#I've been having trouble with keeping their designs consistent

[shadows-of-silvergate]

WIP doodle. Betty finally has her final design😭😭

[sarcasticscribbles]

I made a curious cat and people been asking about my designs so I thought I would share it here too If you have any question too you can send it here or over on curious cat!

Under cut is a very long monologue about some design choices regarding my s1 gang, Gerry and some avatars!

S1: Jon, Martin, Sasha and Tim

Right off the bat I'll admit I had seen TMA fanart before, but I assumed it was a game from how consistent designs are (Jon and Martin); however when I started I avoided fanart (but I am not immune to TMA fanon designs). I'll explain S1 gang, they are my favourites. I find fcs helpful to keep them consistence.

Jon: I have a basic Jon design: short, brown man with long hair and glasses. Jon has a put together façade but, he wasn't qualified for the archivist position, and he doesn't know what he's doing. Therefore, I like him with longer hair he can't care for, therefore messy. It gets longer with the seasons and adding on all the marks he gains from the entities. I gave him half-moon, golden glasses with chains holding two eyes. I like to think it's a Beholding artefact, so Gertrude wore them before him. I used to have Dev Patel as a reference for him, but I've switched over to Riz Ahmed!

Martin: Very basic: fat man with fluffy hair and glasses. When I heard his voice, I thought of Harvey Guillén, who stayed a reference for Martin's body. I pictured him in a dorky attire; round glasses, ginger, comfy yet business appropriate clothing. I added eyes in the pattern of his jumper and added freckles. I've recently play around adding a beard, because I think he wants to look older than he is (re: CV; "I'm only 29!") but haven't found a style I like. I keep him fat throughout the series, instead of him losing weight s4.

Sasha: She has some canon traits: tall, long hair and glasses. I draw her hair up to stay out of her face. Contra Jon, I think she was more qualified for the archivist position, so Gertrude started preparing her for the role. She wears an eye necklace I draw Gertrude wearing that's in the same style as Jon's glasses. She has a matching bracelet with Tim and overall is one of my favourites. (notSasha): I took what was established and flipped it; short, short hair, no glasses. I imagine notthem could pass as cousins (since they still need traits to the victim's family?); no immediate resemblance but with a few traits of the original.

Tim: Canonically described as hot so I have my own bias. I started with general attractive traits: tall and fit. I think he puts a lot into his appearance. I use Keanu Reeves as a reference, and he works great for him. He’s a hair guy, gets it professionally cut and owns expensive products, skincare routine and dresses in fitted clothing. His standard is a shirt with an eye pattern. He takes pride in his appearance, so S2’s worm scars troubled him. He stops shaving to let it heal properly but they never go away. He never liked looking at them and they are a cruel reminder of the past (however, one scar splits his eyebrow to x2 bisexuality). S3 he stopped caring about putting in effort, the stubble grew into a beard and his clothes aren't fitted. He loses muscles, gains weight, and isn’t who he was in S1.

Gerard Keay

I had just assumed Eric was hispanic (for some reason) and then I connected that he's Gerry's dad, and apparently I headcanon him half hispanic lol

But it was why I wanted to draw the Mama family portrait to play with genetics. Letting his dad be rather tall, tan with dark curly hair and Mary be ginger with paler skin; Gerry's pale, ginger with curly hair as a child. He grew up looking like Mary and started altering his appearance to be more like his dad; dyed dark hair and taking some of Eric's clothing (I also gave both a beauty mark under their eye he'll highlight despite wearing make up). Alternative scenes and goths tend to straighten their hair but I let Gerry have naturally wavy to still resemble his dad more. I tried to give him trad goth make up, mainly looking at Siouxsie Sioux in the late 70s. And a fun bonus to have his hair often cover one eye because, The Eye

Gerry cared for his dad, even if he died when he was a toddler (if I remember correctly). Gerry's chosen name is the nickname Eric referred to him as, which is also where my trans headcanon comes in (afab). I haven't thought it out fully, or how that reflects on other characters since everyone else calls him Gerard but I think there's some symbolising there having a chosen name relating back to Eric

(some) Avatars

Oliver Banks: "the Egyptians believed the most significant thing you could do in your life was die,"; I take inspiration from Ancient Egypt for my Oliver design! He wears an Ankh around his neck, but I want to look into more about Egyptian death symbolism (he has a cross too, but I'll probably remove it for future designs). I've also taken some inspiration from Nordic mythology, with Hel (Hela In English? Loki's daughter (not Marvel) ) as half his face is beautiful, and the other is a corpse (skull). I don't wanna mix too many cultures just for the sake of it, but it was a really fun design decision. And he's goth. Bonus death aligned I next time I draw Georgie I'll draw inspiration from the Death's-head hawkmoth

The Distortions: Michael's 60s and Helen's 80s inspired, no reason, just vibes. I like to think of Michael as a spiral while Helen's a twist, if that makes sense, I've been meaning to draw them together to demonstrate, but I'll include a doodle of it

Jane Prentiss: I looked into a lot of paganism, and fell into a rabbit hole. She's described as a modern witch, so I wanted a subtle alternative look with a shaved side and gauges. One of her breasts are exposed because (boobs) in old pagan traditions a lot of rituals were performed nude, to be closer to nature. A lot of pagan art has a very strong feminine force, I want for Prentiss. She has one eye, but I'll probably remove the other too, I've seen a lot of people do for more holes

Nikola Orsinov: Drag king. Because we need more of those. I love drag so Nikola's has a mix of both male and female attributes since he's just trying to imitate a human. Their design is also inspired The Toy Soldier in the mechanisms (haven't listened? To it but a lot of people pointed me to that designing Nikola!) that's also her actor Jessica Law! I put all my gender into Nikola lol, and when I can sneak an IT reference in I will

Breekon and Hope: Wario and Waluigi

Annabelle Cane: She's described having web keeping her skull together, but for some reason I imagined it to be down her neck. So I pictured her head occasionally falling off and being restored by a web. So I gave her both lol. Her vintage style is old, goth Hollywood glam to me and I love looking at reference for her

Bonus Agnes: I haven't drawn her fully, but I wanna take inspiration from Scandinavian culture, think Midsommar (both the movie and the tradition) and maybe Norse paganism. I love Agnes story and how it's only told by other people, and her relationship with Gertrude is so interesting!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for blocking my business partner and our mutual friends?

First of all, I want to establish that I'm not an idiot. I don't think I'm the smartest person in the world, I didn't do very well in school, and I'm generally a bit forgetful. I've been struggling with undiagnosed mental illness and neurodivergency for my entire life. My family growing up was very anti therapy and I've only recently brought anything up to a doctor. However, I like to think I manage myself pretty well. I have my own systems for doing things, and they may be unconventional, but it works. I've come to terms with the fact that no matter what I do, I'm going to have to work a lot harder than the average person and get a lot less credit. That's just how it is. I have two jobs, one of which is at a restaurant, and the other is a business that I started with my friend. It's still fairly small and local, but I'm really proud of how far it's come.

Me and my business partner, we'll call her Shelly, have a group of friends that we hang out with from time to time. I honestly don't like them very much, but Shelly, who has been my best friend for over a decade really enjoys hanging out with them, so though I've expressed to her that I want to start seeing them less, I've stayed friends with them, both to make Shelly happy and to avoid any drama that might be caused.

Among this group of friends is someone we'll call Dianne. Dianne will insult and berate me consistently, and then insist it was a joke. Nobody has ever laughed, and I have told Dianne that I don't find any of it funny. The other members of the friend group (aside from Shelly) said that this is just how she expresses that she likes somebody, and tried to make it seem like playful banter, but the insults are incredibly one-sided (I've never said an ill word about her to any of them, and especially not to her. I'm not rude.) and she never insults anyone but me and sometimes Shelly.

Recently ( a couple months or so ago) she started taking digs at my intelligence, as I have been a few minutes late to a couple of our hangouts, and I have trouble with my left and right. I said explicitly that I don't like it when people treat me like an idiot. I tried to be polite, but I won't stand for that. Also, being late and directions are very common things for people to struggle with, so I don't understand why that insinuates that I'm at all unintelligent. She also may have gotten this idea because I don't tend to laugh at her jokes, which are mostly things like "that's what she said" and other cheap and immature sex jokes. She usually tries to brush off the fact that I don't laugh by saying I must be dumb because I don't get her jokes. I do, they're just not very clever and I clearly have a different sense of humor than her.

I just kept trying to avoid any sort of conflict, because the rest of the group makes Shelly really happy. But then it started to get worse. The whole group seemed to be influenced by these jokes, and stopped expecting me to be able to do anything. I wasn't even the designated driver anymore, even though I'm usually the obvious choice because I don't drink. Dianne told me I'd probably crash because she didn't think I could read street signs. I've driven her home multiple times (during none of which she's been sober enough to remember my driving ability) and I've never driven at all irresponsibly while any of them were in the car. The whole group, aside from Shelly, began making jokes about how I was the resident airhead. For my birthday, Dianne got me a toddler sippy cup, and a card that said "Congrats, you're 2!". Get it. Because I'm so stupid I'm basically a child. Ha ha. So funny I forgot to laugh.

The last straw for me was when Shelly sent me a business email that was like "Are you going to be able to get the books done in time?" and basically told me to make sure I wasn't lazy when it came to keeping track of the sales, even though I've never been late with that kind of stuff. I really care about our business, and I keep track of all of the financials and do our taxes. I don't have a degree or anything, I could never afford college, so I emailed Shelly back very passive-agressively about how if she doesn't think I can do it in time, she can hire a real accountant.

We met with the friendgroup the next day and I was incredibly pissed. Dianne made another dig at me, something about our business probably going under because I'm too incompetent to do anything. I snapped. In the midst of yelling at her, I said "I am not stupid. You don't get to treat me like I am." and she said "But aren't you, though?" and I stormed out. I blocked everyone, except for Shelly.

I texted Shelly and said that she could be friends with whoever she wants, but that I'm never speaking to any of them ever again. Shelly said that I was being overdramatic, and that they're all being awkward to her now because they know that we're such good friends. I apologized for putting her in a position where she felt like she was in the middle, but told her that I was not about to take any more of that treatment. I told her I'm disappointed that after all this time, she let other people dictate the way that she sees me. When her new friends call me stupid, I can let it slide off of my back, but when my best friend of over a decade starts treating me like I'm incompetent and I can't get anything done, that really hurts. She told me that I need to learn to take a joke. I blocked her too after that. We've continued having meetings and being mostly civil, but we haven't spoken outside of that, and all the friendship is gone.

I'm mostly concerned about how this situation is going to affect our business, because I have worked so hard and I'd hate to see it fail because of petty drama and insults. I'm now feeling like I made a huge mistake by blowing up. Should I have just kept quiet to protect my job and friendship?

What are these acronyms?

[azriona]

Doctor Who compilation bookbinding project

Okay, continued the bookbinding this afternoon, and this time paid slightly more attention to the signature order, so now it's all sewed up in the right direction. The textblock isn't quite done--it still needs endpapers and headbands-- but that's going to have to wait because I don't have the endpapers I want.

Anyway, I thought I'd post progress pictures for those interested, and because I realized I haven't taken progress photos of any of the projects thus far. This is the third of my own fics that I've been binding. I'm not doing too much new with this one, but I still haven't figured out the cover so I might try something with that. Anyway, this compilation is of my Doctor Who fics (Pages and Left Behind are the main ones, and then an assortment of shorter fics).

(Confession: it has been so long since I read Left Behind, and I have been so deep in the MCU lately, that I read the opening to this story and my first thought is, "Tony Stark is in this here?!" 😂😂😂😂)

So the first part of fanbinding actually creating the pdf for printing. This probably takes up the most time, because I'm doing a shit-ton of trying to coax Word to do what I want it to do. Luckily, I learned how to do this when prepping Pen's books for printing, and I've gotten a lot better and faster at it over the years. I don't know that I'm any good at it, really--I see some layouts that are frankly amazing and inventive and creative and I wish I could think of those designs, but hey, I think I do all right. You can't see on the above page (it's too light) but there's the faint design of Gallifreyen behind the chapter title there. I also played a lot with using backgrounds on the main title pages:

Okay, those show up better. I'm trying to decide if I want to trim the pages so that you don't have that blank outline around the title page decoration. (Word won't let you print all the way to the edge of the page, which I guess is the drawback of home printing? Eh.) The advantage of trimming would be that I get that nice flat side to the textblock; right now it's that choppy sort of look. Which I don't mind, honestly, but at some point I gotta learn how to cut those pages nice and even.

The deets: printed on ivory letter-sized paper, folded in half. The entire file is a nice solid 300 pages or so.

Anyway, with the signatures printed, it was time to put it together. This time, I had an awl-guide and cradle that I had 3-D printed at the library based on a design from Thingiverse. CHECK THAT BABY OUT. Mine is white and gold (because I told the library I did not care what color they used). I have to say, I love it. Made cutting holes soooooo much easier and faster and perfect and painless. Support your local library, folks, they have all sorts of cool toys.

Sewing it together: I'm continuing to use a kettle-stitch, because it's easy and fast and previously I had trouble keeping the stitches even and tight. I think I finally figured out how to do both now, both a factor in the holes being consistent (thank you, awl guide & cradle) and just paying better attention to the tension in the thread. This is probably the thickest I could go without those strappy thing I see some of the thicker tomes using (I cannot remember the name and you do not want to know what I found when I typed "strappy things" in Google; it sure didn't pertain to bookbinding).

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE GORGEOUS, PEOPLE.

So that's where we're leaving it; I have a pretty good idea what endpapers I want to use, I just have to get back to JoAnn's to get them. I have ideas about the cover, but I'm not sure how to make it happen, so I'll let that ferment and switch back to one of the other projects. More later.

[jotun-design-party]

on fandom orientalism, ft. a quick visual example:

the example on the right is something i drew solely using references of the top results i saw on pinterest upon searching "jotun loki." please don’t roast my inconsistent handwriting

south asian cultures are often jumbled together for white artists of all kinds (authors, artists, movie directors) to create a sense of mystery and make things look "more foreign."

note: this doesn't touch on the antiblack racism in canon jötun designs; this post is primarily about fandom-sourced fetishization. i heavily encourage people to reblog and add onto this post anything i may have missed or added nuance

cut: links on orientalism, in-media examples, how this manifests in fandom-made content

i'd like to start off by saying that this post is a white person telling other white people how to spot orientalism in relation to fiction. i am by no means an expert on any of this, but my goal here is to start creating a less ignorant space that doesn't push people out of fandom.

i'm just trying to stir up more conversations about this and get other white people to think more critically about how they engage with the content they consume. nerd shit should never come with a sacrifice and it's extremely upsetting to see people of color consistently forced out of fandom communities, especially when modern superhero comics began as a way for jewish people to have a voice.

if this post upsets you, i don't want to hear it. don't tell me, "it's not that deep," or, "keep politics out of comics." it is that deep, and superhero comics have always been political. if you have the urge to leave a comment or send an anon about how you don't think it's a big deal, feel free to block me instead, because i don't care and you'll just get blocked anyway 👍

with that out of the way,

Q:

A:

there are countless ways to design a character in a way that makes it clear that they are an alien, or to make them sexy, and there is no excuse to perpetuate stereotype that put real-life people in danger to do so.

"Orientalist paintings and other forms of material culture... depict an 'exotic' and therefore racialized, feminized, and often sexualized culture from a distant land." [¹]

there are so many examples of this in loki fic and art. it's extremely common to see loki depicted as a feminine object of desire. they may have longer hair. clothing that serves more as an accessory than an outfit, that isn't suited to protect them from either the harsh cold of jötunheim or the sunburns one might get when surrounded by reflections of the sun off the snow. draped in jewelry, and in a compromising position.

i'm sure you can imagine how this can get especially out of hand in relation to thorki. i would speak more on thor's presence as both the white aesir prince or the strong barbaric jötun, but as i'm not comfortable consuming thorki content, i don't have enough context to speak on the stereotypes used outside of the art pieces i've seen while searching for jötun loki fanart.

i am, however, confident in saying that orientalism often serves as a device for fan creators to show a contrast between Asgard's white-viking-british-accent-magic-science-elegance. jötunheim, in the comics, is often portrayed as a less intelligent, cutthroat, barbaric, and bloodthirsty culture.

"There was always something unknown and uniquely different about Orients which reinforced the distinction between the European 'us' and Asian 'them.'" [²]

the green link in particular comes with a helpful tool for anyone who might be inexperienced in spotting racist themes in media. if you have trouble being confident that the media in question is orientalism, this link comes with a checklist scale to score how likely it is to be an offensive depiction.

an example that most of you will be familiar with is Disney's Aladdin (1992). the green link goes much more in-depth about the intricacies of Aladdin's orientalism, and i heavily HEAVILY encourage you to read it, as it will help fully grasp the way fetishization and demonization go hand in hand in orientalism.

here, i'd also like to use it as a comparison to show why this loki stuff is honestly... egregious.

by now, even the visuals here should seem very familiar.

the source goes on to use arranged marriage as an example of a common "trope" in orientalist fiction. as previously stated, i don't consume thorki fiction. however, i am EXTREMELY confident in making the guess that it tends to be a common theme when jötun loki is paired with an aesir thor.

i'd also heavily recommended this article and this wikipedia page, both on the negative and stereotypical portrayals of romani people; loki is a magic user, and i suspect that one of the reasons there is such heavy use of these appropriated, exaggerated, and fetishized themes and visuals is because of the demonization of romani people as tricksters, thieves, and witches.

[valorant-drabbles]

Hi! Can I request an Jett x gn!reader?

Reader is Iso’s radiant older sibling, and they keep it a secret they are siblings. Reader joined the protocol at same time as Jett. Reader has similar abilities to Iso.

So Iso just joined the protocol and reader is sharing headphones with him and listening to music with him in the kitchen and cooking with him. Jett also sees them training together a lot. Jett (not dating reader yet) gets jealous because reader is cooking and training with someone else.

Thank you!

So Sorry I've been MIA. Being sick really sucks the motivation out of you. But I hope I've made up for it! Enjoy!

Gender neutral reader!

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Mild Cursing

Radiant Jealousy

Reader x Jett

The unstoppable duo. That's what the younger agents of the protocol had started to call your team. The team consisting of Jett; the swift, air-riding daredevil... and yourself. The terrifying, defensive master of the battlefield. Together, your abilities meshed perfectly- your ability to counter bullets with your shield when timed correctly, as well as your ability to teleport out of trouble before the enemies' very eyes... only for you to be replaced with Jett, who's always ready to deal with the agents you teleported her to. It was definitely advantageous. You were able to swap the place of yourself with any one of your teammates if they needed a quick escape; and it proved extremely valuable many, many times.

Any mission with the two of you was bound to be an adventure, and often left the other duelists on your team scrambling for kills to make up for how many you and Jett had managed to get together. As expected, there were a few sore losers who dreaded being teamed with this unstoppable duo; namely Yoru, Neon, and even Phoenix on a bad day. Occasional jealousy would brew, but at the end of the day, as long as everybody survived, and as long as the mission resulted in a success... no one could really complain too much.

On a day like any other, the protocol found itself welcoming their newest agent, hailing from China; Iso. The Dead Lilac. Known for his skill with swift assassinations, cleaning up loose ends, and appearing virtually unstoppable from the outside view, And today, that man stood before all the other agents, as Brimstone gave his usual speech regarding the welcoming of new team members.

"Everyone, this young man is Iso. I expect all of you to be courteous towards him, and make him feel right at home."

Brimstone simply gestured to the male, who appeared to have an earbud in, listening to music. Jett couldn't help but let out a slight huff, only to raise her hand.

"Hey, don't we have a rule against wearing earbuds n'stuff during meetings and whatever?" Jett's voice piped up from the crowd of agents, who all exchanged similar nods of agreement.

Upon hearing this, Iso simply plucked the earbud from his ear, and stuffed it into his pocket without much of a fight. After all, it was his first day; getting off on the wrong foot with everybody for something so small wouldn't be the best.

You, however, currently standing beside Jett, jabbed her in the side with your elbow, and gave her a scolding look. "Don't single him out like that. How's he supposed to know? It's his first day!" Narrowing your eyes at your partner, Jett feels a slight flush of embarrassment rush to her cheeks.

"Ah- s... sorry." She apologized gently, though she clearly meant the apology more towards you, not to much towards Iso. But he didn't appear to mind. Brimstone cleared his throat, redirecting attention to himself once more.

"We do have rules like that for a reason, yes. Though we have discovered that Iso is able to preform just as well- perhaps even better- when he's listening to music. So, we've allowed him to bend that rule, as long as it doesn't cause distraction during missions. If any of you wish to get a pass to do the same, you will have to pass a few tests that Viper and myself have designed... just to ensure that you won't get yourself killed in the field if you aren't able to hear the enemy behind you."

Brimstone's eyes had met a few other pairs of eyes within the crowd of agents... mostly those who had proven they weren't able to multitask in such a way in the past. And in short, those agents were the reason Brimstone had initially administered the ban on music on missions in the first place.

"Y/N." Brimstone called you out from the crowd. "I'm going to ask you to show Iso around the headquarters. The training hall, his room, you know the drill."

You nodded towards him as you were instructed to show the newbie around. At the opportunity, Jett's eyes lit up with excitement. Hell yeah, her duo was given a big responsibility! She was so proud. "I'll tag along with you guys! Plus, I'd love the chance to spar with you, Iso!" She'd beamed, only to be cut off from approaching by Viper.

"Jett. Last time you were in charge of showing somebody around, you went so fast that they ended up getting lost for a week. And anytime they asked for directions, you accused them of not paying attention during your tour." Viper had raised an eyebrow disapprovingly, her tone proving to be rather... irritated. More so than usual.

From the crowd of agents, Gekko kicked at the floor with a quiet huff. "... she talks so fast, she may as well be speaking another language." He muttered, mostly to himself. You gave the poor guy a sympathetic look over your shoulder, before turning your attention to your eager duo partner, hand on her shoulder in reassurance.

"I'll be honest, J... Tours aren't your strong suit. But once Iso is more settled, I'm sure he'd be happy to spar with you." You shot her a smile, reassuring Jett despite her mild disappointment at being rejected. Sighing, she simply crossed her arms across her chest, and stepped back into the line of agents. "Fiiiine, do it your way. But if it takes longer than an hour, I'm hunting you down and helping, whether you want it or not!"

You couldn't help but smirk at Jett's impatience. It was always a trait you'd found quite endearing. Irritating at times, sure, but endearing nonetheless. You'd lost count of how many times Jett had gotten herself into a dangerous situation because she didn't want to wait for backup. She was always looking to prove herself, always eager for the opportunity to ace. It was a lot worse when you and her were fresh recruits. And you'd saved her ass dozens of times before she saw the merit in the two of you working together. You couldn't say you hated her impatience, because truthfully? It was the trait of hers that helped bring you two closer together. And it was always oddly cute to watch her bounce in place, twirling her knife in her hand as she was forced to wait.

"If that's settled... everyone is dismissed."

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

You'd been at the protocol for quite awhile; longer than most agents, actually. So the tour with Iso didn't take much time at all, much to Jett's relief. Jett who... may or may not had been following you and Iso from a distance. You hadn't noticed her initially, but once you did, decided not to embarrass her in front of the new recruit, and let her follow you like a puppy.

Though the tour did indeed only take an hour, Iso had quite a few questions regarding some of the agents, and how the training facilities worked... so, you decided to dedicate the rest of the day to answering any and all of Iso's questions. You even showed him around the kitchen, so he'd know where everything was if he ever needed to make himself something to eat.

Suffice to say... Jett... didn't like that. At all.

Jett was basically the in-house cook, and only trusted a few select people to help her if offered. You were one of those people. Hell, she'd let you take over cooking if she was sick, and have faith you'd do her dishes justice.

And there she was, glaring daggers from around the corner at Iso. Who was taking notes on where Jett kept the kettle, strainer, spices... Even though usually Jett could appreciate someone taking kitchen care seriously, she couldn't figure out why seeing Iso there with you in the kitchen made her skin crawl.

Maybe it was because, aside from training, the kitchen was where you and Jett spent most of your time. Even if it was just being sat on the counter, drinking coffee late into the night, because insomnia haunts most of the younger agents. And seeing you hop up onto the counter, offering to make Iso some tea how he likes it... Ugh. She hated it, she hated it, she hated it!

"Whatever." Dismissively, Jett had let out a stubborn huff of irritation, and headed towards the training hall. Training was always a good way of getting her mind off of things... though you were often on her mind if you weren't by her side training as well. Okay, so maybe you were always on her mind. She couldn't help it! She always just figured that was the cost of having a kick-ass duo; always worrying, thinking about how to improve your guys' performance... wondering why you were so damn chummy with Iso-

God. Jett needed to let off some steam before she imploded.

------

The next few hours of her free time was spent perfecting her knife throws, as well as some general aerobatic moves that you had been brainstormed for her. Ways to use her radiant power more without causing too much destruction. Last thing the protocol needed was a tornado within its walls.

Though the hours passed mindlessly, Jett still couldn't figure out why the hell she was so agitated by Iso's mere existence. She was always hyped when a new duelist joined their ranks, to the point where she'd try and take them under her wing if they needed help discovering their fighting style. She took a lot of pride in her ability to help her fellow agents, and yet...

As if summoned by the mere thought, Iso happened to enter the training hall, you following by his side, explaining one thing or another. Jett wasn't sure. She hadn't been close enough to hear your conversation- but she didn't like it.

"Oh- you finally here for that spar?" She'd flashed a grin in the direction of Iso. She was itching to put him in his place- though that thought alone was quite a strange one for her. Put him in his place? He hadn't done anything-... had he?

Iso himself looked quite surprised to see Jett in the hall, and had held his hands up in a faux surrender, showing he had no interest in sparring. "Oh, you were serious-- I mean, we can totally do that another time. But Y/N was going to train with me. To help me figure out how to best use my abilities in combat, maybe using them in combination with someone else's abilities......"

Iso's voice had quickly been drowned out by Jett's own thoughts. You... were going to train with Iso? What, alone? Doing what she usually did with her duelists? Finding his fighting style?

You could see the displeased look on Jett's face, as she wasn't the best at masking her feelings for too long. Flashing your partner a nervous smile, you approached Jett. "I know Iso's abilities pretty well myself, so finding his style probably won't take too long- but we can train elsewhere if you're busy here-?" You'd offered quietly, not wanting to further upset your duo. But it was a bit too late for that.

Grabbing your arm, Jett forcefully pulled you towards the door. "Get some target practice in while I have a chat with your 'trainer'." She'd growled towards Iso, who looked more confused than anything. But he didn't question further, and definitely didn't want to witness an angry Jett in action- so he'd grabbed a gun and started shooting some targets to warm up.

Dragging, dragging, dragging on; You couldn't exactly do much to escape Jett's grasp- her upper body strength was impressive for someone of her size. "Jett-- Jett!" You call her name, trying to get her to stop dragging you, but to no avail. She didn't stop until she knew you two were completely alone. In an empty hallway.

"Jett, what the hell is up with you today? You're being more of a jerk than usual." You scolded in a hushed tone once Jett had finally let go of you, moving to fold your arms over your chest. Your body language was enough for Jett to know you were beyond irritated, but you were holding it together for her sake.

Jett just turned to glare at you, fists clutched as she struggled for a few moments. Trying to find the words to articulate how she was feeling- Feelings were difficult for her to explain most of the time. So before she could open her mouth, you held your hand up to stop her. "And I'm not going to listen if you start yelling."

God, she wanted to punch you for saying that. But it was a boundary you'd set with her after the first few arguments you two had. Things would just escalate and escalate, and neither of you would listen. Talking over each other so one of you could be heard. And even if she was angry, Jett always respected your boundaries. Which meant in this case that she wasn't going to shout.

"Right. Right right right right right." Jett exhaled deeply, and began to shake her hands in a bit of a stim. Shake the anger out, that's what she often did. And more often than not, it didn't help too much. It only subsided how much she wanted to punch things. But it would at least get her through the conversation.

"You're kind of... how can I put this lightly... driving me crazy. In a bad way." Jett articulated slowly, though was quick to see your displeasure from the look in your eyes once she'd said it. Huffing, she continued. "You're, like... being all nice n' shit to Iso, which is fine or whatever... But you were crossing some lines."

"... I'm sorry, how the hell was I crossing lines? I was showing Iso around, like Brim told me to?" You furrowed your eyebrows slightly in confusion, not knowing if you should still be irritated or not. What was going on in her head...?

"Okay, uh, example. You were showing Iso around the kitchen. My kitchen. You didn't think to ask me if I wanted to show him around the kitchen at least? Show where I hide the good flour?" Jett urged, though you couldn't help but snicker slightly.

"Jett. It's the Protocol's kitchen. And it's pretty small. There's not much to really show him. There just wasn't enough to show to justify bringing you in."

"Fine! Okay, that's fine. Just don't cook any of our meals with him, and we're fine. See? I'm being reasonable!" She had a forced smile on her face, but it was quite clear she was struggling to keep her composure. It felt like she was jumping all over the place with her logic, and she'd just started.

"Another example! You... were going to train with him."

"... Jett. I train with everybody." You shot her down almost immediately, to which you could only raise an eyebrow in mild amusement. She was really grasping at straws here for excuses to be angry, and none of them were really... viable?

"But you said, and I QUOTE-- … okay, I can't remember exactly what you said, but you mentioned something about helping Iso figure out how to use his abilities in combat." Her teal eyes bore into yours, and there, finally, you could sees a glimmer of the real problem.

Conflicted. Hesitant. Envious.

"That's my thing. No, Not just my thing. It's our thing. You were the one who inspired me to figure out unique ways to use my radiant powers in combination with other peoples' abilities. To figure out my fighting style, and helping others find theirs! That's how we became a duo! And sure, I took credit for it a lot of the time... but you were the reason I started helping people in the first place! To the point even Viper trusted me to help recruits figure out their style!" She'd began to pace back and forth as she spoke, another mild stim. If she kept her body moving in some way, it helped her thoughts flow a lot smoother.

"So why-" Jett suddenly turned to you, pinning you to the wall with both her hands on either side of your head. "Why did you try to do it without me? Were you going to... I don't know? Be his duo? The way we do things is really, really efficient, it doesn't need to change! So... Don't you dare think for a second that you're replacing me for that-- that..." Her voice trailed off, as she noticed a smirk slowly rest on your features. "Wh... What the hell are you making that face for?"

"You're jealous."

Those two words were enough to make Jett fly back a few feet, as if it physically impacted her, blasting her away from you dramatically. And as the realization slowly dawned on her, Jett's face slowly grew a bright red shade. That... would explain a lot about how she'd been feeling. She gripped her own shirt, eyes locked on the floor, suddenly all out of things to say. Rendered genuinely speechless.

"Wh... What am I jealous about?" She asked after a few moments, looking towards you for answers. Jett really didn't know why she was jealous. And you couldn't help but find that... oddly adorable, despite how scared she looked with this information out in the open.

"I don't know if I can answer that for you, J." You admitted with a slight smile, slowly approaching as if she were a startled dear in a beartrap. "But... If I had to guess, you're jealous that... I'm spending all this time with Iso, doing all the stuff you and I usually do?"

Jett's gaze remained glued to the floor tiles, hands stuck to her side. The burning feeling on her face wouldn't go away. She was completely embarrassed. Something so simple... made her upset? Groaning, she covered her face with her hands, turning away from you to hide her shame further. "M... Maybe. I think that... isn't too far off." She didn't want to admit it... though she kind of had to if she wanted you to know why she was upset.

"Jett..." Your smile softens on your face as you take a few steps towards her, raising your hand to hold her cheek. Your thumb caresses her cheek as her eyes flick towards yours. "You're an idiot. You really think I'd replace you like that? After our years of experience together?" The question caused Jett to gaze down at the ground again, taking a moment to clear her throat a bit to find some kind of rebuttal.

"You were just... I don't know. You got along really well with Iso, and clicked pretty fast." She let out a soft sigh, absentmindedly leaning against the hand to her cheek, almost affectionately. You couldn't help but compare her to a cat in that moment.

"Of course we get along well. He's my little brother. Showing him around was the best way to help him feel acclimated, after all-"

Jett felt her thoughts grind to a halt.

"Your... brother?"

You could see the mix of realization, embarrassment, and relief in her eyes. It would've made you laugh at how cute it was, but decided that, for Jett's sake, you'd hold back.

"Yeah. I told you my little brother would be joining the protocol a few months back. Did you forget, or were you not paying attention?" You raise an eyebrow in sheer amusement, as you watch Jett's expression freeze and then scramble to find an answer, to which, she couldn't find one.

"I... I am so sorry, Y/N. I completely forgot." She whispered, grabbing both of your hands within her own, holding them tight. "I'm such an idiot- and I was going to yell at you over this? Please, please, please forgive me!" Jett practically pleaded, to which you couldn't resist laughing anymore.

This precious idiot, you thought. You let out a content sigh, squeezing Jett's hands for a moment as you take a step closer. "Drill this into your head, okay, dummy? You're irreplaceable. Nobody is ever going to take the place in my heart that belongs to you."

Before Jett could even consider thinking too much into your words, you'd leant forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. From such a quick action, you could swear she was about to float off or launch into the air like a rocket. Frozen, but shaking.

"Jett?" You called out softly with a slight grin across your face, the cogs in her brain whirling, trying to catch up with what was happening. And the second everything clicked, Jett got the biggest, goofiest smile on her face as she proceeded to grab your face and pepper it with as many little kisses as she could before you'd push her away, laughter filling the hollow halls.

You promised Jett to spend the rest of the evening with her after training with Iso, to make up for the time she demanded back.

And fell asleep, wrapped in blankets, watching movies on your laptop. The following days, the other agents swore they'd never seen Jett so happy.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Ah, yes. My favorite asshole has now become the Ultimate Billiards Player.

Ngl, most of the changes with Syobai were either minor details or stuff I switched out. For starters, Syobai's original hair color, black, is much more prominent than in his original design. My thought process on that is that Syobai deals with a lot less stress since he's a billiards player, not a dangerous broker anymore but I'd imagine that he still deals with money problems as he needs that for just basic survival so he may not be getting enough nutrients/the stress is still affecting his body. But I've been recently told in a server that I'm in that Syobai actually dyed his hair?? Which is kinda funny cause that implies that he purposely makes himself look old. Regardless of whether it was the environment that he grew up in or just hair dye, Syobai probably wouldn't put too much effort into his hair regardless of his different lifestyle now. I kept his messy appearance as it's an iconic part of his design, with his shirt partially unbuttoned and untucked with the sleeves rolled up at different levels on both arms, his pants (which are more like regular jeans here) still rolled up to show his hairy legs, and his tie is loose like in the OG design but since the pinstripe vest I referenced from didn't have any pockets, it's not tucked away and is free to get carried away by the wind. The vest is also unbuttoned completely to help sell his casual, even lazy appearance. I replaced his sandals with sneakers and while I considered living the shoelaces untied, I decided Syobai wouldn't risk having a tripping hazard life that and would keep it tied. And I gave him a billiards player glove (which is something that provides a smooth and consistent stroke by reducing friction between your hand and the shaft). I also made the bags under his eyes a bit more prominent as I still see him as a tired, grumpy asshole. And here he is, Syobai the Ultimate Billiards Player!

Next up is Emma, and wow, so far she's the most changed when it comes to her swapped Ultimate Talent.

Honestly, I think Syobai's backstory would pretty much stay the same-ish up until he was searching for other means to gain money to survive when he realized that the small, petty jobs he was taking wasn't going to work out. He took to crime for a little while but on a whim, when he saw there were bets going on at a billiards table, he decides to try his hand at it to see if he can win some money through that, and ended up winning the entire bet after a few rounds. Realizing he could use billiards to earn money and as a way to keep himself off the streets, Syobai invested a lot of time in it and ended up becoming a really good billiards player to the point that he was scouted out as an Ultimate. Of course, since this is Syobai, he probably just sees billiards as a means to an end rather than having any kind of passion for the sport. He appreciates that the sport kept him from falling into a rabbit hole of crime before it was too late for him to back out, but he otherwise doesn't care that much for it. As long as he's able to earn money through it as a job, he'll keep playing until he retires. As for his other original skillsets, Syobai was still living in a very shady and dangerous environment even as a billiards player, so he probably pissed off a lot of bad people through his constant winnings and got in trouble for it. Perhaps even got his life put at risk if they were petty enough. So he'd still have a switchblade on him just in case anyone gets any ideas, and he would have a decent amount of medical knowledge, although it wouldn't be beyond first aid in this iteration of his backstory since he's just a billiards player, not a broker. I don't see him knowing any more than beyond that in this context. Due to living in this kind of environment, he's still the kind of person that would put his own life above all else, next to money since you can't live life without it, and often doesn't help others unless it would benefit himself in the short or long-term.

[phantasmiafxndom]

Out of all the animes you’ve watch what ones are your favorites

...you know what, you get the serious answer. I used to track my anime watching, so out of the 450+ completed ones on my list, here are some of my top recommendations! (In terms of quality, more so than what I've spent the most time dwelling on.)

. . .

One Piece — I haven't technically watched all of this one, but after falling back into the fandom after an 8-ish year break, I really can't understate the quality. One Piece's story is amazing, and I'm consistently impressed by the author's characters/worldbuilding.

Dominion Tank Police (1988) — I have FEELINGS about the villain in this one... Overall, 80s sci-fi vibes mix with themes of ethical responsibility and societal peacekeeping, and the "don't you just want to go apeshit? :)" protagonist (who's also extremely aromantic-coded) is a hilarious, yet wonderfully earnest little menace!

Kyousougiga — I've been rewatching this one recently, and the sheer detail in every scene is STUNNING. I keep having to pause to mentally scream about the symbolism, and tbh, knowing the plot from my original watch is only improving the experience.

Tekkon Kinkreet — This one's a movie, not a series, but SKLJKHS IT HAUNTS ME. Absolutely chilling, by the time the big plot twists roll around... Beyond that, the overall aesthetic/vibe is impeccable, and the exaggerated, messy art style only adds to that.

Kemonozume — Monster/human forbidden romance with stunning art and a great soundtrack. The plot started out a bit confusing, but all of the scattered story elements came together nicely in the end!

The Tatami Galaxy — The "get your shit together and start enjoying your life" anime. It's plenty good as just a story, but I got some excellent life lessons out of it too. Solid mix of comedy, drama, and charismatic-yet-extremely-bizarre characters interacting.

Monster — Excellent slow-paced, psychological horror packed with ethical dilemmas, traumatic backstories, and so many Extremely Depressed Men. In other words, there's a very good reason why Johan Liebert used to end up on so many "best anime villains" lists.

Paranoia Agent — I have nothing but praise for Satoshi Kon's work, in general, and Paranoia Agent has been my favorite of the ones I've seen so far. Compared to his movies, it really benefits from the extra space for plot development, and the big emotional twist hits hard.

Revolutionary Girl Utena — A true classic. <3 There are enough tumblr essays about this tragic yuri masterpiece that I won't go into detail myself, but yes, it's every bit as good as you've heard.

Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail — The entire Black Lagoon series is excellent, but Roberta is my special girl. Unfortunately, the OAV adaption compresses the manga's version of her arc pretty heavily (and the altered ending is kind of dumb), but I still have to recommend it. Babygirl's breakdown is a REAL mess kjshghs

Claymore — Excellent pseudo-medieval fantasy with badass female characters, lots of body horror, and top-tier monster design. The manga is MUCH better than the anime after a certain point, however.

Kuuchuu Buranko — An episodic series about an eccentric psychiatrist interacting with his troubled patients. The mixed-media animation style and bizarre characters are what sold it for me, along with the exploration of mental health through storytelling tropes.

Cannon Fodder — An artistic short movie that's twenty minutes of aesthetic experience and fascinating worldbuilding implications. I love the vibe, and the "one, long horizontal frame" style is neat.

Flowers of Evil — The art style. The VIBES. The whole thing is incredibly eerie and off-putting, with a plot that's pretty much: "congrats! two shitty teenagers are tearing each other's lives apart!".

[purplepixel]

BIG MAMA???

GIVE HER TO ME NOW

FUNNY YOURE ASKING ABOUT HER NOW BC GUESS WHO HAS BEEN WORKING ON HER DESIGN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

Ngl big mama has given me a lot of trouble. I was torn over four different designs with like four different pokemon. And each species would mean something different for her lore. BUT I FINALLY COMMITTED. I'm gonna keep her design a secret for now since I'm still working on fine tuning it. But Pokemon fans MIGHT be able to guess which pokemon she's inspired by with the trivia I've given. Here's some big mama lore!

Similarities to canon: runs her battle nexus, has a lot of power in tmnp’s equivalent to the hidden city, has a history with splinter and utilized him in her battle nexus.

The battle nexus deserves its own post. Pokemon battles are normalized in this world, therefore the battle nexus itself wouldnt be controversial. But Ive found ways to MAKE it controversial (EVIL LAUGH) that would have the pokemon league¹ shutting it down if they knew about it

Now for TMNP exclusive big mama facts!

- Master illusionist. This gives her the ability to naturally transform into her human form

- She feeds on fear. Literally. It is rumored that if you listen closely to her necklace, you can hear the screams of champions in her battle nexus.

- Is one of the few yokai to use poke balls and specializes in ghost type pokemon. Supposedly these Pokemon are the lost souls of her nexus champions that died in her arena

- Her staff consists of Alpha Pokemon² (Fox as Thievul, Owl as Noctowl, Otter as Floatzel, Lion as Pyroar)

- Gus the shiny alpha granbul is her favorite and is treated more like a pet

- She regularly interacts with the surface world to scout out powerful pokemon to have in her nexus. This is how she found lou jitzu “the human who fights like a pokemon”

- Regularly hires bounty hunters to steal powerful pokemon from their trainers

- She has worked with Hunter J³

- Can create shadow pokemon⁴

And bonus info: Here's her color palette (might tweak the specific shades but the color is there)

1 Pokemon League: This is like the government branch that regulates anything pokemon related in the surface world. Hosts the yearly pokemon league, oversees the gyms, responsible for granting or revoking trainer licenses.

2 Alpha Pokemon: Pokemon from hisui (hokkaido Japan from ~500 years ago) that are significantly larger then normal. They are usually more powerful and more aggressive

3 Hunter J: A pokemon anime exclusive character that will be making an appearance in this au. I had to, she is arguably one of Pokemon's best villains

4 Shadow Pokemon: A pokemon who's heart has been closed off artificially. They lack empathy, cannot be reasoned with, and are highly aggressive. They are controlled by the will of the one who created them

[funkyspacealien]

Rabbit of the Night He'll suck the orange out of your carrots (Sketches n' processes under the break! It's a REAAAAAL long one)

I've been meaning to draw a piece that actually includes a background instead of a character standing in the void. The issue that arises is that... I just didn't have any good ideas for backgrounds, lol. Partially the issue is that I tend to design the character first, which makes it challenging to draw stuff around them. Since around the time that I made this piece was October and the big holiday was Halloween, I figured I could do something within the theme. I've been meaning to draw my character, Nosferatu, again since they have always been one of my lowkey favorites of mine.

An older piece of the character, which you can see with the others here The character was quite macabre, which made it perfect for doing something slightly spooky. The cape also gave me a great idea for making something more visually striking, as well.

My first attempt. As you can see, I tried to do a thumbnail this time so I can have a better understanding of the amount of space I have to work with. I highly recommend that you do something similar if you struggle with doing backgrounds. Though, I think I ought to make it a bit more square, lol. I had to tweak some things to fit within the standard square shape since I drew everything at a wonky angle. I was inspired by Soul Eater and Majora's Mask when it comes to the background design, especially with the moon having a prominent appearance. I knew that was a consistent thing I wanted to keep throughout the iterations. The flowing cape was heavily inspired by Spawn and the artwork of Lelouch from Code Geass

I always found it to be such a striking iconography for the characters. Despite being an inanimate piece of clothing, it adds a lot to the design. Spawn was always an intimidating dude, but having that cape overwhelms the viewer and takes up so much screen space every time he wears it helps give him more of an otherworldliness. You may not truly understand who or what is he, but you may get the vibe that he's someone with great power and importance. It's befitting of someone who is viewed as the best spawn of the devil. I find it also interesting for a character like Lelouch. Now, I never watched the show he came from, only understood the basic premise from various sources throughout my life. Pardon if my read on the character is incorrect, but to me, he's quite the scrawny guy and perhaps lacks power of his own. Despite this, he runs a rebellion and goes under the alias of "Zero". He dresses up as Zero, including the cape. With it on, his form became much more imposing yet concealed. It gives him a sense of royalty, which you might attribute to the likes of Kings or Queens. Someone with power. Sorry for that brief character analysis tangent, lol. It's just something that I thought about when creating the character of Nosferatu. I find it interesting that something so simple as a cape can help give a feeling of power. It's something that I feel everyone subconsciously think of and not realize. Back on topic, the rest of the composition I wasn't super satisfied with. I sorta lean into the "Dracula" look the character had by having the castle in the background, but I think it came off as very flat. I also thought it made things visually unclear. A bunch of things off in their own corner instead of organic guiding the viewer's eyes. I scrapped the first idea and tried to go in another direction.

I had the idea of being underneath an overpass and having buildings being lit by the moon. I don't think it was too bad of an idea, but I had trouble refining it and making it more "full", if that makes sense? This had a weird sense of emptiness and dragged the composition down for me. Perhaps if I drew the character differently and played more with the perspective, it would've been better. I went back to my original idea and checked if I could improve some things on a base level.

Originally, I had the cape go off-screen but checking my original inspiration, like various art pieces of Spawn, I noticed that the cape "ends" tend to curve back into the frame. I decided to do something similar which I think helped give the piece a sense of "flow" to it. I found that it also gives a composition more layers of depth and fills in any "empty" spaces that I had worried about before. I tilted Nosf's head a bit so they weren't just standing there stiffly as well. Sometimes it's the little things that help improve the piece than having to redo it all over again.

Finally, I just decided to make the background more on the simple side. I think I had the issue of really wanting to prove myself that I could do backgrounds that I made it way more complicated than it needed to be. It gave me the chance to make the moon much bigger, which I always meant to be a striking aspect of the piece. When drawing, I decided to forgo the "ground" that the cliffs are on since I felt it cluttered up the piece with too many colors. Now, I just got to finish it!

I should be done, right? Well, not exactly. While I think it looks nice (I'm personally proud of my use of noise filters), it just still lacks the depth that I'm looking for. Something about it is too bright and clear. I went back and experimented some more until I found a solution that made me feel stupid not realizing it before, lol. So initially, I tried to use this photo editing program called "Picsart". I used to use it a lot when I was doing digital art since I like the added filters. I eventually stopped because it would ruin the image quality. I thought they fixed that issue, but it's still the same.

It's a bit subtle in this picture, but I like to use the "vintage" filter since I like the added shadows on the sides of the images. The problem is that the quality got ruined and I'm very stubborn about keeping it in the nicest resolution possible. I decided to see if I could replicate it in my own art program. What I discovered is that I can and the solution was very simple, lol. First I drew a square with a solid color on a new layer-

Then I used the "Gaussian Blur" Filter-

I turned down the opacity, set the blending to "burn" and overlaid it on the artwork, which gave the depth I was looking for!

I gave the head some slight shading too since the filter unintentionally gave it to their ears. Good call since I think that helped with the Halloween atmosphere I was intending.

[actual-bill-potts]

Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth: A Reading

The last 5 pages of Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth are spectacularly beautiful, and have inspired so much amazing fanwork and thought. However, the rest of the Athrabeth is, I think, a bit...harder to understand? At least, I have trouble wrapping my mind around it, and I've seen many interpretations of the conversation and what's going on between Finrod and Andreth here. So, for your reading pleasure, here is a "translated" version of how I read the Athrabeth (minus the last 5 pages which I simply dissolve into tears over every time). It's essentially the script of the Athrabeth, in modern prose. To those nerds who are as invested in it as I am - I am extremely curious to hear your thoughts on this! Differences? Similarities? I know the below is not the only way to read the Athrabeth, by a long shot.

FINROD: Andreth, I am so grieved at Boron's death, and so sorry for your loss. It seems like just yesterday that he was a little child. I feel like no time has passed at all since I first met Bëor, and now his grandson is dead. I loved them all, and miss them all.

ANDRETH: Thank you, and I'm sorry for your loss as well. My family have lived long and happy lives in Dorthonion, though - it may have seemed a short time to you, but they would have lived far fewer years before we crossed the Mountains, and counted themselves lucky for it.

FINROD: I'm glad at least that you and your family have been content.

ANDRETH: I wouldn't say that. Just that things suck a little less than they would have otherwise.

FINROD: Wait, what does that mean?

ANDRETH: Well, Morgoth fucked us all over while the Valar and the Elves were happy in Valinor. And he's still fucking us over.

FINROD: I'm confused. What does dying of old age have to do with Morgoth? He's evil, yes, but everyone since Bëor has died peacefully, of natural causes, the way Eru intended.

ANDRETH: So all you Elves say! You all think that we were designed to die in the blink of an eye. In fact to you we are indistinguishable from children, in how short our lives are; and you look down on us for it.

FINROD: I can't deny that some Elves do, though certainly I don't look down on you or any of the Atani! But the Elves who call you childish are not logically consistent, because our own lore says that both the Atani and the Quendi are children of Eru - and thus we are equal in every way that matters. And since you are children of Eru, equal to us, it follows that if you live briefly Eru must have designed it so. Do you disagree?

ANDRETH: Yes, I do! And furthermore I think the idea that the Atani were always designed to live briefly is a lie of Morgoth. The Wise among us say that the Atani were designed to live forever, but Morgoth shortened our lives unnaturally.

ANDRETH: Ironically, even though Men call us "the Wise," they won't listen to us about this. Neither do Elves. You're all dumbasses to be honest.

FINROD: I mean. That's fair. And Morgoth for sure fucked over Men's bodies to some extent. Since leaving Aman, even we Elves have noticed that our bodies decay and weaken faster than they would have otherwise.

ANDRETH: You still don't get it, and you're still being a high-handed dumbass. "Even we Elves" - do you hear yourself? You're starting from the assumption that Elves were meant to be more durable than Men. We of the Wise don't think so. We think Death was a terrible thing that was imposed upon us by Morgoth. We also thought that maybe by reaching Aman we could escape it: but apparently Morgoth beat us there, and I'm starting to suspect there's no hope for it anyway - in this world.

FINROD.EXE IS REBOOTING

FINROD: ...ok rude. I didn't wish death upon you.

FINROD: But anyway, you keep equating death with Morgoth! Are you really saying that he designed death? He's powerful, sure, but - death is everywhere. It's a part of life. If Morgoth wasn't around, death would still be here, it just wouldn't be considered an evil.

ANDRETH: "Death is a part of life," says the Elf. You don't know shit about death.

FINROD: Just because we Elves are immortal doesn't mean we don't die! We have died in droves, here in Beleriand - helping to keep your land safe, in case you hadn't noticed.

ANDRETH: Funny you should say that. I heard you came to Beleriand to recover some jewelry or whatever. But maybe that was just Caranthir. Anyway, death still isn't the same for you as it is for us. You can return; we can't. Once we die, we're gone forever. And Morgoth did this to us.

FINROD: I get what you're saying: Elf death is different from mortal death because one can be cured and the other can't.

ANDRETH: That's part of it. But here's the kicker: not only is death worse for Men, it's also inescapable. Death isn't guaranteed for you. It is for us. It doesn't matter what we do, we all meet the same wildly sucky end.

FINROD: So the Atani have no hope?

ANDRETH: I wouldn't say that exactly. We have no certainty, and no knowledge of what comes after death. But I think there is hope, and maybe we can speak of that later. I know you miss us, when we die.

FINROD: May we can, later. But for now, I want to return to what you said about death. I think you're wrong about the difference between the Quendi and the Atani. We Elves also die - we're tied to the world, and we'll die with the world, because the world will eventually end. Our deaths come later than yours, but they're just as inevitable. And beyond that - nothing but oblivion.

ANDRETH: That's a fair point, but...

FINROD: ...But at least we have a longer span, before death? That's also fair. But - just because the end is further off doesn't mean it's not a bad end.

FINROD: I could say much more on the subject, actually. But first: you say that Morgoth caused death, right?

ANDRETH: Yes.

FINROD: Gonna be honest with you: that's terrifying. I've met Morgoth, and he's a scary motherfucker, but the Quendi have never believed that he could truly prevail against the children of Eru. Eru is so much more powerful! That he could change the fate of a whole race - that's insane. If it's true, then not only the Noldor but all the Valar and the whole world are absolutely fucked.

ANDRETH: Aha! Now he realizes! You spoke so coolly of death a second ago, but now that I've suggested an idea that Men have to grapple with their whole short lives, you're in despair! Morgoth does have that power, and we are fucked.

FINROD: Watch it! To say that Morgoth has that power is to say that he is equal to Eru - and he is not equal to Eru.

FINROD: Let's say I accept your premise that the Atani were not originally made for death, but that their fate was changed. It must then have been Eru who changed it. What did Men do, to anger Eru so?

ANDRETH: We have ideas about that, actually. But we don't speak about them to outsiders, and anyway we're not 100% sure, because whatever happened is something that we have been running away from every since, and it must have happened very long ago.

FINROD: So you do have some idea?

ANDRETH: Maybe.

FINROD.EXE IS REBOOTING

FINROD: Do you think anyone besides the Atani knows anything about this? The Valar maybe?

ANDRETH: The Valar? How the fuck should I know? The Valar never bothered with us. They were apparently too busy with their precious Elves. Fuck the Valar.

FINROD: Don't say that! I've met the Valar, and they're actually cool as fuck. Has it occurred to you that maybe the Atani are out of the Valar's jurisdiction? You're children of Eru alone. You're the masters of your own fate in the way the Quendi are not.

FINROD: Also you seem really upset. I get it if you don't want to talk about it, but please don't put it on me.

ANDRETH: (glares)

FINROD: Anyway here's another thing I don't get. Let's say that at one point the Atani were made to live forever. But even the Quendi don't truly live forever. We die when the world does. What would it even mean, to be deathless like that?

ANDRETH: Our opinions on this have nothing to do with Elves. We had these theories way before we even knew Elves existed.

FINROD: Ok I'm gonna be real honest here, I kinda thought that you came up with these ideas because you were jealous of Elves. But you say this has nothing to do with Elves, and it never even occurred to you to make the comparison to our state. How can that be? The Atani have known about Elves for a long time.

ANDRETH: I'm gonna be honest with you: that is some typical Elf bullshit. The world does not revolve around you. We've always known that we were made to live forever. And I do mean forever. As in, no dying whatsoever. What about that doesn't make sense to you? Were you too busy thinking up your next subtle insult to listen to the words I was saying?

FINROD: Has it occurred to you that what you're saying may be batshit insane?

ANDRETH: It hasn't, actually. Many wise people among us would say the same thing I'm saying.

FINROD: Well, many wise Elves would say the same thing I'm saying. So there. I have two issues with the idea of complete deathlessness. First: you claim to have lives that will last longer than the world, and yet you are sustained by the world. How can that be? Second: if the Atani will live longer than the world will last, then your spirit and body must be separate from each other, or else the spirit would die when the body does. We Elves believe that the spirit and body belong together, and that the separation of the two is an evil.

ANDRETH: I get your first objection, and I do have an answer for it. The second one I don't understand.

FINROD: I'm surprised - it seems very obvious. But maybe the Atani are too close to the issue. We Elves have observed you all for many years, and we do love you (irritating beyond belief though you might be), so we do know something about you.

FINROD: To break it down: the spirits of the Atani and the Quendi are not the same. It's obvious in the way we look at the world. You Atani view the world with a surprise and delight that we Elves can't muster. It's like...we love the world, but in the way that we love a familiar home; you love the world like you're a guest in our home, visiting for the first time

ANDRETH: Guests? In your home?

FINROD: That's what we call you!

ANDRETH: (sarcastic) How incredibly gracious of you! We live here too, asshole. It's not like we have another home to go to.

FINROD: No, but seriously - it does actually seem like you're just guests here, and you belong somewhere else. Where do you belong? Where did these ideas about deathlessness come from, that are so strange and so foreign to our very nature?

ANDRETH: That's really interesting, actually. I think you're right, about Men - we do get bored after seeing the same world day after day, while the Elves don't. Previously we thought that was because Elves don't tire or decay the way we do. But now - if nothing in this world can make us feel at home - is that another aspect of Morgoth's curse on us? Or is it something fundamental to our nature as Atani?

FINROD: I think it's fundamental to your nature! And now you get my second objection. Death is the severing of body and spirit; immortality means that body and spirit remain together forever. If Men don't fully belong in Arda - and we have agreed that they don't - then wouldn't immortality in your current body be a curse? We've always assumed that when you die, your spirit goes to some other realm that is your true home. How can you be truly deathless and yet belong to a world that will inevitably die?

ANDRETH: You know what they say about assumptions. I don't believe that when Men die we go get a body in some other world, and leave our Arda-bodies behind. Because it is a grief to us, to die and lose our bodies. If what you suggested is true, then our bodies would be distasteful to our spirits: prisons rather than houses. But that's not true! We love our bodies; we are our bodies, as much as we are our spirits. Death doesn't "set our spirits free": it only hurts us.

FINROD: Okay, so let me get this straight. Your spirits are guests here, but your bodies belong fully to this world - but they are indivisible from each other.

FINROD: The only way that works is...if your spirits take your bodies with them, when you depart for whatever world is your true home. That would be amazing, if true. What is the land that is the true home of Men like, I wonder?

ANDRETH: Only Eru knows, I guess. Even the wisest of us haven't thought much about that. We've mostly thought about the nature of Men, not what the next world might be like.

FINROD: So it's not just Elves who think too much about themselves!

FINROD: ...but anyway. This idea of yours is actually really cool! If it's true, it means that Men, rather than being the lesser followers of Elves, were intended to be healers of the world, and bring all of us children of Eru into a new Arda, without any evil in it. I never heard of this from the Valar, but now I wonder if they just...couldn't comprehend it! Or maybe Eru never told them. Maybe all of this is meant to be a build-up to some big reveal from him!

ANDRETH: What would the "big reveal" be?

FINROD: Deliverance from death, of course! I think I was wrong earlier, when I defined death as the separation of spirit and body. Death is the annihilation of both spirit and body. And if what you say is true, Men could deliver us from that fate! By your power you could allow all the Children of Eru, Men and Elves alike, to bring our bodies and spirits both to a new, truly deathless world.

FINROD: And what a world it would be! Men and Elves could walk together, with no fear of death ever dividing them. Such songs we would sing to you, for that!

ANDRETH: Uh-huh. And what would you do when you weren't singing our praises on the hilltops? Because you all are annoying as fuck to talk to in this world.

FINROD: Who knows? Maybe we would tell you tales from when the Eldar first awoke, before all the terrible things that happened later. In your world we Quendi would be the "guests," and you the hosts; you the lords, us the followers! We Elves have the gift of an unfading memory, which you have not: and in this new world we could tell such stories!

ANDRETH: But this is terrible to think about, because that future is not assured. Men have been cursed. We are not deathless now.

FINROD: Is there no hope then?

ANDRETH: What do you mean by "hope"? If you mean, "some ground to stand on when we say things won't be terrible forever," then uh...no. No hope whatsoever.

FINROD: Well that's one kind of hope. But when I said hope, maybe I really meant faith: faith that Eru won't let this state of affairs continue forever. Faith that Eru loves his children, and wouldn't leave us all to die with no recourse or comfort. Do you have none of that hope in Eru?

ANDRETH: Maybe - but we Men have suffered so much already! Why would Eru allow us to suffer so much? Morgoth has won, and he rules our fate now.

FINROD: Don't say such things!

ANDRETH: If you truly want to understand us - you must hear this. Most if not all of us already believe that. In fact the only Men who don't believe that Morgoth is their lord are those of us who came West. And hope is fading even among us, because we hoped for light and healing in the West, and didn't find it. Maybe there is no hope.

FINROD: That sounds awfully pessimistic.

ANDRETH: I think the pessimism is warranted. We've been cursed by Morgoth: who can un-curse us? How could such a thing happen? And even if we were un-cursed, what would happen to all the Men who've died already? There's only one belief - the Old Hope - that provides any kind of answer at all, and their answer is kind of crazy.

FINROD: Well, what is the Old Hope?

ANDRETH: That Eru himself will come into Arda, and lift Morgoth's curse upon us.

FINROD: Do you believe this?

ANDRETH: How can I? It's completely insane. You say that Eru isn't just a greater Vala, or some other kind of "god" who's still bound to Arda, but rather something entirely different and much mightier. Yes?

FINROD: That's correct - the Valar even say so, and they're not likely to lie.

ANDRETH: Exactly. So how could Eru, who created this whole world and everything in it, and has absolute power over it, come into it? It doesn't make sense.

FINROD: I mean, in some sense he's already here, right? Like, his hand is in everything, because he created everything. But I see what you mean: there's two ways of being "within" Arda.

ANDRETH: Yeah, you see what I'm saying. Sure, his hand is on Arda. But how could he, himself and entire, come into the world and live as we do? Wouldn't it just...break everything?

FINROD: Don't ask me. That's not a question for Elves. I don't think it's even a question for the Valar. But I'm sure Eru could find a way, if he wanted to.

FINROD: Now that I think about it, the Old Hope actually makes a certain amount of sense! I don't believe that Eru will let his Children suffer forever. I refuse to believe it. But in some ways Morgoth has irretrievably cursed this world. He added evil to everything, so that nothing within Arda is purely good. That means the final answer to Morgoth's evil must come from beyond the world!

ANDRETH: Wait, so you believe the Old Hope?

FINROD: I'm not sure yet. I've never heard anything like this before.

FINROD: But maybe we two races were meant to meet like this, so that you could pass on this great hope to the Quendi! In fact, Andreth, dear one, maybe we two, ourselves, were meant to meet, so that you could bring comfort to my people, in this time of great fear, and that the Quendi and the Atani might be brought closer together!

[transgymbro]

Hey! Sorry if you've answered this question before, feel free to ignore this or link the ask/post answering it but did you have any trouble starting going to the gym? I really want to start but I'm self conscious about not knowing anything about the machines and etiquette (and a little bit about which locker room I should use). Do you have any advice on any of these?

PS I fucking love trans gymbros

Honestly this is the first question I've had about the gym at all, so no worries! And thank you!

Okay so, cultures tend to vary from gym to gym, but these things will remain consistent:

ALWAYS RERACK YOUR WEIGHTS. If you are using dumbbells, PUT THEM BACK IN THE PROPER PLACE WHEN YOU'RE DONE. It's especially important to put them back in the proper place because if you put 45 lb dumbbells where the 20 lb ones should go, the person using the 20s might not be able to move them out of the way to their proper place.

Clean the machines you were using. This is how you prevent ringworm, COVID, etc. from spreading. There are usually spray bottles/paper towels/wipes around the gym for you to grab and clean your machine with

Don't spend longer than necessary on a machine. Generally people don't mind you being on a machine as long as you're working out. It's one thing to log your exercise/meals but don't be sitting on the machine texting a friend for like 10 minutes.

If a water bottle or other gear is on or near a machine, it's being used. Come back later. This is normally how people say "I'm not done here, but I had to get up to use the bathroom/get water".

If you don't know how to use a machine, ask a staff member or another gym goer. Seriously, gym rats are much friendlier than people assume and they WILL infodump to you, especially when they hear that you're a beginner. Staff members are there to help and they can show you how to use the machines. Also, in some cases the machines will have the instructions written on them. I'm going to put my tips for machines below somewhere.

Here are some things that are more nuanced:

Noise level - Some gyms (looking at Planet Fitness) require you to keep the noise level to a minimum (don't go to these gyms. Screaming/grunting has been scientifically proven to help you grind out that last rep). Others allow you to scream as loud as you want. You can ask, or you observe how much noise other people are making and go based on that.

Locker rooms - My gym allows you to use the bathroom of your preferred gender and despite not binding my large chest I've never gotten shit in the men's locker room. That being said, given how transphobic some laws are, this will depend entirely on your area. My advice here is ask the staff, and if they respond in a transphobic manner, then this isn't the gym for you.

How much to talk to other people - This depends on not only the gym culture but the individual also. Some people don't mind being approached, others want to be left to do their workout. In the very least, if you want to compliment someone on how much weight they're lifting ("damn bro you strong af" "that's anabolic as fuck") you can absolutely do that though. Also, if you are just asking if someone is using a machine, don't be afraid to do so, in my experience this is an interaction no one really minds.

More tips about machines:

Start light - Learn how much weight you can handle before trying to push yourself. Generally, if you can do 15 reps on a weight, you're ready to move to the next heaviest one.

Form - You don't have to worry about this so much on the machines, as you tend to be less likely to injure yourself due to their design. However, this will depend on the machine. Therefore, it's good to keep good form anyway. You can check by reading the machine's instructions carefully, asking a staff member, or knowing what it's supposed to be working and making sure you feel the right kind of pain in the right spots (i.e. you should be feeling strain in the muscles you intend to work and nowhere else, in general). Listen to your body most of all, and if you have any sharp pains, stop.

Feel free to message me if you have any more questions, and if anyone else has good pointers or if anything I said was wrong, please say something in the reblogs/comments!

[quailxcrossing]

hi im coming in here to bother you with random questions :3

who is your favorite character to draw in tuesday? who is the easiest to draw? hardest?

HELLO BELOVED oh my goodness this is such a fun question, i've got about an hour before my meeting so let me see how much i can type >:3cc Tuesday art questions!! how exciting!!!

for FAVORITE, currently, it's based upon characters I'm focused upon in Tuesday! right now I'm pretty lost in the Tuesfries characters, so that's characters like Esperanza, Ruse, Maiceo, Giana, etc! I really love drawing Esperanza, her color palette is just heaven to me and I adore her immensely :3 She also has a lot of forms which keeps me running circles about her Lore and gives me lots of interesting shapes to draw!

I love drawing faun Ruse too for similar reasons, its all character love- Ruse's story is one of my favorite little nuggets I've made, i'd like to thank Midveil for enabling some of my favorite tropes so I could go really crazy with her. Her backstory is one I would REALLY love to make into a sketchbook comic. I feel like it would take very well to that! And I know it can be really confusing to explain :'D I'm under the assumption no one knows what's going with Ruse because I feel like it's a lot to infodump and there's a lot of forms to keep track of. a long-form comic might make it easier to explain! She's one of my favorite characters I have, overall, so of course she's one of my favorites to draw in Tuesday! Even if she doesn't live there anymore.....

for HARDEST......okay. a lot of them. Tuesday has some of my favorite design notes - but also some of the hardest for me to draw! Like horns, for example- i LOVE horns. Which is why so many characters have them!! but keeping track of horns can be hard for me! but i'm practicing!! i'm learning!!!!

but that means the hardest character popped into my mind super fast.....it's Paola 😔 the agony. i love her so fucking much.....honestly, her dads are really hard for me to draw too. Simon and Van are some of my favorite OCs, and some of my favorite designs, but SO MANY sketches of them have been started, and then set down.

but cmon. they're so beautiful!! i really love these guys!! I'M the one who needs to get better. I don't know what it is with these guys....

for EASIEST! most fauns tbh, besides some of their horns! Fauns were made in 2019 of my favorite design traits- tails, paw hands/feet, that certain nose marking, furry, fun markings on a humanoid character- I always enjoy drawing them!! I need MORE of them- Tuesday feels very undercasted to me right now, I am still in the process of fleshing out the world- i'm such a person who loves worlds with tons of side characters, i am very much a large world writer. as you know and understand :3c oooo if youre my friend ooo you wanna design trade a faun so bad- /nf

some fauns who are very easy for me to draw are Evie, Baaree, Mardi, and Georgiana!

oh Evie.......

Some non-fauns that are very easy for me to draw are Kelleher (dude im literally in love with Kelleher), Judías + Arandano, and Tiwai!

these are still characters with a lot of details (Tuesday characters tend to be really detail-heavy) but i generally don't spend a long time fussing over the quality of the character's image. you may notice their horns are more uniform or simpler shapes than Paola or even Esperanza/Ruse, which i DO have a lot of trouble with keeping those antlers consistent, but you see, favorite privilege..... /lh

this was very interesting to think about!! i hope you don't mind multiple characters per question, and I know i could go even deeper and grab more examples and talk about each individual character and how I feel about drawing them. King Josephine jumped out as someone a bit trickier to draw, and Chyenne is pretty easy-

but I'd be here all day! thank you already for spending some Tuesday time with me <3

[frostyreturns]

Frosty Ruins The Prince Of Egypt

This is a movie I actually remember going to see in theatres as a kid. My older brother took me for my birthday and must have thought the movie was underwhelming because after we watched it he insisted we go to the toy store right after for a secondary gift. That was unneccesary because even a mediocre movie with my brother was a good time. Now I haven't seen the movie since then so let's see if that assessement of mediocre still stands.

I've never been a huge fan of Dreamworks, the first Shrek movie was great but I have trouble even picking a second favourite movie of theirs. I've always found their character designs offputting. The artwork in the movie overall is very good…the settings the backgrounds the buildings all look terrific but the characters themselves…just look goofy and not goofy in a fun way, goofy in an 'am I supposed to believe this mongoloid alien is a person' kind of way.

I hate the musical aspects of this movie as well, it just doesn't fit. The music in a story like this is to keep the kids engaged…to make otherwise dark or boring parts of the story more interesting and recapturing a short attention span. However when the story is grim and the music is grim…it just doesn't work with the sad ballads. I'm sure there are some people who like that kind of thing but I'm not one of them. Even as a kid when I liked musical cartoon feature length movies I didn't care for the music in this one at all. The music just isn't good it doesn't flow well it's not catchy or memorable and some of it is downright cringeworthy.

I can also see the movie being polarizing for the religious elements. It opens with the disclaimer that they took some artistic license but felt it was a faithful adapation of the story. However when you adapt a story there's so much room for…adding here…taking away there…altering one single word can change so much and is considered apostasy. However sometimes those changes can also bring a story more alive. One thing that stood out to me in this vein is when moses kills the slavedriver. In the movie it's presented like as though it was an accident to make him a more sympathetic character and to avoid taking a moral stance on killing oppressors. The reality is he saw his people being abused by evil men and killed one out of rage. By altering this it presents a moral perspective not present in or consistent with the Bible that says killing is always wrong no matter what. And it attempts to present Moses as a more benevolent and perfect figure than he was, which ruins the notion of God using imperfect people to do great things. They hammer this home by doing a whole song and dance about how great Moses is. Moses is feeling unworthy and he overcomes this self doubt by "looking at his life through heavens eyes" thus attributing this veneration of Moses to God. Rather than Moses bringing glory to God they reverse this and have God bringing glory to Moses. Now maybe this is intentional or maybe an accidental consequence of a slight "artistic" alteration of the story. just to give an idea for how much of a departure it is this is the full story as it appears in the Bible/Torah.

Exodus 2:11 11 Years later, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people, and took notice of their heavy burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking around and seeing no one else, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 Going out the next day, Moses noticed two Hebrew men fighting right in front of him. He told the one who was at fault, “Why did you strike your companion?” 14 The man replied, “Who appointed you to be an official judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses became terrified and told himself, “Certainly this event has become known!”

I'm sorry but that's a wildly different story than the one presented in the film, where he accidentally bumps a man off a ledge and is immediately offered immunity by Rameses which he turns down out of guilt. This is just one example but there's more.

What I did like about the movie is that i've always hated ancient egypt…it was an evil, oppressive, demonic empire and I hate the way there's a fascination with it that doesn't acknowledge or glosses over these things. The movie showcases just a small portion of their evil and it's always fun to watch an evil empire get pwned and seeing slaves go free.

I'm very conflicted about movies like this in general, I don't like seeing Bible stories as tales to sit and watch for entertainment. This isn't a story made up to entertain it's a historical and religious story told so we'll know the tale and it's importance spiritually. I'm not opposed to it in general I'm not saying it's wrong I just have mixed feelings about it. Seeing a story about the one true God delivering people from slavery... on the shelf next to a story about an ogre rescuing a princess…I dunno man. I just don't think the word of God is meant to be a story consumed for passing the time. I think part of the problem is I found the movie aggressively mediocre…and it almost feels wrong to say that about a Bible story…but Bible stories shouldn't be judged on their entertainment value at all. It's like judging a steak dinner for how much it tastes like candy….it does a bad job of it…but it's not supposed to and is meant to do something more important for you.

Overall it's not a terrible movie and it definitely seems like it was made in earnest, it was clearly not created to be a mockery or to diminish the story, it fails in some areas but succeeds in others. I think this is more of a take it with a grain of salt thing and not a throw the whole thing out kind of thing.

C+

[fioras-resolve]

SRPG Studio tip: skills that depend on being at a certain hp threshold will only track your hp at the start of an engagement. so if you want to make Dual Strike only proc below 50% health, the unit needs to be at that health before counterattacks or follow-up attacks.

this has been particularly annoying for one character in my game, Jack. he is, flippantly put, a masochist, who is guaranteed to crit below 50% health. but implementing that consistently is difficult. i talked to my beloved about it, who does a lot of coding for this engine, and he told me that tracking changes to hp and such mid-combat would be exceptionally difficult. it would require fundamentally rewriting the core of how srpg studio handles combat interactions, which would honestly be more trouble than it's worth for a small game like this one.

but not critting on a counter when your hp is low enough feels really bad, so i had to get creative. here's how i achieved a good feeling desperation crit using only srpgs's default features

Give Jack a skill that raises crit chance by 200% at half health. To do this, you need to make a skill of the Support type, with a scope of Self, a skill effect of Crit Plus 200, and an Effective Target of the 1/2 Current HP group. This will guarantee that when Jack initiates combat at half-health, he is guaranteed to crit. But this only covers initiating, what about counters? Well,

Give Jack a skill that guarantees a critical on counterattack. This will use the straightforwardly named Critical Counterattack type, but what you're going to want to modify here is the activation rate. Normally activation rates are random chances dependent on stats, but you can also set it as an HP Drop Rate so that if the user's HP is below that percent, the skill activates automatically. Remember to also set this skill to Ignore UI and Hide on the Menu, so players don't notice it as a distinct skill from the first one. Just let them assume that the first skill works as intended, because as far as they're concerned, it does. Note that this skill also only checks his health at the start of the engagement. How can you make sure this skill will activate when and only when the enemy gets him below 50% HP? Well,

Normalize enemy attacks. This is a really bold one that a lot of projects won't be able to do, because it's a pretty big limitation. But it's one I already was considering anyway, so this just solidified it. Basically, every enemy attack in my game has the same numerical effect. Every enemy attack will hit once for 2 damage. They cannot miss or crit. This is something I can do, because Daybreak Hearts is a small enough game that enemy variety isn't really a concern, and a lot of the random elements were getting in the way of the specific stories I wanted each level to tell. And Jack, in specific, depends on knowing exactly how much damage he is going to take, so counterintuitively, a chance to dodge would actually get in the way of his gameplan. Because he has a maximum of 7 HP, he would need to be at 5 HP or less to reach the threshold from an enemy attack. That's a bit over 71%, so we can have the HP Drop Rate for critical counterattack be 75%, and bam, it feels like a dream!

talking with my beloved about srpg studio development has made both of us appreciate each other's work a lot more. i obviously appreciate her ability to mold the engine to her will, but she's told me that he appreciates that i try to do most of my game design without doing that. and it's true, i keep plugin use to a minimum, and try to meet the engine where it's at. now of course i am going to modify the code, it's necessary to customize combat formulas, and a few necessary skills aren't in the default engine. but i am really happy with how far i've come with this engine that it's something i can use to this extent. that i can come up with a solution like this and be like yeah! okay! it works!

[harmlessplant]

@sad-nooting-tuna replied to your post “so this was actually much easier and way quicker...”:

Hey, sorry if you get this a lot, but what is your approach to modeling these stylized faces? I've been having a lot of trouble with it and would love to know your methods.

​There’s no special trick to it, when it comes right down to it nearly all human models follow the same facial structure topology rules. You just need to know where to place your loops.

I would illustrate this better but my fingers are recovering from a burn right now but basically, you just need to plan out your loops and poles. Loops for the eye sockets going into the brow ridge and cheek, a loop around the top of the nostril encasing the mouth. Those are the two big things I’ve noticed help a lot with keeping consistently good topology for later deformation. If you can plot where those loops will be on the model, you’ll have a better time building out the rest of the face

Of course it also helps to have plenty of reference images to draw from AND to have a design that was made with 3D in mind. Both the models in the original post are my own designs that I made with intent to visualize them in 3D space and had a clear idea of what they looked like. If possible, having a front and side view of the character in the actual scene while you build your model is monumentally helpful with staying on model. Essentially tracing over the front and side of the model will help produce the proper 3D results

(i don't always do that but i did end up doing this with a basic anatomy reference with one of the models just to help it look a little better)