#has anyone done this yet because this would be an amazing redraw

[shadowgale96]

This is how I imagine life at Paradise manor before Hua Cheng finally found Xie Lian.

[mcrmadness]

Madness draws: Behind the Scenes of the latest Farin&Bela pencil drawing.

Aka the one that’s also my icon, even when that was a big risk to take because normally I start hating the photos I have once drawn, especially if I have failed miserably. This is how the drawing itself turned out:

ATTENTION: The original post about that drawing, with better image, behind this link.

This post is solely about the process itself with lots of pictures and also plenty of gifs, because I promised to do one if people would like to see that and I got some comments saying that they’re looking forward for that. So, here’s now that post!

For starters I have to apologize for the terrible quality that is the photos. I used my phone camera only and never thought about posting them, I just took them as a reference for myself and to show the progress to a friend and only after finishing the drawing I noticed that the angle of the camera causes a huge impact on the perspective of the drawing, so I sometimes might have done useless work when I thought some perspective was wrong when it was actually the photo that was wrong and not my work! I mean, take a look at these photos of the finished piece:

You see that? I realized this when I took maybe the second photo of the Farin sheet and looked at it and couldn’t believe my eyes because I didn’t remember drawing his torsto THAT small! And then I looked at the drawing and was like “wtf???” because it looked nothing like in the photo and then it hit me...

Also, another thing that I learn was that I might need to pay more attention to the perspective of the whole thing also because when I draw, I sit at the table so I am constantly seeing the drawing from my perspective instead of looking at it from above so that’s probably also going to affect the way I draw. I try to keep that in mind in the future so I can avoid redrawing things again and again just because my perspective is different than the reference photo’s.

Also the giant forehead of Farin’s in the photo on the right might have caused me to laugh a bit too much but anyway, let’s continue~ Or more like: let’s start for real this time.

Here’s the reference photo to y’all:

What I did in photoshop was to draw a line between them to see how I can divide the photo on two A4 papers. I had been thinking about this photo for some time already because it’s one of my favorites (but now I just feel cringy looking at it after I have drawn it... goddamnit!), and I got this idea that I could try drawing it on two papers in case I fuck up so I can start over or try again without having to do twice the work! Which was actually a good decision because this was the first version of Farin:

And it was awful. I also realized I had never drawn Farin’s face from he front. I have drawn him before from the side a few times but maybe once it came out actually good so that was why I decided to do the 2 paper method - because I knew it was not going to be an easy job! Bela is relatively easy to draw so I knew already that I would not have too many problems with that one.

I struggled with Farin’s eyes the most, at first.

It took me a while to figure out how to do that white line in his lower lid. Keep in mind that this was my first face portrait in over 10 years so I was very, very rusty and I just didn’t remember how to draw like anything anymore. (The photo is tilted because Bela’s face is a bit tilted and my hand can’t draw anything that is not straight [lol] so I have to rotate the photo in order to even draw the sketch of Bela’s eyes.)

So I took my sketchbook and tried to do some eyes...

I was still struggling so much here until I remembered about blending. And I didn’t have my hopes high but grabbed the eyeshadow applicators (my fave tool for blending) anyway, and switched to my other sketchbook in case the paper was the issue and:

Blending. It was all about blending! So with that in mind, I realized I can continue and I don’t need to do these in my old way, everything doesn’t have to have a lineart done but some of the job is done not with the pencils but with the eraser.

Anyhow, the previous Farin looked really bad and was too big as well so I just discarded that and started a new sheet because the old lines were not coming off properly anymore. I don’t remember if this is the old face or new but I think this might still be the old one:

Yes it definitely is the old because look at those lines! This is the new sheet:

And in the photo you can see one of my pencils - I use Derwent Graphic pencils, it’s a 12 pencil set with very soft pencils, starting with H, F and HB and ending to 9B. With this one I used F, HB, B, 2B, 5B, 7B and 9B. The white pencil is actually my new love aka the eraser pencil Koh-I-Noor Hardmuth. It’s amazing, I recommend! I just didn’t order 10 new ones this other day. I actually used about 1,5 full eraser pencils on this drawing alone so that’s why 10.

Here’s a “little” gif of the process on Farin:

I felt crazy when I went for the shirt, and I felt like I was going crazy MEANWHILE drawing it but in the end I did it and I’m super proud of it!

Below is the reference photo, it was pain in the ass to follow all those lines with my eyes and try to find what was I drawing and where was I but I think I did good. That was a fun challenge.

Okay so, when I was done with the new lineart, I decided to go for the shading and blending because that’s what really makes the drawings to pop. I started with the left (his right, my left) side of Farin’s face because I’m right-handed, and in the first photo I had done just the left (right) eye and mouth and nose, but in the second there’s also the other eye done already:

Keep in mind this was not the last time I drew the eyes. Not even close.

Something was off with the right (left) eye so I had to do that one again and I noticed that when you blend but haven’t erased and cleaned it yet, it looks like a black eye :DDD So here’s the before and after images of that cleaning. (Cleaning = I draw, blend, erase, draw and blend more when needed and then erase again, and repeat this as many times as I need until it starts to look ready to my eye.)

So here Farin was “finished” but if you still remember the final piece or compare it to it, you might notice it looks quite different. And you’re right. But more about that later, because at this point I started to work on Bela.

It actually started really well - I also had to do the whole lineart again because it did not match the size of “finished” Farin. I don’t remember if this is the first or second eye but when I had drawn his eye for the first time, I noticed it was not in line with Farin so I had to redraw it. A gif of the progress:

What’s that brown paper I’m using, you may ask? Well I noticed that people have some sort of paper on top of their art to keep it from smudging and I have no clue what that is so here’s my poor artist recommendation: baking paper! I tested it and it works (if you just remember to keep it under your hand, that is...) so that is, in fact, baking paper! :DD

I have drawn Bela’s face a few times before and he’s just so much easier to draw. In fact I used 4-5 days on Farin but I managed to start and finish (this version of) Bela just in one day. And that means that out of 12 hours (because I literally used the whole day for drawing) I used maybe like... 5h or something on Bela. That’s how much easier he really is to draw.

I don’t know wtf is wrong with Farin’s face but he’s extremely difficult to draw and I’m not the only one who has been saying this. I guess he just looks so regular but still unique enough to be difficult to draw. Bela then again has features that are very unique and very... caricature-like? I mean that just by drawing his nose or chin you can make a comic book Bela look exactly like himself, and with more realistic style his eyes already do a lot, but Farin’s really the opposite. My comic book version of Farin is literally the most basic version I can draw, it’s how I draw those characters and the only thing that makes him look himself is the hair, and his nose in a side profile. So I think that’s why it’s so difficult to draw him because he doesn’t look too regular but still regular enough to make is a very challenging task to do properly.

So yeah, the same day as I started working on Bela, I was also “finished” with the drawing:

Also look at how different it looks like from this perspective:

With the reference photo open in photoshop and I don’t understand how Bela looks more like himself in my drawing than in the photo. Also when I showed the WIP to my brother, he said that I somehow had succeeded at making Farin look more like Farin than what he does in the photo even. It’s weird.

But we were still far from finished. I was going to use the fixative on this soon but it just kept snowing the whole week so I couldn’t so every time I walked past the drawings, I stopped to fix this and that. For days I kept telling myself “I’m done, I can’t do more than this, I can’t do better than this.” and considered the drawing finished but still kept fixing things. Every time I was “done” with the other drawing, I saw something to fix in the other one and once that was done, I felt like the first one wasn’t as good and had to fix something from it too. And that led to a cycle where the other drawing was always better than the other and the worse one needed to be fixed. In the end I was hating the whole process and myself and my skills and I was already ready to abandon this whole thing and call it a day and never ever show it to anyone “because I cannot draw”. The photo above, here’s a list of things I redrew after that:

Bela’s eyes, the right (left) one at least twice.

Bela’s nose.

Bela’s mouth a couple of times.

Farin’s eyes x588045028520

And a list of things I kept fixing and fixing:

Bela’s chin.

Bela’s neck shadows.

Bela’s hairline.

Farin’s whole face was tilted so I tried to fix that.

Farin’s face was too wide, which meant also partially redrawing the ear.

Farin’s hair was too long and wide too.

Farin’s nose.

Farin’s mouth might be the only thing I drew only once and I’m actually still extremely proud of how it came to be. I did the lips solely with blending so that was super exciting to notice how I can use it for drawing and don’t need the pencils for everything!

During Bela’s eyes and nose and mouth especially I was hating myself so much and I felt like I was taking the risk of ruining the whole thing and a few times I was certain that was what I had just done too, until I somehow was able to save it again. But because of that, I wasn’t able to make Bela’s mouth any lighter anymore, the color wasn’t just coming off the paper so had to use what was there and make it look like it’s how it’s supposed to be, too.

Here’s a gif about those changes on Bela - the first one has the old eyes and nose, the others have minor changed on the nose and mouth:

(The blacks probably don’t get any blacker in reality, I did add more color to it all the time but mainly it’s just the lighting and my phone camera changing the brightness.)

I did the final details on his nose without even using the reference photo anymore. The photo didn’t seem to make any sense anymore at all so I was just using my mechanical pencil and the blending tool and eraser to make is look better. To my eye it looked more like a very flat nose with a big tip of the nose and he doesn’t have a flat nose and I tried to get rid of that illusion. I still feel like it makes him look bit weird but I’m not entirely sure how. Maybe it was because of my improvisation, idk...

So, Bela was then finally finished for the last time. In the Farin piece his left (right) eye had been bugging me the whole time and I didn’t want to touch it but still I felt like I have to do something about it because it was bugging me way too much. I then figured I could draw the eye line by line and take a photo of it each time to see if it looks right already or not, maybe I could then avoid doing all the phases before I was sure what to think about it. I mean, now the only way to see if it was correct was to draw e.g. an eye from start to finish, I couldn’t see from just the lineart or unblended eye if it was in the right spot etc. And here’s that progress on a gif:

The gif about only the eye would look so nice if Tumblr didn’t make the gifs so HUGE - this one is actually only 300px or 400px or something:

Apparently I also wasn’t happy with the other eye because:

But good thing is: I really enjoy drawing eyes. I love seeing them to “come alive”, my favorite part was to eraser a bit of the color on the iris to make them look like they are actually shiny! It feels like something so small to do and yet it makes a huge impact on the drawing!

And here’s yet another gif of the whole Farin sheet with all of the changes, including the last changes that made his head narrower, and less tilted and more in line. Look at the left side of his head especially to see that:

I can also see his nose changing between the first few photos. I keep forgetting about that but yeah, I also fixed that a little at some point.

And last but not least, the whole drawing in some sort of a timelapse gif:

Last two are the same but just a photo and the scan of the finished drawing. I still keep seeing things I would do differently but no can do, I already used fixative on it, also to keep myself from obsessing with it any more :D And to use it as a study of some sort. I have never been able to draw a perfect pencil drawing and this isn’t one either. I probably never can draw perfect drawings from references.

I do enjoy the whole shading and blending process, so much so that when I was editing these photos, I just wanted to start drawing something so bad but I also figured that I start to lose motivation when I get to the point where everything should be finished but I just can’t make it perfect. Like the current WIP I have, all I should do is to get the proportions and perspective and the lines of their faces correctly and I would be ready but it feels more like a superpower some people possess and I’m not one of those. I don’t know what is it but I just feel that I cannot see. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can’t see what I try to do and somehow keep drawing everything the wrong way. Just like in this post’s drawing too. There’s still things that are wrong and I know what it is but I don’t know how to solve it. My hands just don’t listen to me and they can’t do what I think they should. I also think the reason I cannot draw perfect copies of photos is because you can always see my “handprint” in them. If I copy a photo, it will look like a photo and not like a drawing made by me. So I believe that in my drawing there’s always a part of me visible and I’m not entirely sure if it’s a good thing or not. On bad days it’s not a good thing, obviously. On good days? Well I guess it’s good then because it just means I have my own style which I really should appreciate. But I wish I had my style only when I want it to be visible, but I can’t control it. Just like I cannot write text by hand that would look like it was written with a computer, so I guess I should just try to get used to it, no matter how much it’d bug me sometimes.

[peach-the-owl]

Child of the Nein

When you first meet (Mighty Nein & Child!Reader) Part 1

This popped into my head one day and I don’t think I‘ve seen anyone else do something like this so I thought: Hey why not? You know because a child in a group of adventurers couldn’t possibly go wrong

Also they may not be 100% accurate to their back story but I kept them as close as I could

Jester

Jester weaved her way through the streets of Nicodranas until she had reached the edge of the port side city. Looking now at the necklace upon her, lost in thought, her bittersweet thoughts of home quickly interrupted however by rustling bushes nearby. Thinking one of the guards had found her she readied herself to run, only to freeze when a child looking no older then 8 comes tumbling out of it.

You pick yourself up off the ground and brush off some dirt, you then look up to see a pretty blue lady in front of you. She seemed nice, and it’d be rude not to say hello to her. "Hello, pretty blue lady." You give her a wave and a smile, which is happily returned by them.

"Hello! What's a cute little kid like you doing here all alone?" She kneels down and pokes your nose when asking, causing you to giggle.

"I’m exploring!" You state eagerly.

"Oh, I see. Where’s your momma and papa?" You look around before giving a shrug. "Do you have a momma and papa?" You shrug again, not knowing how to answer.

"Hey what’s that?" You ask pointing to the pendent on her waist. This caused her eyes to brighten more.

"This is my symbol of the Traveler, have you ever heard of him?" You shake your head and lean in closer to hear more. "Well he’s a really cool guy and can do really amazing things."

"Wow! That sounds awesome! Oh, I’m (y/n) by the way!" You say, realizing you forgot to introduce yourself.

"I’m Jester." Jester holds her hand out for you to shake, which you eagerly do.

"So Jester, what are you doing here all alone?" You ask, mimicking her earlier question. You see Jesters smile drop a little.

"I made a really powerful man reeallly angry, but he was also a big jerk so he had it coming, *sigh* but to stay safe I have leave home."

"Can I come! I love adventuring and exploring, it’ll be sooooo much fun with someone else too!" You bounce on your feet and look at her expectantly. Jester did like the sound of having someone to travel with and an opportunity to talk more about the Traveler, and by the looks of things you didn’t have anyone else with you (which is a little sad for someone still so young).

"Of course you can!" Jaester agreed, having you around seemed like fun not to mention you reminded Jester of herself when she was young and couldn’t wait to introduce you to the ways of the Traveler and all the mischief you two would make. What could possibly go wrong?

Nott

Being the young runt in a clan of goblins made things hard for you, being seen as weak and useless lead to them constantly bullying and pushing you around. One day while forced to help carry some of the heavy equipment for the torturer you had slipped up causing everything you carried to crash to the ground. You try to ignore the yelling and ridicule from the torturer but you could feel the tears pricking your eyes which lead to more yelling, you slowly pick yourself up and start going to grab the equipment. It’s then you notice the stares of the assistant on you, you duck your head down lower and continue about your prior job.

Nott watched from a safe distance as her "boss" yelled at the smaller goblin, she knew better then to intervene. Still she couldn’t help but feel some pity for the little one as she understood what it’s like to be bullied for being different, and she’d be lying if she didn’t admit to feeling her maternal instinct kick in for the child. When the torturer finally left Nott decided to make her move, carefully approaching them.

"It's no fun being bullied around is it." Her shrill voice causes you to stumble a bit. After a brief moment of pause you you slowly shake your head. "Do you even like it here?" You didn’t know what she was getting at, nonetheless you shake your head again. After a longer pause you figured the more one-sided conversation was done so you once again go back to heaving the equipment along.

"What if we could leave?" Now she had your full attention.

"H-how do we do that?" You voice came out quiet and scratchy, due to hardly using it.

"I’m not sure yet but I’ll figure something out."

"Ok… but why-why help me? I’m not very big or strong, I’d probably just hold you back." You look into her big yellow eyes in search of an answer, unsure if you could actually trust them.

"I used to feel the same, still do sometimes, but I think since we both don’t like it here we can help each other out." Being young the logic seemed sound enough for you.

"Alright, let's do it." You wanted to shout with excitement but kept you voice down not wanting to redraw the attention of the torturer.

"I’m…… Nott, that’s N-O-T-T." Nott gave you a faint smile, you stare at her with a confused expression which she catches onto. "Oh that’s right, you don’t know how to spell do you. That’s alright, can you tell me your name?"

"I don’t got one. They just call me runt because that’s what I am." You look down to the ground, suddenly finding it more interesting as you shuffle your feet about. Nott pondered on this for a moment before lighting up with an idea.

"How about I call you (y/n), has a good ring to it don’t you think?" The name sounded a little strange to you but in a good way, definatly not a traditional goblin name, still you liked it all the same. Giving Nott a nod and your first real toothy smile in awhile (hey that rhymed), you both decided to sneakily think of ways to free yourselves from the clan. What could possibly go wrong?

Caleb

The people here in Vergesson Sanatorium said you were psychotic. Being 5 you didn’t know what that meant, all you can remember is watching as the "pretty colours danced" and now you where here in this big boring building. They say it’s for your own good, that it’s the only place you’ll get the help and care you need. Again you didn’t quite understand what that was supposed to mean, you had asked if you could go home once but they said that this was your home now and it would have to be until you were older and fully recovered. Everything they said just left you confused and with more questions; why couldn’t you go home, what were you even recovering from, and many more all of which you never got the answer to. There were other people "like you" here but many of them didn’t seem much fun or up for a chat leaving you bored to wits end, but that all changed (when the fire nation attacked) when you bumped into someone while roaming around. You crane your neck up to see a man with messy reddish hair, next to him laying on the ground was a guard, you could recognize that uniform anywhere. The man then turns to look at you with a glare, you stare into his eyes for a moment before pointing to the guard.

"Is he sleeping?" It seemed like an odd question but you had always been a curious soul. The man looks between you and the guard, his glare having now turned into a deadpanned expression.

"Ja, he is." Is his responce to you before he starts walking away, you take this as a sign and follow him. Not without noticing a small red puddle by the guard as you pass them, however you just thought he must’ve had too much tomato juice before taking a nap. Continuing through the winding halls of the sanatorium you realize you’ve never been to this area yet.

"Where are we going?" You pipe up, causing the man to halt his movement in surprise so wrapped up in his objective he didn’t realize you had been following him.

"I am leaving." He put a big emphasis on the I hoping you take the hint, you didn’t.

"Can I come? Please it’s so boring here, everything’s the same, I wanna go outside and-"

"Stop!" You stop and look at him, his eyes calculating you, not that you would’ve caught onto that. After a moment of your little staring contest he mumbles something you can’t quite catch, other then the words "small" and "useful". "Very well," he says loud enough for you to hear now, "you may come along but you must listen and do exactly as I say, understand."

"Yeah, ok!" You couldn’t contain your enthusiasm, practically bouncing around, finally you could leave this boring place and go somewhere more exciting. You would’ve run to give this man a hug but he held up his hand, once again stopping you.

"First rule, none of this… over excitement. Second rule, stay as quiet as possible, we don’t want to attract any attention." You immediately stop and give a slight nod to show him you were listening, just like he’d asked. After what felt like hours of wandering to you, you finally find yourself back in the colourful outside world, it’s also at this time you realized you never gave this man your name.

"I just remembered that I forgot to tell you my name's (y/n). What’s yours?" You look to him expectantly, waiting for him to tell you his name. He turns to you, a slight annoyed expression on his face. Opening his mouth to say something he hesitates.

"My name… is… not important right now." He says, carefully picking his choice of words. "First we must focus on leaving the area undetected, and remember to stay quiet." You give a quiet "oh yeah" before following his lead and sneaking off. At last you were free from the sanatorium, with a strange and scruffy man… What could possibly go wrong?

Caduceus

You pushed through the thick vegetation that surrounded the area going as fast as your legs could carry you. You can hear your mothers words repeating in your head; "My child, you must hurry! Go! Seek help at the Blooming Grove!" You’d heard of the place before, from others in your clan, but never visited it yourself. None of that mattered at the moment as you continued to traverse through the sharp, thorny vines, giving little thought to the various cuts you were receiving. Finally after days of running and hiding you see a graveyard, and based upon what you were told it matched the description of the Blooming Grove. You only take a few steps forward before your knees buckle under you, the exhaustion of tireless travel and the various wounds having finally crept up on you to take their toll. You pass out soon after.

Another day of tending to the graves of the departed had become a pleasant routine for Caduceus, however he did have to admit it felt lonesome since the last of his family had left to seek a cure for the blight that plagued the area. The sound of a soft thud draws him away from his thoughts, he looks over his shoulder but doesn’t see anything at first. Slowly he makes his way over to the source of the sound and scans the area, surprised to find a rather young firbolg laying unconscious a few feet from the entrance of the temple. He scans the area again but finds no one else in the immediate vicinity, as he makes his way closer to the child he soon notices the many cuts and bruises that litter their body. It's as if some maternal instinct kicked in as Caduceus carefully gathers the child into his arms and brings them into the temple without a second thought. He gently lays them on one of his sisters beds and begins treating their wounds, patching up the smaller cuts with bandage and using his magic to heal the more concerning gashes that covered the youngling.

You slowly creak your eyes open and immediately notice your new surroundings, you also couldn’t help but notice the bandages that now coverered your arms and legs. "Good to see you’re finally awake." You shift you’re attention to the door where the pink haired firbolg stands with what looks to be a fresh kettle of tea. "I’m Caduceus." He says gently, seeing the slight confusion on your face.

"Ummm… hi. I’m (y/n)." Despite everything you find it hard to form words, settling on the awkward greeting. He laughs softly before setting down the kettle and pouring a cup of tea, the gentle aroma wafting around you. He silently offers you a cup which you happily accept, the awkwardness of earlier quickly melting away.

"So tell me (y/n), what are you doing here all alone?" He gives you a concerned look, you shuffle in place, trying to find the right words to use.

"My… my home got raided by a tribe of forest giants, my family tried to settle things calmly but they wouldn’t listen. My momma told me to look for help at the Blooming Grove, and from what I was told this seems to be the place." The was a long pause once you finished your story, the silence feeling suffocating the longer it went on.

"I’m sorry that happened to you, and while you did find your way here I… I’ve been the only one here for the last 5 maybe 6 years now." The information slowly sinks in and as it does your ears flatten and your tail wraps around your legs, curling yourself into a ball. Tears well up in your eyes at the thought of everything you did being for nothing, only when you felt Caduceus' hand gently place itself on your back did you snap back to reality and redirect your attention onto him. "It’s not all bad if you think about it."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You’re still alive and you were able to make through the dangers of the forest and find your way here without ever having been here before. I don’t think that’s just some coincidence, I believe you were guided here for a reason, that somehow someday you and I will have a greater role to fulfill."

"You really think so?" You rub the tears from your eyes a bit and give him a rather adorable doe eyed stare. He gives you a kind smile and nods. His words defiantly helped you feel a little better, and the both of you now had each other for company until destiny decided to call you elsewhere. What could possibly go wrong?

Part 2 will be out soon-ish (hopefully) with the rest of the Mighty Nein I didn’t feature here (obviously)

[theindiegamereview]

Meet the creative team: “Spellstone”

Are you a collectible card game (CCG) fan? If so, read on, because this week we spoke to the makers of Spellstone, a free-to-play (F2P) casual story-based fantasy card game that features vibrant, colourful, hand-drawn art on hundreds of beautiful cards that you can acquire and use in battle, both against the computer and other players!

TIGR: PABLO and DUSTIN are artists who have worked on Spellstone's art, helping create some of the iconic characters Spellstone fans know and love. We asked them how they came to work on the game, as well as what intrigued them about this project.

DUSTIN: I was working as a contract artist when I was asked to create some sample cards for a potential CCG, which is something I'd always wanted to do. The samples I submitted eventually led to me getting a contract to create the initial art for Spellstone. After about four months, I was offered a full-time position. I had such a great experience working with the team that I jumped at the opportunity!

PABLO: Prior to starting work on Spellstone, I remember doing an art piece to test my skills. I greatly enjoyed that because I particularly liked this game's art style - which is actually similar to my own! There were still slight differences though, so I've had to adapt a little. Blending my own personal style into an existing one was challenging. But something that intrigued me about Spellstone was the variety of factions in the game. Each and every one opens up a big array of possibilities when it comes to creating a character. I felt my options were unlimited and I loved it!

TIGR: Spellstone features many different cards and characters. We wanted to know who conceptualises all this, and how much creative licence artists get when crafting a character. FERNANDO, currently the main artist for the game, gave us more insight.

FERNANDO:  That Spellstone has such an immense variety of characters means it's a complete and delightful dish for artists. It's hugely gratifying to find such visual diversity with which to play with. You're completely free to create, as long as you respect the game's universe and visual language.

As for the process, the concept of what a card must look like and how it must be functional in terms of gameplay comes from the guys in the game design department. Very creative people... sorcerers maybe? I don't know. Haha!

From a brief but concise description they give me, I can get a sense of what kind of character and action they want to see in a card. Once I have all the information I need to start sketching, my favourite hour finally begins: creative hour!

If the card description involves an existing type of character, like a goblin, part of the fun has to do with the way you depict that character, situation, action and specific emotion. There's also some freedom to create from scratch if needed - that's exciting and challenging! Sometimes the ideas come from a mix of characters, and that's when the laboratory inside my mind starts working: I press a button and something cool, spooky or funny comes out - whatever the game requires. Other times, new concepts require that I look for approximate references of what's needed, so that serves as the starting point. No matter what, it's always a very enjoyable process. Sometimes we have to make corrections, that's true. But as with everything in life, this is necessary for things to work properly. You may have to redraw stuff, but finally the card is done - it works, it delivers and it entertains!

  TIGR: In Spellstone, cards can be upgraded from a single to a dual to a quad, and we really like that this sometimes tells a "mini story" of of sorts through the artwork. Some are funny (we just love Honeycomb Lobber!), some cute (Bomb Spirit is soooo adorable when he’s angry!), some uplifting (Aurora Shaver ranks among our favourites), and some, um, a bit disturbing, to be honest (Cleaverstorm Hunter, anyone?!)! And some are just sad - we can't help but feel sorry for the poor li'l forest furries that presumably got devoured by Alphamech Stalker! We asked the team how they came up with ideas for all these tiny narratives, and MELINDA, one of the game designers, told us more.

MELINDA: When I was younger, there were a few creatures in video games that terrified me. One of those I remembered most was Medusa, an air jellyfish from Ecco: The Tides of Time. While traversing through a water pathway in the sky, Medusa would try to pick up Ecco the dolphin and fling him off the path. Tetraspout's concept came from that, and you can even see poor little dolphins getting swept up in its attack!

  TIGR: We asked the team if there were any cards they particularly liked creating, or found challenging to conceptualise. IVÁN, a colorist who worked briefly on the game, chipped in, as did TONY and RHADA, two of Spellstone's game designers.

DUSTIN: I loved working on the goblin cards! You could get silly with them. Frogs were a lot of fun too - the variety of colours made them interesting. For me, the water cards were challenging but I grew to love working on them.

PABLO: My favourite characters are Goblins! You can play around with them, making them look funny even when the card is telling a dark story, like a massacre. All of the cards were challenging to create!

IVÁN: I enjoyed working on Hedron The Critical Threat, Zyd The Unhinged, and some awesome Insect cards that have yet to be released (as of the time of this interview). I mostly liked them because of their cool concepts and Fernando's awesome sketches. Hedron in particular was a technical painting challenge, as it has textures, transparencies and glow!

TONY: As something of an artist myself (/sarcasm), the card I am most proud of has to be Dinged Waptor. Or really any of the cards I did for the April Fool's event, which is about the only time the art team lets me anywhere near card art. :) For April Fool's, I decided it would be funny to try my hand at drawing some cards I felt players would enjoy. So the first year I drew some original characters that consisted of a few stick figures, a chicken, and a bomb. The response was good, so the following year I continued the tradition, eventually going through and tracing some famous cards like Winged Raptor. My one rule while making these cards was that I could not erase what I did!

RHADA: We used to sell boxes that contained two new premium cards instead of one. We thought of making both cards in the box thematically linked. At the same time, while brainstorming concepts for dragons, I thought we could try to make cards that formed a bigger picture on the battlefield when placed consecutively, side by side. The initial idea was a serpent whose artwork overflowed into a second card, and after some iteration, we stumbled upon the idea of a dragon dance. The result was very cool!

TIGR: With the Spellstone story campaign recently concluded, we asked what was next in store for Spellstone fans. Would there be anymore new characters and amazing art to look forward to?

TONY: Absolutely! While the main story has come to a close, we still look forward to adding new characters, cards, and art to the game that lets our artists have fun and shows off the world of Spellstone.

TIGR: And finally, the most important question of all: would real-life Spellstone merchandise ever be made available for fans of the game? We really want a plushie of the adorable Bomb Spirit (complete with detachable bombs, perhaps?), as well as his angry counterpart, Firebomb Spirit! Also for Quetee Que and Adorabilis, please! And would there ever be any actual physical Spellstone cards produced for collectors?

TONY: I would personally love to see real-life merchandise, but we currently do not have the means to take on such an endeavour. Maybe one day we can strike a partnership with a team that can make this happen!

We thank the Spellstone team for their time and all the wonderful art assets that accompany this interview! Check out the game here on Kongregate, on Steam, or on mobile - three different ways you can enjoy this fun, cheeky and adorable CCG!

P.S. We just had to include our favourite card: Darkwater Adonis - don’t be fooled by his charms!

[billyboymiki]

5 Works Tag Game

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and post or link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I got tagged by @tippenfunkaport and @caramelaire for this tag game!!

I’m not one to compliment myself on anything honestly. Recently I remember thinking about how I barely drew anything this year. There was a part of my brain nagging at me to check how much I had drawn last year. So, I uh did. Turns out I drew basically nothing?! I triple checked this in fact. My DeviantART, Tumblr AND my camera roll. Nothing . . . I drew 5 very basic pinback button designs and that was it. I couldn’t believe it; but, it made be feel so much better about what I did this year. Basically my whole instagram is all artwork from this year, since I am actually really new to IG. I got super close to 40 works this year!

Now onto the works! They are in order of when I drew them 😊

Glimmer Inspired Patterns

I wanted to teach myself how to make patterns on Clip Studio so bad! I watched a couple of YT tutorials, and I can’t even remember why I decided to make She-ra ones specifically; I’m glad I did though! The Glimmer one means so much to me. Just looking at makes me so happy! The fact that so many people have now called it ‘aesthetically pleasing’ makes me feel as though I actually created a work that others could relate to. That was enough praise for me; to create something for myself that everyone else loved as well 💖

Glimbow Cuddle

This was my first real She-ra artwork. When I saw there was a Glimbow Week again I knew I had to join this one. I don’t know if anyone knows this; but, drawings take me forever to make. I used to be strictly a traditional artist and still prefer to draw rough drafts on paper. I couldn’t decide if I wanted them on Glimmer’s window seat or in Bow’s dads’ library. I was afraid of doing backgrounds; so, both sounded absolutely terrifying. I decided to go for the fireplace even if it meant fancy lighting on top of the background aspect. I think I actually spent more time on the lighting that’s hitting Bow than on anything else in this picture. It was worth it though. I studied how the show did backgrounds and lighting for a while. I tried so many different attempts at how I wanted it to look and ultimately went with this one! I love it so much 🥺

Bow’s list with doodles

Ah, yes the drawings I did for Tippen’s birthday!! I knew I wanted to draw a scene from ‘Tuna Cans’, but I was worried to try something like this. You see, I’m somebody that likes to stay in a comfort zone and only uploaded fully rendered perfect artworks. This year was the first time that I let the ‘fun’ aspect overrule my perfectionism. I’m so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone for this, because I love Chibi styles so much. I can’t even explain the absolute joy I had drawing these. I didn’t tell anyone what I was up to, so it was just me laughing at myself for being an absolute goofball. The end result and everyone’s reactions were more than I could have ever expected. I’ve decided I’m going to revive this style soon as well so please look forwards to it!!

Space Suit Squad

Okay, so I cheated a little with this one! I couldn’t just pick ONE of the squad. Honestly though, I drew these with the thought of making them into prints in the back of my mind. I taught myself how to draw a space background and I’m really proud of it! So much in fact that the one in the final pictures is the first and last one I ended up doing! If I had to pick my favorites I think I’d have to pick Glimmer, Bow and then Catra. I LOVE the way I draw Catra I don’t know why? Maybe the eyebrows I’m not sure 🤔 It took me a while to decide on expressions and poses; although, I figured these were the ones because I could look at them and go ‘yep that’s them.’

Winter Glimbow

This one took me soooo long; I actually had to tell myself that I should put my pen down because it was done and I should stop touching it!!! I was sketching pictures in my sketchbook to make more patterns for my Redbubble account, and of course I’m like 100% Glimbow brainrot. My brain went, oooo you know what would be cute? If this skate was actually Bow’s and not just generic. So, I ended up sketching Glimmer’s as well. The heart that their skates make is like the cherry on the top for me, it had to be done! I’m not sure I did the background justice on this one? It doesn’t matter to me though because the concept was worth the effort. It was snowing here and I needed this picture like I needed air, even if it wasn’t even December at the time I posted it 🤣 I liked this one so much that I have similar ideas for the other seasons sketched out as well 👀

I’m sorry that I ramble so often. I’m like this quiet person; yet, it’s hard for me to get out everything I want to say? I’m horrible at it actually my brain runs at a hundred miles a minute and I’m not good with words most of the time. This turned out as more of a thought process than my actual feelings on each one I suppose. SO, in conclusion. I drew A LOT, I stepped out of my comfort zone, taught myself digital art and patterns. I let myself come to terms with the fact that not every piece of art has to be ‘perfect’. I drew at least 5 FULL backgrounds and I never used to draw them! I’ve also always been one for simple shading and lighting, and I do think there’s a time for that type of style, while other times sometimes a more difficult one might be appropriate. I’m glad that I did both because now I know I can do both, and they each give a characteristic that I adore 🥰 Thank you to everyone that has followed me through this journey, or just anyone who read my rambling! I have an honorable mention under the cut and some originals for anyone that made it this far! 💖

I’m not going to tag anyone; but, if you want to do this PLEASE do it. It was so great to reflect on what I did this year, it really surprised me and I think what you have done will surprise you as well! It’s been a rough year, and in the end we have been here supporting each other and that’s one of the most rewarding parts of being in a fandom! 💜

Glimmer screencap redraw

Another picture where I really tested myself on drawing a background! I love it even if it killed my hand!! The background definitely took the longest on this one too. My sister literally said ‘Wait, you did the background? I thought you just drew her?!’ And that was the only validation I needed!! I ended up thinning out Glimmer’s outline so she matched the background better. If you use the vectors on Clip please use this feature! You can do the opposite as well, it’s super useful!

Oh hi! Remember when I said I couldn’t decide between the two locations? Truth is, I also couldn’t decide if I was going to make it traditional or digital. I ended up getting really mad at the traditional version unfortunately. I haven’t gotten the hang of traditional backgrounds. In the end, I should have also done it in Copic and not cheap pencil crayons 😫

Just some space friends! There is something so rewarding about traditional art. Yes, I can see the mistakes and the proportions are most likely off; yet, it doesn’t bother me? I wanted to also show these bonus drawings because nobody is perfect and I thought some of you might like to see some of my process. Being able to hold it in my hands is something I will never tire of, in a way it’s super rewarding. I keep all my art actually and sometimes I like the rough drafts more than the finished work 👀 Outlining artwork can actually ruin the charm every so often 😔 I do really love the final versions of these though!

Annnnnd the last bonus!! As you can tell the final version stayed pretty true to my sketches! I almost went with a more realistic look and made the symbols ‘stitched’ onto the skates. In the end it felt like it didn’t fit the rest of the drawing unless I wanted to add extra details to the clothing as well. The wings on Glimmer’s skates turned into ‘Shwings’ PLEASE tell me other people know what that is? I had a pair a few years ago and misplaced them. I was doing the rough draft and it popped into brain and I treated it as a joke at first, until I gave it a proper chance XD In the end I fell in love with it!!!

[beasteon]

A hopper approaches you. Someone dressed the critter as a postman - it even has a cap with straps preventing the wearer from losing it. Is this a weird joke?... The animal opens its bag and handles you a newspaper, then busily leaves - probably towards the next addressee. You wonder why would anyone spend their time to train one of these unintelligent grazers instead of just asking a Beast. Maybe the newspaper contains the answer...

———————————————————————

Anonymous asked:

Can you show us a glimpse of the adult Lykos yet? And this looks amazing i cant wait! Also, can the beast have pets? Like a lykos have a one of those fluff balls as a pet? (Sorry, i forgot their name XD)

Adult Lykos hasn’t got its redraw yet. At this point, we don’t plan to change its posing or anatomy, just to clean up the original image a bit to match other Beast artworks.

Yes, petpets are planned, and your guess about the designation of Furriosas is completely correct! They are collectible pets for Beasts.

rawrzskythrone asked:

Hey! I've got a couple questions about the Beast mechanics. Once a Beast grows up, will you have to continually feed it? Does anything happen if you don't? Can Beasts get sick or injured and how will that condition impact them? Can a Beast choose to abandon you instead of you chasing it away? Sorry for the barrage!

Hi!

1) Each Beast needs to consume a certain number of food points each day. Food and diet management plays a big role, but at the basic level, it's pretty much automated until you want your Beasts to eat something specific. They will go and search for food themselves, be it their inventory, your warehouse, a café somewhere outside your manor, or even utilizing their skills (gathering, hunting, fishing, cooking) to obtain something edible. Without food, a Beast will gradually lose its weight, health and raise its stress level. 

2) We have an extensive diseases/injuries system in plans, but it will be pretty basic at the start. There are several statuses that raise Beast's stress level and apply disease-specific debuffs. Some examples are inability to craft with a limb fracture, increased fail chance for all actions while constantly scratching because of insect bites, reduced speed and agility for molting birds, reduced daily energy because of fever, reduced attractiveness because of rash. These statuses may fall off themselves with time or be removed through a treatment purchased from a NPC seller.

3) At a certain point, a Beast may decide to leave its keeper if its life becomes utterly unbearable. This may happen if it has a high stress level for too long, its needs are not met, it has health or personal life issues, etc. One specific need we'd like to specifically mention here is the need for freedom. It's possible to force a Beast to leave the manor by issuing too many orders and micro-managing each aspect of its life.

———————————————————————

We also have two very popular questions asked by a lot of our subscribers. 

Will there be deviants?

Yes, non-heritable visual mutations are planned, i.e. unusual pigmentation like erythrism or albinism, overgrown fangs, and double horn.

What is your development progress? When the game will be open to the public?

We're not giving any estimates right now, though we can assure that we're working on the game as much as possible. At this point, the team is slowed down by significant health issues and the need to earn money for living. We still have a lot to be done, but here are some things that we've been working on!

Training hoppers. We have 2D animation with Spine 2D in our scope now, potentially allowing to introduce things like mini-games, rich explore mode visuals and even animated Beasts themselves.

Repainting all terrain tiles to larger and less busy versions

Working on isometric fauna and flora

Inventing a way to create a 2D Beast "model" that may be used for 8-side isometric movement, doesn't require enormous space to store Beast images like sprite animation does, and supports easy recoloring. Currently we're remaking 3D-rendered isometric sprites into Spine animated 2D textures.

Peeking into Unity as a way to implement everything mini-game related and maybe exploration

Extending and developing the lore

Reworking Beast psychic model from the neural structure to a proprietary pattern. The neural-like structure turned out to be producing results that are hard for players to track and understand where they came from

Experimenting with Blender to create procedural striped patterns

[dragonofdarknesschaos]

Look at Me Twirling my CVS Receipt!!

DelaneyArt said:

Me again.

Here. If you wanna get yourself involved even more than you already are. This is what Sky said to me recently. And I’ve agreed to her terms. Me and her are MUTUAL I never said we were friends. 

Transcription if the image does not load:

From Skyrawathi, 12/24/2018

Okay so I have read your letters. I understand what you mean. I am just not sure if you are honest with your apologizing and with willing to end this war. I mean it is hard now for me to trust you because I am afraid that you will start insulting me again soon. I hope I am wronf. [sic] Maybe I just need some time. I guess we both need to calm down. Especially it is Christmas now. Emotions are hard to handle. I am also sick of this situation already. But if what you say is true and you want to be honest with me, ans [sic] you don’t want use [sic] anymore to be enemies then it is so cool

I could show you how you can develop your art, where you can find inspiration and how to use them to create sth original. You really don’t need my art that much and you don’t need to redraw them. I mean it is so cool if we could inspire each other, but you have to start first creating something original. And yeah, you can because as you have mentioned that comic Possessive of yours, you prove with this that you can be creative and inspiring for other artists. Just lets calm down because I never intended to be your enemy, I never wanted to. But you see how far this conflict went and it is stupid? Don’t you think?

I understand that sometimes it is hard for everyone to come up with sth new and we lack new ideas. Every artist suffer this so it is nothing to be ashamed of. I can show you how to fix that so you will always have awesome ideas in head.

But first you definately [sic] have to credit me. And if you want to make a redraw of my work then you should write in post that this pic is study of Skyrawathi’s art. And it is nth wrong because lots of artists study others. Me either. I always mention the source of the pic that I used as reference.

So yeah, we can definately [sic] end this war and come to agreement. But just please, do what I ask. Credit me when you use my art, and if you can be that cool to ask me for permission before you do a redraw then that would be really awesome of you. Then you will never ever deal with reporting because your hands will be clean.

In return to show you that I am not evil, I can help you with improvement. I can show you how to turn your inspirations into original ideas and how to draw chamiko so well that you will never ever need someone’s pic as a base.

Does it sound ok for you?

Now, from what I’ve gathered from the first paragraph of this email along with mentions to prior emails in the same chain as alluded to in the PSA post, D decided that before Christmas–a time when everyone wants to relax and spend time with their families, friends, and loved ones; the season of comfort and joy–was an excellent time to send insulting emails and threats to her most inspiring idol, just for reporting D’s facebook page.  I cannot imagine what was said, but the way Sky is reacting leads me to believe that the insults were so volatile that they may never see the light of day again.  Sky might have even feared for her well being and that is why she is offering to help.  If this is how D treats someone she claims to hold in such high respect and idolize, then I cannot imagine how she treats anyone below such a pedestal.

Actually, I can.  For telling the admin of a closed Xiaolin facebook group that D was plagiarizing other artists, which resulted in D getting kicked from the group, I was called “a crazy bitch” back in September of 2018.  I have not once insulted D, yet she continues to berate me and harass me on multiple social media sites for warning others about her.  I’ll speak more on this later.

Back to the email.  To summarize what Sky is saying:

Sky is tired of this war; it’s stupid and she wants it to stop

Sky doesn’t know if she can forgive D

D’s actions have repeatedly shown that she cannot be trusted

Sky is willing to help D improve so that she can get better and not need to copy other’s art

In order to get to that point, Sky asked D for four things:

give Sky credit on the art that D has already posted

start crediting and sourcing the artists whose work D “studies” or “copies to learn from”

ask Sky (and any other artists) for permission before doing a redraw of their respective artwork

create something original

At no point does Sky say they are friends or “mutuals.”

At no point in this email does Sky say that D and her are mutual in anything, but I would infer there is a mutual understanding that D must do better.  None of this excuses D’s harassing and abusive behavior.

Alright, if D wants to work on herself and get better let’s see how she is doing on her end of the deal with crediting and sourcing artists.  I’d give links to D’s OPs, but she has me blocked.

“Version inspired from [Sky’s real name] aka Skyrawathi”

Ah yes, I always love getting doxed when one of my fans credit me without linking back to my original work!  Please don’t do this.  Only villains do this.

Three instances of “Inspired from Skyrawathis version”

Again, no link?  Not even going to mention the title of the piece?  Sky has HUNDREDS of pictures!  How am I going to know which one D is copying?  How will I know where to find Sky’s original works if you DON’T LINK TO THEM????  I am but a lazy potato!

“Inspired from Skyrawathi Chamiko Great Wall Kiss”

Better, but still no link.

“Inspired from Skyrawathi “Together in Snowflakes” ”

Getting fancy with the formatting here, but WHERE IS THE LINK??????

“Original design and concept”

Ah, finally!  Something original, just as requested!  Although… Chase’s pose looks kinda familiar.  So does that horse.  I wonder…

Chase’s pose is Dashi’s character art from the Xiaolin Dragons Kickstarter art dump part one.

Oh, and Kimiko’s pose and horse are literally the second result for “mulan horse” on Google images.  But, tell me again how D has changed and is crediting artists and making original drawings without reference?

If you want to credit people, please use MLA format for your citing.  Or if that’s too hard to remember, here’s a handy formula:

[Artist’s username]. “[Title of Piece].”  [Publishing platform or publication e.g. Tumblr, Deviant Art, Instagram, Time Magazine etc.], [date published], [source URL].

@Skyrawathi. “Together in snowflakes.” Deviant Art, December 24, 2017, https://www.deviantart.com/skyrawathi/art/Together-in-snowflakes-721748400

Here’s a more casual way to credit someone if that’s too formal for you, with links bolded:

Couldn’t get enough of @Skyrawathi‘s “Together in snowflakes” so I had to redraw it (with permission)!

Here’s an original image I made using these references: Chase’s pose (Grand Master Dashi), Kimiko and Horse.

The point is to LINK BACK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTIST.  Simply mentioning them as plain text does not work.  LINK TO YOUR REFERENCES.  I should not have to do an internet search to find what you are referencing.  The citing I did here took less than two minutes.  If someone cannot take two minutes or less to show such a basic level of respect then there is no hope.

As for the matter of being “mutuals,” I am sorry for jumping to “friends,” but that is usually what “mutuals” means on Tumblr; “two people, usually friends, that follow each other’s blogs.”  Not all mutuals are friends and not all friends are mutuals.  I jumped the gun a bit based on personal meaning assigned to that word.  However that doesn’t explain this:

Facebook status post from D that reads:

[Sky’s real name] (aka Skyrawathi) is an amazing Chamiko artist and I am truly inspired by her work. I should’ve credited her in the beginning, I didn’t think I had to but I will from now on out of respect for her work. I hope to improve my art as much as I can and strive to get my skills to her level, even though I know I have my own set of skills and will still continue to be inspired from her work and in general in the future, but I hope to not have to rely on a reference to draw. I appreciate us coming to an agreement and I hope we can be mutual in all of this. Thank you Skyrawathi, and it’s a dream come true to be able to become friends with the person who has inspired my work all this time. I will work on making original Chamiko art that is 100% from me (heart emoji)

Once again, don’t put someone’s real name with their URL.  It can be construed as doxing.  Do not do that.  It’s highly disrespectful gesture towards someone one claims to hold in such high regard, but as has already been established, D lacks this basic understanding of respect.

I have been doing art for almost three decades.  I know people who have been doing it two and three times longer than I.  We all use reference.  Do not set yourself up for failure by saying you “hope to not have to rely on a reference to draw,” because that is never going to happen.  This goes for everyone.  Using reference is not a crutch.  Reference is a tool for when you do not know how to draw something.  Young artists use a lot of references because they do not have the knowledge or experience of drawing a hand 500 times, or a head 1,000 times, or a leg 250 times!  There is no shame in that perceived lack.  Getting around it is just practice.  Find photographs–either free and open stock or your own–and draw what you see.  D has a great eye and very nice photos on her Instagram before it was taken down!  She could learn a lot by doing studies from her own photos like this.  But Sky’s art, my art, everyone else’s art is NOT anyone’s reference!  It took me a while to understand that, but I’m lucky in that I didn’t get myself into any trouble with that misunderstanding.  The best way around that misunderstanding, should it occur, is to first, apologize to the artist you referenced; second ask what they would like done with the artwork you made.  If they want it taken down–remove it from all platforms.  Do not reupload it anywhere.  If they say it’s fine, just credit them, then credit them as I explained above with LINKS.  “Crediting” the original artists as plain text shows that D has not changed as she claims to, or is only trying to placate her audience to believe she is telling the truth about her change.

Continuing with that lack of change, here is the text I bolded:

“I hope we can be MUTUAL … it’s a dream come true to be able to become FRIENDS…”

What is the truth, Delaney?  Friends or Mutuals?  Since D is so unreliable in her narrative, let’s hear Sky’s take:

Transcription of DMs:

Sky: Sorry, that I will bother you with Delaney but she has just written to me. She said that there is some drama on Tumblr. Said that she never called me and her friends and I approved it because I am hell no friend to her. And she also asked me what kind of problems people still have with her…xD and I was a bit like WTF. But I told her again that she has done so much harm to so many ppl that she cannot expect from anyone to just simply forget.

[…]

She actually left me in peace and I am happy about it. And even if she writed sth [sic] then I just ignore her, because I don’t want to have anything to do with her. But I just checked this letter about Chaos. Anyway I would very much appreciated if she wasn’t mentioning me and using my person as a ladder for her business.

This is what I also told her. She can’t expect from us to be ok with her. Nobody will start liking her just because she said sorry.

Once again, I repeat, Sky is NOT D’s friend.  Sky wants nothing to do with D.  Sky does not even want D to mention her at all, ever.  So all that artwork I have screen capped from D’s blog should not even be posted, because–per Sky’s wishes–D cannot credit Sky without mentioning her, inevitably associating the two together.   As such, D cannot have any of the artwork she copied from Sky posted without violating the wishes of someone she claims to highly respect.  Furthermore, posting the artwork she claims to be “original” while still copying well known and iconic material without due credit or sourcing shows that D has not changed, or even attempted to change.  All this drama has bungled things for D so much that no one is wiling to talk to or work with her.  Thus, all of the terms Sky set up to help D have been violated.  If D wants to claim she has changed she needs to SHOW she has changed without words, through actions.

That means that instead of finding my three month old post about her and replying “lol” on multiple occasions has to STOP.  Replying to my posts about her misdeeds has to STOP.  Messaging people who give notes to those posts about her has to STOP.  Directly messaging people who give her original posts notes asking them to follow her has to STOP.  Harassing everyone and anyone who slightly disagrees with her has to STOP.  All of this:

D replied to your post: You’re so wrong. And if anyone is toxic in this, it’s you for not letting this go. You re jealous of me. Period. That’s why you can’t seem to let it go. I have apologized and redeemed myself. If you people can’t get over that, that’s on you.

D IM: You have issues if you can’t seem to let this go. Me and sky are mutual now. Not that I have to explain anything to you. I have redeemed myself and apologised to everyone. Still you people make posts about me, trying to diminish my following but it’s never gonna happen. Thanks for the publicity again

D asked me: Please get a life, It’s pathetic

D replied to your post: Again, me. Clearly. Let it go like Elsa.

HAS TO STOP.

I have made three (3) posts about D including this one (excluding reblogs).  In total D has left harassing messages to me 7-10 times.  Not once has she apologized for harassing me on dA, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, or Twitter.  Not once has she shown me any sign of changing her ways.  All we have asked for is BASIC RESPECT.  At every turn D promises to start respecting us and change her ways, then laughs in our faces for even thinking we were worthy of Her respect and attention.

Respect is an interesting thing.  You have to give it to get it.  Even a three year old understands this.  Until D shows the capacity at this basic level to show respect and common courtesy to her peers, superiors, and kohai no one is going to interact with her; she will continue to be treated as nothing more than a joke.

You want to learn how to draw using reference?  I have a rough tutorial for that.

You want to learn how to use and learn from your studies?  I got something for that too!

You want some references? Try Senshi-Stock’s official app or what’s left of Tumblr.  AnatomicalArt has thousands of references and tutorials, and with all of this on Tumblr, crediting your sources is easier than ever!

Or, you know, take some selfies and not have to credit anyone.  ;D

TL;DR

D: you’re wrong; I never said Sky and I were friends; we’re MUTUAL! D: here are some terms Sky made that I agreed to–

Sky’s terms:

Give Sky credit on the work D has already copied

D must credit and source all other artists she copies

D must ask permission to copy anyone in the future

D must create something original

If all these terms are met, Sky will help teach D how to use reference correctly so D can draw better.

Receipts showing the following:

6 instances of D not properly crediting Sky

D claiming something to be original without citing referenced materials

Mini guide on how to properly cite an artist or reference:

LINK TO THE ORIGINAL POST AND ARTIST PROFILE!!

Seriously, it’s not that hard!?

Facebook status from D calling Sky both “a mutual” and “a friend.”  [what is the truth.gif]

DMs from Sky saying as follows:

Sky is not D’s friend!

Sky wants nothing to do with D

Sky wants D to stop mentioning her altogether

Sky cutting ties like this means that D cannot mention Sky to credit her on reposts of the copied art.

>violates term 1

D has few other artworks to post, so she cannot credit other artists.

>fails term 2

Everyone is so hurt by D that she has been completely shut out and will be hard pressed to find anyone to give her permission in the future.

>fails term 3

D’s attempt to create something “original” resulted in copying and not sourcing more artwork

>fails term 4, 3, and 2

Please stop harassing me.  Look at all these receipts!  Learn some basic respect before coming back.

Have a few tutorials and resources.

[dragon-moms]

Entry 162 - Baroness

Conquest continues.

For better or worse, I have completed my task.

Our breakfast meeting had everyone seemingly upset.

“There isn’t much to this,” Nobody said as she finished her bowl.

“Oh… I’m sorry. We’re almost out of supplies, you know?” Merry said. She was still smiling.

“We’re running low?” Gloria asked.

Merry nodded. “There’s been so much going on I’ve been trying not to worry about it… with Philly being upset and the chamber and everything...”

“According to her, we have perhaps three more days of meals of this amount,” Myrmidon said.

“Three?” Gloria said, frowning. She closed her eyes and took a big breath before speaking again. “You should have told us, Merry.”

“Well, I just… I’m sorry…” Merry said.

“I probably would have been doing the same stuff,” Flare said. “It’s probably fine!”

“I don’t know about that, terror,” Gloria said. “And it’s okay, now we know. But we do have to make a decision, then, or we won’t have any food to fly on to get wherever we’re going after this.”

“Where are we going?” Merry asked.

There was a silence over the chamber. It occurred to me specific plans on where to hide and set up places to live had not ever happened. It was just “somewhere in the human lands.” It did seem a problem.

“Home,” Philly said, finally. Everyone turned to look at her, and she pulled her hood down a little. “We can go home, if we make a White dragon rise. And we know how.”

“You act like everyone’s going to welcome us back and shower you with praise,” Dagger’s voice said. “We’re all still traitors. Maybe not me, but I’m just a ghost, so it’s bad for me either way… but you all...”

“I can talk to the Queen,” Gloria said. “I can make her understand, once I can prove there’s no danger.”

“Are you just fucking telling yourself that, or are you sure?” Nobody said. “We can’t count on love-conquers-all garbage, Gloria.”

“There will be a way,” Flare said, smiling. “I’m sure of it. And hey, Barry and I figured out how to power the chamber thing yesterday! So we should be good to go, right?”

Everyone looked to me. “I… believe so,” I said.

“Then… then we…” Merry said. Myrmidon put a claw on her shoulder. “Then we do it tonight, right? Baroness?”

“I… I can probably prepare in that time frame,” I said. “Though perhaps more tests would be recommended to ensure no problems.”

“We don’t have time though, you know?” Merry said. “Do you think you can? Do you… do you think Philly will be safe?”

I thought about it.

“...I am… good at what I do,” I said. “The possibility of problems will be low on my end. It is more an issue of not having full knowledge of the chamber itself.” I looked to where Dagger’s voice had come from, though I could not be sure ey were there. “But the information my child has gathered for us suggests she should be fine.”

“Okay… so we’ll… we’ll set up today! And we’ll try tonight, and then… then we’ll know where we have to go, afterwards,” Merry said. “Okay? So let’s, you know, let’s get to work and have a good day!”

Nobody scoffed at this. Gloria poked her with a wing.

“Baroness, take whoever you need to get this done safely,” Gloria said. “Miss Nobody and I will come up with a contingency plan if we don’t feel it safe to go home. Anyone who isn’t helping, let’s pack, I suppose. We can’t stay here any longer.”

“Why me? Unlike you all, I’m not a traitor,” Nobody said. “I have no need to go fucking camping after this is done.” Gloria gave her a look, and she sighed. “Fine, sure, let’s look at some maps.”

“Everyone… I just…” Merry started. “We’re all, like… none of us are perfect, you know? I’m just a baker, you know? I’m not special. But together, with you all… I’ve done special things. I’ve got a family, I have a daughter I never thought I’d have… and I’ve come here! To these ruins! Like, this is incredible! You know? But, what I mean is… I got this far because you all helped me… me and my family… and I’ve been trying to help back, I think, and I think I have… and together, we did all this… and this is just one more thing, one more amazing thing we can do together, so… just… no matter what happens, let’s remember that we’re not alone… Trust, and be trusted, and you’ll never be alone. That’s… something I’ve heard. And it’s true. And I trust all of you, so… so just remember that, I guess.”

“I trust you as well, my sweetest,” Myrmidon said. “I trust us all gathered here.”

“So do I,” Philly said.

“I do too,” Gloria said.

“Of course I do!” said Flare.

“You are family and friends,” I said. “I trust you.”

“Me too, I guess,” Dagger’s voice said.

Everyone looked to Nobody. She fidgeted. “What?”

“Come on,” Gloria said.

“You already fucking know it,” she said.

“Just say it!” Flare said, smiling.

“Fine, I fucking think you all are okay and not horrible to be around and I trust you. Alright? There. Fucking happy you made me say it?”

“Yep!” Flare said. “Now let’s do this!”

We soon broke into teams to do our parts.

“Should I come with you, Baroness?” Philly asked.

I looked to Myrmidon. They looked to Merry. Merry did not notice.

“I believe I should be able to proceed without your assistance,” I said. “You should help your mother and my child to pack.”

“Alright,” she said. “But if you need me, let me know,” she said.

“I shall,” I said.

“Yeah, let’s see what we’re not going to need in the morning!” Merry said. “We can do that, right?” She looked at me with an expression I could not place. As she and Myrmidon left, Myrmidon turned to mouth “thank you,” at me.

I was pleased to have read the situation correctly.

I worked on setting up the ritual lines on the edge of the lines in the chamber. Flare watched, pacing this way and that and occasionally attempting to see my work.

“It looks great!” he said as I stopped drawing for a moment. “Like, super neat!”

“I am not yet done,” I said. “I am checking my work thus far.”

“Oh…”

“It will… take me a while,” I said. “Though I will need you to run tests to ensure I have properly accounted for the strength of your aura’s energy output.”

“Sure! I can help with that!” he said.

“I will tell you when I am ready,” I said.

He nodded, and went back to pacing.

Finally, I had it all drawn out to my satisfaction. I only had time for one trial run, since I would have to redraw my lines for the power conversion. “Let us test this,” I said to Flare.

I watched as he filled the design with his aura, and the power slowly started to fill the chamber. I let it fill to one of the first closed shapes, watching to see if it reacted badly. It seemed to be similar to when my apprentice casted, from what I could tell. “Stop,” I said.

Flare pulled back. “Everything look okay?” he asked.

“I believe so,” I said. “The only real concern is the stabilizer for the spell itself.”

“What’s that?” Flare asked.

“The song,” I said. “It interacts with the magic in some way I have yet to fully understand. But to not have it on a spell of this size would be… extremely dangerous. I had hoped that my child could assist in this, as ey have in previous spellcasting, but ey are not talking to me.”

“Didn’t you apologize?” Flare asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I attempted to. But I was informed ey need time. I am giving them what ey need.”

“So you’re holding back?” he said.

“...yes,” I said.

“That’s weird,” he said.

“Is it?” I asked. “I am to understand it is a standard approach when dealing with emotional harm… it is just important to confirm it is needed, as you suggested.”

“I did?” he said. “I was all, like, ‘Go fix it!’ I thought you were going to get it fixed and stuff.”

“Well, yes…” I said. “However, the situation called for a different approach. It was… good to be more proactive, however…”

“A different approach…” Flare said, thinking. “Okay, yeah… yeah! A different approach!”

His aura rapidly grew, and I backed off quickly. I was unsure why he was yelling in excitement.

“I can’t push people into things just because Progress tells me,” he said. “Progress is guiding me, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to act like I normally wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t normally push people into things! I’d just offer to help! That’s how I fix the problem I was having with Merry! I wasn’t being myself, I was being some Paladin thing! But Progress wants me to be the best I can be! The best me! So I need to do it like me! I think!”

I nodded, unsure what to say.

Flare started running off. “I’ll be back and stuff! Draw the thing without me! Oh, and Progress says not to worry about the song thing! So you don’t have to, if you don’t want to! But if you do that’s okay because I’m not pushing you into anything bye!”

And then he was gone.

I redrew the ritual lines. I considered each detail as best I could.

Soon, everyone started to gather. My creation joined me first.

“How is the situation?” I asked Myrmidon as they came up to me.

“It is… good, I believe, my lady,” they said. “It is difficult to say goodbye without saying goodbye, you understand, but I do believe Merry and Philly are as satisfied as they are likely to get. I wanted to give them some time alone. They should be along shortly.”

“I see,” I said.

“How about on your end, my lady?” they asked.

“I… have been told not to worry about the last piece. All else has been completed,” I said.

“Ah, excellent,” they said.

“I would suggest that you and Dagger exit the ritual chamber during the actual casting, however,” I said. “I am unsure how much feedback there will be and would not like either of you harmed.”

“Will you be okay, my lady?” Myrmidon asked.

“I… am unsure. But I need to be here. And I am… expendable.”

“I understand,” Myrmidon said. “Though let us hope it does not turn out that way.”

“I will return to Caroline and Juliet’s farm, if I am destroyed. You may leave message of where I should go from there.”

Myrmidon nodded, and then took my claws in theirs, smiling at me. “We will be awaiting your return, if events go that way, my lady.”

“...thank you…”

Merry and my apprentice soon arrived, followed by Gloria, Nobody, and Flare, once more.

I shall begin the ritual shortly.

[rithsu-chan]

Because We’re Friends

Title: Because We’re Friends Fandom: Natsume Yuujinchou Characters: Natori Shuuichi, Natsume Takashi, other mentioned characters Relationship: Natori Shuuichi & Natsume Takashi Prompt: Favorite chapter/episode/arc (for May 17) Word Count: 2263 (not including the additional scene in italics below) Summary: Shuuichi isn’t stupid. He suspects– knows that Natsume has always been carrying something important with him. He doesn’t know what it is exactly, but he just knows it’s something dangerous. And so Shuuichi’s worry grows. And grows. 

And grows.

Warning: Contains content from manga chapters 14, 60-62, and 72-73, so if you haven’t read up until those chapters then don’t read this yet

Notes: This isn’t actually a single chapter/arc; it’s just that my favorite part/s is/are scattered throughout the manga, as seen in the warning above. 

I just love Natori’s relationship with Natsume and he’s honestly so protective of him, which is why Natori knowing about the Book of Friends really hit it home with me. This is basically just the scenes in the manga written in Natori’s perspective along with my own headcanons. Some of the dialogue were copied directly from the ones in the manga, so, yeah. Disclaimer.

Also, I crammed writing this so I’m sorry if it’s a bit messy and inconsistent. And b o i, I did not expect for this to exceed 2,000 words at all. I thought it was just gonna be a drabble with about 1k or so words, but then this happened. :’))

Anyway. On to the story.

The first time Shuuichi realized Natsume was carrying something important with him, it was at their trip to the hot springs. He had caught the tail end of Natsume’s conversation with the Youkai – Sumie, was it? – and even the part where he had a piece of paper tucked in between his lips.

Shuuichi thought odd of it, but he didn’t have time to think into it further as the Youkai was gearing up to attack Natsume, and he couldn’t have that, so he threw away everything but the thought and the instinct to protect him.

And then everything, his true purpose as to why he was in that inn as well as his motives in bringing Natsume along with him, kind of just unfolded from there.

Needless to say, he felt a little bit guilty about deceiving Natsume to go with him on this trip, when all he could have done was ask, but he couldn’t quite find it in himself to do anything but lie at that time because he was so used to doing so. It was hypocritical of him to say to Natsume that he wouldn’t need to lie when he was with him when he himself did so. But, well… he’d say that old habits die hard, but he feels himself letting up a little bit when Natsume admits that he’d been keeping things from Shuuichi himself, and that statement brings Shuuichi back to what he was doing with the Ayakashi before.

However, that was something that could be done at a later date, and right now what’s more important is to seal that Youkai properly.

Shuuichi could admit to himself that he panicked just a little bit when his paper dolls failed to subdue the Ayakashi, but then he proceeded to feel relieved and amazed at the fact that a Youkai that Natsume had saved prior to their trip had been the one to save them when the exorcism failed. Huh, maybe helping Youkai isn’t so bad after all…?

He’ll... entertain that thought another time.

The next time the matter comes up, a few months, close to a year, had passed. Tsukiko-san had called and he’d sent a paper doll containing the details of their meet up, only to find out that that doll had fallen to the ground due to the rain and was picked up by none other than Natsume.

It was funny how fate decided to let them meet again, and under this circumstance no less, but it was even more frustrating because Shuuichi didn’t want Natsume to be involved in his exorcism business. The various times he was involved, Shuuichi had been infected by his compassion and kindness and recklessness, three things that the people in his line of work usually lacked – and for good reason, because those three things entail weakness, and Ayakashi leech onto that.

But… when Shuuichi looks at Natsume and all his compassionate glory, he can’t associate him with the word. Natsume is anything but weak; he’s brave and determined, and he’s also just a tad bit fragile, but that doesn’t make him weak. He knows that anyone who’s had a childhood dealing with Youkai couldn’t have grown up being fully accepted, and it shows with Natsume’s actions because, just like himself, he’s grown accustomed to lying, he finds certain acts of kindness directed toward him surprising, he has a hard time trusting people, and he…

He keeps secrets, no matter how dangerous, just so he could protect other people.

“Are you the Natsume of the Book of Friends that I’ve heard so much about?”

And that brings Shuuichi back into the present, because there it is. There it is again. The... recognition that Youkai have of Natsume’s name.

“Natori-san…”

“Tsk, so the exorcist brat is here. Did you overhear us?” the Ayakashi asked.

“...No,” Shuuichi answered, choosing his words carefully. “But it sounded intriguing. Care to fill me in?”

The Ayakashi snorted. “Who would tell a halfwit exorcist like you?”

Shuuichi paused. The way the Ayakashi said it… it seemed more than just an insult. He’d have lapsed into a thoughtful state right then and there, but alas, the Ayakashi has fled, effectively stopping his thoughts and putting him back into reality.

Later on, after the affair has ended and he’s told Natsume that whatever he had to say, he can say when he’s ready, Shuuichi thought. The amount of recognition Natsume holds over various Ayakashi is downright alarming, if only because it means that Natsume is so deep into Ayakashi business that he’s well-known by them across the land. Originally, Shuuichi had thought that that recognition was brought about by Natsume’s big heart for all the beings around him, but maybe there’s more to it than that.

Maybe… maybe he was well-known because of something he has, something that holds importance and– and power over the Youkai. Something powerful and terrifying and dangerous.

Something that the kind Natsume maybe shouldn’t have in his possession.

The Book of Friends, huh…?

Shuuichi had just exorcised an Ayakashi when he heard two small ones fretting over being exorcised themselves.

“Hey, isn’t that an exorcist?”

“Eh?! How scary… we might be exorcised if he finds us.”

Shuuichi finds himself amused, and he butts in, telling them that if he kept exorcising the small fry, it would be bad for his health. The low-level Ayakashi, fearing for their lives, blurt out that they’d do anything he demanded while also asking for forgiveness. Shuuichi, not one to pass up the opportunity, asks.

“Have you heard of the Book of Friends?”

The small Ayakashi are quaking and are weak-willed but they say nothing helpful about it and quickly run off. Shuuichi purses his lips.

Hm, so it appears that the Book of Friends is a well-kept secret among the Ayakashi that, for some reason or the other, should not be known by exorcists.

Now the question is: why?   

What power could the Book of Friends possibly have that would threaten the Ayakashi greatly should an exorcist get his hands on it?

Shuuichi thinks.

Youkai are generally afraid of exorcists because they do not want to be exterminated. So, if an exorcist in possession of the Book would be much more dangerous and fearsome for the Ayakashi, then Shuuichi could safely assume that the Book is fairly powerful.

Now then, Shuuichi mulls over what possible use a book could be to an exorcist. A book contains writings, and Shuuichi could think of a few things that require writing for exorcists.

It could be a book of spells, for example, spells that could effectively and efficiently exorcise Youkai. However, Shuuichi could not see the wisdom in simply carrying a book of spells around so he scratches that thought away.

A collection of circles, perhaps? That could serve some purpose for exorcists, having a ready-made stash of different types of circles made for different purposes. It may be convenient in some way for some people, however, for Shuuichi, it would only limit the sizes of the circles and he’d have to redraw them on the ground anyway if he needed a bigger one.

The last thing Shuuichi could think of that would need writing in an exorcist’s job would be forming a contract.

That… is not a pleasant possibility.

Shuuichi has caught only a glimpse of the Book, and from what he remembered, it was thick. If that thing contained contracts, then it means that a lot of Youkai were involved, and for such a thing to be in Natsume’s hands… he didn’t want to think of the possibility. Not yet. Shuuichi lowered his hat.

He best be going back. Natsume’s coming soon.

When Shuuichi had gone back to his condo with Natsume after picking him up, he was surprised to see one of his acquaintances – Aimiya-san – hanging around by the entrance of the building. And because fate just liked to screw with him, said acquaintance had also invited Shuuichi to an event in the Hakozaki house and managed to drag Natsume along.

Shuuichi had been careless. He should have never paraded around with Natsume, and now some weird rumor had spread about him.

He managed to suppress a sigh as they entered the premises of the Hakozaki house and quickly put on his business smile, listening attentively to Hakozaki-san’s request to find the elder Hakozaki’s study and seriously considering it.

It was a great opportunity, Shuuichi thought. His only regret was having Natsume be in the presence of other exorcists, especially since the Matobas are most probably elbow-deep into this matter as well.

But really, it was an opportunity that Shuuichi could not pass up, and he’d just have to take the risk. Natsume could defend himself fairly well enough anyway, and he had his cat bodyguard too, but just to ease his own conscience a little bit, he asked Hiiragi to go with Natsume as well, and also made Natsume dress as a shiki for good measure.

With that done, he set out to do some searching on his own. Urihime and Sasago had reported back to him after a while with a non-affirmative of the study’s location, but they both promised to search harder and Shuuichi only nodded. He’d thought as much anyway. There was no way his shiki could find it that quick if the people that came here before him hadn’t found it yet by now.

He continued searching on his own but no such luck turned up on his end as well. He sighed forlornly, thinking if it was impossible after all.

Ah, but if it’s Natsume…

Shuuichi found himself thinking. Natsume is different after all; he might just be able to find it.

He might have mused on it more, but then he was interrupted by the presence of another exorcist.

Nanase-san.

“Natori!” the elder pleasantly exclaimed. “As usual, you pick up on interesting stories very quickly.”

Shuuichi blurts out his greeting and they proceed on chatting. When asked about Natsume, Shuuichi simply waves it off and states that he hasn’t seen him.

He doesn’t want Natsume doing anything with the Matoba clan, not after he read Matoba’s letter to Natsume.

Nanase-san finally leaves and he takes the opportunity to look for Natsume and warn him about her. When Shuuichi does find him though, he was being attacked by a Youkai, and he tries so hard, his hardest, to pretend that he didn’t hear about the Book of Friends from the Youkai, only telling it to stay away from Natsume and attempting to rescue the younger male only for the fat cat to jump in and save him instead, but he knew Natsume knew that he heard it, so he tried placating him, telling him he’d just pretend he didn’t hear anything.

Natsume surprised him with his response.

“Natori-san… I won’t say it now because there are Ayakashi around, but after everything is done, will you hear me out?”

The statement gave Shuuichi pause, but he smiled and replied, “Of course.”

“My grandmother was called Natsume Reiko. It seems she had strong spiritual power.”

Shuuichi perked up at that, slightly surprised at Natsume’s straightforwardness and not expecting him to open up immediately after they’d finished, but he listened closely nevertheless.

“She was bad at dealing with humans so she was always involved with Ayakashi.” A pause. “She would challenge some, and when the Ayakashi lost, she made them write their names on a piece of paper. It seems she collected these.”

As Shuuichi heard the words, he was overcome with a grim disposition.

Natsume had said that she’d made them write their names. Shuuichi isn’t stupid; he’d deliberately told Natsume a while back that contracts formed with Youkai would require a name other than their real one, so the younger male’s lack of elaboration meant only one thing: the real names of the Ayakashi had been written.

It was a forbidden act.

Shuuichi listened on mirthlessly as Natsume continued to tell him about his grandmother, about how she’d made the Book of Friends out of loneliness, about how he’d inherited it and…

And about how, since he’s the only living blood relative of Reiko, he’s the only one able to return the names to their respective owners, which was why he’s now made it his life’s mission.

It was all… very difficult to accept for Shuuichi, because he knew, even if Natsume didn’t say so, that it was dangerous, risky, unsafe, and– and life-threatening. And he knew Natsume knew that as well, yet the younger still persists in doing so, if only to free the Youkai. Such a heavy burden for someone so... young and innocent. Shuuichi resists a shuddering breath.

Natsume was kind.

Natsume was too kind.

“It would be better if… such a dangerous thing was burned,” Shuuichi breathed out amidst the crackle of fire. Natsume, not having heard it because of the noise from the fire, asked what he had said, but Shuuichi merely brushed it off.

When Natsume had gone and the whole Hakozaki affair had been left behind, Shuuichi contemplated. He didn’t want the Book of Friends to stay in Natsume’s hands any longer, but Shuuichi had a feeling that nothing he’d say would persuade Natsume into giving it up, because Natsume’s just like that. Shuuichi can’t see him willingly throwing away the book; if anything, he’d probably fight tooth and nail just to protect it and to not let it fall into the wrong hands.

Shuuichi sighed exasperatedly, looking at the sky.

What was he going to do with Natsume?

End Notes: And yeah, that’s it. That’s the story. I now realize it’s more of a character study actually...? Of Natori, that is. 

Okay, uhm, I lied. That’s not the whole story yet. There’s still a scene I haven’t included in here ‘cuz I’m not yet done writing it, and is2g if I don’t get what I have done out right now, my brain is going to explode. 

The additional scene I’ll add tomorrow, but it’s going to be in a reblog sooo yeah. Y’all better read that additional scene because that’s where the title of this one-shot came from.

Thanks for reading and good night. 

...

On second thought, I’m gonna add here what I’ve written of the additional scene bc gahhhd I really need to get it out of my system/drafts and if I don’t my frustration would only grow and grow and grow.

So. Here you go.

“Natori-san! Natori-san, wait! The Book– it’s reacting!” Natsume shouted, stopping Shuuichi’s assault on it and momentarily distracting him from the Youkai.

“Watch out–!” Hiiragi warned, and Shuuichi turned to the Youkai, expecting to be hit, but that was prevented by the fat cat turning into his beast form and grabbing the Ayakashi in between his teeth.

“Natsume, now!” The white-furred beast looked to Natsume, his deep voice carrying across the land to where Natsume was, the Book suddenly out and opened.

“One who would protect me...” Natsume chanted, and Shuuichi looked on, confused and at the same time enchanted. “...show me your name.”

As the words were pronounced, the pages of the Book started flipping on its own and then abruptly stopped, a single page left standing. Shuuichi watched, enamored. He saw as the younger male ripped the page from the book and held it between his lips, a sight which he has seen only once before, at the inn with the hot springs.

And then, Natsume clapped, and blew.

The characters from the paper flew towards the captive Ayakashi in Madara’s mouth, and then a bright and soft light filled the air as the ink sank into the Youkai’s forehead, symbolically indicating that its name has been returned.

Yeah, just take it. And don’t give it back. Ugh.

Okay bye, for real now. See you tomorrow. 

[fangirl6202]

Things That Make Me Love Magnus Chase

((Please note that I’ve Only Read The Sword of Summer)) @alexfierrno Thanks for convincing me to read this amazing book and for bringing me into this amazing fandom. I owe ya!!

• Our main character lived on the streets for two years.

• Annabeth literally hasn’t seen her cousin in years (and probably hasn’t thought about him much considering all she’s done since PJO/HOO) but she literally drops everything to find him in Boston.

• WE HAVE AN ARAB AMERICAN GIRL WHO WEARS A HIJAB BY CHOICE

• Blitz and Hearth. Just…Blitz and Hearth.

• Blitz being a MOC dwarf whos mother is a goddess and who loves fashion.

• Hearth being a deaf elf who taught Magnus ASL.

• Hearth only wears the red and white scarf because Blitz said it would look nice. (he never really takes it off)

• Natalie Chase being an amazing mother who I love and we’ve never even officially met her

• The occupants of floor 19

• Thomas Jefferson Jr’s mother was a runaway sLAVE AND NO ONE WANTS TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?

• Gunilla being Gorilla

• Magnus being genuinely mad when he gets abs

• “A pen sword” (I see what you did there Rick, we see you)

• Loki. I’m so sorry, but I always imagine him as Tom Hiddleston.

• Blitz and Hearth falling out of the world tree.

• Sam being in an arranged marriage with Amir but being in love with. We have a consentual arranged marriage.

• “How many Arab American female pilots do you know?”

• Magnus’ inability to shut the hell up

• Huge ducks being the portal to different worlds.

• Sam turning her swan cloak into a hijab.

• Blitz and Magnus are technical first cousins.

• The fact that the dwarves put so much heart and soul into their creations, even if it’s just a cup.

• Blitz says on page 301 that he’s only 20. He was literally only 18 when he drank from the well. He was just a kid, and he spent 2 years taking care of Magnus.

• Blitz 👏 built 👏 Hearth 👏 a 👏 fricking 👏 tanning 👏 bed 👏 in 👏 his 👏 apartment 👏 Odin 👏 bless 👏 this 👏 dwarf 👏

• Otis is a small precious child who has a therapist oh my God I love that goat.

• Thor is such a fangirl I love him. (SIDE NOTE: In total, Rick has referenced The Mortal Instruments ((he dedicated this book to Cassandra Clare and thanked her for the use of Magnus. Cough cough Magnus Bane cough cough)) Doctor Who, Arrow, Sherlock, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones, and Supernatural)

• Hearth is so fricking sassy around Thor oh my god.

• Apparently there are Norse zombies called draugr. Who knew.

• “[Blitz] crawled into the tent and muttered to Hearthstone, “Make some room you tent hog!” Then he draped his over-coat across the elf, which I thought was kind of sweet. “ - Pg.370. HOLY CRAP THIS PART I LITERALLY HAD TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND SCREAM.

• Hearth fucking putting Otis and Marvin’s heads in Thor’s arms. "Never let it be said that elves don’t have a sense of humor. ”

• OK, but how tf is Loki an 8 legged horses mother?? Could someone explain that to me??

•"He leaned against Blitz, giggling silently and making random signs like, Butterfly. Pop. Yippee. ” Pg.384: HES SO CUTE AND ACTS SO DRUNK HERE ITS ADORABLE I LOVE HIM.

•Hearth being hella confused since the sign for I Love You looks similar to drinking out a bottle.

•"“Here he is,” Sam called, brushing some rubble off the fallen elf. “I think he’s okay. ” “Thank Odin!” Blitz started forward but almost fell.’ Pg. 406

•BLITZ REALLY WANTS TO OPEN UP A CLOTHING STORE.

•Sam, Magnus, Blitz, and Hearth being a family of empty cups 😭😭💗

•I LOVE THE FACT THAT HEARTH’S DISABILITY IS SUCH AN ASSET IN HAVING TO REBIND FENRIS. HES THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD THINK CLEARLY BECAUSE HES DEAF AND COULDNT HEAR FENRIS. THANK RICK FOR GIVING ME A DEAF HERO USING THEIR DISABILITY AS AN ADVANTAGE.

•Floor 19 letting Magnus go free I cry.

•"I felt as if I were seeing Hearthstone for the first time. He didn’t stumble. He didn’t faint. He strode confidently forward, flowers expanding before him like an unrolling carpet. Not only was Hearth immune to the wolfs voice, his rune magic was literally redrawing the boundaries of Fenris’ prison. “ Pg.450 - This was so beautiful. I cried so hard when I read this. He’s come such a long way and he’s developed so much I love Hearth.

•Frey looks more like Marvels’ Thor than Thor did.

•Frey realizes that Magnus probably isn’t ready for a father figure just yet.

•Magnus is the one to initiate the hug between them.

• Blades before Babes.

•The chapter title for Chapter Sixty-Nine is "Oh…So That’s Who Fenris Smelled in Chapter Sixty-Three”. Did he…Did Rick just break the fourth wall???!?1?!1

•BLITZ IS GETTING HIS CLOTHING LINE IM SO HAPPY HE DESERVES ALL OF IT AND MORE.

• ‘The screen changed. In Sam’s photo, she was standing nervously at the counter of Fadlan’s Falafel, her face turned aside, blushing furiously as Amir leaned towards her, grinning. “Oooooo,” said the crowd of einherjar, followed by a fair amount of snickering. “Kill me now,” Sam muttered. “Please. "Pg. 478.

•Halfborn and Mallory!!!!!1!!11!1

•"To us, the Chase cousins. Here’s to being less messed up. ” Pg. 487

• I LOVE ANNABETH AND MAGNUS’ RELATIONSHIP HOLY FRICK.

All joking aside, this is a seriously good book and I can’t wait to check out the second book tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet Alex Fierro. This book made me cry, and laugh, and stay up way too late. I seriously recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of myths. Really, this book is a treasure.

[kalico-to-the-letter]

Watching Ghost in the Shell!!

I love cyberpunk. I love the tropes, I love the symbolism and the complex messaging, and I particularly love the cyberpunk aesthetic. I love seeing a massive city lit up at night with a whole bunch of futuristic technology.

And until a few days ago, I’d never seen Ghost in the Shell. But my interest was of course piqued by the buzz around the live-action film coming out next month.

Say what you want about the choice to cast Johansson as the Major. There’s not much I can say about it, because even though I’m part-Asian, I’ve always identified as Australian first and foremost (I was born and raised here), and I don’t feel I can add anything decisive to the debate. Not anything that hasn’t already been said, at any rate.

What I’ve seen of the film from its trailers – it looks gorgeous. As long as it satisfies my aesthetic sensibilities, it gets half the pass-mark straight away.

But I really didn’t know anything about the story of GitS, beyond the fact that it was cyberpunk and dealt with the shades between artificial life and real life, if there were any at all.

So, I figured, since I’m going to go and watch this film when it screens, maybe it would be a good idea for me to brush up on my knowledge. Then I saw how much media had been devoted to the GitS story, and my head spun.

Half the struggle was trying to find an order in which to watch everything. But that’s sorted, and I started with the original movie (1995).

So, it’s amazing. I was particularly enthralled by the philosophical angles of sentience, and by the character of the Major. She’s particularly interesting from a feminist standpoint, because here she is, living in cybernetic body which has been designed as an idealised version of femininity, and yet she is portrayed almost as both sexless and asexual, in the view she has of herself and the views that most of her subordinates have of her. She has no qualms about exposing a “naked” self before anyone’s eyes, and in doing so remains a dominant presence, commanding respect. Often, nakedness is equated with vulnerability; how vulnerable you are is directly proportionate to how exposed you are. But not with her. She’s a fascinating character study, on so many intersectional fronts. I’d love to read an academic paper about her at some point.

Anyway, I loved this movie. Then I followed it up by watching the 2008 remake. And that was not so good.

If you were serious about remaking the original movie, then perhaps you would have taken a more wholesale approach. As in, literally remake, redraw, and re-voice the thing. But it seems a few scenes of bad CGI, choppily cut-and-pasted into the original animations was enough

Then came the not-sequel, or Innocence. And it was good. Just not as good as the first. Sure, they made an interesting character out of Batou, but the absence of the Major seemed to draw some of the colour out of the movie. It was far more subdued and measured, which I appreciated. But everywhere the movie went, her absence just hung over the scenes like a spectre, and her eventual appearance was a little underwhelming, relatively speaking. Some super hacking here, and a few lines of dialogue there, and done. It was a bit of a disappointing way to end the movie stories.

And now I’ve just seen the first two episodes of Stand Alone Complex.

It’s really not very good. The stories so far are simple procedurals, and the characters so far lack impact. Batou’s been turned into a bantering heavy. The Major’s character design just smacks of fan-service. She still has an authoritative presence, but there’s something about her appearance in this show which undercuts it. Her appearance in the film felt bold, and again, commanding of respect no matter how “naked” she appeared. Perhaps that’s because she was more androgynous, and it can be argued that giving her a more fan-service design emphasises the strength of her role. But still, this show seems to be aiming for a kind of tawdry sexiness. It was ridiculous in the first episode, that there was a scene in an office where one of the main camera angles was from behind and looking up at the Major, so basically her butt was the main focus of the shot, despite the fact that there was another character giving important exposition at the side of the frame. And it was laughable how often they kept cutting back to this shot. Most other camera shots seem to want to emphasise her body shape, or just how high she wears that leotard. I don’t know, there’s something cheap about it.

And I acknowledge that she was more vivacious in the manga, but my standard of the Major comes from that first movie, and that standard is a brilliant one.

But I’ll persist with Stand Alone Complex. Hell, it’s only two episodes out of twenty-four. It might get better, for all I know. And then there’s another season! And a movie! And then we’ll get to all the Arise stuff.

The live-action film opens at the end of March, so I should be able to complete this regime before then. Should be fun. It’s been a long time since I picked up a new anime!