#It was nice to start working with 2D again

[wistfulpoltergeist]

He sits on Jon. You just don't see him.

[whiteraven90]

A process video... of some sort! I had so much material for this from the 9 months I worked on it, I couldn't not make something with it. 🔹 Finished animation here 🔹 1440p version on YouTube 🔹 Additional notes under the cut

It was drawn frame by frame, in Photoshop. I sculpted and rigged a 3D model for the griffin lady, that's what I used to make an animation mockup with. It's somewhat rotoscoped from that. I used a HDRI as a base for the background, but added the details in 2D. The start sequence was longer at some point, but I ditched half of it. The end sequence on the other hand was shorter than the final version. The falling scene was from a different angle initially, but I didn't like it. I wanted no cuts in this animation, but I had to add one before that scene when I changed it. I got some invaluable feedback from @/Sarspax, including about how the close-up slowmo is wrapped up, so that scene was tweaked too. Photoshop could not export the final as a video (CTD), so I had to put it together again in DaVinci Resolve. But at least this means an 1440p version can now exist. 🔹 Context: The characters are an immortal shapeshifter couple, Griffin (dude) and Phoenix (the griffin lady). They are part of a world I'm developing, called Tetra. She dislikes combat, but he loves it. Challenging fights especially. She wanted to do something nice for him, so here we are - a friendly duel to the "death" 🔹 Character & creature design 🔹 Additional process breakdown 🔹 Action plan animation on a loop 🔹 Ladygriffin 3D model 🔹 Aftermath 🔹 The sketch that started all this

[lonelychicago]

r/relationship_advice

u/hot_pilot84 • 2d ago

MY (40M) BOYFRIEND? (33M) IS IN LOVE WITH HIS BEST FRIEND (36M) AND IM THE THIRD WHEEL

I'm new to this reddit stuff, but a coworker suggested it, and I thought I'd give it a try. I probably should start saying he's not really my boyfriend??? We just started dating a few weeks ago, and it's been... interesting. But I really like him and he is a nice, sweet guy.

He recently came out, so I've been trying to be patient and understanding. But recently it's been hard to spend any time alone because his best friend is always there.

Now, I also like the guy, so I don't really mind, and to be honest, I kinda suspected from the first moment they were in love with each other. They both talk about each other all the time, and when we hang out together, I can't help but feel like intruding on an intimate moment I shouldn't be part of.

Like, our second date was at his sister's wedding and the best friend spent most of the time glued to our side. He has a son who my date adores, so they danced together for most of the party as well. It was cute, but again: it felt like intruding on a private moment.

Then we had a relaxing night at his place, eating take out on his couch and watching a movie.... when the best friend just, came in. No notice, no knocking. He has a key to the place and he just walked in. It was awkward at first but we insisted it wasn't a big deal so he stayed for tge rest of the night.

By the time I was leaving, my date was telling him to just get comfortable on the couch.

Another thing is. My date? Situationship? I don't know how to call it anymore. Well, I recently found out that he is the legal guardian of his best friend 's kid? In case anything happens? I wouldn’t find this weird at all if it wasn't for the fact this man has parents and sisters and other close family members that also have a less chance of dying along with him on the job. (They work together.)

Also. Recently, the best friend broke up with his girlfiend and called this guy in the middle of our date. So, he crashed again.

All of this to say, I'm not really hurt? This was new and sure, I like the guy. But to be honest my expectations were low. This is fairly recent, so it's not like my heart is broken and I just lost the love of my life. No, that's not the problem.

I just don't think these two know they're in love with each other, and it’s starting to get really uncomfortable for me. Should I say something? Should I talk with my date about it or just break things off and keep it vague, but that we should still be friends? Should I talk with both of them at the same time and confront the situation?

This is a situation I don't even know how to begin to get a handle on. Does anyone know where I should start?

rctherpcliarredditor • commented 1d ago

to be honest, i don't really have any advice for you. i just find this gay drama really hilarious. thoughts and prayers for you, my man 🙏🏼🙏🏼

twohottakes • commented 6hrs ago

definitely have a conversation alone with your date. point all of this out to him and tell him you don't wanna get in the middle if there's deeper feelings involved for someone else. all the luck to you, man!

storyreddit23 • commented 2hrs ago

talk to ur date!! and pls, post an update if u do. i wanna know how this ends.

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 29/10✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

@xyuki-iris ha chiesto: I LOVE YOU'RE ART ALSO GOOD FOOD But I have a what if What if Redson found Mk having a panic attack over something serious about him being Trans.

Ouch poor baby Red Son would totally support MK and try to calm him down

@ashmeertheimp ha chiesto: First of all your story is glorious and congrats on getting lmk at the very top. Second does Mk want to work on his relationship with Nuwa. I think Nuwa did truly love Mk but she also loved everyone else on earth equally. Mk has forgiven Mac who actually made an effort to hurt Mk (past mistakes) while Nuwa was opposed but still didn't stop Mk from not fixing the pillar of heaven.

I always felt like after S5 his relationship with Nuwa is similar to the one Steven had with Rose after S5 of SU. So it's- complicated

@audioandart ha chiesto: mayhaps a silly question, but towards the very start of the mk shadow peach stuff when mk first shadows into the wall. He says "why is everything *more* flat". Is this implying he already sees the world as 2d the way we do or am I perhaps missing something? 😅 (I love your work! Have a good day 🫰)

ahah yeah I was!!

@fake-anjel ha chiesto: Your comic makes me stay awake at night thinking of the next cap, making theories and making imaginary scenarios and imaginary gacha reactions to them for some reason. I was wondering... If Wukong and Macaque have a child (hypothetically, and by the biological way) wich one would be the oven for the bun? You have a fan from Brazil<3

Well, I would say Wukong, but here comes the question: a Stone Monkey, born from a stone, would be able to reproduce themself? There are no other like the four celestial primates and MK, so I would assume that they weren't able to- reproduce normally. Also if they would does it mean the womb is a stone as well???

@sollythesalt ha chiesto: Just asking if Wukong is trans do his female organs also count as part of his un-glamored form or does he stay with his male ones when he drops his glamour? Also what does his glamour include in your au just out of curiosity?

No under the glamour and shapeshift he still has female organs

@dandy-doodles ha chiesto: I'm VICIOUSLY consuming your comic rn - It actually came across my feed from a reblog. Never watched the show before. Loved the comic so much I binged the entire series and now I'm sat with the task of reading JTTW. This hyperfixation is your fault I love you for it. @ivoronical ha chiesto: Hi! I don’t know how tumblrs asks work because I’ve never used them before, but just wanted to say that your art is ✨fabulous✨ and you’re shadowpeach bio parents au has convinced me to rewatch the show entirely. It’s also made Macaque one of my favorite characters and because of that I am halfway through making a cosplay of him completely from scratch and I’m very excited to finish it:) Anyways I’ve rambled enough. Have a nice day!!! @starzz-twi ha chiesto: Can I just say how much I adore your art! It inspires so much that I might try drawing lmk again 🫶🫶🫶🫶 @artemismoorea03 ha chiesto: I hope you know that your Bio Parents AU fills every waking moment. I swear I only get on Tumblr anymore to see if you've posted something. I eat up any art you post regardless of what fandom it is and I just have to tell you that your art tastes like a blue raspberry icee (the best kind). I hope you're having a fantastic day ♡

AWWW TYSM TO ALL OF YOU!!!!

@sakuralotus03 ha chiesto: What will family gatherings be like now that MK has 4 parents? Like his birthday or end-of-year celebrations. I want to see more of the dynamics of the 4 parents interacting and talking about their one and only child.🐷🤓☀️🌙

oH CHAOTIC INDEED

Anonimo ha chiesto: How does it feel to be one of those artists that like 70% of the fandom knows about

wait is that a random number or???

Anonimo ha chiesto: Will we maybe see Macaque interact with Bai He or Mei?? (I'm starved of DarkHorse/EnderDragon/NightFlare Duo and Raspberry/Black Cat Duo) But I am interested if you might make them interact! :D Anyways, I love how your art got better by each comic, you can see the improvement from the slight sharpness of the shapes in the first comics and the now softer lines.

mmmmm I will maybe I'll do some small scenes

Anonimo ha chiesto: Past Wukong working out: I'ma get so strong. Ain't no one beating me Present Wukong working out: I'ma be so good at hugging my son and husband.

AWWWWWW WHAT A GOOD BABA!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Hello! I wanted to ask if we'll see just how sensitive Macaque's hearing is in your Au in a future comic maybe? Like... a thunderstorm happens or something when he's around FFM watching Mk and Wukong train or something that affects his hearing badly? But either way, love your art and style! :)

mmmm don't know if I have a scene planned for that...

Anonimo ha chiesto: Does Wukong and Macaque know about the other 2 Celstial Primates, Red-Hoarse Baboon and Lomg-Armed Gibbon, in your Bio Shadowpeach parents au?

I think so? In JTTW he knew so I would assume the same?

Anonimo ha chiesto: Will Macaque use his future vision at any time again in this comic? We now know in this Au he hasn't used it in years. But maybe will he use it again soon? I bet he won't but I still wanted to ask :)

not unless he is forced to

Anonimo ha chiesto: I’ve been listening to a song from a Pokémon movie: Always Safe by Cynthia, and I think of the Shadowpeach bioparents Au everytime

AWW that's beautiful the lyrics omg!!!

@notjustonefandom1 ha chiesto: So, I've been thinking about MK's staff. After he got it do you think he develops a habit of clasping his hands together, especiallywhen stressed or threatened? With the fluidity and energy he moves with, I think it would take a while for him yo find a chance to Summon the staff, especially if he isn't fast at it yet, so he just starts keeping his hands pressed together in preparation.

ooooohhh that's a cool idea!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Where does the Macaque has white fur head canon come from? I'm new to this fandom and I'm still learning things and I see it everywhere

I honestly have no idea but I guess either because Japanese Macaque are white furred or bc he died.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Ok so this may be a sensitive topic and definitely doesn't need to be answered so TW Did mk ever go through a depression thing after trying to die to save the universe in the last season in your au? A in like what if Wukong and Mac find out he used to SH?

hish. I'm not probably the right person to answer this. Probably he did had depression tendencies but didn't recognize them until someone pointed them out.

Anonimo ha chiesto: This ask os Going to be a little weird But Can I See Macaque Pining Wukong on the wall?In a Flirty way?(pretty Please?) I love Your Art so much!👑❤️‍🔥💎

Ouh.. *cleans forehead from sweat* is getting hot in here... maybe?

@autism-autobot ha chiesto: Wukong: OH BUDDHA, HE CALLED ME BABA!!!!! (SCREAMS WITH JOY) What DBK heard over the phone with his brother: OH andhdbrjjsm (feral monkey screeching)

Poor DBK gotta deal with the gossip now

@alastair-1205 ha chiesto: OMG THE MOST RECENT PART IM CRYING But I also love how Mac's first instinct is just grabbing Wukong and being like: "get out of hearing range before we freak out, get out of hearing range before we freak out, get out of-" you know? It's very funny but also builds on past comics since they woke MK up last time smth like this happened and I'm just !!!!!

GOTTA MAKE THE BABY SLEEP

@eerieqloss ha chiesto: OSISJJWJSJSJWWN OKAY WAIT SO IS MK GONNA START CALLING THEM MAMA AND BABA INSTEAD OF THEIR NAMES CONTINUALLY OR WAS IT JUST THAT ONE TIME

It wont be a one time!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I hope you are resting as you should Always remember to take your time, rest first, then work, ofc as far as possible 😅. I have a fun question (if you have the time ofc 👉🏻👈🏻): will we see Feral MK again? But you know, like another kind of "demonic learning" that maybe wukong or Mac will teach him to control or see that it's not bad as it looks

For now i want my baby to either be happy or traumatized not angry.

Anonimo ha chiesto: I feel like i remember you asking about happier shadowpeach songs for your playlist, but I can't find the post anymore. But if you're still looking, Livingston's new song Glow reminds me of them and also made me think about the eclipse scenes in the comic.

Several of Livingston's other songs also give me shadowpeach vibes, but I think about them so much that I might just be seeing them everywhere at this point.

Oooh true a lot of his song fits really well!!

Anonimo ha chiesto: This is the only instance where having a kid really did bring a couple together.

TRUE LMAO

Anonimo ha chiesto: Soo...Wukong and Mac in the DBK Palace I have a question in my mind!!!! Actually I hope you to see it and draw it.. if you don't wanna it's okay! What if DBK & PIF flirt with each other or smt like this u know in front of shadowpeach?! They will probably look to each other and then blushing hard

HAHAHHA poor souls they would totally think of wanting to kiss each other but can't because they are emotionally constipated.

[allurilove]

Wait I need to see how Yandere husband and reader fight and how Henry would defend you to the grave lol

Henry was in his room when you and your husband started to argue. He learned to tune it out by now, and he continued to put all of his focus on the drawing in front of him. He was instructed by his teacher to create a family portrait, but something in him wasn't able to draw a happy smile on his parents faces.

Henry contemplated on tossing the drawing aside, to start anew, and maybe draw an imaginary family where he was able to get a hamster. He could even draw a new dad-- one that wasn't currently shouting at his mother right now. Yandere husband hadnt lost his cool this badly before, and he prided on himself on becoming a better father than his own. However, it was hard to restrain himself the moment he saw you say "hello" to the neighbor across the street.

A rational part of himself knew that you were just being nice, but all he saw was red. He hated Lucas Skylar. He hated the people the at work, the constant nagging and boring conversations got to him. And he hated how close his outburst was similar to his father. The progress yandere husband had made in controlling his temper vanished in an instant. His sole focus was honed in on making you understand that you never talk to another man again.

Henry flinched when he heard a loud thud, and the accusations yandere husband was spewing at you, became loud and clear.

Your husband thought you were cheating on him.

That made zero sense to Henry. You barely had any time to even do that! You're too busy taking care of your amazing son, and selfish, selfish husband! The kid tightly gripped at the safety scissors in his hand, and his expression hardened when he heard your voice waver. Henry grabbed his family portrait-- making a mental note to finish his homework later, and he stormed his way into the living room.

No one can accuse his mother of cheating. No one should even think about putting their hands on his mother.

Henry stood in front of you, shielding your body with his. "Why would mom ever stoop lower than she already has?!" he points at his father with the scissors in his hands. Henry also held some disdain for Lucas Skylar, and that preppy man was definitely above his father on the list of men he hates.

"I bet you're cheating, and that's why you're being one paranoid jerk!" Henry seethed, his fist shaking, and he held the green plastic threateningly.

The tinier boy took a step towards yandere husband with his eyes narrowed, "....and do you want to know what we do to traitors in this family?"

His father raised his brow, peering down at Henry with a bit of an amused expression. "Henry, you know you can barely cut me with that thing."

"I may not be able to harm you, thats true." Henry bitterly said, smoothing out the wrinkled drawing in his hands. "But, I can do this!" He started to cut his father out of the family portrait. It was a poor job, and it looked like yandere husband just got sliced in half, but he got his point across.

Henry let the threw the 2D figure at his fathers face, and he helped his mother get out of this tense situation quickly. While he got you to your room, yandere husband watched the paper slowly fall down to the ground. He bends over to pick it up, and when he saw the big fat frown Henry had drawn on his face, yandere husband let out a shaky sigh.

[cardo-de-comer]

Currently in game dev as a student and I’ve been looking over your art and concepts for a little bit now—I’m FLOORED. I haven’t checked on your art in a while and had forgotten just how much it inspires me.

Your style holds so much identity, and your skill bleeds through every brushstroke! The way you do silhouettes, the insanely unique and beautiful choice of colors, the ferocity in some of the expressions, the quality of your brushwork, again the USE OF SILHOUETTE AND FORM OH MY GOODNESS!!!

You have SUCH a striking visual style and the way you incorporate similar themes to tie character designs together in your world is incredible! I was able to pick out what I believed to be symbolism and understand it a few seconds after asking the question (it may have been explained in the text and I missed it, but the fact that I was able to draw a conclusion that quickly says a lot about your skills as a designer and artist!).

Please forgive me if this has been asked before by the way, but what program do you use? I have a number of them and am trying to work out how you managed to get the line quality that you do on the brushstrokes (they’re like. Creamy looking??? Does that make sense? They blend together very nicely but don’t blend so much that it muddies the contrasting colors you put on top.)

Anyways as I was reading the game idea you have, I was actively trying to envision how it would look and was immediately feeling a 3D-2D mixed style, especially since your artwork has a very clear visual identity that would benefit from being the focus rather than something like plain or simplistic 3D models.

And then I immediately stumbled onto the low poly model you made and fell in love. I had already thought a Disco-Elysium inspired + low poly (less development time, plus requires less budget for an indie project) would look amazing especially considering how your brushwork means that high-poly models might not benefit nearly as much from it. And I think it might be the right call to continue with that!

What perspective (2D/platformer, 2D platformer with depth [Ex. “Paper Mario”] top down, isometric, 3rd person, 1st person, etc.) do you envision when you think of your game idea?

Personally I feel like it’d work as a 3rd person perspective 3D game, but using extremely low poly buildings and set pieces that let the textures do the work. But keeping in mind that if every character is 3D and rigged, it can and will still take monumentally more time to make.

I could also see it going the direction of having flat 2D characters in a 3D environment (Like “Smile For Me”) which would take less development time and save more energy to focus on good gameplay.

I’d love to hear more about your ideas, and think that you should definitely give more thought to making that game a reality!

Just as a word of advice though, start small. ;^^ Don’t begin with your dream project, make some goofy little games first to get your feet in the water, then dive in once you have that experience. And don’t get too wrapped up in it either, take breaks and divert from the project every so often to regather your creative energy. Like doing game jams for example!

o7

first of all thank you for such a LONG text oh my god T_T I cannot express in words how much this means to me and even if I knew English well, I still wouldn't be able to tell you... I use drawpile a lot for sketches and light stuff like doodles! And Photoshop for more complicated works and render. If you need brushes I have them in this post on my side acc. As for ynstbh, well... Here goes the rambling haha. I was thinking about it being either 2d platfomer /LISA was my main inspiration at the start/ or isometric 3D thing. Isometric still wins in my head because it gives some space for movement in different planes, if that makes sense, my favorite example of it being player is walking through the City and at some point you see a tower on a foreground plane just getting up and running off the screen to ambush you later haha (yes, the City is like that. nothing unusual here). When this game idea first appeared in my head, I also wanted it to have some kind of frame, medieval-inspired, around the gameplay, that would change drawings depending on the location. But now I think that's gonna be too much visual noise. And I would love to make cutscenes because I like my 3d models and I like to animate stuff, although it would take an abysmal about of time to make backgrounds.. Also ynstbh would probably have a lot of dialogues, since I really love to show characters through their interactions with each other. Notably the Devil, who loves to break the 4th wall and look right at the player in his portraits.

Either way yeah, I know about starting small. Right now I only have experience in drawing, 3d, just a little bit of code (I think I forgot everything actually lol) and I'm just really good at googling problems. I hope somewhere in the future I will have enough energy to start. My lore and characters became really important and dear to me so I really hope to make sth with them. :) If game doesn't work out, I'm thinking to give an animated short a chance, I need to put this world somewhere or I'll probably go insane. Once again thank you and good luck with your studies! thanks for letting me ramble about ynstbh haha <3

[lisacomeuseucu]

An Adventure from Another World | JJBA PART3 X FEM!READER

Prolonged

After a car accident, his body and consciousness are taken to the universe of his favorite anime, an event considered miraculous in the eyes of many.

The alarm sound starts ringing, the thin and frantic sound of a clock that comes automatically set on the device on the desk beside the bed. I try to force my heavy, sleepy eyes to open, but it’s a task quickly failed, so I stretch my hand like a snake and reach for my phone. "STOP" – the huge option appears on the screen. Even in my drowsiness, I manage to have a bit of awareness and click the option.

With supernatural force, I force my body to sit up on the bed, my feet feeling the completely cold floor. Time to get ready to catch the bus, I think, remembering the bus ride I have to take. "What a drag..." I whisper to myself. I get up toward the small bathroom in the room, turn the faucet to release the water, and splash it onto my puffy face. I quickly turn it off and open the compartment behind the mirror, grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste. When I close it, I see my reflection. Dark circles around my eyes show the tiredness, the few white hairs from stress appear in my hair, even though I’m still too young to have them. Facing the sad reality of a humble, working-class person isn’t the best thing in the world. You know you deserve better than this.

I make circular motions all around my mouth, my teeth, gums, and tongue, spitting all the contents into the sink and quickly cleaning it as I rinse my mouth. After changing my clothes and putting on my shoes, my phone starts ringing again, alerting me that it's time to be at the bus stop. Damn! I need to be quick, I put my phone in my bag, sling it over my shoulder, and hurry out of the apartment. If the bus stop were closer, it would have made things so much easier! Even though it's early in the morning, the city is already filling up with people, which disrupts my path. Looking at my phone, I realize I'm extremely late. Oh no! No!! My eyes still fixed on my phone, I ignore everything around me, even the voices of people that seemed desperate. My body warms up, and my eyes begin to burn with a flash of light coming from my left side. The two shining orbs completely capture my attention, like a deer in the middle of the road, so bright and intense like the sound, getting closer and closer to me, which was strange. Wait... I'm crossing! My eyes widen like a doll's eyes, too late to do anything, the sensation of something hitting me in the waist and stomach strikes me hard.

Purple, pink, blue, green, yellow, white. These are all the colors that dominate my vision. Panic floods my body as I realize that instead of falling onto concrete ground, I am falling into a completely colorful and bizarre abyss, as if it were a galaxy full of shining stars. As I look at my body, I notice that strangely, I seem to be turning 2D? Lines from a drawing outline my body! A scream escapes my mouth as I desperately look at my hand, like in a cartoon, not children's drawings, but in the style of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure! When I look up, I get startled by the bright light in front of me. As my eyes adjust to the brightness, I start seeing things more clearly — a sink, that's what I'm looking at, and my hands are gripping it to maintain my balance. How strange... I think, furrowing my brow. I begin to look forward slowly, fear and hesitation accompanying me in this moment. When I gaze into the mirror, I see an image of myself, but not my normal image. It's a version of me from the JoJo universe, right in front of me. "YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS" each word written across the mirror.

･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･

"Okay... I got run over by a car and for some miraculous reason, the gods decided to be nice to me and let me live in this damn anime. Ugh..." I say to myself, my hand runs across my face until it reaches my hair, squeezing and lightly pulling it. "The good part is that it's my favorite anime, the bad part is that it's JoJo! How am I supposed to participate if I don't have a Stand?! It would make more sense to let me die than to live as a background character." I stomp my foot on the ground like a spoiled child, until I notice a note lying on the floor. Curious, I pick up the paper to read its contents.

"Cigano Deck Card 36

THE CROSS

The card of The Cross symbolizes sacrifice and the struggle necessary to overcome difficulties. However, this card also carries a message of spiritual growth and redemption, showing that suffering can be a tool for achieving transformation."

So I have a Stand represented by the Cigano deck, and we're in the third part of JoJo, where Stands are tarot cards. A sly smile escapes in the middle of my thoughts, the idea of not being a background character making my whole body stir. "Well then, show yourself! I need to figure some things out about you!" I say aloud in an attempt to manifest it, a foolish action that incredibly works. Right in front of me, I see the figure of a large, muscular female body, a cross design covering her entire chest in a beige tone, while the body is covered with ancient runes in golden color. Pieces of fabric that cover parts of her body are dark, contrasting with the light beige and golden colors of my Stand. Her eyes are human-like, and her hair is loose, floating in the wind. If you look closely, there's a faint light around her that makes her look majestic.

"Shit, now the snake's gonna smoke."

[chaifootsteps]

I think the thing that bugs me most about the 'Stella was always evil and you guys just ignored the signs!' crowd is that they don't seem to realize there's like, scales to how bad characters are?

Stella of season 1 is classist, shrieks a lot and is focused more on her own needs, but there's a difference between that and who she is in season 2 - a 2D abusive monster who in her own words only exists to torment Stolas

the Stella of season 1 didn't seem like a nice person but there was enough room to imagine the marriage had at least been civil once even if it had never been loving (the photo of them all at Loo Loo Land suggests she came along for Via's sake, she phrases it 'our bed' not 'my bed' when she's angry at him for the affair)

fans point to her hogging the covers and not wanting to get up as signs but those arguing about who should get up to comfort a young child and one partner stealing the covers isn't signs of pure evil. it's a sign that Stella is focused on her own needs re: the covers, but not immediately getting up to Via doesn't make her evil since the writers didn't bother showing it's not a pattern that she doesn't pull her weight in the parenting department. same with her not saying good morning to Via when she's older - it's not unreasonable that she's a bit distracted by her husband cheating on her in that moment.

speaking of, the writers caused themselves problems with opening on the fallout of the cheating, because it leads most fans to assume that what they're seeing isn't Stella's usual self and we'd expect to see what her usual demeanor is later, when she isn't in the middle of being furious with Stolas.

the closest s1 gets to showing Stella as the flat baddie she'd become in s2 is her ordering the hit on Stolas, but again the writers fumbled the bag because we don't know if her doing that is unusual for them being in Hell or not. Were we really supposed to think Stella is uniquely bad in s1 when other characters yell at each other just as much as she yells at Stolas (Blitzo, Loona, even Moxxie sometimes) and other characters perform hits and act like attempted murder is nbd (IMP)?

Same with the lack of worldbuilding around how nobility works - fans claim she just cares Stolas slept with an imp 'like a plebian' but then the rest of the show is so wishywashy about whether it matters dating outside one's own social class that it comes off like she was just given this prejudice so she can look uniquely worse (even though Stolas is just as classist, just in a different more objectifying/fetishizing way)

Exactly. Seasons 1 Stella wasn't a pleasant person, but she still shared a bed with Stolas and was upset that he cheated on her in that bed specifically, used to go with Stolas and Via to Loo Loo Land, and the portrait of them together sees her looking almost happy. Stolas starts to say "We weren't in love," showing awareness of the root of the problem, that neither of them wanted this. All of that goes out the window with S2, where we're meant to believe Stella was evil incarnate since she was a toddler and Stolas is God's saddest victim.

Not that it would have saved her either way. In this fandom's mind, "raises voice to Stolas" and "a violent, irredeemable person who deserves humiliation and death" are synonymous.

[sinning-23]

Publicity Pt.4

Hey everyone sorry for the wait! It's here now tho! Enjoy!

Link to:

Introduction

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

PART 5 UP NOW! (WARNING: Contains smut)

Warnings: language, suggestive content, 2D and y/n are awkward, it’s complicated?

A yawn pushes past your lips as you take a breath and place the headset over your ears, listening to the track Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel had come up with while you were on your outing with 2D.

The instrumentals aren’t exactly how you imagined the night prior but it was damn good regardless.

It’s easy when you’re alone. Singing was easy, and playing instruments was easy, but damn it if there was one person in the room you’d fall apart.

It wasn’t like this when you started out.

Making music was a hobby and career you’d come to thoroughly enjoy. Your father gifted you any instrument you could ever want. He told you that you could be an amazing artist one day, making music that makes people want to move. And you did for years. Sold out concerts and tours alike.

Until he got sick.

The music wasn’t for fun anymore. Or to bond…it was for money to keep him alive. And all the encouragement and energy he put into making you a star…wasn’t for you. It was for him. He’d been sick for a while and just needed you to get comfortable in the limelight.

Unfortunately for him, it was all for naught. The virus spread and only tore him apart. How dramatic of him to die as you’re performing in a concert HE made you show up for. It was like the world stopped when you got the news, people in the audience calling out to you as your reaction was projected onto jumbo screens.

“You could have just told me…I would’ve done everything to…to keep you from…”

The words are thick in your throat as you squeeze his cold hand. He looks pale, the sight making your stomach turn.

“Dad…”

That was a long time ago though.

You sing through the lyrics 2D had written that day, each word slipping off your tongue with such desire and passion you’d almost forgotten how long it’d been.

Speaking of which, this wassss a rather suggestive song. When the hell did he have time to write like this?! That liar.

“This is more your caliber.”

Bullshit.

Especially not with the way he had you last night. A shiver shoots down your spine and into your core. The hazy lust in his eyes had you reeling, the lyrics feeling heavier now.

You don’t hear the door open, your eyes squeezed tight as you flow into your own verse, hot and heavy, and heavenly into the microphone like some reincarnated Donna Summer.

You could imagine his voice melting with yours, the song intimate but dance worthy. This would definitely have babies being made.

Another shiver with the ghosting feeling of his lips on your skin, the slow drag of teeth and his palm pulling you’re body down into him.

The instrumental loops again as you open again, the same sound echoing through the studio. You’re finding it again, the voice you’d lost so long clawing its way out of your throat and manifesting in siren-sweet tones.

The track stops and your head snaps just to find you'd been watched for a while now.

Noodles' got her hands covering her mouth as Murdoc simply grinned and nodded almost in approval.

“Now thas’ the sound we needed yesterday darling. Something change overnigh’?” He chuckles, seeing you swallow hard.

“I’ve got serious chills! I mean your albums before sound amazing but hearing that in person?” Noodle beams, greeting you at the door of the booth.

It’s impossible to fight the smile that rises to your face. Maybe you were just being too hard on yourself? Your confidence had come back just like that???? No, you were still nervous and had no idea you were being watched, but…the positive reinforcement was nice.

“Thank you. Think I found my voice again and we can really get to work. But um…I need to talk to 2D first.” You admit, feeling guilty about last night.

It wasn’t his fault you backed out like that, god no.

And you needed him to know that, no matter how hard the conversation would be.

“He left earlier with Russel, but forget ‘im. We got more work to do if you can sing like that! Tracks for this will be done with righ’ on time.” Murdoc schemes, Noodle rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, before that let me just- c’mon!” She huffs, pulling you to the side.

She’s got this knowing look in your eyes you try to avoid but you’re failing.

“Something did happen last night…WITH-“

Your eyes widen and you slap your hand over her mouth, immediately retracting and apologizing.

“Well, yes but no. I…I panicked and pushed him away. I’m screwed. I can’t keep ruining whatever this is.” You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose.

She does the same, looking behind her briefly to see if Murdoc was listening near by.

"2D is pretty simple. He's not hard to read and since you got here he's been happier I suppose?" She explains, hands resting in her pocket now.

"Props though, you work fast. Day 5 and you're already after our lead.." She giggles, wiggling her eyebrows and you wave her off.

"Seriously though, talk to him when he gets back. And you better sort it out 'cause this whole ordeal is gonna make the album suffer if you don't." She warns, stepping away to go manage her guitar.

She was right though.

You tap your pocket for your phone, hoping to check the time. Speaking of which, you haven't checked your phone since you'd gotten here really. Too much had happened you'd damn near forgotten about the thing.

Upon pulling the device out of your pocket, you're met with thousands of notification

Text messages, missed calls, and likes and comments across all platforms swarm you. Was all of this still over the video you made? Opening up the app your heart sinks to your stomach.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and it's only natural that people come to their own conclusions and observations when they don't have the full story.

The first post you see includes a photo of you and the blue-ette running out of the airport hand in hand. The caption speculates that the two of you are hiding some kind of secret relationship. Well, not too far off the truth if you could figure out what exactly is happening between you two.

The real shocker was the photo that was somehow captured at the pier.

You're facing he ocean, 2D staring directly at you with this content smile on his face. The caption reads,

"Santa Monica Romance? papazarri speculates lead singer of 'Gorillaz' 2D and artist/musician Y/N have been concealing a secret relationship which will be showcased in the new collaborative album!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re pacing, breathing heavily as you try to explain to your media team the misunderstanding that wasn’t really a misunderstanding. Your panic is cut short when the front door opens with the sounds of 2 familiar voices.

A sprint is more accurate to say how you’d left your room and just standing outside your door was the man of the hour himself, face heated and eyes wildly searching for something.

“We need to talk." You huff, grabbing his shoulder with furrowed brows.

He sort of pulls away, a look of concern and slight irritation now flooding his features.

What the hell was his deal?

"Wha' abou'?" He huffs , hands shoved in his pockets with his lips pressed into a firm line.

"THIS!” You grunt, shoving the phone in his face as his eyes widen with each word he reads. His face is bright red,

"So are you gonna keep acting like you don't want me near you or?" Your attitude is coming off in waves now, Russel retreating to the kitchen whilst you both talk.

"Oh thas' rich coming from you." He mumbles, your expression now guilty.

"The fuck are you talking about?!” You whisper shout, stopping briefly when you catch Noodle out the corner of your eye.

She slows for a bit, before shooting you a look, shaking her head, and moving right to the kitchen with Russel.

“You…every time we…you just don’ want me around you. You shu’ down on me.”He struggles to explain, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Damn, you were definitely guilty right now. No matter how bad you did want him you just wouldn’t let yourself. You didn’t want to risk not only loosing the opportunity, but the trust of the band and…his friendship.

It all meant too much to you to throw away over some stupid feelings you’d developed.

“And that’s on me?! I-I just didn’t want to mess things up!” You explain, eyes focused on his.

2S scoffs, shaking his head as he makes his way up the stairs, you’re close behind. His strides are long and purposeful, your legs moving as fast as they can up the steps.

You reach for him, missing again before catching his wrist just before he can hide away in his room. He freezes, eyes narrowing at you, soon going soft the longer he watches your genuine state of hysteria.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry every time you get close to me I freak out. I'm sorry about..last night. I...I can't afford to fuck up and I'm not trying to drag you down with me." You explain, releasing your grip as he hand sort of stays midair for a beat.

He's silent, hand returning to his side and then shoved right back into his pocket.

"Can we just..try again? I finally got comfortable in the studio, we can record if you want?" You offer, trying your best to extend this shitty little olive branch.

"Yeah..tha' be nice." He agrees, sort of shuffling as you nod back.

Yeah, it was a little awkward but the conversation sort of happened? Right? Have you addressed the social media post? No. Did he seem indifferent to it? No, not really.

Sooo problem solved? Your media team had the post taken down and suggested you lay low for the time being. Maybe avoid lil outings with the lead singer. Were you good at following instructions?

Hell No.

"About the post, uh my team got it taken down." You explain, seeing his expression shift for a fraction of a second.

"Ah, that's uh good I suppose." He responds, the energy still awkward as fuck..

Its your turn to nod now, slowly backing up down the hall. He swallows, stepping into his room as you sigh heavily and retreat down the stairs.

You groan still not quite settled with how that ended but you shake it off. It'd have to do for now.

The walk to the kitchen was fine but entering, not so much. Murdoc's got this look on his face and Noodle isssss judging you? Russel proceeds to mind his business, but not forgetting to give you a slight side eye.

"What's fucked now?" You sigh, Murdoc smirking and shooting you a wicked grin.

"Not tha' tosser upstairs thas' for sure." He chuckles, your eyes rolling so far back you were sure you'd see your brain.

"Offered to record with him later, hopefully, we can get the vocals done and I'll be out of your hair." You explain, searching the fruit bowl fr something that wasn't spoiled.

Apple it is.

"No no no, studio it-

“Off limits at night? Unless it's you?" You finish, biting into the fruit with and raised brow.

Okay so maybe it was spoiled.

You force yourself to chew and swallow, grimacing a bit at he taste before continuing.

"D told me. But unless you want me here longer than I'm supposed to be and an unfinished album I suggest you let this happen." You argue, awaiting a response.

Murdoc only squints, remembering your final warning to him. He was already in a bad spot with you so, maybe he'd swallow his pride and let you have the illusion of running shit before he gets his lick back.

"Fine." He scoffs, standing and passing by you with a nudge of his shoulder.

As soon as he's gone Noodle pipes up with her own questions.

"So? What happened?" She whispers, like the situation was some kind secret.

"Nothing, it was really awkward and I apologized and offered the studio for us to finally work in together." You explain, still not feeling content.

"Somethings still bothering you." Russel points, taking a seat at the table.

You swallow, silently cursing yourself for being so easy to read.

"W-well it doesnt matter. What matters is were arent on..bad terms?"

"Nah that's stupid as hell." Russel grunts, shaking his head.

After confiding in him about your feelings for the lead a while ago he was more than aware of your current situation.

"You two better figure it out in that studio, otherwise this album...ain't happenin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's only empty for a moment, your voice echoing against the walls again, even better than earlier. You pause momentarily when the door opens, but soon relax upon seeing who it is. Just as you discussed, 2D had joined the session, not really bothering to speak, only putting the headset on as the trach looped.

You give a brief thumbs up, still singing as you try to steady your heartbeat. Part of you was anxious to hear him sing in person, knowing good and well the sound was gonna give you literal chills.

And the minute his mouth opens to harmonize with you, you can feel yourself melt. God his voice is so pretty...And how the hell does it blend so nicely with yours?! It's like the two sounds are perfect.

You lean into the mic, eyes long fluttered shut as you leave countless, perfectly timed adlibs. The song in itself is full of tension, the lyrics dripping with poetic inuendos as you let each note fall from your glossed lips.

It goes quiet though, only your voice echoing off the walls now much to your concern. And when your eyes open he's already locked on you, chest steadily rising and falling, gaze pointed at your lips.

"What?" You whisper damn near, hear beating wildly in your chest.

"Nothing 's just.." His face is flushed, a slight red tint to his cheeks.

"W-What?! You wrote it I'm just singing what you wrote!" You ramble, that same heavy feeling from the last time filling your tummy.

"i know tha'! I-It's jus' you uh..." He's at a loss, the instrumntals looping again.

“You sound really good.” You sigh in awe, completely removing your headset now.

He copied you, smiling and nodding. That gap tooth is adorable.

“You too.”

You can't help the grin that rises to your lips and you try to focus the fluttering in your heart and stomach on something else. Tugging the headset back on, you catch up in time with the instrumental, taking note of his 2D, which hadn’t done the same.

“You okay?” It’s more of a question to yourself but hey who’s really paying attention?

He blinks once, twice, and thugs the headset back on.

The studio was alive with the sounds of two angels and sirens from 7pm to 12am

A/N: hey you guys sorry this chapter ok so long again! I suppose I’ll spoil yall and do like a double upload situation? Chapter 5 coming in hot! I hope you all are enjoying so far!! Thanks for the love and support :)

[rawliverandgoronspice]

If you were to design a villain for a Legend of Zelda game, with the caveat that should said Villain grab the triforce, they would recieve Courage (instead of the always villainous power), what would they be like?

That is such a fun ask, thank you so much for the prompt!!

I think it would depend on the target audience of that game (basically are we 2D Zelda-ing it or 3D Zelda-ing it), but I see a couple different options right off the bat:

Treasure-hunter who wants to steal various trinkets from different tribes, mostly for the thrill of the achievement, regardless of whether or not there's any justification (or consent) to this hoarding (and perhaps even putting the tribes at risk since their magical protections are gone?). This villain would do every dungeon before you (and perhaps leave an even bigger mess behind that you'd have to navigate) and gather every artifact before you can get your hands on them (maybe leaving only some kind of ghostly trail of their presence behind, so you can still use these objects but in a limited way, or on limited time, or by paying with a certain resource...) until finally setting their fancy on the Biggest Possible Artifact there is... and being granted Courage as a consequence/reward for their reckless yet selfish adventurous spirit. And then you fight this villain, and they have the exact same equipment as you. I think this villain could make for a neat little 2D Zelda guy! Challenging but not lore-breaking or anything too serious.

My mid-crazy level for a 3D Zelda villain would be: perhaps some kind of Zant-like figure, a sorcerer that had to face a terrifying entity and survived, but went insane and is now persuaded the world is too soft and wouldn't stand against the attack of the looming darkness trapped underneath the realm and planning to return, and so is devoted to plunging the kingdom into its personal hell as a preparation to face the Big Bad of the game, whoever that is, over-valuing Courage to the point of becoming cruel to softness and weakness and those who need protection (so basically making them through a living hell as a form of tough love). This villain would seek the Triforce as a means of defense against the perceived threat, not realizing perhaps the threat either: has been living inside of them all along and corrupting them from within, or that said threat was waiting in the shadows to seize the Triforce immediately after grooming that villain to do the work for them (wonder who that threat could be... nobody ever behaved that way in TLoZ canon before 😇). Perhaps that villain could be Sheikah, because that sort-of fits with their OoT characterization and that's cool and we could have dark!Sheikahs again and I'd be down for that a whole lot.

Okay final pitch, this one being the wildest by far: the spectre of an Ancient Hero, who would start the game with the Triforce of Courage already. Maybe this hero either fully vainquished Ganon or got trapped sealing that angry guy, and has been haunting Hyrule without clear purpose for eons. Maybe there's a new gerudo king, or maybe hylians start trying to become friends with a monster race that we used to oppose (maybe both!)... and a deep dark force begins opposing the effort, attacking everything deemed dangerous and impure. While this isn't nice and making things complicated, dangerous, and maybe needlessly traumatic, we would slowly cleanse different dungeons from fragments of that hero, hear of all the brutal things that hero went through and all the ways they shaped him, leaving him entirely lost and disconnected until he stopped being able to see nuance or think outside of the divine. Basically, the Hero's Shade becomes your antagonist, and you, as the new iteration of the hero, have to gently but firmly tell the Ancient Hero that his battles belong in the past, and it's now time to let go and stop clinging to his duty, and that you are more than capable of looking over the kingdom yourself. A kind of brutal passing of the torch between generations, with a brighter and more diverse and complicated future ahead (and perhaps we even squeeze in how the Ancient Hero refused to see Ganondorf's humanity in the last hour when he dealt the killing blow, and him haunting Hyrule is a result of Ganon's curse? just to squeeze in a complicated Ganon because of course <3)

Here are my pitches!! Thank you so much for the ask once again this was really fun and helped my brain filled with goo and tiny screeches <3

[violetdawn001]

What is with the Dreamers' Houses?!?! Part 3.0 Lurien's Spire

Okay, we can all agree that Team Cherry put a LOT of thought into crafting the backgrounds and environments of Hollow Knight. But why is nobody talking about the designs for the Dreamers' houses?! Especially compared with their base forms?  Well, let's start talking about it!

The Last Dreamer, Lurien the Watcher! A.K.A. The guy who is responsible for this whole essay.

His design is the simplest among the three Dreamers.

Taken from Hollow Knight - Lurien the Watcher

A design so simple that it leaves the fans in relentless debate on what species of bug he is.

So tell me, why is HIS HOUSE the one with the most freaking complicated design!?!?!?! It's as if Lurien is living in a cathedral here!

Okay, Lurien living in a cathedral might be an exaggeration, but take a look at complicated his Spire is! Look at the floors! Notice the window designs! The hanging banners! The lanterns! And goodness gracious, the dude has wallpaper throughout his whole Spire!

Did I forget to mention the wallpaper?!?!!

The insane amount of detail!!!

And we haven't even gotten to the fact Team Cherry went out of their way to incorporate 3D into a 2D POV! You can clearly see it in this window here.

As we start the walk here…

We can't help but notice…

How the pillars framing the window "move" as we do.

Could you believe that a team of four people made all of this? Team Cherry truly wasted no detail in the Watcher's Spire, from the simplest wallpaper to the famous Telescope.

And here is the Telescope! In all its very-difficult-to-draw glory! Speaking of it, the design clearly costed tons of geo. The cost paid off, however, as the Telescope still works despite the lack of maintenance due to the Infection.

Of course, that can be easily seen by anyone who played the game in a rush. In terms of Lurien's character, the fan can see how he earned his namesake, Watcher.

Yet...has anyone stopped to consider how Lurien set up his office? In particular, how Lurien can position his Telescope anywhere in his main office?  Check out all the windows!

Did you all notice it? Every single window is open, yet each window is nicely framed with the glass plane. And before you all comment, “what about this window? It's closed!”

The window design is different from the ones behind Lurien's bed…and matches up with the window where the Telescope is currently at. This implies that this window can open up at any time should Lurien wish it. As the Telescope is NOT facing that direction, there is no need to keep that window open. Lovely for us, as that window keeps Lurien's butler in. If you need proof, check out the photo where the Telescope is again.

With this in mind, what does the Telescope and open windows tell us about Lurien's character?

First, Lurien is very dedicated to his duty as the Watcher, so much so that he will spend as much money as needed to craft the best tools he needs.

Second, Lurien favors practicality as seen by how every window is either open or has hinges to open it. The Watcher must watch over the WHOLE City of Tears, not just the left side (or commoner side).

Third, Lurien loves beauty. It is not enough to have the windows open; goodness, Lurien could have not added windows at all! But he insisted on a lovely window design that framed the view into the City. And we're not even talking about the pillars and the curtains which frame it as well. 

Fourth and finally, Lurien was able to get both practicality and beauty in the same window. I cannot stress this enough as Herrah and Monomon choose practicality over beauty. Yes, there are beautiful details here and there, but when push comes to shove, both ladies choose practicality with a dash of beauty on the side. This really makes Lurien stand out amongst the Dreamers.

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of Lurien's Spire. Unfortunately, I must stop here as this is merely 1/4 of Lurien's section of the essay. Please feel free to comment and reblog as much as you would like. It's fun reading your thoughts.

If you wish to read more of the Essay, click one of these links below.

Part 1.0: Herrah's Den : Here

Part 2.0: Monomon's Archives: Here

Part 3.0: Lurien's Spire (You are here.)

Part 3.25: More of Lurien's Spire : Here

Part 3.5: Lurien's Spire: Pillows and Patriotism: Here

Part 3.7 Lurien's Spire: What is wrong with Lurien's Office?! Here

Part 3.8: Even, even More of Lurien's Spire: Secret Room: Click here

Link to essay on Ao3: Here

[valentinafoxr]

Illustrhater was good

I had some time to let my thoughts marinate and watched the episode again, and I would say we're off to a good start! Some things I liked or noticed:

What it is with Lila's notebooks in the opening scene. Is she writing a novel. Is all of this just a ploy to get clout on ao3

Love love LOVE Marinette's room and all the little details - her room has always been so cool, but I feel like it's elevated by the redesign. She has a Molly Ringwald-Teen Movie Bedroom-Windowsill now ❤

RE: The intro - I DO like that they kept the song! Would've been very jarring to have a new tune, but I feel like keeping the music wraps it up really nicely. Love the Adrinette cuteness and OUGH OUGH OUGH the shot with Gabriel in the background. Sinister, I love it. I won't lie, I WILL miss the shot that's now the LadyNoir fist bump and Adrinette kiss when it used to be Chat Noir going in for a kiss and then the two of them tumbling over each other, mostly because it used to be the essence of the Lovesquare and thus the show. I totally get though why they had to change it up -different premise with Adrinette in a relationship and all- and the way the still kept the switcheroo was nicely done.

on, and they kept the black cat in the intro. points for that.

Marinette being a disaster is so, so comforting to me. Yes, give us the statistics about Hawkmoth, order shrimp macarons, hide your face in your tiny purse girl, I love you!!!! And her cat ear slippers <3

I need a moment to gush about the new animation, because, DAMN. It's both the small details (the pattern and texture of Alya's glasses) and and the scenery (Paris actually looking like a populated city with a beautiful variety of both people and unique buildings????). Idk it's just really, really nice. The character models are mostly an upgrade and look a tad older while still keeping the original vibe. The expressions are also better, especially for the supporting cast. The lighting is gorgeous! AND THE AKUMATIZATIONS!!!! HELLO!!! THEY LOOK SO COOL

Adrien is a sad exception to my praise but I think the less we talk about it the faster we will all collectively get used to it lol

I also think the direction and camera work has gotten a lot better - the fighting scenes looked cool and we got interesting camera angles.

The integration of 2D animation is neat! The chibis are very cute and serve a purpose. I do hope they keep adding 2D elements and not just as illustrations as they used to do in former seasons. I mean, this is such a fun shot:

Storywise it was a decent episode! not much to say here tbh, I liked the DJ Wifi sideplot (and THEM overall, bestest couple).

Loooooved the trash collecting scene, reminded me of Gang of Secrets Ladynoir after their break-ups. I need them to talk/gossip to each other about their relationship(s) in every episode hehe. I do miss flirty Ladynoir but seeing them again is auauauuaghhh. Adrien seeing Ladybug out and about and he's smiling!!!!!!!!!! I love Ladynoir so much

We didn't get much about Adrien's situation from this (apart from the fact that he's allowed to leave the house lol) but the sadness in his eyes…. and him taking the blame for Adrinette's communication issues…. my sweet, sweet boy 🙁

Referring back to this post - yeah, that's Lila/Cerise/Iris in the café, drinking a diabolo menthe (Diabolo -> diabolos in Greek: slanderous, libellous -> Girliepop is ready to stir up things). She's gonna be wherever Marinette goes, causing trouble, I assume.

things I'm curious about:

the timeline: is it still summer vacation? I would assume so, since Marinette and Alya have yet another sleepover and they're meeting the boys in the morning (?). School probably hasn't started yet this season.

Kagami and Marinette: Their (very, very brief) interaction seemed normal. I expected Kagami to be conflicted due to their conversation in the London Special, tbh, but then again, it was a very brief interaction. We'll see.

Carapace using shelter twice in one battle: Did all heroes "grow up"? Did it happen on-screen in episode 1 or should we just assume they all have unlimited powers?

the Kwagatama: I mean, we don't need to talk about the obvious implication (memory loss, Tales-of-LB-and-CN-theory), but I'm kinda wondering about other possible scenarios this may lead to.

And oh. The saved cat got an animation upgrade. Can’t wait to see Baby August in the new animation style lol

[bangtanhoneys]

CHRISTMAS PROMPTS: Seokjin & Grace

Christmas was always done differently in the Bangtan household. They were either working or abroad, stuck doing something other than being with their families. On the rare occasions that they were with their families, Christmas Day was celebrated differently for each member of BTS. 

The only one to try to keep traditions going from her childhood in England was Grace. Christmas baking, the Christmas tree going up on the 1st of December and down before the New Year, Christmas carols on in the background, Christmas stockings hanging from underneath the TV screen, Christmas everywhere across the dorm. The boys had come to expect it and loved it. 

And when Seokjin bought his and Grace’s place, those traditions followed. 

This year was a little different. 

She had hit the 20-week mark in her pregnancy, and the Bangtan Baby was growing nicely. As Namjoon had reminded her that morning, the baby was the size of a banana, and she was experiencing all sorts of things: sleeping problems, headaches, constipation, and feeling hot and spotty skin which the make-up artists were loving her for.

But the Bangtan Baby was growing as the doctors wanted it to and each milestone was a moment to celebrate in the Kim/Chu household.

Pregnancy didn’t stop Grace from getting started on Christmas early and Seokjin had woken up that morning to find the Christmas tree already up, lights on and the boxes of baubles that Grace had collected throughout the years were on the floor, ready to go. 

Sleepless nights are meant for doing things your partner would normally scold you for. 

After clearing the list of things to do and schedules for work, Seokjin sat on the floor in his pyjamas and carefully unwrapped each bauble, handed it to Grace and flicked the bubble wrap to an awaiting Min-ji who pounced on every sheet. 

“Is this new?” Seokjin asked, coming across a thin box that had been left on top of another box.

“Oh yeah,” Grace confirmed once she drew her attention away from where she was carefully hanging a bauble that she had commissioned for their WINGS tour. “I ordered that last month and it finally arrived last week.”

Out slipped a 2D resin-made ornament that was an oven, with a cinnamon bun in the oven with the timer saying April 2025 and the words ‘Bun in the Oven’ printed on the oven at the bottom. 

“That’s hilarious and cute at the same time,” Seokjin grinned after sending it to the group chat then handed the ornament to Grace.

“Well, it wouldn’t be our Christmas tree without marking the Bangtan Baby’s presence,” she smiled as she slipped the pink ribbon onto the branch and made sure it was secure. 

Now the world knew and the boys knew what the Bangtan Baby was, the pink ribbon declared to everyone who came to view the tree that the next time the bauble would be hung again, the Bangtan Baby girl would be here.

[pokituu]

I’m so impressed with how many styles you have and that you use them regularly (realistic, semi realistic, 2d, and 2d, 3d & pixel animation)! How did you learn to balance this many and get so good in all of them?

THANK YOUUUU this compliment means so much to me because so often i feel so worried I will stagnate since I basically like to draw the same subject matter over and over again 😳 but I do like to periodically try new things that I'll become invested in for chunks of time.

i guess advice more than just 'practice' is to be willing to try out new things that you have an interest in, even if it doesn't work out at first and is frustrating. you gotta be persistent to learn something new BUT if you get bored then just move on! if it sucks hit da bricks.... I really like this bjork quote abt creativity

idk throughout my life in art i just try to learn about stuff i'm interested in and practice what i wanna practice. like i wanted to get good at pixeling when i was like 14 so i kept practicing and trying new ways to go about it until i started to figure it out. same with digital painting when i was 15 and i just kept trying again and again until it clicked, even though i was frustrated a lot, i never actually lost the interest when i saw people's pretty paintings and that feeling of 'man i wish i could do that!'.... so i literally couldn't stop myself from trying over and over at painting. it goes beyond just drawing too. planet earth is fun because ANYTHING u are interested in you can try........ i make fursuit heads and other crafts to see if i can! this year i started making my own songs and also learned leather-working because i saw a cool craft and wanted to try :3

part of it is letting yourself age too because as you get older you will grow interested in new things. i am 27!! i've been drawing since i could hold a pencil. that's a long time to encounter a lot of stuff to get obsessed about and wanna try out for myself. SUCCESS TIP!: i typically pursue things that are adjacent to other skills i already have invested in, like drawing to 3d sculpture to digital modeling, or start blending them like sculpture + coding skills = 3d animation rigging. The reason is because a lot of these skills are transferable and make it easier to pick up. like a skill tree in a video game... and you'll end up in weird places like sculpture to sewing to leathercraft. It's nice to have creative hobbies you can be sorta be mediocre at without attaching your self worth to it, but other people still often find it impressive anyways because it's stuff they've never tried to do. It's really healing and easier to like what you create And yourself by extension when you're just having fun and learning without having to worry about the end product being "good". Anything you try is not a waste because you are learning new skills and more often than not, something you've learned is transferable to some other area of your life!!!!!!!!! nothing is ever a waste of time.

this is also the secret cure to art block btw well actually there are two secret cures. a) is you have to embrace the art block and go get obsessed with some other creative thing for a bit. either that or b) go absorb other people's creativity to a bit and watch some shows and read books or talk to people. c) is a mix of both. eventually you'll return to art again feeling fresh and motivated if you're willing to give it a few months. I think art block really just means you're bored and need a change of scenery one way or another 🤔 that's just my onion though

TL;DR have fun pursuing things just because you like them. as you keep doing it you'll just get better at it through practice whether you really intend to or not.

[piracytheorist]

So with that out of the way, I'll share some screenshots and my experience from the little I played from the Spy x Family game.

Note/reminder that I openly don't recommend buying the game for a computer, as the controls are clunky, and since that version is half-baked it's not worth your money, even if you plan on using a controller. Different case if you buy it for a console, though.

So the graphics are actually pretty cute, and I think they translate the feeling of the 2D characters into a 3D game environment pretty well! The music stands between an inspiration from the original anime soundtrack and typical day-in-the-life simulation game soundtrack, though mostly the latter. I wasn't impressed that much but it wasn't something that annoyed me. It's just a bit of a pity because they could definitely get some inspiration from the original soundtrack, but oh well.

Playing the game, Anya starts at Eden College, and you get a tutorial showing you how to move and interact with other characters and objects. First it instructs you to talk to Becky, then to Damian.

And as I saw that I was like "... Do I have to?" XD Luckily, he wasn't annoying that time, just distant.

Then Anya comes back home to tell her parents about her Diary project, and I had her explore the house a bit.

In the manga and anime there's this small separate space on the hall right by the entrance, and I actually just realized that, but in the game's version of the house that area doesn't exist.

From what I remember, in the game there is just a wall where the opening to this space is. Since this space is rarely used in the manga/anime and it would have taken memory space, I understand why they didn't add it. From the little I played Anya could only move around the main spaces, kitchen, dining/living area and hall, but those parts were pretty accurate.

And according to my post about the Forgers' kitchen, here it looks accurate to the anime, though with a two-door fridge instead.

I mostly took this because I found it funny how atrocious his posture was XD he's probably tired, the poor man.

One of the few minigames I tried was bowling. I like how each characters game traits actually fit their characters XD

Like, Yor is Strong™ but with the least dexterity, Anya is the luckiest but also the weakest, Loid is the most dexterous... and also the unluckiest. I'm telling you, I can find opportunities for angst like it's my job.

Anyway, that minigame was actually nice, it took me a bit to get the hang of the curveballs but I'm sure I could get better at it if I trained more. I played as Loid, too XD

I liked the characters' responses to their throws, either going like "This is hard" or "This is harder than it looks" (even Loid, lmao, with me controlling him he actually became bad at something) if they threw only a few pins. Funny thing is, when Loid was first about to throw his ball, he said something like "Child's play" but then because it was me controlling him he only threw a couple pins and was like "This is hard" 😂 Poor Yor said "Was this good?" a few times right after throwing her ball, then Anya did a strike, and Yor and I as Loid did a spare (when you throw the remaining pins on your second go). For each of those, the other characters cheered for the one doing the strike or spare, and that was cute. Funniest responses was when a throw wouldn't get a single pin, Anya did her "Shock" face, Yor looked embarrassed, and Loid cringed back with a drop of cold sweat on his face (I was the reason for that, sorry man XD) Loid ended up winning and even though he had missed a couple of throws, at the end he was once again like "Child's play" like, my MAN, stop embarrassing yourself and me.

Anyway. Back to the story. There were some cute moments of banter, I feel they captured the characters pretty accurately!

Then I could go into character customization and. Some interesting choices there.

"Just going to work". Yes. That work XD

And then this... item.

MAXIMUM CHARISMA

I'm still laughing about it XD

Then it was ooting time, and I actually really loved the loading screens!

They have a cute feel to them :)

One of the few pictures I took for Anya's album. Whatever is happening on that Spy Wars issue Anya was reading, it must be interesting!

Anya later mentioned she'd sleep with Agent Penguinman that night, and Bond did not like that XD

When I FINALLY managed to hit the required score for Yor's fruit chopping minigame, Anya looked very smug about it 😁

As I mentioned, it took me a lot of times to get the gist of when exactly to swing to cut the vegetables, and every time Yor missed a vegetable she would say something... but there were no subtitles for those lines XD judging by a few lines I've picked up from the anime, I think she was just saying things like "I missed" or an exclamation of disappointment, and one single "I'm sorry, Anya-san". I wanted to hug her!

Then it was back to school the next day.

I'm right there with ya, girl XD

Then Anya asked Yor to train her, and Yor started giving her some advice on how to throw punches... and then Loid slipped in and was like uhm wut O_o

This next part was a little weird, because Anya was supposed to be drawing (like she did in Episode 3 in the museum kids room) and Loid was going like "Oh this is Bondman and a princess, right? That part is a little graphic, though" but... she wasn't drawing? Loid was just standing in the kitchen and I approached him to talk to him and they just said lines similar to the scene I mentioned above from episode 3. It didn't seem like it fit, and only added it so they could have Anya do that expression, which, okay, fair enough XD

This was Anya's expression when she realized Loid had completely misjudged what she was drawing and her powers weren't at risk of being exposed XD

A quick Handler cameo!

That was the intro for a minigame of Twilight sneaking into an art gallery and having to swap paintings for forgeries. I just found her appearance quite cool!

... This, however, was the minigame that proved this game doesn't work well with a keyboard. Controlling the character AND the camera with keyboard buttons is very tricky, and while I could manage moving Anya around, I had a lot of trouble moving Twilight around while I was on a timer and I had to avoid the guards seeing him.

So yeah. It could have been fun but for a computer user it can be frustrating. I tried twice and failed to complete the minigame, and at that point I was tired; it was more stressful than satisfying that way, so I just quit the game, uninstalled it and had it refunded.

Anyway, as I said, it looks like a fun game, but one that can only be appreciated through a console that already includes controllers with joysticks. Computer users shouldn't have to need external controllers to enjoy a game for the computer, so I definitely don't recommend buying it for the PC, if nothing else, for the moral of it. They could have optimized it to move the camera with the mouse, which is how the grand majority of such games work, but they half-assed it and as such I don't think they deserve anyone's money, especially at the price it's at (50 euros for us to need an external controller? no thanks).

[xandriagreat]

My thoughts about The Bad Guys short: Little Lies and Alibis.

Since I've talked about my thoughts about the two holiday specials (the Christmas is This post and the Halloween is This post), I thought I would give my thoughts about the short film; The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis. Since I've seen the short, along with the Dog Man movie (which was good).

Thoughts

I thought it was very interesting and funny.

There were some funny moments and good/nice moments, along with 'what in the world is happening to them?!' and 'OW! Pain!' moments.

I'm happy to see the gang back in their 2D and 3D mixed forms and hear their voice actors from the first film.

I know I've said this a lot (along with some others), but the gang look like they've been through Kevin McCallister's traps from Home Alone. Also, the lady that the gang talks to still reminds me of Edna Mode.

Seeing what the gang had been though while telling something else to show they're good was funny and painful, along with what happened to their car.

I noticed that Wolf and Webs suffered clothing damage out of everyone (yes, everyone got ruffled up but those two have very ruined clothes).

I also got curious about the fast-paced few second montages. Like example: the scooter chasing the gang, the helicopter part, and the hospitable scene (like, really, WHAT HAPPENED during that?!).

Also seeing the gang choosing to stop the robbery or just go inside was great. Like they have been through a lot and had 10 minutes left before the meeting and a robbery was happening across the street at a bank, they had the choice to ignore it or do something about it and they chose to stop it.

To me, it shows they've grown and still growing to be good.

Also, the robbers being fans was interesting.

The gang meet/talk to robbers/fans and tell them the things they missed for the heist, which causes the two robbers to run, that was funny.

When Wolf said that they're serious that they really change and have a better life, it got me to feel for them and remember that they are trying their best.

I started to get excited for the gang when the lady said that she believes their story. But I was surprised/shocked and had a mix of emotions when the lady told the gang that they're at the wrong place and weren't talking to their parole officer (just a woman who works at a post office).

(Apparently it happens a lot/all the time, according to the lady).

The gangs' reaction that they're at the wrong place (and 3 hours and 56 minutes late!) and them running out to go to the right place was (a bit) funny.

It was fun to watch. Seeing the comedic incident/mishaps that was either caused by themselves, or something out of their control, or just the timing.

Theories (again these are mine, don't get mad at me if you don't like them, please.)

I like to think when they do get to their meeting with their Officer, they're just sweating and covered in more feathers (the chickens found them again and start to chase after them to their meeting).

The Gang just do a short summary of what they told the lady to their Officer (it would be done in like about five minutes or less).

The Parole Officer would believe their story but still give the gang a punishment. Most likely a commutativity service for a few days (probably when they're doing better and not in pain/or on life support). The meeting would go as it would normally would, which would be some questions I think (I don't know).

I can see Wolf or Webs calling Diane to pick them up when they were done with their (VERY late) meeting.

Diane would go over and pick up the gang and be shocked to see them looking like they have had a VERY bad day. (It would be like this post I made: Here).

Another thing I noticed/theorize is that the short would take place sometime in January. The evidence is that Wolf said in the diner that "six months without a slip up". Also remember at the end of first movie it's July (since the gang got out on Snake’s birthday). That also means it's been about a year and a half - two years since the first film.

Final thoughts

I thought it was really good and I enjoyed it.

I would give it an 8/10. (I felt sorry for the gang and finding out that they were at the wrong place and they had to RUN AGAIN to get to the right place for the meeting.)