#I thought it'd be fun to draw them and see how they might look in a graphic novel/cartoon-semi realism style

[ghcstcd]

I feel like I haven't shared anything for a while. So here's a wip of Vessel <3

[inzuinzudesu]

Please zoom in to see small Kakashi! 😭 He kinda disappeared 😭😭😭

Text translation: "Infinite Tsukuyomi" (無限月読)

Drew these in mid-July - when I started doing digital again actually 🤔

Took inspo from the Balut - a street food in my country; I hear a lot of people are grossed out by it?? Don't know if this is controversial, but I personally love the dish. Essentially grew up with it after all!

Wanted to draw something that feels a bit creepy but still has a sense of mysticality to it???

Meh, don't know if the feeling got across or not

I thought since Halloween is coming up, might as well post this haha

About the process of drawing these!

These were very fun to draw! I messed around a lot with photoshop to achieve this glowy dusty effect?? From the brushes to the blending options, and maaan the filter gallery 😭😭 Such fun tools to play with.

The main brush I used to achieve the dusty effect is called "KYLE Bonus Chunky Charcoal", in the Kyle Dry Media brush set. If you can, I recommend checking it out! There are definitely other ways to achieve this sort of effect, though. You can probably just use some sort of scatter texture brush and it'd work just fine. Studying is all about trying things out, right? This is like my first experiment with this type of effect, and I was happy at the time. Now looking back, these could most definitely turn out better, no? I really went overboard with just the effect and forgot everything else. The blood and the plate looks horrible man. If you look closely, you can see the sketch lines haha! I got lazy!

Also, for Obito's pose, I relied heavily on a reference I found on pinterest 😭 I wish I'd changed the pose more tbh, it looks really boring.

And I gotta say, these just look underwhelming in this smaller size. Like reaaaaaally underwhelming. Would love to show you the big version, but oh well! 😭😭😭

Brain vomit time!

I love the prospect (??? is that the right word) of Obito being all god-like and powerful after Tsukuyomi, having control over everybody's dream worlds?? And like he jumps from dream to dream, but stops at Kakashi's and picks it apart???? Observing and tormenting Kakashi with his childhood form that has both sharingan???????

Kakashi would probably be confused with Obito's appearance at first, asking questions like "What are you up to this time, Obito?", but then wouldn't receive any answers??? Like little man would just stare at him creepily, and Kakashi would push this to the back of his mind for a while???

Umm below is the technical stuff, I guess??

My headcanon is that the time span in the dream world is the same as the real world. Meaning, 30 years in the dream world feel incredibly real, with no gap of memories. It's essentially a different timeline. Whether this makes sense or not, who knows haha!

Let's talk about the dream events and how they affect Kakashi! Due to Sakumo and team Minato still living, this Kakashi probably wouldn't be as lax nor sad as in canon?? The relationships and personalities would be different huh???? I'm having a headache thinking about this, so let's just say that: 1. Sakumo lived because the villagers weren't as harsh, but the animosity still remained. Kakashi still developed this obsession with rules, but he doesn't blame his dad as much. 2. Kannabi happened, Kakashi was given the sharingan, along with Obito's ninja way. Team Minato thought that Obito died for a while, but Obito is 'rescued' by Madara, same as canon. 3. Rin would still be targeted by Madara, but Obito came in time to help with the situation, blocking Kakashi's chidori from connecting with Rin's chest, but also knocking Kakashi away. Then, a Mist enemy took advantage of the situation to attack Kakashi, injuring him gravely, to the point where everybody thought he died. With this, Obito activated his Mangekyou and exploded on the Mist enemies, killing them all. Meanwhile, Rin tried to heal Kakashi, just barely saving him. As Obito had dealt with the enemies, there was no need to rush back to the village, and the Sanbi wouldn't be released till then. And so, they waited for Minato to come and help with Rin's seal. (About Obito's Mangekyou activating with Kakashi's death - would that be too far-fetched? My reasoning is that Obito would think that it was his fault Kakashi died, because it was Obito who knocked Kakashi away into the enemy, no?) 4. Because there's no one to become 'Madara' now that Obito came back to the village, Naruto is born, Minato and Kushina live.

5. The Uchiha massacre doesn't happen.

(Everything is incredibly convenient, because I don't have the brain power to make it otherwise, please help 😭😭) -> In conclusion, this Kakashi resembles the Kakashi of the real world, but less depressed and self-destructive??? He loves his living comrades. My man still has a massive obsession (more like crush lol) with Obito by the way, just like in canon. He just doesn't show it.

-> About Obito of the dream world (I'mma call him Dreambito), he is all sunshine and brightness, but he exhibits some dark thoughts and deep rage from time to time due to the residual effects of Madara's seal on his heart. The seal has been removed though. And he has this obsession with Kakashi's safety, as he almost pushed him to his death once, albeit accidentally.

-> I was debating whether to just start this dream world at the point where Obito got crushed, or to start it at the beginning of Kakashi's life. In the end, I went with the latter, cuz ya know, I like the idea of Kakashi living through a whole life all over again, just to finally come to the realization that it's all a dream. Does that make any sense at all??

Obito (child form - 13) first appears in front of Kakashi at the start of the Naruto series, when Kakashi has officially become the teacher of team 7. (Let's not change this okay, my brain would fry haha I'm not gonna deny that the idea of Obito and Kakashi becoming co-teachers of team 7 isn't incredibly fun though)

After the first encounter with this child Obito, Kakashi begins to have flashes of memories from the real world, and he hallucinates about people's deaths - mostly about the members of team Minato. This young Obito is always in the corner of his vision, most of the time silent, sometimes saying things like "You trash" to Kakashi whenever he encounters Rin, who is whole and grown up in this world.

Kakashi exhibits more destructive behaviors as this goes on, the line between the dream events and the real events slowly blurring. He takes more dangerous solo missions out of the village, and shows strong signs of PTSD, just like in canon.

The two Obitos would contrast each other?? Like Dreambito would be all concerned with Kakashi's decline in health (both mental and physical) and goes to confront and comfort him, many times over because that's how it is with them??? Dreambito might even move in with Kakashi, being the obsessive and protective Uchiha that he is. Meanwhile young Obito would be an absolute asshole, saying all these horrible things to poison Kakashi's mind haha

At this point, Dreambito'd be in the last stage on the journey of becoming Hokage, gaining the all the trust from the Uchiha clan, the village elders and the villagers as a whole. I don't know about Rin, though? Should she be romantically involved with Dreambito or no? Would Kakashi dream that??

I think Kakashi's dream would somewhat focus more on Dreambito being happy and satisfied, to be honest. I know there's Sakumo and team Minato as a whole, but as a degenerate shipper, I love the obsession between them🥺

I don't think Obito would directly interfere with what Kakashi is dreaming about, i.e. changing Dreambito's behavior, or like the political situation of the villages (?). But he would most definitely insert himself in Kakashi's psyche, no? Mess it up real good.

Kakashi would slowly realize that he is living a dream world, after all the flashes of memories that Obito generates in his mind. He would most definitely deny it at first though, I think? And then it would reach a point where Kakashi remembers everything from the real world, but he has also lived through 30 something years of the dream world, meaning he'd be in his 60s?? Does that make sense or no?

And so, while Kakashi now knows that everything is a dream, his feelings for everybody in the dream are real. If that's the case, is it really that important anymore that he escapes the Tsukuyomi? Can this dream world really be called fake at this point? Is there even anything in the real world for him to return to?

What's to say 'the real world' isn't a dream at this point?

-> Kakashi would completely close in on himself after this. He still does things that he would normally do, but it'd be all an act. He would feel completely isolated.

-> Dreambito would notice and confront him again, now that they live in the same house??? Kakashi would like say everything is fine and try to act more convincingly, but Dreambito would still know something's wrong????

-> Obito is observing from afar, who knows what his motivation is at this point.

Because this is Kakashi's dream world, I suppose he would have the power to change this world to his will, now that he's aware? This is like a lucid dream situation???

The people in the dream have their own will up until this point, but Kakashi can somewhat change their behavior if he really wants to, whether it's subconsciously or not??? Example: He can probably will Dreambito to kiss him or something lol

So on and so forth!

Man, I'm having waaay too much fun imagining the pain. There are probably like a thousand things that doesn't make sense haha! I do wonder how this sort of storyline should end though, does anybody have any ideas? Personally, I prefer slow burn with a (sort of) happy ending, but ya know, angst all the way is good too! I can't write, but I love thinking about all the things that could happen 😭😭 English isn't my first language, so this might have felt weird to read at some point haha

If anybody wants to develop this, please feel free to do so! And if you've read this far, thank you for reading this absolute brain vomit of mine! I love to yap, as you can tell haha Have a good day!

[cherryfennec]

Okay I love your most recent art work of Mario and Mr. L!!! I’m just curious how on earth did you draw their hats so well?? Especially the brim of their hats?! Hats are the one thing I struggle with when drawing them! I can’t make it look believable!

Hi! First of all thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you like the art! Now as for hats (more specifically Mario and Luigis type) there can be different ways you might go about drawing them.

(I should probably mention at the beginning that I am not an expert and sometimes struggle myself as well. Despite this I'll try my best to explain how I usually approach it.)

Let's start with brims because they seem the most problematic (as I see it.)

What I'm going to talk about might already be intuitive for a lot of people, including myself, however I thought it'd be a good idea to break down the mindset so everyone is on the same page and those who have trouble seeing it can hopefully understand stuff better.

First it's obviously the idea. No real details, just the general idea. With it we'll be able to establish the basic rules for what you're drawing, most importantly the angle and perspective.

Now this is going to be pretty self explanatory but: if I'm drawing a character looking up I know that the bottom of the brim will be visible, if the characters looking down it won't and etc. An easy way to check which parts of the brim will be visible from a specific view point is to imagine it as a slab.

Now this isn't anything mind blowing, I know, but saying this out loud can be handy and save you some overthinking.

Alright, let's talk about the hat itself now!

In most of the pictures I could find of the bros hats they're divided into two parts: the front, which is taller and slightly spiked up, and the back, which is noticeably shorter. Now this kinda goes back to the idea of simplifying shapes:

At some point it unfortunately becomes rather difficult to explain why some stuff is drawn the way it is because it's kinda justified by: "that's how the real life counterparts act". Above everything I highly recommend references, both irl and ingame ones. It's not embarrassing to use them, trust me, no one will criticise you and they'll help!

Now that we got the brim and the hat, let's put the two together!

There isn't really a strict order of how you should draw things, everyone has different preferences and processes which should be taken into consideration. For example, I personally like to draw the entire head before I touch on the cap:

(I added the hair and colours for the sole purpose of this post, this process is usually done during rough sketching.)

This way I have a point of reference where the brim ends (right before the ear for me) and where I should place the middle line on the cap (it's a bit of a stylistic choice than anything but it also lets me know where the fold will be). You can find your own way and make your own rules and with time the process will get much easier! I hope this somewhat helps.

Just practice, have patience, experiment and most importantly: have fun!

[kissingarthurclaus]

Check it out, I found some ref sheets for one of my favorite Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters!! 😊🫶

It was so much fun to work on this! I've been meaning to update Brea's ref officially for a while now, and for some reason I thought it'd be fun to imitate the style of the clone wars character sheets. I think it turned out pretty good, and I'll probably draw some more show-accurate style stuff soon! (taglist + some detail ramblings under the cut)

So, one of the neat things I did in this ref sheet was sort of break up the segments for Brea's hair! Both to help future artists I may commission get a better understanding of it, and to have an idea of how it might be 'rigged' for animation, inspired by a note I saw on Anakin's season 7 ref sheets.

The progression of her outfits is something I've thought about a lot too, and I think it reflects the animation style over the years and in some cases her personality!

Seasons 1-2 had very limited animation, so her outfit isn't very complicated and doesn't have a ton of moving parts. Her iconic waist drapery is missing so they wouldn't have to animate it, and her outfit is...visibly kinda slutty as you can see 😂 given what outfit they put Aayla Secura in, and that Ahsoka's stupid little season 1 tube top was George Lucas's input, I wouldn't put it past them to give Brea the same treatment.

Seasons 3-6 see her iconic outfit I've drawn her in the most! Her waist fabric is more for show than anything else, though it comes in handy as a blanket or a towel in a pinch. Her affinity for gold accents is most apparent in this outfit, as well.

In season 7, I think they would wanna show off just how far the animation has improved by giving her an even more complex outfit! I thought the two-tone top looked nice, as well as the cutouts on the sides of her abdomen. She also has her midriff covered for the first time, which reflects her emotional growth and maturity over the years in my mind. Her gold accents are slightly more subdued, but they're still present, she keeps a boob window and lack of sleeves to show that it's still the same Brea at heart!

Taglist♡: @me-myself-and-my-fos @tiny-cloud-of-flowers @sunstar-of-the-north @dearly-beeloved @adoredbyalatus @changeling-selfship @crushes-georg @cherry-bomb-ships

@rosieaurora @rejaytionships @in-true-blue-love @tropicalgothships @little-miss-selfships @hotrodharts @cupiidzbow @frozenhi-chews

@limey-self-inserts @candyheartedchy @space-sweetheart @halsinkisser @clancyismylover

[leoruby-draws]

Kid Villains, pt 2.

Decided to post more kiddy villains, bit of a sequel to this. First up is Kitten, Mothman's bratty daughter from the 2003 teen titan cartoon:

Modeled her costume after the Rosy Maple Moth, while there are species of moths with the name kitten on them I figured she would prefer a pink outfit.

Thought it'd be kinda cool for her to be a villain for the batkids, she's already evil so why not. I don't imagine her to be all that talented at the job tho she would still be very dangerous if you underestimate her. I think she would work particularly well against Steph, being that Mothman started as a villain for Barbara (Cass might be too high level for her tbh).

Here's some more doodles:

Here's my Scarecrow's sidekick oc, I should probably name her something like Rag Doll or Raggedy Scream maybe? The three boys are oc's modeled after the Terrible Trio, criminals who commit crimes wearing animal masks. Their identities change a lot over continuities, so these kids are probably aspiring to be the next incarnation of this group.

Here's another random oc, a sidekick for White Rabbit (Jaina Hudson). Thought it'd be funny if it was just a kid in a silly rabbit suit, like what the kid wore in that movie, A Christmas Story. I'm not sure on what his personality should be. Maybe someone genuinely nice, a cheerful, polite boy who likes to hand people bombs (unintentionally dangerous) or maybe someone pretending to be nice but is actually malicious. Whatever's funnier I suppose.

Here's some characters inspired by the Super Friends enemies, the Super Foes. You'd see some of them return for the Robins 2021 mini, except for Toy Boy. Giggles and Guffaw are newer, only appearing in the mini.

I messed with their designs a bit to make them more unique looking. Honeysuckle for example was shown with either red or brown hair but I gave her a sorta dark maroon, thought it contrasted well with her green outfit. Honeysuckle btw, is older than the rest, and is more of an enemy to Dick and Barbara, tho her teenage self has no problem attacking the younger sibs.

Also Giggles and Guffaw might look a little similar to a certain anime starring a group of sextuplets, just being a little funny there. I gave these kids some made up names, mostly taken from whatever writer created them. Couple of them worked out pretty well actually, like Bridwell (well, spring, stream) and Estrada (Road).

This next one is a character from the 2004 cartoon The Batman, which I never actually watched but I did see commercials of. His name is Prank ( Donnie ?), a protege of the Joker. He wasn't evil enough to stick it out, but I gotta say I just loved his costume (esp how the jacket resembles Robins coat a bit). Made up a last name for him, just a random one from searching up famous clowns.

Being Barbara's peer, he's also more of a antagonist for the older kids, decided he and Honeysuckle should friends. I kinda want to use them as a sorta contrast to Babs and Dick, that could be fun to do. Also look at baby Dick, I don't draw him enough at this age.

Speaking of Barbara, I've been going back and forth between having her start out as either 12 or 16. All the other kids start out really young, so it makes sense for Babs to do so as well. But I kinda like the thought of her starting out much older, makes her more unique among the batkids (in pre-crisis she became Batgirl in like her 20s btw, cool huh?)

More various rivals for the kids to fight, excluding my oc Pink Rabbit, all of them more antagonists for the kids themselves rather sidekicks of the villains that Batman fights.

Here's Jason and Steph torturing poor little Enigma, who would be considered the bad guy here?

Here's some more proteges, Holly probably exists in this world, she's a bit too old for all this nonsense tho. Kitten is also a Super Foes member and was in Robins 2021 as well, she's been shown to be a sidekick to the Cheetah and Catwoman. Maybe she's just likes to attach herself to any cat-themed villain.

Crazy Quilt is more of an enemy to Robin than Batman, plus he has his own legacy in Crazy Quilt II, so obviously I had to include them. I wonder what name should I give the younger one, Duvet? Silly Blankie? idk

Lastly here's Earth 3(?) Jason Todd as Talon II paying a visit to the Training Wheels universe, seems like hes a bit of a crybaby. I don't think we've seen a earth 3 variant of Jason, so I'm just making up my own version of him. Wonder why he seems so nervous...

Anyways!! That was a lot, hope you liked all that!

[splitster]

answering more POM WRAITH au/Pingo asks!!

featuring: biology questions, creatures, dingo (unfortunately), and more!! check it out ↓↓

she does need sleep! she doesn't need to sleep as often as people, but she's a little wraith and she needs to snooze every like... i dunno. three days? sure, let's go with that.

although in the first few days of her being on PNF404, i could see her getting bored one night and poking around her crewmate's rooms to see what they're doing (spoilers: they're all just sleeping). in the morning after, dingo talks about a very bizarre dream he had with a specter watching him sleep! everyone dismisses it as the ranger having some weird sleep paralysis, but pom's sweating at the table thinking about how she should be way more careful if she does that again.

this ask did inspire me though, i'll probably make more art explaining how she works sometime later hehe...

that'd be scary... although, if there's anyone incentivized to wraithify olimar, it'd probably be the plasm wraith! that golden goo is really fond of him, and they'd love to make olimar just like them

WAHH THANK YOU!!! if they ever dated and got married they'd be able to save on a dress! hehe

she might look kinda scary but she's a sweetheart!! pom would genuinely struggle to make herself hurt humans. if there's a beast threatening her crew though -- that thing is mince meat!!

WAAAHHH THANK YOU!! it's definitely a challenge to make it fit with the other wraiths but still be unique... it was fun to design though!!

IM SORRY i didn't get to your ask before i actually posted the full wraith design... there she is though!! HILAHERHLIAEERH

yes!! he's the first one to discover her secret. it'd probably happen on accident out on the field pretty early on when pom is forced to defend herself with no pikmin, but it's no difference to Oatchi -- pom is pom! he'd bark and give her helmet a lick, and when pom realizes her rescue pup isn't scared of her it's quite the relief...

i have art of oatchi and wraith pom i'll be posting later!!

WAHHH... this is cute i like this hehe!! dingo sees those striking X eyes and still falls in love!! GRRRR i must draw more pingo now...

AUGH.... OK!! more pingo on the way then boss 🫡 (i do appreciate it though lmao)

she doesn't need to eat human food, but she does need to consume living creatures for biomass! human food is definitely delicious and she very much enjoys things like chocolate or hot coco, but to sustain her form and keep up energy she has to go for creatures

i'll probably make art for this later to explain better, but it is kinda like an amoeba -- after killing something, she can cover it and dissolve it with her goo. easy peasy!

Louie: You're a wraith? I thought you were just weird like me Pom: ... Louie: ... Can you go get creatures for me

pom is trying her best to understand human social cues and etiquette but it's a struggle sometimes!

i took psychic damage from this ask thank you for penis ringo💖

YES!!!!!!!!! there are so, so many ways that could happen and each one is hilarious... i've written out a few different scenarios, i should pick one to draw out... it'd be funny if dingo learns her secret but decides to trust her and keep it safe. but he's, you know. dingo. he's not good at lying, especially to his crewmates (and especially to his actual childhood friend of a doctor who was already very suspicious of the new blood!)

of COURSE i'm very abnormal about those two.... actually if y'all have scenarios you wanna see with those two, send more asks and i'll probably end up drawing them lol

that's actually a really good question! i haven't thought too much about how her full wraith would visually change, but if she ate enough and got stronger i imagine she'd finally be as big as the other two. she'd probably gain more wraithy abilities and attacks! trying to take down a powered up full wraith pom would be a very difficult fight, even for those with the best dandori skills and a full squad of pikmin

Pom: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Shepherd: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Collin: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Dingo: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Yonny: this is gonna be fun Bernard: (doesn't care if people find out) Russ: (doesn't care if people find out) Oatchi: bark

[l-egionaire]

Just saw Kung Fu Panda 4. Here are some thoughts.

Plot was... okay. Nothing super special, but it was fine enough for the kind of story the movie was trying to tell. And there were some great imagery and animation moments. I honestly don't get all the complaints about the animation. I saw one thing on TV tropes say it'd because it's not something like Puss in Boots Two or The Bad Guys, but I'm honestly fine with it not being like those. I feel like if all animated movies used that style, people would just start to complain that they're all the same.

Zhen was fine as a character. Bit of the usual "thief with a heart of gold" type character, but while I do think her changing was a bit fast, I can get why it happens. Po's the first person to show her genuine kindness with little alterior motive, and combined with a later betrayl, I can see her motivation for becoming a better person. Her voice acting wasn't too bad, but I think it could've been better in some dramatic moments. Also, while the movie doesn't draw attention to it, I do think there's a lot of parallel that could be drawn between her and Po, not just with how they grew up but also in their parental figures. Not to mention, they ultimately aren't THAT different as characters. They're both goofy people but grew up being looked down on by others and seem to use humor or goofiness as a defense mechanism. Just that she uses snark whereas he uses his big happy personality.

I REALLY like Po in the movie. Not just because he's his usual big fun self, but because he's still just as, if not more competent as he was in the previous movies. A big issue I had with the How To Train Your Dragon franchise was how Hiccup seemed to keep being less competent or capable in the movies. But no. Po's still able to kick ass and is the skilled warrior he should be after three movies of fighting. And I do think his fear of losing his dragon warrior title is understandable since that HAS been a big part of his identity across all three movies. Some might say that it's odd he's so afraid of change since he became a teacher in the last movie, but that was just adding on to his the responsibilities he already had. I would say his arc of becoming a spiritual leader was neglected some by the end and could've used a bit more focus.

Po's dad's are great. At first, I thought their subplot was just a comedic b-plot, but I liked how they ended up getting their and providing Po emotional support. And again, while it's not given much focus, their relationship and how they encourage Po creates a nice parallel between Zhen and her parental figure.

The Chameleon as a villain isn't THAT interesting, but she's not terrible. Personality wise, she's okay, but nothing spectacular. I do think her backstory was interesting, and, like the past three villains, her backstory mirrors Po's in a way. Which I honestly kind of wished they'd focused on a little more. I think it would've given her more depth that she's hinted to have.

Yes, the Furious Five aren't in this move for 99 percent of it. But.....I think it works. Because the whole point of the movie is about Po and Zhen. Them building their trust and relationship to get to the point they are by the end of the movie. And having the Furious Five their might have made things feel overstuffed.

Ultimately, I think it's a good movie. Nothing AMAZING but it's good and It does pick up more in the second half. Overall I'd say this around a 7.5 out of ten if I had to describe it.

[bestbouy]

i think i just love the idea of the different universes with their like, styles???

like how Gwen's is totally watercolor and Hobie's is all scrapbookish punk n newspaper, y'know???? and, of course, Miles and Pavitr's are both more "normal" but they still have that... you know... v i b e... they're both normal but they have elements that make it their own. Like how Pavitr's universe is mainly super warm colors?

anyways this got me thinking y'know how it's super obvious Hobie has a different universe style?? not so much for Gwen because hers is a little different, but with the whole. changing skin, the OUTLINE, it's very obvious

I think it'd be super cool if in Hobie's universe, it's kind of like the opposite for anybody who's not from it? They have their own like, radius of... their own dimension???

I'm only comparing this to Hobie's dimension, it's very obvious none of this would happen in CANON so I'm literally just spitballing. Also because Hobie is the only one with the outline and funny overlay thing, and it'd be fun to play around with the other three's possible like,,, vibe!!

Gwen would leave like, imprints of watercolor? like dabbing it on a piece of paper, leaving color that dries out back to normal over time?? it would bleed into the world around her, it might even mimic her emotions with the color!

If she was upset it would be harsh, spread more, it would come out in spiked reds and blacks?

happy would seep in a lot more subtly, and cover a lot more space, but you wouldn't realize how much room it's taking up just because it's so slow to take it up and really is only at about.. idk, 20% opacity, slowly builds up the happier she gets? it would be more visible in puddles, just like with normal watercolor (Compared to anger, which would be very in-your-face and obvious)

It would rely a lot on her emotions, methinks, the stronger they are, the more visible the color!

Miles would have a sketchy, drawing-like atmosphere to him, kind of like what you can see on the spot y'know? and, since the spot came from Miles' dimension, I think it makes sense!

It would be less noticeable, but the things he interacts with would probably turn into a slightly stylized version of itself? A cup he holds or drinks from wouldn't change DRAMATICALLY, but it might copy his look and have sketch-like lines around it. Nothing huge, but enough that you can tell what he's touched in the past few minutes/hours

Pavitr would have a similar vibe to Gwen's, but with warm colors instead! His effect wouldn't change with emotions like hers, but it would probably bleed in the same way as hers. He would leave behind trails of warm oranges and yellows wherever he goes and leaving it behind on what he touches. He wouldn't notice this, but it would be veeery obvious to Hobie or anybody from his dimension.

Actually, I think the way that we can spot Hobie because of his differences in outline/radius effect would highly apply to them in his dimension! Everybody in Hobie's world can CLEARLY tell that Gwen, Miles and Pav aren't from there, and while the common person might not recognize they're from another universe, they might get the same feeling as if you were seeing like.. a skinwalker, or something. They're human, but it doesn't feel like it.

ANYWAYS back to Pavitr

He has a warm, cozy vibe, I think unlike the others his can seep more into emotions, I think he's an empathetic person and that melts into his little area effect. if he's super happy or excited about something the people around him get a tiny bit happier too!! when he's sad (and it's rly hard to make him sad bc this boy is POSITIVE THINKER #1) his colors get a bit colder, but I don't think they would affect other people like his happy ones do, honestly just SEEING such a normally happy guy so sad would do enough to ur mood than some radius effect lol

ANYWAYS that's just a lil thought. they are silly. and this is going into my ideas folder. have a good one n remember to drink water

(I would go on but this is super long already XD)

[stop-talking]

Mike & Abby Easter Headcannons

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• Mike always hides eggs for her. Without fail. Every year. He probably enjoys hiding them more than she enjoys finding them, honestly.

• He's super annoying about not just TELLING her where one is when she can't find it, he'll just go "warmer..." or "colder...!" until she gets fed up and throws empty plastic eggshells at him.

• Abby knows the Easter bunny isn't real. She's not dumb. But it's a fun tradition, and she's willing to play pretend for as long as Mike is.

• Mike never busy himself any Easter candy. He "doesn't need the extra calories". Yet every year without fail, he ends up bumming Abby for candy, stealing a chocolate here and there. (She acts annoyed, but secretly doesn't mind sharing.)

• The first time Mike showed Abby the "draw with white crayon on an egg before dyeing it and the dye won't stick there" trick, she thought he was magic. Now, she draws a doodle on every single egg before dunking it in the colored water. Mike always makes comments on how they look "too good to eat," then eats one before they're even done dying them anyways.

• Once he forgot where he hid one of the hard boiled eggs... until it stank up the front porch. He nearly gagged when he found it two weeks later, tucked into an old flowerpot.

• Easter is like, the one time a year Mike drags Abby to church... If only for the giant egg hunt they host. He definitely has some kind of religious guilt from not going more often, but he's just too busy and tired. (He used to use Abby as an excuse, since she refused to sit still when she was younger. Now that she's older, he could go, but just doesn't care to. Neither does Abby.)

• (Post-movie) He and Abby happened to run into someone dressed as the Easter bunny outside of, like Walmart. And it just so happened to be a YELLOW bunny. Mike jumped two feet in the air and nearly pissed himself, and Abby just laughed at him. The guy in the costume thought it was hilarious to see a grown man so scared of a bunny, and the high-five he gave Abby made Mike just want to punch him. He didn't, thankfully.

How Mike would treat his 💙partner💙 on Easter:

(slight NSFW warning)

• He'd definitely make you an Easter basket. Nothing super fancy or expensive, he spends most of his budget on Abby. But he'd make sure you feel included and appreciated.

• Your basket would include: Your favorite candy, a pack of gum, something related to one of your hobbies, (ex: guitar pick, yarn, nail polish, colored pencils, etc), a cheesy hand-written note, a few plastic eggs with candy, a small stuffed animal, and a savory snack, like chips or pretzels. He's attentive, and knows what you prefer.

• Depending on how long you've been dating, he might even throw in something a little raunchy... like a pack of flavored condoms, lube, or a "toy". More as a gift to himself than you.

• He'd absolutely let you spend Easter with him and Abby, but wouldn't pressure you if you wanted to be with your family. If YOU invited HIM to spend the day with YOUR family, though? He'd fucking melt. ESPECIALLY if they were warm and welcoming to him. It'd make him cry like a baby to see Abby getting along with the other kids.

---------------------------------------------

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!! I thought about writing a whole fic on this but just don't have time. If anyone wants to steal these ideas, be my guest. Love y'all!! 💖

[lunarphoria]

☽☾The All-Seeing Sun (WIP)☽☾

ANOTHER WIP WOOHOO this one is of Lord Helios ! After noticing just how little content of him exists out there , I simply had to try and contribute! He's such an underrated, wonderful deity and I had a lot of fun drawing him . Again, if anyone is interested, you can find notes on my design choices further down ! Hope you like it <3

❂ my design notes :

I mainly based my design on the rooster , one of his sacred animals! For example, the hair strands that are much longer than the rest are colored like the beautiful blue-ish , iridescent feathers roosters have on their tail . Overall, his hair is colored in a reddish gradient, referencing roosters again :3 normally, you'd also see horse imagery on his greaves, but due to the perspective I decided to not draw them here , since it'd look very cluttered. His jewelry ( like the necklace , bangle and legchain ) is made out of amber, which is sacred to him. I gave him a third eye on his forehead, to further allude to him being the all seeing one . I also gave him that beautiful minoan sun makeup, I thought it was very fitting. You can't see it here but he'd have glowing freckles. The " three pom-poms " on his drapery represent him and his two siblings, and they'd be colored accordingly. His girdle and the short drapery underneath are adorned with his associated flowers , the heliotrope and sunflowers ( more of an upg but I think it's really fitting) . The only real description of his appearance describes him as a beardless young man dressed in purple, so I included a purple drapery across his chest & back . He's holding a golden globe , one of the symbols associated with him ! In sculptures and coins he's mostly shown with a spiky crown symbolizing the sunrays, I thought they looked a little too inconvenient so I moved the spikes to the jewelry on his arm , and literally crowned him with the aureole of the sun behind him . I really tried my best to make him look unique, partially because I really don't want people to confuse him with Lord Apollon . Which is also why I tried to give Lord Helios a lot of sun decorations, like on his chest and girdle along with the little stars , since he is the celestial observer. His eyes would be really piercing and shining, and all his children would share that trait . I'd imagine that he usually keeps his whip tied to the back of his girdle, and that it looks like a solar flare . Kinda wish I knew how to draw horses so I could draw him in his element, but this will have to do for now :') i hope he likes it anyway.

(Also, again, I might edit this post if I ever get to finish this :') )

( divider made by me <3 )

[rascalentertainments]

Wish Granted: The Startosphere 🌙🌠🌌

Since Star will be coming in chapter 3, I thought it'd be a good time to talk about Star's home, which is The Startosphere!

In this special space, its located in a cosmic space between the the mesosphere and thermosphere. In this space, millions of stars travel across the galaxy as nomads. They go around seeing different nebula formations, constellations and other wonders of the galaxy! All of the star people have cosmic power, but its never been used to the extent of actually changing their own form, let alone turning into animals or a human.

They don't have solid forms, and since there's no gravity, the star people sort of glide across space. Their outer appearance look like human people, but they're outlined like constellations with a blue, white or yellow tint. (See this Helluva Boss GIF below as an example.) Like when a person draws an animation test for a character's movements.

It can however, be a lonely life. Especially for our Star(boy). See, Star has a family. A big one in fact, but he hasn't seen them in years. And because stars are nomadic, its hard for him to make friends. He could be pals with one, but the next day he won't find them again. So he just wanders by himself, even though there are plenty stars around.

Many of the star people can see Earth from afar, but none of them have ever visited the planet itself. The stars just admire it from afar and go on about their business. Star however, was fascinated by Earth from the start and dreamed of going down there and meet the humans who all looked fun to him. He could spend hours watching them below, go away somewhere else, but always come back to Earth as if something there pulled him in like some kind of wind.

When stars reach 18 years of age, and they can pick their own names to go by. Sometimes they get them from the humans, and other times they create their own. Our Star hasn't chosen a name for himself yet, so Asha nicknames him "Star" to make things easier. Though after the adventure is over, he just might have an idea of what to call himself...

Normally, stars can't grant wishes, that's a human belief. However, Star creates his own way to do it: Going right down to Earth and helping Asha however he can. Lastly, there are a few star nomads who heard rumors of a star with more power than any other in the galaxy. One so powerful, they could grant wishes to not only humans, but other stars. But none of them have actually seen this so called "Wishing Star".

Star nomads can hear humans, but only when they pay attention to Earth. Most of the time they're too busy looking for the next exciting thing, so Earth just doesn't hold their attention like it does for our Star. However, there is one human that ends up catching his attention the most, through beautiful singing...

In the Wishverse, Star is excited to meet other Starboys because not only have their been others who've been to Earth, but now he can make Star friends and he knows he can see them again, no matter how long it's been. Not only does he gain Earth friends, now he has star friends too. He couldn't be happier. 😁⭐ (Plus he loves to hang with Suñeo and Cielo the most, surprisingly)

Hope you enjoyed this little worldbuilding here. Like I said, this is my first fantasy story. I mostly write and watch media that are sci-fi, superhero, and action. I do like fantasy, but there usually has to be a twist on it to get me invested, and Wish's concept was one of them! So I took the sci-fi part I know and used it to create this system for the star nomads. More will be revealed as the story goes on, so I hope you continue to read Wish Granted as it unfolds!

Stay awesome! 😉

@uva124 @oh-shtars @signed-sapphire @chillwildwave @tumblingdownthefoxden

@annymation @spectator-zee @lazytitans-world @kenihewa

@mythartist21 @gracebeth3604 @flicklikesstuff @emptyblog7

[backboneofthevees]

VELVETTE HEADCANNONS!

Not my usual post, but I thought I'd share! Have fun reading :)

♡ (if it wasn't obvious enough) She's a lesbian! I love the little girl-liker third wheel to a mlm couple (vox and val) her and the other vees have going on, plus the velvette x verosika art i see is ALWAYS so beautiful!

♡ referring to this post below:

She owns corsets (yet doesnt use them much because LOOK AT THAT WAIST), and one or two have definitely been stolen....by both of her male conterparts.

♡ She sews! Not ALL the time, since she's busy doing things like running shows and doing photoshoots, but I feel like it'd be a little something nice to do in her free time. Blasting some music while tailoring a new coat or something.

♡ She only wears the same colors. I know this is a little obvious from the few outfit changes she has in the show, but imagine it. A large walk-in closet filled with ONLY pink, purple, white and black. (And perhaps a singular green christmas sweater.) They're not ALL just dresses and jackets, she has pants and t-shirts too. She just likes to dress femme and throws in a masc/more casual outfit from time to time.

♡ She has a diverse music taste. I might me self-projecting here a bit, but I think it'd be pretty cute to see hee listening to different types of music. Like listening to something metal/punk when wearing an 'emo' outfit (one thst consists of mostly black) or some pop/r&b when dressing up in her normal dress-and-tights- combo. It helps her get in the mood.

♡ She has a close relationship with Vox and Valentino. This is also shown in the actual show, seeing how docile they are around eachother, but I imagine the boys and Vel having a brother-sistertjust generally close relationship, like Val and Vel would talk shit and go shopping one day or Vox and Vel talking about the shoots they're doing/planning on doing and having their nails done together. (Painting Vox's claws or sharpening them since he doesn't really have nails.)

♡ She's a little nerdy. I'm not talking about book-nerd, more likke a genuinely-invested-in-fashion-and-knows-about-its-history nerd. Like she'll read up on magazines or articles about how the kitten heel came to be or fun facts about the creator of a specific clothing brand she likes. She doesn't bring it up often, more of a random thing she'll drop into a conversation to keep it going. Also, since she's on her phone all the time, I think she'd be a little bit of a tech wiz like Vox. Like he'll give her a prototype for a new V-Phone and ask her about any bugs or special features. She'll evaluate it and Vox would give her his credit card for a day as a thank you.

♡ She has a major sweet tooth. I'm not saying she's constantly eating candy, given her figure and those crisp pearly whites, but whenever she's going out she'll get a milkshake or perhaps a little sweet treat at a local bakery. Not nicely, but still.

♡ Her full name, when she was still alive, was Veronica Barbie Hernandez, hinting at a latina/mexcian background. Her friends usually called her by her middle name or just Barb, since she had (and still does) such an affliction for having cute outfits and wearing pink. (I might draw her aswell as the rest of the vee's as humans, who knows)

♡ She has a doll body. This is a bit of a short one, but since she's based of a doll like Vox is a TV and Valentino is a moth, she has a plastic-y, smooth doll body. Specifically a ball-jointed doll body. (She can also pop off her limbs and/or head with little to no pain, using it to scare the boys during halloween or whenever she feels like it.)

♡ She's in her early 30s-late 20s, Vox and Val being around 30-40.

♡ She has 2 cats, one white cat named PomPom, and one tabby cat named Spike.

♡ Her favorite musicals are Heathers and Hairspray. (heathers fans hmu)

♡ Despite being known as 'the girly one', she grew up with 2 brothers. Both are dead and are running around somewhere in Hell, probably.

♡ She helps pick out outfits for the boys, despite them wearing (like almost every other male character) suit-like attire. She LOVES trying on dresses with Val, though.

♡ She goes out often. To shop, get food, get drunk, or to just walk around town and blog for her live feed. God forbid you bump into her though, especially if she's holding a drink (or just anything that could spill on her/something expensive she bought dropping onto the ground). She'll EXPLODE.

That's all for now! Feel free to ask for more or just anything else <3

[scourgethehedgehogshrine]

How would a dark super form of Scourge’s even work? When powered by actual chaos emeralds? What would be the cause? 🤔

Cause I will always love the take where someone had the headcanon if Sonic gets overtaken by anger when this happens, then what if it’s when Scourge is overtaken by sadness. Supposedly “OOC” emotions described by others, but it doesn’t take away the imminent danger they would both pose.

Still, besides this, I wanna hear your thoughts about how Scourge would be if he took in a dark form actually similar to Sonic’s?

I actually do have my own take on this, I personally like to think that there's a variant out there deemed the “Light Forms”, which is when a moebian uses real chaos emeralds to turn super,

I have a whole paragraph describing it, and even have some old art where I drew Light Scourge. However, that art I'd rather not show — I might draw him in that form again, though, it'd definitely be fun. Here’s the paragraph;

☁ — LIGHT FORMS — ☁

WHAT ARE THEY?

Light forms are Anti Mobius’s version of Dark Forms.

The name is pretty self explanatory, but just in case you're still confused, here is a more detailed and lengthy explanation.

A Light Form Is a form that manages to make the most terrible person one of the nicest people ever seen. It's temporary, of course, but it's still very refreshing. It removes all flaws of the person, and allows them to be in peace as they spread kindness around the area.

Now, Usually, Light Forms are activated when a person from Anti Mobius uses the Chaos Emerald’s to try and go super. But sometimes, the transition from regular to light needs support, and so you truly need to feel a spark of good in you. You must feel passion for what you're attempting to battle, and you most definitely need to feel strong about.

It is very, VERY rare to see somebody transform into a ‘Light Form’ but that's only because nobody from Anti Mobius has ever seen a Chaos Emerald before(expect for Scourge.)

You also seem to gain a boost of power when you're in this form, and also a boost of happiness. Whenever somebody is in this form, they seem to feel at ease. As if they're.. Well, in peace. No matter how tough the situation is, they'll always be relaxed with no worries.

A person from Mobius cannot be in a Light Form AT ALL. It is impossible, because the Chaos Emeralds are a common thing in their universe, and makes them transform into a super form. They do have a dark form, however, but you can look into that yourself.

It's a blessing to be in such a form because it's honestly a gift for the people of Anti Mobius.

(PS: Dark Forms ARE canon to the sonic universe, but Light Forms aren't. This is just my depiction of what an Anti Dark Form would look like.)

It’s quite old, so it may be flawed, but here.

[a-lonely-dunedain]

1, 3, 4, 8, 23, 30, and/or 33 for Margim and Celeair, if any of these tickle your fancy?

ooh ok! that's a lot lol, but these look fun!

1."are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?"

oh I color code most of my characters! once they've been around long enough they all usually get assigned one. Margim is burgundy and Celeair is silvery blue, I tend to draw them with outfits heavily featuring their respective colors.

3. "weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?"

Margim's weapon is a spiked mace, suited to brutal attacks that kill quickly and messily. She didn't exactly choose it, but it was the only thing available to her in Thorzhaf so she just had to get good at killing with it. Really good at killing with it. Celeair has no weapon, as he's a pacifist with no combat skills. As a loremaster he occasionally requires a staff, but only rarely as he doesn't need it for healing (which is most of what he does), so he doesn't usually carry one with him unless to use as a walking stick.

4. "how crafty/resourceful are they?"

as far as fighting is concerned, Margim is used to doing battle in a controlled environment, the same bridge in the same setting day in and day out, so fighting elsewhere might have taken her a little getting used to. As such she's still getting the hang of using her environment to her advantage, as she tends to fall into the habit of seeing her foe through a kind of tunnel vision and not focusing on much else. She has a very blunt and uncomplicated approach to problem solving, usually being "hit it with a mace til it stops being a problem, and if that doesn't work, ask Celeair what to do."

Now I would say Celeair is very resourceful! Between the two of them, he's usually the one with ideas (though he always values Margim's input whenever she gives it). Very 'think on his feet' kinda guy rather than 'plan every part in advance' so he's pretty adaptable even when things go awry.

8. "do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it?"

well I know Margim is sometimes shortened to Mar by Elain, but there's not really much meaning behind it besides "we're friends and I shorten my friends names :>" (Margim certainly prefers it over any title she earned in Thorzhaf)

Celeair is sometimes called Cel (pronounced "Kel" bc this is still a Sindarin C) by his brother. I also feel like Elain would have a sort of nickname for him that isn't derived from his real name, maybe something that started out as a joke but kinda stuck, but nothing has jumped out at me yet.

23. "how would you describe their voice? can they sing?"

Celeair's voice is clear and gentle, and I think he can sing rather well! Margim's voice is quiet, low and almost rumbling at times. It can be a bit husky as well due to how little she speaks. I don't think she's ever tried to sing.

30. "do they smell like anything notable?"

hmm, I never gave much thought to how they would smell. I suppose Celeair would smell pretty strongly of medicinal herbs, but the exact composition can vary depending on what he's been working with. It'd range anywhere from the sweet and fresh (almost minty) smell of Athelas to bright fir needles and pungent poultices. The man basically smells like a walking herb store, which I guess makes sense considering he spends most of his time in such places.

As for Margim, first thing that came to mind was that she smells vaguely smokey? Can't think of a logical reason she would smell that way, at least post-Mordor, besides just *gestures vaguely* vibes™. Maybe smokey and spicy? (some of Celeair's herb smells rubbed off on her. from all the cuddling <3)

33. "if applicable, how would your other characters describe them? i mean specifically the people around them."

well considering Bitter Ash is written from both Celeair and Margim's PoVs, we kinda already know how they'd describe one another, so let's see what my other guys have to say about them! (they have at least met once after all)

Ethedis: likes Celeair a lot, sees him as a very capable healer with an agreeable demeanor. Instantly clocks that this dude has MAXED out his charisma stat, as it wouldn't be easy for just any Gondorian to be welcomed into Dunlanding village like this, and that he's much wiser than his easygoing exterior first lets on. Thinks he would be unstoppable if he honed his offensive Loremaster skills, but understands that hurting anyone would be against his principles. She wishes she could have gotten by on the same path, but the world demanded different things from them.

She was initially wary of Margim, as most people are upon first meeting her, but seeing the genuine trust Celeair has for Margim put her at ease somewhat. She's actually not intimidated by her at all (though she might have been if they met earlier), and is heartened to find such an unexpected and powerful ally. She's difficult for even Ethedis to read, but she got the impression that Margim holds a lot of pain in her past and that Mordor is to blame for it. She'll be the last person in Dunland they need to worry about falling under the sway of the Enemy.

Tossdir: was very wary of Margim upon first meeting and was slower to trust her than Ethedis was, mostly due to past experience with a certain Man of Mordor (*cough* Mordrambor *cough*) messing with his head that one time. I think once he's certain she's on their side and hates the forces of Mordor as much as they do, he would see her as the archetypal 'shady loner with a mysterious past' but he can tell she cares a great deal for the people of the Stag-Clan, and for this random Gondorian who's here too for some reason (he does NOT clock that they are madly in love. so oblivious it's almost embarrassing). He's curious about her past, but understands she wouldn't take kindly to him trying to pry into it, so he keeps a respectable distance. Even if they aren't friends, she's still a foe of Mordor and Isengard, and that at least, makes them allies. Still kinda wishes he knew what her whole deal was...

Speaking of Celeair, I honestly think Tossdir was too distracted by Margim to pay much mind to him in the short time they spent in Trum Dreng lmao. He's a bit odd, like Ethedis in some ways, but seemed like a nice enough guy. Tossdir couldn't say much more about him than that tho.

[mmkin]

Fishman friends and lovers (Siren's Shark)

Chapter 12 of Siren's Shark is now up. Link to AO3 here, also included under the silly pics I doodled at work a few days ago. IDK why but I can only seem to draw at work on my breaks instead of at home, go figure.

Content warnings - some smex (consensual) some slavery, past trauma and abuse.

Thought it'd be fun to draw when Arlong meets his siren in the first chapter lol... Ignore the words at the left, that's my grocery list. And yes, I decided on Yolande's birthday.

And Hatchan and Yolande are besties. So kawaii!!!!!!!

XII

o0o0o0o

Yolande wrung her hands anxiously as she saw several smaller fins move toward the larger one. There was no time for discussion, and she'd been left behind with the younger fishmen and Rekiin as Arlong and his crew made their way toward the Sea Beast.

If the gods were real, she hoped they listened to her prayers. It wouldn’t be the first time she prayed and despite her skepticism in a higher mystical force, the emotional part of her sought assurance in the hope that there might be a sympathetic ear out there.

Her stomach knotted and her hands shook as she tried to imagine what it was like under the water. Some of the fishmen had also gone in with harpoons and nets, but how could she not worry? After all, wasn’t this why she had agreed to go with Yoshi when he wanted to retire to Coldrock Island? So she wouldn’t have to deal with shit like this? Her heart was pounding as she looked through the telescope. There was splashing. Occasionally she’d see a fishman. The Sea Beast raised its head out of the water, bearing a strong resemblance to a bear.

She’d heard about them but this was her first time seeing one. Arlong was a mighty fishman, but no matter how big or strong someone was, there was always someone out there, bigger and badder. She felt Caten’s hand on her arm. “Can I look?” the catfishwoman asked. Numbly, she handed over the telescope before going to the prow of the ship, the wind whipping through her hair as she watched the fight. Blood came to the surface. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.

Arlong. And not just Arlong, but the others. The bear's head reared out of the water again, giving out an angry roar, she saw several harpoons near its neck.

Then it was over. Her heart thudded against her ribcage as Arlong jumped out of the water, traces of blood on his face and bare chest. She felt light-headed as she heard his triumphant laugh.

“Fire up the grill! Let’s not let this meat go to waste!”

Fishmen eagerly lopped off choice parts of it, and as the Sea Beast was a bear mix, it had a quite nice thick flavor to it. She sat on the upper deck, watching quietly as Arlong helped his brothers hoist slices of meat to the deck from the water, chopping it into smaller pieces to be cooked. The rest of the animal was towed behind the boat.

What would Yoshi say if he could see her here, amongst a band of fishman pirates? She’d gone from being a Marine widow to the lover of a pirate captain. Since Arlong was busy with his men, she retreated from the deck to spend some time alone in her lab, trying to distract herself from her anxiety.

“Hey Yolande, Arlong wants you,” Hachi informed her. Around him was the scent of smoke and spice. He’d obtained plenty of flavors at the market on Dreamsicle Island and it smelled like he’d put some of them to good use.

“You called for me?” Yolande asked as she approached Arlong, who had a platter of cooked meat in front of him. She was grateful to notice that he’d washed the blood off himself.

“Come, sit by me. Share our bounty.” He waved his hand to the meat in front of him, which contained quite a few choice cuts and bits. Hurrah for Captain Arlong, she thought dryly… not that he hadn’t earned it. Taking on a Sea Beast required a coordinated effort, and the fishmen trusted Arlong to lead them. None of them had gotten hurt, though a couple of them had been nearly swallowed when the Sea Beast thrashed around.

Hachi was in charge of the grilling, and the kitchen helpers assembled several sides to go with the meal. A gentle breeze blew the rich scents across the deck, but Yolande had no appetite. She simply sat there, observing the festivities, listening to the fishmen chatter about their encounter with the giant bear-fish.

“Go on, eat,” she heard Arlong urge, and she slowly turned her head to him.

“I lose my appetite when I get anxious.”

He stared at her for a moment. “Is it something I did?” he asked with mild confusion.

“Yes… No, no, I’m not angry at you. But when you were in the water with that Sea Beast, I worried about you. I was so scared.”

"Hmm." He tutted to himself a few times as he stared at her, and she looked down. He lifted her chin, rubbing his thumb along her jaw. "I suppose if you're not trying to starve yourself, skipping a meal will do you no harm. Bask in my presence and know that I am safe, let that calm you." He released his grip on her and turned to talk to some of the fishmen. She slumped back in the chair with a soft sigh, watching as the afternoon sky faded to evening stars.

o0o0o0o

“Have a drink, at least,” Arlong offered after a few minutes. “Relax.” He was gratified to see her accept the bottle that Take brought forward.

So his siren worried about him to the point where her stomach got into knots. Poor thing. Had anyone else ever worried so much about him? His mother, his sister, his nakama? He turned his head, looking down at her as she nursed her bottle, staring out thoughtfully. He reached out to rest a hand on the top and side of her head, feeling the thick bun of her hair against his palm.

“Perhaps when we retire for the night, I could help soothe away some of that anxiety, hmm?” he asked with a lecherous purr. His hand slid down, the back of his fingers against the side of her face. She did not move for a moment, and he wondered if he would be rejected.

“You think to distract me with your cock?” she asked as she finally looked at him. Her tone was unreadable.

“I didn’t think there was any harm in offering.”

"… You're right. There's no harm in that." With that, she leaned her head against his hand, nuzzling it. She lifted her head to take several gulps of her drink but lifted her hand to hold his, long, slender fingers curling around the side of his hand.

He would face another danger soon enough. Marzu Island. How was she going to handle that? Wisely, he did not mention it, and simply sat back, enjoying the feel of her small but warm hand in his large one.

What would Ajkul say if he saw his protege with a hybrid siren? Not once had he ever heard Ajkul say anything nice about humans. Doubtless, the old shark would have been incredulous at the thought of a siren having human blood. Sirens were always supposed to be mermaids or fishwomen, creatures of the sea as much as any fishman. Ajkul would say Yolande was tainted by that human blood.

Tainted. Arlong glanced down at Yolande again, squeezing her hand. He would be lying to himself if he said he never wondered what Yolande might look like if she were a full-blooded fishman. But he found himself dwelling on her human heritage less and less. A couple of months had passed by but he was still crazy about her, there were some times when the heat would overtake them and they'd just go at one another, but even when that mood wasn't on them, he still enjoyed her company.

She finished her bottle, and it was taken away.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“A little. I have a good buzz going.”

He chuckled at that. Oh yeah, a good buzz made plenty of worries go away, how well he knew that.

o0o0o0o

Erhu rubbed the back of his head nervously as he glanced at Caten. Both of them had come from the Fishman District but had not met each other until Aiuchi and his crew captured them.

When they'd been resting and recovering from their ordeal, they'd taken the time to get to know one another, comparing their childhoods. Erhu was only a year older than her at twenty-one. He was a neon tetra fishman, giving him two distinctive blue stripes along the sides of his face and back that flashed neon green-blue when the light hit them, and Caten told him that she thought these stripes were cute.

So they started flirting, and he noticed that she was also flirting with two of the pirates that rescued them. One thing led to another, and he'd shared Caten with Ishidai and Mido. It was a learning experience, to say the least. If Caten wanted to carry on with the other two, Erhu would accept that, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to participate in that sort of group activity again.

“Something you want to talk about?” Caten said as she sipped her drink, leaning against the railing.

“I was wondering if perhaps you and I… hm.” He didn’t want her to think he was ungrateful for her invitation.

“You’d prefer a little one-on-one?” she asked. He stared at her for a moment and she smirked.

“… If that’s all right with you.” His heart was pounding as he looked down at her.

“It is,” she reassured him. “And I’ll admit, three fishmen at once can be a bit much sometimes. So, tonight, just you and me?”

He gave out a relieved chuckle. “Gosh, yeah. I’d love that. Um, thank you.”

She grinned at that and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Such a gentleman.” After a bit of time drinking and looking out at the stars and the water, he let her lead him away.

After some foreplay, she wanted to get on top, and he was happy to oblige. He nuzzled her breasts and ran his hands along her back and hips, happy for some joie de vivre after the ordeal he’d been through.

After he came into her, she leaned down so she was resting on top of him, and he nuzzled the crook of her shoulder and neck as he rested his hands on her back. Since he wasn't part of the crew, Arlong didn't ask him to be part of the raid on Marzu Island. He and the other younger fishmen, along with a few pirates, would maintain a lookout and other various duties around the boat while Arlong and his crew did the dirty work.

If Arlong had asked him to participate, Erhu would have felt obligated to say yes, considering that he would face life in slavery if not for the sawshark fishman. He hadn't been here for very long but was coming to understand that the life of a pirate was quite different than the old life he'd known back in the Fishman District as the child of one of the many poor families that lived there. He wasn't an orphan, but his parents were barely able to support themselves let alone their kids. His one role model was a neighbor who worked as a healer, collecting local herbs to make whatever medications he could for the people around him.

The healer took Erhu under his wing, teaching him the things he knew. He was not a doctor and had no formal training, but in the neighborhood, he was the closest thing to one, and his herbal remedies did work for various mild aches and pains.

The healer passed away a couple of years ago, and among other factors living in the District became increasingly untenable. Even with Whitebeard’s protection, pirates still found ways to acquire fishmen and mermaids to sell. Erhu thought of the proposal that lured him away from the District and into the clutches of Aiuchi and his crew.

He looked down, running his fingers along Caten’s hair as the fishwoman gave out a contented hum.

“Have you asked Arlong?” Caten asked. Erhu frowned in confusion for a moment before he remembered. He gave out a soft sigh.

“Not yet. He’s so busy with other things. He has a crew to run.”

"I doubt this is something he will have any difficulty agreeing to," Caten replied. "You're already doing it, might as well make it official. I'm no mind-reader, but I think it's something that might make Arlong happy, and you want to be on his good side."

He raised an eyebrow as he lifted his head to look at her, and she smiled back sweetly.

o0o0o0o

The early morning sun illuminated Yolande’s legs as she stretched out, doing her exercises while Arlong was sleeping. Her legs were splayed out on the floor as she leaned forward, feeling the pull in her back as she reached her arms out in front of her.

With a contented sigh, she rose to her feet and turned to see Arlong lying on his side, staring right at her. She gasped a bit in surprise before collecting herself.

“Did you enjoy the show?” she asked.

"It'd be a more entertaining show if you wiggle around," he replied lecherously. "Especially since you're in that," he said, pointing to the silk nightie she was wearing. He was clad in nothing but a pair of undershorts, which afforded a quite fine view of his well-toned body. One of the nice things about living in warm weather was not needing to layer up, which meant she saw more of Arlong’s body on a regular and casual basis.

… Not that she was about to complain. He did make a pretty damn nice piece of eye candy.

“If I had any artistic talent, you’d make a fine subject to draw or paint,” Yolande replied, sidestepping his suggestion. He sat up with a smirk.

“If you’re going to appreciate my body, I’d prefer you do it with your hands and mouth than with a pencil or brush,” he shot back. “… And besides, I find the skills you already have much more useful than making a pretty picture on paper.”

She shrugged in acknowledgment of that. She was very nearly done with putting together what the crew needed for the mission. She’d already demonstrated to Arlong the various explosives she was using, albeit in much smaller amounts. She remembered well the gleam in his eye as he saw the explosions, the flames shooting up, bits of debris raining down from the empty crate she’d used for the demo. He grinned to himself as he imagined it on a much larger scale, bringing the rulers of Marzu Island to their knees. That evening, he’d been especially fierce in bed.

In certain instances, explosives were used in an attack. But for this particular mission, some of them were meant to provide distraction. The fishmen had been working hard and training under Kuroobi and many of them were actively trying to develop Haki. With the intelligence Koji, Hazel, and Lew provided, Arlong and his officers were able to work out a strategy that even Yolande acknowledged was pretty solid. And not only that, but the fishmen would be turning some of Marzu’s defenses against them.

One of the ways Marzu Island kept itself relatively safe from pirates was the use of underwater mines so that there were only a few safe ways to approach the island. The fishmen would move them around to cut off escape routes in case anyone tried to alert the World Government or the Marines before Arlong was done with the island.

There was still the matter of the Devil Fruit users that were in employ on the island, but Yolande was working on something that she was certain should be effective.

Useful skill, indeed. Her ruminations were interrupted when she felt Arlong’s fingers under her chin. She looked up into his intense blue eyes.

“You truly are a credit to our race,” Arlong said with a prideful grin. She smiled thinly at that and jerked her chin from his grip before she snapped at his fingers, growling softly. He chuckled lowly.

“Snapping and growling at a shark?” he asked, his lips pulling back to reveal his trademark predatory grin. He rose from the bed, towering over her.

“Squids are predators too,” she shot back. His grin faltered for a moment at this almost non-sequitur, and he glanced at her with confusion. She grinned back.

“That’s what I am. Hachi figured it out when he took a close look at my ink. Octopuses have black ink but squids have a bluish tint to theirs.” He lifted his hands to cup the sides of her face.

“Squid, huh,” Arlong responded musingly. “And yes, they’re predators too but I think it’s obvious who has the edge here.” He ran his thumbs along her cheeks as he maintained his grip.

“Indeed,” she said dryly. He’d never threatened her air supply, but whenever he had his hands on her, it was hard to not feel vulnerable under their grip, especially if he was holding her head or neck. His eyes were cold and predatory as he studied her.

She might not be caged or chained, but she didn’t have the option of leaving. Nor would he allow her skills to go to waste.

“Little squid. I’m glad you understand.” His voice was smooth but dangerous, velvety with an edge to it that had her shivering. His hand slid from her neck and he stepped away from her to get dressed for the day.

Common sense told her that she shouldn't find that danger sexy. His nose and sharp teeth alone were lethal weapons, and she noticed that he seemed stronger than the average fishman. Not for the first time she wondered about the parts of his past that he did not tell her about. Hmm. Not that she didn't already know plenty about him simply from observing and listening to him.

She watched the flex of muscle in his shoulders, back, and arms as he pulled on a tank top. Hmph. Stupid sexy sharkman.

o0o0o0o

Capturing slaves for Marzu Island was a quite profitable endeavor for Captain Aiuchi. His father and grandfather had done the same, though their methods were refined through the generations. In the old days, they could sneak into the Fishman District and kidnap orphans and poor fishmen easily lured by a coin or two. They had to space out their raids to not be too recognizable, so they tried to capture as many as they could at a time. Sometimes there might be a pretty or particularly talented one among them, and a bit of extra profit could be made from that. Fishman Island proper was more guarded, but a mermaid from the nicer part of the Ryugu Kingdom was quite valuable.

They’re not fully human. They’re part animal, and it makes them inferior to us, his father and grandfather would say. When he’d asked about the human slaves on the island, his mentors would shrug. They got themselves into debt one way or another, so why should we care? The weak get preyed upon. Better to be the butcher than the cattle, after all. And so on.

… And now, here he was, in the position he’d put humans, fishmen, or otherwise into over the years. Aiuchi muttered to himself as he scratched the side of his face as he sat against the wall, looking through the bars. His side ached every time he took a deep breath. He’d dealt with pirates before, and humans and fishmen who resisted their enslavement. His men were well-trained, culled from the best the island had to offer, so even against a fishman’s superior strength, they prevailed. He wasn’t stupid.

He never would have invited fishmen onto his ship, but the sharkman’s bitch had him fooled, the fishmen trailing behind her like obedient lapdogs. That intrigued him, and he wanted to know more, and who knows, someone as like-minded as him could be good for a bit of fun.

Even though he was already locked in the brig, he was chained, as was the rest of his crew. Designed for fishmen, the chains were extra heavy, which robbed the humans of much of their energy when they tried to move around.

Oh, he’d certainly made attempts to escape. But the sharkman was no naif from the Fishman District who’d had little experience with humans. This one had been out in the world and dealt with humans long enough to have a pronounced distaste for them.

Aiuchi had tried some mental warfare. He'd needle at the fishmen, trying to pinpoint various weaknesses as they stood guard, but that was met with silence, threats, and even a few blows, one of which broke a rib. When he was interrogated, he'd tried various attempts at obfuscation or stonewalling. Much as Aiuchi hated to admit it, he'd developed a begrudging respect for the ray fishman that handled much of the interrogations and otherwise. He understood the resolve of a warrior.

He lifted his head as a fishman came by with a cart. His stomach rumbled as it often did but he learned to ignore it as the fishman ladled some cold stew for him. He looked down at the concoction he’d have found unappealing, but he was pragmatic enough to know that beggars could not be choosers. So he lifted his bowl and swallowed its contents.

He looked up again sometime later when Koji was dragged to the cell next to his and dropped on the floor.

"Did that fish-loving bitch want to play with her little pet again?" Aiuchi grunted. The blue-haired youth gave him a deadpan stare as he made his way to the thin mat before sitting down.

“Call her what you will, but she’s the best chance I have of getting my sister’s freedom,” Koji said flatly.

"Come now, you don't think slaves are cheap? Especially one such as your sister?" He remembered the girl, her hair a similar shade to her brother's. She had been seventeen, legally a minor, and therefore her father could sell her to settle his gambling debts. "You knew that it would take you a while to earn that money. Such is the way of things," Aiuchi said. Spike himself had started as a slave, a delinquent teen sold by his parents. But Aiuchi had seen the potential in him and channeled Spike's resentment and rage into a useful tool, paired with a Devil Fruit that made him a formidable part of the crew.

"Hah, that's easy for you to say," Koji muttered. "But now we're in the same position. You liked to lecture our crew about survival of the fittest, of making yourself strong however you could and not letting others take advantage of you. And I thought I was doing that by working hard." Koji stared at the wall angrily. Aiuchi smirked to himself. This was Koji's first fishing expedition. That's what Aiuchi and his forebears had called it… fishing. They'd go fishing every several years, collecting fishmen and perhaps a few other types of slaves along the way.

“You would have eventually earned her freedom… eventually,” Aiuchi taunted lowly. It was indeed possible to buy freedom, so the slaves could hardly complain about unfairness, but it was no easy task, and why should it be? Otherwise, where would be the profit of it?

o0o0o0o

Erhu sat in the infirmary, watching as Lew quietly mopped the floor. The petite man moved around calmly and methodically, keeping his infirmary clean. Regardless of who his master was, the doctor tended to his infirmary much as Hatchan did to his kitchen. If Omald had been working at that pace, Toma or one of the other fishmen would have been on his ass about it, but Erhu sat back as he asked Lew questions about medicine.

As the captive slave-doctor of the Arlong Pirates, Lew could hardly object to the company of a fishman who had sincere questions about his profession. So the two of them would converse, and he obliged Lew’s questions. The fishman talked about the healer who had mentored him and what he’d learned. Since he wasn’t a member of the Arlong Pirates, Erhu was little more than a passenger and found this a good way to spend his time when not helping with a chore. He’d narrowly escaped being a slave and was determined to not let this opportunity go to waste.

“I’m about to grab tea and a bite, would you like me to bring you some?” Erhu offered.

“That would be appreciated,” the doctor said with a bow of his head. Erhu smiled to himself before he brought back a pot of tea, two cups, and a generous portion of grilled sea-bear meat among other things.

“You can put down that mop and relax,” Erhu said as he gestured to the desk, where he’d set down the tray. He knew that Lew had been a slave for many years and this behavior was ingrained in him, which made him quite agreeable to his new masters, but Erhu found it unsettling at times. Would he have turned out like that too, if he’d been enslaved long enough? “Please, help yourself.” Erhu’s tone was sincere as he looked down at Lew.

o0o0o0o

Arlong watched from the upper deck as Kuroobi drilled his class, using two of his students to put on a demonstration of focusing their fishman strength. It pleased him to see the renewed fire in Kurrobi’s eyes. It reminded him of the determined boy he’d come across back in the old days. Ajkul had just died, so Arlong was alone again. He was strong and scrappy, but there were plenty of bigger fish than him and he was only eleven years old. He knew he needed nakama to ensure that he would have many more years.

Kuroobi had an abusive father, so he was on his own a lot, and he’d made friends with Hatchan who had been but one of many mouths to feed to a worn-out grandmother. The pair was a few years younger than Arlong so even if they might have one another, they were still quite vulnerable.

He’d gone from being the ward – and sometimes caretaker – of an old fishman to someone who was now responsible for two young fishboys. But Arlong saw the potential in the pair, and they saw what he offered – protection. They watched one another’s backs, and Chew becoming part of the group did not change that.

People might prattle on about growing stronger, training themselves, and so on. That was why Devil Fruits existed, to give people a shortcut.

Many fishmen disdained Devil Fruits, but Arlong knew that raw fishman strength was not enough. After all, it was that very strength that made a fishman attractive to humans in terms of exploitation.

Although Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan remained his core, Arlong drew other fishboys – and fishmen – to his side. Strength in numbers, he said, and that proved itself time and time again. Mess with one of Arlong’s brothers, and you mess with the whole crew. Regardless of the upheavals the crew had experienced, that remained one of his core values. One of the best ways to deal with humans was to support your brothers and sisters. See what had been done with the takeover of the White Mermaid and the eventual fate of Marzu Island.

He would be lying if he didn’t have doubts. His defeat at the hands of the Straw Hats proved that he wasn’t as infallible as he once believed. But it wasn’t as if he came to Marzu unprepared. He had strength, yes. But also explosives and other useful chemicals. And stealth and surprise.

Wonder what Brother Tiger would say if he could see me now, Arlong mused. He returned his attention to the two fishmen sparring in front of Kuroobi. If one were to go by looks alone, the larger fishman would have the advantage, especially since his opponent was one of the smaller fishmen on the ship.

Mido looked down at Erhu, but the almost-scrawny young fishman squared his shoulders, looking up at his larger and more experienced opponent. Arlong smirked to himself. He’d known Mido for years, the pink-skinned fishman was part of the Arlong Pirates before they merged with the Sun Pirates. Most people wrote Mido off as a clumsy-looking oaf, but the heavyset fishman had a quite sharp mind. He’d been good at collecting tribute and keeping down unrest back in the days.

As a newcomer, Arlong wasn't quite as sure of Erhu. He wasn't officially part of the crew, but he was a brother regardless and has thus far given no trouble.

Erhu’s smaller size gave him a certain maneuverability not found in bulkier people, but Mido defeated him nonetheless, knocking him back with a well-aimed blow. After a couple of moments, Erhu got up and resumed trying to take the larger fishman down.

Arlong smirked to himself as he watched, trying to anticipate what one or the other might do next.

o0o0o0o

Marzu Island was visible in the distance with a telescope. The initial explosives had been planted and were soon to be lit. They would take advantage of the darkness and confusion. And they'd taken the time to prepare for contingencies if the information they'd been given proved false or no longer up-to-date, but Arlong didn't think that the slaves under Yolande's care would lie to him, even if Aiuchi or his elite clients would – and did.

He smirked to himself. Turning humans against other humans… well, if humans were willing to betray one another, he might as well use it for his benefit. After all, much as he had disliked Nezumi, the rat had his uses. So the cabin boy wanted his sister’s freedom, the doctor was doing as his new owner commanded, and the maid wanted to be with her family, and that meant giving Arlong accurate information. He looked around at the fishmen getting ready. Each fishman knew their job. He smiled faintly as he saw Ishidai and Caten have a quiet conversation, Ishidai holding the catfishwoman’s face affectionately. Yolande gave Chew a bag, exchanging a few words with him before going to Hatchan, who pulled her into a hug.

Sweet siren, expressing concern for her nakama. Well, shouldn’t she anyway, since these were her brothers and sisters?

She approached him, the wind whipping several loose strands of her hair around. He reached out, rubbing his thumb along her cheek.

When he’d first taken her to bed, he tried to maintain a certain sort of distance from her. His long, painful experience with humans kept him wary despite the bond he undeniably shared with her. He would make good use of her and treat her decently, but now he knew that he had developed genuine feelings for her. Her concern touched him, but he didn’t want to admit that.

“Marzu Island will know the rage of the fishman race!” Arlong roared as his crew cheered for him. Behind him, a firework on the island went off, illuminating the sky for a moment with flashes of blue and green before fading away. The first wave of fishmen was secure on the island. He grinned to himself and joined the second wave of soldiers, diving into the water.

As he and the others approached Marzu’s shores, several explosions went off around the island, strategically placed and lit by Kuroobi and several other fishmen. He grinned as he stepped onto the beach, hearing panicked screams as the island’s security forces attempted to marshal themselves, but the fishmen had prepared well for it.

One of the ships belonging to Marzu’s security went up in flames hundreds of meters down the shore. He grinned to himself and lifted his sword, signaling for his men to move forward. He would have his vengeance.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

It's so specific but I love the idea of Ralsei loving makeup and me having the headcannon for his room to at least have a dressing table for makeups XD

I would love to see this explored in chapter 3 by something VERY specific which is... That dragon book!?! You know that book that Asriel have?? The "How to draw dragons" book?

So, when we go to the library, Berdly says that the dragon in the cover has a mauve skin, and has lipstick. Since this book it's on Kris' house... and there is a small description of the character, I wouldn't doubt that this dragon will be in chapter 3 as a backstage makeup artist or something related to it due to the chapter's tv and show theme!!

With this I kinda thought about when this dragon gets to meet Ralsei, starts to likes him a lot and treats him like a little prince like he deserves?? Or their favorite between Kris and Susie, but also for the familiarity with goat monsters since their book was Asriel's ?!

Idk but if it'll be like this, I would love the Ralsei and makeup thing more explored because of this dragon!! Honestly, I think it would even help Ralsei to know better who he is and discover more hobbies with that!

I mean... you've seen those peepers, haven't you?

Bro definitely spends two hours every day making sure his makeup is perfect for when the lightners visit XD And for sure, it'd be cute as heck if a character in a future chapter acknowledges that aspect of him and rizzes him up for it. Heaven knows our boy could do with a little pampering and positive reinforcement!

As for whether that character would be the "How to Draw Dragons" dragon? Could be, honestly! Your idea of them being a makeup artist for a TV show is a good one! Personally, however, I think that'll have another role to play, if you'll humour my thought-process a moment.

I have a feeling - and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking this - that Asriel didn't borrow that book for himself, but for Kris. We know that Azzy doted on his little sibling, so if they put him up to it because they were too embarrassed, then he'd definitely do something like that for them. The other thing is, we know that Kris is quite fond of Susie, even before they become proper friends in Chapter 1. And she's a purple dragon, the same as the dragon on the front cover of the book...

Anyway! With this in mind, I think this dragon, should they make an appearance as a darkner, is going to end up messing the current fun gang dynamic up something fierce. Susie's gonna look at this and realise she's Kris's "type", which'll probably end up making her feel weird after the whole Noelle thing back in Chapter 2. And then I feel that Ralsei's also gonna put two and two together, which is probably going to make him feel worthless when he realises that Kris only has eyes for Susie and not him. I think it could be an interesting way to develop the continuing theme of love/romance in Deltarune, and in particular the "perception versus reality" aspect of it, as the "How To Draw Dragons" book would likely end up looking like a more sexualised version of Susie, what with the lipstick and the... immodest dress. I haven't developed this thought all that much, but your ask made me think about it for the first time, so thank you!

To get back to your ask (sorry for the massive tangent!) - yeah, I think there is a lot more we could learn about Ralsei through his hobbies, including any new ones he might pick up. He does have a LOT of hobbies, it seems, from cooking to crocheting and interior decorating, and he can sing! Going by his jaw-droppingly gorgeous no-glasses sprite above, I think we could add master make-up artist to that list as well! And yeah, it'd definitely be amazing to see those hobbies being used as a way for Ralsei to discover more about himself :)

Thanks so much for the thought-provoking ask! :D