#Kept the old design's tie because i love it and i can

[nostradel]

Care for a dance ?

[todayisafridaynight]

tumblr might not respect the alligator print but i do

[animatedjen]

What's some stuff you're really hoping to see in Jedi 3 (either narratively or gameplay wise)?

Oh I'm so glad you asked this 🙌 Because I have THOUGHTS.

Gonna put everything under the cut so this doesn't clog up the feed with a wall of text (whoops.) Some of these ideas I hope to create concept art for, after I replace/fix my very cranky thirteen-year-old tablet. Anyway let’s start with gameplay!

Gameplay!

Maintaining Cal's abilities: Survivor handled this beautifully by keeping many of the skills learned in Fallen Order, instead of undoing Cal's growth from the first game. I think it'll be trickier to keep this momentum into Jedi 3 (the skill tree has gotten so large!) but story reasons could push Cal towards new types of abilities instead of bloating the current options.

More synergy between the lightsaber stances: I like all the stances in Survivor and it'd be A) disappointing to lose any of them, but B) overwhelming to add MORE combat styles. Being able to flow between the stances more fluidly would be fun though, with specific combos unlocked depending on which two are active together. Now if Merrin lets Cal borrow her knife-staff and he puts his lightsaber on the end... MAGICK SABER PIKE GO.

New or adapted movement mechanics: Maybe the ascension cable is replaced with a force ability (Force Ascend or Force Leap for an extra vertical boost?) or is "upgraded" to connect between two anchors, letting Cal create his own temporary ziplines.

Replayable missions: This could be explained in-game with a Force Tear or Cal's own interactive echoes. But I'd love the option to experience story missions and boss fights again post-game.

Customization!

This is a bonus section because Merrin should get new outfits. Haven't decided how to make it part of gameplay yet, stay tuned.

Cal's cosmetics in Survivor are mostly cool, some just funny, but overall a huge improvement from Fallen Order (yes, even though we miss all the poncho designs). For Jedi 3 I'd love to see more story-centric cosmetics that tie into the communities and people Cal has met along his journey. A Legacy outfit (incorporating pieces from his three Jedi masters), an Anchorite-inspired outfit (with arm tattoos), a bounty hunter outfit (the prize after defeating the Brood), etc. Maybe a Bogling outfit? No not made from Boglings; it looks like a Bogling. Hang on lemme fix my tablet—

Narrative + Gameplay!

Explore Tanalorr: Right now this sparkly, strong-in-the-Force, temple-carved planet is a huge mystery box for Jedi 3. There's a few directions it could go - more High Republic history, another civilization (the Nihil? someone new?) lurking in the shadows, or Force-related secrets hiding below the surface. Each Jedi game has followed Cal's exploration of an ancient culture, and I think Tanalorr can be a focal point in that journey.

Defeat Sorc Tormo and the Haxion Brood: I mentioned this in an ask earlier this week, but I so want a resolution to this fight against the Brood. Especially since roaming bounty hunters would threaten the Hidden Path. Maybe Cal breaks back into Ordo Eris, or hunts down Sorc Tormo on another planet. Maybe there's a Force-only stealth section?? Maybe a big multi-wave boss fight? Maybe Caij is there??? (no she doesn't get an invite to Tanalorr)

Dark Side Force Slow: The fact that Cal's Force Slow ability kept its red-stained aura, even in the Survivor post-game, is great. I love lasting consequences and ludonarrative harmony, yes yes yes. Really hope this isn't fully resolved by the start of Jedi 3 (potential timeskip makes it tricky but whatever) and the ability receives some sort of healing through Cal finding his way out of the darkness.

Narrative!

Timeskip?: I vote no, but I think Jedi 3 will vote yes, likely to age up Kata and allow Tanalorr to be more developed. But that also means Cal and the Mantis Crew goes through character development without us (boo) or remains emotionally stunted until we get there (also boo?). I'm more comfortable with the five year gap between FO and Survivor than I used to be though, despite "missing out" on big character moments, so maybe it'll be okay. Maybe. 👀

The Hidden Path builds a home on Tanalorr: This works until it doesn't, whether from outside pressure or the threat of a spy within. I don't think Bode's fears should necessarily be validated, but I do think the risk will keep Cal on edge and hurt his ability to trust (both others and himself.) It'll drive decisions that strain his relationships and be a source of conflict for part of the game.

The Mantis gets semi-retired and then reinstated: I just love the mental picture of the Mantis parked somewhere cozy and decorated with cloth and lights and a hideout for Kata. It's become too small and high profile to use for gathering the Path, but when the plot gets going, they're gonna need her back in action.

Three main antagonists: The Empire, an unrelated third-party with their own goals (Nihil or someone else), and Cal's own demons. The first two drive the external conflict, the third drives Cal's inner conflict and the story's themes. More on that at the end.

A memorial garden: It's designed by Pili and filled with native Tanalorrian plants and trees, from which the Anchorites hang cords and windchimes and bits of colored glass. Cere's saber was buried beneath the largest tree. Cal plays her hallikset here when he's too troubled to meditate. If we want to be mean, this place gets damaged during a battle in Act 3. If we want to be less mean, this is the place that doesn't get damaged during a battle.

Kata has some sort of student-teacher relationship with Cal: I'm torn on her being Force sensitive: this is a story about Jedi and "guide her through the darkness" is pretty telling given Cal's own darkness at the end of Survivor. But Cal helping Kata (and Kata helping Cal) can happen regardless of her Force sensitivity - it would just look different. This is a soft answer because I'm still exploring ideas around it BUT admittedly the angst levels would be higher if she is sensitive.

A battle against the shadow self: Look this one is cliche. I don't care. I want a huge cavern in the depths of Tanalorr where Cal gets to fight a dark version of himself that switches between all his former enemies. If we're making a video game here let's physically beat up our darkness. Let's have it not work. Let's bring Cal to rock bottom to remind him that he is more than his darkness and he doesn't have to do this alone. Let's go back to that same fight later and then we finally win.

There's more to explore story-wise and I will eventually, but I'm overall not concerned about Jedi 3's narrative. Respawn has been very intentional with their writing of Cal Kestis and the Jedi series so far (despite some last minute changes to Survivor) and I love this character and this story because of all the great work they've created. I really hope they finish this journey the way they want to. That being said—

How should Jedi 3 end? Should Cal die?

No: I'll argue Cal dying at the end of the trilogy completely undermines the entire lesson of Survivor.

Cal wouldn't stop fighting the Empire: The Cal we meet at the beginning of Survivor definitely wouldn't. That Cal also watched countless friends die to that same fight and saw two different Jedi fall to their passions-turned-obsessions that led them to the dark side. He may wrestle with remnant obligation or a bitter apathy, but he's definitely not as single-minded as he was before.

Cal would sacrifice himself to save the Path: Yeah, he probably would. Cere did exactly that during the Siege of Jedha when all else failed. But maybe the Path could be protected without Cal needing to be a Weapon - a lesson Cere also wanted him to learn.

Another way: I think the Koboh abyss (that separates Tanalorr from the rest of the galaxy) could be destroyed. I don't know if Cal would choose to destroy it, but I think the Empire would: if they can't reach Tanalorr it's the next best thing.

Now Cal has to make a choice: Leave (continuing the fight alone) or Stay (shepherding the Path for an unknown future.) It doesn't mean they never find a way back to the known galaxy, but it'll take time. Enough time for a New Hope to appear.

Whatever your opinion of the Sequel Trilogy, the line: "That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love." is not only a complete thesis of Star Wars, but fits really well with Cal's journey. He's become very good at fighting. He wants to save everyone in Fallen Order, and he can't. He still wants to save everyone in Survivor, and they refuse him. His Fight has made a difference (again, Cere says as much) but it's clear this can't be Cal's final answer.

Choosing to protect the Path, choosing to trust the Force, choosing a home. That's what he's been fighting for. I love Cal Kestis because he isn't the chosen one and he isn't going to save the galaxy. But for his family and his community, he saved their galaxy. It's cheesy but I don't care, and you know Greez and BD would agree with me.

-

Okay this got so, so much longer than I expected. Bonus points if you made it all the way down here haha. I've had a weird assortment of concepts and ideas over the past year but never wrote them down in one place - until now. I've said it before but part of my hyperfixation with the Jedi series is because it isn't finished yet and Survivor ends on such a gut-wrenching cliffhanger. Whatever happens to this series, I'm slowly finding some sort of catharsis through all the edits and photomode shots and half-baked concepts. Thanks for tagging along ✌️

[sun-of-4-gun]

seeing your six ear macaque design (btw so freaking cool) makes me so curious about him :0! do you have more info about him?

AHH thank you!! that makes me so glad to hear (≧⁠▽⁠≦)♡*⁠。I have a whole idea of how he was made but nothing too solid! if anyone has any other insights I'd love to read them!!

this is something I've decided recently that when Six initially popped out of the ground, he looked a lot more like Monkey King. a scruffy, young adult six-eared macaque with dull red fur. he is an exact clone save for minor details that will kickstart big changes

it was instant for him to go out explore & experience the world, learn about this & that. he found his way to Flower-Fruit Mountain and it's clear to him that regardless of people, monkeys, and even demons just don't like him. his freakishly gross amount of ears certainly don't help or an underbaked unsettlingness about his whole vibe being uncanny & off, but he don't give a damn (yet). he just wants to be received positively for a change, so when he quickly found kinship in the legend of the Monkey King, he thought to seek him out in the hopes of understanding, but that idea is immediately snuffed out in favour of straight-up just becoming the Monkey King himself instead! he wants all the blind adoring glory and none of the work, but he needs help. assistance if you will, 'cause there's no Monkey King without his Stick. that's the whole reason he is where he is

long story short, Six is able to clone Stick and forge his own staff; Suixin Tie Ganbing (or Rod/dy) who I haven't designed cause I'm struggling (⁠^▽^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ I don't imagine it's as characterised as Stick, if any. like a soulless copy y'know? Six knows Monkey's heart & mind so intimately, but lacks an awareness in that he is still more like the guy 500 years ago + caught up with knowledge to present time. of course, by becoming a specious macaque, he sacrifices his ability to predict the future & utilise that sixth sense, as Monkey isn't a six-eared macaque, but one of ✧ numinous wisdom ✧ and ultimately gets the upper hand to destroy this imposter, who apparently all along is a split aspect of his very own psyche & soul, a literal two-minds & double-heart situation. unlike Six, Monkey is a complete-ish person, and his counterpart has a lot of growing up to do. its a big difference between 500 years of self-reflection to 5 years of figuring out one's desires & purpose!

so Monkey aims to kill Six, a rotten part of himself that he tried to bury years ago, kept hidden from his master out of shame and deep inner conflict that it literally ate him up on the inside, and when it was too much to bear he cut open his chest to find an actual root of wickedness growing from his heart like a tumour, festering from the back of his mind and manifesting into a second organ that desperately needed to take control and get out. I imagine Sandy witnessed this and Horsie knows about it, but nobody said anything because Monkey seemingly "defeated" it when he buried this parasite into the dirt, thinking it would quietly die with nothing to leech off of anymore. this came back to haunt him, obviously, his own self or at least some corrupted mirror staring him in the flesh

but he doesn't kill him, seeing himself within literally and metaphorically, the second thoughts are clear and instead of destroying the six-eared macaque, he buries him alive instead. because if Buddha can stick him under a mountain for 500 years and that turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him, why can't he do the same for this guy? he's a screwed up version of him, but like him nonetheless. he was 5 years old himself when he got mountained anyway!

except that well, it's still the six-eared macaque, his own species, and for whatever reason it was after that Tightening Fillet Spell by Guanyin that Six is cursed to be tethered to Monkey King in every physical & emotional way, especially by their own doing. all thoughts, joys, grief, love, rage, pain, pleasure and else of Monkey's will be second-hand to the specious macaque and he has no choice but to listen to & feel everything his creator feels & experiences. it sickens him, infuriates him, these sensations are tormenting regardless of his own desires for 1,000 years of complete depravity & deafness to everything of the outside world but the Monkey King and once he's freed from the earth by chance of a quake, he wants nothing to do with Sun Wukong. though that's impossible when he's literally connected at the heart & mind by some one-sided chain. so logically, he has to kill him.

his time underground allowed his sense of self to develop & ultimately change his appearance, so now he's also somewhat complete-ish as a living being. except he can't exactly move on with his creator in the way, as how can he trust his own emotions & sensations when all he's known are another's the past millennium? he'll get help & some assistance again, and he'll use the same jade dagger that was discarded after getting rid of him the first time to stab Monkey in the heart and sever their connection once and for all

[your-ne1ghbor]

Hello, Neighbor! (Insert Welcome Home reference here 🏠)

I'm a hundred years late to this, but it's time for me to drop some questions for "The Kingdom of Thorns and Roses"! (I'm craving more Wish content, do this will do for now, lol.)

How did you come with your AU? Is it inspired from other AU's or something else?

What happened to Asha's family in this telling?

Can you drop a little lore about TKOTAR's Star system?

Who's your favorite character to draw in your AU?

Are any of the Teens in this story, are they sent to the oblivion? 😂

I know you mention that Flazino is possibly in your AU, but uh…..is he still alive or actually dead? Cause WG!Flazino can't vent to a dead guy. 😂

Any original characters in here besides Bonsai?

Which other Wish AU's would be some of your favorites?

Are all the songs from the movie included in your story, or us it just certain ones?

How long do you think your story is going to be?

How would TKOTAR!Asha would interact with WG!Asha? (She does have some trouble making friends though, lol)

Any hints for the ending?

Out of questions, but I'll give you a hug! 🤗

OMG QUESTIONS AHHHHHHh🦈🦈

1. How did you come with your AU? Is it inspired from other AU's or something else?

I was inspired from a lot of works! I think what really made me actually GET INTO rewriting Wish was "Alicia and the Kingdom of Star Light" and "At all Costs" Animatics. At first, I originally was going to have Magnifico and Amaya be like this Gaston/Frollo like characters, but overtime, I didn't see them like that! I think this was because my interpitation of Magnifico in the film was more of the "tragic hero" rather than the "tragic villain". Also Asha at the time felt really boring, and Star felt very hallow, which is why I also had to change that super old draft to something new. Overtime, after watching Owl House, Race to the Edge, Wish...15 more times (watched it I think 30 times total), Hunch Back of Notre Dom, and Epic the Musical, I think some of those aspects of what I liked bled into the story. Example, people comparing Magnus to Odesseous LIKE ITS THE VIBE THEYRE NOT THE SAME PERSON-

Not only that, some parts of the story is actually kinda inspired from personal experience! Mainly with the family part- . . . but nothing less, it more inspired from HTTYD and Owl House lol

2. What exactly happed to Asha's family in this telling?

Well...neither of them are dead for starters.

Probably the only Asha who has a fully ALIVE family 💀🙏

3. Can you drop a little lore about TKOTAR's Star system?

Research ^

4. Who is your fav character to draw in your AU?

Agatha my beloved 💕

I don't even draw her a lot, I just love her design lmao

5. Are any of the Teens in the story, or are they sent to oblivion?

Pfftttt they weren't all sent to oblivion Rascal hehehh

Dahlia, Simon, and Gabo will most likely be the ones to end up in the story, so most of the teens are here.

I have some ideas to how they tie into Asha in terms of how they know her on a personal/co-worker relationship.

Dahlia WAS Asha's friend during the best parts of her childhood, before Asha distanced herself from her. Her arc is best kept secret for story reasons, but I think it is pretty wholesome.

Simon I'm sorta concidering to be some form of body guard while Asha goes into the Market.

Gabo probably will the the "consipiracy person who is actually right" type of guy heh- Also a friend Star becomes close with! (He totally does not teach him how to swear-)

I do want to incorpiate Hal and Bazeema and probably Flazino somehow in the story, just not sure how and what sort of purpose they will serve at the moment.

I still don't have designs for them, but I will soon hopefully :D

6. I know you mention that Flazino is possibly in your AU, but uh…..is he still alive or actually dead? Cause WG!Flazino can't vent to a dead guy 😂

So I guess he is now the Therapist! Flazino in my AU? IS THAT WHAT UR SAYING???? (I love it)

Too bad all the therapists are dead in Rosas because of the incident. No wonder Flazino probably dies from poisining. He knew too much.

Anyways no need to worry for the dead guy in the room that probably wont exist in my AU, the dead do exist as ghosts in some way so WG Flazino can still vent to him lmao

(ghosts cant talk tho (but then again, he drank poison which could have ruined his vocal cords but still))

He is looking out for WG Flazino :D (He was killed by drinking a mYsTeRiOuS LiQuId )

Just realized he kinda looks like Hermes- naurrrr not intentionalllll bc he looks like that bc he ded :(((

7. Any original characters in here besides Bonsai?

OK ROSAS, HERE IS ALL OG CHARACTERS IN THE STORY (THIS INCLUDES REPLACEMENTS)

Bonsai

Agatha

Thomas

Morning Star

Captain of the Guard, NOT PHEBUS (I dont have a name for him-)

Evelyn (minor character)

Atticus (minor character)

Agatha's parents (minor character)

Magnus' Father (minor character)

(what I mean by minor characters, I mean that they wont really show up in the story except in portraits or mentions unless I do a lore video that could include them)

CREATURES:

Dragons

Sirens

THE FUCKING FAIRES I HOPE YOU DIE LIKE KYS

Trolls

Ghosts/Ghouls (Good Ghouls Go Bad is a pretty good movie go watch it)

Forest/Water Nymths

Serpants

Kraken probably

Stars (ofc)

probably will be more

They all probably won't show up in the story, but know that they exist.

ALSO THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT, SO HERE IS A CONCIDERATION I HAD.

Although I am personally not sure if they will ever be in the story, along with Flazino, BUT...HERE ME OUT-

A ATLAS BASED CHARACTER. I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT

In Greek mythology, HE HOLDS UP THE FUCKING SKY??? LIKE??? BRO-

AND HE IS A TITAN?/?? ANDD IT WOULD MAKE SENSE??? KINDA???

Not sure, but I wanna put that there because I think a Atlas based character in a story with a sky filled with Star creatures is very interesting.

8. Which other Wish AU's would be one of your Favorites?

I don't pick favorites between fanfics. I personally love them all and I think a lot of them are really interesting retellings!

Except for the freaky ones

I hate you Hiccup x Toothless fanfic go burn (made me not trust fanfics for a long time💀🙏) (BTW I DIDN'T READ IT MY SIBLING READ IT OUT LOUD TO ME AND WE WERE LIKE 😨😨🐄🏃‍♂️💨)

9. Are all the songs from the movie included in your story, or us it just certain ones?

Certain ones. It overall depends on execution in the story.

Im a star is removed for obvious reasons.

But as I honestly think about musical instruments tieing with their respected characters, I might have to make completely different songs for almost all of them-

OK for what I mean by this...

The 4 main characters, Agatha, Magnus, Asha, and Star have their respected instruments tied to their character. This is due to because a lot of the music surrounding the characters in classic disney had instruments tying with their character or enviroment. Ariel, for example, as more whimsical or wonderous music, as she sings "a part of your world". Unfortunatly, I found Wish's instruments not fitting to how I interepret the characters and went for a completely different route.

Asha is mainly tied with either the chello or violin in my version. "BUT ISN'T THE VIOLIN USUALLY TIED WITH THE VILLAIN??" Thats where I say "Does it have to be?" I want to shake it up a bit instead of the violin being just used for "EVIL", because it can be used to tell SUCH EMOTIONAL beats. Here is a cover of the "This Wish" I found:

And here is the actual song:

OFC, I would personally add more instruments to the violin cover for it to hit harder. I ironically found a "Epic" (not sure if it is to the Epic the Musical or just Epic version lol) version that hit so hard, I felt like I was ascending:

Listening to different instruments PLAYING THE SAME SONG hits a LOT MORE DIFFERENT. LIKE YOU FEEL DIFFERENT EMOTIONS LIKE WHAT-

Also a more prominant example is "Dandalions" by Ruth B.

Here is the original:

Here is the Violin cover (funny enough I listened to this version first before the original. Personally, I think the Violin is better)

If anything, I think the gutair is overused in Disney protagonists, Mirabel had one, Moana had one, and probably more. I just wanted to do something different!

For Star, I imagined the whimsical part of Neverland or more or less instruments that give you that feel, like flutes for example. Or hell, more lullaby! Honestly the best example I can give to show what I am going for is something like:

Maybe even the At All costs instumental tying in both the Asha's instruments and His instruments at the same time can hit more different.

For both Agatha and Magnus, I liked how the trumpets were tied to the scenes they were in, like when Magnifico calls for a meeting and the trumpet plays, I honestly really liked that! But it doesn't have to be trumpets alone! I imagine Magnus/Agatha to have both a electric guitar/piano tied to their characters! Trumpets can be used to enhance the song their singing!

Here is a example (Ik it is a rewrite version, but I think this is a good one!)

Unironically, there is not a lot of villain songs that I know of that use pianos. I think it is because it is more in ties with dispair moments rather than actual villain songs. Doesn't mean that they don't exist, its just uncommon.

Why am I ranting about this? Well, blame this guy:

He is right yk-

Shut up.

You shut up

10. How long do you think your story is going to be?

AT least 2-3 months, possibly more or less. It depends.

11. How would TKOTAR!Asha would interact with WG!Asha? (She does have some trouble making friends though, lol)

Ah both interovernts! My fav.

TKORAT! Asha also has trouble making friends. Its mainly due to her having trouble trusting someone and also some more personal issues (this goes for everyone, not just WG! Asha) I think at first TKORAT! Asha would at first just avoid talking to WG! Asha, until after a while, they have a nice cup of tea and just chat! Def would be Art buddies.

12. Any hints for the ending?

I have no idea. Just a lot of chopped up parts in my head. Probably smth like this:

and probably:

What have I done....WHAT HAVE I DONE-

13. Out of questions, but I'll give you a hug! 🤗

Thanks for the Asks Rascal! 💕

I really appreciate it :D

@signed-sapphire @oh-shtars @rascalentertainments

@spectator-zee @chillwildwave @tumblingdownthefoxden

@uva124 @dangerousflowerpanda

[howlingdemon13]

You could use a buddy~!

Guys, you have no idea how happy I am that this is complete! You know I'm gonna be supper obnoxious now that I can turn into a demonic ghost with mommy issues. 🤪 Anyway, some notes and thoughts on this cosplay that no one asked for and no one wants~!

First and foremost, this cosplay is sort of a clonesona. I feel like (if given the chance), Beetlejuice would play around with how his clones look. Obviously on stage it’s impossible to find actors who look identical to the lead, but I like that the fandom has embraced BJ being unable/unwilling to create clones that are a 100% physical match. If that’s the case, I’m sure he throws in a more fem-presenting clone once in a while.

This doubles as a feminine-presenting form for Beetlejuice himself, too (Toonjuice has no issue changing his gender presentation at will in a bunch of scenarios, and I like to think that Musicaljuice would be the same/similar). I guess a version of Beetlejuice that’s female would be fun, but I prefer the idea of BJ shapeshifting to look and present the way he wants to (or to have fun with unsuspecting victims).

Even from the early development of this cosplay all the way back in October, choosing between a dress and a suit was like pulling teeth. I love the suit an unhealthy amount, but I wanted something distinct from other interpretations. That, and I was hesitant to lean into the hyper-sexualized looks I’ve seen from officially licensed offshoots of the character. Beetlejuice, while a self-proclaimed sexual being, doesn’t read as the kind of entity to go from generally masc-presenting all the way to hyper-sexual fem-presenting. Also, where the hell is the grime on all these fem designs???? Why does she look clean? Cowards!

I think BJ would settle on a fem-presenting form in a suit, but I also think he’s just as comfortable in a dress regardless of the pronouns/physical characteristics he’s using at any given moment. He likes his dresses and we love him for it.

Anyway-

I wanted a dress that felt “old” but not dated,so I settled on a shirt dress. They came about in the 1920’s, but didn’t become super popular until the 50’s. The cut of Beetlejuice’s suit is somewhere between modern and a style that would have been popular in the 50’s, too.

I also think shirt dresses are pretty “neutral” in that they aren’t form-fitting and they read more like a shirt from the waist up. I didn’t want anything dainty, but I wanted some movement to the fabric, and a dress does that a bit better than a suit imo. It’s why I love Beetlejuice’s first 15 minutes on stage in the trench coat. I know it’s a callback to when we first see him in the movie, but it adds a ton of secondary movement and looks cartoony when coupled with very exaggerated movements typical of a stage show. It’s why I love watching Collette especially bounce around on stage because istg he knows this (or that him growing up with the cartoon make him really lean into over the top body language and the trench coat just adds to it).

Like, look at that! Are you seeing what I’m saying? If I could animate, that would be a dream shot!

Oops, can’t go 15 minutes without thinking of the silly.

All that is to say that movement and form in an outfit, especially one for a character as chaotic as Beetlejuice, was super important to me. It’s also why I settled on long, curly hair, kept the tie, and added a bow. All of that breaks up patterns, adds movement, and is something I can put moss on. Anyway, this cosplay has a lot of little nods to the musical, cartoon, and film (but is mostly based off of the musical).

Cartoon: bugs!! Toonjuice is sometimes seen with small beetles chilling on his suit (which he inevitably snacks on). I love the idea of Beej being covered in bugs, so I felt compelled to include them on the dress and hat. It's a subtle reference, but one that I really wanted. They’re made out of scrap polymer clay and painted. Here are a few:

Film: The guide hat! It's iconic. I know that the hat made it into very early versions of the musical and promotional materials, but how it got thrown by the wayside is beyond me.

Musical: the grime and disrepair! I was heavily inspired by an early suit that is absolutely covered in moss!

I also added a lot of grime to the shoulders and hem as a callback to later versions of the suit and especially the tour version of it. I also added some x stitches since I really like the way they look on the current tour suit!

Oh, and the banjolele! Can't forget my favorite prop!

Miscellaneous: I love giving supernatural characters pointy ears and fangs, so you best believe I’m going to do the same for BJ. Slightly related, but I love the tour makeup so much. The makeup artists really lean into Beetlejuice being corpsey and I’m here for it (I essentially combine the tour and film makeup to get the look I’m after).

Oh! And snap bracelets! I remember hardcore stimming with these as a kid to the point of destroying them (then it was goodbye snap bracelets), and you cannot tell me Beetlejuice, neurodivergent-coded demon ghost, wouldn’t be the same way. Full disclosure, I had to wrap them around metal bands because these snaps are rubber and the texture is a nightmare for me, but I was determined to include them. They’re also a substitute for Beetlejuice’s watches in the film.

God/Satan, that was a lot of rambling. If you survived all that, thanks for reading!

[satellite-blossom]

NEW ART !? It's more likely than you think !

I've redesigned Léa's Magical form again, but this time around I've actually colored (& shaded) the whole thing ; I'll share more of my process under the read more.

Feel free to reblog this (but it's ok if you don't) !

(Léa use they/them pronouns and are agender)

So this is Léa's old Magical form, or at least the last art of it I had completed before the 2024 version :

I was going for a fancy, somewhat ouji inspired outfit that'd still be comfortable to wear, as Léa Acorn's style is all about being cute yet comfy. Their body saw no change from their regular form.

I think I was already not fully satisfied with this design by the end of 2021, but as time went on my list of grievances kept growing longer. I started to dislike how much of the design was pure white ; it's not really something I like on Magical Girl designs but for some reason I included it here, probably because I was trying to branch out and take inspiration from series like Lolirock & Pretty Cure for once. I also ended up finding the jacket kinda dumb, or at least the way it fit on top of the shirt seemed off. I had no idea how to color the shoes when I drew this design and it was bugging me more and more over time.

But while I fell out of love with the outfit, my main grievance was the staff-paintbrush-scythe hybrid, which was not only drawn poorly but also pretty boring. I couldn't help but try to redesign it just a month or two after completing the new ref, but I didn't want to redo the whole thing as back then I still made my refs in Microsoft Publisher with the help of Photofiltre, which was a slow and painful process I dreaded.

(Léa's Mobian forms 2021 ref, for... Reference)

So between my laziness, art block and the general state of my life I wasn't able to complete any new design before this year (2024). Let's break down this new design, shall we ?

This was my main inspo board this time around :

As you can see I kept the lolita/ouji influence but added some streetwear elements to it. I felt like the previous design didn't do a great job showcasing the mix of preppy prince & comfy fashion Léa are supposed to encapsulate, so I brought up pictures of a character that had only influenced their story and personality so far : Sora from Kingdom Hearts !

It's not something I bring up a lot anymore, but I used to be well-versed in Kingdom Hearts lore and Léa's story was heavily influenced by it ; they were even supposed to fight with a keyblade at one point ! Design-wise, I borrowed the length of Sora's shorts/jumpsuit for Léa's bloomers, and replaced their cropped suit jacket by a short-sleeved hoodie (which also mirrors some of their Sonic.exe world designs). I mixed these elements with lolita items for a cuter look.

Léa share my love of ties, so I've replaced their bow tie by a regular one ; it's somewhat short to showcase their shirt, which is a revamped version of the old one.

For the legwear I took inspiration from some long flowy legwarmers I saw in a few fairy kei coords, and also the shoes from this CocoPPaDolls screenshot I've taken years ago, back when the game was still up :

(I miss this game every day)

And of course I needed the shoes to be velcro LED shoes, because that's just the Léa Acorn way.

The rounded pink heart-shaped gems throughout the outfit were somewhat inspired by Amulet Heart from Shugo Chara.

Talking about gems, time to talk about the staff ! It was inspired by Amulet Spade's paintbrush, some Lolirock items, and a bunch of bootleg Magical Girl wands. Why reference bootleg wands, you might ask ? Well, since they're already off compared to the real deals, they allow me to not design wands that are too similar to ones from well-known properties.

I've been meaning to make Léa's eyes pink in their magical form for years but didn't actually follow through for a while. I ended up making their eyes brownish pink to not make their eyes too light, as I felt like it'd remove some of their charm (I already felt guilty for not keeping their eyes brown in this form). And of course, I had to bedazzle their eyes to hell and back.

Actually all this shininess and sparkling was inspired by the original drawing of Léa's Magical Form drawn all the way back in 2017 and redrawn in 2018 :

For some reason I took a lot of inspiration from Sailor Moon for these despite Léa's role being inspired by Card Captor Sakura (and Kingdom Hearts). Also Wish Gems used to be called "Magical Chaos Emeralds" and look just like the regular Chaos Emeralds, which was kinda dumb. But I loved the energy of these pieces so I've tried to recapture the "sparkly pink magical transformation void" vibes they had ; I hope I've succeeded on that front.

Anyway, thank you for reading this all the way through ! I hope this was an interesting read, somewhat.

[kawaiichibiart]

Okay, let's get into this.

The new outfits, starting with Leo/need:

I, for one, do prefer the new designs over the old one.

I like the uniformity while still having things that make them them. I like that, so far from what I can see, they all have a star somewhere on their outfit (I say so far because Ichika's guitar blocks part of her outfit, so I'm not 100% sure they all have stars), with Shiho's and Honami's being more obvious and Saki's less so. They all still have their signature colors and I'm hoping that in future designs, we can see more of those colors come in, not the same shade obviously, I'm thinking lighter/darker depending on the person (like Shiho would have a dark green shirt, while Saki's is a pastel yellow).

I'm thinking about in terms of Huevemeber, where we have one color to work with (the hue changes every day) and we can only use different shades of that one specific color, you can't change the hue at all, vibrancy, intensity, sure, but if you're using red and you go towards orange, that's a new hue.

Now onto individual designs:

Okay, one: I love that Ichika's guitar also got a bit of a redesign. I like that they kept the belts on her thigh, it does look like the ones on her new design are a bit thinner and you can't see the ends of the belt, which leads me to assume that maybe these have a loop or a snap somewhere to make it look like that, or that they don't unbuckle and it's just a band.

As I said before, everyone seems to have a star somewhere on their outfit but we can't see if Ichika has one somewhere. If I had to guess, I'd say the buttons of her jacket.

The changes in her expression is something I also enjoy. Ichika feels more comfortable and confident. In her old design, she looks like she's a bit in shock, maybe considering things??? It's more... pensive I guess? So her standing there with more confidence shows how much she (and the rest of L/n) have grown.

First off: happy we can see more of her body standing upright rather than leaning over.

Second: I like the added details on her socks. As I said, so far, Saki's star detail is the most subtle. It's on her socks. It's something I don't think people will catch at first glance, unlike Honami and Shiho who both have it somewhere it's more notable.

I like that Saki's the one who got a bow tie in this redesign, I think it suits her. While I do like her old tie, I think the change is nice.

The double belt is a nice touch to the design, the only change I'd make is adding another star motif. Like having a metal star pinned there, or having one larger buckle that was shaped like a star.

Saki comes off as playful in her old design and calmer in her new one. The best way I can describe it is: ticking off something from a bucket list vs finding something new you want to pursue. I wouldn't think Saki wanted to be a professional just looking at her old design. I'd think she enjoys the keyboard/piano. Looking at her new design, it does come more across her being more pro.

That being said, I like that in both she comes across as the cheery one. Like, she just looks like the happy member of the band. It comes across differently in both, but it's the same general idea.

One thing I wish they added was a pair of ribbons, kinda like Honami's ↓ I dunno, I like having it look like something is holding her pigtails up.

Much like Ichika, one thing I notice is the confidence and being more comfortable. Honami looks a bit uneasy in her old design, like she's not sure if she's meant to be there, but she's there and she's going to try god damnit.

Not gonna lie, I'm going to miss her music note scrunchie. But the ribbon is a nice touch.

I need to point this out, but it looks like the red of her clothes have shifted to a darker shade. Like, in her new design, the red reminds me a lot of MEIKO, which I think it a nice nod to Honami's first event (iirc).

The star buckle and buttons on her sleeves are a nice touch. While I do like the star charm from her old design, I think the new design makes the star(s) work better.

The only thing I'm not too sure of is the belt/strap hanging on her skirt. I don't know if I'd rather move it so it's more on her hip or waist, or if I want to get it rid of it completely. I also wish they kept her fingerless gloves, but that doesn't bother as much as the belt/strap.

Out of all four redesigns, Shiho's is the one I like most. While I never had a problem with the color she's wearing, the overall outfit just never stuck with me. The thing I disliked the most was the bow, it looked so stupid. I genuinely like Shiho with the tie a lot more and I think she suits the blazer/suit jacket.

Again, I've never had a problem with the color, that being said, I do like that we've shifted to a darker green color (much like how Honami's shifted to a darker red).

As mentioned earlier, Shiho has stars in her outfit that are notable. One is on the cuff of her sleeve and the other is her bracelet on the same arm. I kinda wanna know if the bracelets match, so we have another star on her hand holding her bass.

I also like that she looks more relaxed, as opposed to her looking like she's trying to stand apart from the others. Which, thinking about it, is very telling of Leo/need's journey to becoming pros. In their old design, Shiho is the only one who's standing like she's working on being pro. Ichika and Honami look more like this is something they're unsure of but want to try, while Saki looks like she just wants to have a good time. It's very much a difference between career vs hobby. Shiho was the lone wolf before, but now she's able to stand with the rest of the pack, knowing that they're doing this together. She can relax. She looks confident in both, but again, like with Saki, there's a difference between the two.

On a side note, what's hanging on the side of her skirt? I wanna say it's a belt but I'm not sure...

....anyways!!

All in all, I like the uniformity (seriously, I like them in the same outfits, any time I play/watch a song with 3DMV, I make sure their outfits match otherwise it bothers me). I like the stars put throughout their outfits. I like the shift in Shiho's green and Honami's red. I like that they all look more confident. I like that they actually look like a professional band. I do think adding a lighter/darker shade of their signature color would have made their designs just slightly better, but other than that, I really like these designs.

[crazy-lazy-elder-sims]

-the Tired accountant and the senior Designer pt2-

Hello again i decided to expand on my sims for the simblr office idea by @kashisun once again thank you for this and apologies if im a bit spammy im slightly excited lmao

Okay buckel up folks cause im about to take you on a journey TM lol

Introducing our office babes

Christian Sinclare:

33 years old but feels 50

Doesn't like coffee but drinks it to stay awake

His favorite color is Naomi's hair color👀

..... And sage green

Literally the only accountant in this company that you can talk to that wont bring up budget cuts in the first 5 mins

His favorite meme is the "keep calm and carry on" meme but people call him an old man if he brings it up. #leavesinclarealone2023

Always works late but only because he prefers to finish the financial reports on the same day he started them so he can sleep at night (anxiety gang hello👋)

So many coworkers from other depratments come down and talk to him about various Accounting things he has no idea why its not like he is the manger or head of the department ( its because he is handsome and all the peeps want a piece of him he's just too cluless to notice)

Obsessed with the presence of Mathematical algorithms in nature and everyday life

His favorite is how Bats can find the exact location of things using echo location and the math behind that

The golden Ratio is another obsession and he spends his days off in Museums observing painting that has them

Naomi Marroquin:

31 years old iced coffee addict

Her hair color was an accidental dark red home hair dye job that went wrong but she liked it so much she kept it for years

Her favorite color is red

Hates staying late and leaves the office at 5 o'clock sharp and no one can stop her (trust me they tried)

Says she doesn't care for all the office gossip and scandal but she is besties with the one HR employee from how much she goes down there to get the juicy gossip

Is the senior graphic designer but the graphic department head put her in charge of Budgeting and making exel sheets for the accounting department because she was the only one with "excel proficiency" on her resume

That was a lie

The first time she got assigned an excel sheet assignment she googled "how to learn excel fast" then added " for dummies" exactly 2 mins later

She oftten clashes withthe Accounting department on thier requestes to lower costs and cut out quality

Hates doing all the obove through email and tries to meet anyone from the accounting department but they all avoid her because they have no time for her 30 mins lectures about the importance of paper quality

Fun facts:

Naomi is taller than Christian 💓

Naomi used her personal email on accident for her resume which is called: Naomi.is.da.best.2012@simail.com but they hired her anyway because they desperately needed someone with excel skills

Naomi's corporate style is inspired by her mom who used to be a corporate goth but naomi is not one (infact some of her office Fashion staples were given to her by her mom)

Christian's second reason for staying late is that he hates going home to an empty quiet small Appartment and prefers the feel of the big spaces of the office

Christian refuses not not wear any sort of jacket during his workday but once the day is over and everyone leaves he takes of his jacket loosens up his tie and takes out his bun to feel more comfortable

Naomi once saw christian at a museum staring really hard at a painting then she saw that painting printed on a corset the next day it made her laugh so much she had to buy it for work

One day Naomi wore tights with bats on them (vintage 😉) when she arrived at work and "happened" to get in the elevator with Christian he instantly said "nice bats" but then panicked and went into how much he loves bats for 10 mins straight. Naomi instantly fell for that panicked rizz lol

Next day she came to the office with some nice bat earing but swears its not related to Christian and his love of bats(it is) and its NOT HER GIVING HIM SIGNS OMG GUYS DO YOU WANT ME TO GET WRITTEN UP TO HR( she totally was)

How they got close and began working together:

After a particularly tough day at work of having to stay late and trying to get through to the accounting department because they wont budge on buying the expensive colored ink for thier printers and how not doing that will compromise the color quality plus almost calling the accounting manger an uneducated potato,

she decided to pass by the empty (or so she thought) accounting department to let out some cuss words at a poor empty desk, she saw Sinclare sitting there tie loosened and all and decided to try again and convince him to not cut the important supplies from the budget

How she thought that conversation went:

How it actually went:

After he recovered from that he told her he will help her write better more convincing reports to present to the department and from then on they became friends (who are trying so hard and failing not to fall for each other)

Aaand Thats all for now folks if you read all that i wanna say thank you i love getting super inspired like this its so much fun! Tell me what you think of the babes here im So excited!

Thank you again to kashisun for this extremely fun idea❤️

[blaaamboozle]

Part 2 of my redesignssss

This time with my favorite TV, Vox and the damn moth Valentino. I thought Val's original design (in my opinion) fell a little flat. Yes, I know he's a pimp, so the outfit is a robe and when he doesn't have that, it's just some purple button up. I do love that he has fishnets and black boots but I wanted to make him a little more..like a whore he is lol. ALSO figured out that his wings is his robe which I thought was clever so I might draw my version of Val in a robe. He is also very VERY fluffy because hes a moth, moths are pretty fluffy. He has hair. Fluffy hair. Idk why, just wanted to give him hair lol.

Now Vox design was inspired by a tiktok user name blufruity who also made a Vox redesign. He has a sales men type of vibe. Where he is more "down to earth" than he is in the show. So I gave him a button up with rolled up sleeves instead of a suit. I gave him his old TV head back and also gave him a crack on his screen. His tie is a little lightning bolt which I thought was cute. But because I liked his heels (boots) I kept them. Idk how I feel about the suspenders, I'm thinking on getting rid of them. His belt has a little wifi symbol and also a patch on his sleeve. The think I thought was cool was how one of his eyes can hypnotize people to listen to him. So I designed, instead of just him willingly to turn on and off the eye. I wanted to be there permanently.

I have more designs on the way. And also more Adam because I just love that guy.

[yurayura-kurage]

A3! Troupe Event: MY WORST WEDDING | Event Story Translation (8/11)

Neither Japanese nor English is my first language so please forgive me if I made mistake. However, feel free to point me out, I’d love to hear your feedbacks on the translation ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

Translation under the cut

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Sakyo’s mother: ––Oh my, so this is what the bride’s makeup room looks like. It’s princess-like.

Azami: I’m sorry for being selfish. The one who stirred Sakyo up is me.

Sakyo’s mother: It’s alright. Because there is no doubt that you guys will never be able to persuade me unless doing this way, Sakyo said this just then, right.

Sakyo is also a stubborn child, isn’t he? He really inherited my personality traits well.

…I’m sorry. Now that you guys have had things done for me, maybe I should just honestly and happily receive it…

Azami: I know. Look at this first.

Sakyo’s mother: ––

Azami: This dress was made by Yuki-san, our theater troupe’s costume designer after asking Sakyo’s younger sister to check your size. 

Sakyo’s mother: Eh, you guys went out of your way just to do this for me…?

Azami: When I asked, he was excited to prepare the dress.

Sakyo is always stingy to pay for the fabric for our theater troupe’s costume, but when he asked Yuki-san to make the dress with the highest quality clothing materials, Yuki-san was pumped up. 

Sakyo was the one who paid for all the materials to make the dress. He also said that he’d pay for the designing and tailoring cost too, but Yuki-san told him he enjoyed making the dress, and it was for Sakyo’s mother so he’s gonna make it for free.

Sakyo’s mother: So that’s it… This dress is so beautiful.

Azami: Sakyo also said “If she doesn’t want to wear it, then that’s fine. It’s just the same as the hair tie I gave her back then.”

Sakyo’s mother: That child… He still remembers that story.

Azami: This is the dress that Yuki-san made only for you, so it’ll definitely look good on you. And I’ll make sure that you can wear it with confidence after I do the makeup and style your hair.

So why don't you give it a try and then decide what to do? Please, I beg you.

Sakyo’s mother: …If you insist, then I guess I can’t say no anymore. I’m counting on you.

But why does Azami-kun have to go this far?

Azami: It’s gonna be a quite long story, so I’ll tell you ‘bout it while putting on the makeup.

*Short timeskip*

Azami: I grew interested in makeup when helping my sick mother with her makeup.

Sakyo’s mother: Your mother is…

Azami: She passed away when I was still a kid.

Sakyo’s mother: I see…

Azami: After my mother passed away, Sakyo came to my house. My dad was busy, so Sakyo has been taking care of me for a long time…

*Flashback*

Dad brought Sakyo to my house when I was 6 years old.

“Sakyo?” “Right. From now on, this guy will take care of you.”

Ever since I was a baby, there were lots of young folks (*) coming in and out of my house frequently, so it’s not strange to see newcomers in my house, but among them, Sakyo was very young.

Until then, it was the young folks taking turns to pick me up and drop me off at the nursery school. But since that day, Sakyo has been in charge of all those duties.

“Oi, Sakyo. I’m thirsty." “What did you just call me… Here, drink some water.”  “I want orange juice.”  “If you only drink sweet things, you’ll get cavities in your teeth.”  “Orange juice!”  “You can drink it only when you eat snacks.”

“Then, I’ll have some snacks.” “Only after you’re done learning how to use the abacus.” “Annoying.” “It’s gonna be useful if you can memorize it.” “No one does that.”

“Then what are your pals doing?" “Don’t know. I’ve never hung out with them.” “...Do you want to play with bubble wrap.” “That’s boring!”

He’s naggy, and looked like a cold person at first, but he kept following me because it was his responsibility to watch over me.

I even spent more time together with him than with my dad, we started to open up with each other gradually, and it slowly became more fun playing with him.

When my mom passed away, I pretended to look fine in front of my dad, but deep down in my heart, that was a huge shock to me.

It was undoubtedly thanks to Sakyo that I was able to truly get over my mom’s death at that time. 

*Back to present*

Azami: Our relationship is different now, but we used to be close in the past. Thanks to Sakyo, I was able to pull myself together and regain my energy, even when I was in elementary school––.

That’s right. Actually I wanted to say thanks to you for this when we met last time.

Sakyo’s mother: These cards are…

Azami: When my dad banned me from playing the popular card game when I was in elementary school, Sakyo made these cards for me and played with me.

You’re the one who originally created this right?

Sakyo’s mother: That’s right… So that’s it… Sakyo gave them to you… 

Fufu. How nostalgic.

When I was making these cards while waiting for Sakyo to return home, I was disappointed with myself that I couldn’t buy him a popular toy. 

But that child looked really happy playing my handmade cards, and I was saved by that. It was hard to make a living back then, but thanks to his presence, I was able to overcome many hardships.

He has grown up now, but he’s still a little shy and cute, isn’t he.

Fufu. This is nostalgic. I wish I could hug that small child again… There’s no way he will let me hug him now.

Azami: Speaking of hugs… People seem to do wedding hugs these days.

The thing you do after taking the oath, t-that’s too shameless but… it’s okay if it’s just a hug right?

Sakyo’s mother: That’s right… Then maybe I wouldn’t feel embarrassed even in front of my children.

…But that child and Azami-kun are pretty similar. His father also passed away because of illness when he was little…

Azami: Perhaps Sakyo is doing his best to support my dad because he can’t show filial piety to his father anymore.

I’m also the same. I want to do something for you, and for the part I couldn’t do for my mom. It’s completely my own self-satisfaction though…

Here, it’s done.

Sakyo’s mother: It’s not your self-satisfaction. I’m pleased, too.

…I don’t look like myself. It’s like Cinderella’s magic, isn’t it.

It would be a waste if I don’t take photos when putting on this wonderful makeup and wearing this special dress that you guys prepared for me. 

If I don’t keep this as a commemoration, I may regret it for the rest of my life.

Azami: That means––.

Sakyo’s mother: I wonder if I can fit into this dress though.

Azami: It seems that it was made to be easy to adjust the waist and so on.

Sakyo’s mother: As expected of costume designer-san.

Azami: I’ll call someone to help you change costumes.

Sakyo’s mother: Ah, wait a minute––

Azami-kun, thank you for always taking care of that child.

Azami: ––No, as I told you earlier, it was me who has been taken care of for a long time…

Sakyo’s mother: Even this time too, I now understand Sakyo’s recent place to belong is–– I realize how important and precious the theater troupe and your house are to Sakyo.

He sometimes told me that he was looking after you when you were a kid… That child, he seemed to be having a lot of fun while complaining all the time, didn’t he.

Ever since he became your caretaker, the atmosphere around Sakyo has changed, he even became softer.

He worried about you so much that he couldn’t put his mind at ease as if he had a child of his own.

…That’s why you are like a grandchild to me.

From now on, please continue taking care of that child.

Azami: …Yeah.

Translator’s note:

(*) He was using the word “若い連中” here, which literally means young folks, and as far as I understand, this also refers to the young people who don’t have a certain rank in a yakuza group.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Previous || Next

[oddygaul]

Jakub Rebelka’s Origins and Cyberpunk XOXO

Ever since there’s been a wallpaper shuffling function in Windows, I’ve kept a big-ass folder full of art to cycle through. When I was younger, this was more traditional wallpaper-type wallpapers, featuring plenty of references and tongue-in-cheek, graphic tee style images. Nowadays, I basically use it as a big repository for all my favorite art: illustrators whose work I admire, favorite frames from movies or animation, comic pages, or even just character designs I particularly like.

Weighing in at over 10GB and containing nearly 12,000 files, it’s safe to say that it’s not especially curated - I must’ve thought everything in there was neat at the time I added it, but given that some of the images are almost two decades old, there’s certainly some pictures that’ll pop up in the rotation that I wish I could remove then and there. More often, though, and this is what I love about this wallpaper folder, it’ll remind me of an artist whose work I haven’t thought about in years, and allow me a moment to stop and appreciate it before I go back to whatever I was doing.

One of the artists I found myself stopping and appreciating a lot was Jakub Rebelka. I must’ve found him back in the DeviantArt days, but lost him in my transition to more modern platforms - so by the time I started seeing his work pop up, it had been so long I had no idea who he was. Finally, after being so impressed with the style every time a piece of his came up, I spent half a day digging through the folder to try and find his name – nowadays I always label each image with the artist’s name, but back when I was younger? It was a free-for-all. 

Upon finding his name at last and pulling up his portfolio, I was, if anything, even more impressed! Even coming back with a decade’s worth of refinement in my artistic taste and skill, I still found all his work breathtaking. Rebelka’s art occupies this incredibly unique balancing point of painterly and graphic – sick character designs with strong silhouettes, a rendering style with plenty of brush strokes and paint texture, while still blocking things off with big, graphic shapes – and a great knack for color besides.

And so, I resolved to not let myself forget him again. I got a couple prints of my favorite pieces of his, and found that he’s even done some sequential work since then: Origins, a far-future scifi story about the last human being, and XOXO, a Cyberpunk 2077 tie-in that restrains its scope to the story of one particular ganger.

Origins

Well, after all that build-up, this one was a bit of let-down for me.

There’s no denying Rebelka is an incredible illustrator, but he’s still very much getting his sequential narrative legs here. Origins has some truly breathtaking splash pages and environment art; the in-between moments, though, that get us from setpiece to setpiece, can be stilted. When characters are striking stoic poses or overlooking a scenic vista, they look great; when those characters are performing more specific, dynamic actions, or having a conversation that requires nuanced expression, they leave a bit to be desired. The action sequences are pretty rough as well; the back third of the book has a lot of big fights, and they mostly come off as confusing and static.

this is also probably the most I’ve ever been distracted by lettering. All the SFX look like they’re from a different book

Mind you, these missteps might mostly be the result of time crunch, because in Origins, Rebelka has staunchly refused to reign back his artstyle to something more workable for a comics format. While there’s the odd panel here and there that looks like a traditional, inked comic page, the vast majority of the book is done in Rebelka’s usual style: striking shape language, extreme textural depth and remarkably thorough landscape work. Seriously, while I may take issue with some of the art, it’s an incredible feat to finish a whole book in this style.

Part of the credit here goes to colorist Patricio Delpeche, of course, who did an excellent job on this whole book. I should mention here, by the way, that the way Rebelka did the black and whites is crazy: he just full-on painted all these panels in grayscale. This is seriously wild – I struggle to think of another book with this approach.

In the typical inker / colorist contract, outside of texture, the inks are usually left as just black and white without mid-tones, with those left to the colorist’s discretion. It’s easy to think of a colorist’s job as just choosing a color palette, when in reality they’re making a lot of incredibly tough decisions about value and composition. There’s some artists, like Matteo Scalera, who do their own middle values with inkwash, but even then, the colorist is doing a lot of sculpting and shaping of form.

Looking at this before and after Delpeche posted on his Instagram, though, it seems Rebelka just went whole-hog on defining value as well. Now, this is a splash page, so maybe it was an exception, and there’s certainly some chunks of the story later on that look more like traditional comic pages; still, it’s crazy to see.

Now, I’ve largely focused on discussing Origins’ art since that’s what I came to this book for, but it’s also because the story and writing are nothing special. The premise feels pretty boilerplate; we have nanites that grey goo’d the world, we have an all-knowing network that killed off humanity, we have the Last Man on Earth, we have robots that were programmed to serve humans reckoning with a humanless world, we have a lot of creator vs. their creations dynamic… I dunno. Origins throws a lot of concepts together, but none of them struck me as especially fresh, and the story doesn’t come together to be more than the sum of its parts. The writing is also fairly stiff, which doesn’t do the book any favors as it tries to culminate things with a more character-centric resolution.

Cyberpunk 2077: XOXO

Right off the bat, this book hooked me more, in no small part due to the more flavorful writing. Gone is the exhausting explanatory narration of Origins, replaced with a less-is-more approach, leaving a lot up to interpretation despite being a narrow-scope, character-focused story. Issue 1 immediately introduces us to a strong “finger, eyes, ears, nose, legs, stomach, shoulder, feet, heart” motif, which is used brilliantly throughout the entirety of XOXO to hint at the history and motivations of our taciturn protagonist.

The cartoon frame story is also a successful trick. Fully wordless, these sections give us a bit of a break from the clamor and chatter of the characters, while also allowing the visuals to step apart from the grime and neon of Night City every so often. They’re nice reprieves, and Rebelka’s style lends itself well to the flat perspective and exaggerated proportions.

In general, Rebelka’s art here is a huge step up; he clearly learned a lot in the near-decade since Origins. For one thing, the setting fits his aesthetic pretty well; the grim, angular cityscapes all look effortless with his penchant for graphic composition. The figurework, too, is killer in this book; the characters are all incredibly emotive, and the action is clean and legible here. The colorwork, as expected of Rebelka, is dynamic and fitting, especially in issue 1’s kaleidoscopic flashbacks.

the figurework and perspective is miles ahead

Again, there is a bit of the classic limited series dropoff, with the art in the back half falling short compared to the lavish introduction. Seriously, just look at the rendering in issue 1’s cover compared to issue 4:

I totally get it, of course; comics are an exhausting business, and Rebelka was pulling double duty here by doing all the colors as well. And on a monthly comic like this, which I’m sure didn’t have much of a lead time? It’s still a pretty heroic effort, and what I’m calling a ‘dropoff’ is just a switch from his incredible painterly rendering to a more traditional lineart / flats style – it’s still pretty ace.

The story doesn’t end quite as well as it begins – the pitch-black nihilistic finale feels like it’s fulfilling a brand obligation to me more than anything – but between Rebelka’s enveloping art and the consistent, rhyming motifs, XOXO still ends up as a nice little tone piece.

[devoursbears]

So I go to a gay church in my area because I like the community and it is honestly incredible to see old queers every week. But I've been thinking recently about this particular dynamic in the bible study group.

in the group there is this gay catholic and and a nonbinary communist who are both retirement age and butt heads on every topic, with the Catholic very adamant in his positions and being sure of his being right about How To Christianity. Then the Communist who has studied other religions and is much more concerned with the Divinity found in humanity than some invisible Patriarch making all the rules. and it as me thinking about the Uber Right Wing politics of a buncha christians, and how 'traditional christianity' really does make sense with their political views (and lets be honest, it was designed that way)

because like, the Catholic. He means well, but basically always falls back to "Yeah God is easy. He is perfect and mysterious and we can't understand him but we have to follow his rules and those rules are the Bible and the Catholic Doctrine." Which. Every time I hear him talk I cant help but hear right wing rhetoric about not questioning established authority and how those in power got there in the first place.

For example, there was a discussion about Sin. and the Catholic goes on the expected spiel of "Sin is these actions as defined by bible and to be rid of sin you have to do the 3 step plan that the church made up which goes like admit guilt, apologize, then repent by not doing the thing again and also pray about it. Bam Done. Easy Peasy."

He kept repeating this line of reasoning even when this other guy, a New guy who specifically doesn't like Christianity because of people who prescribe how to think and act, as it is a trigger for New guy. But the Catholic couldn't tell that. His Catholic Programming wasn't able to compute any other way of a Correct Relationship with Religion. It felt incredibly reminiscent of something along the lines of "oh its easy to not get arrested, just don't to a crime sweaty :))))" type rhetoric.

and I don't have the writing skills to make extensive conclusions and tie all the strings together but I just wanted to share this pattern I see. where right wing Evangelical Christians have their view on life baked in in every aspect of their beliefs. and its frustrating!!! because religion even including Christianity can be a helpful tool for spirituality/hope in the world/ community for people but just like any system of power, it is important to question the structure, and who is in power and why. And like most power structures that want to maintain that structure, Christianity and Right Wing rhetoric often go hand in hand in their ability to drive any questioning out.

Anyhow, shoutout to Alien the 70ish year old nonbinary racing champ with an intersex cat they are my hero and I love them for having the energy to push back against the Catholic and his rigid power structures.

[weirdestcornelius]

there's old art of doom having a more crooked, "ugly" design that was probably changed for doomi reasons and making him clearer as a good guy, but honestly I think it should've been kept. he looks like a stereotypical villain but hates what he had to do and is good, whereas cuddles, disguising as a cute bunny, is pure evil. it'd be an interesting contrast

I'm a bit biased when it comes to this because I just genuinely love unsettlingly cute or fucked up looking characters but I think this would be such a cool concept to have kept.

I liked Doom and Moods original designs more because it shows they're twins, but gives more differences between them. The way Dooms nose is scrunched up and they're all sweaty and hunched over whereas Moods nose is curled and she just looks really bouncy (?) for lack of better word. Gives more contrast between them, mainly from shape theory; Doom is more "sharp" looking which sets off the "bad guy" signal in our brains while Cuddles and Mood are more "round" which makes them seem more inviting and appealing. If you don't believe me look at literally any marketable mascot out there, I can guarantee you that many of them are rounder looking instead of being made out sharper shapes.

I've always liked Cuddles' original design more because I know I'm not the only one who could look at him and say there's something off. I'm a sucker for characters that look so cute and innocent to the point where you KNOW it's fake. You KNOW there's something wrong with that guy because there's something there that is off putting. Even if you removed the saw he's holding in that one old art piece he still looks uncanny with how fluffy and stereotypically cute he is paired with that really big smile. Now with Cuddles' new design, I really can't tell how outsiders are supposed to find him welcoming or appealing? A big chunk of his character (to me, at least) is how he's used pretty privilege to his advantage by making himself look more marketable to lure more people in, considering we can only assume that naked mole rats are not considered attractive on Spinch with how much Kc jokes about him being ugly. I personally love naked mole rats and could infodump about how cool they are for hours but. That's beside the point.

I've always taken the way he was originally designed as a way to show how big corporations or famous people in general paint themselves in a friendly, appealing light when in reality a lot of them take advantage of the poor and ruin lives. As for Doom I just thought his looks were a good contrast to his sister, not just how I stated above but also how it shows off the different sides of coping. Doom themselves looks sweaty, nervous, and angry whereas Mood has seemed to block off any negativity and is painting herself in a happy eccentric light despite the onslaught going on around her, seemingly cutting herself off from what is happening entirely. If you looked at the older art, at first glance you'd probably assume Cuddles and Mood are the good guys considering how cute and appealing they look, but even though there's something obviously off about Cuddles I feel like it would still be surprising for the cute little bunny man to end up being the guy who has killed people compared to the tall, multi-limbed rat.

So yeah. I miss a lot of things about older Cuddles and Doom. I miss Dooms bitchiness and annoyance towards the patients. I miss how Cuddles used to actually have good character that could make room for so many character arcs compared to what he is now, just existing to be the bad guy and that's it. I'm honestly hoping he actually has some sort of backstory and it isn't just "he's mean because he was born that way" because I know that people aren't bad from instinct. It's how we're raised and influenced that makes us bad people. I have some personal headcanons for Cuddles that tie into this.

this got so long and ranty I'm sorry anon

[20dollarlolita]

Going to do a lolita challenge that The Random Lolita posted 12 years ago. I'm going to be spacing these out, but it seemed like it'd be fun.

I picked this because it's not coord-heavy and so that means more people could join in if they want. I've wanted to do this for quite a while, but always kind of found other people's annoying to read. Since tumblr has a decent blacklist function now, you can just block "20dollarlolita 30daylorlolita challenge" to avoid reading this.

Day 1) 10 things about your lolita bubble.

Not going to lie, I didn't do this one for the longest time because I didn't really get what "your lolita bubble" meant, and I didn't want to start this on the wrong foot. But I read some other people's things and it's apparently just things that are about how you interact with the concept of lolita fashion.

So here goes: 1) my lolita bubble is a mess right now. In addition to being non-weight bearing on my foot, which is making all lolita difficult, there's also some interesting things happening in the local community that I'm in. 2) I'm so used to being the lone lolita that it feels very strange to me to be so wrapped up in what other people in my area are doing. I was lone lolita for the first 10+ years I was in the fashion, and have only had a local community for a year or so. I changed jobs last year, and part of the reason was that I wasn't allowed to have a flexible day off and had to use my PTO any time I wanted a day off that wasn't a tuesday or wednesday. I would have quit over the disrespect that this issue was handled with, but the reason that this was initially brought up was because my lolita meets were not happening on weekdays. 3) I'm into lolita fashion because it allows me to be creative, to craft new things, and to build new things. I love buying pieces that are missing components and then rebuilding those components.

Okay, line break, 4) I'm currently working on a bunch of projects, including resizing a JSK for a friend. I had to replace a broken zipper and add a shirring panel. I absolutely love how shirring panels make sewing lolita so much more accessible, because if the fit isn't completely right, you know the panel will compensate. I had to add a little bit on the sides, which one of the waist ties was sacrificed for. I'm trying to figure out how to turn the existing one waist tie into two so that the dress will have ties still.

5) I got into lolita in a really difficult time in my life. As is often the case with serious chronic mental illness, mine developed when I was in my very early 20's, which was right after I decided to get into lolita fashion. I really want to make a dress with the words, "Live through this and you won't look back," on it, but i've never had the right time or design to do it. 6) I love looking through old lolita blogs. I love looking at tutorials from 2007. I love how much of the more early western lolita scene is archived on livejournal. I love the privacy of lolita discord and the safety it's offered, but I always hope that people will archive tutorials somewhere public for the future generations. 7) I have a werid amount of guilt around the fact that I bought an embroidery machine a year ago and still haven't ever made a border print on it. I make a lot of patches but I've never done a border embroidery. 8) One of my favorite archived lolita things is the argument over that BTSSB flower crown and the person who kept insisting that she be given the contact info of a stranger who bought it so that they could ask it to be sold to them. 9) I think that most of the time when someone says that a dress doesn't look good without the waist ties that, if you dig into what they say, they hate fat people. Maybe this isn't true anymore, but it used to go hand in hand.

10) I spend a lot of time on this blog waiting for everyone to realize that i'm a giant asshole and to leave me alone. I'm grateful for everyone who is willing to stick around even when I say stuff like #9. I love how people are willing to come and tell me that they're glad there's a lolita tumblr that's still highly active, and that I've helped them. I went from doing this blog for me, specifically to give myself an excuse to make more lolita fashion, to being able to tailor posts to the needs of other people and a general audience. I have been going through some additional shit recently, and I didn't have enough time to do both this and my youtube channel, and we can see which one I picked.

Bonus thing: 11) I really want to figure otu how to do a stage transformation dress (cinderella dress) in lolita. The magic of somehow going from old school gothic to ott sweet or something would be so cool, even though it couldn't actually happen like it does in my mind.

Anyway, y'all let me know if you'd rather I stick to normal content and do the rest of this on my personal blog. BTW @handcraftedplumbingnightmares is my personal blog, if anyone wants it.

[miiilowo]

Ough tell us abt William and gender

bc Funtime Foxy and Springbonnie are both characters Will had a very strong influence in making. I've personally always seen it as (likely unconscious) projecting on his part. I have Many Thoughts on Funtime Foxy being feminine presenting with a masc voice and passionate entertainer like William. And Springbonnie being William's absolute favorite; and Sb can very much be interpreted as not caring about gender and using any pronouns from the fnaf world screens

How do you think William's life wouldn't turned out if there were no murders and nothing bad happened? Would he have stayed with Henry and Fredbear's or pursued different passions? What would he be like as an old man and potential grandfather, theres not too much in canon you can base on so it's fun to ask and seeing all the different answers you can get

Would do you think about William's apparent fondness for the circus and the like? (Based on the SL designs and ar springtrap having a clown skin) I think it makes the random "1810 circus pipe organ" audio in fnaf 1 real fun. Like. the implications of it or something

I LOVE HOW FUCKING QUEERCODED HE IS 💥💥💥💥IT GENUINELY MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO THINK ABOUT. i 100% would not be surprised if scott did it on purpose, especially when you take the spring bonnie gender thing into account. he is bisexual & aro To Me and while i do generally perceive him as a cis guy, that doesnt mean he cant get a little silly with gender stuff :3c id never thought it about funtime foxy being projection, but it absolutely makes sense, especially considering the tie-in with him being an entertainer. using spring bonnie probably wouldve been bad rep at that point in the timeline, so having using funtime foxy instead is delightful and im incorporating that into how i view him now. i love effeminate queer coded villains. they r everything to me. no way this dude wasnt spotted as being queer by the general population. type of motherfucker to have a musical number if i am being honest. like if there was an animated fnaf movie i wholeheartedly believe he would have some over the top song and performance about his Evil Plans. he loves that shit. hes soooooo FUCKING SILLY im going to eat him alive. anyways

he probably wouldve just kept doin what he loved if everything went well. its his passion ! god knows the two of them would be well off enough to retire. i dont think theyd be anything too extraordinary, though if william went down the path of wanting to be Better than henry still, murders aside, then i can see him achieving some pretty cool shit. i think he'd eternally have like, weird uncle or embarrassing dad energy for the rest of his life. this is because he is autistic

aaaaaaaand as for the circus thing, i think it just makes sense given his adoration for entertaining. being a clown isnt really too far off what he already did- both of em dress up as characters to perform for people, especially kids, and are known for doing silly little tricks. e.g. juggling. which he can do, canonically. im not sure he has too much interest in clowns, just likes them, and it makes a lot of sense thematically :o)