#but its not what hellboy is

[epicfirestormer]

You ever think about how Hellboy (Movie) fell for the very same trope the comics itself is subverting about Hellboy? The entirety of the comic is about how Hellboy is nothing what people expect of him, how people always have expectations about him- what he should be, what he would be, his destiny- and how Hellboy goes against that. People expect Hellboy (Movie), the guy who's gruff and tough and has anger issues. Maybe a heart of gold in there, but that's predictable (because that's how the trope goes.)

People don't expect Hellboy, the tired old guy who tries everyday to help and save as many lives as he can. A guy who would much rather spend his time resting and eating pancakes than fighting anyone. A guy who cares so so deeply about the people around him, he's willing to come back from the dead just to help them. A guy who's so incredibly tired, been through hell and high water, fight for every bit of his right to be himself, and yet he's still amazingly kind. He cares so much about the world that seemed to despise him, it's a wonder how someone like him can last so long with hope of a better future.

Hellboy (Movie) doesn't hide what it is: a movie about fighting and beating monsters and bad guys while the main character just-so-happens to look like a demon. It's action-pack, corny, the kind of fun you don't really think that deep into. It's good, but it's not trying to be anything more than that. It's a fine movie, good in some regards and maybe even great depending on who you ask, but I wouldn't say it's a good adaptation.

Hellboy (Comics) is a lot of things. It's a story about a guy who fights supernatural creatures every once and while. It's also a story about kindness, the echoes of it and how much of an impact that could have on the world. It's a narrative about forging your own path. It's a journey about how your past or destiny doesn't defy you, it's what you make of it that matters. It's a trial to prove that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you, you're still going to live out your life the way you want. It's grim and murky, but there's hope, always.

But, really, when you boil it down, Hellboy (movie) is the archetype that Hellboy (comic) is trying to break down.

[arawsuu]

Sorry gang, my Rain design is quirky and also bald

[halogalopaghost]

sleep paralysis demon(s)

[detectivehole]

[ser-rctslcyer]

[SCURRIES AWAY CACKLING]

DJSLFKJSDKLFJKLSDF I JUST WANNA ADMIRE MY SCARY MONSTERS IN PEACE SKDFJKDF

[parainvestigate]

when   his   beloved   dog   mac,   which   hellboy   had   since   childhood,   he   had   no   one   to   talk   to   about   his   emotions.   with   an   organizational   restructure   going   on   within   the   short-staffed   B.P.R.D.   most   of   his   friends   were   off   on   assignment,   the   professor   became   secretive   and   was   handling   personal   investigations,   and   then   without   time   to   grieve   hellboy   himself   was   getting   shipped   off   to   Mexico   on   a   mission   himself.   this   eventually   led   to   him   befriending   a   trio   of   luchador   brothers   and   going   on   a   drunken   bender   for   months   on   end.   together   they   traveled,   drank,   and   hunted   vampires   that   had   been   plaguing   Mexico.

this   bender   only   grew   worse   when   the   brother   he   was   closest   to   was   turned   into   a   vampire   and   hellboy   was   forced   to   slay   him.   eventually,   the   professor   had   enough   of   hellboy's   absence   when   receiving   footage   of   his   son   wrestling   as   a   luchador   and   agents   were   sent   to   drag   him   back.

during   his   time   away   not   only   had   the   investigator   become   a   luchador.   he'd   also   starred   in   a   movie   where   he   played   the   devil.   accidentally   gotten   married   to   a   demon.   and   went   searching   for   a   fabled   treasure.   and   we   discovered   he   looks   good   in   a   poncho   and   sombrero.

[gatsby-system-folks]

Hellboy listens to Abba change me mind.

[skxrbrand]

Same Voice Actor

Oddly fitting tbh lmao

[assassin-artist]

angelic/holy character concept doodles

[rainbowgod666]

And then theres me. With intrusive thoughts that probably work like this

I really think everyone needs to truly internalize this:

Fictional characters are objects.

They are not people. You cannot "objectify" them, because they have no personhood to be deprived of. They have no humanity to be erased. You cannot "disrespect" them, because they are not real.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Can you do one where reader is turned into a cat? Mabey reader are scared when first turned runing from the team reader worked with that day roaming the compaund mjaung trying to find someone from the main group and nuada finds reader.

The first one was so good!!

Somehow, someway you had found yourself having be turned into a cat.

No actually you did know but it didn’t take until after freaking out at the change in well…everything to realise that this was most likely the result of a spell you’ve been hit with on a prior mission. You didn’t think much of it at first, thinking that it was merely a fluke answer that the spell wouldn’t have affect if the witch was dead, one to awaken the next day -after experiencing some sort of side effects- as a fucking cat.

Guess the spell wasn’t a fluke at all and it didn’t matter whether or not the witch was dead either as you found yourself hiding away from the likes of Abe, Nuala, Hellboy, Liz and Nuada, especially Nuada. You didn’t want the elven prince that you found insanely beautiful and attractive to see you in which a state that would be really embarrassing. Besides you were pretty certain you couldn’t communicate to anyone of your condition and decided to clumsily climb your dresser, picking up a picture of yourself with the group just incase someone wonders about the stray kitten that roamed the complex, or worse mistake you for one of Hellboy’s many, many, MANY cats.

Which had leas you to where you were now, hiding behind corners and or on high shelves from agents and Manning alike before scampering off from one room to the next room, all in hopes of finding anyone capable of knowing what to do about your condition. So far you had no luck as it seemed as though all of your friends had left the compound for one reason or another, which was weird because you were certain that there was no mission to attend to, but you carried on by padding down the hallway as your eyes were constantly on the look out.

However it seemed as though you weren’t as vigilant as you believed you were being as a door swung open in your face, causing you to jolt and make a noise of distress as Liz and Hellboy looked down at you in confusion.

‘You didn’t let the cats out again did you red?’ Liz asked.

. ‘No, not since the last time.’ Hellboy scratched the back of his head as he tried to remember whether he did or didn’t.

Liz sighed. ‘If Manning sees them he’ll think it’s your doing- wait is that a picture in its mouth?’ She then noticed as she kneels down to your height to take a closer look, but before she could, you noticed Nuada from afar and immediately ran away but dropped your picture in the process as you heard Liz and Hellboy call after you.

‘Wait!’ -Liz

‘Come back little kitty!’ - Hellboy.

Nuada -having seen the whole thing- picked up the photo and saw it was one of the first mission he has went on since his imprisonment months ago. Something of which he found odd as if his memory served him well, the only person who had taken this picture was you. So why was it in the jaws of a cat because Nuada was certain you didn’t own any pets like Hellboy did, this didn’t add up to the elven prince who decided to confront Liz and Hellboy with it.

‘Oh hey princy, whatcha got there.’ Hellboy said the moment he saw Nuada out of the corner of his eye.

‘A picture, I assume it’s the picture that the cat had in its mouth.’ Nuada passes the photo to Liz who looked at it with furrowed brows. ‘This is y/n’s picture,’ she noted as she looked between Nuada and Hellboy, ‘why did the cat have their picture?’ She adds.

‘They don’t have pets that we’re unaware of.’ Nuada inquirers the pair who shared a look before looking at him.

‘Y/n doesn’t have pets to come of it and if that’s not the case, then I guess it has to do something with the last mission we went on.’ Hellboy says as the memories of how odd you were being afterwards began to surface to the forefront of his mind, and Liz seemed to realise what her partner was going on about but Nuada was feeling an arrange of things.

‘What happened to them.’ The elven prince said with furrowed brows, having become slightly protective of you as of recently, so hearing that something had happened to you while he was away on his own mission had him on edge.

‘Oh yeah. If I remember they got hit by a spell, at first nothing happened so we assumed it’s because the caster was dead, but it seems as though it was only a slow acting spell rather then a fast acting one as later on they began to become sick of sorts and excused themself to go to bed.’ Hellboy recounted to the prince.

‘May I have that picture?’ Nuada asked as he opened his hand towards Liz, who put the photo in his palm without hesitation.

‘What do you plan to do spearhead?’ Hellboy asked with a raised brow.

‘Going after y/n and seeing what we can do to undo the spell.’ Was all Nauda said as he strides down the hall and towards the library where he’d know you’d most likely be when in times of uncertainty or was scared. This was probably because he has told you once that if you were ever in doubt or worried about something, was to go to the library and wait for him there. So what does the elven prince see first when entering the library?

Your cat self resting in front of the fire and ironically it was the same place you were always found by Nuada, which only gave him confidence that you had been turned into a cat and he wasn’t engaging in conversation was a stray feline that somehow got inside.

‘Y/n?’ Nuada asked and your ears perk up, followed by your head as you looked over at the prince and let out a curious meow, almost as though you were trying to say his name in return as he came closer to you. God you hated how it was him who found you first, or rather tracked you down because you always keep forgetting that this man had exceptional tracking skills, which was expected of a man of his abilities and longevity.

‘It’s okay, it’s only me.’ Nuada reassured as he knelt down in front of you, opening his hand out towards for you to sniff freely to asses his character, smiling softly to himself when you pushed your head into his hand and purring gently when he curled his fingers under your chin. This was heaven for you as you practically stretched yourself across Nuada’s lap, closing your eyes as a calming, protective feeling draped over you as you allowed Nuada to hold you in his arms, cradling you to his chest.

‘Nothing will get you while you’re in this form my beloved.’ He promised as he kissed your little furry head, meaning every single bit of his words as he felt this overwhelming need to keep you safe and secure until you return to normal. Nothing and nobody was going to stop him from doing so as he consulted some books about spells in hopes of getting some answers for your condition.

Nuada was more than determined to get you back as much as the next person, something his sister tended to tease him about was his soft spot with you and while he was adamant to accept it, and yet he couldn’t help but accept this as fact he’ll have to live with until he gains the confidence to do something about it.

‘Meow?’ You pawed at the page Nuada was currently on, hoping for answers to be written out before him because you didn’t like the idea of being a cat forever, while it might have some perks, you were still eager to get back to normal however you could.

Nuada smiled as he scratched under your chin again, causing you to purr and push yourself into his touch, liking the way he handles you gently yet firmly it was quite intoxicating. ‘Soon my heart, have patience but until then I shall keep you company, is that okay?’ He asks you and you felt sheepish but decided to show your gratitude towards him by licking his hand. The elven prince the kisses your furry head, lingering there before pulling away. ‘Thank you dearest for putting your trust in me.’ He whispered.

You only meowed in thanks. You’d love to show your thanks when you get back to normal, a date should suffice shouldn’t it?

[waltricia]

Bridgerton season 2 episode 3, “A Bee in Your Bonnet” is ✨magic✨ and let me tell you why.

For those of us who didn’t read the book and knew nothing of what was going to happen, we truly went on an incredible and surprising roller coaster of an experience.

We start the episode with seeing the guy from Hellboy and being like ‘oh yay, it’s the guy from Hellboy!’

… only for him to die three minutes later. And that scene is rough. It’s sudden and abrasive. And the sounds are jarring. The death is scored by tense strings. Then a moment of quiet. Then the AMAZING Ruth Gemmell begins taking us on Violet’s traumatic grief journey, which starts with her jolting Anthony (and us) out of the quiet.

And a thunderous heartbeat threatens him as he walks toward this entirely altered, unwanted life path. And that’s obviously the beginning of his PTSD.

In the other flashbacks throughout the episode, we continue to hear horrific, heart-rending pain radiate out of Violet while Anthony must not only attempt to endure it, but cover his own grief. Anthony and his siblings (and again, we the audience) all have to listen to Violet grieve while she’s giving birth! Screams on top of screams.

And the last flashback is technically quiet, but just as devastating because, like the moment of Edmund’s death, the quiet is weaponized. It signifies the death inside Violet.

It should go without saying that Jonathan Bailey is also a brilliant actor, but I’ll say it now anyway. Damn, he good! He and Ruth partnered perfectly in this grief journey. Serious props to them both because I felt this shit.

And then finally we come to the end. We had been immersed in the horrible aftermath of that striking tragedy. Between the flashbacks- in the present day- we had followed Anthony through the rooms and grounds where he had suffered silently. We had seen Edmund’s grave. We had learned that Anthony’s greatest fears and insecurities all stemmed from that tragic event ten years prior.

And then another fucking bee comes along.

And I swear to god, the first time I watched this, when Kate got stung, my heart was pounding, I was terrified, and my instinctive reaction was “oh my god, is she going to die?!” In hindsight, it’s obviously insane to think that she would be killed off at all, let alone in this scene. But the very fact that, for a moment, that was a legitimate fear I had is exactly why this episode is so god damn brilliant. I felt what Anthony felt. And I’m not the only one! I’ve seen other people’s similar reactions to this scene. The episode really is a roller coaster; easy, lighthearted moments (pall mall, drug tea), interspersed with the terrifying drops and loops that are Anthony’s painful memories which constantly haunt him. And then it brought us right back to that first traumatic moment. Because Anthony has PTSD! And that’s what PTSD does. Anthony is right back where he was, literally not far from the same spot outside Aubrey Hall, standing in front of a person he loves, watching them get stung by a bee on almost the same spot on their body. The tense string scoring comes back and Anthony panics because he’s completely helpless again.

And all of those elements- the setting, the scoring, the acting- combined to terrify us and make us forget something critical: most people don’t die from beestings.

And here’s where it gets really profound for me. Because it’s not just about how we feel Anthony’s fear. It’s also about how Kate completely obliterates it. Without knowing that history and without realizing the full extent of what her actions would mean, she does exactly the right thing. Rather than die and rather than also panic or shy away from his vulnerability, she meets it with her own in the form of care and steady assurance, which is true strength. And in so doing, she stops this cyclical moment in its tracks and completely alters the trauma. She puts his hand on her heart, and the heartbeat comes back. But this time, it’s not threatening. It’s inviting.

And just like in the first scene, the moment is over all too quickly. Just like in that scene, Anthony is thrust onto a new path. But where that moment was damaging, this one is healing. And we feel that too. And it’s the greatest experience that art can give us.

It’s catharsis.

And that’s why this episode is magic. 🐝✨

[mikelogan]

gif tutorial

i was asked to make a tutorial for this set i made, so let's get right into it!

first things first, i downloaded the music videos from youtube in 1080p using 4k video downloader. unfortunately, the quality of youtube videos always seems... not great, to put it simply. plus these music videos are from the 90s, so they've been upscaled to 1080p after the fact. all of this works against us, but i've definitely worked with videos of lesser quality than these, so at least there's that!

when i gif, i import video frames to layers rather than screencapping. this comes down to personal preference. after everything has loaded, i group all my layers together and set the frame delay to 0.05. i then cropped my gif to 540x500.

the next step in my process is sharpening. i did play around with my settings a bit given the quality of the footage and the dimensions of the gif. i compared both @hellboys low-quality video gif tutorial to my regular sharpening action and my vivid sharpening action and in this case, i preferred my normal vivid sharpening action. i used this tutorial to create the action for myself, and you can find other sharpening tutorials here. this action converts my frames to video timeline and applies sharpening.

once my gif is sharpened and i'm in timeline, i begin coloring. i wanted to simplify the amount of colors used in these gifs, again because of the video quality -- i knew it wasn't going to have the crispness i would normally like for my gifs. here are my coloring adjustment layers and their settings (not pictured: my first layer is a brightness/contrast layer set to screen) (explanation in alt text):

all of these layers and their settings will vary depending on your footage and its coloring (and obviously, feel free to make the gradient map whatever colors you like if you aren't going for this exact look).

pretty basic coloring, especially with just slapping a gradient map on top (my beloved), but at this point, i still didn't like the quality of the gif, so i added a couple textures/overlays.

i put the left one down first and set the blending mode to soft light and the opacity to 8%. depending on what look you're going for, you could increase or decrease the opacity or play around with different blending modes. i like using this texture with lower quality footage because even when it's sized up a bit, it adds some crispness and makes things feel more defined. for the second texture, i set it to overlay and 75% opacity. we love and respect film grain in this house.

now for the typography! sometimes i really enjoy typography and other times it's the bane of my existence for the sole reason of just how many fonts i have installed. anyway, here are the settings i used for this set:

make sure the color of your font is white and then set the blending mode to either difference or exclusion. i can almost never see a difference between the two, but for this set, i used exclusion. below are the blending options (double click on your text layer to bring up this menu or right click and select blending options).

now we have to add the warp effect. with your text tool still selected, click this icon at the top of your screen:

from the dropdown menu, select twist. these were my settings, but feel free to play around with different warp options and their settings. the ones i use most often are flag, fish, and twist.

this last step is completely optional, but it's an effect i use in most of my sets with typography. duplicate your text layer (select the layer and ctrl+j), turn off the layer effects (click the eye icon next to effects), and set the blending mode to normal. right click on the layer and select rasterize type. right click on the layer icon itself and choose select pixels.

at this point, you should see the moving black and white dotted line showing that only your text is selected. then go to edit > stroke. here are the settings i almost exclusively use.

this is what your text should look like now:

using ctrl+T, move the layer off the canvas so you can't see any of the text anymore. you should be left with only your outline. click anywhere on your canvas to de-select the text we just moved. use ctrl+T again as well as your arrow keys to nudge the outline over to the left 2px and up 2px. this is personal preference as far as the positioning, but i almost never move it any other way. you can leave it like this, which i sometimes do, or you can set the blending mode to soft light like i did for a more subtle effect.

and that's it! rinse and repeat for each gif in your set or use a different warp effect on each gif to switch it up! if you have any questions about this tutorial or would like me to make one for anything else, please feel free to ask any time!

[skybluesocks]

DANA TERRACE HELLBOY FANART!!!! MY LIFE IS COMPLETE!!!!

Other fanart I've done recently.

Crossposting is annoying but the resolution on Insta images will never not bother me. Hope Bluesky app works out (@danaterrace there as well).

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

Guillermo Del Toro's Apocalypse World

Touchstones: RIPD, Hellboy

Genre: Mystery, Monsters

What is this game?: Apocalypse Keys is about being a group of strange monsters solving mysteries in order to find the apocalypse keys and doors to stop the end of the world

How's the gameplay?: Apocalypse Keys runs in the standard PBTA framework, with a core difference of punishing overly high rolls by having your character feed into their darkness if they overextend their powers, Playbooks represent the character's origins, for example have they been transformed, summoned, are they a shade of the dead? etc. Another core mechanic are Ruin moves, which always succeed but tick up your ruin counter, if it fills up you could end up becoming the very harbingers you fight against. Apocalypse Keys' mechanics are generally pretty clever and understand the core tenet of PBTA, that being increasing drama

What's the setting (If any) like?: Apocalypse Keys puts the cast in a government agency whose aim is to contain Apocalypse Doors and Apocalypse Keys, strange mystical items which when combined can lead to the end of the world as we know it, meanwhile players must also fight Harbingers, people hunting for the apocalypse keys to bring on the apocalypse. It's a fun setting with a lot of room for interesting and strange plotlines, and the modules that come with the game truly show it, ranging from strange murder mysteries, Control style adventures, and other strange horrors

What's the tone?: Apocalypse Keys puts you into a world where everyone actively hates or shuns your cast from normal society and asks you to grin and bear it, characters are often toxic and float in and out of shitty relationships, but you will always at least have eachother

Session length: Apocalypse Keys' slightly complex tone compared to other PBTAs lends itself to longer 2-4 hour sessions

Number of Players: 3-6 is recommended

Malleability: Apocalypse Keys has many mechanics related to its setting, but it shouldn't be TOO hard to hack it into slightly different settings

Resources: Apocalypse Keys, as an Evil Hat game, has a ton of very well made Roll20 resources as well as non-roll20 for those who prefer that, a lot of industry standard stuff 

Apocalypse Keys is all i could really ask for in a Hellboy inspired TTRPG, its weird, gritty, and most of all, queer as fuck

[ganondoodle]

Hello 👋

Swallowing my nerves at last to send you an ask! I was just wondering, what inspires your designs? Are their inspirations in stuff like movies or games? Or just things you come up with yourself?

i .. honestly its kinda hard to tell, sometimes i just randomly think of something, like some detail, or color combination and try to incorporate that into a design somehow; it can come from anywhere, like the color scheme of a pithaya/dragonfruit is something i have been wanting to make a design with for ages but havent come up with anything good in all those years ;O;

im a very easily fascinated by color, espeically in nature, like sometimes i just stop and stare at something like i froze in time bc i just woooooooooooooah color! i probably look like a weirdo doing that though

its really hard to pinpoint anything specifically, the most is probably .. other artists? i guess? which always makes me nervous bc my memory is shit in most areas of life and i worry myself to pieces whether i unintentionally "stole" an idea and just dont remember and think it was my own, it goes further that sometimes i see something that makes me want to draw a similar concept but dont bc i dont want to 'steal' even if that couldnt be further from my intention (have been accused of that before ..)

that said for my ocs specifically .. most are rather old and have just kinda evolved out of their awkward first iterations (shargons first iteration was a hauro-howl- copy that was really just some human covered in feathers .. another oc was once a hellboy copy but in green- havent drawn nor redeisgn them in ages lol), the biggest inspirations for them is a mix of animals, bonus if you dont see them often- im a big shark, whale and sea creatures in general nerd so i tend to take from them as a priority but always trying to be less directly animal and mostly just .. features that work together

Eadrya is one of the newer OCs- i started to write but then looked at my folders and oh they are from 2017 .., i even made a design timeline for them how much they, and my art, have changed back in 2020, so thats also way outdated now lol (they apparently started as a whale .. thing? its like a pokemon evolution lol)

this is them now (i like this sketch still, though shargons design is now also outdated lmao)

this ones from early 2023 so also outdated now but you get the point

for demons i try to be a bit more wild on shapes and colors while still adhering to the rules of how they work (humanoid form, demon form, animalistic, one element each and more or less made to fit that, 4 arms is very common, look to be bost scary and wild but also something that would make you stop in tracks and stare in awe and fear if you crossed paths)

often times designs just kinda .. happen, i have maybe the idea ok i wanna make something with a white and red pattern also moose or those big horned cows are cool and kinda scary so maybe sth akin to that (though this one is technically a redesign too- its also pretty much entirely different)

for non demons but still non human i go for a much more restrained design, mainly inspired directly by an animal and giving the color scheme a good spin, plus adding unconventional body shapes, like ki'ita is also a good example, her old idea was just orca anthro pirate and just by making the white green instead in her most recent redesign already adds that little spin to it

that can have its pitfalls though, as i often fall into the big arm small head small legs scheme over and over xD

alot of it is trial and error, deciding on the colors can take me hours bc im always searching for my little rule of having one contrast color that shows up in very few places to draw attention to it (like with Eadrya its those bright yellow eyes and thingy at their tail)

and that is all about myy own ocs, when its fandom stuff it works kinda similar though, either in the connections i wanna draw or just thinking it further- like how deities in destiny work also just kinda .. happened like an ever derailing train

like for demise i was at first really just im gonna give him horns bc horns are cool and he got those on the starting mural in the game- so how his hair work? well maybe it isnt hair actually and just unbound energy, im making him a deity too and fit hylias design to his so, yeah, then so how does it work, ok he gotta have a skeleton still, but what if his entire actual body is made up of pure magical energy with its core in the ribcage? with the core in the ribcage >:3c and the scales you see are just like cooled down lava as an armor bc his thing is fire and earth !! the normal blood? is a thin layer of skin imiated from mortals to keep the scales together and flexible so if he ACTUALLY gets hurt hed bleed magic that looks more like lava and any normal blood you see is just the armor- so why does he have a skeleton still instead of being just energy? maybe its gotta be bound to something OH and what if all of the deities started as mortals like a mirror to the trio later on and the gods cannot have direct influence to the worlds so they needed a right hand that is neither god nor mortal but both by killing a mortal by whatever their element will be (demise burned, hylia drowned etc) and their skeleton and spirit is kept but put into a body of magic- OH what if their spirit core is like almost piloting their bodies like a mech in a way bc if youd look close youd see that every strand of magic is actual a hand of their spirit so it makes it more weird and other bc hed be able to reach out with thousands of burning claws of all shapes and sizes like the beheaded forest god at the end of mononoke- SO if hed lose and arm or something all those strands would untangle and rearrange his bones back together-OH MY GOD the whole armor idea works so well for ghirahims dark armor so what if demise had two swords once and lost one and since has forged an armor similar to his own for ghirahim out fo fear of losing him t---

and that all is a process that happens over several weeks and months not rarely while i am drawing something mindlessly and suddendly *have a thought* and omg that makes so much sense-

so "what" inspires my designs? an ever derailing train of thought about making cool thick monsters that arent the evil thing to get rid of for once? cool color schemes? idk it just kinda happens??