#I wanna draw the rest of them I have all the refs saved and everything but my brain said “no only draw these four

[the-ave]

I really love the whole cast don’t get me wrong

But I really REALLY love these four in particular.

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

FINALLY I'VE FINISHED MY FIRST BATMAN CHARACTER REF SHEET!!!!!!! Ignore the fact that Gentleman Ghost didn't even originate as a Batman character okay I just had the clearest idea of what I wanted this one to look like- either way, now that I actually have the format for these set up, it should be a lot easier to make the rest! I'll probably post them as I finish, maybe saving a couple so I can post them alongside other relavent characters Idk.

Main inspirations + HC voice under the cut:

Alright, getting this out of the way now, some of my inspos are gonna be kinda weird pulls. GG doesn't have the WEIRDEST ones, but I do feel like at least the Scooby Doo one is kinda random- anyways here are some explanations :)

Batman the Brave & the Bold(Cartoon): I love everything about this version of him omfg- I don't have my versions backstory completely worked out yet, but I know I really wanna take the deal with a demon for immortality aspect from this version. It's a really cool idea that I think I could def do smthn fun with. I also really like his overall demeanor in this version! He truly lives up to the Gentleman part of his name, which I know is definitely true for other versions of the character, but the way he's written and voiced in this show gets that politeness across in such a fun way. Also I love the way his cape is animated it's so fun-

Hawkman(1986): Okay, so I'm not really a Hawkman fan? I thought he was pretty fun in DC Superhero Girls, but that and the Harley Quinn Show are kinda the only things with him in them I've interacted with in a meaningful way. That being said though, I saw a bunch of panels from this specific run in the GG tag, and decided I might as well read the parts with GG at the very least since they seemed pretty fun, and MAN I love how he's written in those comics sm- he's so sassy lmao. Sassy Gentleman Ghost my beloved. He's also just overall really funny and has a great presence. I definitely wanna integrate some aspects of his personality in this into my version, and if I were to ever expand my silly little take on the Batman mythos to include other DC heroes, I would def wanna give him a similar dynamic with the Hawks to what they have going on in these comics.

Batman the Brave and the Bold(comic, 2023): He's only in like, one story in one issue, but omfg I love that story so much- I just love the idea that he would go out of his way to protect his descendants the way he does in that story. Also his design is so cool- I love that they actually made him look like a ghost in this comic, what with the blue lineart and the constant unearthly glow. One of my biggest pet peeves with how a lot of people draw him is that he doesn't usually look like an actual ghost, but I think this comic does a really good job with that.

Scooby Doo, Where Are You?(1969): I just love the idea of him coming across like an old Scooby Doo villain. In the hypothetical show I've been writing in my brain(because I'm insane), his introduction would be a full on homage to the long history Batman and Scooby Doo have had together, with the whole thing being set up like an old episode of Scooby Doo and Gentleman Ghost being basically an old Scooby Doo villain along the lines of the Phantom or the Ghost of Elias Kingston. That kinda cheesy but genuinely spooky energy, a filter over his voice to make it sound like he's straight out of Where Are You, all that good stuff. Make this guy Scooby Doo coded.

His backstory(which I will not be sharing) is also inspired by the broad strokes of his comic ones, but not really any specific version of it.

Headcannon voice: Anthony Warlow(Jekyll & Hyde: the Gothic Musical Thriller) or Alex Rochon(the Amazing Digital Circus). I don't really have an explanation for either of these I just think the vibes fit-

[lonelimbless]

(Different anon, just wanting to clarify that real quick.)

This is mostly my own spin with some wholesomeness thrown in:

During Legends, Raymesis ends up teaming up with Rayman (hence why he's playable) in order to take Ales down, as he got quite enough of the dude.

Before Legends though, all the way back during Rayman 2 actually, Raymesis ends up befriending Dark Globox and at some unknown point also Glombrox. Despite being a seemingly big brute who likes to scare people, Glombrox was surprisingly the most level-headed of the group. Raymesis ends up actually prefering the hero-turned-criminal that was Glombrox over his original father (Mr. Dark). So Raymesis ended up getting himself and his two siblings some new frog friends. If you know that meme of a tired looking guy holding a gremling on a leash, that's pretty much Glombrox with the group, or at least most of them, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Glombrox and Tychon could enjoy just taking the day of and read or go explore some ancient ruins for lost knowlegde.

Zephyr and Dark Globox pretty much constantly encouraged each other's chaotic nature.

Raymesis mostly just rolled with everyone quite frankly.

At some point Tychon does end up getting a crush, this being on the princess Olympia, after she saved him by stopping a large ogre's fist with just one hand. Tychon ended up chatting with Olympia quite a bit, about her home of Olympus, her powers, why she was here and so on. She in return asked about a lot of the things Tychon had going on, true she wasn't booksmart like they were, but they were still curious which Tychon liked.

Zephyr meanwhile does end up getting a wholesome friendship with Tily the Fairy, both of them going around pranking people and causing mischief. This does help Zephyr slowly leaning more towards the good side of chaos. Zephyr does have to remind her that Dark Globox is not a frog to use as a bouncing castle from time to time though.

Rayman and Raymesis meanwhile becomes rivals/frienemis, but Raymesis would never admit to actually liking Rayman's company after all these years.

In the future, we're talking about post-Mini here, Mr. Dark returns to the group. Raymesis, after both meeting Glombrox and teaming up with Rayman is kinda hesitant to return to his side. At first they team up, but it's actually Glombrox and Zephyr who decides to make a change here; first with Glombrox beating Mr. Dark to a pulp after getting enough of his ego ruining everything they planned and just overall not liking the guy, and Zephyr who when later on Mr. Dark is near-defeat asks her to open a portal to get him out of there, she refuses which ultimately leads to Mr. Dark dying. (I was also thinking Ly the Fairy, but i thought Olympia would be more interesting, unless you want me to elaborate.)

For a moment they don't know what to do with themselves, but as time passes, they end up actually prefering to live without Mr. Dark. Tychon does eventually leave the group, deciding to move to Olympus with Olympia, while Zephyr ends up becoming Voodoo Mama's new assistant. Raymesis stayed behind with Dark Globox and Glombrox though, the three of them turning one of Ales' old hideouts into a new house. Raymesis still keeps in contact with his siblings to this day, and while he still doesn't wanna admit it, he's thankful that Rayman won that battle all those years ago.

Oh, this is very wholesome indeed...

Besides some things that I wanted to clarify is with that battling Mr Dark is much more of a team effort and I'm not too sure if I want Tychon to have a crush on Olympia, perhaps just have her as a friend or what not. Other than those, this is such good stuff.

I especially enjoyed Dark Globox and Zephyr being chaotic buddies so here ya go. I might draw the rest soon. And I think I'll rename Dark Globox into Maddox, to fit in with the group.

They're having soft tacos later ✨/ref

[domirine]

You probably do a lot of life drawing seeing as how perfectly fluid your art always is so this ask might be redundant lol but,, i was wondering what kind of references you usually use? Do you just google similar poses, does it come from your mind, or do you have a go-to app to look through like pinterest?👉👈 i ask bc I struggle a lot with poses and usually when i look them up i end up drawing nothing bc its not. Ever good enough for me/what im looking for lol😔 still not sure how to even draw characters smoochin, rip

thank you, nonny!! i do a lil bit of life drawing, but man i really do feel the same way you do. while i'm happy to show some art when i get it done, the process can be a real struggle.

sorry this is gonna be long and all over the place lol hope it helps tho:

life drawing good: i recommend ditching the idea of finding the 100% Perfect Ref right off the bat. studying anatomy and life drawing (this site has a range of body types and fun poses) somewhat regularly, therefore growing my mental library so that i can try and make whatever pose is in my head happen later, has been more viable to me than spending hours looking for the Perfect Ref.

drawing a bunch of generic people skating without pressure of creating proper character art is good practice, and it primes me to then come up with a skating pose of my own.

ref hunting: i save pictures i might use as refs regularly in a browser folder - good refs, bad refs, boring refs - losing a ref standard can be helpful because at the end of the day it’s what you make with it, so it doesn’t have to be particularly mind-blowing to begin with. you don’t wanna reinvent the wheel or create the most never-been-done-before pose, you just wanna get a thing right.

pinterest is very good for poses, yes, though you have to know how to look for them - i.e. i found that typing out "dynamic pose" will not yield organic results, as opposed to looking up people in motion like athletes, boxers, skaters and such. for fighting, i recommend using photos or clips from (ideally staged lol) fights, as opposed to stock images where the models are standing for a while posing - the former preserves a lot of the movement. i also recommend looking up group photos from events or shows for interesting natural poses and people interacting.

best hot tip of all tho: what helped me most is to not treat references very religiously. don't be tied down by what's in your ref, or not finding the perfect one, because then you're focusing on accuracy and not necessarily on what you wanna communicate with your drawing. if you can't find what you're looking for in full, just use a part that you find interesting, and then bullshit the rest and revise accordingly.

idea-generating can be very hard but you can practice it like any other skill, because having a decent idea of what you wanna draw is helpful - you don't have to have the whole pose visualised 100%. it's the mood, body language and expressions, that i think are more important. looking at refs can help reveal your ideas and intentions, but i will not create them for you i’m afraid.

for example, speaking on characters smooching, i've drawn these using refs in   pretty uptight way with no ideas beforehand - and i find them painfully boring because they're not rly communicating anything aside from a anatomical accuracy (more or less);

i was being too intent on staying faithful to the reference, and they're looking kinda stale to me. the only one that was done without any ref, was the bottom left - which i like! bc it's got spice and it’s portraying some emotion.

but i wouldn't have drawn it if i hadn't already started on the others, so maybe another good tip is to trust the process and not give up mid-work!! drawing stuff you’re not proud of is still drawing stuff, and not everything you create is gonna be satisfying. things are gonna click here and there, but you never know when, so don’t give up on your ugly artsy ducklings!!

[andrebearakovsky]

This Week in Caps: Week 3

Welcome to This Week in Caps, a weekly newsletter where I recap everything important that’s been going on in the world of the Washington Capitals this past week.

This Week’s Games

10/17/18 vs New York Rangers, W 4-3 (OT)

I hope you like the Caps on Wednesday Night Hockey, because the Caps have hosted that particular nationally televised game for three straight weeks. The Caps took on an old rival in the rebuilding Rangers, and Alex Ovechkin faced Henrik Lundqvist, the goalie he’s beaten more than any other.

The first period was fast-moving, with not a lot of stoppages and little to no shenanigans. Brett Connolly was robbed by Lundqvist, and Mika Zibanejad scored on a rebound in front about six minutes into the game. 1-0 Rangers. The action got going with about seven minutes left in the period; the Rangers had a mad scrum in front of the Caps’ net, and Christian Djoos made a huge save by sweeping the puck off the goalline, keeping a goal off the scoresheet. The defensive efforts paid off about a minute later, when John Carlson scored a booming slap shot goal directly off a Nicklas Backstrom faceoff win, trying the game 1-1.

Shortly into the second period, Ovechkin was back at it again against Lundqvist. On a power play, Carlson kept the puck in the zone and flipped it over to Ovechkin, who slapped a one-timer from the very back of the Ovi Office and caught Lundqvist off guard, giving the Caps a 2-1 lead. But the Rangers would be quick to tie the score, with them getting their own power play and Jimmy Vesey tapping in a goal to make it 2-2. Ovechkin made sure to have the last laugh of the period, scoring yet another one-timer power play goal, eerily similar to the first one, to make it 3-2 Caps.

But the lead wouldn’t last, and Chris Kreider scored a tip-in goal on a power play for the Rangers that tied the score 3-3. And despite everyone’s best efforts, this game would go to overtime.

Evgeny Kuznetsov drove play when he had the puck in overtime, eventually faking at shooting the puck at the net. Matt Niskanen, hovering nearby, dunked home the rebound to score the overtime winner, giving the Caps the 4-3 win.

The Caps outshot the Rangers 38-32 and had the advantage on faceoffs at 53%. Each team went 2/4 on the power play, and Braden Holtby saved 29/32 shots. This game was closer than the Caps probably would have liked, but it’s a win all the same, and the Caps will be happy to take it.

10/19/18 vs Florida Panthers, L 5-6 (SO)

The Panthers came into this one winles on the season, and the Caps were looking for two in a row. And when all was said and done, this game ended up being a wild one.

Joe Beninati described the Caps’ first period as “sleepy,” and that’s how it felt. Defense was not good, and they just did not look good in the first at all. Vincent Trocheck scored halfway through the period. The Caps responded five minutes later on a John Carlson goal, throwing home a puck in front of the net to make it 1-1. But the Panthers pounded the Caps the rest of the period, scoring the next goal just thirty seconds later. Florida got goals from Evgenii Dadonov, Colton Sceviour, and Jared McCann to make it 4-1 Panthers by the end of the first.

Things changed for the Caps between the first and second periods — Braden Holtby was taken out of the game in favor of Pheonix Copley, and the lines were put in a blender. It seemed to work, as the Caps were completely revitalized and were dominating play, with the defense especially looking a lot better (the Panthers did not get their first shot on Copley until halfway through the period).

They got the comeback rolling with just under two minutes in the frame — Brett Connolly scored on a sharp angle to make it 2-4. Later, the Caps got an odd-man rush and Jakub Vrana scored from his knees to make it 3-4. And just a few minutes later, Devante Smith-Pelly took advantage on a bad bounce off the Panther goalie, and scored on the second shot to complete the comeback and tie the game at 4. The Panthers were also forced to make a goalie change, pulling James Reimer and replacing him with Michael Hutchinson.

However, the Caps were a bit undone by all the penalties at the end of the period. Alex Ovechkin was called for interference against Aaron Ekblad at 17:18 and the Caps were called for too many men at 18:03, giving the Panthers a two-man advantage for 1:15. Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, and Nicklas Backstrom put up a great defensive showing, but the Panthers capitalized and Jonathan Huberdeau scored at 19:09 to make it 5-4 Panthers, and they still had about fifty seconds of power play time. Then the refs didn’t like what Evgeny Kuznetsov said to them and sent him to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct with eight seconds left in the period. The Panthers would start the third with three seconds of five-on-three, and then 1:45 of power play time, which the Caps killed.

The Caps got a power play at 16:52 of the third, and they pulled Copley for the extra attacker halfway through the power play, and Backstrom scored the tying goal, tapping one into the net at 18:35, trying the game at 5. But then Niskanen took a penalty with 23 seconds left in the game, and there was no more scoring in regulation, so the Panthers had just over 1:30 of four-on-three power play time to start overtime. The Caps killed that, and there were no more whistles in overtime and the rest of it was played four-on-four. The Caps had many chances in overtime, particularly a Dmitry Orlov shot off the post, but this game would be decided in a shootout.

The shootout went thus: T.J. Oshie goal, Aleksander Barkov goal, Kuznetsov goal, Nick Bjugstad no goal, Ovechkin no goal, Trocheck goal, Backstrom no goal, Huberdeau goal. The Caps lose the shootout 2-3 and the game 5-6.

The Caps outshot the Panthers 31-30 and were barely beaten on faceoffs, winning 49.2%. They went 1/3 on the power play, while the Panthers went 2/7. Holtby saved just 7/11 shots in his short start, and Copley saved 18/19.

The new third line (Vrana, Connolly, and Lars Eller) looked excellent tonight, and was the most prominent forward line. Orlov also had a couple of very strong looks. Copley was excellent in relief and kept the Caps in the game, even though the Panthers shooters made the rookie look a little silly in the shootout. Were it not for the shootout, he might have gotten his first NHL win.

The game was wildly entertaining, and even though the Caps got down and looked bad early, they showed great resilience in making that three-goal comeback and then tying it yet again late in regulation. This looked like it was going to be a horrible loss, and ending this game with a point is something they’ll gladly take.

Current record: 3-2-2

What’s Going on in the World of the Caps

Wilson Appeal

Tom Wilson met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on October 18th to discuss the appeal of his twenty-game suspension. The hearing lasted seven hours, and Bettman’s decision is expected sometime midweek.

Brett Connolly Leaves Yet Another Teammate Hanging

[gif by @faceoffs]

Remember last year when Kuzy was looking for a fist bump from Brett Connolly, and Connolly left him hanging, resulting in Kuzy fist bumping himself? Well, Friday against the Panthers, Conno left another teammate in the dust, and the victim this time, Jakub Vrana, was left to fist bump himself. This seems to be becoming a trend for Connolly, and if history repeats itself, we may already have the winner of gif of the year. (x)

Special Teams

The Capitals’ power play this season has been absolutely deadly. They’re currently cashing in on an unreal 38.5% of power play opportunities, which is best in the league. The big guns have been doing their job. The penalty kill, however, is stuck near the other end of the spectrum. They’re killing 72.4% of penalties, which is 24th in the league. Ideally, you’d like to be somewhere around 80%, or maybe even 85%, to have a really effective penalty kill. They’ve been letting in too many chances and need to tighten it up a bit. Maybe the loss of Jay Beagle or the absence of Tom Wilson, both excellent penalty killers, is really hurting them, but they’re going to have to do something about it and get better.

Faceoffs

Winning faceoffs? Never heard of her. Overall, the Capitals have won 46.0% of faceoffs, which is 29th in the league. Not good. The funny thing is that not everyone is doing horribly; Nicklas Backstrom is winning 54.5%, which is quite good, and Lars Eller is winning 51.2%, which is not shabby. But Nic Dowd is winning 43.8% and Evgeny Kuznetsov is winning only 36.2%, which is very bad, especially because he has taken the second most draws on the team (after Backstrom). The loss of Jay Beagle certainly hurts in this department, but the centers, especially Kuznetsov and Dowd, need to pick it up. Winning faceoffs can really help possession and even lead directly to goals.

Other Miscellaneous Happenings

Ovi repaired one of his teeth, which was broken in the Stanley Cup Final

Ovi doesn’t need pants

Brooks Orpik was inducted into his high school’s Hall of Fame

Wanna see pics from Casino Night? Here ya go

Player of the Week

John Carlson is putting up his very early case for the Norris Trophy and reminding people how much of a mistake it was he wasn’t an All-Star and Norris finalist last season. In two games this week, he tallied two goals and two assists for four points. He is second on the Caps in goals, assists, and points, trailing Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Kuznetsov respectively. He is currently the second-highest-scoring defenseman in the league, trailing only Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Social Media Post of the Week

nastyashubskaya: 2 месяца ❤️two months! #happybirthdayson #weloveyou

The Ovechkins posted an adorable family photo on the day baby Sergei turned two months old.

Stars of the Night Season Leaderboard

Over the course of the season, I will be keeping track of the Caps stars of the night, translating them into points, and organizing them into a leaderboard.

1st star = 5 pts, 2nd star = 3 pts, 3rd star = 1 pt

1. Kuznetsov — 13 2. Ovechkin — 8 3. Backstrom — 4 4. Carlson — 3 T-5. Eller — 1 T-5. Holtby — 1 T-5. Oshie — 1

Achieved and Upcoming Milestones

Jakub Vrana played in his 100th career NHL game on 10/17/18 vs the New York Rangers With two power play goals on 10/17/18 vs the New York Rangers, Alex Ovechkin advanced to 9th on the all-time NHL power play goals list, tied with Dino Ciccarelli (232). With one more, he can stand in 9th place alone, and with two more, he can be tied for 8th with Marcel Dionne (234). Nicklas Backstrom is 2 assists away from 600 career NHL assists Nicklas Backstrom is 1 power play goal away from being tied for 5th in Caps history in power play goals (67) John Carlson is 2 points away from being tied for 6th in Caps history in points among defensemen (345) John Carlson is 2 power play goals away from being tied for 7th in Caps history in power play goals among defensemen (25) Evgeny Kuznetsov is 7 assists away from 200 career NHL assists Dmitry Orlov is 5 assists away from 100 career NHL assists T.J. Oshie is 9 goals away from 200 career NHL goals Devante Smith-Pelly is 6 points away from 100 career NHL points Madison Bowey is searching for his first NHL goal Nic Dowd is searching for his first assist as a Capital

Next Week’s Upcoming Games

10/22/18 @ Vancouver Canucks (10 PM) 10/25/18 @ Edmonton Oilers (9 PM) 10/27/18 @ Calgary Flames (4 PM)

[a-table-of-fics]

Cull to Adventure, Chapter 9, Draft 1

Marie brought a third fan, pointing it at the couch she had laid Agent 4 on. He was already getting some consistency back, but she wanted to make sure. She wasn’t worried about any mess on the couch, as the ink would soon evaporate anyway. She set it to “low,” like the others, then turned to pet the Zapfish who was powering all three. She was there for a few moments before going walking over and getting another Lamprede from the cooler she had.

“You did good out there, Agent 4,” she said, handing it to him. With a small smile, she added, “I sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Cull looked over, nodding appreciatively with a still-sloshy head.

“I didn’t think the Octoweapons would be fully operational, though,” she continued. “Gotta hand it to the Octarians; they know how to prepare.”

“So I’m gonna fight m-more ovens?” Cull groaned.

“I don’t know about that,” she replied, “But I do know we’re gonna need the big guns.”

She reached into her kimono, revealing a walkie talkie attached to a cord.

“Hello, Sheldon, can you hear me? Over.”

“Loud and clear, Mar-“ Sheldon started, before correcting himself, “erm, Agent 2. Over!”

Marie had to lean back from her device as Sheldon squealed with excitement, before clearing his throat and continuing.

“Agent 4, you’re in good hands! We at Ammo Knights have over 542 million years of trusted service, and I’m proud to say my weapons can be of help to the New Squidbeak Splatoon! What better place for a test run than the real-world conditions of saving Inkopolis, am I right? You’ll even get to use them once developed, and I think you’ll—”

“Okay,” Marie interjected. “Down, boy. I think Agent 4 gets the point.”

“Right,” Sheldon replied. “Well, come back tomorrow and I’ll get an Ammo Knights Enhancifier for you. It’ll automatically upgrade your weaponry and even make different bombs for you, if you can provide materials and enough energy from Power Eggs.”

“S-sounds good,” Cull said, finally felling solid enough to get onto his feet. “I…I think I need s-some time, anyway. It’s getting late…”

Marie nodded. The sky was already starting to fade from pink to purple, a lovely sight even in a place like Octo Canyon.

“Well, you can stay here for the night,” she said. “I mean, Agent 3 slept at an outpost like this, too, you know.”

“I… I kinda want to go home…” Cull admitted, taking a few semisolid steps to the grate to Inkopolis. “Got a few things t-to take care of…”

“You sure? You might still wanna…”

Marie paused, taking in Agent 4’s expression.

“…Suit yourself,” she finally said, “but the offer stands, okay?”

Cull looked back and gave a thumbs-up that was just a little runny, then disappeared into the grate.

Marie sighed, watching his inky footsteps disappear with mild interest before turning the fans off. Gently, she picked up the Zapfish and prepared to take it somewhere.

***

“Youuu okay?” Flage asked, in her usual sing-song voice. “I know it’s been ho-ot, but you’re not looking so great.”

“Y-yeah, I’ll… I’ll be fine,” Cull said, reflexively pulling his beanie down a little.

“Come now,” Flage said, reaching for the front of his hat, “Wearing a beanie in this he-heat? Don’t be silly!”

Cull leaned back so quickly that he almost fell right over the bench’s armrest.

“Please don’t,” he said.

“Oh, sorryyy,” she said, scooching backwards a little. “Forgot that’s pa-art of your look.”

“Y-yeah,” Cull said, leaning back up, “Guess…guess you could say it is.”

He shook his head; he didn’t have it in him to stay mad at her. She was trying to help, after all, and it’s not like she knew of his haircut.

“A-anyway,” he asked, looking for a change in subject, “what brings you to this bus stop? I-I thought you lived in Inkopolis.”

“Oh, that I dooo,” she replied, “but I hear there’s some goooood stargazing out by Bulrush Lake!”

“Ah,” he nodded. “That sounds nice.”

“Yeah, and you know it’ll be a sight to be-holdwhile the power’s still out! Goootta count my lucky stars!”

“I… I guess…”

“Besides, I need the ref-er-ence for my next piece. My next painting will change the world of art, buh-leave you me!”

“I-I’m sure it will,” Cull said, nodding slowly. “I’d l-like to see it s-sometime, if that’s okay...”

“Of course it is!” Flage beamed. “I would looove a fellow artiste to look at my work!”

“Oh, I’m n-no a-artiste,” Cull said, laughing nervously. “I-I just l-like drawing…”

“C’mon now!” Flage said, lightly patting Cull’s arm. “I’ve seen your graffi-tee, and pop art has a place in the art world!”

Cull’s beanie was almost entirely over his eyes at this point. Enough green ink rushed to his face to make him look sick.

“Y-you saw my stuff…?”

“Pret-ty easy to recognize,” Flage beamed, adjusting her glasses. “I saw your ta-ttoo, remember? You’re always draaawing within it, and you do great stuff!”

It was a horrible time for Cull to realize he left his gloves back at the Outpost. His no-doubt melted doodles were on full display right now, and he was sure the actual tattoo wasn’t looking as clean as it should have.

“I… I think I f-forgot something,” Cull managed, standing up to leave. The Outpost wasn’t sounding so bad right now. Not even Flage’s oddly soothing melodic voice was enough to numb his panic. “I gotta… I gotta go.”

“Was it something I said?” Flage asked, looking up.

He just wished he could ask her to stop patronizing him; who just gave underserved compliments out of nowhere? As it was, though, he didn’t have the nerve, and simply shook his head before heading back to the Outpost.

Once he was a safe distance from being seen by anyone, he stopped worrying about that general shame and finally noticed that unlike last night, some of the streetlights were on. Even as he stayed in the alleyways behind Inkopolis Square, he could see light trying to reach him from the main plaza. He looked over, and could see an Inkling in a gas mask and flippers spray painting the wall of the arcade, easily seeing his duck-based piece.

Cull cringed. He recognized that style; this was the guy who was always one-upping his own pieces whenever he made something he was proud of. To be fair, Cull had taken to doing the same thing, placing his high-effort pop art next to this guy’s detailed paintings, but still.

Anyway, it was getting really late, and if he had bones, they’d be aching from the long day. He quietly continued over to the manhole, and ducked into the Outpost.

He saw Marie sleeping on the couch, humming tunelessly as she snored. Quietly, he crept forward, looking for a different place to sleep, preferably a more private one. He saw his gloves lying on that coffee table, and snatched them up quickly.

As he did so, his foot bumped against something. He looked town to find a handle to a trapdoor. Curious, he gently moved the coffee table aside and lifted the door to find at least fifty plush Zapfish staring at him. It was a bit weird, but Cull could only yawn in response, not being able to question anything anymore. He clambered in, and appreciated how soft the pile was as he slowly closed the door again, listening to Marie’s humming as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Marie’s eyes slowly fluttered open, then squinted under the noonday sun. Slowly, she got up, and saw an orange grill-looking thing right in front of her, with Sheldon messing with some wires on a side panel. He seemed to be having some difficulty, though, as Marie could hear some violent banging, and he looked increasingly concerned, practically burying himself into unknowable machinery.

“Tech issues?” she yawned, sitting upright.

“Oh, don’t get me started,” Sheldon said, in a tone that made Marie wish she didn’t. “I checked everythingand there’s still that noise! The pistons are well-lubricated, the automated scan is perfectly calibrated, the motor is fresh off the assembly line—”

“Right, right,” Marie nodded, “you don’t know where it’s coming from. Anything I can do?”

“I… I don’t know,” Sheldon admitted. Marie could see in his goggles as he turned to her that he’d been at this for some time; his eyes were turning pink.

“Here, why don’t you sit down for a bit? You might need less time doing, more time thinking, y’know.”

“But what about what you said—”

“Nevermind that,” Marie said. “You gotta rest. Besides, that thing about inking and thinking…. That’s for squids of action. You don’t even ink, so don’t sweat it!”

“Um, okay,” Sheldon nodded, that spiel taking far more energy than it should have. He walked up and sat at the end of the couch, still having the diligence to close the panel beforehand. He couldn’t even flinch as the Enhancifier continued to bang and make odd wailing noises. Marie, however, wasn’t about to have it while she waited for Agent 4 to come back.

“So how do you turn this thing off?” she asked, standing up to look at the machine.

“That’s the thing,” Sheldon sighed, “it hasn’t been on for two hours! I’ve never seen something like this before, I tell ya…”

Marie hummed. A machine making those noises when off? She was no tech geek, but that sounded weird to her.

She leaned closer, listening to the noises. Now that things were a lot quieter, she realized the noises were coming from belowthe Enhancifier. With a couple of false starts and a lot of grunting, she moved it aside, and was now standing on the trapdoor Sheldon had covered.

Without the giant hunk of metal over the door, it was far easier to make out a familiar panicked voice. Marie wasted no time in stepping aside, and the door burst open. Cull popped out, gasping like his life depended on it.

“Oh Cod, I’m so sorry,” Sheldon said, running over to him. “I don’t know how I didn’t see the door there… I legitimately thought it was an issue with the Enhancifier, and…”

“I…it’s okay,” Cull said, after a moment. “I’m s-sure you didn’t h-hear me…”

“What were you even doing down there?” Marie asked, gently lifting him up onto the proper floor.

“R-ride home wasn’t working out,” Cull said, eyes glued to the floor. “I was… just gonna sleep h-here for one night, s-saw your thing of plushies, and…yeah.”

“I thought you had moved that table to give me space to work,” Sheldon said. “If I’d known he was in there, I wouldn’t have…”

“N-no, it was me. I just… I’m sorry…”

“Here,” Marie finally said, gently pulling Cull aside, “Why don’t you take a break, and then you and Sheldon can move this thing somewhere that makes sense, like… that corner over there. In the meantime, I’m getting myself something to drink. You guys want anything?”

Cull was suddenly aware of how hoarse he was, and nodded.

“C-could use some water.”

“That triage took its toll,” Sheldon admitted, “and I think I need a picker-upper. You got any Seafoam in that shed?”

“Sorry,” Marie said, silently wondering how much he had on a regular basis, “but I got a coffee maker and a few mixes.”

“That’s alright, then. I’ll get it in a bit.”

“That’s fine,” Marie nodded, “but don’t mess with it, okay? It’s Cal…”

Her face fell somewhat, before she coughed and turned to the shed.

“…It’s not mine. So don’t go tinkering with it.”

It was an awkward wait while Marie was heating up tea for herself. Cull had some ice water and had more interest in half-melted ice cubes than any Inkling Sheldon had ever seen.

After what felt like forever, Cull finally looked up, at least in Sheldon’s general direction.

“Um… you s-say this thing can upgrade my Splattershot?”

“Not just that,” Sheldon said, perking up. “It can get you the hottest new kinds of explosives, and even help you conserve your ink through a process I like to call ‘The Hibernation Effect’. Through a careful, multi-layered tubing system, we can safely extract less ink for the same shot, and even make the refilling process more comfortable than ever…”

Sheldon’s more detailed technical explanations started to go into one ear and out the other, but Cull was more interested than ever in the Enhancifier. He got up while Sheldon was still pouring an endless stream of info out of his mouth, and looked to see how this thing worked.

Thankfully, there was already a screen ready, with icons not only representing his Splattershot and Splat Bombs, but also, as Sheldon said, his ink tank, as well as other weapons he had seen on TV sometimes. There were even some of the newer ones, like the umbrella-looking one and the Dualies.

Below each icon, he saw estimates of the materials needed – so many Power Eggs to keep the battery going, and so many kilograms of Sardinium. He’d have to ask where the stuff he found was stored once Marie came back out.

“Cool, right?” Sheldon said, stepping up next to Cull. “Here, I got a bit of Sardinium and a pack of Power Eggs for testing right here. Just pick something and we can watch the magic happen! I’ll even let you get an exclusive sneak peek of how it does it!”

“Oh, um, okay.”

He took a second to look over the choices. Another kind of bomb seemed nice – that homing one was looking tempting. Then again, the machine was promising a faster firing rate and some better accuracy if he went with the Splattershot…

“Ooh, why don’t I show ya the Hibernation Effect?” Sheldon piped up excitedly. “I bet you’ll want more ink in that tank, yeah? Even your Splat Bombs’ll take less fuel to get the same kick!”

“Um…s-sure,” Cull nodded.

It wasn’t his first choice, since he was hoping to not have to shoot as much, but maybe it would help with his no-doubt abysmal shooting. After all, if he was filling the air with ink for longer, he’d be missing less, right? And, yeah, Sheldon probably knew what he needed better than he did; why else would he be so eager to decide for Cull?

While Cull tentatively tapped that upgrade, Sheldon had, in the blink of an eye, fetched the ink tank in question. With a couple of quick taps on a side panel, the orange lid opened to reveal protective glass, allowing Cull a full view of the machinery inside. Lights came on, and some robotic arms whirred to life to wait over a moving conveyor belt. Sheldon had inserted the glass capsule into a door on the side. It was soon drawn to the middle of all the machinery, and Cull was prompted to insert the materials needed. He flinched as a slot jumped out in front of him.

Sheldon, being more ready, was quick to pour a bag of Power Eggs and a couple bricks of Sardinium into it. Power Eggs fell into miniature battery packs, while the Sardinium was melted and converted to a variety of parts. Almost immediately, the arms got to work, disconnecting the tubes and prying the lid off. Cull found it neat to watch, even if he didn’t understand any of what was going on. Sparks flew, wires were added, and even the glass was polished inside and out.

Only about a minute passed before the ink tank was rolled back out the way it came in, landing safely on a tray.

Sheldon watched in anticipation as Cull gingerly picked it up, looking at the shiny new lid and siphon hoses.

“Looks nice,” Marie said from behind, nearly making Cull drop his new tool. “Surprised you went with the ink tank, though.”

“Sh-Sheldon said to get this one…”

“The guy knows his stuff,” Marie said, “but you gotta find what works for you, okay? I know you will.”

Cull nodded.

“Anyway, get yourself suited up, and we can see how that ink-saving whatchamacallit works in action. I bet it’ll still help.”

Marie turned to Sheldon.

“We’ve been keeping the stuff Agent 4 has found in the cupboard, if you wanna go and get paid back.”

Sheldon saluted, walking in and getting the items he used before lifting the manhole cover and disappearing.

“Didn’t even get his coffee,” Marie sighed, shaking her head.

***

“Hey, wait!” Sheldon called out, taking both Marie and Cull by surprise over the radio. “You might wanna try out something different here! I can send you a Roller, and we can see if it works out better for you. Plus, you know, these weapons need a good ol’ field testing…”

“Erm,” Cull said, looking at his Splattershot, “I-I’m kinda already here…”

“Yeah, we’d have to recall Agent 4 if we wanted to—”

“No, no, I can also test my newest delivery system! For the past two years, I’ve gotten a hold of some old tech from my gramps, and found a way to get a remote drone and all its electronics through these grates, and even greatly extended the signal through careful use of the latest—”

“You think you can send it down to him?” Marie asked. “Sure; try the first tower on the left once you get to Suction-Cup lookout. You think your whatchamacallit can fly that far?”

“Well, the battery kinda had to be skimped on to get it to work, but I could drive there! Can you wait a few, Agent 4?”

“I… I guess…?”

“Great! I’ll let you know when I’m there! Try to hang on until then, okay?”

“…Sure…?”

***

The spawner was surprisingly comfortable to sit on, considering it was a large metal plate with ink swirling below glass. Still, it gave Agent 4 a nice place to relax as he looked around the smoggy area. It wasn’t much to look at, apparently being an industrial area with floating steel platforms and a greenish tint to the air. In the distance, there were hanging orange lights to punctuate the gloomy area. The air smelled of motor oil and something like ink blended with iron. Interestingly, there were some yellow traffic signs laid on the right that showed squid icons, and those looked pretty new.

He didn’t have much time to think about that, however, as a low buzzing noise turned his attention upwards. A black and yellow drone descended, carrying a large case. Cull’s gaze followed it as it lowered to eye level and started orbiting him.

“Go ahead and swap your Splattershot out for this bad boy,” Sheldon said. “See how you like it!”

Cull pulled the case off the drone and opened it, revealing an intricately folded lump of yellow plastic and steel. He yelped as, almost immediately, the contraption sprung to life, leaping out towards him as he jumped back, dropping his gun. Within half a second, the machine had stopped, revealing itself to be a massive Roller, not too different from the ones Cull saw in commercials pretty frequently.

“Real beauty, isn’t she?” Sheldon said. “Go ahead and give ‘er a whirl! But first… please put that poor Splattershot in that case. I don’t want it getting scratched…”

Cull nodded, picking his gun up and putting it back into the same case the Roller burst out of. Sending the drone on its way, he turned to his new weapon, testing the handle. Yup, the thing was almost as heavy as it looked, but he was used to paint rollers anyway; he was constantly re-painting the walls at home, after all.

He started to push his Roller forward, and he was astonished at how smoothly his ink coated the floor as he went. He was used to having a rough time, but moving forward with this monstrosity was a breeze!

Well, at least for the first fifteen or so seconds. When he was out of ink, the sheer weight of this thing slowed him to a crawl. Apparently, all that smoothness was just his ink; the mix of metal and foam was not doing his advance after the first Launchpad any favors.

“You gotta lift that up for a bit,” Marie said. “Remember, you only have so much ink, even with that enhanced tank.”

“Um… okay…”

Surprisingly, it was pretty easy to lift the Roller. The challenge was balancing with it; everything above the handle was so massive he found himself tilting every which way. He stumbled around, trying to find some kind of way to keep his weapon upright.

What was worse, he knew Agent 2 and Sheldon were watching this performance, probably snickering to themselves about it.

“Keep it close to your chest,” Marie said, without a hint of humor in her voice, somehow making it worse. “Bend your knees a lil’, keep the Roller straight up… yeah, like that!”

Cull somehow felt sillier now that he had something like the right posture, but at least he could stand, and he could feel his ink tank refilling.

“Just watch for the Rolinium around here!” Sheldon piped up. “I think this is a processing plant for the stuff…”

Up ahead, there was a giant bundle of what looked like Roller sleeves, and an Octotrooper waiting on some kind of large, automated brush. Cull was about to try to rush forward, balance be clammed, but both voices shouting for him to stop landed him right in front of the bundle.

“You can activate that Rolinium with your own,” Sheldon pointed out. “It’ll fly right ahead into the bad guys!”

“Probably a better way of getting a feel for the thing, too,” Marie added. “Don’t have to get up to that Octoslob with a weapon you’re not used to this time.”

Agent 4 nodded, shifting his grip a bit as he looked at the Rolinium. If he could launch this like Sheldon said, he’d have to time it. He was just glad the Octotrooper hadn’t noticed him; he was sure the guy would have had the same idea and just launch the Roller sleeves at him.

He had to slam his weapon down as soon as he tried to lean it forward. A violent splash of ink hit the Rolinium before he could run into it, and it immediately accelerated, barreling right into the unsuspecting Octatrian.

“Nice one!”

Cull knew he didn’t deserve that praise, so he just nodded and literally pressed forward with the Roller.