#happy day for the pinned post

[spotaus]

💙Pinned Post 💙

Hey folks! I'm Spotty/Spot/Spotaus, I'm an artist just doin' art things! I go by any pronouns (<- nb/a-gender/general gender tom-foolery. When in doubt, go with they/them) and I'm ace. I've got this side-blog running for UTMV posts I wanna reblog, as well as my personal art for old/ongoing projects!

If ya want to see my art, check #Spot!Drawn

Yes, I do take Requests, and they are Open

This blog is a Side Account! If you are followed by @spotlightstudios that is me! We might be mutuals, but it only shows properly on my end :')

[Info about Projects, AUs, and OCs below the cut!]

Projects:

If you see me posting about these, they're personal projects! (Usually a solo-act, but a few have co-creators.)

#Eternal Ashes is a 2nd Gen story about the ship-children of the Multiverse! Kane, elder son of Reaper and Geno, is killed in a battle between the Star Sanses and Night's Gang. This send the multiverse into a forced truce to avoid more crossfire killing, and Reaper's wrath... Only, Reset, Reaper and Geno's younger son, isn't satisfied with his brother's death. He and Orchid (daughter of Error and Nightmare) team up to bring Kane back to life, and end up settling into motion a multiverse-wide murder spree that spans years.

#DoppleTale is an AU I finally brought to existence recently. The monsters of the underground are all shapeshifters who fed on human flesh, until they were locked away in the mountain. With Humans becoming rarer by the day the monsters feast on Monster Candy and practice desperately to perfect their human disguises (which only get worse the less they remember what humans look like). <- This story is #Pretender!Sans 's origin au!

#Catacombtale is the oldest remaining AU that I have. It follows the story of a Human Hero who is sent to the catacombs of Mt. Ebbott to face the gods trapped within. Of course, sone if the gods are helpful, others can't forgive humanity for dethroning them. (Most of the story is pre-entrapment lore, with worldbuilding and a focus on #Ichor!Sans, my special-est tired old immortal guy who loves mortals more than he should on every given occassion.)

#Ec-4o.verse is a multiverse world (kingdomtale style?) where the earth, in a stage of Robot/Monster/Human co-existance suddenly went into a war. It wiped out a lot of people and places, and sent the world into chaos. Ec4o.verse follows Blue, a young mechanic (Techie) who's skilled in the old ways of robot repair and creation, uncovering the secrets of what started the war he's known all his life. (<- This one is both my pfp, and I draw dustedafterdeath for it pretty regularly.)

#DreamEater AU A self-indulgent Fresh × Dream fic where Dream is hit by an attack during battle that paralyzes his body. But never fear! Your trusty parasite was looking for a new host anyways! Fresh bites into Dream's soul and then realizes he will never run out of magic, so he just sticks around! Pilots Dream's body while also helping him through his Savior Complex trauma! You can also find info under the tag #Tulpa as that is their combined name/identity towards the end of the story.

#New Age AU An au inspired by Real Age AU by @ancha-aus that is set in a land of kings and queens. Night, tyrant ruler of the land, accompanied by his loyal band of murderous knights, finds himself back at Age 13, the Age he was when he first ate the apple of prophecy. Without the power, he's struggling to keep his twin at a safe distance + maintain control. (Very much Found Family here :])

The New Age Masterpost can be found here.

#Timeless AU A story of the underground. What if Dr. Gaster was alive? And living? And raised Sans and Papyrus? And Revived Asriel successfully? And was madly in love with Asgore, and got w/ him after Toriel left? Yeah, it answers all these questions. Basically, Gaster is an unintentional father to all the beloved cast in the Underground, and Asriel grows up with Sans and Paps as brothers.

Then, of course, there's my persona, N!

If you see this skeleton around, it's just my insert! N (in reflection of me) goes by she/they/he pronouns and is a menace. Most often you'll see doodles of her with my oc Ichor, Killer, or my moots personas (such as Ancha!).

And for the record:

Yes, I do takes requests (They're currently open! Send me an Ask w/ an AU, Oc (<-with ref), or UTDR character!) but I don't always actually complete them. Motivation as a uni student is few and far between.

Yes, you can draw my ocs. I don't think anyone would, but you're welcome to if you get the urge! Just, be sure to tag me! (And obviously don't claim them as your own. That'd be shitty.)

Yes, I do chat. I'm a very anxious person, tho. If you start a conversation or tag response or smth, I'll be ecstatic!

This blog is (as far as I know) going to remain SFW. I don't intend on reblogging nor creating graphic content, especially not of these god damn skeletons, so this is more or less a safe space 👍

[arcanegifs]

S2 Reminders from this blog:

you are free to dislike things but please don't be rude under a creators' hard work on the media they love

[kaeya-senpai]

Akito(ya) art dump

[noliaert]

some fanart of THE vampire that owns the night🫰

[gotchibam]

Heyo!! I'm Bam 👋 I'm a small-time artist making a living thru drawing silly lil creechers & characters :) Here's my art tag: #gotchibam arts

You can check out the links below if you're interested in supporting me & my work! 👇

🔸 Tip jar ⟶ Ko-fi 🔸 Prints ⟶ INPRNT 🔸 Discord emotes / Mobile wallpapers ⟶ Ko-fi shop 🔸 Request ko-fi doodles / Commissions ⟶ Ko-fi Commissions 🔸 Queue: Pokemon Doodles / Character Comms / Chibi Comms

You can also find me on twitter w/ the same handle :) 🔸 Twitter ⟶ @gotchibam

Thank-chu & have a nice day!! ✨

[ivqks159]

“The trick,” he says, “is hollowing the wood just right. Too thin a shell and it will crack. Too thick, of course, and the next doll won’t fit.” “No,” she says. “The trick is what’s inside.”

Accompanying art for Little Mother by @setaregan, for @bennyzine.

[ditty-nightsong]

i'm gonna be so fr this is probably my FAVORITE angelyse comm i've gotten so far... genuinely it is SO perfect. i have no words for this one other than that It Makes Me So Ungodly Happy. might make it my new icon tbh.

(artist credit: @chryzure here on tumblr!)

[desertsportshipping]

The Shadow Wes Master-post

After much rumination and insanity, at the request of some friends, I am proud to present my masterpiece: the essay on how Wes became a shadow human and how it effected him. Enjoy.

How it happened

Cipher was the most powerful group in Orre. They filled the power vacuum after the mass collapse of the Under Network, bringing a source of stability and being the only employment option in the region. The smaller gangs and syndicates who refused to work with Cipher were wiped out, and the only way to survive was to cooperate. 

Team Snagem’s business model of stealing Pokemon to sell on the black market was… a lot harder to pull off now than it was during the days of pure anarchy. Originally, grunts stole Pokemon by pickpocketing the Pokeballs or breaking them and catching the Pokémon in a new one mid-battle. Both of these methods were highly risky. More commonly now, trainers were mugged at gunpoint and forced to hand over their Pokeballs, with the process of erasing the original trainer done later, back at headquarters (a significant portion of the time, this ends in the original trainer’s death). 

Then, Cipher rolled up with this new invention, the Snag Machine. It takes the blood of a Team Snagem member (deposited into it beforehand), and replaces the fluid inside normal Pokeballs with that blood, turning them into Snag Balls. The blood is enough to override the bond a Pokemon had with their trainer, meaning that a Snag Ball can steal a Pokemon in battle without the hassle of breaking the original Pokeball or killing the trainer. The portable version of the Snag Machine does the same thing, except that instead of blood being deposited beforehand, it directly draws blood from the wearer’s veins.

Of course, Cipher wasn’t going to just hand over these Snag Machines. There was a price, and Team Snagem couldn’t pay it with money. Gonzap chose to sell his son.

The contract marked Snagger Leo as an asset of Cipher, currently being rented to Team Snagem. The portable Snag Machine was fitted to his arm, and surgeries were performed to make him more “suitable” to use it. Part of said procedures (and the month of torture that happened to prime him for it) was an injection to turn him into a shadow human. 

This marked Wes as the second shadow human to be created by Cipher. The first was Nascour who willingly underwent the procedure (minus the torture). In fact, it was also Nascour who suggested shadowing their newest asset, and that Wes be branded as such. 

For Nascour, becoming a shadow human was the best decision of his life, a way to enhance his aura powers and finally take control of Cipher. For Wes, becoming a shadow human has brought nothing but misery.

The metaphor <3

Before moving onto the effects, we must first talk about the metaphor of shadowing. 

“A Shadow Pokémon is a Pokémon that has been made into a fighting machine by artificially shutting the door to its heart.”

Being a shadow means being disconnected to your heart, cut off from positive emotions and love (whether platonic, romantic or just zest for life). The way to purify a shadow is to give them happy memories, treat them with kindness and help them rediscover those positive emotions they’ve been cut off from. Once the shadow has enough memories of kindness and joy, the Relic Stone can finally reopen the door to the shadow’s heart. 

The process of shadowing is a metaphor for trauma: Pokemon become more violent, the benefits that they gain are for causing harm, they stagnate as they’re held back by that trauma, with Hyper Mode being the culmination of giving into that rage and pain and lashing out. The shadow program as a whole is the cycle of abuse: some give in and continue to perpetuate it (Nascour) and some fight to break it (Wes). Being purified is the end of the journey of healing from that trauma, lifting the weight and allowing them to move forward.

Shadowing isn’t just trauma, it’s the embodiment of coping with that trauma. Becoming a shadow is to choose (in the moment) to succumb to the instinct to be a worse person, to let the anger and rage manifest in destructive behaviors (both to others and yourself). A person or Pokemon becomes shadowed when they accept it as the alternative to whatever is tormenting them. In every case but one, shadowing is the escape from the torture that happened in the Shadow Pokemon Lab. 

How shadowing manifests depends a lot on the person or Pokemon’s personality and willingness to be a shadow. Nascour is a result of leaning into the shadow, using it to enhance his own abilities and inflict violence on whoever he pleases. Wes is the result of fighting the shadow, his entire body and mind going through immense pain due to the battle within. 

For a while, Wes didn’t fight the shadow. He dutifully carried out Gonzap’s orders, his empathy cut off for anyone but Umbreon and Espeon. He really started fighting it when he met Rui; not only did her morals rub off on him, but the good memories and kindness she showed him tipped the balance and made him unstable. His body started killing itself after Wes unlocked his empathy for the Shadow Pokemon in his care.

The reason Wes was never purified during the course of Colosseum or its post game is because he was not giving himself the same love that he gave the Pokemon in his care. He put his Pokemon’s journey of healing before his own, sacrificing his own health to ensure that they were purified. It was only when he arrived in Galar, where he had nothing else to do, that he started to lower the shadow gauge of his own heart. With Leon’s support and out of Orre, Wes could finally heal.

The effects

Wes is now a weapon of mass destruction. He has a higher pain tolerance, greater durability (which is why he could take so many hits from various shadow Pokemon), a reduced need to sleep and a reduced appetite. However, when he gets unbalanced, he starts to suffer the effects of his reckless lifestyle: anemia, chronic pain, pollution and tears in his lungs. 

While Rui had her suspicions, she only got concrete proof of Wes being a shadow human once she found the corresponding Ein file at the Shadow Pokemon Lab. This is because Wes’s aura is normal unless he goes into Hyper Mode, where his aura twists into something monstrous and terrifying. 

As far as psychological effects go, it’s hard to detangle what was a result of the shadow itself and what was a result of the sudden switch in how he was treated. He now sported the brand of the worthless, and Gonzap considered his son Snagger Leo dead (at the hands of Cipher naturally, he denied his own role in his son’s death) and treated Wes as a tool at Team Snagem’s disposal. As a result, Wes both dehumanizes himself (viewing himself the same way) and holds himself accountable for everything he did for Team Snagem and Cipher (he is the champion of mental gymnastics). He also suffered memory loss, with the memories before he was shadowed getting hazier until they were gone and he perfected the art of masking his emotions (at least as long as they aren’t strong enough to trigger Hyper Mode).

What was a direct result of the shadow process was the loss of empathy for anyone other than his two best friends and the raging need for violence. When working for Team Snagem, he directed that need for violence at the poor trainers he was robbing; after meeting Rui and following her, he directed it inwards and at himself. Due to that severance of empathy, Wes had handed over Pokemon to Cipher without remorse, knowing what would happen to them, and it’s only after some of Rui’s morals had sunk in that he started to feel guilt for the suffering he’d caused. 

Wes eventually turns to more and more self-destructive behaviors (heavier drugs and riskier games and bloodier violence) to “atone” for what he did. He thinks atonement (purification) is only possible for someone like him through suffering or death.

The purification

Wes put off his own journey to heal, instead focusing his energy on taking down Cipher and purifying the Shadow Pokemon in his care. Rui had made some good progress on opening the door to Wes’s heart, but it wasn’t enough, especially when Wes appeared almost determined to shove it back shut with his self-destructive habits. 

But Wes always felt he was making the right decision. Of course he put himself last, he was the only one who could purify them. He was the only one like them, equal to them. 

He would never be purified as long as he stayed in Orre. But when Rui offered to take him with her to Unova, he turned her down. He was forced to leave when Cook provided him with a boat ticket and a bag of fake papers, and he met Leon in the wild areas of Galar. 

Unlike Rui, who recognized that she couldn’t help Wes as she was and therefore decided to go on a training montage, Leon is insane. His aura abilities are also a lot stronger than Rui’s, so he could read and understand Wes a lot better. Finally, he had the advantage of environment: most of Wes’s worst habits were physically impossible or easy to corral now that he was an ocean away from Orre.

Leon’s unconditional insanity worship love is what finally opens the door to Wes’s heart. Reconnecting with his empathy, his love of Pokemon (even the wild Skwovets trying to steal his food), rediscovering platonic love for Rui and his mons and discovering romantic love, letting go of the toxic beliefs that had been eating him from the inside out. He even let Leon take him to see a real doctor and fix some of the problems with his health.

Of course, Wes is finally purified at the altar. When Leon and Wes kiss, the relic stone behind them glows, and the last of the shadows are banished from his heart.

Purification is lifting the weight off of Wes that he’d been dealing with. Hyper Mode is gone, and his body stops trying to implode. Some of the memories lost to the shadows return to him, and the constant need for violence disappears from his system.

He is finally free.

Further Reading

Post going deeper into Wes's brain.

Post exploring the dynamic of DesertSport specifically.

Post explaining more about the Snag Machine.

Post going into how Wes's past affected his relationship with Rui.

Post about Wes's relationship with the Galarian media.

Post about Orre's folk tales.

Post going deeper into the brand on Wes's face. [my other magnum opus]

[doriansbutt]

Hey! I have music up on Spotify (and iTunes), in case you didn’t know! You should all go give it a listen if you like various genres of electronic music! It’s mostly ambient, chill vibes, like my first EP Afterglow. It was made with the idea of being great for nighttime summer car rides through the city, windows down and getting that chill air, just you and the city lights. This song is my favorite from that one:

My second EP, NO RVLES, is a mixed bunch of vibes (hence the name lol). There’s synthwave, lofi, and more upbeat stuff too! Even a really chill instrumental piece. This one’s my favorite on that one:

Most recently, I released an EP with the name I definitely should’ve gone with as my artist name, but I picked my artist name before I had this one :/ rip to me I guess. Beargods is a darker electronic vibe and I tried out adding some vocals too! All the songs are named after dragon age flora :) so far everyone seems to really be enjoying this song:

On Tuesday, 8/6, I have a single coming out that’s a really fun funk vibe called NO/VA, and I’m excited for y’all to hear it. I’m also working on a couple 8-bit chiptune retro songs! If you like, please reblog to spread the word!

[altfire]

WELCOME TO AERMAINH

Book One: RAPTORA

tag: #aermainh status: planning/in progress genre: high fantasy/romance

Summary

One hundred years ago, the people of Aermainh waged war against their own gods and sent them back to the realm from which they came in an event known as the Godsend. Since then, magic has been a finite resource - the blood of the gods' only casualty, metered out slowly, and this precious ichor is running out.

The spoiled youngest son of a governor, Velius Mattia could not care less about the ichor running through his own veins when he drops out of Laryce Academy for Mages. Frustrated with his lack of innate talent and the grueling coursework, he runs away to the capital city of Elaboros to celebrate the first centennial of the Godsend and avoid the wrath of his demanding family.

Ortag Garrok has never left the arid northern desert of Aermainh or, indeed, his own village before he's banished. Accused of a crime he didn't commit and far out of his depth, he travels deep into human territory looking for somewhere new to belong.

On the beach of the Elaborate Sound, these unlikely companions are enlisted to aid a forgotten minor god, Raptora, who has been trapped on Aermainh for a hundred years with no way home. They resolve to help the Lord of Oaths open the gate to the Aviarium in exchange for all that they dream - but Vel and Garrok will soon discover that there's good reason Raptora's otherworldly kin were banished.

(Character list + some notes/thoughts/additional info below cut!)

From left to right: Lioren Florianus, Hermiscia "Miscia" Mattia, Velius "Vel" Mattia, Ortag Garrok, Adaric "Daric" Mattia III, Adaric Mattia II, Caysin Rea. Right click + open in new tab to take a closer look - the image is huge and took me forever lmao. Also the bird represents Raptora :3c

I'm not really a writeblr bc I barely write and also barely -blr, but I follow a couple and I'm super inspired by their passion and posting so I'm. Trying it out. Idk I'm nervous but whatever.

I've been working and thinking about Aermainh forever - I first thought of the name and gods in 2018, and this iteration has been in progress (though on a backburner) since late 2022. I wanted to create my own fantasy world for a couple reasons:

Firstly, I've been writing Elder Scrolls fic with OC focus since 2016 and wanted my own world to play with since I was basically writing original fiction without having to do any worldbuilding, but using someone else's world has its own drawbacks

And second, I want to create the kind of book I want to read, in the most self-indulgent sense possible. M/M romance, maybe explicit smut (still deciding lol), but all alongside the sweeping, immersive world and wonder of my favorite paperback fantasy novels. I'm especially inspired by Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastard Sequence and the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling.

Also, I just think big lizard people are neat. Maybe that's my TES-brain disease. I love Argonians so much.

ANYWAY this post is super long and if anyone actually read this far, thank you!!!! If you have any questions about any of this - the story itself, the characters, the world (I have a map!) - feel free to send me asks!!!!

[ratatatastic]

thinking a lot about ekky organising a fishing trip (the sturgeon tagging trip if you will) for some of the boys back in like february-ish* and with the knowledge that ekky has taken forsy out deepsea fishing this season do you know what its like going oh so he took him lakefishing in BC...oh okay

and also we got this shot of ekky manning a rod while forsy stands behind him like thats not- okay

[spineless-lobster]

He’s a decorated war hero of the forces 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Happy pride everyone!

(Each flag is named in the comments)

[snickerdoodlles]

there's a lot of things people blame for why fandoms feel like ghost towns these days, but no one's really talked about the way discord's contributing to it

[mamiinthemiddle]

Hello, Christ? I’m bout to sin again 😈

My OF is only $5.25 ALL Summer long! ☀️⛱️💦 You won’t want to miss this, new subs get a free video! 😘

⚡️ I really hope this post can live in peace, reblog if you agree 😌🤞🏾🤫

[kimmkitsuragi]

i know i have a whole side blog about this but. but like. do the people know dan and phil are at the stage where they just openly call each other bottoms and joke about gay sex. did you guys know that.

[jesterguy]

Mutuals beware... there's a jester on the loose.... and he's got a sweet tooth....