#Peacock Visual Arts

[bastionrojo]

The shrine

[ararojart]

[aquilae-stims]

( 🦚 )

[jeffoftrades]

another one of my characters I drew from a story I will be planning in the future, can't give it a name except calling it birds piece, a peacock soft rock singer.

[maplewozapi]

I should have known if I brought up wc I’d have to talk about. But it includes of a lot of issues with feral/furry designs that use feathers in hair. I don’t necessarily know why the conversation only started and stayed in the wc fandom when horse/wolf/lion feral fandoms are still doing the same thing.

Now having feathers in the design isn’t a racial attack first thing off because there’s a lot of context around what feather’s are used, the shape, and where they are placed. If the look is anything like "rave Coachella looking tribal fantasy feathers and beads" it’s probably insensitive. I’m not to sure why it has to be feathers, I honestly think the wc fandom are holding themselves back when it comes to forwarding designs in a unique way. Tail feathers are also left out in this conversation as well, one or two feathers or feathers in the shape of a birds tail are fine but bunched together feathers are leaning to close to how we have our horses wear feathers. This is in the context of the design already looking like a "medicine cat" already its bad. it’s like those yt girls wear feather head bands but animal addition.

I’ve talked about this before but silhouettes are so important, like Native American stereotypes are on the global scale you cannot escape this silhouette you just have to avoid it. There’s no "but it’s in so many other cultures" no it’s not it’s totally unique to our people that’s why people flock to it because it’s so "mysterious, sacred" whatever their weird twisted up reason is. There’s so many unique ways to break this silhouette you just gotta be more creative. And I feel like instead of being more creative and coming up with totally different ideas it’s just easier to lean on these visual native stereotypes to get across "wild mythical nature fantasy"

I could get into the horse fandom and the weird situations they’re doing over there but that’s another crazy thing. I should say because someone will ask, ostrich feathers on like show horses or knights or puss in boots style is fine not the same thing (breaking the silhouette) they’re not related.

And it comes down to understanding what you are drawing and where this imagery comes from, I’m not gonna get my feelings hurt because of your design but I’ll question why are you drawing stuff like that. You cant remove that cultural/stereotypical imagery, and if you don’t care about it then you don’t care about the history or how it looks on your character and art.

I made it this far on the internet but if you want to be conscious about these things good on yea it doesn’t take much☺️👍

Edit: can’t believe I gotta say this but yes other cultures utilize feathers, if people are using feathers that are used in their culture then don’t harass them. That’s weird have some common sense. Ostrich feathers, peacock feathers it’s actually so interesting how native birds to an area affect the culture there.

[axvwriter]

Not sure if this really counts for MerMay since according to my computer, I made this on April 8th. Drawing sea life is really fun. I wanted to share this since it has all these different fishies.

The big one in the middle is one I basically gave up on as Peacock Mantis Shrimps are so colorful that I can't really tell what I'm looking at. Though like a week or two ago I came to the realization that I was a bit confused. I thought Peacock Mantis Shrimps were the only kind of Mantis Shrimp out there. Since I have a better understanding of that now, I will be redrawing Mantis Shrimp form.

Above I've drawn my oc, Bobo, in merforms based on several different fishes. Some were drawn just because I wanted to draw them while some were drawn as potentially what Bobo would look like if she was turned into a merperson.

The list of fishes are listed under the keep reading.

-Ribbon Eel (If you haven't seen their noses, you should look them up.)

-Purple Striped Jellyfish (I'm not really sure how to do a jellyfish merperson as it feels more like I drew an entire jellyfish and attached it to the upper body of a human.)

-Reaper Cuttlefish

-Black Spotted Moray Eel

-Satomi's Pygmy Seahorse (Very tiny.)

-Eagle Ray

-Holocentridae Squirrelfish (They have some sorta big eyes.)

-Watonai Goldfish

-Peacock Mantis Shrimp

-Devil's Hole Pupfish (They live in only one place in the world.)

-Blackfin Pearl Killifish

-Artic Char (Which I used to just draw the more typical mermaid look.)

I have decided if Bobo were to turn into a merperson, she would be a Mantis Shrimp of the smasher category. I won't base it off any one specific Mantis Shrimp but sort of combine some into her own. Mantis Shrimps are apparently either smashers or spearers, depending on the type of claws they have. Due to Bobo having some video-game-cartoony strength, it seems fitting to have her be a Mantis Shrimp, a small little marine crustacean that can break aquarium glass.

I will also be drawing Bobo as the more typical mermaid look too since I want to.

These are both related to Twisted Wonderland though since in that game Floyd calls MC "Shrimpy" and I've been playing the game with Bobo in my mind in place of the MC. It's a bit of a fun way to build a character, imagining them in worlds or canons that they'd never actually be a part of. Mantis Shrimp aren't actually shrimp, but since no one's really any of the nicknames that Floyd gives, I don't see why not. Plus it could be debatable about how human Bobo is?

She is human, but she has some evolutionary differences to common humans due to coming from a kingdom that's purely underground. She can't see as far out in the distance as most people, but she can see in the dark along with having a bit better hearing than most people.

[ashesofdecay]

Ink on Bristol, 11 in × 14 in

2023

[colorfuldragons]

across the spider-verse characters, but as flight rising dragons

𝟣. miles morales: obsidian/sanguine/ruby

2. gwen stacy: orca/magenta/magenta

3. pavitr prabhakar: crimson/oilslick/vermilion

4. hobie brown [wildclaw] [ridgeback]: crimson/garnet/obsidian

edit: someone on discord made a good point that hobie shouldnt be the most expensive kind of dragon, so i added a ridgeback alt version! f pose ridgeback, since theres apparel layering issues on the m pose

5. miguel o'hara: sapphire/garnet/ruby

6. jessica drew: vermilion/obsidian/oilslick

7. peter b. parker: sapphire/vermilion/vermilion

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

design notes about the scries, below the cut:

𝟣. miles morales

the patterns from his genes already reflected miles' spider-suit patterns well, so his scry doesnt have a lot of apparel

the bewitching ruby pendants represents his spider logo

2. gwen stacy

gwen has runes tert, because there werent any suitable pink glove apparels (the peony ones dont match well)

i considered giving the scry banana noxtide as a secondary to mimic her hair's pink hairlights, but it didnt mesh well

3. pavitr prabhakar

i couldn't figure out how to represent pavitr's spider logo, so i just gave his scry a necklace in lieu of it

the "navy bandana" was way too big and the color didnt match, so i opted for the "sky blue fillet" to represent his headband

4. hobie brown

hobie's scry/outfit was surprisingly easy to come up with, and was the first one i did

he gets a lute because theres no guitar apparel

his patchwork secondary represents his collage art style

5. miguel o'hara

i chose banescale for miguel, as his spider-suit is so simple/streamlined that it wouldnt translate well to apparel + skeletal tert being spiky is reminiscent of his arm spikes

[insert steven universe joke here about his colors being sapphire/garnet/ruby]

6. jessica drew

i thought about representing jessica's motorcycle with the "flameforger crucible" or "igneous iguana" apparels, but they were too bulky unfortunately

vermilion skink doesnt have her exact shade of yellow, but is close enough that oilslick peacock's yellow accent color balances it out visually

7. peter b. parker

fissure secondary represents the spider web pattern on peter's spider-suit

i know his slippers are supposed to be blue, but the "mage's peony socks" looked better here

the bookworm plushie is a stand-in for mayday

if youve made it to here, feel free to comment which fandragon scry is your fav! :)

[robolvrr]

attention-seeker ミ⁠●﹏

transformers reactions to human modifications. (tattoos, piercings, hair-dye.) headcanons!

optimus prime, bumblebee, prowl. tfa.

sfw / suggestive under cut.

may do more of them, i love this show to death.

optimus prime

"you do this stuff... for fun? huh."

try as he might, he does not understand the point much.

don't get me wrong, i see animated optimus to be the closest to a mid-twenties rascal as you can get. modifications aren't unheard of for bots. he's not a nun.

however ...

he sees humans as still pretty fragile. so the idea that you like going and having needles shoved into your flesh and jammed through your muscle isn't something he can wrap his helm around at first.

primus forbid you have lots.

imagine him trying to process you explaining that yes, your entire back is covered in ink and you're planning on about five different piercings in the next year.

"so you. you plan on getting two on your back. just because?"

"that's the plan, big guy."

poor mech is lost. though he does enjoy learning more about humanity when he isn't stressing too much about saving it.. so expect questions.

when you suggest getting one of the autobot emblem, his circuits nearly fry.

prowl

"so, what's the significance?"

i see prowl not writing off the behavior as weird and instead digging for why you pursued this journey.

yes, he sees your tattoo and piercing collection as a journey, because that's what it is, isn't it? years of work and pain to adorn your body to your liking.

he knows that humans are bundled with nerves. there's respect earned. he finds humans to be eerily resilient.

will ask you the meaning of each and every one. piercings less so.

"what does this bird represent?"

"mm.. my sense of liberty."

"a visual representation of the wish to stretch to new horizons. how fascinating. being small in a vast universe with the urge to still explore."

"i also just like hummingbirds."

"mm. i see."

will get onto you once he finds out about the "makeshift" work. finds the mistakes or even forgettable craftsmanship to make you endearing.

bumblebee

"whoa! sick paintjob, human!"

he LOVES human culture. and you guys can just... change your appearance? count him impressed!

you had dyed your hair to a nice golden yellow to match his frame and he almost jammed his intake shut.

"you can just. do that?!? b-but your helm used to be-"

"hair, bee."

"right, right. it wasn't always that color though!!!"

he thinks it's so cool. real dork about it. totally buzzed out once you spoke about the chemistry that it went to the process though.

he thinks piercings are cute. after all the fusion of metal and organic is kiiind of taboo. you pull it off great.

tattoos make him beg ratchet to let him upgrade his paint. poor old mech is grumpy and over bumble whining him to just let him "get some flames and that's it."

you draw a lot of inspiration from him. will gladly brainstorm your next big change and puff his chassis out like a lil peacock knowing you're willing to get something permanent done in his designation.

nsfw.

optimus prime

"you look like a painting. primus above, you're gorgeous..."

optimus prime enjoys tracing your tats. he kisses the patterns and images as if the pain of the needle remains, glossa licking along thick and thin ink with shuttered optics.

he likes to see goosebumps trail after. kind of a weird fetish (?) but he mostly enjoys how reactive you are and how your inkwork ripples with the movement.

when he finds out your piercings can make you sensitive ...

well, good luck.

optimus at his spark of sparks is such a tease. when you continue to surprise him, it's nice to be in control of that mutual fascination for once.

"you enjoy when i tug.. these?"

nipple piercings.

expect his glossa. he takes special care to even lubricate each of his digits just to toy with your sore nipples.

prowl

"that's it. fall apart for me. just like art..."

prowl is observant. so when you let it slip that you've been holding back on some of what's on your body...

you're on his berth and naked. his optics are hidden behind his sharp visor.

"holding back on me? that's a shame. i thought you knew better than to do that."

is he angry? hardly! but his processor is about to work overtime when you stammer just why you hadn't gone into depth.

genital piercings.

he doesn't say anything for a long time. doesn't ask the millions of questions bombarding his thoughts. his servos do that speaking before he can.

let's just say you start to understand why he deals with tedious and delicate situations. those hands are built for... meticulous attention.

bites. all the areas with piercings. focuses carefully damn near to the square inch of sensitive flesh where it drives you wild.

tattoos? he loves to scrape his digits down em.

loves to doll you up in lingerie that accentuates everything you hide. crotchless, cut-outs exposing yourself until he can't see where the inkwork begins and ends.

robolvrr 2024.

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #2 by Juni Ba rambling about Gotham's fearsome hunter

added Jason to this issue's collage since it was mainly from his perspective!

ramble for issue #1 here!

starting with the cover again, but now in contrast to the first:

Dick and Barbara are presented as statues in the bg for the first cover where they’re established heroes in a secure time in their lives, and Damian is obviously the highlight! For #2's cover, the autumn leaves motif returns, but this time featuring Jason!! Apparently, Damian isn’t the only one to go through a “season of change” in this series, as Jason takes his own steps forward by the end of this story 🥺 also the literal layers on Jason - his angry Red Hood helmet and the beaten down Robin head...

The issue opens with Joe the robber and his hostage "Merle"! The glasses feels like a giveaway that this is Carrie(??) narrating Damian's story, so the final issue could end with her perspective for where Damian currently is in his journey as Robin and where she plays a part.

Jason as the "hunter" of this fairytale is such a cool concept, especially upon his introduction pages!! He's surrounded by his recent "prey" with a nice contrast of their fancy jackets, pinstripe pants, and dress shoes to Jason's own tattered hoodie, pants, and sneakers.

Just like the past issue (or just Ba's work in general lol), THE BACKGROUNDS ARE SO LOVINGLY DRAWN. Makes Jason's stroll through inner Gotham so enjoyable from the bustling activity of the people, shop signs, and advertising to the quieter area of the cemetery. It's so lived in, especially feels like each citizen in the bg has a story to tell!

some bits of interest to me: is that scaly lil arm reaching for the rat supposed to be Croc LOL; just neat visual of old Joker posters leering over Jason; the name of the cemetery a nod to Kevin Conroy? and from T. Wayne - Thomas Wayne?

Despite showing how much of an intimidating and hardened exterior the Red Hood has, there's plenty of suggestion that he has soft edges! from his act of revenge for a beloved member of the community, his familiarity with the people even greeting him, and down to his chocobar...

might be my overthinking but the layers of that close up shot of the chocobar really got me 😭 it's like such a piece of innocence when seen in his scarred hand, especially when "Wayne Sweets" is visible - is it more emphasis of Jason clinging to a safer time and Bruce Wayne himself?? or is this brand just his favorite lil treat

EITHER WAY, incredibly funny to me Jason seems to hide it once Damian shows up

Seeing Ba's storyboards has me even more curious about his process with O'Halloran - like, it's a small detail but the traffic light in the foreground being red! added emphasis on the red theme this issue, or a warning for these two to Stop heading into a trap? ANYWAY DAMIAN HESITANTLY ASKING ABOUT HIS MOTHER I'M THROWING UP AWWGH

also love critically acclaimed animated film "The Cheetah King" haha! ALTHOUGH, Jason's story does line up with Simba's - a lost prince that feels like he's failed his father. Even believed to be dead for a period of time lol

Rok the demon's design is so slick!! Seems to take after a peacock with how fanciful he is, plus his tail details in his other form! A dapper demon definitely ready for the gala!

A GLIMPSE OF BA'S HEAVIER ACTION ART!! THE POUNCE!! the Robins being entirely made up of motion lines, even the details for Jason's helmet; and i'm always a sucker for those light streaks from the eyes!! THE PUNCH!! the quick panel of Jason's fist before arcing into that POW!!

and i say a glimpse, because in just the two other books i've read from Ba so far, he draws so much more action. lil Monkey Meat promo BUT LOOK!! have i mentioned how much i love his sfx lettering...that "AAAH" getting motion lines when closer to the camera...crazy...

dropping another small element from one of his books, Djeliya! just a really cool visual of casting magic!!

I love this sequence leading up to the Joker vision! The shapely flames that dwindle into the shape of TEARS!! We don't get the extent of how deeply the Joker affected Jason until this moment and the man is terrified.

First thing Damian does after getting shot is insult Jason, DAMIAN IS SO FUNNY. Also absolutely love the wiggly woggly lines of EVERYTHING in this panel.

Considering what Damian said earlier: "We both know you'd rather not have to explain your failure to father if anything happens to me that you could have prevented." As if Jason didn't already feel like a failure before this!! of course he'd turn into jiggling jelly realizing what he's done.

After 27 pages of a narrow-eyed Red Hood, including an early tease of him about to take off the helmet for his snack, this full page of Jason unmasking himself is such a heavy reveal. Adding the aching piece of dialogue?? BRUTAL

Damian responds in kind to the vulnerability with his own confession and something Jason really needed to hear after burdening himself for so long with the idea of being a failure.

After Damian leaves, the camera pulls back to show The Door in the dark of the room. Damian quite literally presents Jason a window of opportunity to face his past, and it goes so hard. Just like the buildup of frowning mask-to-face reveal, Jason's few expressions have mostly looked sad. So the shadowed eyes before the glare of determination makes this quiet moment feel extra epic!! also reminiscent of the Red Hood mask he wears!!

Beyond the door of Jason's "past life" is complete darkness. Jason has been hoping for Batman to pull him out of it (as further suggested by the newspaper clippings), but in the final page, the door is leaking light!! Jason finds his own way forward :')

The first issue introduces the Robins with specific labels, and so far the narrative either delves deeper into those claims or challenges it. Damian is unimpressed by "kind and brave" Dick and even forms some kind of rivalry. By the end, Damian’s learned how those simple traits are essential to becoming the person and hero Dick has become and gains a newfound respect for him.

#2 deviates from #1 by following “brash and rageful” Jason's perspective! Damian is under pressure from the legacies of all the Robins before him, and even if he relates to Jason the most there's still tension. This time around, while Damian does learn what lies behind the mask, he's the one to impart some knowledge to his fellow Robin.

ending ramble with a panel of the small beans

"Look Damian, everything the light touches is our kingdom."

TBH this ramble took forever to start because after reading Djeliya and Monkey Meat, i was so floored by how much MORE Ba has to offer. Everything i raved about from the first issue of The Boy Wonder...Ba's done it all in his previous work and MORE SO?? on top of writing, whimsical paneling and lettering, fun action scenes, deliberate coloring, kickass character designs and worldbuilding... the man does it all?? 😭

Monkey Meat 🐒

Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic ✌️

Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo

The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber

i may save the last two books for after The Boy Wonder ends because imagining the end of the series makes me so sad LOLL orz i may cave just because Mobilis is a pleasantly giant book...praying for DC to give the collected edition of The Boy Wonder this treatment...his pages are brimming with energy they deserve to be blown up with an oversized printing 😭

[daytaker]

The Gang's Tumblr Pages

Inspired by this and my own reaction to it.

Lucifer

Perfectly curated, perfectly formatted, and whenever there's a major change to the tumblr format, he simply leaves the website altogether in a huff of peacock feathers.

Lots of HD photography of nature getting reblogged.

Has an extremely complicated and specific list of tags he uses for every single post.

He only reblogs text posts that are sufficiently visually appealing. Very few meet his high standards.

You could look through his entire blog and not learn one single thing about him except that he's a perfectionist to the point of neurosis.

He has a lot of professional art blogs following him.

Mammon

Oversharing oversharing oversharing!!!!

He regularly gets himself in trouble by shouting about the shit he's done into the void of the internet.

Tried to have a tagging system but forgets about 7/10 times.

Reblogs himself all the time to say "AND ANOTHER THING!!!"

He hates looking at the actual blog pages. The text is always so tiny and some of them start playing music and changing his mouse into a weird shape? No thank you.

He has very few followers and he doesn't really care. Who goes on tumblr for the social element? Weirdos, that's who.

He's insanely easy to troll with anonymous asks. Everyone has done it. Even Lucifer, though he wouldn't admit it.

Some of his best asks:

"did u just post that you're okay with the idea of ponies and unicorns breeding. like no shade on that conceptually but why."

"If you reblog another 'reblog this for good luck' post, I will personally break down your door and steal your skin."

"ur ugly" "yeah-huh" "ugly" "no i won't 'come off anon and fight u' whhy don't you come ON anon and fight me?" "'i don't know how' sounds like something a chicken would say"

Leviathan

He just makes a blog like one of us. Fandom stuff.

Except he's multifandom to the extreme. It's impossible to keep track of his interests because he always has so many simultaneously.

He has the most followers of the brothers just because he gets so deep into so many fandoms that they come rolling in.

He has blocked all of his brothers except for the twins. They're okay.

His blog is a chaotic mess but there is order within the madness. He has a masterpost of tags that explains everything if you care to look at it. (I don't recommend it.)

Satan

It feels stupid to even put this in writing but...cat pics. Endless cat pics. That's like 90% of his blog.

The other 10% is a mixture of book recommendations and analysis, Lucifer shade, and a comprehensive, ever-expanding list of shit Lucifer has done to make Satan angry. It's a very long list. It's organized by theme.

"Lucifer inflicts unjust punishments." "Lucifer makes unnecessary snide remarks." "Lucifer simping for Diavolo and MC (pathetic)."

His blog itself is very minimalist and clean.

He's another fastidious tagger. He tags the cat pics by color, breed, age, number of cats, setting...

Asmodeus

He's not very into tumblr. It's like Devilgram but more complicated and less popular.

Sometimes he'll post or reblog 'aesthetic' things. Moodboards and the like.

In general though, he doesn't really 'get' tumblr.

People don't post selfies very often. Weird.

Beelzebub

Food blog.

Just food.

Reblogging hot dogs.

Reblogging nachos.

Reblogging ice cream.

Nothing else. Ever.

Belphegor

"This minimalist Tumblr has no posts."

No posts.

Default profile picture.

Sometimes he'll like something.

Usually he just looks at it.

Diavolo

There is no order. Only chaos.

He hardly ever uses it, then he'll come online and reblog a million things that have nothing to do with each other. Then he'll go silent again.

He has no tagging system.

He has no custom theme.

He is very friendly to all anonymous askers though.

Barbatos

Barbatos would never have a tumblr. Don't be ridiculous.

Solomon

He only posts very rarely. He prefers to lurk.

When he does post, it's something weird as fuck, like reblogging statistics about owl pellet contents.

He likes to keep people on their toes.

Simeon

Reblogging inspirational quotes, pictures of nature, and general positivity.

That is, once he figures out how the website works.

That takes a really long time.

What is a queue? What are tags? Why is it called a "reblog"? How does he track activity? How does he navigate the homepage? Why does it post things in such a strange order? What is a "Blaze"? What is a draft? Custom URL? Custom Theme? Sideblogs? Mass Post Editor?

Someone please help him.

Solomon probably does that.

Luke

Baking.

He uses tumblr for recipes and images of baked goods.

But tumblr isn't even the best place to go for that, so he isn't on very often.

He sometimes likes Simeon's posts, just as a show of support since he knows how hard Simeon works to post anything anywhere.

[adobe-outdesign]

Hi! Just curious, but could you do a review about faerie neopets? Like the ones you think works the best with this concept or the worse. I love this colour! Along with Grey and mutants. When you have the time ofc.

Faeries have been a thing since the early days of Neopets, so it only makes sense for there to be a faerie paint brush. Faerie as a colour stands out pretty well visually: the addition of butterfly wings (or fancier wings, if they already had them) is unique already, but many pets also gain swirls and intricate markings along with a new color palette. The colors vary wildly among species, but as a general rule of thumb faerie pets tend to lean towards warmer pastel shades, with light blue, pink, and orange being some of the most common colors used.

Of course, one can't talk about faerie as a colour without bringing up customization. Faerie used to be one of only a few colours that changed your pet's pose from the default—but instead of being due to some sort of drastic anatomy change like most other non-default colours, it was instead done to give the pets dynamic flying poses, which were charming and added a lot of personality. This is why a lot of early faerie pets are just default-colored pets with wings slapped on; because before customization, the pose was doing the heavy lifting.

Conversion does not inherently ruin faerie pets, even if most look better with styled/UC art, but it really harms those early pets in particular who have nothing else unique going for them—especially because there are plenty of different wearable wings available. This is why the markings are so important; not only do they tend to add an extra element to the colour that makes it extra beautiful, but markings and a unique palette are what really make this colour worthwhile, more so than just some pretty wings.

Favorite Species:

Xweetok: I've already talked about all of my favorite faerie pets in their species reviews, so I'll try to keep this relatively brief. With that said, the faerie Xweetok is stunning and up there as one of my all-time favorite pets on the site. The teal and brown palette is lovely, I love how the wings are more insect-like instead of just being the butterfly type, and the markings (which are layered against the teal) are just beautiful.

It's also a great pet because while the UC/styled art is gorgeous and has a fantastic sense of motion, the design still works very well converted, with the only loss being the unique eye design.

Pteri: It's hard to make a pet that already has wings feel faerie-ish, but they succeeded with flying colors here (pun intended). The additions of extra feathers around the head and tail combined with the additional markings (again, note the use of layering when it comes to color) results in a beautiful pet. The converted isn't nearly as good as the UC/styled, but much like the Xweetok the design elements are mostly kept the same save for the eyes.

Lenny: This one's not only pretty, but it also has a concept behind it with the peacock inspiration. Once again, beautiful use of colors with lots of markings and layering, with a design that's very distinct from the original Lenny yet plays off of it in clever ways. The only downside is that the converted artwork doesn't work as well due to having the tail feathers stick up instead of flowing with the train like in the UC/styled art.

BONUS: The faerie Grundo is a lot different than most faerie pets due to having an incredibly dark palette, but this works conceptually to tie it into space (being an alien and whatnot). The design is very pretty despite being pretty plain, with bright blue accents and really unique starry wings. No markings, but the dark color kind of negates the need for them anyway. This one also looks about the same converted or unconverted, minus some changes in pose and highlights.

Least Favorite Species:

Usul: All early faerie pets tend to be pretty bad due to being basic colours with wings tacked on, but the Usul reaches a new level of bad by having an awful clashing palette, with neon green wings tacked onto a base with pink accents. If the pink accents had been green, the green had been pink, or there was even mix of pink and green throughout it wouldn't have been quite so bad, but alas. The UC/styled art also isn't that great, suffering from awkward anatomy and poor shading.

[atamascolily]

Looking back over my screenshots again, I noticed something that bothers me: "Walpurgisnacht" is a name supposedly given to this witch by magical girls (and not what she calls herself, unlike the other witches we encounter), and yet that name appears in heavily stylized runes on her countdown signs in the original series. Why is that? Am I missing something?

The same runes are also in the Eternal movie, although they are a bit more legible. Nothing else appears to have changed overall, although the shading/contrast on the ring and "peacock tails" (probably stylized lotus flowers common in Buddhist mandalas?) is switched up.

The art style here is reminiscent of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European woodblock prints during the time of the original witchcraft trials. This movement was stoked in large part by the widespread proliferation of lavishly illustrated printed pamphlets, which detailed witches' misdeeds in lurid detail, and popularized many archetypes we now associate with witches, from brooms and black cats to deals and dances with the Devil.

Witches dancing with devils, featured in The History of Witches and Wizards (1720).

Similar woodblock prints, likely representing primary sources, can be seen in the background in Homura's apartment as part of her research into Walpurgisnacht, including several with dancing figures.

These figures can be seen as Walpurgisnacht is ultimately broken up in the final episode.

Just for some fun visual parallels, compare to this shot from the recap movies that wasn't in the original TV release. The main difference is that all of the figures of Homuras are the same, whereas the ones in Walpurgisnacht's circle seem to be different.

The woodblock print in Homura's apartment depicts all the dancers as identical, while the later shot makes them look more like Walpurgisnacht's individualized familiars--which they might well be. Comparison to the Clara Dolls--a large number of familiars repeatedly described as being a match for or counterpart to magical girls with individualized designs--is also inevitable.

Ironically, the Christian saint Walpurga was supposed to protect against witchcraft, but her saint's day (April 30-May 1) ended up being conflated with the witches because it occurred at the same time as Hexennacht (German for 'Witches' Night'), when witches were said to dance with/in honor of the devil on Mount Brocken--and thus when people were most in need of St. Walpurga's protection. Goethe draws on this tradition in Faust, Part One (a major influence on PMMM) for the scene where Mephistopheles takes Faust to the Brocken in order to witness the celebrations--which is also one of the texts depicted in Homura's apartment.

Another sheet reads "Ein Narr"--German for "the fool", another recurring motif associated with Walpurgisnacht (and also Homura).

Given the accuracy of these documents, these woodcuts are presumably based on eyewitness accounts (possibly magical girls, since ordinary people see Walpurgisnacht as a storm) where Walpurgisnacht appeared but was apparently not permanently defeated. Combined with Walpurgisnacht's ability to appear--and presumably disappear--without warning, and the fact that she's large enough to show up on radar as a storm, this suggests to me that Walpurgisnacht might be a time traveler or possess a similar ability to "exit the stage" and only reveal herself at the most dramatic moment(s) possible. Not only would this fit with her cog/stage motif, it would make her an even more fitting narrative foil for Homura, and add yet another parallel between them.

For both witches and ordinary humans alike, Walpurgis Night is traditionally celebrated with dancing and bonfires. Not only is Homura's name is a homonym for 'flame', Rebellion is chock full of ballet motifs, and she is last seen dancing alone in the moonlight late at night--presumably during the "witching hour" (which, depending on the source, is either between 3-4 a.m., or the hour immediately after midnight. Given the earlier scene of Homura becoming a witch as the clocks strikes midnight, I lean towards the latter interpretation).

Even more suggestively, Homura is now diegetically the Devil and appears to have taken on Kyubey's role as a contractor. If so, this strongly implies that she (and/or her double?) will have a personal relationship with magical girls as the one to whom they sold their souls to gain their power, just like historical witches were said to do with Satan. And given that these historical witches supposedly gathered on Walpurgis Night to honor the Devil... well, that does put Walpurgisnacht's likely (re)appearance in a new light, doesn't it?

...and if the 'Walpurgis' of Walpurgis no Kaiten is indeed the same Walpurgisnacht we saw before, then some timey-wimey/reality-bending/fourth-wall breaking shenanigans are afoot.

It's funny because "what were YOU doing at the devil's sacrament?" is usually meant as a tongue-in-cheek joke, but if PMMM continues to take these references seriously, we might actually get to find out!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Calligraphic Galleon Dated A.H. 1180 / A.D. 1766–67 Calligrapher: ‘Abd al-Qadir Hisari, Turkey Ink and gold on paper; 19 x 17 in. (48.3 x 43.2 cm)

This calligraphic drawing (calligram) of a ship at sea exemplifies one of the most innovative artistic genres developed by Ottoman calligraphers while also conveying an important religious message.

The combination of Qur’anic verses, prayers, and poetry venerating the Prophet renders this calligram an object of talismanic devotional power.

Visual Analysis. The prow, deck, hull, and stern of the ship are formed by a gilded calligraphic inscription that names the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, as well as their dog Qitmir. On the stern, the Throne verse from the Qur’an (2:255) acknowledges God’s power to protect and preserve everything in his kingdom. The verse is believed to have the power to avert evil. Below the distinctive imperial emblem or insignia on the stern is a dedication to the Ottoman sultan Mustafa III (reigned 1757–74). Calligraphy dominates the composition; even the waves in the scene contain aphorisms in a minute script whose name, ghubar, means “dustlike.”

Context. Calligrams were especially popular in Ottoman art; many were made in the form of lions, storks, peacocks, mosques, and ships. The imagery and text featured here derive from the story of the Seven Sleepers—a legend dating back to pre-Islamic times that became a metaphor for divine protection. The story, included in passage 18:9–25 of the Qur’an, took place in Ephesus (a town in present-day Turkey). Three Christian youths fled a pagan town and were later joined by four others and a dog. Determined to punish the fugitives for not respecting the pagan gods, the ruler set after the youths. The seven men and their dog found refuge in a cave, where they fell asleep. God ordered the angels of death to take their souls until the danger had passed. Three hundred and nine years later, God breathed life into them again. The image of the ship also carries symbolic meaning. In illustrated manuscripts and written sources, the Islamic faith is sometimes represented as a ship in a stormy sea. According to religious sources, if a ship was inscribed with the names of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, it would not sink.

Source

[pepperpixel]

Some new art of a very very old oc of mine! From like, when I was an 8th grader in middle school to freshman in high school I think, I haven’t thought about this character or the world she’s from in like… years, but my brain suddenly remembered she existed! And so I drew some art of her!

Visually, she’s absolutely mostly the result of my child self sticking Toko Fukawa from Danganronpa and Peacock from Skullgirls in a blender and lettin it fuckin rip. Personality wise she’s a bit different tho… she’s into politics! As in,,, she’s in politics ghgh, she’s like the chief of the surveillance department for the country of (mostly) witches that the story takes place in. And one of the advisors to the head ruler witch,,, she sucks! Hardcore! she’s def a villain lol

[alter-soup]

if you don't mind, can we request an alter based off the theme of your blog, please? :)

Name(s) - Dot, Doodle

Pronouns- It/its, He/him

Suggested Neopronouns- 🌈/🌈s, ⭐/⭐s, 🪐/🪐s, 🍬/🍬s, 🍧/🍧s, visual/visuals, sketch/sketches, erase/erases

Gender(s)- Demiboy

Suggested Xenogenders- cherrygender, clowndoggender, plastic dinoid

Orientation- Gay

Age- Ageless

Species- A humanoid chalkboard. You heard that right! (It'll be elaborated on in the Extra Details colum)

Role(s)- Architect

Kins- Peacock, Parrot Fish, Glass Frog

Personality traits/details- Friendly, kind, fun, giving

Likes- Arts and crafts, creativity, fidgets, small toys, stickers, drawing, rainbows, accessories, fashion, bright colors

Dislikes- Being lonely, failing

Sign Off- 🎉🎨

Extra details- Instead of normal skin, his flesh is made out of a hard yet smooth texture: the same as a chalkboard. It enjoys doodling on himself with chalk, and is happy to let littles do the same or take suggestions. He loves to draw and some of its drawings can even come to life, whether that helps with assisting to build hs (if you have one), or even make tiny non-sentient pets!

Faceclaim-

Picrew