#I wanna turn it into a webcomic but I don’t have the time to start one right now

[roux36prod]

I’m just a little out of touch when it comes to my 3D poster game…

I usually just do animations or sketches, and when I do end up doing posters, it’s for lore. This one is just for the hell of it, because I made this model and then never used it for anything.

——————

Render by Roux36 Productions,

Bendy and the Demon Within by Roux36, Bendy and the Ink Machine by Joey Drew Studios

The Toon Demon model by Me

Scythe model by Me

Scythe handle textures by Joey Drew Studios

Made in Blender 3.2

[archandshri]

9th feb '24 - [arch] characters, interactions and emotion - making a mini webcomic

Gahhhh Shri this has been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks!!!! Hope you are doing well :)) First of all, WOW! You have a lot of goals, and I’m sure you’ll get them done! I’ve worked a lot on my graphic design during the process of making Winter Wellbeing. If you wanna see a blog post dedicated just to that, I can do so! It would be cool to compare notes on the approaches we take for graphic layouts. If you wanna share your knowledge of camera skills when you build that up that would be awesome 😭😭

It’s been a tough few weeks, art wise. I have been reflecting on my process, motivations to create, the ego and all the baggage that’s lumped into the creative process for me. It turns out there’s a lot. I took some space from my illustration practise (literally for a weekend!) and began to realise how dysfunctional it is. I’ve been writing a lot about that so there may be a larger piece of writing coming about that at some point (no promises!!)

But for now, let's talk about little successes!

I’ve been playing with some characters for a while but I’d hit a bit of a block with the plot. I realised the expectation of having a finished project of high quality soon is unrealistic, and an unhealthy expectation to put on myself. I rarely give myself time to play with concepts for a long time and let the characters, plot and interactions evolve naturally. Maybe this in part came from sticking to the short university module turnaround. I noticed that that short turnaround was causing a lot of block, so I have decided to bench it as a comic for now and focus on using it as a playground - falling in love with the characters, creating stories and drawing them for fun. Maybe years down the line I’ll make them into a comic - we shall see! 

I *tried* to do hourly comics day this year and it didn’t quite work for me. I think I made 3 comics? And then got distracted with a bigger project that ended up taking a week or so to complete. Let’s have a look at it, shall we?

[you can find the full version here]

First of all, it’s based on an unfinished fanfiction I started a couple of months ago, which was mostly bad, but there was one nice scene that I liked and wanted to expand on. I started by having a look at the script I wrote and thumbnailing on the iPad. I’m away from home at the mo and usually would prefer to do most of my artwork traditionally, but because I don’t have access to a scanner, the whole process was digital this time. A lot of the pages got scrapped because the dialogue wasn’t necessary, and I’m not drawing pages that aren’t necessary.

some more development screenshots

I thought a lot about posing during the process, acting the scenes out in my mind and sometimes physically, really understanding the emotions of the characters, why they’re saying what they’re saying, their tone and how to convey that though their body language and expression (i find grian really annoying normally [affectionate] but I want this grian to step on me).

Pearl was hard with this because she’s quite erratic and unpredictable in this series, so I wanted her to switch from raw explodey anger to playful jabs at Grian. I’m hoping this comes across as somewhat insane, rather than tonally off and inconsistent. I did super enjoy drawing her and her explosive nature though, especially in comparison to Grian’s coldness.

I played with levels and monotone colour too - I’m not working with multiple colours much at the moment so I’m able to focus on things like values composition, characters and backgrounds. My skills limit the kind of stories I can tell currently, so I’m working to improve those foundations. Maybe when I’m back in the riso studio I can play with colours a little more.

Colours - despite the simple pallete it gets a bit nerdy here.I stuck to specific flat percentages for most of it - Pearl’s hair and Grians jumper are 60%, Grian’s hair and Pearl’s cloak are 20%. Then I added a 14% layer for shadows, using a ahrd blend eraser tool for highlights, making the images quite dark. I fill a layer with texture from Forystr’s riso brush for procreate, and turn it into a 40% opacity colour dodge layer. This gives it some much needed texture and makes the lighting feel low and nighttimecore. It also pushes the values to look really nice - I tend to be too scared to push them by myself.

I tried a few different colour layers to get a *vibe* but settled on a low percentage riso blue in a colour layer. All layers besides the riso blue are in a riso black, colour picked from a riso colour pallete. I learnt these tools - using percentages to get good values - from working with risograph. I really recommend having a look at these techniques and doing some monotone work. It's really improved by character designs, page layouts and compositions.

That's all from me today, though I have had MANY other thoughts over the past two weeks about creating, but perhaps we'll dive into them another time. If you (or anyone else) has any questions, hit me up with a reblog or an ask and I will get right to it. Lovely to hear from you! Hope your art is going great too :)) Arch :)

[szkicel]

Welcome to my art page!

Hi, I’m Lucin, also known as Szkicel, and I’m a bug artist working on a few projects - mostly webcomics and games!

Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | ToyHouse | ArtFight

I’m tagging this post with all my tags that I use, so it’s easier to find stuff on mobile~ (will be updated as time goes on)

Let me introduce some of my projects under the cut :D

RO.Bug

Sayta & Neska are two cockroach sisters working as bounty hunters to put some food on the table. Sometimes Neska’s best friend Artun also tags along to help them out. They all live in the remains of a human house, where a lot of other bugs built their towns and cities.

This is the project that currently I’m putting the most focus on, working on the script and hopefully soon - drawing the pages of the comic!

RO.Bug sideblog: @ro-bug

Characters & plot - summary

RO.Bug on ToyHouse

RO.Bug: The Sinking Ruins

This is a project of a game that I worked on for my thesis. It takes place in the same universe as RO.Bug of course, but it focuses on a different location and different characters.

Isel is a moth traversing the old ruins on their robotic wings, trying to find a way back to their kingdom and to the man who took their wings in the first place.

RO.Bug: TSR on ToyHouse

I also had ideas for multiple spin-offs that take place in RO.Bug universe, mostly games with a couple webcomics, but right now I’m focusing on the two RO.Bug projects mentioned here so I won’t introduce the rest until I have more concrete concepts.

Purgatorium

A concept that started out as an idea for a comic, that later turned into an idea for a game due to its complexities and different endings. I don’t want to spoil it too much, so all you need to know about this for now is that it takes place in the afterlife and the main character wants to learn about their life and how they died.

MetalHero / Stage Heroes

I’m still not 100% set on the title for this one because I’m still looking into what isn’t copyrighted yet or how many protagonists I want to include (it started out with one but as more characters arrived the more it seemed this story could benefit from either having multiple POVs or being an anthology series)

It’s about superheroes with powers based on music - different genres, specific bands, artists or even instruments and songs. One of the heroes we follow is MetalHero (again, probably the name will be changed bc this one might be copyrighted), a friendly silly guy who just happens to be into metal - and also everyone in his city knows his identity and is chill about it~

It will start off as a webcomic, even though it could benefit from being an animated series.

Currently I don’t focus too much on this project, because the bugs take all of my time lmao but if you wanna see some of my old artwork featuring these guys, you can scroll down my instagram :D (I probably posted about them here too, but it’s easier to find them there) also if you have any questions regarding this series, feel free to ask~ !

Other Stuff

I also draw fanart from time to time

Here’s some of the media and music that I enjoy and I might draw stuff for (no promises tho):

Hollow Knight

Bug Fables

JJBA (esp part 3, 4 and 6)

Spiderverse (both movies)

Hades

Samurai Jack

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Adventure Time (haven’t watched fully yet so no spoilers pls)

Owl House

Amphibia

Undertale & Deltarune

The Arcana (current hyperfixation, mostly Muriel and Nadia lmao haven’t finished yet so no spoilers pls)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (current hyperfixation, not a player and I barely scratched the surface lol)

Ghost (the band)

Queen

Caravan Palace

Thank you for reading :D

I’m open to answering any questions regarding my projects so feel free to hit me up here or on instagram!

[crashing--waves]

General/Slightly Saucier Cove HCs 💦✨💙

☀️Gets so into imagining AUs with you that he would absolutely like, RP with you if you were into that. I can see that evolving into a webcomic or even a D&D podcast after graduation; Terry, Randy, Lee, Liz and even maybe Baxter would play over voice call!! ☀️If you have any scars or blemishes that Cove catches you worrying about/feeling insecure over, he'll use the same tactics on you that his dad did to him as a child, attempting to make it something you’re proud of and like about yourself instead

☀️Omg cannot baby you enough when you're sick. Borderline helicopter boyfriend, he'll primp your pillows, check your temp every 15 minutes, offer to make you soup or get you meds/ginger ale/tea. If you're sick for more than two days, it's doctor time and there's really no arguing with him about it! He’ll call off work himself to take you, and he does not care if he ends up getting sick right after as a result of all his pampering

☀️He's really the type of guy to wanna sit down and have an open conversation about boundaries, kinks and body terminology when the time finally comes

☀️Wants to check and double check that he won't make you uncomfortable at any point

☀️This has probably been said before, but he gets so into foreplay that it can almost get to be Too Much

☀️Eventually you just want him to rail you but he's having such a good time making you feel good and prepping you that he forgets what he's prepping you for

☀️Is the first one to tattle on you both after having sex for the first time, entirely by accident of course. He can't help it that he's glowing and smiling uncontrollably after that, now can he???

☀️Is at his proudest when he's between your legs, face a mess from having done so well for you; bonus points if you pet him and tell him just how good he was! And damn was he ever good--

☀️Do not even get me started on the TOP VOICE

☀️Even the best subs might have trouble not being at least a tad bratty, just to hear him Get Serious™ and command them around 👀 Usually just soft dom things like "I mean it, bedtime, now" or "I'm sorry but you are gonna have to eat some food!"

☀️When you first move out of your parents’ houses, into your own places or with each other, it's SO nice to have the house entirely to yourselves for once. You can stay up watching movies and making out in the living room as long as you want; and when that inevitably turns into more, you don't have to scurry off and lock yourselves in secrecy

☀️Volume also is no longer an issue for either of you, which is good, because Cove at least can get very loud, especially with encouragement 💙

☀️His favorite part about sex with you, as a demisexual, is the intimacy. Being able to worship the person he loves the most and their breathtaking body, and the fact you both have this burning need that only you can fill for each other, simply because you love each other so much

[peachhoneii]

Hey wanna hear a concept I have?

It’s a fan concept called “The Disney Brothers”. It focuses on Oswald and Mickey and their adventures in a city called Disneyville. The city has five Burroughs like New York they are, Duckburgh, Mouseton, Spoonerville, St. Canard and Rabbitsville. The city is also in Calisota.

Mickey and Oswald reside in Rabbitsville where they live in an apartment building named Alice’s Palace run by Julius Katz.

The four richest ducks live in Disneyville. Scrooge McDuck, Glomgold, Rockerduck, and a fan character I made named Silvia Merrington, a duck form either the south or England.

I don’t have that much time to work on it since I’m working on a original concept that I’m turning into a webcomic soon but what do you think?

I like the idea a lot! Whenever you get your webcomic started, I hope you can return to develop it more.

[jezmmart]

Chamomile Comic Trivia #22

#112 - Certain

Pretty simple comic based on a thought that popped into my head after I had the same experience Cammie describes.  Can’t remember if the punchline of Layla’s response just came to me or if I had to squeeze it out of the premise! 

#113 - Weird

The second edition of “I came up with a punny joke and just decided to use it completely unorganically as comic fodder instead of just posting it on my personal twitter when I thought of it”.

Also god I wanna slap my past self around the head for thinking I somehow didn’t need to use reference for profile views what is going on with Cammie’s face/neck/hairline here argh!

#114 - Music

The first album the customer holds up here is a doodly little version of the Team Sonic Racing soundtrack, which I guess I was listening to a lot at the time!  The other two albums he holds up were, I think, just random original doodles.  The third might’ve been someone on TV at the time or something, not sure!  I should really start writing these trivia posts as I make the comics rather than several years after, maybe!

#115 - Girl

A long while back I decided to make Chamomile’s canonical birthday the same day as the day I first drew her, which happened to be June 30th.  Since this was the first year the comic update fell on that day, I decided to make it a comic!

Here she turns 28, and sure enough, two years earlier, Brianna said she was 26. However... since then, I’ve kinda quietly switched over to a floaty timeline.  Webcomic time moves slowly, and thus the characters felt like they would age too quickly for the amount of life events I have time to cover in the comic.  So for the time being, Cammie remains 28 canonically, Layla and Brianna remain definitely within the same year as her on account of being school friends, and Vienna and Samantha remain... whatever they are (they’re older than the other three, but not by much).

Brianna’s worn this outfit a few times over the years since this comic, but if I recall you never actually get a really good look at it due to the poses/framing I needed in all those comics.  It says “NO CAUSE FOR A...” and has a Llama underneath.

The final note of trivia on this one... as previously mentioned, on platforms where I provide a title for the comic, it’s always just a single word from as early in the dialogue as possible, regardless of whether that word is a decent title for the comic’s subject or not (so as to not spoil or raise any expectations for the subject of the gag).  I also never repeat the same word twice... except in this case, where for literally years, this comic was named “Birthday”, same as #109, not even ten comics ago!  At time of writing (September 2022) I think it was only within this year that I noticed and corrected this (utterly pedantic that I only I care about) mistake.

#116 - Laundry

Not much to say about this one, if I recall this was just one of those divine gifts my brain figured out on automatic for me.  To this day it remains one of my favourite silly Cammie visual gag comics and I can’t see myself ever removing it from the new reader/sample comic selection on the comic’s home page.  Naturally you can spot a bunch of familiar colours (and a couple patterns) from existing outfits in Cammie’s laundry basket such as her signature outfit, the rose pattern skirt and her designed coffee t-shirt.

I also think I was VERY well-behaved to not clutter up the experience with fanservice even though the scenario was ripe for it.  I’m sure that’ll get me a few heckles and boos from the audience but I say if you can’t enjoy Cammie at her [funny comic] you don’t deserve her at her [sexy pinup]!!

#117 - Hair

This was a fun old one to do, I’ve definitely had a few snapped hairbands over the years and my lucious locks are nowhere near Cammie’s level!  I remember drawing the vice was really tricky because there was little in the way of references at the precise angle I needed for maximum comedic effect and sense-making (as much as it ever could).

As usual for when I need to draw a bunch of CDs from the shop, I put my iTunes library on shuffle, set album artwork to display and just drew little 5 second doodles of what came up because coming up with like 40 original ideas, even at this low fidelity, is a nightmare for something that isn’t really going to be paid attention to.  I can Childish Gambino’s "Awaken, My Love!", Lazlo Bane’s All the Time in the World, and Ryan Roth’s The Beginner’s Guide Soundtrack here, but several others look specific enough to definitely be something.  Seems I randomised the colours though and doodled the designs on after, mind.

Drawing a comic sequence of someone tying hair is really tricky to break down into key poses!  It was also a fun challenge to find a way to imply significantly more failed attempts than I had time to show in the comic (with the panel above being my solution).

[More Chamomile Comic Trivia] (Above link may not work correctly on tumblr app)  

[tharrb]

Lost hum-Anne-ity au:chapter 2

@eeveearoace @sonofrose

Over a decade has passed since Anne left amphibia, and her life has only gotten better. She grew up and became a herpetologist. She lives with her best friends turned girlfriends, Sasha and Marcy. And just last year, a miracle happened; they found a portal back to amphibia. The three were able to reunite with their friends and families in that world. While the portal closed when they returned, Terri had promised to work on a stable portal.

All in all, life had turned out great.

Anne and her girlfriends were currently getting ready for a convention for a signing and q-and-a for Marcy’s webcomic. They were dressed as the three main antagonist of the story; Anne was amber, a blue robbed mage, Sasha was tsunami, a crimson armored warrior, and Marcy was mistral, a green cloaked ranger.

“Not afraid to bare your midriff, eh boonchuy?” said sasha, lightly slapping her girlfriends stomach. “Hey, if I got a healthy bit of pudge, I might as well show it off.” Anne replied. “Okay I’m comming out.” Said Marcy as she exited the dressing room. “That’s a new look.” Anne said, pointing out how mistrals outfit was more dress like, and exposed her upper chest. “Yeah, it’s based on an upcoming costume change.” Said Sasha.

“Yeah.” Sighed Marcy, placing a hand on her exposed scar. “For a while, certain people made me feel…ashamed for having this scar. But you two never made me feel this way.” “Well I think you look beautiful.” Said Anne. “Now come her my loves.” She pulled her girlfriends in for hug.

The trio arrived at the convention. “My q-and-a is gonna last around five hours.” Said Marcy “so if you wanna do something else in that time…” “what do you think Ann-“

Sasha froze midsentance. As did everything else. Time itself had stopped. Anne knew this could only mean one thing.

“Hey Anne.” Said Sasha. Only it wasn’t Sasha’s voice that came out of her mouth, and it wasn’t who was speaking. It was them. The guardian.

“What do you want?” Said Anne, frustrated. “Oh, nothing, I just wanted to warn you.” Said the guardian, this time speaking through Marcy. “Warn me of what, exactly?” “There’s someone here who wishes to harm Marcy.” They said, speaking through a man signing autographs at a nearby booth. “Who? Who wants to hurt Marcy?” Anne said, now panicked. “You’ll know when you see them.” They replied, now speaking through an entire crowd of people. “That doesn’t exactly help me.” “You find out soon.” The gaurdian said, speaking though a small fly. “Okay byyyye.”

Time resumed. Anne paused to process what the deity told her.

“I said what do you want to do?” Spoke Sasha, snapping Anne back to reality. “Oh uh” anne stuttered “I think we should stick by Marcy. Just in case anything happens.” “I can take care of myself.” Said Marcy. “No Anne’s right. We don’t know what kind of creeps are here.” Said Sasha. “Besides, that just gives us more time to appreciate your new costume.” Marcy blushed.

Marcys q-and-a started. While Anne and Sasha stood beside her, Marcy began answering her fan’s questions.

“If amber and tsunami represent the earth and sea respectively, why are their color schemes blue and red?

“It’s because amber hails from the blue mountains of bzzkragt, while tsunami controls fire along with water.”

“Why did olive and yu-tia get a redemption arc after they abandoned mistral?”

“Well, those two are based on two people I have a…complicated relationship with. I’d rather not go into it.”

“In chapter 178, olive was briefly absent and was replaced a different character. Why is that?”

“Ah, well, when something like that happens, a wizard did it.”

“Yes, but in-“

“Wizard did it.”

Sasha listened intently to Marcy’s lecture. Anne meanwhile was focused entirely in the crowd. It was about an hour in that she saw a guy in a black hoodie. She couldn’t see his face, but she had a feeling that they were who domino 3 was talking about.

||The figure pulled a gun. Instinctively, Anne threw herself in front of Marcy. A shot was fired. Anne was struck in her exposed stomach, and collapsed to the ground. She could her Marcy cry out her name. Sasha picked her up and begged her to stay with them. Everything went black.

Anne found herself back in to deity’s little house. She stared down at the god, who took the form of her old cat, domino. “Did…did I die again?” “No” replied the deity “you’re body is safely recovering in the hospital. Anne breathed a sigh of relief.

“But since you’re here.” Said the guardian. “Perhaps we can talk about you taking over my position-“

“NO!”

The cat turned their head in confusion. “Really? But I thought we agree to it.” “We didn’t agree to anything.” Said anne, already sick of having this conversation for the umptenth time. “Well it’s just that, have a brought you back and sent you and your friends back home, you’d be more grateful. Not to mention warning you just recently.”

“Look. I’m thankful you did all those things. But for the last time, I don’t want the job.” “Ah okay. Well I can wait until you pass naturally-“ “No, I don’t want the job, PERIOD.” “What?” “I just…I just want to live my life and pass on like everyone else.” “But you were so selfless and responsible-“ “well maybe I don’t want the responsibility! Me and my friends, we all suffered so much trying to save all worlds. I think, we deserve just to be ourselves.”

This wasn’t good, the guardian thought. They believed that Anne would accept the offer once she grew into the best version of herself. But it seems that wouldn’t be the case. Fortunately, they had a contingency.

“Okay.” Said the deity, as they grinned mischievously. Anne felt a pulse throughout her being. She fell into a white void. Everything was going according to design, the guardian thought.

With their help, Anne would reach the best version of herself. Regardless if she wanted to or not.

[thechekhov]

Due to popular demand, I’m making a 4-part series about how to make a comic! Check out the other parts while you’re here!

1) Thinking of a story 2) Making characters (this part) 3) Drafting pages (coming not soon) 4) Presentation (coming eventually, we hope)

So, here’s the big question: 

How do you make a good character?

I’m going to have us step back for a moment to say:

There is no such thing as a “Good” Character. Because how good a character is or isn’t is subjective. We can argue back and forth for hours about what we value in a character, but no one will ever agree. You can’t make a character that EVERYONE will like, and you shouldn’t try to.

Instead, I urge you to focus on trying to make ONE or MORE of the following:

Relatable characters

Sympathetic characters

Useful characters

“What the FUCK is goin’ on here I just wanna know” characters

I think they’re pretty self-explanatory, but let’s go through it anyway.

1. Relatable Characters:

What is says on the tin. These are character you and someone else could relate to. Maybe they’re a teenager who hates school. (Timeless classic.) Maybe they’re a young adult down on their luck and in need of money, willing to forgo some moral standards to get by. (Millennials, roll call!) Or maybe they’re just like you (or literally you. We don’t judge self-insert. There’s a reason Write What You Know is a thing.)

Regardless of what you want to believe, many human experiences are universal. Some of them are universally unacknowledged, but they are still universal. You want to just be careful about falling into the ‘my character is so special and the rest of my characters are dumb’ trope. That isn’t interesting - or realistic. 

(source: xkcd)

2. Sympathetic Character:

I also call this the Looking Glass Character. 

Even if most of us have universal human experiences, many of our own experiences are also unique to us. Some experiences are things we will never live through - but we can still sympathise with the emotional state of the characters. If a story allows us to experience new things THROUGH a character, we feel connected to them. 

Keep in mind - this character still has to be somewhat relatable. We have to be able to say “if I was in this situation, I would do that too!” Allowing your readers to believe what is happening makes the reading experience more believable.

(I’m pretty sure none of us have been a half-gem half-human hybrid suffering through trying to right your defected-the-diamond-authority war-criminal mom’s past mistakes, but seeing Steven repeatedly say “I’m fine!” as he descends into madness is something we can all sympathise with.)

Similarly, if your character is in the woods and finds a tiny house on the edge of the prairie and it’s getting dark and the house has flickering lights - whether or not they go inside is inconsequential to sympathy. What matters is if they have a good REASON to go inside. Sometimes, it’s not the actions that’s sympathetic - it’s the motivation! 

(My sister disappeared in just such a house! I must get revenge! vs I’m a bored teenager with a potentially unrequited deathwish and/or a crush on a ghost. Well... scratch that, I can sympathise with both scenarios.)

3. Useful Characters

I was previously asked what to do to avoid making your characters into a Mary Sue. This part will be about that.

Let me start by saying: I don’t think Mary Sues are as prevalent as some people bemoan them to be. 

A Mary Sue is a character that is often described as ‘too perfect’ - they can do everything, know everything, never fail at anything, have a tragic past that excuses every emotional outburst, and are overall just ‘too good to be true’. 

I think, if played correctly, such a character can still be a good one. What makes all the difference is how useful these aforementioned traits are to the plot - or to other characters. 

Let’s acknowledge some universal truths (aside from the one about the men in want of wives and the relation of such a desire in proportion to their fortune):

The plot must go on. That’s obvious. 

In order for the plot to move, there must be things happening (in one sense or another). Also obvious. 

In order for things to happen, there must be a conflict or a tension of some sort. THAT is your litmus test for a ‘Mary Sue’ character. 

“If I remove them from the plot, will the plot suffer any holes? Will they impact the plot or impede it? Will their OP superpowers make some other worldbuilding completely useless? Will their incredibly tragic backstory overshadow another conflict between other characters?”

Characters should be like legos - they must have a function within your plot. Looking cool isn’t a function. Well, sure, it CAN be - but it must also be a function that doesn’t break Newton’s Laws. An object at rest will remain at rest. If your Perfect Character is already flawless, they have no reason to change, ergo nothing needs to happen. 

Make your character serve a use within your plot!

4. WtFiGOHIWK Characters:

Do you ever watch a show, or listen to a podcast or read a webcomic and think to yourself “Okay, cool, but what the FUCK is UP with _____? What’s their deal?!”

I like to categorize these characters in a group of their own. These characters are likable ONLY because we all have a socially wired brain that makes us CRAVE comprehension of social background like drugs. We CRAVE THAT MINERAL. And the mineral is - gossip. Backstory. Tea. The DEETS. 

Many characters are somewhat of an enigma, and the initial plot doesn’t give away all their secrets. We get hooked not because the characters are relatable, and sometimes not even because they’re sympathetic - but because their social tension within a group of other characters is RIDICULOUS and we are wired to want to understand them. 

Everyone has their own examples, but one of my favorites is this asshole:

Do I relate or sympathise with Dr. House? Broadly, no. He’s obscene, rude, and most of the time he’s not even the good guy in any given episode. But his morality roadmap resembles knitting directions for a scarf and his reactions to the most mundane situations are FASCINATING. 

(Never underestimate the power of human curiosity and how strongly it can work to make your readers turn to the next page, even if your whole plot is about a dumpster truck on fire next to a fireworks factory.)

Q: So how do I make a character?

There are several options:

- Wait and do nothing. The character will happen when you least expect it or are least prepared. Now they’re in your head. They won’t leave. aaaaAAAAAAA!

- Take a person or another character you know. Change 3-5 fundamental things about them (I don’t mean name, hair color and shoe size... I mean something PERSONAL, like background, motivations, religion, dream job, species, etc.) BAM character. (I mean, is it QUESTIONABLE to write a story about your sister as a lizard who wants to go to the moon? MAYBE. Should she still be more grateful than she is? ALSO MAYBE.)

- Take yourself and change uhhh... at least one thing about the character. Try to veil the fact that it’s actually just you. Fail. Wipe away tears. Write the story anyway. Hope no one notices. 

- Write a story in your head and then think “Who is the LEAST likely person to participate in these shenanigans?” There’s your character.

Q: What should I avoid in a character? 

Honestly, you can go around to 100 people and ask this, and they’ll give you 100 different answers. What people dislike and like in characters is so vast that there’s NOTHING you can do to stop people from hating on a character. 

But yes, there ARE some overused tropes and I want to share 1 rule that I personally keep to when making characters. (Keep in mind, this is MY personal list. It isn’t the end-all-be-all, and yes, you can argue about this. But don’t @ me, I don’t care.) 

DON’T describe your character as “______ is kind and friendly until you piss them off - then they will kill you.” 

This has been my biggest pet peeve since high school - and it’s unfortunately an absolute staple of any YA character. Someone is ‘friendly’ and ‘nice’ and ‘shy’ UNTIL - you hurt their friends. Then they go berserk. 

I know it’s tempting because ‘usually demure character lets loose their True Potential’ is a very empowering thing to see. (And I admit, I think Mob Psycho 100 pulled this Trope back in by the scruff of its neck and managed to get JUST the right angle for it to work.) 

BUT it’s overused and it tells us absolutely NOTHING about your character. It’s a calorie-free fact. Feels like a description but is actively devoid of any interesting information about your character. 

Why? Because literally EVERYONE is like this. 

We are all, at a baseline, somewhat friendly. That’s... just how most people are. Societal convention tells us we must behave with some semblance of dignity and respect towards others in standard situations in order to keep peace. 

And I daresay getting pissed off and Breaking Character is ALSO a thing that most humans experience. Getting angry when your friends/loved ones are hurt is the bare minimum necessary for being relatable. 

Not to say your character can’t do this but - it doesn’t need to be described as a part of their personality any more than, say, the fact that they have hair on their head. 

Q: How do I make my character more believable? 

Research.

We all hate that word, because school usually teaches us to think of research as boring but it is ESSENTIAL to your desire to make ‘good’ (relatable, sympathetic, useful) characters. 

IF YOU PLAN TO WRITE FOR AN AUDIENCE, THEN YOU NEED TO PUT IN THE EFFORT OF MAKING YOUR CHARACTERS MULTIDIMENSIONAL. 

That means - knowing their background. Knowing details. Knowing cultural, financial, religious terms you need to know to write them believably. 

I know, I know - what if I’m just writing for myself? you say.

Well, fine. If you’re not planning to have your work be widely public, if you’re just having fun and don’t care, then write whatever you want. Make a Japanese character with a Korean name. Force your UK characters to use USA slang. Forgo any historical accuracy. Change up facts! Erase the moon landing, whatever.

But if you want to share your work with people, and if you want people to interact with your writing on a more serious level, then you NEED to know how to use Google and gather at least SURFACE information what you are writing. If you don’t but pretend you did, people WILL be jolted out of their zone.

Research the things and people you are writing about. And more importantly - READ about the experiences of the people you are writing about! Avoiding Stereotypes in this day and age is EASY. You literally have an endless, free encyclopedia in your hands. If you can send a tumblr ask, you can google it. 

That’s all for now, and CHEERS!

[heroofthreefaces]

Tagged in a you’re-tagged-if-you-wanna way by @iwilltrytobereasonable

1. Why did you choose your url? 

It’s the name of my fanfiction webcomic, a play both on the title of Joseph Campbell’s seminal work and on that they’re stick figures except they’re triangles.

2. Any side blogs? If you have them, name them and why you have them

The only one which has remained active past its first few months or years is @not-caused-by-those-who-love. About a year ago in the middle beginning of the pandemic and the presidential campaign cycle, I finally bit the bullet and did what I thought I perhaps should have done at the beginning of this blog, and began to separate out the activism and heavy matters reblogs and posts onto a sideblog, so that my main hopefully is safe for people who tumbl to get away from all that. The blog title is an allusion to dialog in my concluded general interest webcomic, Arthur, King of Time and Space, “The problems of the world are not caused by those who love. They’re caused by those who hate.” This is my summation of both the fall of Camelot and the present state of the USA (where I live) and the world.

3. How long have you been on Tumblr? 

Since the end of August 2012.

4. Do you have a queue tag? 

Never. Some years ago I began queuing almost everything by default anyway so it wouldn’t have any significance.

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place? 

I logged onto Tumblr with the idea that this blog would be primarily focused on The Hero of Three Faces with reprints and the kind of reader-and-creator discussion you get on a webcomic’s bulletin board, but it hasn’t turned out that way. 

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp? 

I’ve been using this icon, with progressively less color in the hair, on all my social media for fifteen or twenty years.

7. Why did you choose your header? 

It’s a panel from Three Faces meant to summarize it (as well as any single panel could). It has the Doctor from Doctor Who, my favorite and the central character of Three Faces and in her latest incarnation, because I love crossovers and there’s no better literal and literary device to facilitate crossovers than a time machine. It has Michael Burnham, the lead of the current most long-running series of Star Trek, my other lifetime favorite; and it has Spock, the most popular legacy character in the franchise if you go by number of appearances in other series than his own, as he appeared in Burham’s series. And it depicts Spock’s first meeting with the Doctor, though because timey-wimey it’s not the Doctor’s first meeting with Spock. This is actually a year or two out of date and I should prolly pick a newer panel.

8. What’s your post with the most notes? 

I think it’s The Solution of Susan, a short Doctor Who/Narnia crossover.

9. How many mutuals do you have? 

I wouldn’t know how to start going about guessing that, except perhaps to page through my followees and count which would take more time and effort than my emotional investment in the question warrants.

10. How many followers do you have? 

Counting any bots because I don’t take the time and effort to purge them, about 1100.

11. How many people do you follow? 

714.

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

I’m too uncertain of what constitutes a shitpost to confirm or deny.

13. How often do you use Tumblr each day? 

I live here.

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won? 

Once, and I’m pretty sure we each think we won.

15. How do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts? 

I reserve the right to exercise my own judgment.

16. Do you like tag games? 

Some of them.

17. Do you like ask games? 

Yes.

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is Tumblr famous? 

I think the only Tumblr-famous blogger whom I know and have seen to have followed me back is argumate.

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual? 

Several of course but they’re all taken, too young for me, and/or hundreds of miles away.

20. Tags: 

You’re tagged if you wanna.

[gracereadstoomanybooks]

answering questions I’ve been asked on TikTok✨

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QUESTION: how did you get into reading?

So, when I was in middle school (many moons ago) we had this thing called AR Testing. Basically, you read a book and take a test on it—the questions were things that happened in the book, it was really simple. If you got a good grade, you got points. The more points you earned, the more eligible you were for the reading party at the end of each semester. Me, being the nerd I am, got top of my class because I went through 8th grade level books like it was nothing. The librarian at my school brought me books from the high school to read since everything was easy for me, and alas, my addiction began. And now that I have adult money, it’s a true addiction. Also, telling my father “I’m bored” and his response being, “go read a book or something” so thanks dad.

QUESTION: what’s one book you ALWAYS recommend to people?

This one is tough because I’ve read THOUSANDS of books, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be Confess by Colleen Hoover. I fell in love with her work in high school when I first read Ugly Love, but Confess is the type of book that pulls at your heart strings, y’all. It has everything people love: humor, sexual tension, drama, love. GO BUY THE DAMN BOOK. Or honestly any book by Colleen Hoover—she’s a fucking amazing author.

QUESTION: outside of making TikToks, what do you do for a living?

I currently work at a restaurant and hate every second of it. If anyone tells you to become a server, DONT. It’s not worth the hassle, I promise you. Sure, you can make decent money but the amount of rude customers and shitty tips you receive each shift is very disheartening. If you really need a job, do anything BUT work in the food industry.

QUESTION: what’s your wattpad story about?

First question: which one? I have about 30 drafts sitting there waiting to be posted. But, I’m going to assume you’re talking about the Harry Styles fan fiction I’ve been working on for the past 4 years and haven’t had the courage to post. I’ll tell you a little about it: Elaine Aldridge is forced into a betrothal to a man she’s never met & loathes. She goes to his court and realizes things aren’t what they truly seem. And the guard her future husband sticks on her??? None other than Mr. Harry Styles. Add in some magic & deaths and you’ve got my story— The First Prince. (Honestly, that’s an extremely shitty description so if you wanna check it out go to my wattpad account)

QUESTION: how old are you?

Ahem. . . twenty-one.

QUESTION: what is your dream career?

Being a published author and having people rave about my books. That’s all. Or, an editor for a publishing company. Imagine reading all day and being paid for it🤩

QUESTION: what was your least favorite read of 2020?

I already KNOW I’m gonna get shit for this but....... the wicked king. YALL I LITERALLY COULDNT GET THROUGH IT IM SO SORRY, I STILL HAVENT FINISHED IT

QUESTION: current favorite author?

Sarah. J. Maas. I don’t know what it is about her writing style, but it’s addicting. Throne of Glass is hands down the best series I’ve ever read. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book I’ve EVER reread. Her stories truly suck you in and hold onto you—you get lost so easily in her writing and it’s like once you’re done with a series, nothing will compare. Or, at least that’s how I felt after finishing Kingdom of Ash. Honorable mentions: Jennifer L. Armentrout, Penelope Douglas, L.J Shen, Elle Kennedy and Kennedy Fox.

QUESTION: any recommendations/tips to give to a new reader?

I’ve always given this advice to people who want to get into reading: find what you like and start with that. If you like romance, I’ve got a list for you to choose from. Mystery? Another list. Sci-fi? I GOT YOU. Fantasy? Yes! Sports fiction? It might take me a second but I’ll find you a book. Nonfiction? I’m zero help in that category, honestly. The point of the matter is that you’re never going to enjoy a book if you aren’t interested in the underlying topics.

QUESTION: do you ever find yourself comparing your life to fictional life?

Yes. All the time. I daydream about being apart of the Inner Circle and living in Terrasen with Aelin and Rowan. I think about what it would be like to have real powers and a mate. It drives my boyfriend crazy—but he loves me anyway.

QUESTION: what are your most anticipated books of 2021?

Here’s a list:

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin

Crescent City 2 (Untitled) by Sarah J. Maas

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (I just ordered this one & it arrives tomorrow)

Blessed Monsters by Emily A. Duncan

QUESTION: why did you start a Tumblr?

Honestly, I used to love tumblr when I was in grade school (way too young to be on here then but what else is new). I like having an extra space to get my questions and comments out without having to compress it into a 60 second video for TikTok to see. Tumblr is a good place to blog & post things like this.

QUESTION: what’s your favorite song right now?

I’ve listened to Carry You by Novo Amor every day for the past two months and I cry each time.

QUESTION: why write Harry Styles fan fiction?

Simple: I love Harry Styles. I’ve been a fan of him and One Direction since they were on X FACTOR. Read that again. X. Factor. I used to watch their performances on YouTube before WMYB even came out. Of course, I love all of the 1D boys but I was always a Harry gal. And I look up to him in a way—I’ve read things about people wishing they knew him personally and honestly? I would never want to meet him. I like the version of him I’ve cooked up in my brain over the past 10 years. I like the symbiotic relationship I have with his music. Fine Line is a ✨masterpiece✨. HS1 is a ✨work of art✨.

now, some topics I’ve been asked way too many times and want to finally get to:

QUESTION: political views?

the saying “anyone but trump” has been in my brain for the past four years. No, I’m not a republican. No, I’m not a democrat. I like to think of myself as a progressive (ahem, liberal) Did I vote for a democratic candidate? Yes, and I’d do it again and again until the US isn’t one of the worst countries—I’m sorry, businesses— to be apart of. I wanted Bernie but got Biden, and I’m alright with that. And my girl Kamala🥳

QUESTION: how did you feel about the BLM protests?

I went to multiple BLM protests and donated a lot of funds to BLM & other organizations. It’s 2021, people... stop being fucking RACIST. And don’t be afraid to call racist people out! Black Lives Matter, even if no one is posting about it anymore.

QUESTION: thoughts on abortion?

your body your choice, queen! not my uterus, not my problem.

QUESTION: there was a comment on an old video of yours talking about r*pe, why did you delete the comment?

I made a video when I first started my account on TikTok about reading in public and feeling “turned on” by it. Go watch it if you don’t know what I’m talking about. BUT, some ignorant male decided to comment and say “this is how girls get r*ped”. Whew. So. I deleted the comment because ....

I am a victim of sexual assault. Along with a lot of other women. 1 in 5 women have been victims of sexual assault. Talking about being r*ped isn’t funny.

No one else needed to see his comment. I reported it immediately and his account was shut down.

I never got justice for what happened to me, and the fact that some random male—who had never even met me or seen me before my video showed up on his FYP—had the nerve to comment that? Unacceptable.

this question isn’t as controversial but

QUESTION: what’s the best way to get out of a toxic relationship?

okay, let me just start off by saying that the people around you who love and support you are going to be your backbone. Leaving a toxic situation is hard, and every situation is different, but my best piece of advice to offer you is don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your loved ones are going to be there for you when you need them, even if you don’t believe they will. If you explain what’s happening, someone you know and love will drop whatever it is their doing to make sure you get out safely. good luck my babes.

now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

QUESTION: any tips on making tiktoks?

Literally none. I post what I think is funny and relatable and if anyone agrees, I’m satisfied. Even if it’s one view, it’s good enough for me. So I guess my one tip is to not base your life off of an app and followers.

QUESTION: favorite Harry Styles fanfic?

DONT MAKE ME CHOOSE. Duplicity is up there, along with Stall 1&2, and Kiwi. After? Absolutely not.

QUESTION: favorite WEBTOON?

y’all already KNOW. LORE OLYMPUS BY USEDBANDAID. Rachel is a genius and I have reread the series a million times. Hades is my soulmate and Apollo can rot in the fiery pits of the Underworld. also, if we’re talking about other webcomics, reading Walk on Water on mangadex...🤫

QUESTION: favorite movie?

Howls Moving Castle. I will be getting my “a heart is a heavy burden” tattoo very very soon.

QUESTION: I read your Elain theory on tumblr, can you explain a little more?

I thought I was pretty straightforward but I’ll say it again: she is always the “good” one and it’s too suspicious. SJM has already given one Archeron sister a happy ending, Nesta’s is obviously inevitable, but Elain? She has too many options for a happy ending. Lucien, who is her “mate”. Azriel, who is intrigued by her slightly. Her human guy—I don’t remember his name—who is disgusted that she’s not human anymore. Or, alone, planting flowers all day. BUT! My point is that she’s not truly happy. She was forced into the Cauldron just like Nesta. She was ripped away from the life she loved so dearly and didn’t want to give up. The man she was going to marry now hates her guts because she’s a High Fae. She has the perfect set up for a villain plot line and I’m all here for it.

well, that’s all I feel like doing tonight. hope you enjoyed my little q&a! be kind, and talk to you later! byeeee!

[loverofpiggies]

Gloomverse will not update for a little while: Important mental health break

Hey guys! I'm just coming by to let u know- I don't think I'm going to be able to update Gloomverse for a little bit. Long, LONG post under the cut

I feel horrible every time this happens, genuinely horrible, but. A lot of things have happened in quick succession of each other, and its kickstarted a nightmarish bout of depression that just hit me REALLY bad this evening.

I won't say everything, but a couple things that have hit, was:

- In the last two months, I have been on 3 long holiday trips, visiting family and friends. As an introvert, that is another level of effort I wasn't expecting, but hit me nonetheless. I was busier these last few months, then I've ever been on my busiest convention month.

-Because of all these surprise trips, and because of their length, I'd scramble in between them to catch up on all my comics, and everything I gotta do before my next trip would render me zero 'me' time. I can’t remember the last time I just, went to the park and watched birds. I love doing that.

-Also, I am usually very good about saving money through the year to pull me through the hard months of winter until cons pick back up- with them being my primary income and all. However, although I prepped for one trip around Christmas time, I didn't expect three. I wasn't financially prepared for three. So, I used a lot more money than I expected to, this holiday season. That is another level of stress.

- On Christmas morning, I woke up to find credit card fraud of over $700 dollars taken from my account. I have already contacted the bank of course, but the money has yet to be put back in- on an already, extremely, EXTREMELY tight month.

-Since I returned home from my Christmas trip, there were some Kickstarter issues I had to fix, and repack, which for anyone concerned, they're sitting snug on my floor as I type this, and they'll probably be shipped on monday- later than I expected, and I'm sorry about that. But yea, the moment I got back from an exhausting holiday, I immediately spent days upon days doing a variety of things, such as:

-Fixing up newer pages for Gloomverse on its newest website

-Prepping Gloomverse Volume 4 for printing through my small printing company (Which includes formatting around 200 pages)

-Prepping my old webcomic Mortifer Volume 3 for printing through that same company

-completely overhauling my display for conventions, because somehow over this holiday I managed to design around 30ish more keychains, and I had to find a way to display, and store them.

-Also overhauling my merchandise storage system since I had so much new stock

-Taking new photos and prepping etsy for opening

-and trying to edit new gloomverse pages, which were getting dangerously close to running out of updates.

....so I suppose I did most of that.... oh god within a week.

-I just went to the grocery store to refill my super important anxiety meds, and turns out- I have no health insurance. It disappeared on the first of the year. I couldn't afford my full three month prescription. I don't have that much in my wallet. So. I just got one month.

If I'm being completely honest, I went back into my roomies car in the parking lot, to cry.

I am literally at the end of my stress rope. It's taking all my energy to write this, but you need to know why I have to halt things for a little. I even have Gloomverse pages ready for the next week or so, but I genuinely lack the energy to schedule them on here and tumblr. After I finish typing and sending this out, I’m just going to lay down and not do a thing.

So, sorry for the long long post but. I wanted to be as clear as possible with everyone about what's been going on. I can handle a lot, I can do a lot, it comes with running your own business, but. I pushed too hard. And I need a break from screens, and the internet in general. Everything, really. Just. Man, the headaches I'm getting.

So I'm sorry, but, I have to get off all my social sites, and not worry about gloomverse for a little bit. I don't know how long, but.

Anyway. None of this will effect anyone's Etsy orders, or Kickstarter rewards, any of that. I wanna make that clear. I hope to ship out all the orders for everything on Monday. Just. No comics, no social media, no nothing.

Thank you as always for all your support you guys, I'll pull myself back together in no time and start getting content back out to you. Have a beautiful night.

[donnerpartyofone]

reasons my i am probably too sensitive to have anything to do with other people

including other people’s drama that has absolutely nothing to do with me

i started reading this person’s new webcomic on instagram a month or two ago, and what started out as a fun little time killer that i looked forward to every day has started making me so uncomfortable that i wish i’d never heard of it. it takes place right now, in an especially embattled US city, and it’s about the dysfunctional lives of a bunch of shallow millennials, set against the backdrop of an increasingly dangerous country in an unpredictable state of revolt. it’s solidly engaging, convincingly characterized, and rendered in a unique funny animal style; i wasn’t surprised to discover that it’s going to be published soon by the most reputable publisher of this sort of thing. at first, i was impressed by it because i thought the behavior and dialog of its insecure young people was so well observed. it felt like one of the only things of its kind that i’ve read, more or less about real people living right now, that was neither a broad ugly satire, nor a pretentious drama exaggerating the specialness of its characters. the other thing i liked about it was that while it was largely about their sex lives, it didn’t seem at all sexy to me. the artist has a kind of distorted, rough-hewn visual style that i thought put some emotional distance between the overheated state of the characters, and the real consequences of their decisions. then it all got weird.

the artist stuck a really long, graphic sex scene in the middle of story that made me think...oh, maybe i AM supposed to be getting off to this? that’s weird, this all seems really bad to me, like every character is just mindlessly, selfishly bent on destruction and not doing much to make me like them, and i’d been reading along thinking “god i’m SO GLAD i’m not in my 20s anymore and i don’t have to deal with people like this--or with the pressure to act like this, as if using sex to create drama and being ‘crazy’ is the ultimate thing a person can do with their life”--and then suddenly it felt like maybe the comic was actually some kind of celebration of this lifestyle, or at the very least it’s an intensely sentimental portrait of a time of life, and of types of people, that i cannot imagine feeling sentimental about. then something else happened that made the comic even MORE uncomfortable to read, somehow: it had been gaining traction at an amazing pace, with tons of people leaving comments to the tune of “noooo don’t do it!”, the way you would yell at someone in a horror movie not to go back for the cat, as each character made the worst possible personal choice in every daily installment. the “don’t go in there!” response seemed pretty natural to me, but then the artist stepped in and made this announcement threatening to stop doing the comic altogether if the readers wouldn’t stop criticizing the characters. pretty much everyone in the comments was like “???”. many apologized if their comments were offensive, although they had no idea what they could have said that was wrong; other people, who seemed more sure that they were the ones being accused, said that they thought you were SUPPOSED to feel critical of the characters’ obviously bad decisions. that was how i felt, and at that point i was just enormously glad that i never comment on shit online or get involved in any type of community shit, especially when the artist started explaining laboriously that all of the characters represent some facet of the artist themselves and so therefore none of them are meant to be seen in a bad light at all and they’re all meant to be loved unconditionally and if you find yourself thinking mean things about the characters then you are effectively shitting all over the artist as a person. a lot of readers fell all over themselves to be supportive, and i just thought...this isn’t something you should support, though. it sucks that the artist is feeling so sensitive, but they’re about to have a book out in the world where they won’t have any ability to threaten readers who are “reading it wrong” or having incorrect thoughts about it. i mean...life is full of uncomfortable experiences and people you can’t relate to, i really don’t think we should be promoting this hopeless sanitization of all experiences in which trigger warnings used to be something that protected traumatized people from being randomly confronted with traumatic material, and now they’re used to just make sure nobody ever has to hear anything they don’t like, ever. anyone who cares about this artist should be helping them understand that they cannot control how people read their book or how they feel about each character and story in it. or failing that, they should be encouraged to just turn off instagram comments. but because of all this drama, i found myself reading all the comments obsessively--something i did when the blowup first happened, because i couldn’t find anything in there that i thought was mean or offensive, which added to my uncomfortable fascination with the whole thing--and that’s when i spotted a comment where somebody asked the artist is this was a furry comic. i wish this didn’t blow my mind, but it kind of did. i mean, it’s a book where almost all the characters are animals, and they occasionally have a bunch of raunchy sex. i think that if you’re a furry, meaning you’re interested in that sort of thing, this book is completely available for you to enjoy however you want. but this person needed the artist to FORMALLY CATEGORIZE IT as a furry comic. what the fuck is the meaning of that? it struck me as something that people in fandoms do, where they need every single thing to be labeled to death in an intensive and intractable way like it was science, the Final Word on everything in the universe, and they like *argue with each other* about whether they’re *allowed* to ship certain characters together or imagine them doing specific things, which is something you would only worry about if you thought the topic represented a literal material reality that could be adversely affected by people’s improper thoughts. i mean imagine if you felt that way about your jerkoff fantasies about fictional characters? that your horny thoughts are up for debate by hundreds of people you don’t even know? imagine feeling like that about OTHER PEOPLE’S jerkoff fantasies, like it’s worth fighting over and trying to CONTROL? like holy fucking shit you guys, STOP IT. it would even be one thing to ask the artist if THEY were a furry, which may or may not be anybody’s business, but to ask whether interpreting the comic through a furry lens is ALLOWED is like...well, actually, maybe it’s exactly in line with the artist’s recently expressed attitude, that you’re forced to think of the book in exactly the way that they personally think about it, or else you should have your reading privileges revoked. so now i’m still reading the comic, sort of compulsively, because i’m a little addicted to the soap opera of it and i’m ALSO a little addicted to the soap opera of the artist battling the readers over finding the correct orthodoxy for reading the comic--there’s a particular guy i’ve become aware of in the comics community because he is always harassing people with this mix of really caustic sarcasm and really bitter political self-righteousness, and he was surely the main person who was being “mean” to the characters, and HE’S STILL DOING IT IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, because i guess the artist would rather have problems with people than simply block them and eliminate them from the equation? but the whole entire thing is making me so uncomfortable i can hardly stand it. reading about like, dumb hot chicks with no self-control, and smug young shitheads who use the veil of progressiveness to hide or justify their predatory sexual behavior, and grownass adults who start drama with 20 year olds in order to feel relevant, AND being forced to know that the artist intends for me to embrace and adore all of this bad shit--like, people and things i left behind in real life, because it was all bad!--with ultimate love and compassion, or else they reserve the right to claim that they’re being personally attacked, has just become too much to take. it’s starting to make me feel sick. i really need to take the reigns on this thing. as much as the artist needs to forget about this control fantasy and stop being so precious about what they’re doing, i need to stop subjecting myself to something i find painful, embarrassing, and frankly creepy, if i ever wanna get back to a state where i have less to complain about.

tl;dr: stupid hipster is too sensitive to read a webcomic by a stupid hipster who is too sensitive for anyone to read their webcomic.

[dolcetters]

get to know the mun ~!

repost, don’t reblog.

———  basics! ♡

(PEN)NAME: hannah / red / raven

PRONOUNS: she / her

ZODIAC SIGNS: virgo sun, scorpio moon

TAKEN OR SINGLE: hella single

———  three  facts! ♡

i horde art-of books like a dragon. current count around my art desk is 42 but i have maybe 4 or 5 over in my bookshelves that won’t fit in my desk drawers. if i hear an artist i love/follow is kickstarting a book, i’m on it. and i’m currently trying to slowly collect the Spectrum: Fantastic Art series as well as the annual Illustration series published by Shoeisha. in addition to art-of books, i also love collecting enamel pins and old fashion keys. i really love keys.

my favorite pokemon types are ghost types, and i tend to prefer sticking to the first 2 generations (though i have a handful of later generation pokemon i like, the designs just don’t tickle my quite as much). my FAVORITE would probably be haunter, if i had to choose. also i’ve had pokemon: moon for... cripes, 3 or 4 years? and i’ve barely gotten past getting my rowlet because i kept starting the game over because i really wanted a female, goddamnit. she’s mine, now. ...i just gotta actually give myself permission to play the actual game l m a o.

my webcomic is totally gonna give it away but i have a fascination with forests, trees, and especially old/ancient trees. i can’t quite put it into words, but the concept of a living thing being so MASSIVE and looming, winding, tall and beautiful whilst being thousands of years old... like... what stories can you tell? what have you seen? what have you lived through, felt, sheltered--just... a really love trees and what they can symbolize and/or bring to a story. and the idea of an old forest... auhaufhdskgd.

———  experience ! ♡

been RPing since ye ol’ neopets days (i wanna say i was 11-13?). went from there to RPing in various chat spaces on deviantart, then mostly did one-on-ones  with my bestie, JM, over skype and nowadays discord. think i joined the tumblr RPC early my freshman year of college? with this blog, actually (the original blog is now archived but same handle, same muse). aaaand a decade later i am stillll hereeeee.

———  muse preference !  ♡

can’t say i have one, really? i’ve written a super wide range of personalities over the years and tons of canon AND OCs alike. most of my tumblr muses have been canon, but this is mostly because OC blogs tend to take more leg work (icons, detailed bios, etc; seriously you guys are badasses) and since i started RPing around here in college going forward i generally just... don’t have the free time anymore to dedicate to the stuff OC blogs need. my free time goes toward my comic and other art because i really would like to make THAT my career, and i can’t justify to myself spending time i could be putting into that into an RP blog. --and i really hope that doesn’t come off as “dissing” OC blogs because seriously you guys are fucking incredible and in a lot of ways i do envy you because i wish i had the time and headspace to write my OCs around here--i love dol, but christ, sometimes it comes to the end of the day and you realize he’s not your own actual character and it all just feels super hollow lmfao. i continue to be in awe of the OCs i encounter around here. one of these days i’m gonna write a strongly worded letter of love.

———  FLUFF / ANGST / SMUT! ♡    

FLUFF: fluff is my shit. let me write disgustingly wholesome sweetness all day. i’ll give all you bitches cavities. you’ll hate me for it. my blog doesn’t come with dental, i’m so sorry, i’ll make it up to you somehow. GOD, i’m fluff deprived right now.

ANGST: i’m chill with angst so long as i get breaks. >xD it’s great for development and character exploration and all that jazz but as soon as we get grimdark for grimdark’s sake, i start checking out. i just. i can’t. i’m too tired, the world’s on fire, how ‘bout yours, that’s the way i like it and i never get bored.

SMUT: my willingness to write smut is 100% dependent on my relationship with the other mun, tbh. i was a bit looser with this when i started RPing and i kind of regret that in the sense that i think i let myself get pressured into it because tumblr RPing was newww and my partner and i were excited about our shiiiip and suddenly things were happeniiiiing, and now i’m like. ...idk, i just need to feel completely safe and in transparent communication with the mun before we can do that. it doesn’t help that i’m sex-repulsed and, while there’re some aspects of smut that i don’t bat an eye at there are others that’ll squick me out real fast. i got nothin’ against how often or unoften anyone else partakes, but ya gurl just needs that solid ground on a mun-to-mun level, y’feel.

PLOT / MEMES: i’m totally grand with either, my guy--i love plotted stuff with a basic “outline” of events that we just let our characters find their way through like they were on a roadtrip OR just ... throwing them to the wind and seeing what happens organically. sometimes meme-starters can take real interesting character turns, sometimes plots just up and die... LONG AS WE’RE HAVIN’ FUN.

tagged by: stolen from @aemiliiu​ because eeehhhhHHHHH??? it mundai.

tagging: i stole it, you steal it

[kimurasato]

@nervousnumbat

So would it help more to ask motivational questions, like; what powers would lead him to take up karate in the first place? Did he take up training for refinement or because he wanted a fail safe? Perhaps even to prove someone wrong?

Or would it be better to temporarily remove karate from the equation and work backwards? Like: what kind of powers would you have given him if he hadn't taken up karate/become more fit? Did the powers manifest later in life or were they always there? Are they reflective of personality in any way? And just see where it goes.

But perhaps I'm getting a bit too detailed. A list sounds like a good idea. Picking out your favorites before narrowing it down, or customizing the results when you wanna get fancy. If lists don't help, (or gets too overwhelming) you can always turn to comics/webcomics for inspiration or a break. 😉

Ominous! (the puppeteering/manipulation thought.) Even more so when done so subtly as to be mistaken for charisma or encouragement like that. *shudders*

(Sorry for the length, spam, & timing. I had to re-type after a cat got the phone while doing some mischief.) ^^; She has so much energy. 😦

Well, if they start developing powers around puberty, Johnny not have initially known that he had powers before taking up karate at 13. Kreese was a mentor and father figure to him, so he might have told Kreese after he started developing them (and Kreese probably would have started his brainwashing then, because, hey, always good to have someone with superpowers under your command). Karate would definitely be good training for super strength and learning to control it. Other powers? Not quite sure yet.

Silver is terrible with a disturbing fixation on torturing Daniel. Puppeteering feels like the right kind of creepy for him.

No worries! And cats! Such mischievous little balls of fur! XD Mine usually comes around to sit on my arms when I’m trying to write.

[ducktracy]

ELIZA i didnt know u have OCs!!! i wanna hear more abt them omg

I DO!! when i start my own cartoon (gotta think positively and confidently, no time for “if”s!) i’d like to focus on them. i need to make formal refs, my lack of a laptop for awhile prevented me from doing so and now i don’t really have an excuse LOL but i drew this back in february if you can read my chicken scratch

the whole thing is set in the rural 50s/60s (haven’t decided yet), like a very strong mayberry/andy griffith show vibe if you’ve seen it. the local little league team has an epic losing streak of 20 years, filled with bratty little 9 year old kids and an apathetic curmudgeony coach. tyson signs up for the team because it seems fun and they take her in (thinking she’s a boy), and after the initial chorus of “GIRLS CAN’T PLAY BASEBALL >:(“ they let her in anyway because maybe just MAYBE she can get the team out of a rut... and it turns out she has absolutely no clue how to play and doesn’t care, she’s just in it for the fun and she’s very obnoxious and loud and extroverted and Wacky Hijinks Ensue

i want to focus more on the setting and characters rather than baseball itself, baseball being a side effect? just because wrangling a bunch of hyperactive 9 year old kids together has so much potential to be hilarious. i planned on making it a webcomic a few years ago when i had my old laptop, and actually got a few pages done, but once my laptop broke i was forced into hiatus and now that i’m back i’ve completely forgotten my momentum so. i’ve been thinking about wiping everything and restarting or trying to find a way to continue, i DEFINITELY want to continue. but whenever i get my own cartoon someday, that’s what i’d like it to be about. that or get to use the characters, anyway

i’m not sure what i’ll do with the webcomic right now, i really want to continue but as i said i totally forgot where i was trying to go with it and i’d like to have fresh momentum so i may restart... but if you want to view it while it’s up for now, you can read a few pages over at @thebummerbatherscomic! these are primarily from 2018 and my art’s changed quite a bit since then LOL so... i’m still in the process of trying to figure out how to draw the characters/what style i’m going for so it may be awhile until i get things running again BUT! there ya be

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 139: Lars of the Stars

“Bingo Bongo.”

On Saturday, January 22, 2011, a character from the webcomic Homestuck was suddenly killed. On Sunday, the scene continued, and in a string of wordless panels, another beloved character prepared to take revenge for this murder. On Monday, this character was also killed, and the murderer escaped. (I didn’t remember those dates on the top of my head, Homestuck has a very well-maintained archive, but I do at least remember that it was my first weekend back at William and Mary after my junior year’s winter break.)

To this day, that one-two punch remains my go-to example of a nameless phenomenon in serialized storytelling that fascinates me to no end: when reading Homestuck in real time, these deaths are two discrete events that happened days apart, but when reading it literally any time the after full string of updates concluded, both deaths are one big event. The gap between published segments of a serial have a tremendous effect on how the audience takes in a story, but once the story is complete, that effect can’t be felt again by new audiences.

Lars of the Stars aired just over seven months after Lars’s Head, and as someone who watched Steven Universe live since the pilot first dropped, it felt like the momentous return of the Off Colors. An ultra-early preview of the episode piled on the hype for the fanbase (I personally avoided discussion of it, not wanting to spoil myself), and the Breakup Arc made the divide seem even greater. But if you’re watching all the episodes in a row, the gap between Lars’s last appearance and this one is just 66 minutes; for context, that’s shorter than the time between Spinel landing on Earth and leaving it with the Diamonds.

I see Lars of the Stars as a very different episode today than I did when it debuted, and that’s fully because of the release schedule. Because while it remains a fresh, fun new direction after dwelling on the Breakup Arc for a few months and waiting on Lars to come back for even longer, watching it without the hiatus makes it clear that this isn’t just the start of a new chapter. It’s also an epilogue.

The fourteen episodes between Doug Out and Kevin Party pile on so much tension that we need a follow-up that feels like a break, which Lars of the Stars is happy to provide. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate how far our characters have come during that chunk of episodes, and that’s exactly what happens here. Part 1 of the big stretch ends with Steven leaving everyone behind as he goes to space, and now we get an episode about him returning to space but including Connie in the way he should have from the start. Part 2 of the big stretch ends with the Off Colors trapped on Homeworld with little hope in sight, and now we get an episode about their freewheeling lives among the stars. And Part 3 of the big stretch ends with Steven and Connie establishing a new understanding of their relationship, and now we get an episode where they share what they’ve learned with the class.

In our last episode, Connie showed an ability to socialize without Steven. While this makes him worry that she might only be at Kevin’s titular party to have a good time rather than reconnect, the furthest he goes in terms of dark thoughts is that she doesn’t wanna hang out with him anymore. Meanwhile, Lars takes Sadie’s similar ability so socialize without him as a personal insult: his instinct is to assume she’s hanging out with the Cool Kids as an act of revenge, because it turns out people don’t just flip personalities after major life events, and despite some tremendous changes Lars still has work to do. (This is something that happens more and more as the show goes on, it’s almost as if the perpetual need to work on yourself is a major theme of the latter-day series or something.)

Stevonnie’s ability to help Lars out works in any episode, because Stevonnie embodies close relationships and Lars could use some tips on that front. But the fact that their defense of Sadie in this situation is what causes Steven and Connie to fuse in the first place gains new power when this it comes right after watching Kevin Party, because feeling uncertain about a friend/love interest’s new friends is something they just experienced both sides of. And as one last reflection of the kids as individuals, Steven reacts to Lars’s concerns with a thoughtful monologue about his feelings, but only after Connie chews him out for being such a dingus.

It’s lousy to be possessive and self-absorbed, but for all my criticism of Lars in the past, it’s not as if he’s the only teenager to be possessive or self-absorbed in the world (or space). That doesn’t make the behavior great, but it’s more a sign of adolescent insecurity than any deeper failing at this stage of his life; if he doesn’t grow out of it then that’s a whole other story, but his negative impulses are outweighed by his ability to take criticism of those impulses and reexamine his outlook. And as part of a show that teaches big lessons to kids, I love that his poor reaction to Sadie’s happiness is presented not as some angsty relationship hurdle, but as comically pathetic. Matthew Moy has a blast playing a version of the character who’s finally confident, but he hasn’t forgotten how to tap into Lars’s whiny grouch.

Thankfully that confidence defines the rest of the episode (which itself lends power to the stark return to his old personality). I don’t just say “thankfully” because I’m glad he’s got some self-esteem, but because like I just said, Matthew Moy has a blast. This is the goofiest episode we’ve had since The New Crystal Gems, and while I’m sure it’s even better for anime fans out there (Space Pirate Captain Harlock being the clearest influence) it still works for scrubs like me without that reference pool. Which is critical, as I doubt many members of the youth audience are all caught up on their late seventies anime.

Excellent pacing helps the fun hit for maximum impact, pivoting us from Kevin Party to space with a brisk opening scene and reintroducing characters not through exposition (which takes time) but on-screen text (which is faster and also magnificently cheesy; Lamar Abrams practiced this in Restaurant Wars). We use space jargon and references to old adventures to throw us in the middle of Lars’s journey in a quick and believable way, all the while building up the camaraderie between the Off Colors. His miniature breakdown would normally be a third act affair, allowing for its resolution to conclude the story, but instead it’s smack in the middle of the episode and we get a bunch more fun after it: it’s an important part of the story that informs Lars’s final gambit, but it’s not the main set piece.

(And, of course, the music remains as on point as ever: Aivi and Surasshu give the Sun Incinerator a punchy theme that complements those introductions perfectly, and revisit the motif heard in the Love Like You reprise, Holly Blue Agate’s scenes, and the drone attacks from Off Colors during this new foray into space. I don’t think it’s even possible for these two to disappoint.)

Confident Lars is marvel to behold, because it’s the real deal. His insecurities are still there, but rather than patching them up with a superiority complex (which so often is the case when insecure folks go too hard in building themselves up) he doesn’t feel the need to put on a front anymore. He’s cocky, but he loves his crew for who they are and is never as mean to them as he was to Steven, even as a joke. His exaggerated anime poses aren’t just dopey and delightful for the sake of being dopey and delightful, but show a newfound ability to have fun without being crippled by self-consciousness. And his zany schemes, shouted about by Emerald at first but then seen in action, actually work! He comes into his own as a space pirate, and as neat as it is to see him become a baker when he returns to Earth, Lars of the Stars makes a strong case for a life in space.

Speaking of Emerald, while I’m sure a lot of folks who hyped themselves up on Lars of the Stars were disappointed that this is all we see of her (especially because emeralds are big-name gemstones in the real world), I think her single appearance makes the episode even more of a hoot. This is not Steven’s story, so we get very little frame of reference for what the Off Colors have been up to: it feels like a crossover episode with a nonexistent spinoff. Having a small glimpse into the greater journey was a great call, because this is just one of many tales from the Sun Incinerator’s sterling crew, and it keeps up the thread of Steven being out of the loop on Lars and Sadie’s lives.

It also lets Jinkx Monsoon ham it up even harder than Moy without getting bogged down by character complexity. This is a ridiculous space adventure, and that tone is heightened by a baddie who doesn’t chew so much as gorge herself on the scenery. I mean, this is still Steven Universe, so even someone as over the top as Emerald gets a tiny arc: Lars seems to be the instigator of their rivalry, and while we side with the Off Colors because they’re the underdogs escaping persecution, Emerald has legitimate reasons to see herself as the wronged party. And Lars’s realization that she would never fire on her own ship doesn’t just work as a conclusion to his story, showing that he learned a lesson from his bitterness towards Sadie, but for Emerald’s, showing that while she wants her revenge she more just wants her stuff back. But this is still an opponent who we only see screaming from a screen, and that’s exactly what this episode needs.

The Off Color Gems stick to the characterization that defined them in their debut, but they’ve all let their guard down in a way that suggests both familiarity with Lars and relief from the unending pressure of a lifetime of hiding on Homeworld. We get a few good jokes from their roles on the ship, but their competence is never undermined. It’s funny that Padparadscha is a technical advisor, considering she only offers insight on events that already happened, but she ends up being able to foresee Emerald’s intent as well, which certainly has its uses. It’s funny that Fluorite is the chief engineer, considering her meandering nature doesn’t mesh with the tight time windows of keeping a speedy starship afloat, but despite her slowness she manages to keep pace. It’s funny that Rhodonite is head of strategic operations, considering her usual strategy is to panic at the most minor setback, but her constant worry about what could go wrong helps balance out Lars’s recklessness. While while the Rutile Twins’ natures aren’t at odds with their role as pilot, they’ve grown out of their quirk more than anyone else on the team: the sisters have branched out from their repetitive dialogue, with each head now expressing separate thoughts on a regular basis. They don’t just summarize each other anymore. They aren’t redundant anymore either.

Steven and Connie are largely around to observe and comment, even after fusing into Stevonnie, until they take over for the final action sequence. And that’s just fine, because it turns out AJ Michalka nails supporting role as well as nails lead: Stevonnie’s blithe “Whuzzat” is the perfect punchline to the Off Colors’ fear of the melodramatic "that,” but nothing tops the sincere adulation of “Wow Lars I missed you.” And because they don’t steal Lars’s spotlight in his big moment, it’s that much more exciting when they take the Star Skipper out for a drive, ending the episode with a brilliant action scene and a cliffhanger that promises further adventure, like any good space serial should. Steven Universe has the occasional incomplete first half of a two-parter, one that works fine in context but not as well on its own. Lars of the Stars does not have this problem, working so well as a genre piece that the lack of a conclusion is the only viable conclusion.

Finally, Lars of the Stars doesn’t just celebrate the end of Act III’s fourteen-episode sweep: this is the last episode from Jesse Zuke, who came out swinging with Chille Tid and maintained an unbelievable batting average over the course of their twenty episodes. There’s only one episode Zuke had a hand in that I’m not huge on, Know Your Fusion, and even that is funny as hell if you’re into that style of meta humor. Alongside Hilary Florido, Zuke gave us two of the show’s greatest instances of characters just hanging out in Beta and Last Stop Out of Beach CIty, and the pair laid and reinforced the foundation for Peridot’s post-villain characterization in Catch and Release, Too Far, Log Date 7 15 2, Barn Mates, Too Short to Ride,  the aforementioned Beta, Gem Harvest, and Room for Ruby. But on top of being a master of comedy, Zuke could also do horror (Chille Tid and Are You My Dad) and drama (Beach City Drift, Steven vs. Amethyst, Gemcation), and had a good enough understanding of Steven and Lars to earn solo boarding credit on Stuck Together. I would’ve loved to see what else Zuke might’ve brought to Steven Universe, but that makes their unbelievable consistency that much more of a gift while it lasted. Bingo Bongo, Jesse.

Future Vision!

This is the first time we hear Sadie Killer and the Suspects by name, and it thankfully won’t be the last.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It speaks to the range of Steven Universe that teen drama Kevin Party can stand alongside Lars of the Stars in my list of favorites. Granted, my top five also speaks to this range, but it’s nuts that the last two episodes are back-to-back and it not only works but benefits from this viewing order despite their wildly different tones.

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Lars of the Stars

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Back to the Kindergarten

Steven’s Dream

Kevin Party

When It Rains

The Good Lars

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Doug Out

Are You My Dad?

I Am My Mom

Stuck Together

The Trial

Off Colors

Lars’s Head

Gemcation

Raising the Barn

Sadie Killer

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Dewey Wins

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

     6. Horror Club      5. Fusion Cuisine      4. House Guest      3. Onion Gang      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure