#drawing can really sap my energy

[hughjazzinthehouse]

"We Can Do It!" but with Cicero, to motivate for the clown poll, keep it pushing!!

[insufferablemod]

speaking as an artist who has for the past few months at most doodled on school work and has not even opened their drawing software at home since probably july, hows your drawing been going?

khjzsdfkd OK So, despite having not posted any art in ages, like, 70% of my waking hours the last few weeks?months?? have been spent drawing(or 3d modeling) buuut theres been no posted art cus 1. i got a job(yay money! boo less time for hs art!), i am now Officially a concept and 3d artist at a tiny indie studio😎 which is kinda wild lol 2. i am stupid and occasionally(often) bite off Way more then i can fucking chew and signed myself up for way 2 many cool hs art projects that take up all my non work art time thankfully 2 of them r p much done! so i can then show off the art ive done for those soon And ill have more time for other art!

[stars-obsession-pit]

Since my brain has continued to rotate my alternate take on kryptonite being made of ectoplasm (here) I’ve decided to give the idea a name:

Souls of Kryptonite AU

I still don’t have any big or solid plans with it or whatever but. Yeah.

Anyway, I started thinking a bit about some worldbuilding possibilities around the thing. Nothing is too concrete but I wanted to write them out:

So, firstly:

Krypton’s destruction in some way involved ectoplasmic contamination of the planet (to justify why its bits got weird)

But then I had two ideas on how to take it:

1. Kryptonite flat-out is ectoplasm

When Krypton exploded, the energy output of the blast caused the souls of the dying Kryptonians to crystalize

Thus Kryptonite technically isn’t the shards of the planet - it’s the shards of the people

Because the souls crystalized in this way, they never fully formed ghosts. Instead, they’re just trapped in essentially the moment of their death

Kryptonite can hurt ghosts to touch because of the emotions contained within leaking through

I don’t have any fancy explanation for the Kryptonian power sapping part. Maybe the nature of it being their souls cause some sort of magic effect? Or maybe it’s literally just still radioactive in whatever special way. There are options.

Using it as a power source may or may not harm the souls - I’d think it probably would, but depending on how the energy effects work it might be arguable that the souls wouldn’t take much damage

Probably would require fancy ghost magic or ecto-technology to free the souls

You might be able to get a power boost by eating it but you really shouldn’t because that’d be like, soul cannibalism.

2. Kryptonite interacts with ectoplasm

Kryptonite is less “solidified ectoplasm” and more of a sponge that draws in ectoplasm from around it

Thus when any ghosts formed during the planet’s destruction, they were immediately pulled into it and trapped

And if any other ghost touches it later, it will start to drain or even capture them too

The ectoplasm stored in Kryptonite gradually leaks out as a different form of radiation - this is what allows it to interfere with Kryptonian powers

Generally, the more charged with ectoplasm a piece is, the stronger the radiation it releases is (this just feels like a logical rule)

The souls/cores/whatever-you-want-to-call-it of the trapped ghosts aren’t deconstructed (maybe because the ectoplasmic makeup of that part is different enough to hold it together)

Though maybe using it as an active power source could gradually damage them, to add extra angst to the usage of it in tech

However, any new ectoplasm the ghost forms while trying to heal gets torn away and spread throughout the rock

Thus keeping the ghosts stuck in a barely-formed state (essentially trapping them in the moment of their death)

Also this continuous drawing on the trapped ghosts’ ectoplasm allows for the Kryptonite to remain powered indefinitely

Kryptonite can’t hold an infinite amount of ectoplasm at once - it eventually becomes saturated and stops taking in any more (beyond replenishing what is loses to radiation)

At that point, it’s harmless for ghosts to touch (and can even give them a power boost if they consume it)

Yep i’m keeping the possibility of eating the rocks. Just make sure it’s filled with only non-sentient ambient ectoplasm and not souls and you’re good to dig in!

That saturated state could be used as a way to free the ghosts - continuously flood the Kryptonite with enough ectoplasm to keep it saturated, and the ghost will be able to reform without being drawn back in

Carefully breaking the stone might also work, but I’d probably add some sort of complication with that - maybe in regards to the stored ectoplasm being released suddenly or it potentially damaging the souls within

I feel like the latter option allows for some interesting concepts, but it’s a bit less faithful to the original “kryptonite is ectoplasm” idea

[bug-the-chicken-nug]

thinking about how i would hypothetically rewrite rwby (i probably never actually will because i can't fucking commit, tbh)

and i think the overall key would be like

"make it narrower, but deeper"

like to use an analogy. RWBY to me is like. rain on a salt flat. looks cool, expansive, but shallow as hell.

which i do understand. this is a hypocritical complaint, tbh. i *do* often abandon my own ideas, and make things overcomplicated.

(i even had to edit the above down, it was 3x longer for no good reason.)

but instead, i'd make rwby more like a deep pond rather than the big wet salt flat.

"wtf does that Mean tho"

well here's a basic rundown.

-axe the racism. i am black, and find it a fundamentally poor allegory, even *with* more polish. tbh on a more shallow front i'd also just like doing animal jokes without it being racist.

-retool it to classism that affects all races (also helps my issue with Cinder's backstory feeling like a Faunus backstory)

-(yes, yes, intersectionality, the two issues are fundamentally intertwined, i know, i know, but you get the gist of it)

-this could make the thing with adam and blake *more* interesting in some ways, as because Blake has a well-off family and just sympathizes with the cause, Adam grows to resent that, feeling she'll never *really* understand or *really* be willing to go as far as the movement needs, in his eyes.

-salem's a mortal, middle-aged woman who became obsessed with illegal grimm research and experimented on herself. Not some Ancient Great Evil.

- similarly, Ozpin is Just The Headmaster. No Epic Cosmic Destiny or reincarnations.

-there is no fucking ever after

-there are no fucking relics

-there are no confirmed gods but there Are religions

"ohh you're sooo high and mighty, removing stuff rather than having the bravery to add or build on anything"

okay, fucko strawman i invented, i see you.

-there *is* magic. (but Atlas isn't held up by magic, it really is just Gravity Dust now)

-simply put, "magic" is now defined as "being able to draw upon the world's Aura rather than yours, and without reliance on Dust"

-btw, Dust is just a sort of "crystalized" version of world Aura, so now the three concepts are neatly tied together (yes, this makes it TECHNICALLY a renewable resource, but it replenishes slow as fuck)

-by extension, Grimm (And Salem and Cinder) are magic in a parasitic sort of sense. (they passively suck the Aura outta things and can slowly sicken and kill just by *existing* somewhere for too long/ too great a number. But as a direct result of how this wouldn't be sustainable for them long-term, they *usually* have a natural instinct to spread out and wander, which lets the land recover and makes them a little more manageable to fight).

-by further extension, Cinder's Grimm arm is neatly explained as a further exploitation of Grimm's pre-existing parasitic, power sapping nature

-Silver eyes are magic, as what they draw upon is the collective hope, willpower, and general positive energy of humanity

-Ozpin and Salem were like. multidisciplinary scientists/historians who both sought to study and revive magic for human usage, as it's not only more flexible, but neither of them missed the implications of a power source that can cut out Dust as a middleman entirely, either.

-Salem of course IMMEDIATELY saw the connection of Grimm being, BY FAR, the most abundant avenue for magic around.

-Ozpin was all like "Saleypoos. Saleykins. My sweet. Grimm are like the world's parasites. This *has* to be a bad idea."

- "Ohrrrr Ozzed Pin my Sweet, Don't You Gnow? all we have to do is modify the Grimm tissue to make it more cooperative and less harmful! You know, Watts thinks that he's really onto something with using cybernetic implants to control and alter their behavior... and I've been talking to this wonderful Dr. Merlot fellow, and if we include his theories, I really think we have a shot at this!"

-"Weeeelll... ok... if you say so. I know I can always trust you :)))"

-OZPIN COULD, IN FACT, NOT TRUST HER (Or Dr. Merlot, or Watts, for that matter)

-This raises the fucked up possibility that, in fact, Salem is *such* a recent phenomenon that the reason the Branwens can become birds is because this is a power granted by sketchy Grimm research, and *this* is why everyone else is so affronted, because it takes it from "oh cool he gave them powers" to "WHAT DO YOU *MEAN* YOU DID SECRET GRIMM EXPERIMENTS ON ORPHANS, EVEN IF THEY DID CONSENT. HOW ARE YOU EVEN HEADMASTER. WHAT."

- Yang being the one who is particularly affronted and concerned because now she's paranoid that she was born secretly maybe like 5% Grimm without knowing it.

Weiss: come on Yang... don't be ridiculous...

Ruby: yeah, i mean, sure your eyes turn red when you use your Semblance, but I'm sure that's just-

Yang: oh my GOD my eyes DO turn red!

Blake, loudly whispering through clenched teeth: Ruby! Not helping!

Nora, oblivous: welllll your Semblance does kinda, in a way, absorb energy from others, which *might* sound a *liiiiittle* like a Grimm, BUT-

Blake: NORA.

Weiss: *facepalm*

Yang: *existential crisis*

[whispering-radiance]

[Rc9gn OC] Goddess of Amber, creator of the Eye of Eternity |

Ladies, gentlemen and nonbinary folks, I’ve finally finished this introduction card for this gorgeous lady — Some of you might’ve already seen her on some of my drawings, but she didn’t have a proper introduction. As usual, you can read more in the section below : D

————————————————————————

Actually, the idea for this character popped to my head when I was rewatching some episodes, and I focused all my attention on the Eye of eternities. Like—woah! That’s a cool and important item, but … where did it come from? Like— it’s always “and the ninja had this magical stone and used it to do this and this” so he just had a powerful artifact in his back pocket? I didn’t question it 10 years ago, but now I have a power of imagination and ability to draw — So I played around with this concept

————————————————————————

As it’s written on the card, she’s the goddess of amber. Even though she’s one of the divine, she’s not really considered to be very powerful— and so she doesn’t really have lost of recognition anywhere.

As for her character— She has her own system and ways of doing things, she’s harsh and rarely accepts change. Things rarely catch her attention, only when something extraordinary happens, she will get interested.— And I get her, she’s old, very old— at some point you simply loose interest in the mundane, especially if you have seen it happen for thousands of years. Amber spends her days in solitude, away from noisy people and other gods — she prefers to focus all her energy on her craft rather than social interactions.

What she crafts? Well, mainly enchanted amber. With it she’s able to capture almost everything— but I’m not talking only about organic things— many essences can be kept in such form— Feeling, music, memories, spirit— It helps her relive the moments even from hundreds of years ago.

She’s also found of making jewelry— In the picture she’s holding a string of amber that will eventually become a necklace like this:

(My grandma has this bad boy— I have many found memories of playing with it)

————————————————————————

Amber met First Ninja on accident— After he was defeated by Tengu, he was badly injured and casted down from its mountain — Luckily his agonizing tumble ended in Amber’s garden— At first she was annoyed with the intruder, but seeing how he somehow survived all the suffering, sparked some attention towards him.

She patched him up and listened to his stories — Probably the tails of the sorcerer and the threat he posed, stirred something inside her— If chaos destroyed the land, she would lose her peaceful life.

So she helped him recover, and even taught him a few new moves. After defeating the Tengu she decided that she wants to preserve peace across whole land — finally she has found a new calling in her life.

—————————-

- I’ve tried looking into it, but I didn’t really find anything about the symbolism of the carp in the series— Seeing how it’s always connected with the Eye of Eternities— I might as well make a silly connection, that Carp is her symbol — Also, let me add this stupid fun fact — The sea in my country (Poland 🗣️‼️‼️)is known for its amber — So fish equals sea and that reminds me of amber.

- She probably looked less elegant while traveling and fighting with the Ninja, but I haven’t designed that yet

- When I’m referring to “Gods” or “Heavenly” I don’t have any of my characters in mind — I usually think about Japanese pantheon

—————————-

There are three words that might need some clarification, so here it goes:

- 古樹の女神 (Koju no Megami) - It roughly translates to “Goddess of Ancient trees” Amber starts as a sap from a tree, and takes some sweet time to form into its solid gem form. So this title is quite fitting

- 樹液 (Jueki) - It literally means sap — It’s kind of a pet name for her? Or a name you’d call your sweetheart— To be honest it’s only used by some of her closest friends— Others call her Amber or just refer to her as Lady.

- Naginata - is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (Wikipedia)

————————————————————————

“You’re putting a lot of work into characters for a teen show from 10 years ago”

Yeah— but it’s nothing compared to what I did for Generator Rex — Making characters and stories helps me enjoy the show 3x more!!

[hannahbarberra162]

Okay but what if BB Reader actually had A devil fruit? A blood related Devil fruit, cause listen the first time the draw and tests would have worked because they were there willingly to get their ankle checked but after that they are able to control if their blood gets drawn or not, they have that ability, even if they get an iv that dosen’t mean blood can be drawn unless they allow it. Now what would happen then? What would Marco do in this scenario?

Ooh paramecia blood blood fruit. I'm gonna tweak your scenario a little (sorry) for fun. I also don't think this answers your question lol. I think that Marco would lose patience for your foolishness quickly and punish you - either physically or psychologically. If you really persisted, I think you're looking at a long walk off a short plank (if it's Bad Marco).

Sharp talons dug into your throat as you looked into the face of one of the most infamous pirates on the Grand Line. You told your Captain you thought it was a bad idea to try to raid the Moby Jr, that even the smaller boat would have a stronger crew than your own. You Craptain (as you sometimes called him) ignored your suggestion and fired the cannons at the other vessel. So, you had to fight. And your crew lasted all of a minute and a half before you were destroyed. At least you’d have the honor of being killed by Marco The Phoenix, that was kind of a cool way to die. You didn’t close your eyes, wanting to face your death head on. Marco surveyed your body, tilting his head.

“Why aren’t you bleeding yoi?” You had eaten the Blood Blood fruit, which was alright. It wasn’t the strongest devil fruit, but it gave you some power. You could completely control your own blood, and manipulate the blood of others if you were able to touch them and they had an open wound. The last component made it not the best for offensive fighting, which is why you tended to use your own. 

“D-devil fruit, I can control blood” you coughed out, trying to shrug. Oh, your shoulder was shattered. Well, you’d be dying soon anyway. Marco’s eyes narrowed.

“Your own or someone else’s?” 

“Both. Mostly mine.” Marco smiled but it felt like a killing blow.

“What an interesting turn of events for both of us.” The talon gripping your neck released, instead gripping you roughly around the middle. Marco flew off the deck, with you hanging from his talons like a rag doll. Your body was wrecked - you couldn’t heal yourself, just control your blood. Marco dumped you onto the deck of the Moby Jr. You grunted, cradling your side where you could feel your broken ribs. You were barely conscious, holding on by a thread.

“What are the parameters of your devil fruit?” Marco asked, his talon holding your slumping body upright against the side of the deck. 

“Um, I can make any type of blood, heal blood, create more blood using my own, fight with it, I think that’s it.” You thought there was more, but your vision was tunneling. You hoped Marco killed you soon, you didn’t want it dragged out. Someone handed Marco handcuffs, which were placed around your wrists. Instantly, you knew they were sea stone, the last remnants of your energy sapped from you. Marco crouched over you, gripping your hair and pulling it until you looked at him. 

“Heal blood…you’re in luck. You’re not dying today.” Marco turned to someone else as your eyes shut. “Take them to the infirmary, don’t remove the cuffs. Paramecia type yoi. We have a new pet.”

[nomstellations]

A bunch of fairies healing a sick pred from within?

The Enigmawood was a sprawling forest filled with magic, mystery, and all manner of strange and unknown creatures. People rarely ventured to it, as those who wandered too deep never returned, and most settlements didn't put themselves too close to it out of superstition and fear.

Arice was currently regretting her decision to live right at its borders, with the closest town a few hours away. Much to her dismay, even the most cautious of witches get sick every once in a while!

She could easily whip up medicine for herself, but her illness sapped the strength from her body and left her unwilling to move. She laid in bed feeling feverish, drained, and too uncomfortable to sleep...maybe her pride had gotten the better of her in choosing to live here, but the benefits usually outweighed the drawbacks. Unable to continue her research in this state, she opted to stay put and conserve her energy until she could get up and mix medicine for herself. If only a breeze would blow through her window, it'd offer some relief from the heat she felt...

"Arice~!"

"Miss Silverwood?"

"Lady Ariceeee! We're here to play!"

What blew through was not a breeze, but a dusting of fairies. She knew them all- they were the first beings she befriended after moving here, and it turned out that the fairy population of the Enigmawood was largely friendly. They enjoyed hearing tales of the world outside, and they helped her find useful herbs in return for the time she spent with them. But today the witch was in no condition to entertain them as they fluttered in, all crowding around her face. She groaned quietly, not even opening her eyes to look at them.

"Miss...? You're all red like a ripe berry!" A fairy chirped, moving to touch her face and quickly drawing away from how warm it was. "Farro..." She mumbled, gently brushing the fairy away. "I can't play today, I'm sorry...I've gotten sick. I don't have the strength to..." Their normally bright glow dimmed, and they turned to the others for help.

"Sick...that's bad, right?" "Duh, Bellflower! This happens to humans a lot! They can die if they don't get better!" Tiny gasps fill the air. "H-how can we help! Do the Grandfae know anything about humans...?" The fairies tittered among themselves. Arice found the gesture sweet, but it was just a nasty cold. She wouldn't die, but it's not like she could bother to explain...the fairy dust that drifted from their wings felt nice and cool on her skin, so she wasn't about to complain.

"Hey, why don't we use magic? We can make it go away, I'm sure!" Farrow exclaimed, their glow brightening up. "We're so small, though...how's that going to change anything?" There was a few moments of silence before Arice could faintly pick out some tiny whispers. They were too small to really make out, but one of them finally spoke up and got her attention. "Lady Arice! We're going to use some magic on you, okay? Don't panic, it'll be safe!"

"Freak out...?"

Her questioning provided Farro with the perfect opportunity to leap into her mouth! Arice's eyes snapped open all of a sudden, shocked by the fairy's quick movement. Too stunned to spit them out, they wriggled to the back of her throat, triggering her body's response to swallow. Farro easily slid down her gullet, with a cooling sensation making their descent felt. "Wh- what are you all doing...?" It was enough to shock her hazy mind, but it was too late for her to try and spit them out now. "My turn~ Think of this as a favor, miss!"

Bellflower was next, wriggling in with a bit of effort. She had a more sweet flavor compared to Farro, but...was she really considering the flavor of her fairy friends? She was too weak to really resist being fed like this, so it didn't take long for the next one to be sent down with a thick gulp. That left Thistle, the largest of the group, almost shyly rubbing their arm. "I think Farro's idea was kind of dumb...but we do want to help you. We'll be alright, so don't worry."

They waited patiently, waiting for Arice to open her mouth, and after a few moments she did. The fairies in her stomach seemed to be doing something, as a cool and almost tingly sensation spread through her body. Maybe this was the magic they planned on using? Whatever it was, it was chasing away her fever...so she felt she could trust this plan of theirs. Allowing Thistle to crawl inside, they were a lot more careful than the others with feeding themselves to her. They waited until she was ready, letting her take a few swallows to work them down her throat.

Arice felt full. Looking down, she could see a faint glow coming from her stomach. The magic only grew stronger as the last fairy filled her stomach, making her finally feel relaxed and comfortable. She didn't need to worry about eating for now, either...she swore she could hear one of their voices asking for her, but now with a full belly her fatigue was hitting her full force. She'll have to thank them properly...after this long-awaited nap.

[gunmetal-ring]

anon again. i'm sorry that i keep coming to you with this depressing messages but you seem like one of the few sane ppl in this fandom and i appreciate your honesty.

truth is im feeling really disillusioned with hellcheer lately. we don't have a lot of "canon" content so after a while, it gets tiring going thru the same 2 scenes over and over again (especially when one of them involves chrissy's death). ive been relying on fandom but it seems like it's slowed down. fics arent updated as frequently, not a lot of new artwork.

heck, even joe and grace have moved on. joe's career is taking off. grace is leaving acting. it just feels like everything that happened last summer has come to an end :(

Aw anon thats okay. Ty for thinking of my feelings though 💓 (and also im flattered that you think im sane lmao)

Unfortunately its the way things go, especially with small ships, especially especially in a fandom as hostile as this one is. People come together and build community and share their love for characters and then g(r)o(w) their separate ways again.

But not everybody does! You and me, for example. And ive got plenty of hellcheer mutuals that seem perfectly content to draw, write, and rb their little hearts out.

I for one am absolutely astounded that theres even a fandom for hellcheer, let alone one with such talent and breadth and depth of love! Our characters had 2 scenes. Our girl was killed just as it all began. Our boy died with her name on his lips. In all likelihood we will never see them together on our screens again.

But somehow. Those ~10 minutes managed to foster an entire community of people and keep us engaged and in love w the characters for almost a year at this point! With no dangling promises or false hope or anything! Like we all know the score and we still go hard for hellcheer. Incredible.

Idk maybe it's just bc ive only had brainworms like this for 2 other ships and 1 of them is even smaller and the other one is a clusterfuck of unimaginable proportions, so im a little biased in terms of community/fandom, but im just like... idk. I think its really incredible thats all. And a testament to the very real power and truth of hellcheer 🥰

All i can say anon is that the best way to keep a fandom/ship going is engagement. Likes on tumblr and kudos on ao3 are great. But whats even better and more motivating (and i say this as a fic writer/meme shitposter so im speaking the total truth lol) is reblogs and comments. Tell people how much you love their work and how much it means to you, it goes a very long way. And on the flip side of that - stay out of the infighting. All it does is sap your mental energy and the fandom infighting bullshit is a major contributor to why people leave. The negativity and bitterness warp your perspective and make it really hard to remember what we're here for - it's not anti-st*ddie or anti-qu*nn stans or anti-anti-hellcheer or what the fuck ever. We're here for hellcheer!

Sorry my $0.02 is now $2.00 bc i ramble lol its a fatal flaw of mine. Anyway im sorry if this is annoyingly positive or dismissive but im in a strangely upbeat mood rn so there you have it

[hannahssimblr]

Chapter Eighteen

The windows of Ida’s life drawing studio are wide open that evening, the sweet smell of the late April breeze filling the room as dusk thickens into night and a bird or two softly chirps on the electrical lines over Thomas Street. Fingers dusted with charcoal, I sift through a large pile of figure drawings, laying them out on the floor in front of me and staring down at them. Methodically I pick out the ones that aren’t quite there, earlier work with less confidence, less consideration, obvious mistakes, and lay them in a pile to the side. Ida wants the final portfolio to contain twelve pieces of my best work. This is my very last chance to get it right. 

Behind me, Dean, with freshly shorn dark brown hair, hangs halfway out the window with a cigarette in his mouth. I’ve told him that he should go outside if he wants to smoke, seeing as the custodian caught him at it last week and gave him a formal warning, but Dean doesn’t really like to listen lately. To the custodians or to me.  

He’s been checked out in recent weeks, ever since his aunt called the guards on his brother Darren again, only this time they actually arrested him for entering a building with intent to commit an offence, and now he has to go to court. I think he was trying to make away his dad’s old TV or a stereo system or something. I can’t really remember. We weren’t together when he got that phone call, but the next time I saw Dean it was like somebody had flipped off a switch behind his eyes, he’d been deep fried from the inside, and I have the most intense urge to help him, but he’s made it difficult to be around him. 

He’s got this intensely spiky energy, sprung tightly like he’s ready to jump on the first person whose face doesn’t look the way he wants it to when he speaks to them, and he’s carrying that same severity with him today, his being almost vibrating with animosity towards the world as he gazes over the street beneath him. 

“Have you had a look at your work?” I venture, and he doesn’t look at me. I have this sudden intrusive image of him losing balance on the low, narrow windowsill and tumbling headfirst into the traffic. 

“I tried.” He says flatly. 

I stand up and wipe my hands on my old jeans. His work is lying in this big, dogeared pile in the centre of the room, some of it flattened out but most of it still in rolls with elastic bands holding them together, because when he got here he only managed to sort through it for five minutes before he surrendered and announced that he needed a cigarette. I reach gingerly for one of the rolls. “I can help you if you want, I’m almost done with my own work at this stage.”

His eyes drift lazily to mine as he exhales a lungful of smoke sideways out of his mouth. “Don’t bother, it’s fine.”

“Okay.” I say. I place the roll of drawings back where I found it and walk back over to my own stuff, but I haven’t yet given up on trying to converse with him. “I’m sorry about having to cancel work this week, that’s a real pity. These deadlines are so rough.”

“Mmm.”

“Probably quite nice not to have to work for once though, isn’t it?”

“Quite nice to have a payslip though.” He responds, and I try my best not to let his tone make me feel like I’m stupid for having said what I did. 

“I’m sure you’ll make that money back again.” I say cheerfully. “Once this is all over and you’re rested up you can work a few extra shifts in the summer.”

“Yeah I probably will do that.”

I glance at him nervously, the streetlight casting a rim light of orange light on the sharp profile of his face and force myself not to read into the hostility radiating from him like a nuclear reactor. He’s been difficult lately, sure, but tonight is the worst he’s been so far, but it makes me feel bad for him. He’s not been very forthcoming with the exact details of the Darren situation, nor have I felt comfortable enough to ask him, so I just assume the worst. I sense that he’s marinating in it, letting it sap all of his energy from him, and I yearn for the power to rescue him from it, even for a few moments. 

I decide to experiment with theoreticals to see if I can get the conversational ball rolling. “If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where do you think you’d go?”

“You think I could afford that?”

“Well, like, if you suddenly had loads and loads of money and you could go anywhere. What’s your bucket list?”

“Dunno, I never left Ireland.”

“Not even once?”

He gives me a semi-threatening side-eye. “No.”

“Well, my housemate Claire travels every year. Her parents invested in a holiday home in Cyprus during the boom, and every year they go for a few weeks and just lay out in the sun. She and her boyfriend are going once their exams are over, I think it sounds so lovely.”

 Dean crushes out his cigarette in response. I get down onto the ground and anxiously thumb through my work, the tips of my ears getting hot. 

“Yeah, nice to be rich, I’d say.” He says eventually.

I attempt a carefree laugh but it sounds humourless and hollow. “I was talking to a friend about this recently, actually. What do you think you’d do for a million euro?”

“A million?”

“Yeah.”

“How would I ever get a million euro unless I robbed a bloody bank?”

“No, like, how far would you go? What’s the worst, non-illegal thing you’d do for that kind of money?”

“Oh. I dunno. I never thought about it.”

“Okay, well, how about this. Would you rather eat a cereal bowl full of worms for a million euro, or sit in a bath full of worms for a month for a billion euro?” I smile at the memory of my conversation with Jude on this particular topic, how we’d discussed the exact circumstances of the conundrum, the hilarious shriek laugh he’d done as he uttered Wait, the worms can slither up where?

Dean, however, doesn’t think it’s funny at all, and peers at me disdainfully over his shoulder. “What a stupid question.” He says roughly. “Why would I ever have to think about something like that?”

“For the game.” I explain. “It’s like, you have to pick one of the outrageous options and then you get your fictional reward. That’s the fun o-” I trail off when he rolls his eyes and, feeling embarrassed, turn back towards what I’m doing and let the curtain of my hair fall over my face to block myself from view. 

When silence falls between us, I feel like there’s a physical barrier that I can’t cross. It’s always been there, like he’s always wanted to keep me at an arm’s length but lately it’s been impossible not to notice. It’s obvious, he thinks that I’m childish, he knows I can never understand him and he resents it.

It’s several minutes before he even moves again, and then slowly he gets off the windowsill and finally starts poking through his work. I’m careful not to look at him in case I spook him, and stay focussed on myself. I begin slotting my twelve best drawings into the plastic sheets in my portfolio case, but after a while I can’t resist a glance towards what he’s doing. 

He stands over two pieces, deliberating, eyes flitting back and forth between them and lower lip caught in his teeth as he tries to decide which one he likes better. I clear my throat gently. “I think the one on the right is amazing. If I had to choose one it’d be that.” His eyes swipe to me with ferocity and I instantly regret opening my mouth. “I didn’t ask for input.”

My breath hitches. “I know, I was just-”

“I don’t know why I have to keep telling you that I don’t want your help, Evie. What don’t you get? I want to be left alone.”

“Sorry.”

He starts pacing back and forth over his work. “What difference did you think that comment’d make anyway? Like, am I meant to trust your judgement or something? As if you know what you’re even talking about?”

“I-”

“Your work is fine, but it’s not great. You know it. You get everything done quickly and you hand everything in at the right time but you rush absolutely everything and it always comes out real sloppy, you don’t ever put real time into making your work look good.”

I feel like he’s knocked the wind out of me, and I sit on the floor in shock. “That’s horrible.” I say, tears springing to my eyes. “I was trying to be nice to you.”

He sees the look on my face and immediately throws his head back, turning away from me in disgust. “Oh God, why are you so sensitive about everything? You can’t just take criticism.” 

“That’s not criticism, that’s purposefully mean.”

“Can’t I just be honest about anything without worrying about this?” He spins around and throws his hand up at me. “You getting upset about things, taking everything so personally, God. You make me so tired.”

“If you don’t want me here then I’ll just go.”

He sighs. “For God’s sake, you’re such a child, everything is always drama with you.”

“I’m being serious! If you can’t stand having me here then I’ll leave! There’s no drama about it, you’re being awful, that really hurts my feelings.” I watch how my words just bounce off him with no effect, and it only serves to make me feel more useless than I already do. I can’t even hurt him back. He just shrugs nonchalantly. “Alright then leave. I really don’t care, I’m too busy for this conversation anyway.”

My hands are fumbling as I zip up my portfolio case and roll my unused drawings back up into a tube, but he just saunters around the room like I’ve already left, gazing intently at the drawings on the floor. He doesn’t even look up to mutter a goodbye to me as I tear out into the hallway with my lip trembling and tears blurring my vision.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[dyxtd21]

Canon information and trivia about Bludgmochi:

Bludgmochi may have a soft, pastel appearance, but he is a fearsome combatant. His fighting style is an elegant blend of fluid motion and brutal precision, inspired by traditional martial arts, which he wields with artistic flair. His appearance, adorned with pastel frozen mochis, contrasts his deadly skill in close combat.

As one of the Frosties, Bludgmochi serves as an enforcer, ensuring Scorponoshake’s vision is upheld. Though not loud or commanding like others, his quiet presence is a reminder of the discipline and focus required of their faction. His silent resolve makes him one of Scorponoshake’s most trusted warriors.

Bludgmochi’s voice is smooth and melodic, with a serene cadence that can be both calming and eerie. When addressing enemies, his voice takes on a chilling tone, emphasizing his frosty nature.

Despite having a voice and not being deaf, Bludgmochi is the only Sweetformer that knows how to communicate in sign language, which Cyclos'mores, Tarnstard and Scorponoshake are the only ones to understand him.

Among the Decepticorns outside the Frosties, Bludgmochi is both admired and feared. His unassuming appearance often lulls opponents into underestimating him, only for them to experience his overwhelming skill and chilling power firsthand.

Bludgmochi carries special Mochi Grenades that explode into sticky, frozen mochi globs on impact. These globs immobilize enemies and sap their energy while slowing their movements, creating opportunities for Frosties to gain the upper hand.

Outside of the Decepticorns, Bludgmochi has earned a reputation as a warrior of honor. Neutral factions are more willing to negotiate or parley with the Frosties when Bludgmochi is present, as they trust his sense of fairness.

Bludgmochi keeps a mental log of every significant battle he participates in, studying his opponents’ fighting styles and weaknesses. He’s known to replay these battles in his mind during meditation, treating each one as a lesson to refine his techniques further.

Bludgmochi draws inspiration from ancient traditions, incorporating elements of elegance and respect into his fighting style. This cultural influence further distinguishes him from other Decepticorns, who are often more focused on brute force.

Bludgmochi is sometimes seen play a traditional Shakuhachi flute and a Shamisen whenever he's alone. Both of the instruments take coloration as Bludgmochi and both are adorned with frozen mochis.

Bludgmochi follows a strict personal code of honor in combat. He avoids striking an opponent who is unarmed or unable to fight back unless absolutely necessary. This adherence to his principles sometimes puts him at odds with more ruthless Frosties like Tarnstard or Deathsachertorte.

He views Sakura trees absolutely stunning and beautiful when he first saw them on Earth. He wishes to one day have a garden of Sakura tress all to himself and grow them.

He has three hobbies that he likes to do: Origami, Kyudo (really great at it) and Calligraphy.

He understands Japanese perfectly but doesn't tell the other Frosties or Decepticorns about it.

"You think that my appearance is soft? Well, you are foolish enough to think so. I suggest you to not judge a book by its cover, otherwise...you'll end up in a cold and freezing water...or so they say." -Bludgmochi.

[inksandpensblog]

Hey Inks, this is Tulipsempai, hope you are doing alright today^^

I wanted to simply say thank you are of your comments on my comics, especially those for my series. I do have a lot of comments on them, but it feels somewhat nice to have longer ones like yours.

It feels like my work is worth to be analysed and that for me is a big compliment, especially with the amount of thought I put in my stories. They always cheer me up whenever Im doubting in my skill as a storyteller.

I'm lacking of words to express how grateful I am for you to take the time to write me these comments. Thank you óvò

I hope one day I will have the capacity, the energy and the time to read your stories, and to be able to articulate my thoughts into words to say how much your stories affected me.

I know actions mean more than words, but that's all I can do for the moment.

Have a good day ^^

Good day to you, Tulip!

I think writing a thoughtful message like this qualifies as being both action and word. Because you're right: reading and absorbing comics and stories, analyzing them, and articulating those thoughts into a comment does take time and energy.

When artists and writers put so much thought into works like those, it can sometimes take a lot of thought for viewers to figure out what it is about the art that resonates so strongly.

I want to give back to those artists and writers what I get out of their art, but quite honestly it isn't always within my capacity to do so. It's why I don't do long analytical comments like that regularly, and it's why it can take me such a long time to read or watch other people's stories and analysis.

Art is a passion, but art is also work. The crafting of art is work. Engaging with art is work. Creating and comprehending art can be fun and enjoyable, it can be worth the effort, but it is still work, and work takes time and energy. If you're passionate about your work, it will fuel you; but that same work still takes your energy, and if you're being fueled and sapped by the same force then that's just a feedback loop.

All this is to say: I'm really glad you get something out of the analytical commentary I have for your stories, and I wish I could offer it more consistently. You write really compelling characters and conflicts, and you draw amazing scenes. You've earned the acclaim, and it's rare that I feel I can actually express the full extent of my appreciation and admiration for you and your artwork. So I completely understand that you'd need time, energy, and opportunity in order to return the favor.

Until then, just knowing that you want to is enough ^_^

[scrunglepaws]

GHERLS???

So. Gherls. What's up with those? Basically, I made a group of characters that I was going to write comics about inbetween all the Sonic posting. Since they shared a similar design structure, I just gave them a species name. Simple as that, really. There's not much to them. Obviously, I never posted any of those comics. But you might have seen a sneaky little gherl here or there in the margins on my sonky doodles.

The name is derived from "ghoul" and one other silly thing that's not important. It's pronounced like "girl" but with a breathy "h" noise at the end. Almost like it's spelled gerlhhh. Because I did almost spell it that way (sans all the h's).

In their relaxed state, they have no legs (ie: NOODLE). Some can float, some can swim, some just flop/slither around. However, they can "put on their legs" for certain occasions. They just spontaneously appear. Or they can grow. Whatever is more funny for the situation. Generally, gherls don't want to have legs because they just want to chill. It's sort of akin to "Ugh, do I have to go to the store? I don't feel like putting on pants legs!" But also, you can just draw them with legs whenever the situation calls for it, like if they're dancing, riding a bike, or something.

Gherls are generally pretty cartoony, goofy, and don't have to make a lot of sense. They were created to be goobers in silly little comics; they're not meant to be taken seriously. I specifically made them to be fast and easy to draw in my style (does not apply to digital- I'm always slow in that). The designs I made for other people don't necessarily follow this convention, but they sure were fun to make. :D

The most lore-y thing about gherls is that they each have a positive and a negative. The positive is basically the thing that makes life worth living for the gherl, something they seek out, or a personal moral of some sort. The negative is very closely related to the positive, but is something that completely saps the gherl of energy and/or freaks them out. Positive/negative combo examples: water/swimming, cats/dogs, affection/physical contact, fear/death, childlike wonder/actual children. They're generally played for laughs, but can also be poignant if you want.

I have four gherl ocs and they're all idiots. Except Taru, she's pretty cool. With them in mind, I had gherls as a literally asexual species. Like, no sexual attraction and they bud to reproduce. But they're also immensely silly fictional thingamabobs, so ship 'em if you want to!

I think that's about it? They're just really silly, nonserious, and fun.

Edit: Oh yeah! They pretty much always have dark, if not fully black, basic/chunky-shaped ears. Kind of like, the one universal design thing besides being a noodle. xD

[tmos-time]

hi, I've always loved your erisol work!!! You have such a lovely way of drawing a softer Eridan, and I love how you draw Sollux's flicked out hair!

I saw a post where you mentioned voidrot, could you please explain it, or possibly link to the information?

I imagine it was explained in the games, but whooo boy (please imagine me leaning against a wooden saloon bar) that is igniting some motivation for writing some erisol that I haven't had in a long time, if it is what I can only assume from your beautiful artwork it might be 8D

AWWW this is so sweet of you to say anon <33 or should i say (and please imagine me cleaning out a saloon glass with a rag) a mighty fine thing for you to say anon LOL

you are right that its in the games; it's mentioned in (kuprum and) folykl's friendsim route!

--Now that you’re closer, you notice that Folykl doesn’t actually have eyes. It looks both creepy and painful. [...] KUPRUM: >LOL KUPRUM: >goddamn idiot doesnt know a case of voidrot when they see it KUPRUM: >have you never met a goldblood before FOLYKL: voidrot means     my body doesn’t    retain energy like it’s    supposed to  FOLYKL: just look it up    on goregle FOLYKL: it means     i’m dying    constantly          all the time

and to be honest, besides the added bit that folykl saps psionic energy, i don't believe anything else has been said on this! for me, this was mainly a confirmation that blind sollux is supposed to have physically lost his eyes after the infamous murderstuck duel; it could turn out that voidrot occurs any time a psionics eyes go out, or it could be a different situation entirely in sollux's case, but its clear that folykl is tied very close to sollux in how she's been made to flesh out the gold caste worldbuilding. i mean, fuck, look at her concept art, that is the most "this is just sollux again" troll i have ever seen LOL. if she physically has no eyes, its a pretty solid case that sollux is intended to physically not have eyes while blind too

regardless; i like sticking to my guns and like to headcanon that a blinded sollux is not necessarily a sollux with voidrot; i think he has to keep a balance on regulating his power usage to not get psionic build up or psionic burn out, and if he burns out he can't see until his body naturally builds up his energy stock again. i think it just fits nicer! makes him going half blind feel a lot more easy to wrap around for my head at least; for ME, i'd think you'd expect sollux's dead eye to be a lot brighter if its just ghost eye light letting him sort of see again not being held in a physical eyeball, instead of his eyeball just suddenly coming back lol

either way; its fun worldbuilding to play with! it gives sollux a bit of a natural re-balancing to how damn powerful he is as a psionic if he really has to watch to not injure himself as much as any physical weight lifter

[acr3ss-the-cosmos]

I'm exhausted

I'm going to be completely candid and say that I've been pretty much in survival mode for the last few months. There's been many rough nights where I've just been so frustrated because my daughter won't sleep for more than 2 1/2 hours at a time, and sometimes we have no choice but to have her held so she can actually sleep longer. Nothing we try to do to help her sleep through the night seems to work at all. Some days are better than others, but it just feels like the minimal sleep overshadows even the best of times.

Writing and drawing are some of the few things that help me to cope and get through these times, but I hardly find the time to even do those anymore because so much of my mental energy has just been drained out of me. My husband does make an effort to give me dedicated time to draw, but he works full-time over the week, so the only chance I really get to draw is on the weekends, but by the time it rolls around my energy is just sapped and I then end up not drawing anything.

I love my daughter oh so much, and the daytimes are fine for the most part, great even, but I absolutely hate how it feels like I'm being robbed of a lot of the joy I could be having of being her parent. I have such a hard time regulating my own emotions, and then I end up feeling guilty for getting angry and frustrated when I know none of it is her fault. Just this morning I just laid in my bed and sobbed and hyperventilated from all the stress and lack of sleep. This pretty much never happened to me to this degree before I had her.

.. . I'm sorry for this extra long vent, but I just wanted to let you all know where I'm at in my life.

[illarian-rambling]

Olive, for the green ask game?

[OLIVE - What keeps them up at night?]

Honestly, none of my characters are sleeping soundly, so I'll go down the list.

Izjik: She's scared to sleep because of the dreams End sends her. Dreams where she razes temples to the ground and drinks the blood of gods like fine wine. It isn't the carnage that frightens her so much as how wonderful it all feels.

Sepo: Mans has killed a lot of people. Mans is also dealing with a crisis of faith. I think many times when he closes his eyes, he's reminded of his sneak preview of the hell that Lamsara Hedandros has waiting for him.

Twenari: Less dark on this one, Twenari just stays up late studying magic. Yeah, she gets nightmares, but mostly magic is just really cool, so she forgets that she needs to sleep.

Djek: Owing to his street kid background, Djek’s a light sleeper to begin with. He and Sepo shared a room for the time skip between book 1 and 2, so the pair of them stayed up talking on many a night.

Astra: She just has regular insomnia. She uses a sort of folk remedy to treat her adhd and that makes it hard for her to sleep too. But when she's out, though, it takes a thunderstorm to wake her.

Mashal: He can't sleep because he's a robot now. Sleeping is probably one of the things he misses the most. Usually, he just draws during the night or tries to meditate.

Ivander: Curse pain makes everything difficult, including sleeping, no matter how much it saps his energy to begin with. His bed at home has the smoothest silk sheets money can buy, but that only helps so much when half your skin is transmuted into mist.

Thanks for the ask :)

[straycalamities]

Are you gonna update Entre’s blog any time soon (and answer any asks? 😈)

i wish but my job saps pretty much all my energy these days. i probably get to draw like two things a month and right now my fixations are elsewhere

i still want to and i dont want his blog to like die or anything but there's not rly anything i can do for now

the morale is really bad in the workplace so its been even more draining than usual for months so in my free time after work or my days off im pretty much mainly resting and recuperating before another work day drags me away 😩