#a break from wolfbell?
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Comet Dino vs Monster Hunter!
@what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me (Sir Meteor, who is in the Kirby oc tournament! You should go vote for him!)
#hoshi no kirby#kirby#kirby right back at ya#art#kirby art#kirby au#kirby oc#kirby of the stars#digital artist#others ocs#art for others#sir meteor#what’s that?#a break from wolfbell?#absolutely girly needs a break from my torment#and I couldn’t pass up drawing him with Marrow#two bone helmet orbs
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The Argument
"Dotty, just calm down and --"
"Don't f*cking tell me to calm down!!"
"You're being irrational."
"I'm being irrational??? No sh*t, I'm being 'irrational.' You used my friend as a f*cking test subject!!"
"Saying I used her as a 'test subject' is an overexaggeration."
"You were taking samples of her. Like she's some kind of animal. That's disgusting."
"She did it willingly."
"She was shaking when she told me what you did, Doc. She was shaking."
"..." "I had my reasons, Dotty. I always do."
"Yeah, right, your 'reasons'. I know your reasons. You want to make my life miserable. You want to use me and the people I love like tools."
"There are things you don't un--"
"You always say that."
"Listen to me."
"I'm tired of listening to you."
"I can tell you're very upset right now. But just listen to me." "Your friend - Wolfbell - I know very little about her. Not her species, not her motives, not her allegiances, nothing. Maybe you're right. Maybe she's a friend."
"Maybe you should already know that 'cuz you were spying on me this entire time."
"Yes. Wolfbell is a very good friend. She's kind. She's loyal. She cares about you - or does she? What if all of those qualities are just an act?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Dotty, remember - our situation is a dangerous one. We live on the run. Nightmare's minions are everywhere."
"Are you implying that Wolfbell is a minion of Nightmare? Is that what you're trying to do right now?"
"Not necessarily - well, yes. Yes, I am. Because what if she is one? What if she is like the other person who's been actively hunting you down?"
"No, she --"
"Do you understand why I was so against you entering this tourney? Do you understand why I still am?"
"..."
"If your Wolfbell turns on you, would you be able to fight back? No, right? Because she is - or was - your friend and she was important to you."
"I would--"
"You wouldn't. She's built like a predator. A natural hunter. I'm sorry, but you wouldn't stand a chance against her."
"Don't--"
"Dotty, what if she sends you back?"
"...!"
"If she captured you, and sent you back to that place. To that small cell, to those experiments."
"Stop. Stop it."
"You went through so much, remember?"
"Stop it!"
"You were forced into that cage--"
"Shut up!! This stupid trick won't work on me anymore! I got over those things already! I'm not scared anymore, okay?! So stop bringing that sh*t up."
"Dotty, as much as you want to deny it, that place hurt you."
"Shut up."
"Your voice is breaking up."
"..."
"Dotty, I'm scared for you. I want to keep you safe. I'm not a mad scientist. I'm not heartless. I don't want to use your friends as 'tools,' I want to keep those 'friends' from hurting you."
"..."
"It's for your safety, Dotty. My job is to keep you safe."
"..."
"...I hate you. I hate you."
*
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Waffles: Wooooooo!!!
The mirror worlder cheered, her paws were thrown in the air above her head, small sparkles of blue soul magic jumping from her claws.
Waffles: About time! Wolfbell was about to send the search parties for you.
Wolfbell just rubbed the back of her head in mild embarrassment, smiling a bit.
Wolfbell: I.. I was just worried is all…but look, Dotty..! Waffles has been teaching me a bit about my soul magic..!
She already knew how to summon forth bits of her soul magic to use to draw and write, and .. via that weird.. shared void experience with that adult member of her kind when she was saving Fal from the dark matter she kind of knew how to shoot it off as a laser, but weaving the red magic into more concentrated shapes was not something she could do until now. The shapes looked almost a bit like butterflies made of red fire, and little claws and teeth.
Waffles: I tried to teach her phasing, but she almost threw up and I think you’ve done enough of that as is!
She looked back at Wolfbell as she suddenly flopped down into a sit, magic fading, ears drooping.
Waffles: Oh…Yeah… you probably won’t be able to do anything crazy any time soon until you recover a bit more and aren’t so exhausted. Soul magic might be really high damaging magic, but it’s trade off is it costs a colossal boat ton a lot of energy to use!
Waffles trailed off, looking at her light world counterpart… the fact that she was still alive despite having been considerably far along with the fatal rapport syndrome… and able to use a good chunk of her magic too…….
Waffles: Anyways! Why don’t we take a break Wolfbell? I promised I’d tell you a bit about what you are didn’t I?
To such Wolfbell looked up, a hopefully look daring to enter her eyes, and she glanced over at Dotty with a look of cautious optimism.
Trust had always been a foreign thing with Dotty.
Putting your safety in the hands of someone else. Someone who you could never fully know the intentions of. Someone other than the man who practically raised you.
But at times, Dotty couldn't even trust him.
And now, that "trust" had been shattered completely. It was like breaking shackles that, at one point, they didn't even know they had.
The man they referred to affectionately as "doc" had violated their trust and privacy too many times, all in the name of "safety."
And just now he dared to imply that his own rescuers were affiliated with--
that place.
Fal was right. Fuck him. Forget him.
"Waffles" was explaining some modern slang to a confused Wolfbell. Old Fluff was busy reading.
Dotty waved with their shadow and tried to smile.
"I'm back, gang."
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Color meanings and the art of using color psychology
You see colors in everything around you, every moment of the day—but do you ever stop to think about the impact each of those colors is having on you? Whether it’s the calming effect of blue skies and fields of green, or the saliva-inducing red and yellow of your local fast food chain, each color is tapping into an emotion. There’s a whole science (and art) in the meanings of different colors. As an entrepreneur or designer, it’s essential to be aware of these color meanings to help you choose your colors wisely and tap into the magical power of color psychology.
A bright and colorful business card design by Daria V. for Mama J.
For a business—whether it’s yours or your client’s—there are all sorts of places where color comes into play. You might immediately think of branding elements like the logo, business cards and stationery. Color choices will also be meaningful across online communication and marketing materials: your website, social media, emails, presentations as well as offline tools like flyers and product packaging.
Millions of years of biological conditioning have created certain associations between colors and objects or emotions, while some associations may be more recent. Understanding these associations will give you a shortcut to your customer’s heart, provoking a specific emotion and maybe even a behavior. Feelings are much more powerful than rational thoughts based on facts and figures and applying color psychology will make your branding efforts and designs much more effective.
Choosing colors —
Choose your colors carefully. Design for a pencil set by ve_sta for Vibrant Colors.
Before getting into the meanings of different colors, there are a few things you want to have in mind first:
Your target audience—You always want to start with a clear idea of who you are talking to. Marketing to kids (and their parents) will require a different approach to marketing to high-end luxury consumers.
Your brand personality—Is your brand more masculine or feminine, playful or serious, modern or classic? You’ll need to have a good feel for your brand identity so that you can choose the best color fit. (Read this article for more on creating your own brand scheme.)
Your competition—This is a tricky one: sometimes you’ll want to play by the rules of your industry to make sure that people recognize what your company does and sometimes you’ll want to break those rules so that you stand out against the crowd with a new and innovative approach to the industry.
Your color choices can have a huge impact. Wine label design by it’s a DOG’s life.
A few things to watch out for, as well:
Cultural differences—Red represents good luck in China but in South Africa it’s the color of mourning. Americans associate green with money as that’s the color of dollar bills but that isn’t the case globally. You’ll need to be sensitive to these differences depending on where you are operating. Colors may also change in significance over time: red used to be seen as a strong, masculine color while blue was a feminine color suited for girls.
Shades and tones—A color may have a general meaning but lighter shades can vary dramatically compared to darker shades, while more natural, muted shades will differ from artificial neon colors. Make sure that you look at the specific associations of the different shades and tones. For example, if you’re using neon green, don’t assume that just because you’ve chosen a shade of green it’s going to be a good fit for an eco-friendly brand.
Color combinations—You’re probably going to be using more than one color and so you’ll need to give some thought to which colors work well together as well as which secondary colors can help you to add some highlights or accents. You can read more about the color wheel here.
For an example of a business that got it wrong, just take a look at the disaster that was Heinz purple ketchup.
Now let’s explore what all those colors mean…
All the colors of the rainbow —
Red is for energy, passion and danger
Red and yellow is a classic combination that screams ‘fast food’. Logo design by chocoboracer for Chicken Heads.
What it means
Red is associated with the heat of energy and passion, we “see red” when we’re angry and it’s also the color of blood, making it a powerful color in branding. Think of the bold red of a fireman’s truck or the ‘stop’ sign in traffic. Red is also said to stimulate appetite, which is why it’s popular in fast food chains—most famously in McDonald’s, which combines red with another primary color, yellow.
Netflix uses red to attract users to its platform, with red calls-to-action to join or sign in. Another famously red brand is Coca-Cola (and, as the story goes, it was Coke’s marketing campaign that branded Santa Claus red). It will be interesting to see what happens with Coca-Cola’s recent packaging redesign as they move away from that iconic red to match its new Diet Coke flavors with other colors.
How to use it
Red and black is a bold combination that’s masculine and powerful. Design by torvs.
If you have a loud brand and want to stand out, then red could be the color for you. Its high energy makes it a great choice for caffeine drinks, fast cars or sports. With its appetite-stimulating qualities, it’s a good match for restaurants who want to bring in hungry customers. It can also be used as an accent color to draw attention to something on your packaging, or to get visitors to ‘buy it now’ on your website.
Orange is for creativity, youth and enthusiasm
A juicy, bright orange label design by WolfBell.
What it means
As a secondary color, orange combines the warmth and heat of red with the playfulness and joy of yellow. It attracts attention without being as daring as red, and is used for warning signs like traffic cones and high-visibility clothing. It’s an energetic color that can bring to mind health and vitality, given its obvious link to oranges and vitamin C. It’s a youthful color as well, bringing an element of vibrancy and fun.
A good example of using orange to connect with a young audience in a fun way is Nickelodeon. To promote energy and activity, Gatorade uses an orange lightning bolt, while orange is also a popular color for tropical drinks like Fanta. There may be unusual historical reasons behind a brand’s choice of color: luxury brand Hermès chose orange because it was the only paperboard available during World War II! It’s a confident color but not usually associated with luxury.
How to use it
The orange brings an unexpected creative touch to the finance business in this logo by Cross the Lime.
Orange can be a great choice for a youthful and creative brand that wants to be a bit different to the mainstream. It’s a friendly color that also stimulates action so, like red, it can be used as an accent color to catch the eye and promote activity.
Yellow is for happiness, hope and spontaneity
Uplifting, yellow quinoa packaging design entry by Mila Katagarova.
What it means
Ah, yellow. The color of the sun, smiley faces and sunflowers. It’s a happy color, full of hope and positivity. It’s another color that grabs your attention and for that reason can also be used to signify caution, like red and orange.
The golden arches of McDonald’s (well, they’re yellow, really) are a globally recognized symbol that can be seen from far away and immediately gets associated with fast food. In the same way, Best Buy’s yellow tag indicates a reduced cost for its cost-conscious customers (say that quickly three times!).
How to use it
This shade of yellow works well for a happy, healthy brand like Why Bar in this packaging by Martis Lupus.
Yellow is a great choice if speed, fun and low cost are attributes that you want associated with your brand. Be careful with different shades, though: a bright yellow will grab people’s attention right away and it’s a useful way of highlighting or accenting a design, a pale or warm yellow can look natural and healthy, while a neon yellow can instead be very artificial.
Green is for nature, growth and harmony – but also wealth and stability
The green works well with the natural material in this organic bamboo packaging by tomdesign.org for Midori Way.
What it means
Green is universally associated with nature, linked as it is to grass, plants and trees. It also represents growth and renewal, being the color of spring and rebirth. Another association is “getting the green light” to go ahead, giving it an association with taking action. In the US, green (and especially dark green) is also associated with money and so represents prosperity and stability.
Green is also often seen as a fourth color on top of the primary red, yellow and blue (think Microsoft and Google), bringing a sense of visual balance and, as a result, a soothing and relaxing influence. Famous brands that use different shades of green include Starbucks, Spotify and Whole Foods Market.
How to use it
The two shades of green are a perfect fit for this eco-friendly brand logo by ultrastjarna.
The connection to nature makes green a natural choice (see what I did there?) for a brand that’s eco friendly, organic or sustainable. As with yellow, be wary of the fact that while muted or lighter shades of green can represent nature, neon versions will have the opposite effect and will feel more artificial and less harmonious. On a website, a green call to action can suggest ‘go’—although the battle rages on with red buttons, which can instead suggest urgency.
Blue is for calm, trust and intelligence
Business card design by KreativeMouse.
What it means
Blue is the most popular color in the world, both when it comes to personal preferences (for both genders) and usage in business logos. It’s a serene and calming color that represents intelligence and responsibility. It’s the go-to color for trusted, corporate institutions, often in combination with a mature grey:
IT companies e.g. Intel, Microsoft, IBM, HP, Dell
Finance institutions e.g. American Express, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Paypal
Big corporations e.g. Procter & Gamble, General Electric, General Motors, Boeing and Lowe’s
Blue is also the natural choice for professional network LinkedIn.
Interestingly, blue is the color of choice for many other social networks too. Facebook is blue – apparently because founder Mark Zuckerberg is red-green color blind and blue is the most vivid color that he can see. The association with trust and dependability does work well in the context of a social network, with all the concerns around data privacy and so on, and you’ll find that Twitter is also blue, as are Instagram, Russia’s VKontakte and even social media site Mashable.
How to use it
Another area where trust is paramount: blue works well in this BabySafe packaging by daenerysALEINA.
If you want to be immediately associated with professionalism and trust, then blue is the color for you. Since it’s universally liked, it’s also a great choice if you want to appeal to both men and women. Its association with calm and tranquility means that blue is also a good fit if your business is in things like relaxation, therapy or meditation.
Purple is for luxury, mystery and spirituality
Magical, purple book cover design entry by Meella.
What it means
Purple is an interesting beast: it’s both warm and cool and combines the passion and energy of red with the calm and serenity of blue. Because of its associations with royalty, purple is inherently prestigious and luxurious. Purple dye was historically expensive, which meant that only wealthy rulers could afford it. The ruling classes and kings and queens of old would wear purple and Queen Elizabeth I even forbade anyone outside of the royal family from wearing it. Purple is also associated with religion and spirituality, since the ancient rulers were thought of as descendants of the gods and the color holds a special meaning in religions including Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism. On top of all that purple is on trend, Ultra Violet being Pantone’s choice for color of the year 2018.
Funnily enough, brands are not always as strategic in choosing colors as they should be. Yahoo, as the story goes, ended up purple because that was the cheapest paint color available to renovate the offices back in the early days. You can see a more typical use of purple in the Asprey brand, a British luxury company with a heritage that goes back to the 1700s and a Royal Warrant for every British monarch since Queen Victoria.
How to use it
Purple is a good fit for a mystical fairytale book publisher (not to mention the name of the publisher!) in this Purple Pixie logo by yase for Purple Pixie.
Use purple when you want to evoke those luxurious, royal connections—combine it with gold for that extra ‘wow’. Or use it when you want to add a dash of mysticism and spirituality to your brand. Add some green for a really striking contrast or with pink to emphasize the feminine.
The neutrals —
Black is for power, elegance and sophistication
A striking, all-black wine label design by Dan Newman.
What it means
Although black can have negative connotations—it’s the color of death, fear and grief—it’s more generally associated with power and elegance when it comes to branding and marketing. It’s bold, powerful and a little mysterious and it can be intimidating and unapproachable as well. At the same time, it’s an inherently neutral color and is often used for typography and other functional elements.
Luxury brands like Chanel and Dior keep things stylish with an iconic black-and-white logo. Brands like these want to be a little intimidating and unapproachable as that makes them more exclusive and aspirational. The James Bond 007 logo is black. Newspaper logos also tend to be in black, given the historic black-and-white printing presses. Of course, most brands will have a black-and-white version of their logo as printing in black and white tends to be cheaper than color printing.
How to use it
Simple black logo design by Project 4.
If you want to convey a sense of luxury, you can’t go wrong with a simple black-and-white color scheme. Combined with a gold, silver or why not a royal purple, you’ll give your brand an air of exclusivity and prestige. On the other hand, black can also be used with bright colors for contrast and when combined with other powerful colors like red or orange it can be quite impactful, even aggressive.
White is for purity, innocence and minimalism
This minimalist design emphasizes the purity of the spirit while letting the brand’s big red ‘C’ stand out in a simple label design by Wooden Horse for Cabby’s Rum.
What it means
If you know your science, then you’ll know that white light actually contains all the colors of the rainbow—but to the naked eye at least, white is the opposite: it’s the absence of any color. White represents purity and innocence and creates a minimalist aesthetic. It can be very simple, clean and modern. It’s also the most neutral color of all and can be quite non-descript as a base for other, more exciting, colors.
Apple’s advertising and packaging give a powerful illustration of how white can be used for a modern and minimalist aesthetic that puts the beautiful product design center stage. Marc Jacobs prints a simple black logo onto white luxury retail boxes and shopping bags. Health and beauty brands that want to convey an air of purity and natural ingredients will also tend to use white in their packaging. It’s an obvious fit for wedding brands as well, given the traditional association with virginity and white wedding gowns.
How to use it
This white packaging design by Imee008 keeps things very clean and simple.
White space can be as important in a design as all the other creative elements. White tends to be the color used for website backgrounds as it ensures that your text is easy to read. It’s also often used as a secondary accent in a color scheme. Together with pastels, it can bring to mind spring and femininity; combined with simple black it becomes classic and minimalistic. When it comes to white, it’s a lot about the colors you put it with.
Gray is for professionalism, formality and conventionality
A modern and formal – but in this case a little unconventional – grey and black web design by Mila Jones Cann
What it means
Gray is a more mature, responsible color, associated with the gray hair of old age. Its positive connotations include formality and dependability, while the negative side can mean being overly conservative, conventional and lacking in emotion. It’s safe and quite subdued, serious and reserved.
Gray is rarely the star of the show. Nintendo briefly favored a gray logo from 2008 to 2016 but has since gone back to its earlier red. Jewelry brand Swarovski does have a gray logo, although if you look at the website the version used there is black. You’re more likely to see the color gray as a secondary color, playing a supporting role to some other, stronger, character.
How to use it
This rare use of grey as the main color works well for a sleek packaging design by syakuro.
Use gray if you have a serious brand and you want to communicate the authority and stability of a corporate institution. Combine it with blue for the ultimate in conservatism and dependability. It’s actually also a very popular color in web design. You may want to consider using gray as an alternative to white for a softer website background—or as an alternative to black text for a less harsh contrast and an easier read.
The best of the rest —
Brown is for wholesomeness, warmth and honesty
The brown color choice adds to a traditional-looking stamp effect in this Welsh bakery logo design by ultrastjarna.
What it means
Brown is a natural color, associated with the earth and as a result giving a sense of stability and support. Given its link to the earth, brown brings to mind farming and agriculture and other outdoorsy activities. It’s warm and friendly, practical and dependable, and can also represent the old fashioned and well established.
Brown is not used that often in logos. When it is, it tends to represent utility. Although blue is the typical corporate color, UPS has used brown to represent dependability (along with a later addition of yellow to bring an element of warmth and friendliness). Up until recently (well, 2010), they even used the color in their tagline: “What can brown do for you?”
How to use it
A bold splash of pink gives this chocolate brand a more contemporary feel in a design by Zoe Schtorm for Chocodiem.
Brown is a warm, neutral color that you can use as a background that conveys warmth and wholesomeness. Use it for an earthy brand and in a natural pairing with green to really capture that organic feel. You can also use brown to give the impression of a well-established heritage and a sense of tradition. Brown works well for chocolate brands, for obvious reasons.
Pink is for femininity, playfulness and romance
Pink tells you that this product is for women in this packaging design by FreshApple for My Fit Day.
What it means
In modern times, it’s impossible to see pink and not think of little girls, cotton candy and brightly colored bubble gum. Pink represents femininity and romance, sensitivity and tenderness. It’s inherently sweet, cute and charming.
Together with brown, pink is among the least common colors in logos. Typical uses of bright pink include Barbie and Cosmopolitan, with their obvious target markets, and Baskin Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts who are tapping into the ‘sweet’ side of the color. Wedding companies and other feminine brands often favor a lighter pink. Less typical uses include Lyft and TMobile—both challenger brands, who aim to stand out from their competitors and bring an element of playfulness and approachability.
How to use it
Pink snack packaging design entry by Martis Lupus.
Using pink is a quick shortcut to communicating “this is for women” and if you know it’ll appeal to your female target market, then it’s a great choice. For some audiences, though, it can be off-putting and you may want to be more creative in communicating femininity without resorting to clichés. You can also use it in unexpected ways to stand out versus your dull and dreary competitors or add a surprising element to an otherwise sophisticated design.
Multicolor is for fun, diversity and optimism
A bright and multicolored web design by Denise M.
What it means
We’ve looked at the meanings of individual colors. So what happens when you bring them all together? What feelings are evoked with multicolored designs? Well, while monochromatic branding can bring focus and style, colorful branding can show that a brand is playful, informal and creative.
As you can imagine, kids’ brands often use multicolored designs—think Toys”R”Us or Crayola—but grown-up brands can get creative too! Google uses multiple colors in its logo to represent the playfulness of the brand. An interesting case is ebay, which had a similarly colorful logo up until 2017 when it simplified its logo to one color in its marketing (although the colored logo is still used on the website). Likewise, Apple evolved its logo from the multicolored striped apple to a sleeker silver one.
How to use it
A multi-colored logo communicates “this is for kids!” in this dentist’s logo by Carmen Vermillion for Juanita Kids Dentistry.
Why choose one when you can choose them all?! Using many colors in your branding and designs can be a great way to stand out, show your playfulness and appeal to children or a more creative audience. Think about whether you want to use complementary colors to provide a real ‘pop’ (colors that are opposites on the color wheel, for example, purple and orange), analogous colors for greater harmony (colors that sit next to each other, for example, red, orange and yellow) or triadic colors for a more dynamic effect (colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel). You can read more about these different color combinations in this article on color theory.
Metallics are for wealth, prosperity and success
This combination of silver and purple on black communicates the exclusivity of this party rental business—it’s definitely not for kids!—in a business card design by ultrastjarna for Specialty Party Rentals.
What it means
Gold and silver are both precious metals, associated with riches and expensive jewelry. Often combined with black, adding a touch of glimmering metal can immediately give a brand that element of glamor. Gold is also the color of a winner, associated as it is with the medal for first place, and can represent success. It’s a warm color related to yellow and as a result shares the attributes of feeling bright and cheerful. Silver is cooler and a little less luxurious, coming in at second place but still representing grace and elegance. Third-place bronze captures the qualities of brown and so it’s more earthy, natural and mature.
Rolex uses a gold crown in its logo, while Lamborghini and Porsche use elements of gold as well. The Louis Vuitton monogram could be said to be gold and brown (although the gold shade is actually called ‘dirt!’). Clearly, gold is the color of luxury! On the other hand, silver is used a lot in car logos—VW, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Audi, Mercedes—where it denotes quality and workmanship.
How to use it
Hot gold foil on a black background gives this wine label design and packaging by Esteban T an exclusive feel for Petit Verdot.
Metallic effects can be hard to recreate online—they’re more materials really, or textures, than they are colors. Gold is essentially a shiny yellow, silver is shiny gray and bronze shiny brown. You can still suggest metallic tones on a website or in a logo using shading and highlighting but the full impact will be seen on printed materials where you can use a foil to get that metallic sheen. For a look that instantly says ‘luxury’, you can’t go wrong with black and gold.
Heading out into the world of color —
Different color options open up a whole world of possibilities. Packaging design by Catus for vivo bem.
So there you go, an epic journey through colors, emotions and brand identities.
Of course, it’s not an exact science. People may have personal preferences that override any deeper biological tendencies, cultures vary in their interpretations and there may be other things you want to take into consideration as well.
Now that you know the rules, you can play around with them and see what works for you. Feel free to break them, too, you crazy rebel you. Just make sure that you’re doing it on purpose and not choosing crazy color combinations without any consideration of what effect they might have.
Want to find the perfect colors for your business? This article on choosing branding colors will teach you everything you need to know.
The post Color meanings and the art of using color psychology appeared first on 99designs Blog.
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Color meanings and the art of using color psychology
You see colors in everything around you, every moment of the day—but do you ever stop to think about the impact each of those colors is having on you? Whether it’s the calming effect of blue skies and fields of green, or the saliva-inducing red and yellow of your local fast food chain, each color is tapping into an emotion. There’s a whole science (and art) in the meanings of different colors. As an entrepreneur or designer, it’s essential to be aware of these color meanings to help you choose your colors wisely and tap into the magical power of color psychology.
A bright and colorful business card design by Daria V. for Mama J.
For a business—whether it’s yours or your client’s—there are all sorts of places where color comes into play. You might immediately think of branding elements like the logo, business cards and stationery. Color choices will also be meaningful across online communication and marketing materials: your website, social media, emails, presentations as well as offline tools like flyers and product packaging.
Millions of years of biological conditioning have created certain associations between colors and objects or emotions, while some associations may be more recent. Understanding these associations will give you a shortcut to your customer’s heart, provoking a specific emotion and maybe even a behavior. Feelings are much more powerful than rational thoughts based on facts and figures and applying color psychology will make your branding efforts and designs much more effective.
Choosing colors —
Choose your colors carefully. Design for a pencil set by ve_sta for Vibrant Colors.
Before getting into the meanings of different colors, there are a few things you want to have in mind first:
Your target audience—You always want to start with a clear idea of who you are talking to. Marketing to kids (and their parents) will require a different approach to marketing to high-end luxury consumers.
Your brand personality—Is your brand more masculine or feminine, playful or serious, modern or classic? You’ll need to have a good feel for your brand identity so that you can choose the best color fit. (Read this article for more on creating your own brand scheme.)
Your competition—This is a tricky one: sometimes you’ll want to play by the rules of your industry to make sure that people recognize what your company does and sometimes you’ll want to break those rules so that you stand out against the crowd with a new and innovative approach to the industry.
Your color choices can have a huge impact. Wine label design by it’s a DOG’s life.
A few things to watch out for, as well:
Cultural differences—Red represents good luck in China but in South Africa it’s the color of mourning. Americans associate green with money as that’s the color of dollar bills but that isn’t the case globally. You’ll need to be sensitive to these differences depending on where you are operating. Colors may also change in significance over time: red used to be seen as a strong, masculine color while blue was a feminine color suited for girls.
Shades and tones—A color may have a general meaning but lighter shades can vary dramatically compared to darker shades, while more natural, muted shades will differ from artificial neon colors. Make sure that you look at the specific associations of the different shades and tones. For example, if you’re using neon green, don’t assume that just because you’ve chosen a shade of green it’s going to be a good fit for an eco-friendly brand.
Color combinations—You’re probably going to be using more than one color and so you’ll need to give some thought to which colors work well together as well as which secondary colors can help you to add some highlights or accents. You can read more about the color wheel here.
For an example of a business that got it wrong, just take a look at the disaster that was Heinz purple ketchup.
Now let’s explore what all those colors mean…
All the colors of the rainbow —
Red is for energy, passion and danger
Red and yellow is a classic combination that screams ‘fast food’. Logo design by chocoboracer for Chicken Heads.
What it means
Red is associated with the heat of energy and passion, we “see red” when we’re angry and it’s also the color of blood, making it a powerful color in branding. Think of the bold red of a fireman’s truck or the ‘stop’ sign in traffic. Red is also said to stimulate appetite, which is why it’s popular in fast food chains—most famously in McDonald’s, which combines red with another primary color, yellow.
Netflix uses red to attract users to its platform, with red calls-to-action to join or sign in. Another famously red brand is Coca-Cola (and, as the story goes, it was Coke’s marketing campaign that branded Santa Claus red). It will be interesting to see what happens with Coca-Cola’s recent packaging redesign as they move away from that iconic red to match its new Diet Coke flavors with other colors.
How to use it
Red and black is a bold combination that’s masculine and powerful. Design by torvs.
If you have a loud brand and want to stand out, then red could be the color for you. Its high energy makes it a great choice for caffeine drinks, fast cars or sports. With its appetite-stimulating qualities, it’s a good match for restaurants who want to bring in hungry customers. It can also be used as an accent color to draw attention to something on your packaging, or to get visitors to ‘buy it now’ on your website.
Orange is for creativity, youth and enthusiasm
A juicy, bright orange label design by WolfBell.
What it means
As a secondary color, orange combines the warmth and heat of red with the playfulness and joy of yellow. It attracts attention without being as daring as red, and is used for warning signs like traffic cones and high-visibility clothing. It’s an energetic color that can bring to mind health and vitality, given its obvious link to oranges and vitamin C. It’s a youthful color as well, bringing an element of vibrancy and fun.
A good example of using orange to connect with a young audience in a fun way is Nickelodeon. To promote energy and activity, Gatorade uses an orange lightning bolt, while orange is also a popular color for tropical drinks like Fanta. There may be unusual historical reasons behind a brand’s choice of color: luxury brand Hermès chose orange because it was the only paperboard available during World War II! It’s a confident color but not usually associated with luxury.
How to use it
The orange brings an unexpected creative touch to the finance business in this logo by Cross the Lime.
Orange can be a great choice for a youthful and creative brand that wants to be a bit different to the mainstream. It’s a friendly color that also stimulates action so, like red, it can be used as an accent color to catch the eye and promote activity.
Yellow is for happiness, hope and spontaneity
Uplifting, yellow quinoa packaging design entry by Mila Katagarova.
What it means
Ah, yellow. The color of the sun, smiley faces and sunflowers. It’s a happy color, full of hope and positivity. It’s another color that grabs your attention and for that reason can also be used to signify caution, like red and orange.
The golden arches of McDonald’s (well, they’re yellow, really) are a globally recognized symbol that can be seen from far away and immediately gets associated with fast food. In the same way, Best Buy’s yellow tag indicates a reduced cost for its cost-conscious customers (say that quickly three times!).
How to use it
This shade of yellow works well for a happy, healthy brand like Why Bar in this packaging by Martis Lupus.
Yellow is a great choice if speed, fun and low cost are attributes that you want associated with your brand. Be careful with different shades, though: a bright yellow will grab people’s attention right away and it’s a useful way of highlighting or accenting a design, a pale or warm yellow can look natural and healthy, while a neon yellow can instead be very artificial.
Green is for nature, growth and harmony – but also wealth and stability
The green works well with the natural material in this organic bamboo packaging by tomdesign.org for Midori Way.
What it means
Green is universally associated with nature, linked as it is to grass, plants and trees. It also represents growth and renewal, being the color of spring and rebirth. Another association is “getting the green light” to go ahead, giving it an association with taking action. In the US, green (and especially dark green) is also associated with money and so represents prosperity and stability.
Green is also often seen as a fourth color on top of the primary red, yellow and blue (think Microsoft and Google), bringing a sense of visual balance and, as a result, a soothing and relaxing influence. Famous brands that use different shades of green include Starbucks, Spotify and Whole Foods Market.
How to use it
The two shades of green are a perfect fit for this eco-friendly brand logo by ultrastjarna.
The connection to nature makes green a natural choice (see what I did there?) for a brand that’s eco friendly, organic or sustainable. As with yellow, be wary of the fact that while muted or lighter shades of green can represent nature, neon versions will have the opposite effect and will feel more artificial and less harmonious. On a website, a green call to action can suggest ‘go’—although the battle rages on with red buttons, which can instead suggest urgency.
Blue is for calm, trust and intelligence
Business card design by KreativeMouse.
What it means
Blue is the most popular color in the world, both when it comes to personal preferences (for both genders) and usage in business logos. It’s a serene and calming color that represents intelligence and responsibility. It’s the go-to color for trusted, corporate institutions, often in combination with a mature grey:
IT companies e.g. Intel, Microsoft, IBM, HP, Dell
Finance institutions e.g. American Express, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Paypal
Big corporations e.g. Procter & Gamble, General Electric, General Motors, Boeing and Lowe’s
Blue is also the natural choice for professional network LinkedIn.
Interestingly, blue is the color of choice for many other social networks too. Facebook is blue – apparently because founder Mark Zuckerberg is red-green color blind and blue is the most vivid color that he can see. The association with trust and dependability does work well in the context of a social network, with all the concerns around data privacy and so on, and you’ll find that Twitter is also blue, as are Instagram, Russia’s VKontakte and even social media site Mashable.
How to use it
Another area where trust is paramount: blue works well in this BabySafe packaging by daenerysALEINA.
If you want to be immediately associated with professionalism and trust, then blue is the color for you. Since it’s universally liked, it’s also a great choice if you want to appeal to both men and women. Its association with calm and tranquility means that blue is also a good fit if your business is in things like relaxation, therapy or meditation.
Purple is for luxury, mystery and spirituality
Magical, purple book cover design entry by Meella.
What it means
Purple is an interesting beast: it’s both warm and cool and combines the passion and energy of red with the calm and serenity of blue. Because of its associations with royalty, purple is inherently prestigious and luxurious. Purple dye was historically expensive, which meant that only wealthy rulers could afford it. The ruling classes and kings and queens of old would wear purple and Queen Elizabeth I even forbade anyone outside of the royal family from wearing it. Purple is also associated with religion and spirituality, since the ancient rulers were thought of as descendants of the gods and the color holds a special meaning in religions including Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism. On top of all that purple is on trend, Ultra Violet being Pantone’s choice for color of the year 2018.
Funnily enough, brands are not always as strategic in choosing colors as they should be. Yahoo, as the story goes, ended up purple because that was the cheapest paint color available to renovate the offices back in the early days. You can see a more typical use of purple in the Asprey brand, a British luxury company with a heritage that goes back to the 1700s and a Royal Warrant for every British monarch since Queen Victoria.
How to use it
Purple is a good fit for a mystical fairytale book publisher (not to mention the name of the publisher!) in this Purple Pixie logo by yase for Purple Pixie.
Use purple when you want to evoke those luxurious, royal connections—combine it with gold for that extra ‘wow’. Or use it when you want to add a dash of mysticism and spirituality to your brand. Add some green for a really striking contrast or with pink to emphasize the feminine.
The neutrals —
Black is for power, elegance and sophistication
A striking, all-black wine label design by Dan Newman.
What it means
Although black can have negative connotations—it’s the color of death, fear and grief—it’s more generally associated with power and elegance when it comes to branding and marketing. It’s bold, powerful and a little mysterious and it can be intimidating and unapproachable as well. At the same time, it’s an inherently neutral color and is often used for typography and other functional elements.
Luxury brands like Chanel and Dior keep things stylish with an iconic black-and-white logo. Brands like these want to be a little intimidating and unapproachable as that makes them more exclusive and aspirational. The James Bond 007 logo is black. Newspaper logos also tend to be in black, given the historic black-and-white printing presses. Of course, most brands will have a black-and-white version of their logo as printing in black and white tends to be cheaper than color printing.
How to use it
Simple black logo design by Project 4.
If you want to convey a sense of luxury, you can’t go wrong with a simple black-and-white color scheme. Combined with a gold, silver or why not a royal purple, you’ll give your brand an air of exclusivity and prestige. On the other hand, black can also be used with bright colors for contrast and when combined with other powerful colors like red or orange it can be quite impactful, even aggressive.
White is for purity, innocence and minimalism
This minimalist design emphasizes the purity of the spirit while letting the brand’s big red ‘C’ stand out in a simple label design by Wooden Horse for Cabby’s Rum.
What it means
If you know your science, then you’ll know that white light actually contains all the colors of the rainbow—but to the naked eye at least, white is the opposite: it’s the absence of any color. White represents purity and innocence and creates a minimalist aesthetic. It can be very simple, clean and modern. It’s also the most neutral color of all and can be quite non-descript as a base for other, more exciting, colors.
Apple’s advertising and packaging give a powerful illustration of how white can be used for a modern and minimalist aesthetic that puts the beautiful product design center stage. Marc Jacobs prints a simple black logo onto white luxury retail boxes and shopping bags. Health and beauty brands that want to convey an air of purity and natural ingredients will also tend to use white in their packaging. It’s an obvious fit for wedding brands as well, given the traditional association with virginity and white wedding gowns.
How to use it
This white packaging design by Imee008 keeps things very clean and simple.
White space can be as important in a design as all the other creative elements. White tends to be the color used for website backgrounds as it ensures that your text is easy to read. It’s also often used as a secondary accent in a color scheme. Together with pastels, it can bring to mind spring and femininity; combined with simple black it becomes classic and minimalistic. When it comes to white, it’s a lot about the colors you put it with.
Gray is for professionalism, formality and conventionality
A modern and formal – but in this case a little unconventional – grey and black web design by Mila Jones Cann
What it means
Gray is a more mature, responsible color, associated with the gray hair of old age. Its positive connotations include formality and dependability, while the negative side can mean being overly conservative, conventional and lacking in emotion. It’s safe and quite subdued, serious and reserved.
Gray is rarely the star of the show. Nintendo briefly favored a gray logo from 2008 to 2016 but has since gone back to its earlier red. Jewelry brand Swarovski does have a gray logo, although if you look at the website the version used there is black. You’re more likely to see the color gray as a secondary color, playing a supporting role to some other, stronger, character.
How to use it
This rare use of grey as the main color works well for a sleek packaging design by syakuro.
Use gray if you have a serious brand and you want to communicate the authority and stability of a corporate institution. Combine it with blue for the ultimate in conservatism and dependability. It’s actually also a very popular color in web design. You may want to consider using gray as an alternative to white for a softer website background—or as an alternative to black text for a less harsh contrast and an easier read.
The best of the rest —
Brown is for wholesomeness, warmth and honesty
The brown color choice adds to a traditional-looking stamp effect in this Welsh bakery logo design by ultrastjarna.
What it means
Brown is a natural color, associated with the earth and as a result giving a sense of stability and support. Given its link to the earth, brown brings to mind farming and agriculture and other outdoorsy activities. It’s warm and friendly, practical and dependable, and can also represent the old fashioned and well established.
Brown is not used that often in logos. When it is, it tends to represent utility. Although blue is the typical corporate color, UPS has used brown to represent dependability (along with a later addition of yellow to bring an element of warmth and friendliness). Up until recently (well, 2010), they even used the color in their tagline: “What can brown do for you?”
How to use it
A bold splash of pink gives this chocolate brand a more contemporary feel in a design by Zoe Schtorm for Chocodiem.
Brown is a warm, neutral color that you can use as a background that conveys warmth and wholesomeness. Use it for an earthy brand and in a natural pairing with green to really capture that organic feel. You can also use brown to give the impression of a well-established heritage and a sense of tradition. Brown works well for chocolate brands, for obvious reasons.
Pink is for femininity, playfulness and romance
Pink tells you that this product is for women in this packaging design by FreshApple for My Fit Day.
What it means
In modern times, it’s impossible to see pink and not think of little girls, cotton candy and brightly colored bubble gum. Pink represents femininity and romance, sensitivity and tenderness. It’s inherently sweet, cute and charming.
Together with brown, pink is among the least common colors in logos. Typical uses of bright pink include Barbie and Cosmopolitan, with their obvious target markets, and Baskin Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts who are tapping into the ‘sweet’ side of the color. Wedding companies and other feminine brands often favor a lighter pink. Less typical uses include Lyft and TMobile—both challenger brands, who aim to stand out from their competitors and bring an element of playfulness and approachability.
How to use it
Pink snack packaging design entry by Martis Lupus.
Using pink is a quick shortcut to communicating “this is for women” and if you know it’ll appeal to your female target market, then it’s a great choice. For some audiences, though, it can be off-putting and you may want to be more creative in communicating femininity without resorting to clichés. You can also use it in unexpected ways to stand out versus your dull and dreary competitors or add a surprising element to an otherwise sophisticated design.
Multicolor is for fun, diversity and optimism
A bright and multicolored web design by Denise M.
What it means
We’ve looked at the meanings of individual colors. So what happens when you bring them all together? What feelings are evoked with multicolored designs? Well, while monochromatic branding can bring focus and style, colorful branding can show that a brand is playful, informal and creative.
As you can imagine, kids’ brands often use multicolored designs—think Toys”R”Us or Crayola—but grown-up brands can get creative too! Google uses multiple colors in its logo to represent the playfulness of the brand. An interesting case is ebay, which had a similarly colorful logo up until 2017 when it simplified its logo to one color in its marketing (although the colored logo is still used on the website). Likewise, Apple evolved its logo from the multicolored striped apple to a sleeker silver one.
How to use it
A multi-colored logo communicates “this is for kids!” in this dentist’s logo by Carmen Vermillion for Juanita Kids Dentistry.
Why choose one when you can choose them all?! Using many colors in your branding and designs can be a great way to stand out, show your playfulness and appeal to children or a more creative audience. Think about whether you want to use complementary colors to provide a real ‘pop’ (colors that are opposites on the color wheel, for example, purple and orange), analogous colors for greater harmony (colors that sit next to each other, for example, red, orange and yellow) or triadic colors for a more dynamic effect (colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel). You can read more about these different color combinations in this article on color theory.
Metallics are for wealth, prosperity and success
This combination of silver and purple on black communicates the exclusivity of this party rental business—it’s definitely not for kids!—in a business card design by ultrastjarna for Specialty Party Rentals.
What it means
Gold and silver are both precious metals, associated with riches and expensive jewelry. Often combined with black, adding a touch of glimmering metal can immediately give a brand that element of glamor. Gold is also the color of a winner, associated as it is with the medal for first place, and can represent success. It’s a warm color related to yellow and as a result shares the attributes of feeling bright and cheerful. Silver is cooler and a little less luxurious, coming in at second place but still representing grace and elegance. Third-place bronze captures the qualities of brown and so it’s more earthy, natural and mature.
Rolex uses a gold crown in its logo, while Lamborghini and Porsche use elements of gold as well. The Louis Vuitton monogram could be said to be gold and brown (although the gold shade is actually called ‘dirt!’). Clearly, gold is the color of luxury! On the other hand, silver is used a lot in car logos—VW, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Audi, Mercedes—where it denotes quality and workmanship.
How to use it
Hot gold foil on a black background gives this wine label design and packaging by Esteban T an exclusive feel for Petit Verdot.
Metallic effects can be hard to recreate online—they’re more materials really, or textures, than they are colors. Gold is essentially a shiny yellow, silver is shiny gray and bronze shiny brown. You can still suggest metallic tones on a website or in a logo using shading and highlighting but the full impact will be seen on printed materials where you can use a foil to get that metallic sheen. For a look that instantly says ‘luxury’, you can’t go wrong with black and gold.
Heading out into the world of color —
Different color options open up a whole world of possibilities. Packaging design by Catus for vivo bem.
So there you go, an epic journey through colors, emotions and brand identities.
Of course, it’s not an exact science. People may have personal preferences that override any deeper biological tendencies, cultures vary in their interpretations and there may be other things you want to take into consideration as well.
Now that you know the rules, you can play around with them and see what works for you. Feel free to break them, too, you crazy rebel you. Just make sure that you’re doing it on purpose and not choosing crazy color combinations without any consideration of what effect they might have.
Want to find the perfect colors for your business? This article on choosing branding colors will teach you everything you need to know.
The post Color meanings and the art of using color psychology appeared first on 99designs Blog.
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Star-Crossed Hero of Dreamland: Wolfbell!
@kirbyoctournament
=General Information=
Name: She doesn’t remember her name before coming to Popstar, if.. she even had one at all. But the villagers of Cappy Town are calling her Wolfbell, so she’s happy to stick with that for the time being.
Gender/Pronouns: Hermaphrodite, she/her
Species: Unclear, she herself is uncertain. While she does appear to resemble a puffball, several of her biological features do not aline in the slightest with typical puffball anatomy.
Age: She appears to be a preteen. But just like all the other information about herself, she’s really unsure.
Abilities:
-flight (still a bit shaky at this, cannot fly for long periods of time without rest)
Wolfbell has the ability to use soul magic, she can use her sword to focus blasts and streaks of red coloured soul magic. Her abilities allow her to sense other people with souls nearby her. Has a mode of vision known as soul vision, which brings her into a void where she can see others and their emotions, granting her empathic abilities where she can feel and see what others are feeling.
She can phase through objects and attacks as if becoming a ghost, she has a hard time activating this ability on command and it often makes her nauseous.
The two bells on her ears will ring to warn her of oncoming danger, and when she is near someone she can judge them with the bells to see if they are safe or not.
Wolfbell, even prior to the mentorship of Sir Mets Knight, has proven to be quite good at swordsmanship, her sword is necessary for her to channel her magic into stronger and more stable attacks.
Wolfbell’s blue blood contains natural antifreeze proteins, allowing her greater resilience to colder temperatures. Bring copper based her body is adapted to cold oxygen poor environments, and she can hold her breath for up to an hour before having to breathe again. Because her body needs so little oxygen, Wolfbell’s rate of breathing is extremely low.
Her durable and strong forearms and tough paws make her an excellent rock climber, her nails are very hard to break and grow rapidly, so climbing things is something she’ll do often.
She also might just possibly be haunted.
Weaknesses:
-Has poor endurance for using her soul magic, constantly using it will rapidly drain her energy and make her collapse.
-Had retrograde amnesia, she cannot remember where she came from, or truly who she is. She’s unsure what caused the amnesia. Little by little as Wolfbell encounters others and is forced to face her past, it comes crashing back to her.
-She is quite self critical, especially when it comes to failure. She is scared of letting others down, especially Meta Knight. She’s also quite socially anxious in general.
-She has begun to develop Fatal Rapport Syndrome.
Likes:
-Long nature walks, gets her away from the loudness of society and everyone’s emotions… and judgement.
-Rock climbing.
-Training with Sword and Blade, training with her sword in general, she’ll practice her foot work even if she’s alone.
-Star gazing and the moon.
-Tea.
-Books and reading.
-Being around those she’s come to see as friends, she especially enjoys cuddling and hugs.
Dislikes:
-Loud noises, her ears are sensitive.
-Large crowds of people. Too many emotions.
-Eating veggies.
-Getting really muddy.
-The cappies’ judgement towards her for being different, and their gossip behind her back.
=Personality=
Wolfbell is a young warrior in training who tends to think to herself instead of speak out loud, she is very awkward and struggles to react to sudden change. Around people she typically is quite introverted and would much rather listen to someone talk than be the talker, but will attempt to force herself to try and be friendly even at her own discomfort in order to overcome her limits, often leading to spastic moments of saying things that somehow manage to sound actually coherent in the most awkwardly way possible.
But once she becomes your friend, she is loyal without fault and will do anything to keep you safe.
She has natural talent with swordsmanship, though like the modest person she is she often undermines her skills as nothing particularly special and has a hard time accepting praise. Especially when, without her sword, she tends to be really bad at managing her abilities. She is highly independent and struggles to ask for help.
She’s clever, intuitive, and alert, with a great love for the beauty of life and nature. She will try to be helpful always, and will valiantly and bravely rush to defend someone if she notices they are in danger or need help. She is prepared to take hits for others, especially for friends, as she believes it is her duty as the hero. She’s non confrontational in social settings, shying away or simply taking any kind of harmful gossip or criticism about her.
Truth be told she’s very confused, and feels lost, she wants to know her origins as badly as she wants to fulfil this destiny of hers and will sometimes dive to desperate measures to do so. She is a lot of hardcore faith in her destiny as the hero, which she is highly devoted to.
Wolfbell is self-critical as is, and thinks very lowly of herself, often ignoring her own needs, especially to please others.
=Relationships=
Meta Knight:
Meta Knight is Wolfbell’s unofficial guardian, having stepped in to oversee her training so she can one day fulfil her destiny and kill Nightmare. He is not afraid in the slightest to be very harsh with his training methods, often throwing Wolfbell directly into danger and waiting for her to figure out solutions on her own. Wolfbell has a lot of respect for him, but is also…quite afraid of him and the pain he can inflict during his lessons. She immensely fears letting him down and disappointing him.
She’s attempting numerous times to ask him questions about herself and himself, but is usually met with vague answers that leave her more confused than before she asked the questions. She doesn’t doubt that in his own distant way, he does care about her, despite everything.
Fumu and Bun:
Fumu and Bun are Wolfbell’s friends and the first people to actually welcome her into Cappy Town. Wolfbell has a great amount of respect and admiration for Fumu (who she calls Miss Fumu) and thinks she is very interesting and intelligent. The two bond over having a common fascination and love for nature, often going on hikes together and reading books together, and trying to solve the mystery of what Wolfbell is. Wolfbell is very protective of her.
Bun and Wolfbell have a very playful relationship, with Bun often unintentionally reminding Wolfbell to behave like the juvenile she is. He will rope her into mischief at every opportunity, and the two often get into trouble. Because Wolfbell is quite strong and durable, she can withstand how rough Bun plays without falling behind or getting injured. Rather, it is often him who gets scraped up trying to keep up with her, especially when she scoots up the side of a cliff like it’s nothing. He does occasionally get jealous of the ‘cool things’ she can do, so in an effort to please him she’ll often refraining from ‘showing off’ unless he asks.
The Cappies:
The Cappies have a very… mixed, opinion on Wolfbell. While not outright aggressive to her (under normal circumstances) she is often their scapegoat when anything goes wrong or anything gets destroyed around town. They think she’s weird and that she looks strange, and a common thread of gossip around town is Wolfbell might not be all that different from the monsters she’s fighting. Sometimes they can be nice to her, but most of the time they prefer she stays away from them and out of town if there aren’t any monsters to be fought. Curio is one of the few Cappies who find her interesting, albeit much more in a ‘what a neat organism’ way, whereas Mabel and Samo are actually genuinely nice to Wolfbell, with Mabel trying her best to reassure Wolfbell she’s doing her best when she has the opportunity to do so.
Rem:
Rem is an agent of Nightmare sent to kill her in order to stop the prophecy from happening.
=Backstory=
Wolfbell’s story begins with the planet Popstar, which has begun to suffer from demonbeast problems. While a Star Warrior named Meta Knight lives on the planet and tries his best to defend it, there's only so much he can do.
The townspeople began to see the demonbeasts everywhere as King Dedede ordered more and more of them to fulfil some agenda. Eventually after several episodes of sheep going missing and numerous cappies seeing an octopus demonbeast, after an attempt to get King Dedede to solve the problem ends fruitless, they go to Kabu and ask for an answer to their problems. The pebble of knowledge in the cosmic river of history says that the solution to their problem lies within Wolfbell.
Confused by what this means, they ponder on what Wolfbell could possibly be when barely a few seconds later a stranger shows up from out of the blue from a rift in the sky, a young puff-like being who has the features of a wolf, and on either ear a small bell. No doubt, this is their hero Wolfbell.
Meta Knight sees immediately that she is not a Star Warrior, but with no other options he begins to train this stranger to unlock what he can only assume to be the power within her necessary to defeat the monsters and eventually Nightmare. With no name or memory of her past, she opts to just go by what the locals have been calling her: Wolfbell.
She manages to defeat the octopus demonbeast (albeit with a lot of running and lots of internal screaming) and is dubbed as the hero of Dreamland. This goes on for a while, she meets the residents of the town and castle, albeit the odd one out and the scapegoat when things go wrong for the cappies, with each new demonbeast she defeats she gets a little bit stronger.
However, little did she and everyone else know, defeating NME and stopping Nightmare was never her destiny.
-
Want to ask her a question or interact with her?
The arrival???
-
A Wolfbell Playlist?
-Wild Horses by Grace Powers (main theme song)
-Curses by The Crane Wives
-The Wolf by SIAMÉS
-Monster by Imagine Dragons
#hoshi no kirby#kirby#kirby right back at ya#art#kirby art#kirby oc#kirby fandom#kirby of the stars#kirby au#kirby wolfbell au#digital artist#original character#kirby oc tournament#wolfbell#wolfbell’s bio#lore#character bio
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She doesn’t want to think about that right now.
Dotty said without Trauma Zone and break downs.
Wolfbell: …..tell me about home..? Please..?
She finally requests, tone barely a whisper.
Subject 42 frowned softly, and gave a small nod. It’s a very reasonable request, the poor novice simply wanting to know where it is she comes from.
They lift a paw, whereas Wolfbell’s soul magic looks like electricity, crackling and sparkling, Subject 42’s soul magic is fluent and smooth, more like coils of lavender coloured water.
The red tint of Wolfbell’s Void is washed over by the dark purple of Subject 42’s Void, all spare for the dark black space around Dotty.
Subject 42: Home…. On a planet our kind knows as Υψηλή Άνοδο. I have not been there in a very long time, but I remember it well.
Much like how Wolfbell’s memories came through when her void had been thrown into chaos, Subject 42 could do similar, albeit this was completely in control and by their will.
And they showed a mountain.
It was, a very, very big mountain. Wolfbell had always thought the cliffs around Cappy Town, like the one Dyna Blade lived with her chick and the one that the caste sat upon, were very tall. It took her a while to climb both of them.
This mountain made those cliffs look like grains of sand. It was so tall the peaks of the mountain easily got lost in the clouds, there was snow on it. Wolfbell figured it had to possibly even touch the stars with how tall it was. It was as beautiful as it was dangerous looking, and she stared with big red eyes, captivated and in awe.
A letter, reading:
ARE YOU TIRED OF MONOTONY?
ARE YOU HAUNTED BY REGRET AND LONGING?
DO YOU WISH THERE WAS A WAY TO BECOME SOMEONE BETTER?
If you have any of these concerns, take The C.R.O. Survey now!
The C.R.O. may be just the place for you!
Wolfbell: …..
This would be a great time for Hiraeth to throw the dictionary at her again. Monotony is a big word.
She thought she’d be excited to get mail, but so far all the mail she’s gotten consists of that letter calling her a bitch (it was funny apparently, she’s not sure how the joke missed her entirely, but apparently it was funny) all the emails from Tille that truly did not end in her favour, and now this.
And she has a feeling it’s not going to end any better for her. At least, when problems do arise (it’s no longer an if, simply a when) at least now she has her sword!
Wolfbell: …….. I need Dotty for this…
Wolfbell goes to look for Dotty to show them the poster. Maybe they will know what this is.
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The Maybe-Wolfbell just sighed a bit.
Maybe-Wolfbell: idiot… hang on I’ll get Lion Dad to whip up some stabilizers to try and get your copy ability …or whatever this is, under control.
The fluff was.. soft and cool to the touch. A very nice alternative to the horrible pain they felt.
It was kind of hard to see what happened next, but past the blurriness it became apparent that the Maybe-Wolfbell wasn’t the only other person here. There was … brown, and green, and it looked like the person had a thin tail, and flashes of green and orange eyes.
She bounded up to him as he walked past with various different tools and vials.
Maybe-Wolfbell: That black goop-
Majang’s tail flicked a bit, a hand breaking away from what he was doing to reply to her observation with the ‘noted’ gesture.
Maybe-Wolfbell: Is it pure dark matter or just DM fluid?
Majang gives the gesture to state he isn’t quite sure yet, and that he needs to run a couple more tests to figure out what he’s actually dealing with, so he can get the proper stabilizers configured. He’s a quick worker, and besides, he has no desire to leave poor Dotty writhing in pain.
hazy memories and voices buzzing in their head.
a familiar face with bright blue hair turns away and walks into the void
wait
come back
don’t lea
“…?”
A bright and cheerful voice with just a hint of sarcasm is there to greet them.
……..maybe they got hit in the head way harder than they thought. Because it looked just like Wolfbell. Only….Wolfbell was curled up beside them. Sleeping it seemed, as the noise did not so much as make her stir.
Wolfbell??: Great to see you’re awake Dotty! How’s your head? Not too toasty hopefully?
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Hiraeth: good.. bad. That’s a philosophical question, Dotty. And while I LOVE philosophy… my answer might not be the one that you want. It will also probably break the character limit!
Hiraeth: …. Mm. Perhaps it breaks the rules of this little game, after all I said I would be the one answering questions, but what do you think?
They have a feeling that’s not a question Dotty gets asked a lot. What do they think, not ‘here’s my opinion and you don’t get to have one’.
Hiraeth: Just… taking into consideration. I mean this genuinely, you are smarter than a lot of people give you credit for.
The waddle dee spins around, the various rectangular shapes and squares expanding and breaking into staticky tv screens, showing various different scenes and shots of Wolfbell.
Her adventures throughout the tourney void, the friends she has made and the people she has encountered. All her moments of fear and panic as the dread of not having answers hits her, and her moments of peace.
Her first encounter of Dotty, where her eyes had filled with nothing but pure amazement seeing them pop out of a wall, was one of them.
Of course this included her encounters with Zilla.
Hiraeth: …. She forgave you, immediately, for running away and leaving her. And when she had the chance….
Their gaze shifted over to the screen where Wolfbell fought alongside Fal, ultimately choosing mercy and sparing the dark matter when it came to it.
Hiraeth: she spared Zilla. Despite the fact that they almost killed her. There was nothing to personally gain from sparing them. But, she went ahead and did that anyways.
Hiraeth: does that seem like the actions of someone who’d…
Somehow they managed to look like they were smirking.
Hiraeth: throw you to the wolves?
A ‘ba dum tsk’ sound effect came from… somewhere.
Dotty receives a ‘free answers without snarky replies’ coupon.
Somehow. It’s obvious who it’s from.
On the back, in cursive that’s so cursive it’s almost impossible to read, it simply says:
‘Looks like you could use a break :)’
X1 Free Answers Without Snarky Responses Coupon
This could be a great opportunity to learn more about themself.
“Alright. How do I use this…?”
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