he stares at the view of the English countryside. His strong back faces you; he’s forgone all formal clothing today, settling simply for a pair of breeches and one his loose white t-shirts. Your mouth dries at the sight, admiring the view of his muscular back, only just visible through the translucent fabric of his shirt.

“You’ve had me running around all morning,” you tease, “What do I win?”

“You’ll have to come closer to find out,” Benedict challenges, turning to face you.

Raising a single eyebrow to his challenge, you wander slowly to your husband, feeling anticipation begin to stir in your gut. No words are muttered; not a single whisper as you join your husband at the window.

All he does is kiss you.

Heat rises from your stomach to your chest; your heart pounding so loud you wonder briefly whether Benedict can hear it. His lips are hot and insistent on yours; taking early control of the kiss as his hands wander to the loose ties of your dress. He tastes of the traditional cup of breakfast tea he has every morning; the very taste is addicting as Benedict taps your right hip twice – the signal for you to jump.

Your legs wrap around his waist; his hands drop from your back to cup your bum through the masses of skirt. Benedict settles you on a table you briefly remember is covered in paint though the very thought flies right out of your mind as Benedict’s hands drift up and under your skirt, caressing the soft skin there. Soft moans fall from your lips as you break the kiss, coaxing Benedict further as you slowly begin to grind your hips in the hopes of getting his hand where you desire it most.

A smirk curls the edges of his lips as he enjoys teasing you. Kiss after kiss is pressed to your bare shoulder; the man only a moment away from laughter as he catches sight of the frustration so clearly written on your face.

You reach for the hem of his shirt, you tug at the fabric, ripping the buttons clean off the material. Your fingers skim over the bare, taut skin of Benedict’s stomach, revelling in the soft moans that leave his mouth as your fingers move lower to the band of his breeches. His mouth falls slack as you take hold of heat waiting there.

He huffs angrily when you pull your hand from his breeches; a satisfied grin on your face. It doesn’t take much for Benedict to wipe the grin from your face; he kisses you once more, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth as he draws you even closer to him. Your hands wind their way into his hair, tugging at the long locks, loving the groan that sounds in the back of his throat.

Benedict breaks the kiss; his chest heaving from the effort. He smiles at you; it lights up his face, making him seem younger, more boyish as a devious glint begins to take over.

He tugs at the shoulders of your dress; your arms free of the material as you remain exposed to the man you love. Your chest bare; breath heaving from your body as Benedict presses kiss after kiss to the naked skin. “You’ve won your prize,” Benedict murmurs, his lips painting the words against your skin as if you were one of his landscapes. “What would you have me do now?”

“Touch me,” you breathe, hitching your skirts higher around your hips to gain better purchase on the man you promised to love for better, for worse, and for richer, for poorer.

“Happily.”

[myezblog]

Rock, Paper, Scissor - Who is controlling the game?

First Time.... and second time

The first time they played it. Kinn - rock, Porsche - scissor. What does the first time represent. It represents their default, going in position. You play the hand that you are most used to, the one you most gravitate too, the one you would throw if surprised or asked to do abruptly.

The second time, same thing happens

Third time and the Fourth Time

Kinn does not change. Porsche has read him and goes for a winning hand. Read their expression just before their scene. Kinn just called Porsche loser, and is comfortable in his “superior” position and winning status. Porsche has shifty eyes, he is deciding and planning his next move, and goes for the win.

The fourth time

kinn STILL DOES NOT CHANGE. Porsche has won twice!

( PS: Watching knowing brothers has taught me that statistically stoic men/ partriachial men go for fist in first play .. don’t ask.. Hodong mentioned it and i assure you the context was very serious.. like discussing strategies on how to play various versions of RPS.. and how hodong uses it to win and how he reads opposition plus how you can use this to manipulate and condition opposition to throw a sign you want)

The fifth time

I repeat, KINN DOES NOT CHANGE

Porsche goes for scissor.

1. Did Porsche choose to go back to his default position (i like seeing you happy, so i’ll let you lead as it makes you happy.. You can also call this foreshadowing)? 

2. Did Porsche expect too much intelligence from Kinn (that Kinn might have learnt after 4 attempts and may play a paper or a scissor this time.. either way Porsche will be better off because it will either be his win or draw)

3. Did Porsche expect a change , just because this play has gone on for too long and surely Kinn would ruffle things.. would go for a change?

This is what happens before and after the scene:

Porsche happy at his 2nd win (4th play)

Competitive Kinn is back. He takes this very seriously (the game -> the ticket to “lead” -> natural expectation from self to lead)

The fifth hand .. Kinn so so happy after winning..

and i think, it is one of the earliest moments when Porsche registers exactly how childlike Kinn is (the fish hunting hasn’t happened until now, the singing conversation hasn’t happened until now, the fire hasn’t happened until now).. 

And then if you see.. Porsche indulges him like a child asking for a 6th play.. but then sweetly, and oh so easily taking Kinn’s lead and allowing Kinn to drag himself in whichever direction

************************************************

As soon as this line is said, background music changes to comedy. When i watched it first, i took it to mean Porsche is trying to lighten the mood with his joke/teasing and move away from the serious “previous night” and “forgive” conversation. And, i still think that’s exactly what Porsche is doing! Even suggesting Kinn should cut his hand off.

If i don’t have a hand ... ( i don’t need it because i have to work, i don’t need it because i have Porchay to take care of).. but a logic of equals.. Kinn, you cut your hand and can still control your bodyguards.. BUT hey, how am I to protect you!.. LOL.. i give 100% to logic here

And, Porsche is succesful. Kinn has successfully gone back to a relaxed mode. Also, reminding Porsche that he needs to sacrifice himself :)

We are in happy bickering space again.

And then kinn goes serious again

The tone has changed. And, porsche does not respond to this in any way (he doesn’t nod, he doesn’t say yes.. just inhales and get into the “ready to play” decision.

***************************************************************

This is beautiful:

Porsche chooses to go for a Draw!!! .... BUT Kinn goes for a loss this time

( i am slightly confused here though, because i also think that neither chose to play.. like they are still in “ready to strike”  position.. and not really playing fists)

If Kinn plays and sticks to his behavior before - he would play fist and this will end in draw (Porsche perspective)

Kinn is calculating. He has never trusted anyone because he can’t. Everyone betrays. Porsche doesn’t even hide Kin’s lack of importance in Porsche’s life, and he is definitely not going to lose his hand. So, Kinn does not want to throw surprises. The hand he plays this time is not him “not changing”, but changing enough to maintain the status quo and give Porsche what he wants..

Play paper, you know i don’t change, win this. .. go!

( Ofcourse Kinn knows that no one has to lose hand.. but Porsche doesn’t and the stakes are too high)

BUT, BUT PORSCHE GOES FOR A DRAW... and then eventual Defeat.

The softened gaze!

[gg8473]

hii!! wanted to tell you that i absolutely love walk in the sun and especially claire, you did such an amazing job. do you have any tips on working on short visual novels on your own?

thank you! it got a little long ^^;;

-give yourself a finishing date (or join a gamejam)

you have to know when to stop! you have to make something presentable. finished is better than perfect. gamejams give you that sense of a countdown. you have to make sure it works!

-give yourself a wordcount (final + daily) + limits

i was working during the two weeks of the jam. so i had to dev for an hour or 2 afterhours lol, then longer on weekends. set a timer. if you wanna work more after do, but if you cant - dont. theres always tomorrow.

writing doesnt come to me as easily as drawing does. because ive learnt to draw for… all my life. make it a habit, and you'll be surprised when your finished.

for walk in the sun it was 500 words a day, because i wanted it to be 10k. then i broke up each scene into smaller goals. didnt reach either of those! thats part of learning how you work. some days i wrote 1k. some days it was 200. i bounced between bgs/menu/coding/sprites but you have to sit down and do it. theres no other way.

10k was a goal, but once i got into it - i realized i wasn't going to hit it / the story didnt need to be that long.

use everything you can to make your life easy. use assets. all of walk in the sun is either photos I took on my phone with a free csp filter on top, or free 3D assets from csp. i cannot make that many bgs in that time. its too much. theres workarounds for everything.

do you really need full body sprites? do you need that many facial sprites? do you really need a third character? how many endings? how many routes? is this a linear story? how many words get this feeling across? claire and jamie didnt have names at the beginning. they were girl a and girl b until i realized it was a pain to code them that way.

limit your palette. walk in the sun was heavily inspired from nokias/old phone screens so all the ui is modeled after that.

i kept a log on a googledoc to track progress and what i had to gather throughout. its good to get your thoughts out and celebrate daily wins.

-know your weakness

i am not a musician in ANY sense of the word. freesound is your friend. i know how to make renpy do what i want, but people with more knowledge than me post code up on lemmasoft and itchio. its there to help you! use it!

-youre better then you think you are

go with your gut. if its your first and youre just getting started - write. you can fix it later. you can get feedback. youre the only person who can tell a story your way. whats important is that you finish it. then you can make the next one! youre only gonna get better.

[bowiebond]

idk where else to go with this because there so so few blogs that talk about jason but i have to spread my trans autistic jason carver agenda. do i have evidence? no it's just because i said so. also the shark watch he wore to chrissy's funeral. that's so autism of him i'm dedicating my life to getting that watch now.

I WENT AND REWATCHED THAT SCENE AND OMG HE DOES IM CACKLING

That’s so autistic of him. I bet his special interests are basketball and sharks. He only really gets to talk about basketball tho sadly, but I bet his room has a JAW poster, pictures of him with sharks at Aquariums and parks, drawings from when he was a kind, books about different kinds of sharks amongst all his trophy’s and NBA cards (👀 fuck it it’s going into my fic, sorry op, stolen skskks)

I think it would explain a lot about him too. The way he processes his grief; it feels pretty close to home, needing the space to melt down alone, plus his strict sense of justice, the need to take it into his hands when he feels others are not doing it right (*cough* ACAB *cough*).

His also pretty literal. He doesn’t cut corners with implication. Always has his hands in his pockets when not in use (hidden t-Rex arms I’m calling it okay—)

And he does not do well with change. I feel that. He feels very much like a boy who learnt how to mask young and flew under the radar for just being a “bratty kid” until he was old enough to learn better — probably grew up into a perfectionist with a bit of social anxiety due to always being the central focus of everyone around him but also learned how to build an ego from that to survive.

He’d probably also resent Eddie who is everything he’s not. I think Eddie has a combo of ADHD and ASD and he’s very much a freak. Doesn’t get cues, loud, hyper and always on the move. Jason can’t do that and he probably feels a deep resentment/jealousy towards the guy for it. If we’re going with the Autistic Jason POV.

I like it. I like it a lot 👀 thank you OP