#and I just know I wont be able to replicate it and so all of my efforts are gonna be for nothing

[dullahandyke]

nothing like a typing test to lift the spirits

[davidisnotmyname]

just accidentally deleted a drawing file that I've spent hours on and has been one of the only pieces of art I've genuinely felt proud of. I feel fucking sick. I'm not kidding when I say I was curled up in a ball on the floor sobbing a few minutes ago. new art soon though I'm gonna have to redo this shit

[decafbat]

i really like how much depth your art has, do you think you could show how you break down bodies when sketching if that makes sense? it’s something i struggle with a lot in my art! ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

ok apologies in advance, this is probably going to be a really long and tangential rant about art that may or may not actually help you in learning how to construct bodies. im just gonna put it under a cut to save everyone from seeing this huge text wall.

i dont think its gonna be possible for you to replicate my methods here, because theyre mostly just really specific shortcuts for finding certain proportions and reference points for anatomy, which i'm fairly versed in, but not as much as i'd like to be. the shortcuts you'll need will be different from mine. im glad you think my art has depth, that is something i am trying to seek very intentionally right now, and i dont think im even close to the depth of form i am actually aiming for. so like. this makes making a tutorial kind of inherently hard. nevertheless, i threw this quick sketch together after like 3 failed attempts. (i was doing those attempts digitally, ended up giving up on that and going back to traditional because its what im most comfortable with rn)

i didnt get all the steps i took to get here because scanning that much would be cumbersome but ill try to explain how i got here. i start with the head almost every time.

i use a lot of symbolic/graphic shapes when drawing heads and dont stick to using forms very often besides the circle at the center of the head, which i use as the base to form these graphic shapes around. think of it like "wrapping" the ball in various textures and masses. the eyes are usually "textured" onto the head, notice how the her left eye looks narrower then her right. of course i try to make sure her bangs sit along the curve of the sphere and her ears look like they sit on opposite sides of the head. its easy to forget that part, making the head look unsymmetrical. the particular masses of leica's head would be her snout, which is just a curve extended slightly outside the diameter of the ball, and her hair, which are two strange organic shapes that are quite hard to draw, two hair sprig anime antennae things (forgive me, i forgot the word for them,) and the back of the head, which i usually need to extend slightly. its a little too extended here, needs more on the top, i fix this in the final pass. this was a quick sketch, so i didnt focus too hard on the forms of the head beyond the most essential ones for her design, but i sometimes highlight the form of cheeks with curved hatching, or try to make the eyes appear more sunken-in as they are on human faces. i dont know how to proportion the neck and torso correctly until i draw the head, so i always do it first. next, i did the torso.

so heres why i said that you probably wont be able to replicate this approach. you do kind of just have to practice anatomy, i cant just make it make sense because im not very good at explaining this stuff, but ill try to go through what i did here. so, i generally use simplified bone shapes to find proportions and reference points, as well as more complicated shapes like those of elbows and knees. i try to study fairly often because im not satisfied with here im at with this stuff yet. of course, i dont think i'll ever be. so i'll usually start with the ribcage, add a shoulderblade out the back to find the shoulder, the armbones come out of that, the bone in the upper arm connects to the ulna with a sort of three-pronged attachment, one big knurl in the middle, which forms the thrust of the elbow, two little ones on the side. i think those are part of the ulna but i dont remember. see, you dont really have to know what exactly they do as long as you know what they look like. the ulna does some goofy rotation shit i dont understand, connects to the wrist, and then we have a hand, which, i mean, im not good enough at hands to even be telling you how to do it, but i just have a big squarish mass and some little hotdog fingers coming out of that. you can see on her left hand that ill have a big circle forming the the area on the hand where the thumb attaches... theres more depth to the hands, i think you can easily find better tutorials then i could offer. anyway, under the ribcage theres the pelvis, represented with a box. ill get into that when i talk about the legs. i wanna briefly talk about the way i add the flesh and fat to the bones.

so, i really can't give a comprehensive crash course on anatomy, but i can point you towards the morpho series, which is where i get most of this stuff from. you can get very far with the volumes Simplified Forms, Fat and Skin, and Skeleton and Bone Reference Points. moving on, i just kind of have a feel for where the masses attach by now. the important thing to remember when drawing fat characters like this is that the fat should "hang" from the bones and flesh, drooping down slightly. leicas fat hangs substantially, so she's not very wide despite her weight. this is important to her character design i feel. i almost always draw characters naked first when doing serious drawings because it will come in handy knowing where the forms of the body are when i add the clothing. by focusing on the way her body looks naked, i can modify the impression of those forms when adding clothes, and when i add them later on in this drawing, leica will take on the distinctive boxy look i try to draw her with.

if you look at the arm, youll see that the place the line of bone sits is very high compared to the whole mass of the arm, the flesh and fat of the arm "hang" from the bone, and then the upper arm squishes against the bent forearm too. even if the anatomy in the arm is indistinct, it can still look convincing when the forms act realistically against one another. the elbow has much less fat connected to it, so its more bony then the rest. this isnt actually consistent on all people so like, think about that kind of thing when designing characters, like i was talking about before, fat can sit in infinite different ways. maybe if i was doing a more objective anatomy lesson i'd draw cath, because i do have a sort of vague understanding of muscle placement that doesnt come through here, but probably would if i was drawing a scrawnier character. let me know if you want that.

a word on the breasts too: they hang a bit lower then you'd expect, keep that in mind. the attachment point is also angled, as the line shows. the line starts roughly in the middle of the torso and ends around the armpit, but the form of the breast can go underneath the armpit or even connect around the fold of fat in the back. many things to think about. i love boob shapes. ok lets finally get on with it and talk about the legs.

so, the really specific shape of the pelvis doesnt matter that much unless youre drawing a really thin character, so its just a box here. out from the sides of the pelvis, extending out more then you'd expect, is the femur, which ends in a similar joint to the arm. this shape helps me figure out the form of the knee. two masses on each side with a bunch of complex and weirdly shaped bones forming the kneecap, which i have omitted because i dont yet know shit enough to include them. i am learning though. so, obviously the feet are just scribbles here because im just gonna put her feet in socks anyway. you really dont have to do more then you have to. a few tips i can offer here, the butt should hang a bit too when drawing fat characters, i think the butt is supposed to start just below the pelvis if i remember, but take that with a grain of salt. i also didnt really do that here but its hard to tell because she's facing mostly forward. again, i dont think i can really communicate what's going on here. morpho has a lot of great drawings explaining the shapes and muscles of the legs, all things i might focus on more when drawing a scrawnier character. for this case, i regrettably don't go too hard on the legs. also i should note that legs would usually be much longer, leica is really short so ive exaggerated the proportions to communicate that. i may change my mind on that front in the future and give her more grounded proportions. the important thing to remember with legs is just getting a nice hierarchy of forms going. bigger thigh going into smaller calf going into smaller foot. it mostly comes automatically now.

i added the clothing, shaped up her head a bit, added a bit of fur. i put her in her classic outfit, just a sweater and jeans. i enjoy the big thick folds that come out of these clothes, and big areas of white space too. its nice. i try my best to form all the folds around the forms of the body i drew earlier. thats one case where i really really have no idea what im doing and could never explain it in words. its just some fun intuitive play with loops and lines. this is at around the stage for a sketch where i'd do inks, or if it was going to be a finished pencil drawing i'd erase out parts piece by piece and replace them with nicer and more defined lines and tones.

i guess that's all i can offer , i hope that halped.

[wasyago]

hi! this is the bunch-a-questions anon. this wont be an ask ask. thank you for answering! it really gives me so much insight about tools and processes, i really enjoy seeing/reading how different artists have different ways in approaching creation of art. it’s all so interesting to me

and oooh i know what you mean about looking at a lot of different artists! it’s inspiration!! i find those things to be amazing too, it’s so cool. it’s like “this spot is inspired by an artist” “this artist draws this like this, so i wanted to try” “i think the way an artist drew this was neat and i wanted to try an implement it” it reminds me of that one post how we, as people, are a mosiac of other people and i believe it to be the same for how artists are too with their art

i feel inspired by the way you draw….. everything!!! it gets me pumped to try and replicate the way you do some things. like the shapes you create, the colors you choose, the way your lineart seems to be so flowy, how dynamic everything feels and how different each drawing you create is from one another (i saw you reblog that meme of like “why shouldnt i draw characters from the waist up and that is SO me, but it’s shoulders up” because drawing full bodies makes mh drawings feel so stiff, i need to practice more!!), the poses of the characters. just.. every aspect of your art is so, so, so nice!!

the way you draw, in all your styles, it’s definitely one of the ones that is such a good scratch to my brain. it gets me all giddy and happy! i’m not sure if i’ll get into jwri, mostly because my attention span will not let me be able sit and focus on listening before i get distracted and miss context on parts, BUT i still go to your blog almost every day just so i can see your art, no matter what it is, no matter who the characters are because it’s always so so good and i love taking it in. (will eat your art if i could, i am so serious)

this was a long one but yeah! i just wanted to let you know how awesome i see your art is! and how i also think youre a cool person, you seem like such a good peep to hang out it! might be weird to say but if you were a blorbo, you would be one of the most blorbiest blorbos to blorbo ever

hope youre having a good day!!

OH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE KIND WORDS THIS IS SOOOOO

your explanation of taking inspiration from other artists was so poetic and beautiful! truly inspiring in itself

its okay if you can't get into jrwi, i get it! i didn't think i would get into it as well and after binging all the episodes i honestly forgot why i even started listening in the first place. remembered recently tho! it was because i was going a little crazy while making the picrew and needed some actual talking in the background instead of just music. so, if you ever decide to give it a try, or listen to something else equally as lengthy, try to busy your hands with something that doesn't require a lot of thinking! it helps me at least! worked both with jrwi and tma. it's like, doing something monotonous (knitting, sorting files, cleaning the house, etc) can be incredibly boring if i sit in silence and let my mind wonder. alternatively, listening to something long or watching a long movie can be incredibly boring as well because i struggle to pay attention to the same thing for two hours. but combining these is really good, because it keeps both my mind and hands busy, but not overwhelmingly so!

and ough ough ough thank you again for such heartwarming message! im so happy to hear that you feel inspired by my art, and i wish you good luck in your own art journey!!!!!!! remember to have fun and listen to yourself and do things that you find interesting and that you enjoy! don't force yourself to draw stuff you don't like! all art is personal and individual, so don't be afraid to make things "you"! you don't have to do clean line, you don't have to do lines at all, you don't have to do coloring or shading, if you don't like it! and if you do like it or are excited to try, you should go for it! don't be afraid to change and grow but don't force yourself into it!

also don't foget to stretch before drawing its very important!!!!!!!!!!!!

[okkottsus]

I love reading your analysis of Nagireo!

One thing I was wondering, what do you think of Nagi (foreshadowed) future slump?

I feel like things will get dire for him, and I can't help but wonder how Reo would react.

Nagi feels very... emotionally immature and while Reo can be very fiery and we saw how emotional he can get, he's the one that feels more in touch with his own emotions and has better life experience.

For better or worse, being away from Reo forced Nagi to confront his own feelings more.

I wonder if Reo won't realize they got back together too early and leave him (this time maybe more amicably? Or maybe force himself to leave him) for his own sake.

Ego's dialog feels very ominous... they were very happy in that moment but there is a very sense of "now what?".

thank u so much, i feel like i never express myself well enough esp with characters and relationships im passionate abt so that means a lot 🥺

yeah i get what u mean about nagi's emotional immaturity...in the latest match, when isagi asked him how he was able to make his best play yet a reality, nagi  didnt really understand what had happened. he only wanted to beat isagi, that has been his first goal, the first step to achieve the bigger dream he shares with reo. 

and while he himself couldnt see that, reo was the first to notice despite everything that happened between them, so he created a chance for him to have a 1v1 with isagi. 

the problem is that, as isagi points out later, if u dont understand how u made something happen, you probably wont be able to be consistent and replicate it (this has been a recurring theme of blk since the start of the manga):

a goal that u only made happen because u had the person who knows u the best and is your closest friend give you exactly what you need in the moment, has little value in the grand scheme of things. Without a clear goal and reo’s help, nagi wouldnt have been able to do something like that. 

So the next step he should be taking is working on his weapons, instead of relying on the perfect opportunities reo can provide him with.

maybe its time for nagi to try and catch up to reo, and not only in terms of play-making 

but also in terms of self awareness 

i also love the fact that while reo can seem completely selfless when he declares this, he is also completely selfish, cause at the end of the day hes doing this for his dream, for himself. he loves playing with nagi and making him score goals, but his hard work which got him to where he is now doesnt rely on nagi being there, he hasnt abandoned himself in favor of nagi. 

BUT he still seems to always choose nagi over anyone when they are playing together and even though my shipping heart is tempted, i think thats not a good thing at all... cause their cooperation may be top class, but it also makes them predictable after a while. 

reo has learnt to play without nagi, but he needs to learn how play with nagi without forgetting everyone else on his team. 

so the way i see it, reo has made more significant progress than nagi, but he still needs to work on seeing the bigger picture when nagi is by his side.

nagi on the other hand has even more things he needs to work on. he shouldnt feel reassured bc of that one (miracle) goal or bc he managed to beat isagi once. if he ended up satisfied with just that, then he wouldnt belong in the world of professional players

Ego is right when he said that confidence and delusion are 2 different things. Nagi needs the power that will enable him to fight alone in any situation and to obtain that power, he has to confront his feelings, his weapons and his shortcomings. and that demands soul searching, practice and a lot of thinking, all things i bet nagi thinks are a pain pftt.

but i want to be optimistic and think of this as another challenge he (actually, both of them) will have to conquer. im very conflicted though, cause the way i see it, what reo needs to work on now requires them to be on the same team, while what nagi needs to work on requires alone time.

in conclusion, things may have worked out between them in terms of understanding each other, but im hoping they start understanding themselves more; acknowledging their weaknesses and taking the necessary measures to overcome them. 

i do think that reo the way he is now is more likely to realise what needs to be done than nagi, whose issues are the most urgent in my opinion. so i can def see them going their separate ways for a while again, whether its reo making that decision, or nagi, or both of them together (with the latter being the ideal for me).

[heckinconfusedparade]

Hey, here's something I've been wanting to do, and your latest post about sonic prime has given me the best way to start it. Ok so we know the paradox prism created the shattered space but what if, it literally did by separating prime sonics universe but it created a bubble (the shattered space) that isolated it from the rest of the multiverse stopping the different universes from stabilizing including prime sonics universe and instead all of sonics friends do exist they just exist as different aspects of their personalities in their au selfs (ex. Nine the scared and angry child that tails still probably is even if it was a small part of him at the beginning of the show.) and when sonic finally realize he only has one Shard he needs to find and combine that's when nine tells him the harsh truth if sonic fixes the prism it will merg all the shattered space universe back into prime sonics universe but none of his friends will remember what happened except sonic and shadow and all of them would basically disappear with their original selves only having weird deja vu every now and than. What would sonics reaction be to this. I know this is long and also darker than what you normally do, but I feel like the show might actually go here, sort of. Of course you could also go the happier route and have nine mention it's only 50 chance of that happening and the other 50 being the prime sonics universe is brought back and the shattered space universes still get to stay.

Oh so you want me to write about if the prism came back together, those shatter verses will cease to be visitable because they’re just fragments of Sonics world focused on certain aspects of personalities his friends have? The prism being back together would isolate those universes, making it too unstable to pull things out and put things in.

I think I get it!

-

They finally had it. The last prism shard. It’s been a crazy ride.

The chaos council is no more, the tree people are no longer hungry, and Dread is legendary once more.

Sonic holds the shard which is encased in a special seal Nine made so it wont send him somewhere else. Shadow is so glad it’s all over now.

“I guess.. This is it.” Sonic holds up the shard “the last one.. then we can finally go home, Shadow.”

Shadow nods “its about time. I was starting to think you were getting slower.”

Sonic laughs “HAH! Never!”

Nine approaches from behind them with Rebel, Knucks, and Rusty Rose who is no longer following any orders.

Knucks is the first to speak up “Hey. Uh. Sonic? We just wanted to say.. thank you. For everything.”

Rebel gives the hedgehogs a fond smile “thanks, Blue. And thank you, Shadow.”

“Thank you.. I’m free now. I’ll never be the me I once was, but I think I can make do.” Says Rusty.

Nine approaches forward “S..Sonic.. there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Yea, buddy?”

“When you reform the prism, it will isolate the shatterverse. When it was broken, the barriers between us and other realities besides the original became thin enough to travel through.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that once this shards are back together, you’ll be sent back to your world, but we’ll be forced to stay in our own. No leaving, no coming back. Each shard seems to have a different focus.. like we’re fragments of the personality of someone else.”

Sonic blinks a few times. His head hurts and his chest is heavy “but.. I want to see you all again.”

“As much as I… we. Would like that, I don’t think it’s possible. The data of the shards are able to be analyzed, but their power cannot be replicated as strong as the real deal. If we were to figure out how to travel through warps again, I doubt we would be able to exit the confines of the shatter space.”

Shadow nods “I see. There’s no going back. But what will happen with you?”

Nine looks back up at the two “time will go on. Without you. Without Sonic. You’ll be essentially erased from here. We won’t remember you very well. I can’t say the extent of it.” he blinks back tears.

Sonics eyes widen. He doesn’t want to cry. Not in front of them. “Oh.. Nine.”

“So that’s it? We don’t remember them?” Knucks exclaims in shock “all that and WE WONT REMEMBER THEM??”

Rebel places a hand on Knucks’ shoulder “calm down.. it’s not his fault.”

Knucks sighs “I know…”

Rusty goes up to Sonic “I do not know how much data will remain of you. But I will try to preserve it the best I can.”

“Thanks for trying, Rusty..” Sonic forces a smile.

They approach the contraption built to put all the shards together at once and give the last empty arm the last shard.

Sonic feels a tap on his back. He turns around and faces Nine who’s trying so hard to hold it together. But looking into Sonics eyes, he crumbles “I DONT WANT TO FORGET YOU!” he dives into Sonics arms “I’m not ready for you to go.. you’re the greatest friend I���ve ever had. The first friend I ever had..” he clings tighter “I’m not ready..I..” he breaks into sobs. Sonic kneels down to fully hug Nine. He feels his own tears prick his eyes. “I’m not ready either.. but it has to be done..” Nine frees his tails from their metal counterparts, using them to wrap around Sonic.

When they separate, Sonic wipes Nine’s tears away “you’re gonna be ok. I’ll always be somewhere cheering you on no matter what.”

Nine nods “and I’ll be always with you.. through Tails.”

Sonic stands up.

Shadow hasn’t known these guys for long, but he’s still sad he has to say goodbye. “Goodbye all. I will never forget you.”

Sonic looks along his friends and whines “man, I hate goodbyes. How bout this? ILL MISS YOU!”

The shards are put together and Sonic and Shadow are thrown through time and space, being tossed in every direction, until it finally stops.

Sonic sits up. He’s in the cave where the prism originally was.

“Sonic!” Shadow jogs over to him from the mouth of the cave “we made it.”

They hear groans around them.

Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge and Eggman sit up holding their heads.

“What.. happened?” Mumbles Tails.

Upon hearing his voice, Sonic rushes over to him and picks him up to hold his little brother “Tails!! Oh man, Tails I missed you so much.”

“Sonic??” Tails is confused.

“I’m so sorry Tails, I shoulda listened to you! Are you ok??”

“Yeah.. I’m fine. What’s going on?”

Sonic has no time to answer before he’s gathering the rest of his friends in a group hug. They’re surprised he’s hugging them, but won’t deny him. He even pulls Shadow into it, who doesn’t run away, he just stands there, looking like he’s going to murder Sonic in his sleep.

“Whats gotten into you?“ Amy giggles.

“A bad case of love for my besties!” Sonic gushes then pauses “where did that come from?? Oh god, Shadow, I think the wormhole messed up by head.”

Shadow let’s out the smallest chuckle.

Sonic gasps “was that a laugh? SHADOW DID I MAKE YOU LAUGH??”

Shadow hides his smile “no..”

Rouge pinches Shadows cheek “nah, I think I see a little grin there~!”

Knuckles laughs “I guess there’s to Shadow than shadows!”

Eggman sits up “HEY WHERED THE PRISM GO??”

Shadow wipes his gloves “oh yea I threw it away. You’ll never find it.”

“NOOOOO! CURSE YOU HEDGEHOGS!! Orbot, Cubot, REPAIR THE EGGMOBILE!”

Sonic tells his friends to the best of his ability what had happened. He’s gotten the story down! He’s told it many times.

The others are trying to take this all in, but it’s going to take a while to fully understand.

The main thing is, everything’s ok now.

As for Nine and the others? They forget Sonic and Shadow, just like predicted. But things have changed and they KNOW someone had to have helped. Rusty does have some data left over.. she’s working on retrieving the rest.

They’re building a new world just like Nine wanted, just not in another world. Their own, reformed. Soon Green Hills will be restored.

[wordsandrobots]

IBO:Urdr Hunt part 17 has been fansubbed over on Youtube by @trafalgarlog (who you’ll note is now on Tumblr).

Oh, I misspoke on my post about the Soup Party side-story -- I believe we’re due one more side-story from the game, featuring McGillis and Almiria. Though given events in this episode, there is an outside chance that’ll actually be in the Urdr Hunt.

Speaking of those events, it’s only a flipping beach episode. Sort of. IN SPACE! Sadly we are not treated to Montag [swimsuit edition] but he does stick his oar in properly this time, as Katya’s past definitively catches up to her, the Afam gang do some pool-side market research, and serious questions are raised about how exactly the Seven Star family lineages work.

Hajiroboshi  (Part 1, Part 2)

Departure (Part 1, Part 2)

598 (Part 1, Part 2)

Corridor of Betrayal (Part 1, Part 2)

Holder of the Ring (Part 1, Part 2)  

Unexpected Encounter (Part 1, Part 2)

Venus’ Worth (Part 1, Part 2)

Brothers’ Ship (Part 1, Part 2)

Horn and Flower's Shadow (Part 1, Part 2)

As we are wont to do, we open on the bridge of the Erda II where the crew are remarking on the lack of instruction regarding the next stage of the Hunt. The ring has been dormant for a month and a half, leaving everyone at a loss for how to proceed. While Korunaru believes she would have been told if everything had been called off, they are talking about someone who can casually hand out a hundred million meria as a deposit. Dexter and Sinister point out this is chump-change next to the hundred billion prize. Perhaps it has just been written off?

On the plus side, the free time enables what is presumably a great opportunity to spend some of Wistario’s deposit: visiting a near-Earth resort colony to look into what it has to offer with a view to replicating that on Radonitsa in the future.

Or at least this is what Katya and Korunaru claim they’re doing as they have a whale of a time testing out the colony’s water-park. Range chides them on treating this as playtime when there is serious work to be done -- while seated on an inflatable, sipping a cold drink through a straw, and wearing his swimming trunks.

And yes: Range is absolutely ripped and yes, his swimming trunks match his poncho. What a guy.

Wistario is fine with everyone having a good time: they’re here to study the facilities after all. And Range is in fact fully committed to doing so, having checked out the A-plus service from the staff and established there’s a cinema and casino in easy reach, not to mention the large-scale docking port to accommodate passenger liners.

I do wonder - only partly because I love the manga - if this is meant to be one of the Avalanche colonies from IBO:Gekko. Avalanche 5 at least is indicated to be a resort and the position close to the Moon would make it an easy destination from Earth. That would also place this in Arianrhod Fleet territory, which might have a bearing on later events.

Anyway, no way is Venus able to copy a place like this given its current circumstances. Katya is amused by how much Range is throwing himself into this -- he’s even been getting details on the permit system that Gjallarhorn uses to control travel to Venus (since it’s used as a penal colony), in the hopes of finding a way to bargain for greater access. It’s kind of endearing, honestly. Range is, as ever, jumping both feet first into the challenge before him.

But enough fun: Demner has spotted some suspicious characters watching the party. It appears intrigue is afoot!

Seeing as they need to know what’s up -- it could be another Urdr Hunt rivalry in the offing -- Wistario, Korunaru and a reluctant Katya draw the spies into the open at the back of the pool buildings.

To everyone’s surprise -- through perhaps not the audience and definitely not the girl herself -- the two men are here for Katya. But with Range causing a distraction, Demner is able to sneak up behind the men and overpower them (have I mentioned that the old chap is a scarily dab hand at beating people up? It bears repeating).

Unfortunately, it turns out these two were carrying genuine Gjallarhorn IDs -- and a fully-uniformed officer arrives to raise the alarm.

Everybody Scooby-Doos it out of the water park, running into the requisite nearby alleyway. But just as Range is thinking they might be in the clear, an impressively large blonde-haired gentleman judo-throws him clean across the alley. This is Captain Londo Bron and he is here for Lady Katya.

That’s right -- Lady Katya, who a tearful Londo remarks is the spitting image of Lady Carta when she was young.

Katya, of course, point-blank refuses to leave with him. Unfortunately, with Londo’s men blocking the way back, things are looking sadly inevitable. Demner offers to handle Londo while the others escape, but Wistario won’t leave him behind.

Which is when a familiar voice speaks from a nearby hatch: down here!

The gang scramble through the open door, finding themselves in an emergency escape tunnel designed for evacuations in the event the colony is damaged. Shutters close after them, allowing them to evade Londo and the other soldiers. But who is it that came to their aid in such dire straits?

I mean, no prizes for this one. ‘Humble businessman’ Montag steps from the shadows with his best insufferable smirk, congratulating himself on the success of his spur-of-the-moment decision to help.

Range is surprised anybody would go against Gjallarhorn like this, only for McGillis to smoothly move the subject to the fact that Londo’s next move will probably be to blockade the ports. So maybe they’d all better be running along, hmm?

Katya and McGillis exchange a last look as the group hurries away from him, and he notes that she really does look like Carta . . .

(I remain delighted by the fact that Mackie’s masked stranger act continues flies purely by virtue of him never giving anyone time or space to call him out on it.)

Remarkably, the Erda II is able to safely undock and leave. Wistario speculates that Londo’s unit might fall under a separate jurisdiction and therefore not have been able to halt a departing ship. However, they’re not in the clear yet, as a Gjallarhorn Halfbeak cruiser sends out a stop signal and is promptly dwarfed by the gigantic Skipjack-class battleship emerging from behind the colony. (Err . . . small note here, I’m not actually sure what the correct equivalent for Gjallarhorn’s ships would be in modern naval terminology. I tend to default to ‘cruiser’ to describe the Halfbeaks and the Skipjacks as ‘command ships’ though I think ‘battleship’ would be correct? These things are all part-aircraft carrier anyway, so there might not be a direct analog.)

I’m pretty certain the Halfbeak is in ‘default’ colours rather than those used by the Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Joint Fleet (oh lord, I can type that from memory now) under Carta Issue’s command, but the Skipjack has the Issue Family crest proudly displayed on the side, so there’s no question of who it is has come after Katya (she herself calls them out by name). Incidentally, this is I think the first time an animated IBO thing has really conveyed just how bloody massive the Skipjack is. It’s twice as long as a Halfbeak and about thrice as tall, so it’s little wonder Wistario and the others are struck dumb at the sight of it.

With more mobile suits than Dexter can count approaching, Katya takes imminent capture as well as you might expect and flees to the mobile suit bay with a half-formed idea of taking Hajiroboshi.

Wistario intercepts her as she’s flailing in the zero gravity and she tells him she’d rather die than be captured. He says that must mean they’re some fairly horrible people. So she’d better leave this to him. And Range, who he orders into battle: they’re going to break through Gjallarhorn’s line so the ship can escape.

Katya looks up to find Demner and Korunaru there as well, readying themselves for a fight. In the middle of everything, it’s good to have friends.

We get the stock-footage of Hajiroboshi and Asmoday launching, which is cut in a bit inelegantly since we go from Wistario and Ranger entering the ‘suit bay to them entering it again in their flight gear. Could have been finessed, I feel. But anyway, it’s fight time!

The two Gundams manage to make a dent in the force of Grazes sent after them (which are tan-coloured, something previously only seen with the Dáinsleif archer variants in Season 2; not sure if that’s significant) and thus create the required opening for the Erda II. Regrettably, that’s when Captain Londo joins the fight.

His Graze Ritter (commander’s variant) instantly obliterates Wistario’s rifle with a Giant Fuck-Off Axe. He is, it turns out, a crack pilot and not a bad tactician either, as he is able to hold the pair’s attention long enough for his troops to encircle them.

Aboard the Erda II, Demner and Katya can only watch helplessly, since turning back to assist would undo everything they’re trying to achieve. Luckily, a certain red mobile suit zips past in the opposite direction, announcing that it’s there to help . . .

Londo is suitably thrown by seeing the Grimgerde bearing down on him, swords drawn, and McGillis joins the fray, confidently taking charge and ordering Wistario and Range to regroup then divide Londo’s forces. With the masked man’s help, they’re able to disable everyone except the captain himself. McGillis tells the others to go on without him -- he’ll see them soon -- and engages the Ritter directly.

It’s a fierce duel but McGillis is quickly able to get the upper hand, disarming his opponent, headbutting him, and then dropping a quick bit of psychological warfare on him before peacing out: is Londo aware of Okina Uroka’s ambitions?

(Incidentally, I think this is the first time we’ve seen the Grimgerde’s visor open to expose the monocular eye inside - this feature wasn’t ever shown in IBO proper but McGillis does it here for . . . some reason. Possibly just to show-off.)

As he leaves the battlefield, Mackie reflects that Londo’s loyalty will be of use to him. He’s also intrigued to see a couple of extra Gundams knocking around (because he is a nerrrrd).

Aboard the Skipjack, the sensor operator reports the loss of the Erda II’s signal to an elderly gent with familiar eyebrows: Lord Uroka. He is not pleased with Londo’s blundering, who does not make excuses for failing to ‘protect’ Katya. But Katya herself refused to come with him . . .

Uroka is unphased. She’s too young to appreciate her position. Londo remarks that she nonetheless seems smart, to which Uroka responds by saying that while Carta was special, Katya might come close, if she learns from the right people. This will be his final duty as Issue Family patriarch.

To this end, he sends Londo out with a Halfbeak and a platoon of mobile suits. But he doesn’t seem all that impressed with the good captain, remarking in his absence that he’s more loyal dog than loyal subject.

Back on the Erda II, the subject of conversation is most assuredly: what the fuck? While nobody blames Katya for the actions of others, she has run out of room to squirm around the question of what she’s running away from. The Issue Family is currently without a heir, owing to a slight Mikazuki-induced curtailment of the bloodline. Carta Issue was going to replace the head of the family due to his being on his sickbed -- but if that sick patriarch happened to have another, illegitimate child . . . well.

Yes, Katya confirms dourly: she is the final Issue heir.

Which if nothing else raises a massive question-mark over who exactly Lord Uroka is. Up to now, all the heads of the Gjallarhorn noble houses have borne the name of their Family. Does this mean Uroka is only an Issue by marriage? But if so, how does that square with keeping the bloodline going? If Katya has a claim, it’s surely got to be via the Issue Family line. Or are the rules flexible in that regard? We’ve had no hint previously that Carta’s dad was anything less than the outright head of her house prior to his illness. His illness was severe enough to have required her to be placed under Iznario Fareed’s guardianship, sure, but you’d think a more complicated family situation would have come up before now. Or is that situation *why* Fareed could get his hooks into the matter?

Actually, while I assume this is a blind-alley for speculation to follow, we’ve no confirmation as yet that this *is* Carta’s father. Uroka looks old and sickly but he’s up and about. Could it be that this is in fact another relative who has stepped into the void left by both father and daughter?

Well, hopefully we’ll find out next time. I’m not wholly convinced how beneficial it will be to Urdr Hunt as a story to have McGillis’ political maneuvering thrown into the mix. But I am certainly intrigued by what’s going to happen here. While the obvious conclusion is that Uroka intends to use Katya to perpetuate the Issue Family, Mackie’s parting line to Londo suggests something more is going on. And we do know for certain that whatever Uroka is planning, the Issues are a spent force by the time of Season 2. We have a foregone conclusion without a clear picture on what the middle part is yet.

As for Londo Bron himself . . . well, he’s obviously a survivor of Carta’s, um, what is the masculine equivalent of an Amazon Brigade? Whatever, he’s a blonde hunk fanatically loyal to House Issue and honestly, I like where this is going. Carta’s Mackie-clone squad beautifully walks the line between joke and heartbreaking detail, so exploring what became of a remainder of them after the fact is an intriguing line to follow. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ends up pitted against his boss before this is done.

Katya’s opinions on all this have been clear from the start: she does not want anything to do with the Issues, with her affections being squarely for her mother. This ramps that up, with her being willing to effectively leap into space rather than be dragged into her father’s schemes. Obviously we get the note of everyone rallying round to protect her, which is fine if rote. I really hope wherever this goes, she’s able to settle it on her own terms and isn’t reduced to a damsel in distress . . .

[underratedandoverit]

okay so. i dont remember when i wrote this, it has been a few months i think, but i found this from my drafts and i dont think ive ever published it in any form so... im just gonna share it now cause why not

its a part of a little kip & reader thing, just. observations i guess. an intriguing man in a box. like who wouldnt wonder about things

anyways yeah this isnt part of anything and i probably wont work more on it, its just here and it bothers me to have it saved so im just gonna post it lol

------

You had seen him do this maybe a thousand times. Mostly in passing, being one of the rare few of the men of the roster to sit down on the makeup chair and have his face taken care of. At first, like so many others, you had just laughed it off, thinking not much of it. Maybe he was preparing for a photo shoot, maybe this was done on a dare, maybe he was just messing around. Whatever it was, you knew he always stood up with beautifully done eyeliner and immaculate hair, and honestly the more times you saw it, the more intriguing it became to you.

Lately, you had noticed without really a valid explanation, every time you had seen this happening backstage, you had stopped and admired it from afar. How he always seemed so patient, listening the makeup artists explain to him how they were doing it so he might try to replicate the simple smokey eyes look himself in the future. Show him what they used, answering any questions, no matter how stupid, he seemed to have about makeup and applying it. The makeup artists trying to help him with the motions despite him having a different dominant hand than them.

It all seemed very wholesome, oddly so at times even, considering the man with varying levels of heavy eyeliner that always ended up standing up from that seat.

Especially on those times he was holding a cardboard box in his hands through the entire process.

You didn’t know exactly what his deal was. You had never asked in those passing brief moments you might have been able to talk to him, the thought never came up when you were around someone else that might have known a thing or two that could answer any of your questions.

The times you saw him were always either him sitting in the chair getting his eyeliner done, or standing in the crowd wearing a box on his head and a fancy suit on. All of this without any explanation, baffling you enough to never ask about it.

But it was intriguing, you had to give him that. No matter what, intentional or not, he had caught your attention with all of this. It was almost creepy how that had happened, when you could have sworn something like this never hit you so hard, but there you were. Week after week finding more questions in your head than the week before, just looking at him, watching, waiting.

Always just waiting.

Watching him stand up in the front row. Slow clap. Sit down. Repeat. Until the shows over.

Without any more answers than before. Week after week.

And yet, you were unable to ask any questions. He disappeared from your mind as fast as he had appeared there upon you seeing him, honestly at this point making you question if any of this was even real, until you saw him sit backstage in the makeup chair once again the following week.

Rinse and repeat.

[patches-of-thistle]

a masterlist of all my lobcorp ocs (affectionately called nuggets)

WARNING: VERY RANTY AND DISORGANIZED. WILL BE EDITED HEAVILY LATER

(also all the images are lc-related picrews im unable to commission artists for anything yet)

Loleris

Disciplinary Team Agent

he/him

this seemed like a reasonable place to start given that hes my sona! he doesnt look like me in any way, but i made him based on my scuffed wants in a sona years ago so. yeah i stuck with him lmfao

i don't really have a lot to say abt him beyond that? hes not really all that deep

he only works for disciplinary because he got in a fight with the control team captain and got both he and himself in solitary confinement - loleris ended up sticking to the department after

this was a decision i made based on a vent-fic to get frustration out of me

ALSO I SHAMELESSLY YUMESHIP HIM WITH MY AGENTS SOMETIMES not hugely but its more of an indulgent thing more than anything. kind of ironic when i mentioned i thought i was aro earlier but yeah

justice-statstick agent

his ego gear was able to swap between "Yin" and "Yang" forms. the former dealt damage whereas the latter just healed himself instead of attacking (i headcanoned this as a parrying stance and changing his appearance, hence the white hair and pale eyes)

i put some thought into it but i never put pen to paper so. thats all im putting lmfao

dont follow that picrew img to a t btw. he actually looks more like this ingame (ignore the hairclip, this was an old screenshot and i got that replaced) but i might stick with it…. if it was possible to actually replicate with the rgb coloring system pfft. banished to the fcs realm

...

...

Katya

Assistant Manager

she/her

on the other end of the spectrum of agents i quite adore, heres one im using for a rp server im working on for my friend group!

she was (and practically still is) the safety team captain of her branch, which took place in the wonderlab mod save i had. she also uses nosferatu's ego gear there, not black swan's

katya is a loyal feather to the company for some-odd 4 years. no other job, shes just been working as an agent for that long, hence why she was entrusted the role of assistant manager with her newest (and current!) branch

she and another team captain from her branch manage "Nest L Network", which is the news station in the server canon. its also used to announce events, so she plays a pretty integral role in it imo!

katya also tailors the ego suits in her branch. if i could draw, id give examples, but atm all i have is writing of it :(

shes known as the Gossip Queen wherever she goes btw. every scoop related to her branch wont escape her!!

...

...

Joel

Control Team Second-in-Command

he/him

hes my baby. i adore him so very much and wish him the best of luck in his mlm endeavors.... even if i didnt dev him a lot outside of first impressions

joel is his department's captain's most trusted advisor. unfortunately for said captain, joel is his (not-so) secret admirer

thats like. all i had planned for him but i loved him so much like DOESNT HE LOOK SO HUGGABLE LIKEEE

the most i had for him was that he used emoticons like ;-; in the company gc lmfao

fun fact: i actually submitted him for the LOBOTOMYQUEST video made by crow office! (linked below at 1:19; look at the far right of the hallway)

...

...

others that i dont have the time for

...

...

Maki

Information Team Captain

she/her

no one likes her HAHAH shes such a shithead on the company gc

...

...

soon to add: elena (extraction team captain), asera (control team captain), barnam (training team captain)

small relevant tidbits:

asera and loleris both compete for justice-statstick agents in the same facility. also, loleris used to use justitia ego gear, which asera is using right now

asera's ego gear comes from his now-deceased wife, who died as she extracted it. he inherited it after figuring out why she went radio silent on him

joel has an interest in asera but i dont know how to take it in any way besides making him feel so empathetic to his situation that he tries to fill that void in his heart by being his boyfriend. it is not working but not because asera is angsty but rather because he has missed so many cues

elena is barely an agent so much as she is a humanoid abnormality or is atleast a spawn of one. shes lived and watched through multiple time loops in this branch and decided rebelling against whitenight is a good idea now (as she was an apostle)

"elena" is actually dead. the elena the agents know now is just a husk of her because she cant get in touch with who she was back then to the point that she cant tell if she IS elena or just some kind of possession haunting her body. either way she finds it really cool to scare clerks with

barnam helps host nest l network with katya. she also works as a zwei fixer now

[skinnyravs]

Farewell Melbourne Rebels!

Well Rugby Union in Australia just got kicked down, for a second time in the last few years. Previously they canned the Western Force team and now they are dumping the Rebels. Albeit probably was forced upon them anyway but still two teams they have created to help ‘Grow The Game’ have not exactly panned out. Sure, in the time the two teams have existed; I have no doubt both had helped in many ways, especially when it comes to the grassroots, junior and even just the exposure.

See they did all l that which are the positives, and being able to field a competitive team in the top league as well. While both the Force and Rebels were not able to replicate the success of the other clubs; Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs; they were still able to show case decent results. However; sometimes that is not enough especially at the top professional level and more is needed.

Granted I can’t speak of the stuff that happened behind the scenes as you know those things wont ever really be published so I can only go off bits and pieces and my general feeling. Judging by what has been published to the media of the last few weeks clearly money was the biggest issue. The Rebels, are in a lot of debt that they are not able to pay back. How someone can rack up that kind of debt and think they can get away with it, is just insane to say the least!

Rugby Union is a great sport it is the first sport that is footy-related I came to love as a child. I began my time watching it while growing up in New Zealand though so I dont care too much for anything Australian related. haha. Sorry not sorry! But, in saying that it is very disappointing to see what has happened to these two teams and in particular the Rebels.

Granted Rugby is a sport that can be viewed as being very ‘exclusive’ to a certain minority. I think the saying goes that it is the ‘rich people’ type of sport granted I have no proof of this just heard it. So perhaps its smaller growth has contributed to the sport overall not being as impactful as others? Look I have no idea but that form of thinking, is something I have heard when talking about RU in NZ.

I hope though this is a lesson for any sport about expanding too quickly and too often. It does not always go to plan and finances can end up being the biggest factor in determining success.

[losingandlearning]

hmm

i really dont understand how someone learns how to be themselves. i feel like so much of what we are, the good and the bad are purely through replicating the actions of others in an attempt to fit in. so how are we really meant to be individuals if were just a patchwork of others personalities? i try my best to do things a different way or just be myself as they say but. i dont know how to do that and its not something youre ever taught. ive started to see the flaws in the muses of my replications and its made me think on who i really want to be. i want to be good, and i try but... i never seem to get the reaction out of others that im trying to get. i just get .. nitpicks... people saying the things they dont like about me. its not even that theyre critical people... they praise others constantly but... never me. i dont know what it is that im missing, i dont... think that i bring a positive experience to people. like no ones.. ever been abhorrently rude or critical about me , just little things. but ive never gotten a good reception really... im just struggling to stay afloat in neutrality.

i long for that connection so deeply... a confidant, someone to rely in without judgement but... i dont think ive ever had it. and it must be a problem with me if its been so repeated... maybe im trying too hard? ive thought ive had it in the past... and even the present but i always notice them drifting away from me ... or giving others that affection that i desire. i know it sounds selfish and spiteful but i dont know... everyone else seems to have that so why cant i ? im not asking for someone to give ONLY me attention. i just want the same kind they give to others. it just feels like i have an insignificant contribution to my circles... if i left today not much would even change, in fact it saddens me that it would probably get better. i feel like thats why i can be so spiteful at times... i want people to fail when im not there just so i can prove to myself that i have value. i know one of the worst things to be is an attention seeker, clingy and obsessive, but... isn't that the nature of our species... we desire connection. we need it and therefore we should be.. adept in it so. why do i stumble so much? i want to learn to be better but at the same time.. ive grown used to being bad at.. its hard to break through and i feel as tho i dont have the energy to commit. thats the thing about me... and what i dont get about the whole.. extrovert introvert thing. like by definition id be an introvert but when im alone.. i feel so sadden and well . alone. i feel like i need others to function but then.. whenever im socialising... i get all these roadblocks and grievences and want to be left alone. why is that? why am i not comfortable in neither being alone nor with people? i dont understand it.

and im so contradictory in my ineptitude. some times ill freeze and fully avoid even the slightest need to interact with others, and then at other times i wont give a damn and will act without care, occasionally digging my selfs in holes of judgement. so i cant NOT interact with people... that leaves me void and upset. but when i do interact with people i feel as tho i do everything wrong and end up with judgement and, feeling alone. i can't win. i wish i had.. .someone else inside my head. someone wise who could guide me through my thoughts without judgement. but at the same time i need to learn to stand on my own, despite how cold it may be. i can't keep looking up to others for where to walk, where to go and who to talk to. i just dont understand how theyre able to do it so easily.

[peachyskyes]

I've literally been looking for a Jane wig forever. Never found and exact one, but here are my best recs:

EDIT: before you read all of this looking for the original style, heroes the closest one I can find to it!!! OG WIG

*REMINDER: these are not meant to match the original style!!! Unless you know how to professionally style wigs, you wont be able to find an exact replicate of the original porclin doll style (trust me, I've looked everywhere) these are options that are meant to go with different interpretations of Jane, including ones based off different styles and types of dolls.

- miss u hair - this one is what I've seen a lot of people recommend. Personally, I don't like the style, but its pretty popular

- wiggly mermaid flapper hair, tseses- another one I've seen people use, at least the whole 1950s style hair. Again, not my fav, but does the job

- magqoo - not super accurate to the Og, but I like this one. You can even see some people in the reviews with Jane cosplays

- lonai- short style could be nice, but I like the idea of doing low pigtails with the longer style

- gktineke , aidusa - see above

- aosiwig - longer than normal Jane length, but I think it could be styles quite cute

- to ku too yuo - for more of a babydoll/lolita style wig. Kinda the same, but I like this one a but better than the last

- ttyao rei - pigtail jane. Need I say more.

- Dai cloud - say what you will about white haired Janes, I think its super cute

- ttyao rei - more lolita style Jane hair, this time, in a bob!

- ttyao rei - RAHAHAHRARARARA PIGTAILS

- aoswig - shhhh. Dont doubt me. Close your eyes. Think of the hairstyle possibilities.

- ttyao - see above

- ape abc - slay

- osseoca - if I played Jane, this would be my choice. Not the same style as the Og, but I think its cute and dolly in its own way

- rubies - while it might have the Og style, I dislike the bright pink and the shade of blonde used. But I have seen productions online with this, so you might like it

Disclaimer - personally, I don't use shein bc obvs, but I'm just putting these here bc I found them and don't know what to do

- some shein wig - pigtails pigtails pigtails

- some she in wig - I mean, feds backyard production pulled it off

- some shein wig - cutesy, mindful, demure

- some shein wig - I think its perfect omg

- most accurate one - only found this on uk, says its currently unavailable and has been for months now

- EDIT: Diana

- EDIT: to ku too yuo - wait wtf why didn't I find this sooner!!!! Its so Janey!!!

- EDIT: eBay one

- EDIT: eBay one - same style except for the bangs, white

- EDIT: ebay - see above, but black

- EDIT: devil inspired - this website is kinda sketchy! Wig used to be on Amazon, but I can't find it anymore :/

- EDIT: ghost doll wig - ideal one but white

- EDIT: eBay - ngl with a headband jane could totally rock this

Personally, I don't know how to style wigs, so I can't recommend any wigs meant to be styled into the Og style.

And that's it for now, ill edit if I find more :3

(please reblog to spread the list, there are tons of Jane doe cosplayers out there who need it!!!!)

PLS FOR MY COSTUME CAN U GIVE ME JANE WIG RECS??? I NEED THEM I CANT FIND THEM PLSS!!!! ty i lieterally have a budget of 30 dollars!

sorry this definitely isnt my domain lmao. posting this so maybe somebody can respond but i have nooo idea

[voyeuristicvixen]

Capts Log No.40_ SoulGlooooo

This month so much has happened in short amount of time I must say! We have been hard at work planning and preparing for the Juneteenth Jam Fest this month which has been going quite well because we are just going with the flow and letting things plug in where they fit in. Gigi and I work really well together because we are both intuitive, but also we are super sensitive and reflect off one another because we’re so similar and so different at the same time. I am absolutely grateful for our relationship and the way its growing and shifting. Its unlike any I have ever had before, and that’s refreshing!

Shes really a maternal mentor for me on the grid now. I look up to her and admire her strength, compassion and realness! And she knows how to RUN THINGS, OKAY! I am blessed with such amazing parents on the grid! Real. I think one thing that is important for anyone seeking parents on SL to remember is that everyone has RL that , for a balance person, must remain the priority in ones life. That being said, it’s unfair, really for anyone to expect someone to always be available to you to RP or play the role that you are expecting from them. I think its important to be clear about what your mental health capacity is and what you are going through personally, the more vulnerable you can be the closer you can become to people and connect and be able to trust that they wont leave you hanging or abandon you. Use your intuition and take your time. I never thought to myself that “I want SL parents” but I did intend to find family. I thought it would be with Wav, us being parents and building that way. But source had another experience in store for me on the grid I never thought would happen for me!

So yea we been getting all the details ready for Juneteenth Jam and people have already begun to set up their vending booths! Its dope af to me, I really am praying this event will plant seeds of unity and engagement amongst like minds and good people on the grid. No drama, no inner wound triggers or illusions of division keeping us from sharing and enjoying the fact that we are more alike than different amongst the afro-indigenous diaspora. (I started rambling so I cut that half out and moved it to the end of this blog post, I am just like my pops we can go on and on about the movement and why its important lmao) The point I was saying is Juneteenth will be litty! Plain and simple, gunna be so much fun! We’re gunna have dancers, mystory foods, art, and even have H.E.R performing! All are welcome it will be on the Meroe Museum campus.

Now I am offering Aura photos at the botanica for 500L so join the group iw for Starseds. so that you can get notice, or join mystory ad group ill also advertise in there too. Here are a couple examples,which one do you like best? Closer up or the second way?

My aura giving big creative with the intuitive touch.

Inari is such a flirty cosmic tantric bae. Haha. I love.

There is a whole set up at TheBlvd where you put your palm to be able to capture your aura this how it go.

I was happy to finally get back into editing and filming things. I am excited to I continue doing more and exploring whatever ideas my mind whats to express.

This oast week i discovered the oldest structure in SL, its called “The Man” on Philips Hill http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Natoma/59/209/45 (here goes the rest of my diaspora unification rant ) We all share so much and the more we can work together and show unity in all ways of life the more we can generate the healing we need for our people. Through example. Even if its just RPing what our utopian societies would look like, or just RPing living together in unity haha simple things have big impact. Makes one think “how can I replicate this experience in my day to day?” Thats why I love the way SL is advancing, giving POC creators more visibility and making more initiative to have people make connections again, which to me was the core beauty of SL, how connections can be made! [end rant]

I applied and got into the new Mentor program with SL and thats the vibes that my app was giving haha,and its real. 12 years on the grid I experienced quite a bit. XD I find these places my OG way just exploring on the map and I thought to myself, of course I run into these places. SL is an extension of the spiritual journey it is like reflection of the astral plane in a digital landscape.

SL got Soul.

[caramelmochacrow]

i am a bit mad bc of me playing some fighting games a while ago so i wont be able to. like. point out everything and word things properly but i'll try my best to point out stuff i noticed in the mv of world etude and from quickly checking the wiki page haha.

ok. world etude's bpm is 142, close to prayer[s] (bpm is 145) so that means that's what it's probably connected to (like w merm4id's being connected to princess advent)

this could be my terrible memory speaking but im sure i hear a few sounds and synths from ultramarino, nirvana, nocturne, and i thiiink tenshi to akuma in the song. (also some of the guitar parts are a bit similar to the breakdown in prayer[s])

the way tsubaki is singing sounds a bit close to how aoi was singing in blooming rose w how high her voice is but yet again, that could be my terrible memory tricking me. that or she's trying to replicate the kind of sound she had in ultramarino flor seca.

now, enough abt the song and how it sounds, onto the mv!

the mv has a lot of compass stuff, and if u didn't know, abyssmare is suppossed to represent the four cardinal directions (North South East and West or Neo Sophia Elsie and Weronika) why do they have this? im not sure, but something that's a bit interesting to me is that neo likes chess and rondo's 2nd anniversary cards are based on four chess pieces (aoi the king, tsubaki the queen, hiiro the bishop, and nagisa the knight). the fact that the mv makes references to the four cardinal directions and rondo having chess related stuff might mean something personal might be happening between abyssmare and rondo that it's affecting all four of them and not just the vocalists.

at 0:49 in the mv, they show a giant spiral stair case as a tiny golden compass falls down the screen, they cut to a bird's eye view of the spiral staircase that looks like it's descending downward as the compass follows too. it looks like this one part of the traumerei mv at 0:49 (hey, isn't that funny?) and 1:41, which implies this song has a connection to traumerei, meaning that it's either a sequel or prequel to it.

and then at 1:55 it's a very quick scene but i went frame by frame to see clearly and they show the silhouettes of rondo's first promo art (them in the outfits, yk, standing and stuff) all in their own lines, by themselves, then the lines all intertwine w each other in some way which leads them to the silhouettes for the 1st anniversary outfits, still far apart but a bit closer than the last, until they finally stop at the 2nd anniversary outfits w them being seen clearly, then they show rondo's logo and the song ends.

this probably implies that rondo will become closer in their side origin? they were already close before but i think bc of something that happens in the event (possibly relating to abyssmare) that will cause them to become closer than before.

the text above is probably a wrong now but im still keeping it bc i saw the new cards for side origin and. :)

tsubaki's card is called wandering which might imply that rondo is kinda not in a good time rn and hiiro's card does not help w this at all since the tarot card she's playing with her hand is the tower arcana upright and the tower arcana usually means disruptive change or sudden revelations, aka: it's bad. it's terrible, bad shit is going to happen. if it was reversed that would be worse bc reversed it means: negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, distraction, apathy, nullity, and vanity.

so..... i hope rondo the very best in side origin :D

[taiblogcomics]

The Peanut Butter Solution

Hey there, fish from the aberrant depths. All righty, this is the last MLP comic in my backlog stack ...of this sort! There's a whole other three issues of a li'l something different still waiting. But we'll get to that later. Next week, we return to the fetid wastes of Avengers Arena. But I'm getting ahead of myself~

Here's the cover:

Well, this is a dang colourful cover, isn't it? It might be the most colourful cover we've ever covered. Who can say for sure? A full rainbow of fruits as well. It almost might be an advert for, like, a tropical candy, though I think if you make your green candy kiwi-flavoured instead of lime or green apple, somebody's gonna riot. It might even be me! Anyway, here's the two most-besties of the Mane Five sharing smoothies. They appear to have invented drink coozies that look like little sweaters. Dunno how popular Mane Six merch is in their universe, though~

So we open with a Pie Festival having just finished. Boy, that time crunch is so non-urgent that they're having events offscreen now. Izzy, you can mention "it's hard to focus with the looming threat of Discord hanging over us", but maybe perhaps you're not focusing on the right thing. Sunny knows how to cheer Izzy up, though, and they go to Sunny's house to make a smoothie. A very particular one they created together: The Dreamy Creamy Peanut Butter Starbow. That's a terrible name, imagine ordering that at Popular Restaurant Chain~

Sunny says a smoothie is just like the unity Crystals, it's all about things coming together. This prompts Izzy to do a flashback, recalling the days when the magic came back and Sunny first got her alicorn powers. Suddenly being a unicorn in a town of earth ponies doesn't seem so special. And Izzy's all about standing out. But right now Izzy's more feeling left out, as Sunny's gone flying with Zipp and Pipp. And Izzy's a bit jealous--not of Zipp and Pipp, but the magic of flight itself. Personally, I think telekinesis is way cooler and more useful, but I'm not a magic unicorn~

While going for a walk to get her mind off it, she passes by a couple of ponies melting in the heat. They complain that Sunny hasn't been around all day, so she hasn't been selling her smoothies at all either. See, it isn't just Izzy missing her. She catches wind of this, and mentions that she happens to be a personal friend of Sunny's, and therefore she should be able to replicate her smoothies. And in true Izzy fashion, she soon gets wrapped up in an even bigger idea: a total smoothie makeover for Sunny's business. She dashes off, leading the other ponies behind with their accusations of "weirdo".

So Izzy gets busy with redecorating the stall and reinventing some new recipies, all seen in a montage over a couple pages. Eventually Sunny shows up once she overhears some ponies talking about Izzy's unicorn smoothies. They still think she's weird, but the smoothies are good. Sunny's a bit overwhelmed, though, because Izzy has gone a bit overboard and extra, as is her wont. Sunny is touched by the thoughtfulness, but since it's so extreme, she wishes she'd been consulted first. And of course, Izzy takes this as a "you don't like it?" moment.

Aw, and Sunny doesn't mean it that way. She's touched by the thought and effort, it's just a bit much. She's had her business a while and likes the way she already does things. Izzy understands, but she's still a little hurt. She feels a little abandoned, and she doesn't feel as special when she can't go flying. Because, after all, it was the note Sunny made that brought them together. She got to meet the friend she dreamed about as a kid, and she just misses her. And of course Sunny is sorry she's made Izzy feel that way.

Izzy has one more gift for Sunny: a matching set of aprons (which are remarkably understated compared to Izzy's other works). Sunny genuinely loves it and thanks Izzy, apologising again for not checking with her friends sooner. Izzy also apologises for not speaking up sooner. The pair of them hitch up to the cart together and sell off the remainder of Izzy's smoothies. Once out, they go back home to prepare one more smoothie--a personal one, together. Using all of their favourite ingredients. Which fortunately don't seem to clash!

The resulting smoothie is, of course, the previously mentioned Dreamy Creamy Peanut Butter Starbow (still a weird name, I don't like the word "creamy"). Nonetheless, the pair of them enjoy it, and make a batch for their other friends as well. And as they share, the Hitch in the flashback begins to recount a story. Nope, let's not have nested flashbacks, huh? Izzy quickly ends her reminisce, and she and Sunny agree: magic is what brings them together and binds them. Could they survive without it? They hope to not find out, as the comic ends on a Scary Discord Face of him gazing omninously at the Pegasus Crystal...

Well, I can’t really complain about the time-wasting on this one. The festival happened offscreen, and the majority of the issue is a flashback. A flashback to further reinforce the importance of their mission, no less! Otherwise, kind of just a cute issue. Also ties back to the earlier part of this arc, where Izzy was once again feeling left out because she can’t fly. I feel like this may be a recurring thing for her. We’ll have to wait and see either way, because like I said, that’s the end of this batch for now~

Next week: back to something terrible. Can you handle another six issues of Avengers Arena? Guess we’ll have to see~

[dumblemonchickenwing]

personal, monologue, art, ramble, speech. New years dedicated post (not really but inspired)

It’s New year, and although I don’t feel celebratory or cheerful in any way this year, I thought that dragging negativity throughout would not do any good for any one, including those who see my actions and read posts on tumblr. 

I’m in no way a great artist nor professional, and objectively my art is not neat nor perfect but I realized when looking at it, how crazy it is that. My 10 year old self would probably save my 24 old self’s drawings on their phone to later look at it, or stare at it and say how cool it is, and perhaps would even try to replicate the “artstyle”. 

I look at my current drawings and think “meh” or “crooked and deeply flawed but I dont care” but I looked at my drawing and thought that my child self would think I am an artist they “could never dream of becoming like” . It’s two conflicting facts. It’s ironic realizing your younger self would be unfathomably blown away by the current you even though you don’t feel anything great in your current self. My younger self feels like a separate person in that scenario but I know they would be impressed because I  well.. it was me.

I guess never hoping to become an artist spared me from the disappointment of not becoming the way I would have probably expected to become (if I had planned to become a professional artist I would have been crying over my drawings), so I am okay with just scribbling things that will mostly just satisfy me the way I am right now. I never hoped nor planned, but I have been posting drawings anyway, just because I wanted to, and just because I thought my ideas were sweet, and no napoleon ideas. And there were people who liked those drawings. Thoughout all those years it was a lot of people actually.

I do feel that I was not grateful enough toward everyone who was nice to me and toward what I posted. I had a lot of people who followed me for my drawings in past. Not sure why, since I was an amateur with unprofessional drawings but I understood that throwing around how much I dont understand other’s kindness and appreciation is like being dismissive to their care and feelings. I do also feel that I am privileged in a way for being able to draw, because I realized that many people do not do it, not because they dont care or dont want to but because they dont have the luxury to. Yet those people took their time to come forward and say they liked my stuff. I never fully realized that adulthood and jobs (and home environment) can take away your entire life and not let you even have time for what you love, so I admit that the people around me on here i have not appreciated enough.

comparison drawings

+ chibi drawing 2022 for comparison 

Post Scriptum: There is a possibility that I may have encorporated style and lines I saw in drawings I saw as a child due to cryptomnesia. 

“Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without its being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original.”

In this life of this OP’s, there has been many things going on but what stayed always true, was that people in my life were welcoming and nice to my drawings. There is not much I can do (and I wont fight anyone who may say I am selfish) but the least I can do is say Thank you. The ones in past wont hear it, but at least the ones here can.

No matter how much I tried to deny, hide or alter that fact, it still remained fact, that people saw things in my drawings and said that my drawings were good and made people feel things. My feelings say that it is kind of, too kind and perhaps not entirely true, but my feelings could not define what others said. I do believe it was because I was lucky to have encountered people who believed in my drawings and I dont know how long this luck will carry on, but its part of history now, one i cannot erase.

I may be a bad person. I may be a cruel person. I may be actually not a good artist. But I was approached with kindness by persons who were open-minded and tolerant, nice toward what I scribbled or slapped on that digital canvas. I don’t want to deny people and their good intentions and what they did for me. I know this post was about me and my feelings, but it was about them as well.

I wish their year will go nicely on them and give them the same sweetness and love they gave to any nonsense I drew and showed them.