#Was sketching out Laplace and just going

[spiderin-space]

Yeehaw‼️

[smieska-draws]

Laplace's Spamton - 03

thumbnails almost done! I think I have the majority figured out... sorry for the constant scribbles, I have to otherwise I would be overwhelmed and stop lol (which are constantly in my thoughts, ough). What's fun about trying to visually tell a story with music is when the song's instruments align with whats on screen. My favourite being when melodies go up or down or around, theres a visual up or down or around happening too!

Most recent example I can think of is the Transcendental Cha Cha Cha music video: the melody goes down, the face goes down ; the melody goes up, the face goes up. Its a small thing but I love little details like that

...anyway. I always feels like a crazy person when this stuff goes through my mind all the time.. even more so if I try to explain it to someone ... i'm sorry

i just... put a lot of thought into it and it makes me vibrate that it needs to leave my brain i need to draw it out communicated visually, in this animatic essay, I will --

I've also been reflecting on the whole 'finished, not perfect' principle, to not be a perfectionist about things but mainly to encourage me to get it done, but I find that principle doesn't help too much personally...I've had a couple of things where I wished I spent longer on it (idk maybe its the point?) or in this case, I kinda want to amp up the animatic from sketches to something more polished because I know I'll be unhappy if I present it as sketches.........whiiiich is probably why I'm doing these little reports lol. To not be intimidated, even if I am just speaking into the void of tumblr.

[phaeroh]

So... This is what was supposed to be for mayblade day 14, a Nasuverse AU

But... Of course, it's not finished, nor is this what I intended for the prompt days ago. I'm just gonna explain what's the deal of these sketches is. It's going to be pretty long, so bear with me.

3rd Magic: Heaven's Feel

If you know Fate/Stay Night, this is the magic that lets people summons servants. The power to record someone's life and use it for a function that is close to "revive the dead." Of course, that doesn't happen. Because if the summoner is dead, the summoned entity will also die.

If you know Fate/Grand Order, then you know how screwed that world is. So, in order for that to not happen in this AU, I chose Gingka to guard the Holy Grail since I know he'll use it either for good or to get unlimited burgers. The thing behind him is the Holy Grail.

2nd magic: Operation of Parallel Worlds

Do you guys headcanon that Ryuga can teleport? Yeah, me too. And that is why I chose the 2nd magic for him. Aside from travelling through another world/universe, he can also travel through time.

I thought it was funny when, after the event of Fury/4D, he teleports somewhere and ends back in the past to heal his wounds, so he just sleep the entire time until Douji finds him again. Like stucking in a time loop, but he either gets better as a person or not (anime path or manga path, you choose).

4th magic: Laplace's Demon

Or basically the magic that hides itself. Tbh, there isn't much known about this magic (kinda fits since we don't know who the hell is Chris lol)

Some things I get from this magic are that it ties heavily to the present time, and it can fool reality. It also can predict past and future through observing vectors (or possibilities, if you will)

And that's it.

Q: Wait, where is Kyoya?

A: Oh don't worry, I don't forget about him.

The thing is, I have no idea what magic that I should give to Kyoya. 1st magic is out of the question, no one is going to use that, and it doesn't fit him anyway.

5th magic is about cause and effect and time (kinda). Idk how to tie it to him. And Idk if he's that reckless to fast forward the universe ending. Or maybe he is?

6th magic is about everlasting torture (kinda). I don't think Kyoya is that sadistic, but hey, someone can prove me wrong.

7th magic is about the universe. Still can't tie it to Kyoya. What is about him that connects to the universe???

Lastly, will I ever write about this? The answer is leaning towards no. Maybe not in narrative, at least.

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Light Novel Review: Sexiled Vol. 2

I recently became distraught over the state of light novels when an English license of Buck Naked in Another World was announced (obviously, that is was the problem with isekai harems, too much PANTS). However, my sadness quickly turned to jubilation as I realized that I had the second volume of Sexiled loaded up and was able to throw myself into the phenomenal tale of women dismantling the patriarchy, obliterating misogynists with overpowered magic, and kissing. Ameko Kaeruda has penned another triumphant and empowering feminist power fantasy for all readers to enjoy.

The story begins shortly after the conclusion of the first volume. The all-girls adventuring party Lilium is now famous after their spectacular win at the sparring tournament and enjoys their elevated status, one of the perks of which is a VIP table at their favorite restaurant. They are also responsible for supervising lower-ranked parties on quests. Usually, this involves men underestimating Lilium, attempting to show off and protect them, and then needing to be saved by the girls.

Just like the first volume, Sexiled 2 takes the opportunity to tell a few short stories highlighting gender inequalities from the real world. One such story involves the team representing at negotiations and a duel on behalf of a young woman who, after going out with some friends, was drugged and then forced into an engagement. When the slimeball man laced her drink and proposed, she did not say no, which he took as agreement. This narrative is an allegory for sexual assault, with the man drugging her drink and then taking her lack of ability to say no as consent. Kaeruda changes this structure slightly to being a woman forced into engagement instead of unwanted contact, which is understandable; these are delicate topics.

The main villain and story arc take more of a central state role here than in the first volume, which saw the antagonist act in the background as a driving force for Tanya to seek her revenge. It starts when Lillium gets invited to the palace for a party, which includes a side plot about the disparity in men’s and women’s fashion and footwear culminating in Laplace, still acting under the pseudonym Stone Cold Stunner, kneeling to present Tanya with a ring (gay).

While at the palace, the girls learn of the court grand mage Maxwell. He has served for the past 300 years as a dominant force in the country, manipulating it to become a sexist society where women are mistreated and forced to conform to unfair standards, all to sate his inferiority complex. More importantly, Laplace confesses that he is her father, who abused and experimented on her for his gain. When some of Maxwell's misdeeds finally caught up to him, he framed and imprisoned her. However, encouraged by Tanya’s ability to stand up for herself (and the love shared between the two), Laplace is finally able to face him.

The second half of the book features the epic showdown between Lilium and Maxwell. It is satisfying and grand; however, I, unfortunately, had a few issues with it. For one, while the battle has an excellent flow and builds during it, there is not much time for Maxwell to be established as a complete and motivating adversary, making some of the payoffs feel unearned. It is also hard to track Maxwell’s motivations and various schemes, he is making an immortal bride army cloned after Laplace, but he also wants to use her blood to create immortality, and he is going to drain all the mana in the city FullMetal Alchemist style. There is just a bit too much coming at the reader too fast for it to stick.

Fortunately, there are plenty of aspects in this light novel deserving of love and praise. The humor is spot-on; it is outrageous, profane, and injected with just the right amount of meme culture. Laplace proclaiming, “We’re not in trouble yet! This isn’t even my final form… I still have 530,000 more phases to go!” is outrageous but also profoundly in character for the confident sorcerous. The most excellent bits of comedy always involves the absurd amount of power the women of Lilium have. Whether they are taking over a jail cell and redecorating it with posh furniture, sneaking a midnight snack from the emperor’s refrigerator, or punching the living mana out of some sexist pig, there is always such a sense of fun and adventure, not to mention female empowerment!

Another huge positive for this volume is that it expands outwards with a few more interesting side characters, such as the princess Arianora, who is a vital part of the grand battle with Maxwell. It even features a few male characters that are not complete evil bastards, one of my few complaints about the first volume. Tanya reflects on her surprise when she meets a man who is as inspired by Lilium as the many young women in the novel, saying, “Male or female, it doesn’t matter. The circumstances of your birth should never deter you from following your heart.” That sentiment is quality feminism, and I adore its inclusion.

Additionally, the returning minor characters get some more love in this volume. Nadine uses some of her secret assassin skills to dismantle opponents and sexist traditions with frightening speed. She has a few scenes devoted to her acting without Tanya or Laplace, making her a dynamic character for the occasional B storyline. Katherine Foxxi, a minor antagonist from the first volume who, after being shown kindness by Nadine and realizing her greatest desire is to help people, joins Lilium and frequently accompanies Nadine on her quests. This B team has some of the best moments in the novel, such as when Katherine chooses to fight Maxwell, giving Nadine the chance to slip away in a dramatic and thrilling sequence. However, there are too few moments when all four women work together at one task, which somewhat destroys the idea that they are one team of equals, especially considering how much more powerful Tanya and Laplace are from the others.

Volume 2 takes steps away from the possible love triangle I predicted in my review of Volume 1. While there were initially romantic inclinations between Nadine, Tanya, and Laplace, Kaeruda pulls back Nadine’s involvement with the two, leaving the magi-knight and sorceress most of the romantic moments. These scenes are never exessive or grotesque and usually consists of the two embracing or holding hands. While the characters make a few more sexual jibes and speak of kissing, deeper physical contact between characters is minimalized. This censorship is both an upside, as it allows for a greater focus on the plot, and a detriment, as characters are clearly romantically involved, but the reader is told this more than they are shown it. There are, however some choice nuggets of Yuri goodness such as the ring scene previously mentioned and Tanya inspiring Laplace to stand up against her abusive father. Of course, having too many sexual moments may undermine the point of Sexiled, so I ultimately applaud Kaeruda on the restraint.

While I have minor grievances with many pieces of the light novel, the positives vastly outweighed the negatives. Unfortunately, there is one aspect of Sexiled that I cannot reconcile, the illustrations. The opening full-color pieces of artwork are adequate. Still, within the book, readers are too often greeted with atrocious sketches with inconsistent character appearances that often appear warped and stretched. Setting the poor quality artwork alongside Kaeruda’s fantastic script and Molly Lee’s excellent translation damns them that much harder, and so the illustrations detract significantly from the work.

Sexiled: My Party leader kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress! Volume 2 is another excellent and empowering female power fantasy. While it makes minor missteps in its pacing and artwork, the hilarious and thoughtful narrative will leave readers feeling emboldened and affirmed. This volume cements Sexiled as one of the greatest light novel series I have ever read and an absolute must-read for all fans of the medium, and frankly many of its detractors too.

Ratings: Story – 9 Characters – 9 Art  – 3 LGBTQ – 5 Sexual Content – 3 Final – 8

Review copy provided by J-Novel Club

Check out Sexiled Volume 2 digitally today: https://amzn.to/35ZObR2 (Affiliate Link)

[cicelyrenee]

Beautiful people,

You may not know this about me, but I absolutely love art and black ballerinas. I remember as a child trying to dance in my bedroom after only one afterschool dance class and realized I did not have the talent! So I fell for the next best thing, loving black ballerinas.

I visited my aunt Julie’s home one day and she had this amazing picture of a simple sketch, it was a ballerina, it had no color but I truly believed she was black. I begged for that photo for years, and then one day she gave it to me. I had it posted on my wall in my room and it brought me so much peace, you know the peace when you watch a ballerina twirl, stretch and fly across the floor with such grace and beauty? Yes, that peace. Then one day, when I was living in Miami, during the recession, we lost our home and so many things that were in it and the painting was one of them.

Fast forward to about 8 years, this influx of black ballerina appreciation grew and Misty Copeland and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company plus many more names were the ones that reminded me of my love for black ballerinas. I would post on facebook, every time I saw a photo of a black ballerina or dancer and caption it, “I love Black Ballerinas!”

About four months ago, I was hired to cover an event and to blog about it. It was a paint and sip event from Buzzed Art Nite and the painting was a black ballerina/dancer. I WANTED IT. Literally, I asked to pay for it and everything. But due to some things, I couldn’t have that specific one. I found out who painted that specific one and had to have a little chat.

Josh Painted this based on the well-known artist Annie F. Lee. This was the painting for their fundraiser event.

He let me know that he would paint me my own black ballerina and I was too excited. I didn’t give him any details, I wanted it to be his creation because I could see this amazing talent and I am just like everyone needs to have an art piece by Josh Clay in their homes! Thus, the blog feature! My aunt Julie and I named her Bella-Grace

      Interview with Josh Clay

Tell me about who you are, where you are from, hobbies, passions, favorites etc.

I am from a Louisianan bred, Southern man/child of the earth, moved from New Orleans to LaPlace where I went to middle and high school. I played football for most of my life but always loved drawing and art, along with math and science. I am but would like to be more involved with physical fitness, I love to work out and believe deeply in self-improvement in mind, body, and soul.

When did you realize you had talent and how did you and your family go about cultivating your talent?

I realized my talent or my strong interest in art when I was in middle school and would find myself content with being alone in my room and just drawing, trying to replicate Dragon ball Z animation style, a little nerdy. As far as cultivating and developing in that area, my family never restricted it but never promoted it. I was constantly told that I should keep it more as a hobby and find something that will make a living but as of lately, seeing that it’s an area I want to deeply and whole-heartedly pursue, they are encouraging and, I feel, anxious to see what produces.

What is your favorite piece or performance? Why?

My favorite piece, I’d have to say, is the ballerina painting I did for Cicely Carr, not to sound cliché. The reason is because, for the longest, I’ve had a crippling reluctance into delving into color, especially selling. I’ve never seen myself on the business side of this field and to have even that success and opportunity was beyond words honestly.

Where do you get the most inspiration for your work?

A lot of my inspiration comes from music, dreams, personal emotion and working to depict it on canvas, observing and appreciating the beauty in the world, nature because in the era of development and technology, I feel it’s easy to take the nature, timeless beauty of earth for granted, poetry, run-on sentences lol. I try to draw inspiration from multiple sources to see where it pushes my creativity and broadens my perspective.

Have you taken any classes to perfect your skills and talents? Why or why not?

I went to college for graphic design and was fortunate enough to take a few art classes before I ran into some scheduling complications and FAFSA tom-foolery but at that time I was able to develop my skills through critique and exposure through different mediums. It definitely helped me to evolve and realize a passion.

What advice would you give someone who is new to your area if talent?

I would advise them that this is your life and whatever may come, no matter how difficult, be happy because you deserve it and you owe it to yourself. Time is our most precious asset and this world and people are filled with beauty and inspiration. Humility and pride will open so many doors for you, pride is not arrogance. Be true to yourself and don’t be too hard on yourself. There is a lot more but I’m still learning more lessons every day.

Are there some difficulties in what you do? Care to share?

Difficulties I have is now that I am more established and have an apartment and bills and etc. I am not able to completely take advantage of creative sparks throughout the day and many times after of work, I’m either mentally drained or just not as inspired. It’s definitely some missed opportunities throughout the day but them bills gotsta be paid.

What new skill or technique would you love to learn and why?

There is so much I would love to learn from mixed media, watercolor, everything…literally, everything I can. I want to get better at creating more realistic faces and animals, mythical or realism. Graphic design, I have yet to even touch that area but I am excited about the challenge.

Anything else you would like to share, nuggets of wisdom, stories, memories etc.

I was talking with a friend of mine who’s about to make a pretty drastic life change, for the better, because complacency without satisfaction is a curse and reluctance is every present. We spoke on why she was afraid to take that step and just her mindset, trying to let her see that her step was the right on. During the conversation, I told her that fear is going to be a thing she will have to deal with and to use it to her advantage. Your own personal fear will tell you to do a few things, either you stay or you move. I told her “Instead of staying out of fear, to move out of fear because once you move, what can fear tell you”. She said “Nothing”, I replied, “Wrong, fear will tell you to move faster and to keep moving because once you get a taste of happiness and experience success in whatever your endeavor is, it’s the fear of losing it that will help drive you.” To me, embracing these powerful emotions; fear, sadness, joy, desire, are bountiful sources of potential inspiration and motivation to take next steps in our art and in life. I think that’s it, my attempt at trying to be deep

  Interested in purchasing prints of Bella-Grace, email us at info@bougieblackblogger.com to be the first to know when they are available. LIMITED Quantities!

For inquiries, please email Josh at captainjclay@gmail.com

Name: Joshua Clay aka Mr. Heatmeister aka J-Rite

Location: Dallas, TX

Website: Coming soon

Art Genre: Drawing, Painting, Illustrations, Tattoo Designs, and soon to be, Tattoo

Social Media Info: Facebook/josh.clay.547; Instagram: joshu_a_claythei & jc_designs1989

Some more of Josh Clay’s artwork

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  Josh Clay, Talented Artist, EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW HIS NAME Beautiful people, You may not know this about me, but I absolutely love art and black ballerinas.