#but there's no color blending in his origin outfit

[wyrmsgatebait]

Astarion being an embroiderer breaks my heart, because traditionally it was a skill so tied to daylight. If you looked at illustrations of embroiderers before the advent of electric lights they're always outside or near large sunny windows. Placing intricate stitches with nothing but candlelight to guide you would be a nightmare. In fact, it was outright forbidden in most professional workshops. An artist couldn't be sure of the stitch placement and most importantly the colors were dulled.

[hellotailor]

armand’s costumes are such an interesting data point re: his nebulous sense of identity.

when analyzing any costume, there are always many factors to consider: the setting, the character’s personal taste and economic constraints, storytelling concerns like tone and genre, etc. with armand, we also need to remember that he’s 500 years old and violently disconnected from his human origins. everything he wears has an element of disguise, selected to blend into a new environment.

armand was enslaved as a child in 16th century delhi, and barely remembers his mortal life. unlike louis - who can return to new orleans after 80 years and reconnect with his past - armand has no home to return to. his whole backstory, even his name, is rife with traumatic subtext, leaving him with an obsessive need for structure and control. this adds an extra layer of meaning to costuming choices that initially seem like straightforward menswear. 

armand’s 1940s wardrobe is very put-together - primarily three-piece suits and coats that make him look wealthier and more formal than louis, who is purposefully dressing down. most of these outfits are tailored to bulk up armand's frame, leaning into the "maitre" persona. and like his business-casual dubai wardrobe, he always leaves his collar open. when i interviewed costume designer carol cutshall, she described this as a symbolic power move, signalling that he's an apex predator who doesn't need to protect his throat.

my personal interpretation is that while armand clearly likes to look good, he has a complicated relationship with attractiveness. he doesn't always want to draw attention. his color palette is shadowy (black, grey, brown, olive green), and he’s much less flashy than the other Théâtre vamps. however when he’s feeling confident and flirty, he becomes more of a power-dresser - for instance his hunting outfit with the big coat and sunglasses, or his habit of wearing kohl.

interestingly, most of armand's 1940s costumes set him apart from the coven. the Théâtre vampires dress like cabaret performers, embracing a lot of period-specific styles. by contrast armand is more timeless and neutral. in fact, due to the relatively minor changes in men's suits over the past 100 years, there's a lot of overlap between his wardrobe in the 1940s, '70s and 2020s:

the rest of the Théâtre squad share an unofficial uniform of boldly clashing monochrome patterns with pops of bright color. meanwhile armand has a very plain wardrobe, emphasizing the image of him as a businesslike authority figure surrounded by zany artistes. he only wears subtle stripes on a few occasions in the '40s, reflecting the recurring prison motif we see in lestat's trial suit and (most famously) the dubai penthouse bedroom:

if we ask the question, "what does this person like to wear?" there are easy answers for lestat, louis and claudia. we understand their tastes, and the motives behind them. but armand is more enigmatic. we can recognize through-lines in his wardrobe, but his "taste" is dominated by whatever role he's currently decided to embody, whether that's a parisian theater director or a real estate mogul in dubai.

the times when he appears to have the most fun with clothing are when he steals a pair of sunglasses from his human dinner (!) and when he's pretending to be rashid. in other words, when he's explicitly performing for an audience. "real armand" is still a mystery.

(i may write more about armand's dubai wardrobe later, but for now, you can find all of my iwtv costumes posts on this tag!)

[kit-screams-into-the-future]

redrew issue 15's cover! idw please hmu

alt version/og cover/explaining the changes under the cut:

i didnt know if i preferred the expressions on the evil martys or not so here's the version without them

the coloring on the outfit marty wears in the og cover is kind of mid ill be real. the purple also kind of blended in with the bg so i made him green instead

also about his coloring almost all of his colors aren't seen in the other martys, just so he stands out a little bit more from the rest of them! yeah theres a little bit of overlap but that's for the color cohesion. the rest of them have warm colors + blue so i would like to think the green and grey is a lot more noticable

i changed the two outer marty's outfits so that all of the Evil Martys are wearing something that marty wears in the movies at moments where he could've died. one could argue that the 2015 fit fits into this criteria but i thought getting shot by buford was a little more significant than getting his lights knocked out by griff seeing as the movie built that one up a lot more than the other

also it's a fullbody shot bc. i wanted to

the original rightmost marty is so funny to me. there's fits from the movies and then just a completely random outfit. why is bro colorcoded like the prowler from spiderman? or even doc from the cartoon which actually is a lot more related than the prowler from spiderman so maybe i should've listed him first. i think maybe this suit was actually supposed to be the one he wears when he almost fades out of existence at the dance but the colorist didn't get the memo so that might explain it. maybe i should've drawn that one instead of the 1955 leather jacket but whatever. we ball

also his fist is just Up. he's trying he wants to be included

[akanemnon]

hi!! i just wanted to say, i LOVE your art!! i started drawing my kris design with braces after seeing dubs of your comic on yt, and when i found you on tumblr i was beyond excited to see all of it in context. i’m a comic artist as well, and i was wondering— how do you choose your color palettes ?? besides obviously picking colors from the characters themselves, that’s a given— but your comics are bright and colorful and just a real pleasure to read because they’re so visually appealing. hope this question hasn’t been asked before!!

Thank you so very much!

So I really went into your question under the cut. So feel free to proceed if that is something that interests you.

The answer is honestly not that exciting. For the characters I really only do pick colors off the original sprites. Which is why they look so bright and colorful. If you try to do that yourself, you will quickly notice how SATURATED the sprites are. And not only the sprites, but also the backgrounds.

A little trick I use is that for pre-existing backgrounds I take all the colors and brighten + desaturate them just a teeeensy tiny bit. That way the characters in the foreground pop way more.

Another way to make the colors pop even more is to use colored shading AND colored lineart! That really IS what ties everything together. Let me show you..

This is a panel without the colored shading and lineart.

And this is it again WITH all that good stuff. Quite the difference, no?

But you're asking about color palettes, so I guess you also mean for the characters/outfits I designed? A lot of it boils down to color theory. I am by NO means an expert on that subject, but when looking at the Dark World designs specifically, you will notice how I did it.

For example: Frisk's Dark World color scheme is mainly analogous. That means the colors are right next to each other on the color wheel. But there is a little bit of complimentary in there.

Here, lemme visualize it...

Frisk's color scheme is a light green, darkish blue green, light yellow and a splash of pink. The red is there mostly just for lore reasons.

One thing I noticed when looking at the sprites of all the Dark World versions is that they are EXTREMELY bright and saturated.

That is something I tried to capture as well, but I think it didn't neccessarily nail it a lot of the time. Especially for Frisk's color scheme. If I stuck closer to what the game is doing, then in theory they would look more like this (using Kris' colors as a reference)

Looking back, I WOULD tweak their colors slightly more nowadays. Just so that the contrast between the colors is a little stronger and they don't blend together as much. This improves the readability of your design. Not all people are able to perceive every color of the rainbow, so readability is EXTREMELY important. Best way to see that is by desaturating them and checking the grayscale. Like so (left is the one closer to the game's colors)

Man, this REALLY makes me wanna fix their color scheme. This has been bugging me for a while now. (Though I'm kinda afraid that people point out that they look different.)

[evelynpr]

breakdown of this fucking masterpiece of deku art

guys im shaking screaming throwing up this art of penultimate deku is so fucking good oh my god i am so goddamn elated holy shit holy shit (< guy having the most normal reaction to a piece of art of blorbo)

All three color changes represented and blended through the use of light and shadow...fucking genius

A combination of his red shoes and new mech boots...omg...

Combination of his original smile mask then his newer vigilante one

even his different knee pads...(imo it shows how he's embracing his own style of being a Hero more through his Shoot Style, and that these pads have more protection that the previous ones since this change happens after the vigilante arc)

Even has the UA uniform stripes and his yellow backpack...

Left is the newer mid-gauntlet from Toshi from the US, right is the older Costume Gamma long gloves upgrade

May I also just mention the insane improvement Hori has gotten in the last 10 years in drawing and coloring his outfit??? This was from chapter 76 my god...

There's probably even more details I've missed, and how I wanna memorize the name of each fucking costume. Izuku "Deku" Midoriya my GOAT my babygirl my sunshine my darling you are absolutely fucking beautiful and crazy. I love him so much.

[badbugbotblood]

Mini conspiracy to do with lrt actually because this has been rotting my brain. The timeline doesn't necessarily make sense because there is like a small ocean of time between the unplugging of TurboTime and Turbo's incursion into Sugar Rush, BUT HEAR ME OUT!

So we know that the visual design, vocal flair and body language of King Candy is HEAVILY inspired by Disney's Mad Hatter from their original animated Alice in Wonderland (1951). The resemblance is extremely deliberate. The hair, the high collar, the iconic lisp, the presentation.

But if we look at King Candy's visual design when compared to the other human avatars of SUGAR RUSH, our little faux monarch here does NOT STYLISTICALLY MATCH UP!

The racers of Sugar Rush are very clearly emulating a typical cutesy Japanese 'chibi' style. Round heads, big eyes, little noses, and legs that (while not so long as to be anatomically realistic) fit the proportions of their bodies. Their outfits are sleek and their silhouettes are quite thin.

King Candy does not follow this same design philosophy at all (and it's for this reason that I also personally believe that King Candy's appearance as a whole was a fabrication of Turbo's, rather than an unfinished NPC character whose model he commandeered).

I think an interesting in-universe explanation for King Candy's appearance could come from another game. One which Turbo would have known well.

After all, TurboTime had had a neighbor in Fix-It Felix Jr.

While their design language definitely does not line up 1:1, I see more of Felix in King Candy's appearance than I do the likeness of any Sugar Rush avatar. There are some commonalities in the facial proportions of King Candy and Fix-It Felix. Their heads are taller, eyes are smaller, and their mouths are wider. And then there is the nose, which is to me and my delulu brain the most obvious visual similarity between these two.

So. Say you're a societal pariah after doing something seriously taboo, and you need to blend in with a group of newly-arrived strangers in order to avoid being caught and punished for your misdeeds. There's not much time, and you need to get your affairs in order before anyone realizes what you're doing.

I think that, with his take-over of Sugar Rush being an extremely time-sensitive ordeal, Turbo had very little chance to devise the perfect disguise. So he cheated just a bit, took inspiration from a place that was familiar to him.

His own appearance, ghoulish and grey, dressed in blazing red over stark white, that would never fly in such a whimsical world. But he once knew a cast of characters with designs that all the Players found appealing at that time, and he fell back on that knowledge to craft his royal façade. All he knew for sure was that his avatar had to be cute, colorful and coherent.

The end result definitely doesn't scream Sugar Rush when you really scrutinize it, but it held up for fifteen years. Fifteen wonderful years full of racing and ruling and winning to his heart's content. Turbo was satisfied, maybe even truly happy.

I wonder if part of his apparent surprise during the Big Twist Villain Reveal(tm) came from him not immediately recognizing the ashy grey skin beneath the mask he'd built more than a decade ago. After all, he'd spent right around half of his entire life as the one and only King Candy, the benevolent monarch and best racer of Sugar Rush.

He would have been more than happy to leave his loathsome original avatar behind with the rest of the eight-bit era. It had done him no favors even when he wasn't old news just yet.

How unfortunate for him that the pesky Glitch had different ideas.

[kibbull]

Design concepts for StEx OCs based on Starset songs. This is purely self-indulgent lol

I have so many ideas for more, but these are just the first four concepts I made. No outfits yet because I was just focused on getting the vibes down first. This also doubled an exercise for me to try nailing down how I stylize StEx designs, which I think went pretty well.

Also worth mentioning that these designs aren’t really based on any one StEx production, because I personally didn’t that they all have their merits in terms of costume and character design. I kind of just blend the elements I like from all of them with a few of my own personal touches and design philosophies.

First and fourth are probably my favorite (unsurprisingly, given how much I love using color in designs and how I took more design inspiration for those two from specific lyrics throughout their respective songs). In order, the song they’re based on and the type of train they are is Perfect Machine (Electric Engine), This Endless Endeavor (Coal Tender), TokSik (Nuclear Waste Transport Railcar), and Solstice (Dome Car).

Funnily enough, originally the design for This Endless Endeavor was intended to be Solstice, but it just didn’t feel right. I liked what I had enough that I instead went back and tweaked the design to fit TEE so I could keep it and just took another shot at designing Solstice. Perfect Machine was also intended to be primarily monochrome with just a few bright accents, but I ended up going a little overboard instead lol. I can’t resist adding color and patterns to things, it seems. I also tried to blend some of the more mechanical aspects with the drag/makeup aspects of StEx designs, though I think I lean a little heavier to the latter side of that.

Eventually, I may go through and make fullbodies for these designs because I actually want to try creating at least a partial lineup of Starset song inspired characters. When I do so, I may also go through and explain some of the smaller details I added to a few of them and why. I will also eventually come up with names for those assigned songs that wouldn’t really work as a name. For now, Perfect Machine and Solstice will be remaining as the first and fourth’s names and TokSik will be changed to Waste. I have not decided what I will do with TEE yet, though. I’ll go back and add his tag once I figure it out.

[talkingaboutmybullshit]

I will tag the original post if i can find it but I wrote this unedited bare bones thing inspired by Jason after returning to life just fucking around in the manor bc they all assume he’s a hallucination.

Edit i think it’s by @mentallyunawareofpapaya but i cannot find the og post to link it

most often Jason was in the library. Curled up in a chair that in no way looked conferable. His nose deep into a book.

Dick made sure to avoid the library.

Jason wasn’t stuck to the library though. Dick saw him all over the manor. Sometimes he was in his Robin uniform. Dick hated seeing him in his uniform. It stood out brightly and drew his eyes to Jason immediately. The traffic lights color outfit forced him to stare at him. When he was dressed like that he couldn’t tell himself that he didn’t see Jason. He couldn’t ignore him like he usually could. That cape mocked him as it fluttered as Jason ran around corners. Being the only thing Dick saw out of the corner of his eyes. Taunting him.

Jason complained that the manor had a certain unshakable chill. Down in the cave was no better. It was a good 20 degrees cooler than the manor and had a persistent soft draft. So more often than not Jason wore his favorite sweat pants and hoodie. A black pair of sweatpants with the words wonder woman embroidered on the left side. On the right were three red, white, and blue stars. The hoodie was one of Bruce’s from his childhood from his dad’s alma mater. It was a dark blue and swallowed up Jason’s frame. It was Dick’s favorite look because Jason often blended into the shadows.

Sometimes in his Gotham academy uniform. A simple black button up, a messily done tie, some slacks dark blue slacks, and a matching blazer with the school’s crest imbedded. Though more often than not Dick spotted him in some casual blue jeans and an old red AC/DC T shirt that originally belonged to Dick. One of the first non circus clothes Bruce bought him when he was first adopted.

It no longer fit Dick not by a long shot. Hell it didn’t even fit Dick when he 13. But at 13 Jason was much smaller than Dick and the T shirt fit him. It was even a bit baggy. It became Jason’s favorite even though he had new clothes and better fitting ones. He said he liked how soft the fabric was. Stretched out from use and time. That shirt got regular use by Jason until he was 15.

He saw Jason at all ages. Sometimes he sees a toddler he’s never met toddle down the hall ways. The same dark brown mop on his head and the same sparkle in his eyes. He hears the unmistakable laugh as he sees a 8 year old Jason across the living room like he’s playing tag. He hears the unmistakable light hearted laugh of 13 year old Jason in the dinning room. He sees the turmoil of 15 year old Jason in the library.

But lately he’s been seeing the last few weeks is an older Jason.

That’s a lie actually. About a year after his death Dick saw a mid to late teens Jason wonder the streets of Gotham. The Jason he sees usually sticks to the manor. Along with the cracks between him and Bruce being bigger than ever, Jason’s presence was why he avoided the manor.

But Dick doesn’t know how this ghost/hallucination thing works so he doesnt question it much.

The Jason he sees on the streets is about 16 maybe 17. He wore a dark blue suit and roamed around like a zombie. There’s nothing behind his eyes and he never says anything. Dick often sees him at a distance. In dark alleys wondering aimlessly. This version of Jason disappears in after a few months. He chalks it up to a weird greif manifestation.

But now the Jason he sees is unlike any other Jason he saw before. He’s tall. Taller than Dick. Jason was a short kid. Even after puberty lightly hit. Jason Barley scrapped 5 foot. His doctors confirmed it was childhood malnutrition and the stress of living in the streets for so long. Even after Bruce brought him in his immune system was in a constant state of fight of flight. His body prioritized survival over actually growing.

Dick also figured the stress of being Robin didn’t help him grow but he never mentioned it.

Maybe he should have.

Maybe Jason would have grown taller if he wasn’t Robin.

Death did tend to stunt your growth.

This Jason was over 6 foot and had infinity more muscle than Jason had when he was alive. As if Jason grew up getting 3 meals a day and wasn’t in a constant fight for survival.

Despite this Jason looked the same. Even if his hair had a white strip and his eyes leaned more green than blue. Dick just knew.

He had no idea why Jason manifested like this after all this time. This hallucination/ghost/whatever the fuck in front of him was Jason at 19 or 20ish. The same age if he lived.

Dick figured it was a way to taunt him. The universe laughing at him. Whispering in his ear and saying “What if Jason was able to grow? What if Jason lived a good life? What if Jason was saved?”

This Jason usually wore casual clothes. He leaned more towards sweats. Maybe Jason was always destined to be cold.

He followed him in the alley ways of Blüdhaven, his apartment, the manor, and even the Bat cave on occasion. He swears sometimes he can feel him breathing on his neck. Like Jason is behind him peering over his shoulder.

Everytime Dick turns around he isn’t. Most of the time Jason isn’t even there. But that still doesnt make the feeling go away.

Dick knew he’d be haunted by Jason for the rest of his life.

[gleepatrol]

I've been seeing a lot of dunking on Chimera lately (deserved) so I decided to pitch in. I might have hyped this up already, but it's finally here. Welcome to...

A Serious Review of Meteorcare's Designs

by gleepatrol/Mod Rocket

Disclaimer: THIS IS BY NO MEANS TO SUPPORT CHIMERA! For many reasons. In fact, this was made to clown on him, but in a thoughtful way where the readers can get something useful out of it.

CW: blood and eyestrain, but you probably already knew that.

Under the cut because this is long.

First and foremost, let's introduce our victims. I will mostly keep myself limited to the worst designs of the bunch so we actually have something to talk about.

Meet Pepper, Fotoh, Bea, and Banger. And their parents because it will be relevant: Doom and Uni, unknown, Bec and Scratch, and Hemera and Uni, respectively. I will put those parent characters below so we have some context.

One last touch, I'm not touching the silhouettes or outfits except for color tweaks. They're fine. They're whatever.

Case 1: Pepper

My immediate thought looking at this character: where did half of these colors come from?

The purple is technically from Uni (Cometcare Uni's wings to be exact. But she can change the color of those at any moment? I don't think that would be genetic or end up being the main body color even if they were.) and the white is from Doom, but the green? The blue? The grey? No freaking clue! You could argue the blue and green are from Doom's ear stripes, but how is such a minor area spreading to their tail and eyes? They only make sense on the ears. On an extra note, this also begs the question, where are the fur patterns from? You can and should deviate a little from the parents, don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of miniature clone children myself, but Pepper's patterns make him look more like a raccoon more than a dog/rat hybrid.

My second thought, what is the theme here? I believe it's supposed to be arcadecore or party themed but that's not clear from the name or design. I only glimpsed that information from their bio. These colors don't really read arcade or party. They feel random since they neither relate to the theme or very strongly to her parents' colors. If anything, Uni's original electric magenta read arcade better! It's the lack of intent that bothers me. I cannot see the vision!

One more minor note: the grey and purple blend in quite a bit. I would make one and/or the other lighter and/or darker. Don't believe me? Let's try the classic black and white filter trick.

Unreadable. As I said. But hey buddy, you genuinely look better in black and white! I don't have to look at those random colors! Here's Doom in black and white for reference.

You can still tell what's a different color.

But anyway. Enough yapping. Let me show you visually how I would change Pepper. Don't you dare use this if you are Chimera or any associate of his. This isn't a free redesign for you or your cronies. I will speak up if I catch any of you using anything I edit from here on out.

PS: I've heard some roasts of Pepper's arm, but I rather like it myself. It gives a new spin on Doom's multiple limbs thing and if you got a problem with that you have a problem with Smoky Quartz from Steven Universe who did this first. Anyway!

Doesn't this read better as a Doomi child who likes to party? The colors are simper and more intentful now!

I also tried to combine some similar colors such as making the blue on the shirt match the eyes and the red becoming pink to reduce the overall pallet.

Case 2: Fotoh

Need I say it again? What do these colors have to do with the theme? Also, too many colors! Her allotpun is photonegative which are those inverse color pictures like this:

Cool theme! We are barely using it though. Easy fix. Keep the blue colors and toss almost everything else! There were way too many colors with no apparent reason to have so many.

This is still ugly imo but it's justfiably ugly given the theme, so I can excuse it. Take it I guess. She actually looks nice when. Well, photonegatived (right image) so uh gimmick character. I couldn't think of anything better. I know she's still ugly. Feel free to improve on my edit because I'll accept that.

Case 3: Bea

Where. Do I even start. This is the opposite problem as Pepper. We are taking Too Many of the parents' colors. It's too much, very busy. Why are those pink spots there? Neither parent has spots of that color! My suggestion, pick some of the coherent colors of the parents that go together well, not all of them. I will respect this character being so neon due to lore reasons, but geeezzzzz neon doesn't mean complete eyebleed. Taking a look at Bec and Scratch, they both have blue as a prominent color, so we can play with that to start off the pallet. Bec also has yellow while Scratch is green. These could work as well since they are analogous colors to blue. Keep in mind analogous and complementary colors when designing! It's very helpful! While Bec also has purple eyes and Scratch has pink ones with pink elsewhere, I'm going to mostly ignore these colors since they would add too much to both be included.

(Aside note, I just noticed while trying to edit how many coloring and linework errors Bea has; goodness gracious. But that's not the point of this essay.)

You can see I also changed the scar color because they were just abrasively pink and colored as if they were fresh which I'll take a wild guess and assume they're not. Also, I snuck in Bec's purple into the shorts because "why orange?"

Base 4: Banger

Oh, no. It's the final boss. Is that One Winged Angel playing in the background? (Haha Banger only has one wing, two for one joke) All jokes aside, hoooooo boy. I. Yeah. Okay, first of all, why does he have stitched on parts? That shouldn't be inherited from Hemera. Those are not genetic! Those were part of her design because she was being tortured like a science experiment! By no logic should Banger have these unless he was also experimented on which would be weird since Sparklecare shouldn't exist anymore if it's a Cometcare kid. First tip, get rid of this. Second, the only way I can phrase this point is: "this is my son, he has every disease". Broken horn, torn ear, glows-a-lot (which neither Hemera nor Uni have), sewn on parts, only one wing. Some of these are fine in isolation but all of them just feels ridiculous especially with no reason given. I think the reason might be it's reckelss so everything got hurt so I'll keep the broken or torn stuff and the one wing thing because that's the most interesting twist I'll say: only having one wing. Also, why are there patterns on your wings? Where did that come from? That's an artstyle thing, you realize that right? Not part of Uni's actual design? Also, need I say this again, say it with me folks: too many colors! And where are they from? The only ones that seem to be from somewhere is the purple and yellow from Uni but I can't read a single hint of Hemera here except for the replaced limbs which I already explained how I don't understand that decision.

I think he's supposed to be beach themed? But honestly, it's giving random button on the Picrew instead.

So, here's what I have. I still kept the belly orange but this time it was for a reason: to have a sunset color. Pretend it's Hemera's yellow and Uni's purple mixed.

I also added some blue to make the Hemera part clearer and changed the glows-a-lot to hemophilia like Hemera to make his connection to her clearer. The wing is now from Uni's pink wing to go with the sunset theme as are the orange shorts.

And that's all!

Congratulations! You survived this essay! If you're Not Chimera, feel free to steal my edits. Fair game! I allow you to!

TLDR: Stop including so many unnecessary colors without a clear theme in mind and stop giving them every feature from their parents combined! Look at a color wheel for analogous and complementary colors, and use your black and white filter every now and again!

[ask-codeearasure]

Dreamswap Design Critiques

Okay, I haven't read or even looked at Dreamswap in the SLIGHTEST however, Sarco has ranted to me about it, and then gave me the designs of Dream and Nightmare and…. I HAVE A COUPLE THOUGHTS… 

That is putting it lightly, I went on a near multi-hour typing spree about them, and then they dragged me into a VC just to hear me rant for many more hours and for whatever reason enjoyed every single second. (I’m pretty sure my friend is a sadist). This was all two months ago, by the way, but I can’t help but still think about this AU and all the bad history behind it.

So hy threw 6 designs at me. I have a couple of analyses and opinions to share based on my own history with character design. That being said, even though both I and Sarco absolutely despise Dreamswap and for many many many justified reasons, this is mainly about the designs of the six main characters, Dream, Nightmare, Ink, Cross, Blue, and Error. The designs for the side characters are bullshit as well, but I’d like to preserve what’s left of my sanity. I like to share what’s on my mind with you guys after all, so long as I can tolerate it.

Where we shall start is with the supposed “villain” of this story that I never read and don’t plan to, Dream.

Looking at the initial “pre-incident” designs, before corruption/villain point, we see something completely odd. The presentation of both Dream and Nightmares’ clothes during this starting point makes them look like their AU takes place during the old western days. I can hear Bonanza’s theme playing in the background when I look at these. Focusing on Dream, we see a lot of pale yellows, golds, browns, blacks, and tans. If it weren't for the blacks, the colors would blend into each other, and far too much at that.

The reason why OG Dream’s color palette, from the second design symbolizing his maturity, works is because the colors are simple and eye-catching. The mix of primarily yellow and black represents Dream’s goal of achieving emotional balance throughout the multiverse. If he was against this, his outfit would have stayed mostly yellow only. But no, the ratio of black and yellow is equal.

Dreamswap Dream looks well-too taken care of to be an orphan or “out of place” in his AU. If anything he probably wouldn't be too out of place in a stand-off at high noon against some random gunslinger from Longmire.

Also if he and Nightmare are not supposed to be siblings and guardianship is different in Dreamswap… why do they still have the metal circlets?

Has anyone ever asked that? Why are the circlets present? Why keep them?

In the original Dreamtale, Nim gave Dream and Nightmare those circlets, and it’s obvious that for them both, they hold great sentimental value and stand for their statuses as guardians to the Tree of Feelings.

With Dream’s circlet, however, it poses a picture-perfect resemblance to the golden filet Sun Wukong, The Monkey King, The Great Sage Equal To Heaven, had to wear throughout the vast majority of events in Journey To The West, which was perhaps either the first or one of the oldest sources of the golden filet’s debut in popular fiction. 

Now there is always a chance Joku incorporated the golden filet into Dream’s design just because it looked cool, and I agree with that sentiment. But walk with me to this pier that the Chinese golden filet does hold great symbolism that may or may not add to Dream’s character for you. I swear this is important to my rant.

In Journey To The West, Sun Wukong is tricked into wearing this golden filet by Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, and Tripitaka, the monk Sun Wukong must accompany as one of his disciples as they head into India from China to retrieve scriptures important to Buddhist enlightenment. However, Sun Wukong is established to have a nasty temper and a bad habit of resorting to extreme violence and murder, which is why the golden filet has a spell on it. Only Tripitaka and Guan Yin know the words to set off said spell (at least at this time), and when said phrases are recited, the golden filet constricts Sun Wukong’s skull until the pain paralyzes him, thus stopping him from committing the violence and murder he was initially trapped under a mountain for 500 years before in the first place. The golden filet serves as a source of punishment for Sun Wukong, it gives him a reason to learn self-restraint and control, it quite literally forces him to if he wants the freedom and enlightenment he’s working for. It ultimately is a big factor in what makes him a better person by the end of the journey.

Yeah, I know, pretty wild stuff. Chinese mythology was off the shits back in the day and Journey To The West is also the origin of just about all common tropes in modern fiction today, including that golden filet.

How this applies to Dream is the golden filet on his design may imply the exact opposite. Whereas the golden filet actively disciplined Sun Wukong, ultimately teaching him the discipline of character, Dream has way too much discipline. So much discipline, so much self-control and self-restraint from his own personal wants and needs, that he hardly gets to enjoy his own life. And this quality of character in Dream is necessary given his conflict with Nightmare and the balance of the multiverse being in direct tandem with which of them lives or dies.

Everyone benefits from Dream’s excess of self-discipline, but Dream actively suffers on the inside with that trait being one of those adding factors. So to the people who insist canon Dream has no character flaws at all, here’s a big one for you served on a silver spoon. Enjoy!

Back to Dreamswap, if Dream and Nightmare are not siblings, are not treated as siblings, and are just two random boys who met each other from the same AU, why do they have the circlets at all? There is no Nim in the narrative to hand them off, so why do they have them? Where did they get them? What the fuck do they represent? The guardianship the creator clearly didn’t care enough about to think through?

I know a part of why Dreamswap was created was to spite Jokublog on the behalf of petty drama, most of which was caused by a language barrier, and so the creator didn't bother to think about the designs or the story influencing those designs through enough. The entire story, mainly what became of the Dreamtale brothers, was created to bastardize the original. It was all a statement, yet people pretend it was all initially created for “fun” as a little sandbox concept they could do whatever the fuck they wanted with.

And to an extent… yeah, sure, the latter is true now, but that wasn’t its purpose at the beginning.

I’m getting off track.

Let's be clear with something, crowns/filets symbolize royalty, upper class, and if anything else, power and authority. When I first saw these designs I got two contradicting messages from them: Royalty, and Old Western. These things can exist at the same time depending on the creative work, and after all, England always had royalty, but the Old Western theme was set in America. This is why I have a problem with it.

Then there is the fact that both Dream and Nightmare have matching outfits. Not exactly 1:1, but they are very eerily similar, almost as though they both go to the same school and have to wear a uniform.

Gold and Silver often give the image of royalty and purity and this does the same for the both of them. They look far too alike to be two random kids who just so happened to be adopted under the same roof.

They look far too alike to NOT be siblings.

They look far too alike to NOT be just made from spite and spite alone.

Now to not be too mean towards these designs, for a character who is going to inevitably be a villain or at least have an antagonistic role that challenges the protagonist in some important way, having Dream’s outfit be buttoned up is a good way to symbolize a “closed off” nature. A way to show he is secluded socially and personality-wise, hiding his motives and keeping his cards close to his chest.

But that is the only good thing I can say about the design… the first design.

Now for the full villain design…

Oh god, the fucking villain design.

This is where that whole “Old Western” out of place thing comes into play. That jacket he is wearing is not something that would be from an old western AU and it clashes with everything else.

To get to the point, as someone who tends to overdesign the HELL out of her characters, this character is overdesigned. Again, the colors of the jacket blend together horribly, and blend into his wings horrendously to the point that it's just a yellow mass. And even then the clothing under the jacket looks to be the same one from prior to the corruption so the argument still applies, but now the message of being a sign of him being “closed off” now is null and void.

He looks far too heroic to be a villain!

You can make the argument that he is convinced he is a hero, but that argument falls dead on the vine when you can't read the character as the villain he is supposed to be.

Villain characters are supposed to fully communicate that they are villains. Plain and simple. Take for instance, Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise.

He dresses in all black, black being an EXTREMELY COMMON way to communicate that someone is a villain, the same goes for red, hence why he is always depicted having a red lightsaber.

Another villain is Veigo from League of Legends. Another way that villains are communicated is via sex appeal. Veigo has no shirt on, a black leather jacket, black leather pants, black armor pieces, and has a few pale colors to contrast that aside from this toxic yet ethereal teal/green which is a common color to symbolize the Shadow Isles. To help show off his tragic “obsessed lover” aspect and having a “missing piece” (his wife that he is still obsessing over despite being dead for hundreds of years already) he literally has a black hole in his chest. Very few colors, very few details, A FUCKTON COMMUNICATED.

But if that is too simple, let me get another villain from League of Legends because that is my go-to and has riddled my every waking moment with nuclear brainworms from Mars. Send help.

Bel’Veth. What to say other than WOW. Like holy shit. Bel’Veth has design in everything from the moment she floated into the scene in the cinematic she first appears in. Her voice emanates from her so her animation literally cannot lip sync because she is not human, but mimics them. She waddles as she floats to mimic walking, again she isn't human rather mimicking humans, AND THEN THERE IS FACT THAT SHE HAS A FALSE FACE. OH MY GOD.

Okay geeking out aside, design goes far further than just outfits, it goes into how they move and hold themselves. How much posing can tell you about a character. If you look at the physical design you can completely remove the false head from Bel’Veth and you'd see her actual face and multiple eyes, literally revealing to you the actual monster you are looking at. The pale grays and purples on her design are the very colors that have always signified the Void and its corruption.

I know it's not fair to compare a couple of random artists to a multi-billion dollar company, however, it is best to learn where you can. We all take inspiration from other forms of media and that inspiration can come through in one's own work and we all learn design by looking at the creative properties of the people around us.

To give the best example I have that gives away what Dreamswap Dream is trying to communicate, we must look no further than Kayle from League of Legends.

Now Kayle’s design isn't great, but there is something that it does do better than anything else… in its base form.

Impersonality.

Kayle (pictured on the right), via covering her face, disposes of any personality, any true compassion she can communicate with the viewer of her sense of humanity. Her helmet does so much to communicate that. The fact that she takes it off when she reaches her ultimate form ruins the design completely.

If we were to give impersonality to Dream to show his (which is oddly enough a similar thing to Kayle) impersonal completely “godly” justice shtick some actual fucking leverage. We'd actually get a “Oh, this guy is someone who took justice way too seriously and way too far, it’s become an addicting vengeance” vibe.

But we don't get that.

We cannot get that.

All we get is weird angel vibes from Dreamswap Dream because the creators didn't think his design through.

—

Nightmare.

To show that I'm standing unbiased here I'm going to criticize his original design. Yes, the OG. Specifically his corrupted design.

His corrupted design is literally just OG Sans… who looks like he got pushed to a vat of black paint. End of story. I know it has a narrative purpose to be this simple, but I really want to call it lazy. So I will. It's lazy.

That is what we're calling corruption now? Huh. Okay.

Now to Dreamswap Nightmare’s starting design, pictured above.

It has the very same complaints as Dreamswap Dream’s, however it doesn't have the color palette complaint because it's very different from Dream’s. The silver compliments the blue neckerchief very nicely. But that is the only compliment I can give.

His hero design, however…. (this is only one of them, I know)

Oh, we have a lot of problems because… it's trying way too hard to be canon Dream. It really is. Like just canon Dream but with the color purple overlayed on top of it.

Dream’s Cape was literally the fucking sun flag that his brother gave him to shield him from the rain. That flag/cape/now hood has great sentimental purpose to canon Dream as a character because that is the last remnant he carries of his brother.

So giving Dreamswap Nightmare a cape serves no purpose to the character and thus makes absolutely no sense. Is he trying to hide his identity? Can he feel cold? Is that why he has the cape? Is it supposed to symbolize a wanderer, since that’s what Dreamswap Nightmare is? If so, there are so many different and better ways of doing that so it would actually make him look far more interesting and compelling, and again with the circlets. Why?

Plus the stave, baton, or otherwise unexplained staff thing. What kind of weapon is that? Seriously? Is his fighting style even explored or is that there just to be there? Again, since this guy is supposed to serve as some kind of opposite counterpart to the original Dream, at least canon Dream as reasons for having the weapons he does. Dreamswap Nightmare doesn’t. Every theme put into him, if there even are themes to name, looks like they were just slapped together with no understanding of what the designer really wanted. It’s way too obvious to Sarco and I that Onebizzarekai did not understand any of the themes that made Dreamtale stick out as an AU, and that is part of the active reasons why Dreamswap ended up sucking this much.

If you want an interesting moon weapon, just look at the Lunari from League of Legends’ lore. Seriously. Get some actual fucking ideas. Inject some inspiration into your veins. Please.

—--

Ink…

Okay I'm not AS upset with this design, they actually look like they travel around buuuuuuuuuuut–

What the fuck is behind him?

What is that?

Is it a cape attached to his jacket? Why?

Just… why?

Also the entire point of his scarf was to help with his memory issues, it was to serve as a convenient way for him to take notes on important things he knows he’s going to forget, and since he’s always wearing that scarf, he has free access to those notes whenever he needs them. Does this version of Ink not have any memory problems? I ask that because instead of a scarf, he has a bandana around his neck, which if he does have comical memory loss, is there something else he uses to set reminders?

Does he still have to take his paints to, y’know, live? I ask because he doesn't look like he has his paint vials with him, instead he has a belt of bullets or bullet-looking things….

I see they were trying to make this version of Ink look “badass” but take it from me, the bitch that plays League of fucking Legends, it’s not having a gun that makes a character cool. It’s not being an asshole that makes a character cool either, it’s all the things that influence why they have that behavior that gives them the depth that makes them cool. I mean I’m a fan of Ekko from League of Legends and Arcane. He doesn’t have any of the traits that I just described and he is the most badass character ever written to me, I’ll fight you on that.

Anyways, unless Dreamswap Ink fucking eats bullets, I don’t know what other conclusion I could draw here. I genuinely cannot tell if that’s a sash of bullets or paints sorted in containers that look like them.

—

Cross.

The original scar on OG Cross’ face was given to him by XChara and XFrisk as a way to force him to remember the other timelines. It is literally a symbol of his trauma and the abuse he suffered. He is also a variation of Underswap!Sans by the way. His entire AU’s happiness and designs were inspired by Underswap. He is a Swap!Sans already. Changing his design and scar placement was fucking pointless and says nothing different aside from “I just wanted to make this character look different in the cheapest way despite my deep understanding of the original version of Jakei’s character.”

But again it shows that these designs are not thought through; they were made out of hatred or laziness on behalf of the original creators who made all these characters in the first place.

—

Error.

Oh, where to fucking begin…

Where to fucking begin….

1. What the fuck is that on his back? Are they supposed to be spider legs? Jellyfish tentacles? If they are either – why? Is it because Error is often compared to spiders and jellyfish? I am doubtful that that is the reason why his design looks like this.

2. What the fuck is with the hood? Why?? Like… okay I gotta dissect this.

Error's Lucidia redesign by CrayonQueen actively shows his strings via the stitches on the sleeves and pants, and the bagginess showing that he is a very active character, a way of communicating movement. This also makes him an easy character to draw for the creator allowing them a sense of ease. His scarf is a way to communicate movement as well, allowing it to flap about and show direction for when they draw him in comics.

These choices also show the fact that he is a very VERY simple person. He is someone who would rather lay down at home, watch Undernovela, and stuff his face with chocolate more than anything else, aside from destroying everything he can’t stand.

But with the design by Onebizarrekai, we don’t get any of that aside from the spider legs as something that shows his strings… but he isn’t a spider monster and spiders have exoskeletons, so he can’t be a “spider-skeleton” in that way, and perhaps not a hybrid either, and I don’t think Onebizarrekai was going for a Spiderman-type character for Dreamswap Error anyway.

If you want to show off the strings more, you can always have a webbing design on the sleeves or maybe have strings all over him, or have his outfit be more stitched up. Make it look like he doesn’t care that much about his own clothes, that he rips them to shreds and stitches them back together out of necessity. Maybe he has limited access to clothing and that is why he fixes them repeatedly.

To use an example… I will use my own “version of Error”, Digital Klezmer.

Digital Klezmer is overdesigned – but the separate colors allow him to not have the same blending problem that Dreamswap Dream has. I have his AU set in the ROARING TWENTIES (that’s the 1920s in New York). His AU is set in a completely different era. We’re talking swing music, movies being called “Flicker shows” and every woman is either called “Dame”, “Doll”, or even on occasion a “tomato”. His world is ruled by slang and the stereotypical New Yorker accent.

His cape of fur has his hood seamlessly blended into it, and the cape itself has significance, that being his Papyrus was so overprotective of him that the jacket was specifically made for him and the cape is crafted from fur so thick that if he were to fall over, he wouldn’t turn to dust on impact. That fur would cushion the fall and negate all damage. His Papyrus was that fucking paranoid over his brother’s safety and health.

His voice, as I had described in the story that Sarco and I are writing, his voice sounds like it’s coming from an ancient radio – thus showing how ingrained he is to his own culture and his AU’s era. This is a way to show how much of his background influences who he is as a person and what he does.

I had him play the piano instead of the trumpet, showing a subtle oddity in comparison to other Sanses. The era of where he is from is shown with how practical he dresses aside from the jacket which is sentimental to him. The vest showing class and the turtleneck showing his ties to the cold of Snowedin (yes, that is how it’s spelled in The Outer Realms universes).

His shorts show his ties as a “Sans”, but his practical shoes show that he’s a bit more athletic and isn’t as lazy as the average Sans.

The fur on the hood is also to give a bit of a lion-like feel to him, and enhance his silhouette a bit in comparison to other Sanses. It makes him appear much bigger than he actually is, indicating what he might think of himself and the influence he has on The Outer Realms, and then the Inner Circle of the multiverse.

All of these differences are nothing compared to his personality as a gambler and the way he uses his magic.

Playing poker with this man is like placing a bet on a dying horse, you are gonna lose. Every time. He loves gambling and even actively carries a deck of cards wherever he goes.

His magic is used COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY than any other Error presented. I had him be someone who plans ahead, and has his team – yes HIS team. He doesn’t work for The Outer Realms’ Nightmare, that Nightmare works FOR HIM – go out as a distraction so he can hack into other universes (specifically negative ones) so he can set them to self-destruct. He weaves his teal strings into ribbons that turn into spears that can do damage based on the tension he gives them. He can control them without moving. He also uses his strings to become claws. And he can even destabilize himself to negate any attack instead of dodging, or even just turn into a string of code to increase his speed. He is active and takes advantage of his new HP but still values his own safety, hence why he is not afraid of getting into fights.

Digital Klezmer takes full use of his abilities and gets quite creative with them, unlike the original Error, who fucks himself over by making each job of his harder for himself.

But he also has an actual weapon. Its story is very important in the future, so I won't reveal its significance here. I’m a total cunt, but I’m not cruel.

But to show how proud I am, I will give you one final tidbit of Klezmer’s design that I am way too proud of. His left eyelight. It’s an “x” with two rings around it. It signifies his focus and endless stubbornness. I thought this shit out FAR MORE than anyone realizes – Sarco legit had to stop me from going on because I nearly gave spoilers. This is why I have an editor breathing over my shoulder, thank you Sarco, I love you. I’d legit fight a bear for you.

This is all to say that I’d LOVE to see more designs and takes on other AUs, I’d LOVE IT. I really would�� But these designs are not it, and Error’s Dreamswap design is just… not good at all. It’s so boring, it’s bland in the worst way possible. The only interesting things are the spider legs and they do NOTHING for the character. They add nothing to him.

–

Swap!Sans, or what’s called Swap!Sans or Blue. The bane of Sarco’s existence, and I see why (Ve fucking HATES this guy more than anything fucking hell).

No armor, a shit-eating grin, absolutely no depth to be perceived other than what I’ve already been told. Out of all the designs I have been sent, though, Blue is the only one out of them that looks a little happy, not an angry two year old wishing they could break the camera their overbearing mother stuck in front of their face.

Why is there no armor? Isn’t this guy supposed to be an enthusiastic practicing Royal Guard? Of course not, cause Onebizarrekai seems to have had an addiction to assholes with a base-level characterization and in application to every character at the time they were making Dreamswap.

The entire idea of Underswap in general is that the roles of many main characters were swapped, mostly in occupation but some partial trades in personality. Asgore is the one who lives in the Ruins, Toriel takes her place as Queen and rules over the Underground, Papyrus takes up the simple guard post, and SANS IS IN THE ROYAL GUARD TRAINING UNDER ALPHYS WHO IS THE CAPTIAN OF THE ROYAL FUCKING GUARD.

Deep breath…

There is absolutely nothing in this design that references any of this information, and if Blue is supposed to be extensively different from the original Swap!Sans, which I assume he is, why the shitty casual wear? He’s definitely not an average Joe, I can tell by the glitch and the ERROR in his left eyesocket, but how he got that isn’t made evident aside from maybe, maybe he got stuck in the Anti-Void at some point. Did he have an encounter with Error or did he end up there via a different source?

What the fuck is that on his shoulders??? Is that supposed to be a fucking poncho. If it is, it’s a BAD ONE. Ponchos are supposed to go down your waist, not stay only covering your shoulders. They are supposed to cover your torso.

Ponchos are a wonderful way to show that a character is someone who travels a lot, they give a very nice silhouette, they also give warmth because that is another thing they do, along with keeping the arms from getting sunburn should your character be in a desert. However, it’s made null in this case because of how… insignificant it is. It’s there, but why? Is it supposed to be part of the cape? I’d assume that if it weren’t for the scarf, and the thing on his shoulders being a completely different color from the thing going down his back so that must mean the thing going down his back is actually a part of his scarf. SO THEN WHAT FUCK IS ON HIS SHOULDERS??? If it’s not an unfinished poncho, I can’t grasp what the fuck else it could be.

That’s… about all I have for Dreamswap Blue. 

Fuck, I don’t like any of these designs. They add nothing to whatever vision Onebizarrekai had for these characters, only take away what made the original versions so interesting in the first place, and it’s not like I can efficiently judge these designs on what their Dreamswap counterparts were going to be, because Dreamswap doesn’t have a concrete story or character work, which makes sense considering all the themes it has fucked up. I took one look at their pinned post and found this.

Drawing takes effort and I know it takes a long time to learn how to draw, and these guys have some talent. I will always give props where it is due. I’m pretty sure all these designs were made back in 2016-2018 too, so they’ve been around for at least 6 years now. I have no doubts Onebizarrekai got better over time.

HOWEVER…

When it comes to character design, the Undertale fandom has problems and as a whole needs to take a step back, take a deep breath and start actually putting in some fucking effort. Like come on guys… and I’m not addressing the people still learning how to draw.

I don’t like saying this but… you all are getting lazy. Are you not thinking about your world design, the lore. ANYTHING, REALLY? By no means is anyone a professional concept artist here and I am not asking for that, if that helps.

I understand, a lot of you are just trying to have fun and maybe I’m the weird one for asking for more, but I actually like thinking about the worlds my characters inhabit, the way their stories reflect in their designs. It’s something that I personally love to do, and no doubt others reading this do too. And a lot of the designs from the fandom don’t really reflect this; those that do reflect, their stories are a handful at most and even then, some of them are only reflective of the designs and don’t show the story they’re supposed to have.

Take Outertale for instance. It’s 100% space aesthetic, but 0 story. The designs themselves make them look like they’re supposed to be attending a space themed party. I got so upset with it not having pushed the designs far enough and having no story I made Outerswap – again no spoilers– I SEE THE GUN, SARCO. STOP. RELEASE ME.

What I am saying is, I want you all to do better because I KNOW you can do better. This fandom has a fuckton of talent behind it but does NOTHING with it. Most AUs I’ve seen are like Dreamswap here, a rehashing of projects that already exist and doing nothing new or interesting with them, and that’s not inspiring. It’s just a pattern.

For those of you still learning, just try. I’m not expecting instant improvement. I’m saying TRY. Put in the effort. We don’t grow as artists and storytellers if we don’t TRY. If you need inspiration, explore other things, especially elements you aren’t familiar with. Look at other people’s artworks, look at videos critiquing character design like TBSkyen – my personal favorite. If you are insecure about storytelling, read more fanfiction, read more books, read more poetry. READ. There is always something you can take inspiration from for your own work and it doesn’t have to be Undertale only. Use as many sources as you like, there is no limit to what you can use at your disposal. GO FUCKIN NUTS, MATE!

There is always room to grow. And that is what shows the most in artwork of all kinds, be it drawing or writing, and what it takes to do that is to get out of your bubble more often. 

Sarco interacts with and follows people who are already doing this, but there’s nothing wrong with more, more, more!!

Anyways, that’s my critique. Have fun, go nuts. You only ever have one spark of madness, don’t lose it.

…trying to force a nice concluding sentence when I’ve been critical this whole time is a tone shift I am not okay with, holy shit. Get away from me. Get out. Run.

– Ouija, edited by Sarco

[autisticlalna]

ive been loving @loudn-mcyt's superhero au and was seized with a need to draw Wayfinder and Timekeeper because, as always, im predictable. i just think theyre neat!

i ran out of art stamina before i could do coloring, but im pretty happy with these. very long rambling about design choices under cut:

okay despite having them in the same order as the stats post to match i actually drew Timekeeper first so we're starting with her.

civilian Ruby is Ruby Corundum, and is basically just Ruby's default skin. i could've gone for Cherruby seeing as this is a SBK AU, but i felt like drawing your average rubert.

Timekeeper, meanwhile, is based heavily off tRuby (or, maybe more specifically, off Sapphire). was very much winging this and wanted something long and swooshy that wasnt a cape, so.. tRuby's coat! i was gonna have a completely new outfit under it, but nothing looked right so they get to keep the vest and pants. the undershirt is Cherruby's, though. i did fancy the coat up a bit with shoulder pads, a different.. lapel? ive forgotten the word for the folded bit. and while its not pictured in the cleaned-up sketch it has a crystal pattern and maybe some iridescence because i wanted to pull in Ruby's gemstone aesthetic

also Timekeeper has the crystal hair i normally draw Ruby with in a braid like tRuby / Sapphire. and pointy ears! Ruby's a normal human while civilian, but considering Ruby and Viking's... everything... i had fun with making them a little less that. this is helped by me picturing Ruby doing a whole-ass magical girl transformation into Timekeeper, lmao. ANYWAY. eyes change color because of time powers, and theyve got their clock as always

Wayfinder was designed after, so i was relying a lot on what i established for Timekeeper because i wanted them to match! Viking is just Summertime but with glasses because im still fiddling with the idea of drawing him with glasses anyway and its a fun tie to Ruby. he is also a normal human. no catboyism here.

visual similarities with Timekeeper: same undershirt, pants, gloves, and boots, core item on chain necklace, pointy ears, and the chevron design on his shoulders is similar to Timekeeper's shoulder pads and chain accents. and, although you cant see it because of his goggles, his eyes also change color to match his domain.

he was originally gonna be based more off Wanderer, but as much as i love the parka the aviator jacket is too iconic and the mask blended in with the goggles too much. he gets dViking's wispy bits though bc of his intangibility power and i wanted there to be some kind of change like Timekeeper's hair.

UH. YEAH. this was fun! i dont know if im gonna draw the rest, im just always Incredibly Normal abt spacetime siblings, but considering i havent drawn any superhero stuff before At All im really proud of this. ok bye

[footfunkuniverse]

Welcome to the Foot Funk Universe!

To start this AI foot world, we’ll be kicking off with the Solvengers - 27 R&B/hip-hop artists with powered soles.

1. Chris Brown

Superhero Name: Kinetic Groove

Hierarchy Placement: Rank 1 – Field Commander of the Solevengers

Chris Brown, known as “Kinetic Groove,” holds the top position in the Solevengers due to his unparalleled agility, speed, and dynamic combat skills. His exceptional dance abilities translate into fluid and unpredictable movements in battle, making him a formidable opponent. His leadership is characterized by his ability to inspire and coordinate the team effectively.

Role Within the Group: Frontline Dynamo | Tactical Choreographer

Combat Style: Close Range Combatant 

Chris’s combat style is rooted in his real-world prowess as a dancer and performer. His swift footwork and rhythmic movements allow him to engage enemies up close, using a combination of agility and strength to overpower them. In the Foot Funk Universe, his soles emit kinetic energy that enhances his physical attacks, making him a master of close-quarters combat.

Origin Story: Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, Chris discovered his passion for music and dance at a young age. Inspired by legends like Michael Jackson, he honed his skills in local talent shows and church performances. One fateful night, while dancing barefoot under a meteor shower, a celestial fragment struck the ground near him. The fragment’s energy merged with his soles, granting him the ability to channel kinetic energy through his feet. Embracing his newfound powers, he became “Kinetic Groove,” dedicating himself to protecting the world through rhythm and movement.  

Tagline: “Feel the rhythm, face the fury.”

Promotional Poster Background: The poster features an urban rooftop at dusk, with the city skyline illuminated by neon lights. A meteor shower streaks across the sky, casting a cosmic glow over the scene. Graffiti art depicting musical notes and dance silhouettes adorns the surrounding walls, symbolizing Chris’s roots in music and dance. The atmosphere exudes energy and anticipation, capturing the essence of a city on the brink of transformation. 

Superhero Outfit: Chris dons a sleek, form-fitting suit made of adaptive fabric that shifts colors with his movements, reflecting the kinetic energy he generates. The suit features luminescent lines tracing his limbs, emphasizing his dynamic motions. He wears a high-collared jacket with metallic accents and a pair of mirrored visor shades that conceal his eyes, adding an air of mystery and intensity to his appearance.

Shoes: His footwear consists of custom-designed high-top sneakers with reinforced soles that channel and amplify his kinetic energy. The shoes have a sleek black exterior with glowing blue accents that pulse with each step, symbolizing the power coursing through his feet. The design combines functionality with style, reflecting his dual identity as a performer and a warrior.

Bare Soles Description:

• Color: A warm, earthy bronze with a subtle iridescent sheen.

• Texture: Smooth with fine grooves that glow faintly when energy is channeled.

• Width: Medium, providing a balance between agility and stability.

• Thickness/Meatiness: Moderate, allowing for both sensitivity and durability.

• Ball: Prominent and well-defined, aiding in precise movements.

• Heel: Slightly elevated with a firm structure for powerful launches.

• Shape of Arches: High arches that store and release kinetic energy efficiently.

• Shape and Splay of Toes: Tapered with a natural spread, enhancing balance and grip.

• Presence of Callouses: Minimal, with slight thickening at pressure points from rigorous training.

• Unique Markings/Patterns/Scriptures: Intricate patterns resembling sound waves and dance steps etched into the soles, glowing when powers are activated.

Shoe Smell: A subtle blend of leather and ozone, reminiscent of electrified air after a storm. The scent reflects his energetic nature and the constant movement inherent in his abilities.

Sole Smell: A light, musky aroma with hints of sandalwood and citrus, indicative of his active lifestyle and dedication to cleanliness despite intense physical activity.

Sole Taste: A unique combination of salty and tangy flavors with a hint of metallic zest, representing the fusion of human effort and otherworldly energy in his powers.

Unique Superpower:

Kinetic Amplification: Chris can absorb kinetic energy from his movements and surroundings, storing it in his soles. He can then release this energy in powerful bursts, enhancing his speed, strength, or delivering devastating shockwaves through kicks and stomps.

Three Unique Moves:

• Sole Funk (Smell): Rhythmic Pulse – Chris releases a wave of kinetic energy infused with a subtle scent that disorients enemies, disrupting their balance and coordination.

• Sole Taste: Flavor of Motion – When an opponent comes into contact with his soles, they experience a surge of energy that overwhelms their senses, leaving them momentarily stunned.

• Sole Sight: Visual Echo – The glowing patterns on his soles emit light trails that confuse and mislead enemies, making it difficult to predict his movements.

Stat Justifications:

• Intelligence (81): Chris demonstrates strategic thinking in choreography and performance, translating to tactical acumen in battle scenarios.

• Physical Strength (83): His rigorous dance routines and physical training contribute to his formidable strength and endurance.

• Speed (100): His agility and quick reflexes are unparalleled, allowing him to outmaneuver opponents effortlessly.

• Superpower (75): His ability to harness and manipulate kinetic energy is potent, though it requires precise control and timing.

• Sole Touch (90): The unique texture and energy of his soles provide a captivating sensation upon contact.

• Sole Stench (69): Maintains cleanliness, but the energy discharge can produce a mild, distinctive odor.

• Sole Visual (88): The glowing patterns and dynamic movements make his soles visually striking.

• Sole Taste (93): The fusion of human and cosmic elements results in a complex and intriguing flavor profile. 

[jevije]

Ateez Seonghwas Ideal type based on his chart

Venus and the Moon play key roles in shaping a man's ideal woman in astrology, but they reflect different aspects of his desires and needs.

Venus in a Man’s Chart describes what a man finds attractive in a romantic or sexual partner. It reflects his ideal of beauty, charm, and femininity, and what qualities he is drawn to in a woman he desires. Venus often shows the type of appearance, style, or aesthetic that appeals to him. It also points to how he experiences love and what makes a partner romantically appealing.

Moon in a Man’s Chart describes what a man needs on an emotional level. It reflects the qualities of a woman who makes him feel safe, nurtured, and emotionally fulfilled. The Moon can show the kind of woman he sees as a potential life partner or someone who could provide emotional security, often linked to how he connects with feminine energy.

Placement like Mars or 7th House can represents how he pursues his love interest, the type of partner he is likely to commit to in a relationship, what he desires and his sexual energy but for this reading I'll be only looking at his Venus and Moon placements.

So lets go>

Venus in Aquarius 8th House

The 8th house governs themes of intimacy, transformation, shared resources, and the hidden or taboo aspects of life. Venus here suggests that he seeks profound emotional and physical connections in relationships. He’s attracted to women who can form deep, meaningful bonds with him. Superficiality in love doesn’t appeal to him. Women who exude an air of mystery or have a magnetic, almost irresistible presence are particularly alluring.

He desires a relationship that transforms him on a deep level, often involving a sense of healing or emotional rebirth. Women who are emotionally complex or transformative may captivate him. A partner who is strong, self-aware, and unafraid to explore the darker, more taboo aspects of life may be his type.

Aquarius is an air sign ruled by Uranus (innovation) and Saturn (structure). It brings qualities like independence, originality, and a forward-thinking attitude. He is drawn to women who are unconventional or stand out due to their unique appearance, ideas, or personality.

He admires women who value their freedom and autonomy. A sharp mind and the ability to discuss complex, abstract, or futuristic ideas are essential qualities in a partner. Women with progressive values, humanitarian tendencies, or those who embrace non-traditional relationships appeal to him.

When considering Venus in the 8th house in Aquarius, a man’s aesthetic preferences often reflect a blend of mystery, individuality, and uniqueness.

Aquarius brings a love for the unexpected, so he’s likely drawn to women with features or a style that stands out. This could mean anything from quirky hairstyles, piercings, or tattoos to an unusual way of dressing. He appreciates women who confidently embrace their individuality.

With the 8th house influence, he’s attracted to a subtle, enigmatic vibe. This could manifest in alluring eyes, a reserved demeanor, or a look that suggests there’s more beneath the surface. Dark, smoky makeup or a minimalist yet striking style might catch his attention.

Aquarius energy leans toward futuristic or avant-garde fashion. He might like women who wear sleek, modern, or edgy outfits. Metallics, asymmetrical cuts, or even bold pops of color could appeal to his sense of aesthetics.

Aquarius placements often lean toward appreciating a slender or elegant physique, but this can vary depending on his full chart. What matters more is a confident, upright posture that conveys independence and self-assurance.

Aquarius loves to break the mold, so he might be drawn to women with unique haircuts, bold colors, or hairstyles that make a statement. On the flip side, sleek, futuristic hairstyles or natural textures could also appeal.

The 8th house influence often brings a focus on the eyes. He’s likely captivated by women with deep, intense, or unusually colored eyes. Eye makeup that emphasizes this intensity might heighten the attraction.

With Venus in the 8th house, he appreciates an understated, almost secretive sensuality. Think outfits that hint at, rather than flaunt, allure—like sheer fabrics, subtle cutouts, or minimalistic accessories that create intrigue. Aquarius energy may make him drawn to women with delicate, angular, or strikingly unique facial features. A look that feels timeless, slightly alien, or futuristic could be appealing.

Moon in Cancer 1st House

A man with the Moon in Cancer in the 1st house is likely to have a strong emotional core, and his preferences in a partner are deeply influenced by his need for emotional security, nurturing, and connection.

Cancer is the ultimate nurturer, so he’s drawn to women who exude warmth, kindness, and maternal energy. He values someone who can create a sense of home and emotional safety.

He appreciates women who are emotionally intelligent and can intuitively sense his feelings without him needing to explain. A strong emotional connection is essential for him. A gentle, empathetic nature appeals to him. He likes women who are compassionate and supportive. He admires women who stand by their loved ones and create a protective, secure bond.

The Moon in Cancer often influences attraction to women with a soft, feminine, and nurturing aesthetic rounded or gentle features, such as big, expressive eyes (often with a dreamy or watery quality), full lips, and a soft complexion, may appeal to him.

He might be drawn to women who favor soft, neutral, or pastel colors in their clothing, as these evoke comfort and calmness. A fresh, understated look, perhaps with minimal makeup, aligns with the natural vibe of Cancer. He might prefer a woman who looks approachable and down-to-earth.

He might like women who wear flowing, comfortable clothing that emphasizes softness and femininity—like cozy sweaters, dresses, or fabrics such as cotton or silk.

Since the Moon in Cancer is highly protective, he’s drawn to women who share this instinct. A woman who puts her family or loved ones first will win his heart. He may find women with a traditional outlook or a strong focus on family and home life particularly attractive.

The 1st house is the house of identity and outward expression, so his emotional nature is part of his personality, making him highly sensitive and empathetic. He may be drawn to partners who mirror his feelings or seem to "understand him" on a deeply personal level. A soothing, calming energy is essential. He wants to feel immediately at ease around her.

In astrology, each zodiac sign is associated with specific physical features, influenced by the general characteristics and traits of that sign.

Anok Yai and Gemma Ward can be good examples of individuals who embody a blend of Cancer and Aquarius traits in their physical appearance. Soft round face, large expressive eyes combined with distinctive and angular features give them unique and unconventional aura.

[wowie-zowie-art]

Angel Dust Redesign

(Please do not repost or claim as your own)

(Reblogs over likes please!)

Surprise! While my original plan was to finish the Lucifer sketch, I found that I was really unhappy with what I had drawn, and decided to redo his entire design. In the meantime though, I tackled Angel Dust because I had some idea for him!

Now this is one of the characters I personally know the least about, as a lot of the topics, his occupation in the show, and parts of his character are ones that make me uncomfortable and unfortunately upset. It's completely fine if any of you like it, but it's just not my cup of tea. So, I designed him based off of my personal idea, and gave him more of an overhaul.

His original design is fine, both by animation standards and my own opinion. He just blends in with the rest of the cast, but he does have some interesting things going for him. My main issues with the design stems from wearing too vauge of an outfit, too much detail on his head compared to the rest of the body, not exaggerated enough proportions, and not having enough spider attributes. I'm actually fine with the white, red, and pink for him, I think it suits the whole "lustful" vibe he's supposed to have. I just added a few additional colors!

And this is the design I ended up with! I took inspiration from the design of Jessica Rabbit, and I really wanted to lean into more feminine/drag aspects! He also gets to stay skinny, since he wears a corset canonically (?). To add some more spider like features, he gets some extra eyes (the ones on his shoulder are meant to replace his spots), an abdomen, keeps the extra arms, and has spider-web styled fishnet leggings and gloves patterns! I also leaned more into the pinks and red for his color palette, but I gave him additional yellows, greys, and blacks to balance it out.

In this version of the show, he would be a worker at the hotel, being an "attraction" where he performs shows and concerts, dressed in drag. He's flirty and suggestive, but never too much more than that!

I ended up really liking his design! He is a tad messy in the lineart, but I love him regardless. He might be my second favorite after Charlie!

[prismaticpichu]

What if Shinra's PR originally wanted Sephiroth's "image colour" (that of his entire outfit) to be white to match his hair, but that was the first thing Sephiroth rebelled on, because he associates wearing a white coat exclusively of the Science Department.

Yoooooooooo that is SUCH a neat headcanon!!! I can absolutely see Sephiroth developing some animosity toward the bright and “pure” color, especially when you take into account the labcoats that surrounded Seph his entire childhood ;-; ;-; It would even play into his later life, too, when Angeal sprouts a white wing—and further cementing how Sephiroth may see the color as tainted and unholy, a mere masquerade of something pure and righteous. Perhaps he thought that, by wearing black, he could escape the torturous phantoms that always loomed over his childhood; perhaps he thought that he could blend in better; perhaps he thought, by wearing black, he could escape a horrid fate of something cruel, twisted, and unangelic himself…

Or maybe he just wanted to hide pasta sauce stains. Either works! 💖

[jurassicshields]

I tried to redo Kenji's design and make it look a little better. I'm just going to list what his canon design made look bad. Note that I wanted him to look a little bit more scruffy, and not so colorful. He just lost a friend and isn't taking care of himself as well.

The hair. He just looks so funny with their haircut. It's like a strange bowl cut that goes too low on his forehead. And I looked at the design they chose to make his model off, and that version of the hair looked fine. So to fix it, I just gave him a haircut similar to his Camp Cretaceous one. I think them not giving Kenji the same hair made him seem really different(same with Yaz). And also made sure the hair wasn't TOO shinny.

When I erased his hair and gave him a forehead, it made everything look better. He didn't look so squashed. And it also fixed his eyes being so big.

Adding a beard fixes his face. The original version makes his face look round and almost child-like. Here giving him facial hair gives it definition. And also a him having from facial hair would fit with his poor dealing of Brooklyn's death.

Change the color of that green jacket. For starters the green with the blue looks terrible, nothing matches. So I changed it to a dark red/brown that is easier on the eyes and fits how his life has become dull. And making the clothes blend together makes his proportions not look so akward.

This isn't really something I added, it's just he now looks like an adult. Like he's in his early 20s and dealing with some unfortunate events, so making him look more mature and scruffy helps with the presentation.

In summary, all I really changed with his hair, outfit, and added facial hair. The only other thing I messed with was making his eyebrows a little bit more sharp. But really, his canon design has grown on me. After reading about how the people making the show did everything on purpose, I appreciate it more, knowing it wasn't just some careless accident.