#i Still gotta be more refined and really go in with the details ?

[toranesu]

ur kafka and blade post had my mind running sm. so i had this rlly nasty thought abt fucking them in some tight space while they're on a mission. like, even if the mission was urgent, who were they to say no to your greediness?

anon i love you for this i would 100% grope blade's ass or stare at kafka's crotch while fighting like hello??? sir, ma'am, i'm gonna need some time to control my cock (i got too into this and made it too long mb 💀)

sub bottom blade + sub bottom kafka x dom top gn reader | cw. semi-public sex, groping, reader is a greedy pervert, polyamory relationship, amab reader but cock can be interpreted as strap, riding, squirting, supposedly a quickie.

"enjoying the view, gorgeous?" she gives you a smug smile, right as she killed off an enemy. of course kafka would be the first to notice it. your eyes glued on her crotch while she shoots those antimatter engions and voidrangers. the way her chest bounces when she moves— isn't she just riling you up on purpose at this point?

you shrug in response and follow blade into the next room. you had been appointed by elio to go on a mission in herta's space station, to invade the control room and find some sort of information, to be exact. you didn't really get any of the details, but said yes anyway cuz why would anyone say no to spending time with their not one, but two sexy lovers.

it has been a while since the three of you last fucked, now that you think of it. no wonder you're so pent up... another enemy shows up, blade's taking care of it. the way his ass is just glaring at you from behind, his perfectly curved waist, his chest— why is it so big? he's gotta be at least a D cup.

the enemy dies and you can't help yourself. before you realize it, your hand lands on blade's ass, squeezing the soft, refined mound of flesh. you didn't mean to! you were going to hold his waist and praise him for his technique... really!

blade flinches at your touch, his face heating up while his body tenses. you- right now, seriously? that's basically what's going on in his mind. he wants to react but, your hand on his ass does feel nice.

"ah? having fun without me? that's mean," kafka approaches, closing and locking the door behind her. "you aren't hogging them for yourself, are you bladie?" she hums, looking at the two of you, precisely with your hand still on blade's ass.

blade flushes and looks at her with a frown, attempting to defend himself. "no i-" you cut him off, pulling kafka by her waist and wrapping kissing her neck (which she willingly exposed to you).

"come on, let me have my fun. we haven't done it in ages. i'm suffering out here, y'know?" you groan, it being slightly muffled by the fact that you're basically smothering yourself in kafka's neck. she smells nice.

blade leans into you, pulling your arm from his ass to around his waist as well. kafka smiles at you, ruffling your hair fondly, "yeah? missed us, didn't you?" fuck, she's always so smug. it's so weakening and so.. arousing. makes you want to put her in her place, doesn't it? she knows it and she loves it.

"we're in a secluded area," blade finally lets out his voice, letting out soft breaths, his hand resting on yours while your arm is around his waist. "everyone must have retreated by now. i want to.." he mumbles, a bit quiet but loud enough for you and kafka to hear.

blade had never been so vocal about his wants and needs, so the fact that he's admitting it at all must mean he's been all pent up too. how cute.

"aw, blade," you coo, letting go of your hand on kafka's waist and putting it on blade's cheek, kissing his lips endearingly. he lets out a low moan at your affection, his hand still on yours.

kafka smiles endearingly at the two of you before sighing loudly, getting in the middle of you. "no more stalling. i've been waiting on this too. i'm waiting for one of you to fuck me already, you know?"

"sorry bladie, you don't mind me going first, right?" kafka lets out a heavy breath, her walls clamping down on you. she's so warm and tight... oh how you missed this.

it's not really efficient to fuck in the storage room of someone else's space station, but you'll take it. you're sitting down leaning against the wall, kafka with her clothes discarded sitting on your dick, tits looking bouncy and magnificent, her eyes half lidded while she bounces on your cock—blade's leaning on your shoulder, your hand on his dick, he's moaning softly as your hand rubs his leaking slit. fuck, this is heavenly.

kafka is having the time of her life. she absolutely adores riding you, your dick reaches the deepest parts of her, brushing against her cervix everytime you thrust inside. she enjoys the way you're under her, moaning as she makes you feel good.

but you only have a limited size of self control, using your other hand to grip kafka's hip and thrust inside her, making her moan loudly in ecstasy. you're deep inside her, the way your dick drags in and out her soaking pussy— ahh, she can't get enough of this.

"fuck, if- if we weren't on an urgent mission i would've loved to eat you out before this, kaf," you breathe out between moans, she's so warm and welcoming, your dick could melt inside her (or maybe she's just a whore).

kafka laughs breathily, holding your shoulder and groaning as she pushes herself down on you. "ah, y-yeah? what makes you think i'd let you?" always so cocky. dumb brat needs to be put in her place.

you kiss blade's cheek before letting go of his weeping cock, both your hands grabbing kafka's hips and slamming her down on you repeatedly. she lets out loud moans, her legs trembling and her toes curling. "what a fucking brat. so cocky when all you want is my dick. aren't you just my whore, princess?" you groan, continuing to fuck into her like a madman.

she can't even make a snarky reply at that point. her whole body is trembling, her tits bouncing, she's squealing and moaning, drool slipping past her mouth. but then your hand reaches to squeeze one of her breasts before pinching her clit— fuck. she throws her head back and squirts all over you, leaving you soaking wet from her fluids.

you groan at the sight and give her a kiss on the lips before pulling out of her, earning a dissapointed sigh as you lean her down on the wall next to you. kafka's had her fun, now you gotta take care of your neglected sweet boy right beside you. blade's panting at the sight, already stretching himself out for you and mewling when he feels your eyes on him.

he's waited all this long and even prepared himself for you! what a good boy. you kiss blade's swollen lips, poor boy must've been biting back his moans to not disturb you and kafka. he's so sweet.

"blade," you coo, brushing the hair out of his face. he lets out a small 'mm' at your voice, letting you hold his hips while he straddles you. he blushes lightly and holds your still hard dick, aligning it with his stretched out hole. he needs you, he needs you bad.

you rub circles on his hip as he steadily sinks himself down on your cock, breathing heavily and scrunching his eyes at the feeling that he oh so craved. he moans when you're fully inside him, leaning his head on your shoulder and letting out heavy breaths, adjusting to your size.

you kiss the top of his head and run your fingers through his hair, your other hand rubbing circles on his hip. "there we go, good boy. doing so good for me, yeah?" you whisper, soothing him as he moans at your words, lightly rolling his hips against yours. "take your time to adjust, move when you're ready, okay?" you remind him. the mission was urgent; sure, as much as this should be a quickie, you can't just force your dick in someone's hole!

after a short while, blade starts moving, rolling his hips against yours steadily before starting to bounce up and down your cock. he whimpers and moans, trying to keep his voice down— unlike someone who couldn't even bother (not like you could either). this takes you back to the first time you had sex with him, he's so shy, so quiet, holding in his voice. it's so so adoring, you think.

you pepper kisses onto blade's chest and collarbone, letting him fuck himself on you while you hold his hips to help steady him. he looks so pretty when he's breathless above you like this— both him and kafka do.

"so pretty, blade," you groan out, nipping his jaw while he continues to bounce on you, matching your thrusts. he really was ethereal... eyes half lidded, mouth parted open. you can't get enough of this.

you gotta end things fast though, the mission's still important. kafka had gotten you close to your climax already so now you're even closer, feeling your dick twitch in blade.

you kiss blade's shoulder softly, fucking into him while your other hand reaches towards his neglected cock. blade mewls as he feels you stroke his dick, getting him close to his own ejaculation. your hips nor his stop thrusting, your hand stroking his dick at the same pace.

"cumming– hng, i'm c-cumming," blade slurrs, nipping onto your shoulder and moaning, his dick twitching in your hold.

you kiss the shell of his ear, whispering, "cum for me, blade." and with that, he releases in your hand, his walls clenching around you tightly as he moans in ecstasy.

"good boy," you kiss blade's sweaty forehead before getting him off of you, sitting him down next to you and palming yourself, chasing your own release.

"hello?? kafka? blade? [name]? where are you? did you get the stuff?" the voice of a familiar hacker reaches your ears.

you curse under your breath, "oh fuck."

[sibillascribbles08]

Okay ramble that will probably not get anywhere but I will put it here anyway because I saw yet another post about people struggling to get any writing done. And someone in the comments made a good point. You write/draw so much more as a kid because you're less practiced and ergo less worried about the imperfections that may arise from just gunning it.

And this is true! And this is why I want to tell you if you are struggling to write much, learn to write like a kid again.

You know how with a lot of art you see processes and it always starts with really shitty thumbnails that have silly faces or just blobs of color? Then you have an actual sketch (during which the artist likely moves a lot of shit around on a digital canvas) and then possibly the inking phase or just painting which is more blobs that slowly get sharper and sharper the more the images is rendered.

Yeah uh, do that with writing. Going under the cut because long

Writing as a process is something that is unique to an individual, just like there's 800 ways to slap paint on a canvas. If you look at guide books for writing and none of it is sticking it's not cause you're a failure that technique is just not gelling for you.

And as such I can only speak from MY experience with it but like, here's how I generally stay on top of projects

A) Sketch phase! It's outline time baby! "Ughh but outlines suck" listen I know school made the outline phase of an essay the worst fucking thing ever but hear me out on this. Sure some people CAN write by the seat of their pants but in terms of long projects this does not work out for me. I'm inevitably gonna hit a point where idk where to go from there and it's so hard to map all that out in long form

Listen, outlines are not there to be formal. They're not even there to be fancy. This is time to get down the bare bones and if you have to make it only a paragraph long and then extend that paragraph into multiple then DO it.

Like hell, NONE of my outlines are formatted the same! Some are a paragraph per chapter. Others are just endless bullet points that I split up later. I'm sure in one book due to all the plotlines I'm just going to have a storyline for each character laid out in columns so I can draw lines between them. Whatever works.

And again, do not have to be formal, like here is a legit line in one of my outlines

As for the ruined building… Hypno will cover the damages……….. Right? : )

Go crazy.

B) Now that you have your baselines start working on the actual story. Do you like writing shit out of order? Do it, because with an outline you still have your baselines to reference for any important details you don't wanna forget "Remember [character] is supposed to get a scar in chapter five!" Or write shit in order, and every time you hit a lull consult those baselines to say "oh yeah that's where this chapter was going"

And hey, keep writing it like a kid if that's what it takes to get this crap down. Hit a fight scene you don't wanna write? Slap down some brackets. [Insert a fight scene here where [character] gets his head smashed in so he ends up with this concussion later like a dumbass]. Boom, done, worry about it later.

Worried the dialogue isn't flowing well? Slap open another document or grab some paper and write it out in a play format to keep it moving. Add in all the beats, expressions, and details after.

Not sure if this detail you're putting in is historically accurate? Leave an easy to search symbol in the doc so you can go back to it to research later.

Write the sappy shit. Write with poor grammar (but still like, comprehensible you know what I mean). Slip in adverbs to swap out with strong verbs later. Use a run on sentence.

"But it's gonna sound bad" Who cares who tf cares that's what editing is for ! You go back and refine that shit and clean up sentences and add in all the extra research and pull out the repetitive words.

You gotta quit treating writing like you're supposed to just swing your brush on the canvas and suddenly you have some beautiful scenery. There's layers. There's blobs that turn into refined shapes. There's blending and shading. There's fine lines and thick lines. And sometimes there's mistakes that you have to wait until it dries to go back over it again.

It is a process! Let yourself have FUN with the process.

Okay rant over.

[literatureatthebowofnails]

A/N: I love you like Dr. Strange loves being right

Created for the 14 Days of Valentines community project, hosted by @muddyorbsblr

Series masterlist

Pairing: Loki x fem!reader

Includes: Angst

Summary: Loki seeks council when he fears he's crossed a line

The Bewitched theme tinkles from your pocket as you leave the cafe. Chrysa wiggles her eyebrows, waving goodbye. She's been making hushed comments about how "fucked out" you look since she walked through the door.

You gave up telling her it was just a dream. A very satisfying, very realistic dream, but still a dream.

"Hey Wanda," you answer the call. "What's up?"

"Is Loki with you?"

"No," you frown at the concern in her voice. "I just left work. Why?"

"Steve's angry. Really angry. He said 'damn' under his breath, and he never swears.

"Loki's supposed to leave for a mission in an hour and none of us can find him."

"Have you asked Thor?"

"Thor's at the market. He refused to take his phone because he 'can't afford any more distractions from the new generation of boxed delight.'"

"He's getting an iphone?"

"No," she snickers. "Pop-Tarts released a limited-edition flavor. He's worried everywhere will be sold out because he didn't make it to the store this morning.

"Aaaanyway, do you know where your boy-toy might be? Bruce heard 'HE'S NOT MY FATHER!' coming from Thor's room before breakfast, but no one's seen Loki since.

"He likes to be snarky on coms, but he's never ditched a mission before. Did he say anything last night?"

"Not really. He said he didn't want to get 'too familiar,' but nothing about going somewhere. Luckily, he wasn't so refined it in my dream," you giggle.

"You're so naughty! What did he do?"

"Haha, we gotta meet up if you want the dirty details. I'm not telling the whole train about it."

"Come down to the tower then. Most of the team is leaving. We'll make pineapple upside down cake, and you can tell me everything. And if Loki comes back, you'll get to see him."

"Twist my arm why don't you."

☕

On your ride up, a feminine tone speaks in the elevator. "Welcome back to Avengers' Tower, I'm FRIDAY. Putting Mr. Stark through now."

"Hey, I'm trying to find Rock of Ages," says the unmistakable voice of Tony Stark. "Any idea where he is?"

You look around for a camera or microphone and say "Hi. Um, sorry? I don't know where Loki is. Can't you track his phone or something?"

The doors open, revealing the genius himself as he takes off his Bluetooth to address you directly. "No can do, princess. He's somewhere even FRIDAY can't reach. Next stop is Bleaker St. There's a wizard down there who likes to keep tabs on potential threats. Might be able to give us a lead."

"You don't think he's...?"

"What? Leading another alien army to attack the city? Probably not, but we can't be too careful. Either way, if we don't find him Cap's gonna have an aneurysm and he's too old to survive that." Chuckling at his own joke, Stark gives your shoulder a squeeze and gets on the elevator. "Don't worry, we'll bring your boyfriend back in one piece."

"We've only been on one..." you sigh as the doors close.

"Hey," Wanda comes up behind you. "There you are. I hope Stark wasn't giving you a hard time. He's still jumpy about planetary security. Wants some sort of forcefield, but after the Ultron mess..." she looks guilty. "No one else will agree to it."

You chew your lip, following her to the kitchen. "Should I be worried?"

"Worried?" she looks up. "I don't think so. Steve's just upset because he has to replan the mission. I'm sure Loki isn't in trouble or doing something wrong.

"From what Banner said, it's probably just a family issue."

You nod, but something doesn't feel right. You haven't known the god for long, but you know he wouldn't go to his parents unless he had to.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Taglist: @peaches1958, @javagirl328, @loopsisloops, @goblingirlsarah, @buttercupcookies-blog, @lovelysizzlingbluebird, @cakesandtom, @ladymischief11, @km-ffluv

Main masterlist

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the list.

Next part

[sketchiefoxie]

(Genuine question this time) I draw mostly landscapes, and while I have attempted drawing a person as the focal point, I find it near impossible to get any proportions even slightly right. So, how do you draw people?

I’d say that this really depends on a persons art style. You’ve gotta find the things that make you happy, and incorporate them into your designs. My art style is definitely a cross between cartoony and kawaii Chibi anime. It’s very sparkly lol. I’ll show you the basic way I draw though with a quick sketch of my sona :) 🦊

Art tutorial beneath the cut~

First, draw a circle out, this’ll be the head. Where the cheek and forehead are, a make this sharp lil’ crescent shape and off of that I guide the rest of the head. Remember to do the guide lines for the face. This drawing will be done in 3/4 profile, so slightly turned to the side.

Add a body with curving shapes. Notice my style of drawing feet. I don’t like drawing feet much, so I adapted my style into a way I like to draw feet. Kinda like funky hoove thingys lol.

Add shoulders and arms with basic shapes. The elbow will when the arm is hanging down will come to the center waist line, right about where the bellybutton is. Try and keep that measurement in mind while doing the upper arm.

Add details like a nose, and eyes and mouth. Once you have the basic format of the face put together, you can jazz it up. On a more realistic face, the corners of the eyes will always aline with the tops of the ears. I somewhat followed that concept here, as it helps with ear placement.

Go ahead, sparkle it all up with hair, accessories and other stuff. Notice how much volume I put into hair. You can still see the old outline for the head, and the hair goes way above that.

Once you’ve done that, add clothes, thicken lines, refine the pose and you’re done! Tada!! This is a more simple style, and with more realistic art pieces, I’d add more clothing wrinkles, or more definition.

Drawing faces is really fun for me, and if you follow the basic principle of drawing a circle, and making the placement for cheeks you can draw lots of face types! Squishy faces, narrow faces, faces of characters from other fandoms XD. Find what you love in art, and make it yours. (Tagging you @boxed-soup cause I know you want to see this lol) Thanks for the ask and please reblog!

—SketchieFoxie✨💜✨

[ahappydnp]

here is a collection of unorganized thoughts i had about the ian interview with anthony in relation to dnp’s working relationship

smosh talking about being best friends who ended up being business partners and then roommates and how bad it was and how they were passive aggressive with each other because they couldn’t fight bc they had to be best friends for youtube 

at first i immediately got sad hearing it but also i do think there’s a slight difference in how smosh interacted, especially them saying they never ever talked about feelings or emotions and their relationship was always surface level anyway

as opposed to dnp who’s dynamic/relationship is inherently more emotion based and vulnerable so talking about what’s upsetting them is going to come more naturally when it comes to the business side

but obviously that kind of relationship in any context is going to be INTENSE and hard to maintain when your lives are that intertwined

anthony talking about growing up individually and then feeling like they had to regress back into their 17 year old selves when they did hang out (“all we did when we hung out was play mario kart and talk about what we were doing”) 

also something that made me slightly sad for a second, especially remembering dan’s whole thing about phil pulling him back and the jokes about regressing bc he’s back on youtube blah blah blah it’s not refined or representative of his growth (which i hope he’s dealing with that whole mindset please dear god) 

but also dnp have grown individually and as a duo and i think they’ve given each other the space to do so while also having the front row seat to that growth that smosh didn’t? 

them saying the new content is NOT going to be nostalgia base and they’re not going to revert back to their old personas is actually really interesting and i wonder what that’s going to look like.

it makes me think about how dan and phil would approach consistent joint content again pcou, especially given the ~vibe~ of the last few videos together (mostly thinking about the 2022 texting video that felt...off a bit? which is so rare for dnp). it’s gotta be hard to not slip back into those old roles especially when being on camera together again is still novel 

ian and anthony talking about how the audience shaped their friendship in their peak and how they tried to play into the characters the fans made for them and it caused resentment/ anthony said being the ‘hot one’ and ian being the ‘funny one’ upset him a lot because it made him question his value. i find that whole section fascinating because i think that’s one thing dnp held onto? like they didn’t let the audience decide their dynamic or personalities 

but dnp also had the added element of more intimate outlets like liveshows where we got to see natural dynamics or even gaming channel stuff while smosh only really did scripted sketch stuff, so the audience got to see a more well rounded version of dnp and not just like....TATINOF stage personas

also and idk how to say this articulately....dnp also were actively hiding a part of themselves and working against audience perspective so they’re less susceptible to succumb to being their personas off camera with each other (especially going back to the first point of their relationship being more complex emotionally than the 2 cishet dudes who said they didn’t share feelings for the first 20 years of their friendship)

smosh talking about their work styles and creative processes and how they mesh well together which i would LOVE to hear more about that from dnp in how they come up with ideas or the details of their process together ESPECIALLY now 

tbh i was never a smosh fan for a variety of reasons and i’ve never been fond of anthony but i appreciate what smosh meant to a lot of people and how big of a win this is for youtube creators in general. it is interesting to hear them talk about this new era and how excited they are for the future of the channel 

maybe other people will have a chat about what a revamped version of a beloved channel that was also a fun project for them could look like, especially without the pressure of making money off of it

please dnp i will buy yet another fucking channel membership off you 

[bosskie]

Molluck sculpt stuff and rambling

I have been working on my Molluck sculpt recently and it looks quite different than the previous WIP I shared, so I felt like sharing you some progress again. I still gotta refine and fix some stuff but now, Molluck looks more like himself. But here's some 'old vs new' stuff:

I basically redid all his details and fixed his anatomy and shapes.

This was the first WIP I shared about him, and you can see how different he was even earlier:

He was much more bulky back then... This sculpt has changed a lot during the progress and it's not done in a correct way, meaning that this has an awful topology. So, I have to redo the sculpt at some point. But I have decided to finish this sculpt since it will help me a lot with the proper model too. Doing stuff in a wrong way is also a way to learn! I know what to do next time since I got some good materials to help me with 3D stuff now. So, this will be 'Molluck model version 1.0'. I still have so much to learn about 3D stuff and this is a totally amateur sculpt. So, this sculpt won't have the clothing but the proper one.

Molluck ain't still the easiest thing to draw/sculpt/create but doing this sculpt has also helped me to understand more how his anatomy and all those shapes work. I have been studying his Soulstorm model so many times, using those cutscenes, all their frames, using a video editing software for such, but that art book of Soulstorm has helped me a lot too.

All this time I have drawn him, I have wanted to try to capture him as much as I can like he is in Soulstorm. But when it comes to his naked body, New 'n' Tasty model has been the way to go and Molluck's Soulstorm model is based on that and it can be seen on the art book since he has exactly same shoulders than in NnT for example. Yes, when I'm into something, I do really am into it... But even I love Molluck in such a way, I barely wanna change him. I wanna keep his body as close to the NnT model as I can but his hands are from the original concept art since I love those hands... So, basically the only thing I have changed about him is his 'ding-dong situation', like you all thirsty for him, I assume (I have seen stuff)... Don't ask me why I even wanted to do this model in the first place... I just want him, so much, okay...

I think that I understand his whole character more and more over time. Recently, I learned more about cigars and got more ideas for Molluck stuff, thanks to that. And I, um, even own a big cigar now! It's totally Molluck's fault... It's gonna dry but it doesn't matter; I just wanna retain one cigar, even if I starter such a 'hobby'. I laugh at myself when I look at it... I just truly love this Gluk and wanna understand his character as much as I can. And don't get me wrong, I have had this interest before, Molluck just 'boosted' it.

I'll write more Molluck stuff after the poll has ended. I do understand his flaws and negative sides but when it comes to imagination/fiction/fantasy, I care less about the moral stuff. Maybe it was better that his farm got destroyed but my heart still wishes all the best for him... I didn't choose this love, he just feels so much like made for me... He just makes me feel so good and has helped me in life... I have heard from a professional that I'm 'left behind in the development' when I have never had any realistic partner candidate but I haven't chosen it. I love to be like this and am barely into relationships, so this is ideal for me. So yes, I 'ship' myself with Molluck every day but I don't wanna share such stuff since it's private stuff for me but I can talk about what I feel toward him, like I have been doing now.

I think that I love him too much to be objective enough about him... But I'm trying my best to see him like he truly is but somehow, I just see that he has a heart and can be a lovely Gluk but only if he truly likes/loves you. I just got such a feeling from those Soulstorm cutscenes... But I think that this was enough for now.

~ I just love this Gluk!

[moemoemammon]

. Have you ever seen those tiktoks titled "Ask your boyfriend to go do things he loves." Can I ask for the MC to to that with the demon brothers?

"Hey, Can We Do that Thing You Like?"

(Feat. GN!MC and the Demon Bros!)

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Lucifer

What did you do

Or what did HE do? Are you trying to butter him up? Did you do something wrong? What did you break where's Mammon-

The fact that you're genuinely interested in a FACTORY TOUR is... well, Lucifer always knew you were the type to understand his refined tastes. ✨

And what's there not to be excited for? He's sure you'll both have a great time, with him as your guide. Don't tell anyone, but Lucifer's so excited he got his coat stuck in the door twice-

"I'll clear my schedule for the day, then. I have to admit, MC, I never thought you'd have an interest in something like this. I wonder if we have more in common than I originally thought?"

Mammon

*comedic spittake*

Legit?? So excited?? You actually want to go gambling?? He didn't think it’d be your sort of scene!

Wait what did he do to deserve this- Nah, it's probably that you've finally recognized how great THE Great Mammon really is!!

Already clearing his schedule just for you- There's no way he’d miss a chance like this for the world! He's even canceling that modeling gig he's got later!

"Wait, seriously?? Y-ya wanna go gamblin' with me? Then.... let's do it! Let's make a night of it! I know all the best spots for a beginner like you, so just stick with me, alright? The Great Mammon's gonna make sure we're rakin' in a FORTUNE tonight!"

Levi

SERIOUSLY?? Like, you're not joking?!

You want him to tell you about EVERY PIECE of Ruri-chan merch he owns?! You promise you won't get bored? No no, of course you can't get board when you're in the presence of the ever-radiant Ruri-chan!!

He'll even show you the stuff he's got in storage! See, he has so much that it can't all be displayed, so he rotates them out every week, and-

But you really wanna see?? There's no backing out now! And try not to let your head spin. It's okay to be jealous of his amazing collection! 😤

"Isn't she cute? The craftsmanship for this figure is the reason I HAD to have her. Aside from it being Ruri-chan, of course. They really caught the details in such an accurate way that it makes it seem like she's in the room with me! Do you want to listen to the albums too? I've even got vinyl! Oh right, I've got a ton of stuff recorded! Let's watch those! Here, this is one of my most prized possessions! See? I got this from the time I went to my very first expo, and-"

Satan

REALLY?!

Wait that was super loud ehem-

So you don't mind helping him turn the garden into a cat paradise..? It'll give you both the perfect view of the strays that might be attracted!

He's already got a ton of ideas. He wants to install a little perch near the window, put up some steps that wind up the tree, clear out a space for a napping spot...

"I've already worked out a design plan for the entire thing. I planned on doing it in secret, but knowing you want to help me makes this even more exciting. Should we also plant some catnip in the garden? I'd like to watch them play in it. Ah, and maybe I'll make a large community feeding bowl? Hm..."

Asmo

Wait.. really? Are you sure you wouldn't rather just bask in his beauty instead??

You actually want to help him organize his closet?? You know how big it is, right? Maybe it's because you want to take in all his lovely vibes, but he's still touched! It's not like people normally want to help with something so boring.

But he's been meaning to update his entire wardrobe, and not even Satan wanted to help with that! The fact that you're offering with no strings attached.... 🥺💕

Everyone knows how fashion forward Asmo can be, and he's got SO many clothes, it takes ages to get it all organized! It could take days, or even WEEKS! But it's sure to pass in a breeze with your help!

"You're a DOLL, MC~! I love you! Now then, I've been thinking that I should add a couple of pieces that are better suited for cold weather. You know how I HATE the cold, so I don't usually add many winter outfits. But wouldn't it be cruel to deny the world my beauty just because it's cold outside?? Here, should I go with this, or this?"

Beel

ARE YOU SURE?! You really wanna go on that food tour of the devildom he signed up for?!?!!?!

Beel immediately gets out of his chair, wide eyed like a little kid who was told they'd be going to Disney World.

Scrambles around to find his phone because he's gonna get your ticket RIGHT NOW

A day of trying every food in the devildom, AND he gets to spend it with you?? Pinch him, he had to be dreaming. Was this heaven?

"Okay. I'll call so I can add you into the tour with me. There's this black apple pie I really want to try with you. Oh, and I heard the blood orange meringue pie is good, too! There's also the black boar platter where they flambé the meat in demonus, and the fat becomes caramelized...."

Belphie

You don't mind..? You know it's cold out, right? And the hike is gonna take forever??

You actually WANT to go stargazing with him?? Belphie's gotta admit that there's nothing like seeing the stars in person so he can understand why you'd wanna go, but it really IS a long way...

Still, he's not gonna let you take back your offer. AND you're offering to let him use your lap as a pillow?!?!? He'd be suspicious if he weren't so happy right now. Not that he'll let you see it-

Trying his damndest not to be all giddy, but you've never seen him move so fast to get ready in your life.

"Don't tell the others we're going, okay? I want this to be our secret. And maybe... we could do it more often? We could even invite Beel next time to carry me up on his back, unless you're up for that too. Eheh, I'm joking."

[itsclydebitches]

OFMD Party Drabble #8

Prompt: Literary Devices (Symbolism)

A/N: Team Black has a bit of a romance novel theme going on for our final day and though I definitely can’t draw, I can offer something in the way of a ficlet :D

“Really, mate, you know I trust you with my life—”

“Just not your books.”

“I do! It’s just... fuck. Isn’t it a little cliché?”

Ed sat with socked feet propped up on his desk, toes just shy of knocking over a now cold cup of tea, papers everywhere, pens scattered, his poor laptop screen sporting a new and mysterious crack. He always worked best with a little chaos, but right now a literal tornado might have blown through and he wouldn’t have noticed. All Ed’s attention was on the cover mockup for his latest novel, Never Left.

On the other line was his illustrator, Stede—sounding very much like he wished to reach through the phone and strangle him.

“Ed,” he huffed. “I don’t know how to say this other than to just say it: you are an erotic romance author. Everything you write is a cliché.”

A bark of laughter escaped before Ed could snatch it back. God, but he’d been so pissy this morning, arguing with his editor over the latest addition to chapter seven. The man could pull even his rambling nonsense into the tightest prose, but he was so repressed he wouldn’t know a good sex scene if it sauntered up and bit him on the ass. Izzy was a fucking handful at the best of times and tended to leave Ed with a migraine and an impulsive desire to leave the business for good. Meanwhile, a single insult from Stede could brighten his day, no matter how fucking bonkers that was. This final stretch was always Ed’s favorite part of the process, probably because Stede was involved.

“Alright, alright, point taken. But a lighthouse, Stede? Really?” Ed shifted the mockup a bit, trying to see it through a reader’s eyes. The protagonists of his long-running series—the fearsome Blackbeard and his refined co-captain, the Gentleman Pirate—were wrapped around one another in a passionate embrace, almost, but not quite, reaching their kiss. Behind them the lighthouse illuminated the moment, waves breaking, sea-foam spraying, a rather curious seagull eyeing them from afar... like all of Stede’s pieces it was stupidly detailed. Sometimes Ed would look at books he’d published years ago and suddenly spot a feature he’d never noticed before. Like some hidden pattern in the lace of a sleeve, or an obscure, queer reference in the colors of a sunset. The man definitely knew what he was doing, and yet... “There’s not even a lighthouse in the book, mate.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I took a little artistic liberty.”

“Sure, but...” Ed blew out a breath. He was having trouble articulating what the problem was.

“Author at a loss for words?” Stede quipped and Ed could hear that fucking smirk all the way across the island.

“Haha. It’s just... hmm. This one is a little edgier, right? More danger than the previous books. I just figured the cover should reflect that. They reach this point, sure,” Ed flicked Blackbeard’s smitten, agonized expression, “but not until the very end. They’ve gotta work for it.” Again Ed considered the mockup, frowning. “Suppose the lighthouse is good for that in some ways. Can’t get too close to them you know, risk hitting the rocks, but it still needs something else.”

Silence on the other end. Stede was considering.

“Very well,” he said slowly. “What did you have in mind?”

Ed cleared his throat. “Well, I was... kinda thinking a kraken?”

“A kraken?”

“Uh huh.”

“Ed, there’s no kraken in your story either!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He waved aside his own hypocrisy. “But it’s symbolic, Stede. Of Blackbeard’s inner turmoil, his former nature, and... some other, fancy-pants shit, I’m sure.”

Stede snorted.

“Plus it would look rad as hell.”

There was a groan and the distinct sound of a teapot being set on the counter. Oh, Ed was really pushing his luck today. He grinned as more sounds of tea-making filtered through until finally, with what was presumably a calming blend in hand, Stede said, “I suppose I could have the kraken attacking the lighthouse?” Then, much more softly, “It would certainly be phallic enough.”

Ed grinned. “Yeah, that sounds great! And, uh...” He hesitated, wiping his sweaty palm on the edge of his jeans. “We should work out the details later. Over dinner.”

“O-oh! Really?” Ed caught the fumbling of the teacup and prayed that was a good kind of panic. “We’ve never—this is—like a business meeting, or—?”

“Like a date.”

He had the phone held out now like it was some deadly snake poised to bite him. Head bent, all his fingers and toes crossed, Ed waited in agony to hear—

“Yes. That is, I’d love to. Go on a date, I mean.”

Fuck but he could hear the blush in Stede’s voice. Ed surged to his feet, giving the air a silent, enthusiastic punch.

“Great! Fucking A, man. I’ll email you, yeah? Date, time, and uh, restaurant.” He’d need to research that one carefully, make sure he took Stede somewhere nice. Somehow, Ed didn’t think his local bar & grill was going to cut it. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Stede agreed, voice soft. “I’ll talk to you later, Ed. I’m... looking forward to it.”

“Me too. Later, gator.”

Ed winced at his stupid mouth, but he caught the beginning of Stede’s laugh before he hung up, so he hadn’t totally ruined things yet. Doing a happy little dance he threw himself back into his seat and picked up the mockup again. Ed decided than and there that he’d frame it. No matter what the final version looked like—or even if this whole, terrifying attempt fell apart—this illustration was worth saving.

After all, it was partly Stede’s work that gave him the courage to ask. Ed couldn’t help but notice that, over the years, his version of Blackbeard had begun to look more and more like Ed, whereas the Gentleman Pirate looked suspiciously like Stede...

Grinning, Ed wondered if Stede had noticed that his writing had started including some rather telling details too.

With a laugh and a healthy dose of hope for the future, Ed started outlining the final installment in the series, the one where Blackbeard, the Gentleman Pirate, and the rest of their motley crew finally got their happy ending.

[mattelektras]

hi! i just got to the 60s section in your daredevil reading guide (i’ve read everything else i think??) and was wondering if u had any tips for reading 60s dd? bc i really do want to read it and it’s super fun but it’s a little exhausting at times bc there’s so much text?

oh there's SO much text. chronic old comics syndrome. i think it'd just do to remember that a lot of that text, in fact probably about 80%, is completely unnecessary. there's a reason its been filtered down in modern comics

a lot of it explains what's already on the page. like we were still learning how to do visual storytelling at that point. and art was pretty simple back then, so they had to go into a bit more detail w words

its 3rd person NARRATION over internal monologue. so its quite often not any additional information from the character?? sometimes it might say a little in 3rd person about what the character is thinking but its not nearly the same as an internal first person text box. thats something thats been refined a LOT

a lot of it is also like. scene setting. like every issue will start by telling you it's new york, hell's kitchen, matt murdock is a laywer by day and daredevil by night. he is also blind and his father died when he was young. he was a boxer by the way. and its like ok we knew that we've been here for 43 issues. it's very tell not show

so basically no one is judging you if you dont read every syllable. the main content is on the panel. its a visual medium!!! im happy to admit i skimmed a fair bit. if i didnt understand anything or it wasnt clear, i could go back and read the paragraphs for that extra bit of info. read it at ur own pace and get a feel for what parts of it are essential to read and what's just a summary of the last issue because u gotta have fun with it or it becomes a chore n thats not what comics are about

[claudemblems]

Diluc Ragnvindr/Lumine: You Weren’t Supposed to Hear That

hi hello I just rlly like diluc and I decided to write a lil bit of fluff for him <3 it didn’t turn out really fluffy like I hoped but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless. pining diluc is best diluc

“It seems that Diluc has been the talk of the town as of late.”

“It’s true. Nearly everywhere I go, I hear plenty of whispers of his name. Perhaps with all these events with Stormterror, the Abyss Mages, and the infamous Darknight Hero, rumors are spreading even more so than usual.”

“You can’t really blame the girls for fawning over a man like him,” Lisa giggled, hiding her coy smile behind her hand. “A handsome, mysterious, nonchalant anti-hero that plays by his own rules. Their curiosity to know every detail about him simply cannot be satiated.”

“Well...he definitely has his charms,” Lumine answered.

“Paimon agrees! Even though Master Diluc can be a little cold at times, he’s always been so willing to help us when we needed it most. It’s his secret soft side that makes him so charming.”

“Everything about him is charming, really,” Lumine said, eyes glimmering with awe. “And he has so much going for him. It’s no wonder he’s the most sought out man in all of Mondstadt. He owns a winery, he’s of good social standing, he’s bold and daring in a fight. And there’s no denying how absolutely beautiful he is.”

Lumine was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice when Paimon and Lisa were frantically waving their hands, urging her to stop talking.

“His beauty is a lot more...refined. Mature. He’s like a small flame flickering in the air. Before you know it, he’s become a fire that consumes you heart and soul, and you’re unable to tear your eyes away. It’s just not fair how someone can be so effortlessly...attractive.”

Finally Lumine snapped back to reality, tilting her head in confusion at Lisa and Paimon. “What on earth are you gesturing about? It’s like you’re trying to get me to shut up—”

Lumine’s eyes grew wide as she stood ramrod still, heart racing in her chest. She didn’t want to move a muscle, to have to face yet another situation she’d somehow landed herself in.

Slowly, she turned her body around until her eyes locked with Diluc’s, the young bachelor wearing his usual neutral expression. 

"Diluc?!"

"Um...my apologies for walking in at an inopportune time. I'm afraid it’s now my shift.”

“Oh, n-no, it’s fine!” Lumine squeaked, her face growing hotter by the moment. “This is your tavern, after all. Besides, look at the time! I’ve gotta go. I have...Mondstadt hero things to do! Bye Diluc!”

Before someone could utter another word, Lumine had already sprinted out of the tavern, not daring to take a single glance back.

“Oh, the dear cutie,” Lisa sighed, her tone somewhere between teasing and sympathetic.

“I guess Paimon better go, too...It was good seeing you Lisa and Master Diluc!”

The pair watched in silence as Paimon followed Lumine’s trail out of the tavern and into the chilly evening light.

---

“Oh, what business does the great Master Diluc have here by the knight’s headquarters, hmm? I don’t suspect you’ll be joining our cause.”

Diluc rolled his eyes at his brother’s words but bit back the retort on his tongue. “I just came to ask you if you’ve seen Lumine around.”

“Lumine? What do you need her for?”

“It’s...complicated,” Diluc sighed, running a hand through his long fiery hair. “I’m afraid that she’s been avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you?” Kaeya asked with the raise of a brow. “Whatever could you have done for Lumine of all people to not want to be around you?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Diluc hissed, already regretting asking for Kaeya’s help. “I walked in on her saying some things I do not think she intended for me to hear.”

“Oh? Do go on.”

“I’m not here to cater to your love of gossip. I just want to know if she’s been around.”

“Well, you see, Master Diluc, my information does not come free of charge.”

Diluc groaned. “It’s always such a pain to talk to you.”

“Well, the feeling’s definitely mutual.”

“Look, Lumine just made some comments about me and ran out of the tavern as soon as she noticed I’d been there for some time.”

“Insults to your character?”

“No. She…” Diluc cleared his throat, fighting back the urge to blush. “It was actually quite the opposite. Lumine was talking about my “charms” and about...how attractive she finds me to be.”

“Oh?” Kaeya piped up, laughter leaving his lips. “Ah, I see. You’ve got an admirer!”

“Let’s not make assumptions. That’s just all I overheard of her conversation.”

“‘Let’s not make assumptions?’ Diluc, I know you aren’t that well-versed in the normal everyday aspects of life, but I’ve had enough experience in the world to understand when a person is overcome with infatuation.”

“Finding someone good-looking is not a sign of infatuation.”

“Is that so? Then tell me how she phrased her words. Perhaps I can help you come to a conclusion.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Diluc grumbled, ready to spin on his heel and promptly leave.

“I’ll tell you where Lumine has been, but only if you give me the details I desire.”

Diluc considered his options for a moment before letting out a long sigh and finally giving in. “She said that I was like a small flicker of fire, one that suddenly bursts into brilliant flames and makes it impossible for anyone to tear their eyes away. She also said she didn’t find it fair that a person can be so effortlessly attractive…”

The grin on Kaeya’s face only widened as Diluc went on. Out of some sort of happiness for him or a chance to cause mischief, he didn’t know. Though he assumed it was the former.

“You most certainly have a lovestruck admirer. I can’t understand why Lumine would choose to fawn over you, but one way or another, you’ve got her completely wrapped around your finger.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Diluc shook his head, biting his lip to keep from getting himself into yet another argument with Kaeya. “I told you what she said. Will you finally tell me where you’ve seen Lumine now?”

“Actually, I’ve got a better idea.”

“So you’re not going to stick to your word.”

“I’m going to make this simpler for you.”

An exasperated huff left Diluc’s lips. “Whenever you’re involved, it’s anything but simple.”

“I’m going to go out of my way—like the kind person I am—and help you out with your troubles,” Kaeya replied. “However, please note this is a one-time arrangement. I’m not going to keep doing any sort of business with you outside of this.”

“Fine by me,” Diluc answered, folding his arms.

“Leave it to me,” Kaeya said, his lips slightly turned up into a sly smile. “I’ll help you reunite with your darling Lumine.”  

---

"Does Kaeya really have to go make us fetch one of his things when he could just go get it himself?” 

“You know Kaeya and Diluc don’t get along, Paimon,” Lumine chided. “It’s Diluc’s shift at the tavern, and I know they both want to avoid talking to each other. Besides, you heard Kaeya. Jean has put a lot on his plate tonight. He’s going to end up working really late.”

“Hmph! We better be compensated for this,” Paimon huffed.

“Why is money always on your mind…”

Lumine fidgeted with her hands as she and Paimon made their way to the tavern. We’ll just go in there and get Kaeya’s belonging and get right out. They’d be out before Diluc could even start a conversation. He may not even have time to stop her, anyways. The tavern was always busiest at night, partly due to the night drinkers and partly due to all the women that flocked to see their favorite bachelor. 

When they’d finally reached the entrance, Lumine slowed to a stop, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. She dreaded even the idea of Diluc confronting her after what he heard earlier that week. If she’d had her way, she would have continued to avoid him as long as necessary until he forgot or she was forced to clear the air. But she was doing this for Kaeya. As long as she kept that in mind, she could perform her task with ease.

Turning the knob, Lumine and Paimon stepped into the establishment, immediately greeted by the sight of Diluc at the bar. Lumine’s eyes locked with his as the door softly clicked shut behind her. 

“Lumine…”

Heat flooded up into Lumine’s cheeks as she stammered out a response. “I just came here to grab something for Kaeya. He said he left it over here—”

When she turned her head towards the area where the missing item should have been, however, she finally realized that the rest of the tavern was empty.

“Where is everyone?” Paimon asked, confusion evident in her tone. “It should be really busy right now.”

“Kaeya didn’t forget something in here.”

Lumine and Paimon snapped their heads back to Diluc, eyebrows raised in a mixture of shock and complete confusion. “How would you know, Master Diluc?”

“Because,” Diluc began, taking in a breath, “I asked him to get you to come here. I had him lie to you. I’m sorry.”

“Wait, you arranged this? And with the brother you can’t stand? Man, Paimon is so confused!”

“I wanted an opportunity to talk to you, Lumine.”

Lumine’s heart skipped a beat in her chest. “Me?”

“Yes. No one else will be coming into the tavern for tonight. I closed it early so that we could talk in private.”

“Oh, no, this is about what happened this week, isn’t it?” Paimon sighed. “Just when we were trying so hard to keep this scenario from happening.”

Lumine could only stand in shock, a pit of anxiety forming in her stomach. She’d tried so hard to avoid a confrontation like this, and yet…

“I suppose I at least deserve to answer your questions,” Lumine sighed, her voice shaking slightly.

“I’m not trying to interrogate you,” Diluc said, noticing the anxiety in her tone. “In all honesty…” Diluc hid his blushing face behind his gloved hand. “I just wanted to see you. I hadn’t seen you for several days, and I’d begun to miss your presence.” 

“You...missed me?”

Diluc bit the corner of his lip, avoiding Lumine’s eyes. “I’ve been so used to seeing you nearly every day, hearing about what happened in your day, discussing our interests, listening to the things that trouble you. I suppose when you stopped showing up I realized that I had been taking your friendship for granted. My days just felt rather...empty.”

Lumine had rehearsed what she would say if she ended up in this exact predicament, but at Diluc’s confession, she was at a loss for words. She simply couldn’t think of the right thing to say, how to respond to such an honest admittal, especially from someone she knew tended to be rather reserved. She’d prepared to answer questions, not to be left speechless.

It seemed Diluc also failed to find the right response. Lumine watched as his gaze flickered downwards, staring at the wooden floorboards. That’s when she decided she couldn’t just let his words hang in the air, not when he pushed himself to get his feelings out in the open.

“My days felt empty without you, too.”

Diluc’s head snapped back up at her words, a thousand questions evident in his wide-eyed gaze. 

“I know it was immature for me to think that I could just run away and ignore my problems. But I didn’t even consider that I would end up hurting you, too. I was just too embarrassed to see you.”

Diluc let out a small sigh of relief. “It’s all right. I understand.” A hint of a smile appeared on his lips, cheeks growing pink once again. “I know I wasn’t meant to hear those words of yours, but I was flattered to hear them all the same. Though I don’t believe I deserve half the praise you give me.”

“That’s not true!” Lumine exclaimed. She could feel heat rush up into her own face, but she pushed through the bashfulness.  “You’ve been nothing but kind to me ever since I got here. You help the people of Mondstadt without ever stopping to wait for a compliment. Everything you do comes from the willingness of your own heart.” Lumine shook her head, her light laughter filling the tavern “You’re always so humble, Diluc. Your goodness and virtue is what makes you so attractive in my eyes. But, you also are breathtakingly beautiful...It’s really no wonder that I hear so many girls mention it.”

“I…” Diluc tried to formulate the right words, but ended up shielding his face with his hands again, unable to restrain his flustered laughter. “I don’t think anyone has ever made me at a loss of words. You’re really something.”

Slowly the two locked gazes once again, warm smiles on their faces. The awkwardness had given way to a new feeling in the atmosphere. A quiet yearning whispering throughout the dimly lit tavern, the creation of embers steadily growing into a flame. 

“Can I hope to see you here, again?” Diluc asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Lumine whispered, pink dusting her cheeks. “I wouldn’t want to leave you lonely again.”

“Well, perhaps we can catch up on the events of this week over some drinks.” Diluc gestured over to the bar, Lumine taking a seat, head propped up on her arm as she smiled. Diluc placed his arms on the bar’s surface, leaning forward as his eyes locked with hers. “Well, what will it be?”

[out-of-this-dimension]

Hypothetically Rewriting Assault’s Story + Some General Assault Opinions

There’s a game my husband and I like to play when we watch a movie, play a game, or read a book that has a story that we don’t really enjoy or we enjoy certain parts of but not others.  We look at things we’d keep and things we’d change and we build a story from there-- sort of like an AU but we don’t really go into the writing part, we just stick to theorizing and mapping a general story.

I decided to play that game with Star Fox.  Not because I think Star Fox has a bad story but because sometimes I think the stories could have been handled better.  Note: for the rewrite game, I only really look at story, even for video games, I don’t really look at gameplay mechanics, but I do understand those have a lot to do with story potential so I do take it in as a factor... I just don’t bother to “rewrite” the mechanics, if that makes any sense at all.  Some of my list today will include boss encounters but I wouldn’t necessarily say those are mechanic-related... more like “event-related”.

I’ve mused a bit in the past about rewriting Adventures and Command and I do have plans to do a mock up of an Adventures remake eventually.  However, today I was thinking about how I would go about handling an Assault re-write in particular.  Much like Command and Adventures, I don’t have any beef with the core story but I do think there’s a few things that could’ve been better about Assault’s storyline-- like they had good ideas rolling but they didn’t quite refine them.

Under the cut because SUPER long.

My basic feelings on Assault are pretty positive.  I think the game is generally just fun and I like that it feels like the natural progression from SF64.  I liked getting to see planets we haven’t seen since the N64 era in better graphics and I liked seeing Star Wolf return.  I also just thought the aparoids were neat enemies. 

Generally speaking, though, when it comes to Assault, I think it suffers from the thing it tries to push the most-- the story.  I think a lot of people get caught up in thinking the story is better than it is because it’s the first game since SF64 that really follows the same Star Fox vibe without retelling the Lylat Wars.  Don’t get me wrong, the overall plot is great but the execution and pacing are... wonky.  Certain characterizations also take a hit in some regards but no one really talks about that when Command exists. That’s something we’ll talk about later on with this post.

That being said, Assault really does have a lot good going for it.  An absolute banger of a soundtrack, some great dialogue, a neat story synopsis, the introduction of cool characters like Panther and Beltino (who existed but was always off-screen), and just good levels.  

So, here’s what I would add, I suppose, if I were to somehow have the ability to rewrite Assault.  Originally I had this in paragraph form, but I’ve made it into more of a list under topic segments with main points bolded for your viewing pleasure.  Some of these points might be considered nitpicky and while I do understand that yes, this is a game about space animals, I do hold the developers in high enough regard to make a game with a continuity that makes sense.

The Story Changes

- Reduce Pigma’s storyline in Assault.  This is the biggest one for me because a bulk of the plotline feels like a giant chase to just get at Pigma and it feels like it derails from the actual plot with the aparoids.  We only go to Sargasso because of Pigma.  We only go to Fichina and then back to Meteo again, because of Pigma.  That’s 3 levels in a 10 level game devoted to just tracking down Pigma and chasing him.  While it makes the build up to fighting Pigma kind of nice, I personally feel like the plot could be reduced to 2 levels.  If Assault overall was a longer game, I could see them making it 3 levels.  Overall, though, in its current state, I feel like the side plot overstays its welcome and the aparoids promptly get shoved to the side in favor of “Oh no, we gotta get to Pigma!” And I get the main motive here is to show how the aparoids affect people and because of the build up, it does a good job at showing how utterly terrifying the aparoids are.  But it’s still too long given the length of Assault’s story. The only alternative to this is make Assault longer, which... honestly, it should be.  

- Revise the scene with Tricky.  I’m obviously not well-versed in dinosaur biology but I’m pretty sure dinos didn’t grow that fast from what studying I HAVE done.  And why is he suddenly king now?  Did his parents die?  He seems not affected by this at all?  Like it’s a funny scene with him, Fox, and Krystal, but it’s odd if you really look at it.  Give us, as players, more context because I’m still not even sure what happened to make Tricky suddenly the leader and... big.  As a note, you’re gonna hear me gripe a lot about the Sauria level in this post.

- The Star Wolf + Peppy sacrifice is a low effort way to raise tension/stakes and then cop out.  Oldest trick in the book, imo, is to act like you’re going to kill off important characters only for them to be alive miraculously.  And let’s face it, as an audience we all know they aren’t going to kill those characters because it’s Nintendo and those characters are too beloved.  I would’ve forgiven them for only doing this with Peppy or Star Wolf, but when you tack them both together and throw in the fact they make it seem like you’re going to have to kill General Pepper too... yeah, it’s just a bit much of the same trope over and over again.  I wanted to put a note in here about how I’m fine with the Great Fox being “sacrificed” but overall, it needed to return to the series because of it’s icon status, but I think that’s more of a gripe at Command instead of Assault.

- Keep Pigma alive.  This will conflict with a point I have later on about the game consistently having characters cheat death for easy drama points but with Pigma, I would’ve kept him fully alive... but maybe with some physical damage from the aparoids.  I understand he’s semi-alive in Command and tbh I don’t know where I stand on that.  Why keep Pigma alive, you might ask?  I feel like his character has a lot more potential than being “just the greedy guy”.  Like he’s got good potential future villain material for future games and... if I’m honest?  I just don’t see Nintendo wanting to keep Pigma dead so why even bother killing him off?  They couldn’t even commit to him being dead in Command anyways so it seems very moot.

- Bring Bill and Katt back.  Assault is acts a bit like a big reunion of all of our SF64 favorites but our two favorite side characters are suspiciously missing.  Wouldn’t Bill be out on the front lines fighting against Andrew in the beginning?  Or maybe back in Katina?  And wouldn’t Katt inevitably show up in the midst of the invasion, maybe to pointedly check in on Falco?

- Bring Andrew back for the final fight. I think Andrew being defeated early into the game is fine overall but I think bringing him back in for a reunion final fight against the aparoids would serve to really solidify that it’s really everyone vs the invading aparoid force.  It would show that not only is Star Wolf willing to put aside their differences but so is basically everyone in the Lylat System in the name of survival.  Imagine the Venomians and Cornerians working together against an aparoid fleet, giving Star Fox and Star Wolf time to attack the queen?  I just think it’d be neat and it’d open up the potential for some fun banter mid-mission.  I do understand that quite a few people consider Andrew canonically dead after Assault but personally, I feel that his defeat left his fate questionable (I’m a staunch believer that unless there’s a body, they’re probably alive, especially for Nintendo games because, again, they never like to kill people off) so him returning in Command never really bothered me.  

- In general, reconsider some of the character portrayals.  Unfortunately, when a series has a different studio for each game, character portrayals will inevitably have inconsistencies.  While I give Namco a lot of credit for putting in oodles and oodles of detail into the game (particularly the levels), I think they failed in their portrayal of Fox, at the least, and Wolf is a considerable offender as well.  While it’s obvious that Fox in Adventures was effectively modeled off of Sabre even in terms of personality, Rareware was at least able to justify Fox’s newfound jaded attitude with the passing of many years and a distinct lack of steady income, resulting in the team being in disarray.  Assault’s Fox is a stark contrast to his cynical interpretation with seemingly no explanation other than maybe “Oh, I have more money and a gf, maybe I should behave myself”.  As if the sudden change in personality wasn’t random, Fox also just seems very blah, like a blank slate stereotypical shooter game protagonist dude with little to no emotion.  Wolf is less obvious but gets slated into a mentor-like role midway through the game and ends up in a respectful rivalry with Fox... which there’s nothing inherently wrong with that except for it happening abruptly (and, I mean, Peppy is right there).  But I take less issue with this and more of an issue with the fact that there’s an entire level establishing that Wolf now runs a crime den with effectively what seems to be an army and no one bats an eye at this.  He doesn’t even call on them to help with the aparoids.  Did they all die when the aparoids attacked Meteo?  Are they safe somewhere else?  Where do they go?  How was Sargasso able to operate without the CDF being on their doorstep with warrants for arrests?

- Don’t kill all the dinosaurs.  A bit of a dramatic statement but the ending screen that showed all the damage to Sauria really bothered me.  While I understand that the dinosaurs had less of a chance against the aparoids than a more technology-focused society like Corneria, I was a bit disappointed that the decision was made to just state that a lot of tribes had been wiped out.  I know this could easily be retconned in a future game and I feel like it should be.  “But why, Amalia?  Why are you disappointed by that?”  1) It’s a little too grimdark for my tastes.  2) The fact it all happened off-screen felt very hand-wavy.  And 3) It brings into question the entire point of Adventures.  Why did we bother to save this planet if it was going to be reduced to rubble and ash 1 year later?  Where were the Krazoa in all of this?  Why did they not make an appearance at all to try to stop the invasion with their alleged powers?  It just raises too many weird questions and I feel like Namco didn’t think it through too much.  Which I mean, sure.  Family, kiddo game.  I’m not asking for bigbrain plot and lore but I’m squinting at this bit because it does feel very contrary to the lore from the previous game.

- Make the aparoids more relevant.  As nice as it is to have a random bad guy from another galaxy, I feel like there was more that could be done with the aparoids in terms of their origins.  Tiny things, mind you, not huge revelations.  Off the top of my head, they could have been tied into Krystal’s backstory to help alleviate some of the complaints that she was too random to be added to the series’ main cast.  Alternatively, they could have been a product of Andross or even a weapon prototype from Corneria that fled the lab (I actually thought the game was leaning in that direction for a bit then just Nothing Happened).  I get that the vagueness of their origins leaves room for people to speculate and speculation is nice but... when you leave too many things unknown, it starts to feel less like giving fans room to interpret and more like just doing random things for the sake of it.  I think a lore tidbit here or there would work wonders for the aparoids instead of leaving them as just borg/zerg clones.

Level-Based Changes

- Add either Aparoid RedEye or Aparoid General Scales as a boss to Sauria.  Given that this level mysteriously lacks a boss, which is just weird compared to the other levels, I think that they had the opportunity to add something cool to go along with the cinematic feel they were going for with Assault.  Assault’s cutscenes do play in a movie-like fashion and it’s clear they’re trying to make the game as epic as possible.  It’s a shame they had so much fodder for a great boss here but they failed to go through with it.  Alternatively: Add a Krazoa-Aparoid fusion.  Why?  Because Star Fox is about cool epic sci-fi and that would be cool epic sci-fi incarnate.

- Add a boss to the Aparoid Homeworld Level, aka the penultimate level.  Another one I felt was personally weird that there was no “final defense system” to challenge the team.  Would be cool to do an aerial battle over the aparoid planet with some giant flying aparoid.

- Be kinder to Sauria.  The level had some good homages but overall was incredibly small and incredibly short.  It felt like a bone tossed to Adventures fans but was not entirely true to the setting built by Rareware.  I’m... not even sure where the Sauria level is supposed to take place?  I presume it’s Walled City but it doesn’t really have the same color scheme or aesthetic?  Also where is my revised Adventures music?  Why do all the other levels get it but Sauria doesn’t? 

- Put some of those funky items from the multiplayer into the main campaign.  I don’t know why some of these things, items especially, were omitted unless it was purely due to time constraints.  I remember having missile launchers and jetpacks in the multiplayer and was a bit sad that they were not in the main campaign.  Retuning the levels and adding those in would be a nice breath of fresh air for the more tedious on-foot missions.

- More levels.  Self-explanatory.  Still sad we didn’t get the Zoness or Titania levels in the single-player mode.  

I think all of the above changes would improve the game, though I recognize all of this is being said 16 years later after lots of time to contemplate Assault’s weaker points.  I’m not entirely certain how long Star Fox Assault took to develop but given that there’s obviously quite a bit scrapped from the game (an entire arcade mode was scrapped as well), I’m going to assume that the studio felt pressured to shove the game out the door and into the hands of customers.  It’s a shame, really, because I think a little bit longer in the oven would have done a lot of good.  Still, the product we got was good in its own right and a game that many people look back on fondly.  I haven’t gotten to replay it in years but I hope to quite soon.

You might wonder why I bothered typing this all out and I guess my point was this-- Assault was great but it wasn’t perfect, and while a lot of other games fall under a crushing amount of scrutiny, Assault seems to dodge it.  And don’t get me wrong-- I adore Assault.  But given that not many takes exist out there about rewriting it, I decided to give it a shot.  For variety’s sake.  

I do want to a mock up of a revised Assault story, which I think I will get to work on after completing this while all my ideas are still fresh in mind.  So stay tuned for that sometime in the near future.  I will also be doing my Adventures mock up at some point but probably not for a little bit as I do wanna focus some of my free time on actual fic-writing.

Anyways, if you stuck around this long, thank you for reading!  Have any changes you’d like to see to Assault if you could time machine your way back to the early 2000s?  Feel free to post in the comments, I’d love to read your ideas!

[hops-hunny]

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go!!

Pairing: Neville Longbottom x Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 2.5k

Request: @de4d-s0up“36,38,12 for Neville!❤️ fem reader and surprise me it can be fluff or smut OH OK IM EXCITED NOW😌 CONGRATS ON 300 BABES SO PROUD OF YOU<3”

Summary: (Y/n) spends so much time in Neville’s shadow that when she’s brought to the light she suffers from some massive stage fright and forgets her lines (not literally but like this sounds clever and you’ll get it soon. Just fuckin read it, yeah?

Warnings: None! A little angst but nothing too big, just majority fluff fluff fluff!

A/N: Can I just say that I love how well these flow together?? LIKE UGH YOU ALWAYS GIVE ME SOME GOOD SHIT TO WORK WITH!! This was very fun to write so tysm!

36.Admirer

38.Caught

12.“I’ve always liked you, you’ve just never noticed.”

If you were to ask (Y/n) who was the most attractive guy in the castle, she would 1000% say it was Neville Longbottom. For as long as she could remember, she was absolutely mesmerized by him and with time, he had gone from the adorable little guy she’d see in the hall into a charming young man who she could not be anywhere near. Yes he had a tendency to be a bit socially awkward sometimes but if anything, that added to his charm and if anything that made it even harder to talk to him. She didn’t want to have to face such an awkward interaction on why she was approaching him despite them not being friends nor having any classes together.

So she watched from afar, following him around the halls, sticking close to him whenever she could. It wasn’t in a creepy way however! She just found him to be beautiful and she couldn’t help herself. The more she thought about it she did sound like a stalker but that was such a strong word. And if he didn’t know of her existence could there really be any harm to what she was doing? That’s what she thought to herself as she stood behind the pillar, observing him as he conversed with his friends. Neville was currently laughing at something Dean had said as he shoved Seamus. (Y/n) couldn’t help the smile that was beginning to form at the boy’s laughter. His smile was simply contagious, a ray of sunshine indeed! She sighed to herself softly before biting the inside of her cheek.

“I wish he’d smile at me like that.” she murmured softly as to not alert them of her presence. If only she could speak, say even just one word to him. But alas, anytime she even attempted an utterance of a word her brain would short circuit and she went running the opposite way. It just wasn’t fair! She held tightly onto her books as dust fell from above her head, her (e/c) eyes growing wide as dust made its way into her nose. “O-oh no. Please, please ple-” she was cut off by the exact thing she didn’t want, a loud sneeze. She groaned, training her eyes to the ground in front of her. However if her luck wasn’t bad already a familiar pair of brown shoes stopped right in front of her. (Y/n) quickly snapped her head up looking at the boy of her affections. Neville stood in front of her, searching the pocket of vest for something until he pulled out a pale yellow handkerchief.

“You alright, love? That was some sneeze.” He said, holding out the small fabric to her as he offered her a small smile. She was stunned, Neville was talking to her. She kept her eyes locked with him with a shocked expression mouth agape. ‘Don’t just stand there!! Speak! Move! Do SOMETHING!!’. She slowly began to take small steps backwards, shaking her head ‘no’ frantically as she ran off down the hallway not even noticing she had dropped the little brown leather notebook she always kept on her. The gryfindor boy made a soft frown as he reached down, picking up the book. He flipped it open looking for a name relieved when he found a name on the inner cover. “(Y/n) (L/n), 6th year. Huh, I wonder why I’ve never seen her before?” He said to no one in particular as he walked back to Seamus and Dean who were laughing at the scene that had just played out in front of them.

“Geez Nev, we knew you were bad with women but that’s a whole new level!” Seamus choked out through laughs, reaching a freckled hand up to wipe the tears that had formed in his state of hysteria.

“Yeah seriously! What the hell did you even say?” Dean said, coming down from his laughter. Neville frowned some, shrugging his shoulders as he scratched the back of his head.

“I’ve got no clue. I saw she had sneezed and offered her my cloth and after I did that she just ran off! Is there something in my teeth? Do I smell bad?” He questioned, sniffing at his pits to check for any suspicious odor but found nothing but the smell of his body wash and deodorant. 

“No you don’t smell bad. Well no worse than usual that is.” Seamus said with a shrug. Neville rolled his eyes flicking him on the forehead with a scowl.

“You’re one to talk! Your natural scent is smoke and sweat, I don’t wanna hear it from you.” He grumbled out, shifting his eyes back to the book in his hands. The girl was clearly frightened of him, how was he supposed to get it back to her? “I just feel so bad, I don’t know what I did to make her so scared of me. I’ll wait a bit before I give it back to her.”

----------------------------------------

And he had done just that. (Y/n) had noticed her journal was missing but didn’t think much of it. She had a habit of losing things and assumed it would get back to her in some way and plus, it wasn’t that important. It was just filled with notes and sketches of the different mushrooms she had found on the castle grounds. Whenever she had a free period or a bit of free time on her hands, one of her favorite things to do was identify rare breeds of fungi and other various plants. And although she had missed doing that, it had only been a week and it's not like she didn’t have parchment. The only thing that was frustrating about that was that parchment and scrolls lacked the same convenience that notebooks had. (she didn’t know why Hogwarts wouldn’t just get with the times. Where were they, Camelot?)However she had faith one of her friends would bring it back to her. (Y/n) didn’t have many which is why she wondered what was taking so long for the return of her notebook.

“Hey guys, have you seen my notebook? You know the little brown one I always carry?” she asked, plopping down on the old worn down couch in the (y/h/h) common room.

“Hmm, nope! Last time I saw it you were carrying it. Why? Did you lose it?” Gwen said as she continued to read her book.

“You’re so bad with keeping track of things. You’d lose your head if it wasn’t on your shoulders.” Marco said, rolling his eyes at his friend's irresponsible behavior.

“Oh come on that was ONE time! When the potion said it’d blow your head off I didn’t think it meant quite literally!” she huffed out, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. Her eyes lit up as she was reminded of a detail. “And besides, didn’t you drink that exact potion afterwards because you wanted to know what it felt like to have no head?”

Marco was silent, whistling as he avoided eye contact with his friend before his eyes landed on a familiar lanky brunette holding a certain little book that had been missing. “Hey, isn’t that the guy you fancy? He’s got your book!” he said, pointing in the direction in which Neville was coming from. (Y/n) gasped, gathering her stuff as she muttered something about ‘being late to class’ but right as she stood up, she was yanked back down by Gwen. “Woah, not so fast track star! How are you going to get your book if you leave?”

“Y-you can give it to me! Tell him you know me. See ya!” she said standing back up but once again, she was yanked back down. “Would you quit it?!”

“No can do buckeroo. You’ve gotta get your book back somehow. Neville’s a pretty honorable guy, I highly doubt he’s gonna give your book to some people who could possibly know you. He’d wanna give it directly to you himself.” Gwen said, still not looking up from her book. (Y/n) let out a defeated sigh. She was right. Neville is the type to make sure to get back a lost item to the person themselves to avoid any chance of them not receiving it. She knew that better than anyone.

Neville wiped his free hand on his pants leg, eliminating the thin layer of sweat that had gathered on it. He was nervous to say the least. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any female friends, it was just that the female friends he did have didn’t look at him like he was you-know-who himself. Since their last meeting, he had thought about the girl a lot. He couldn’t recall seeing her before and he wasn’t the type of person people hated without any rhyme or reason so it baffled him. Someone found him intimidating? That was a new one! Neville had taken the liberty of asking his friends what he could do to be more welcoming for people but they all just seemed to laugh in his face or scoff. 

He found the question to be an absurd one for him to be asking too but for some reason, all he wanted to do was be less scary. Less scary and more approachable to the girl so maybe, maybe he could talk to the mysterious beauty who he’d never notice. That was another thing that made him quite angry. In all his years of Hogwarts, how hadn’t he noticed such a rose in its prime? Even in her frazzled state her refinement was more than apparent. She had beautiful glowing (e/c) eyes, the cutest little nose, and two beautiful petals that were more commonly known as lips. Even now as he got closer and she had that same damn look on her face, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on and he had done a lot more than just laying his eyes on girl’s.

“I-I believe this belongs to you?” He said, holding the book out in front of her. However, all the girl did was stare up at him with wide (e/c) eyes and her pretty little lips parted in horror. The girl to her right cleared her throat, nudging her not so blasé

 in her action. (Y/n) shifted to her eyes before quickly bringing them back to Neville as she closed her mouth. “Well it’s not that I believe it belongs to you, I know it’s yours. You dropped it when you ran away from me the other day.” He said looking away as he scratched the back of his head with his hand, running his fingers through his luscious locks of brown. “Now that I think about it, that doesn’t automatically make it yours. I’m sorry for assuming! You could’ve been holding onto it for a friend or or-”

“It’s hers. Thank you Neville, that was very kind of you and I’m sure (Y/n) appreciates it. Right (Y/n)?” Gwen asked, handing her the book from the boy's hands. (Y/n) just continued to stare. No movement, no indication that she did appreciate it.

“I’ve always liked you, you just never noticed.” she said softly, continuing on with her intense gaze. Her breath hitched as her eyes almost popped out of her head, both hands flying to her mouth. Not one person spoke, all her friend’s and Neville were just as shocked as she was at the announcement. “No, no, no. Fuck!” she mumbled with a great emphasis on the last word. She quickly stood up, running away making sure to not forget her book this time. 

(Y/n) continued to whip and run through the hallway, going as fast as her legs could carry her. She paid no mind to where she was going and quite frankly she didn’t care. Anywhere far away from Neville was good enough. If him catching her behind the pillar that day was the biggest embarrassment of the year, this was the biggest embarrassment of the century. How could she speak so freely, so carelessly? All those years of sneaking around, admiring him from a far were thrown down the drain. Things would never be able to go back to how they were without him noticing her there. She slid down the wall, pulling her knees to her chest as she sobbed loudly. It didn’t matter, no one came to this hallway so she didn’t have to think about what would happen if someone heard her. She sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve before glancing at the book at her side. Out of a fit of rage she picked it up, throwing it at the wall in front of her. She watched as the book fell with a thud, pages open to a random observation she had made about a spore specimen.

“I’m starting to think I’m bad luck. It appears as though anytime I’m around, you’ve got tears coming out of those pretty little eyes of yours.” Neville said softly, kneeling in front of the girl. (Y/n) brought her head up, (e/c) eyes staring into hazel ones.

“You...you think my eyes are pretty?” she questioned, tilting her head some as she sat up a bit straighter. Neville reached forward, gripping her small hand in his much larger one.

“Not just pretty, the prettiest. After I met with you that first time, I couldn’t stop thinking about them all night. Despite how horrified you looked at me, they were still the prettiest shade of (e/c) I’d ever seen.” He said, smiling softly at the girl’s flustered expression. “You know I’m a bit relieved to know that you like me.”

“R-really? Why’s that?” (Y/n) questioned, gripping his hand back as he helped pull her off the ground.

“Because, that means you don’t think of me as some scary monster! I was beginning to grow quite worried, y’know?” He said, chuckling a bit. (Y/n) gasped, smacking him on the shoulder a bit.

“Hey! I was not that bad….was I?” she asked, looking into his eyes. Neville bit his lip, looking away from her. “Oh come on! Can you blame me though? I’ve had a crush on you since we were on the train to Hogwarts for the first time. I remember I was so angry that I wasn’t the one who found Trevor for you.” she said, clinging onto his arm a bit. Neville looked a bit shocked at that revelation. Most girls didn’t pay him much attention till around 5th year, had she really liked him for that long?

“Does that mean that this,” he leaned down, pecking her on the lips before pulling away, “Was your first kiss?” He asked. (Y/n) had that same expression she had during the encounter a bit ago however this time, something was a bit different. She gripped his shirt before bringing his lips back down to hers kissing him with feverish intensity. Neville let out a small moan, gripping at her waist tightly as he pinned her against the wall causing her feet to dangle in the air.

(Y/n) was right on something, things would never be the same. But sometimes change was good. That was proven to her as Neville had his tongue down her throat.

[arsquare]

5, 10 and 13 For the art ask game!

Hi Malz <3

least favorite thing to draw

LOL there are so many things I don't like to draw... backgrounds... cars... guns... the list goes on and on... (not quite related but. perhaps you've noticed that despite my voluminous contributions to birdmen fanart in recent times I've casually dodged out of drawing the birds transformed time and time again. there's a reason for that. it's too hard. the markings drive me insane and the wings make creating compositions hell on earth </3)

But! If I had to pick ONE thing that I dislike more than all others, I would probably choose complex cityscapes! More organic landscapes I can just freehand, at least to a certain degree, but cityscapes require a more refined use of perspective and idk. me and the CSP rulers kind of have a long-standing rivalry, I still don't like it that much, which makes cityscapes a huge pain

how many different sketches do you usually have until your piece is finished

LOL... if I have more than one sketch before I do the linework I'm already like "that's way too much". I'm super impatient...

Like for Breaking Stasis I basically used my storyboards as the rough sketch (don't do this lol) because I needed to go fast. Here's a couple of examples...

I went from this kinda messy sketch (storyboards as well in a certain sense) directly to the clean lines. idk what's wrong with me tbh. I'm just lazy I guess

It also depends on how well I can draw the character in question. Like my birds?? from birdmen??? I could probably draw rei eishi takayama and umino pretty well freehanded (kamoda. my bald son kamoda. you're so hard to draw. the line between A bald guy and MY bald guy is razor thin and I often end up on the wrong side of the line)

If I've never drawn the character before? Lollll I probably have to do more detailed drawings...

Sometimes my sketches will be my final as well LMAO. just depends <3

Even for paintings I think I usually go sketch -> colors LOL

^^ shitty pencil sketch that's been tweaked a bit for the sake of composition

^^ directly painting without intervention like a madman????

This one is the one I had the most sketches for in recent memory. It's cause I have a hard time keeping them all in scale with each other (and STILL I failed to take into account how the various platform boots would change their heights. dont think about this too hard please don't think about this too hard), and also because these aren't outfits I'm used to drawing (so not collared shirts or suits, basically...) I had to do a rough and a clean before the final

so yeah anywhere from 0-2, 3 if we're REALLY pushing it (the question asked how many sketches, not how many layers... I do have more layers but I consider them all part of the same sketch)

how long do you usually take on a piece

LMAO THIS IS SUCH A HARD QUESTION. WHAT IS "A PIECE". DEFINE A PIECE.

The fastest stuff are my MS Paint doodles like he is eating raw cloves of garlic like jellybeans or food service Shichiro. I spend no more than 10 or 15 minutes TOPS per illustration on these. like I'm moving fast okay. it's like milk left out in the kitchen it's gonna go bad and stop being funny if I spend too long on it!!!

The next fastest would be short comics in the same spirit as the MS Paint doodles except it's just. not in MS paint it's in CSP instead. like does eishi support birdmen rights or takaeishi horror movie night. I think the cap for these are probably closer to like, 20 minutes per illustration/panel. but these are also almost explicitly always for funnies and again. the joke spoils if I spend too long on it!! gotta be quick!! gotta be speedy!!!

the next fastest stuff is probably colored sketches like Kekkaishi dress sketches or Shinichi birthday kisses. the time starts to get more variable as the complexity changes.. I think maybe an hour to an hour and a half for these?

Beyond that I have to split things up into multiple sittings and it gets harder to time them. Lined and colored artwork maybe takes... four to ten hours on average?? Like for Yoshitoki vibes, ganbare shinichi-kun, and the Lower One's Eyes thumbnail. I'm guessing around 15-20 hours for lineless paintings like Conductor Robin and Reieishi Tattoo Kiss? (<- idk the ship name for them because I don't think it exists actually)

For actual like. big projects. idk how to even measure that chief!! Breaking Stasis was completed in 2 months but I was working my ass off that entire time. like close to the end, like the last week or two I was basically drawing the entire day to crank it out. I don't know how many that is, but hundreds, perhaps? LOL

The music videos too, they're taking up QUITE a chunk of time but I have no idea how to measure that LMAO. oops </3

[roxytonic]

strive to be prolific

tried skimming through some updates on the Obsidian.md discord server and i found that quote that details the conflict/imbalance between really refined taste, and really bad skill:

For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. [It has potential, but it's not.] But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know [...] went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

yesterday i was just looking at that conflict/imbalance, going "ok that explains my struggle with writing" but it was only until maybe an hour ago that i realized the implicit message is that, to close the gap, you have to be prolific. Ira Glass even says that the key thing is to "do a lot of work". i honestly fell out of love with visakanv's advice to "strive to be prolific" because i'm not prolific, but on the other hand, being prolific is the only way you get that corpus you can look at more objectively. so seeing another person articulate that same idea helps cement that in my mind.

[squarecarousel]

Interview with Elizabeth Beals

Here we are at the end, our final interview! Fittingly, we're capping it off with Elizabeth Beals, the other long standing member who has stuck around since Square Carousel's very beginning. While Elizabeth's signature style has remained instantly recognizable from Challenge 1 through Challenge 143 and counting, her skills have undoubtedly blossomed over the past decade. Today, we're catching up with our resident long haul Square Carousel member, admin, and comics professional, Elizabeth Beals!

Emma Frost

Q: Even though your art style is beautifully consistent, your work still stays fresh with each new challenge. What are the biggest aesthetic changes you notice in your work when you compare your most recent pieces to your graduation portfolio?

A: I haven’t looked at my graduation portfolio in a hot minute, it’s pretty wild seeing how far I have come. I’ve gotten better at compositions/ I’ve leaned into cooler, more saturated palettes/ have a better use of textures/ and I also don’t force myself to create a full bleed illustration if it’s not completely necessary to get the story across.

Elizabeth’s workspace

Q: Has your art making process changed at all during your post college years?

 A: Oh yeah, definitely!

In college I would thumbnail/ flesh out the comp at scale with normal mechanical pencil/ ink with a 005 micron/ erase the under drawing/ scan in the piece/ clean up in Photoshop/ then color until completion. 

Whereas I now thumbnail/ scan in the one I like/ format and print it out at a larger scale (in light blue)/ go back over the print with a blue pencil to refine details/ ‘ink’ it with a extra fine mechanical pencil/ scan it back in/ clean up in photoshop/ and then color until completion. 

And if we want to do an even deeper dive we can look at the ‘Color until Completion’ portion.

In college I would create a top layer, which was always the scan/line art set to multiply, and then I would place the coloring layers beneath it. I was just getting into textures and color holds so they were pretty crude but it was nice that I was still fussing with them.

I currently use the same process as a base but I’ve also started painting on top of the line art (like, A LOT), using overlays, adjustments, effects, and more.

Glitter Hearts

Q: What's been your favorite professional project to work on?

A: Mmmmm, I think this one’s a tie for me, the first one would be my cover run on Star Trek: TNG - Terra Incognita. It was my first cover run and the writers/ editors I got to work with were a complete and total dream. They whipped up some pretty fun concepts and I really got to stretch my art muscles for it. Plus the Ice cream I designed for issue one got worked into the story, so having a cannon ice cream design is pretty dang neat. The second would be my first OGN, Virtually Yours, with writer Jeremy Holt! It’s been a project that we’ve had waiting in the wings since 2015 and got to revamp for ComiXology Originals in 2020. It was the largest project I’ve ever worked on and it was such a tough/ joyous/ and complete learning experience for me. I was glad to have an amazing team of people to work with and you should deff check it out if you haven’t already ;D
  [Link to Virtually Yours on Comixology]

Virtually Yours cover

Q: Any non-art hobbies?

A: Baking / Cooking/ Trying out new recipes! *Chef’s Kiss* Just chilling outside in general/ soaking up some sun ( as a former So. Cal girl I miss the high/ dry heat.) Binge watching trash T.V.

Q: Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate?

A: I love all three dearly but coffee wins, hands down.

Q: What's a career goal you have for the next decade?

A: Pretty broad but I would love to get to a place where I become less dependent on private/ personal commissions and focus more on Comic Covers and Pin-up work. 

She Hulk

Q: Do you have a favorite superhero? A: Short answer, no.
 However, I can provide a short list of some of my faves: Jubilee, Storm, Rogue, Spider-Man, Anya Corazon (Spider-Girl), Spider-Gwen, Mystique, and I’m gunna end it there before I just keep rambling.

Q: What's one thing you wish more people knew about you or your work?

A: One fun thing about me/ my work is that my love of drawing hair came from wanting to create Cammy White (Street Fighter) fan art. With braids as long as her’s you gotta take your time and learn to draw them right! XD

Q: While working, do you prefer to watch tv, movies, listen to music, or sit in silence? Any recommendations for background media?

A: Definitely a TV series or movie, preferably something I’ve already seen (less potential to distract me). I always end up falling back on older shows like Murder She Wrote or Midsomer Murders, basically anything with a long syndication. When I was working on Virtually Yours though I would have HBO’s Gentleman Jack on. It’s a newer series with only one season but it served as a good timer/ work schedule for me.

Star Trek TNG: Terra Incognita (issue 6)

Q: If you could choose one character from the Star Trek universe to befriend, who would it be and why? A: To avoid getting too crazy, I think I’m gunna limit myself to TNG (plus I have the most knowledge of that series) and go with Guinan. She’s wise beyond her years (if you could believe that), funny, empathetic, resourceful, and makes a mean drink! And not to break the 4th wall or anything, but it’s freakin’ Whoopi Goldberg!!! ;D

Elizabeth herself

Q: Excellent choice! Anything else you would like the readers to know?

A: Just that y’all are fantastic and we appreciate all the love and support you’ve shown us over that last 10 years! Thanks for letting us go out on a high note!

P.S. Stay safe. Stay healthy. And get vaccinated <3

You heard her folks! Thanks so much to Elizabeth for sharing her answers, and to you, dear readers, for getting to know us all at the Square Carousel Collective these past years.  Check out Elizabeth’s website, and follow her on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram for fresh art as soon as it drops!

[lululawrence]

When you see this, share a snippet of your WIP

“Liam, what the fuck,” Harry cried, bursting into Liam’s office.

Liam looked up from his computer and smiled widely at Harry. “Hey! How’d the first practice go?”

“Liam,” Harry hissed. “This is a soccer team.”

Liam stared at Harry as if he was waiting for more information to explain why Harry was acting the way he was. 

“Yes, I do believe that’s what most Americans call the sport.”

“I’m American, Liam!” Harry cried, flapping his arms a little, looking around the room as if that should help clarify. “I have a ridiculously nasal accent that sounds harsh and stupid compared to whatever refined sounding gibberish most of the people in this area speak, and you know I’m a dumbass kid from Salt Lake City who just so happened to go against the grain and fell in love with football. What the hell gave you the idea that I knew anything about soccer?”

As Harry continued with his little rant, Liam’s face began to pale and his expression began to fall into one of fear. 

“All these years, when you were talking about football, you meant American football?” Liam asked slowly.

“Yes!” Harry punctuated his affirmation with a hysterical sounding laugh. “Of course I did!”

“I just thought you were calling it football because you were talking to me,” Liam said, eyes looking a little wild. “You basically translated the other terms you knew for me, remember? You said you wanted to help me feel more at home since I was basically half a world away?”

Harry smiled a little at the memory. He’d forgotten he had done that. He’d been obsessed with England for a little bit in middle school, so when Liam moved to Salt Lake for a couple of months in high school Harry tried to impress him. Apparently it had worked a little too well and now, fourteen years later, one small misunderstanding had landed them in a huge pot of hot water.

“I was so sad the deal fell through for your family and you weren’t able to stay,” Harry said, shaking his head. “But now, I’m kind of freaking out. If you had stayed even one more month, you very quickly would have realized that the football gear I wore to practice included a helmet and shoulder pads, not just shin guards and cleats.”

“Fuck,” Liam whispered, covering his face. “Fuck, what did you even do to cover for yourself at practice?”

“I was a complete dipshit and blanked,” Harry cried. “I told them I just wanted to observe them and take notes today.”

Liam let out a breathy laugh of surprise. “And they bought it?”

Harry nodded. “For now, yeah.”

“Fucking hell,” Liam cursed, sounding even more stressed than he already had. “What are we going to do?”

“Well, I signed a fucking contract,” Harry said, throwing himself down into the fancy chair positioned in front of Liam’s desk. “A contract in which you’re paying me far too much money considering I don’t know the sport. So I’m going to go home and learn as much about it as I can tonight so when I show up tomorrow I don’t look like a complete ass.”

Liam looked up at Harry in surprise. “Wait, you’re still going to do this?”

Harry nodded and shrugged. “Well, yeah. I’m here for you, and I really am a fucking good coach. It is unfortunate I don’t know the sport as well as I do mine, but I do think I could still help in some ways. Even I could see there was a huge lack of communication and teamwork on the field today, and I don’t even know the names of the different positions on the field.”

“God, I know,” Liam sighed. “It’s gotten so bad.”

“Yeah,” Harry said before placing his hands on the armrests of his chair. Pushing himself up and out of it, he stood there, and looked at Liam. “So. I’ll do what I can and cover both of our asses as best as possible. It’s your name on the line just as much as mine, if not more.”

Liam sighed and looked up at Harry. “Thanks. I’m sorry I got us into this mess.”

Harry shook his head. “It’s my own fault for not looking further into it and just agreeing rather than asking for details.”

“It was just such a rush. We were so desperate, I didn’t even think…”

“It’s fine,” Harry said. He felt determined now. They were both going to be a laughing stock if anyone ever found out. “It’ll all be fine.”

“Thanks, mate,” Liam said. “Keep me updated, yeah? I’ll help as much as I can, but honestly I’m kind of buried with everything right now.”

“Sure thing,” Harry said, smiling. “I’ve gotta go. I have a lot of catching up to do.”

And with that, he drove back to his new apartment and got to work.