#i actually drew this before the more recent sonic i posted

[bluuscreen]

movieverse, i guess? man idk

[livewireprojects]

Nicky and Sonic

This pic was originally posted February 11, 2021 on DA. I'm slightly surprised I never posted this here before because I made posts in the past(and recently for Sonadowtober 2024) that involve Nicky.

Slight warning I ramble a lot & at one point complain about Amy. I'm sorry I just had some stuff to rant about involving the writing.

Here's a sketch I drew of Nicky & Sonic from the manga series for Sonic published by Shogakukan in my style. Nicky in his "N" sweater & some jeans while Sonic is in sports wear & a jacket based off his/Nicky's dad's pilot jacket.(Also has a hairband to keep his bangs out of the way)

I think back in maybe 2017 or 2018(maybe I dunno) I kinda found out about a Sonic the Hedgehog manga were Sonic's name is actually Nicky with Sonic himself being an alter ego/personality that shows up sometimes.

At the time of posting this pic on DA I went to look up things about the manga & learned Sonic is not just Nicky's alter ego but him from 6 years into the future that switches places with him occasionally when needed. At some point I questioned if this was correct(It's mentioned on both the Sonic wiki & TV Tropes) & went to look stuff up which lead to learning the manga ends with Metal Sonic mistaking Nicky for Sonic. Nicky ends up gaining the confidence he needs to be a mix of him & Sonic thanks to Nicky finally fighting his fears & realizes he needs to be brave & stand up for himself instead of let others defend him.

I haven't read it but it seems kinda nice, I don't ship Amy with Sonic(main pair in the manga) partly due to their ages(I guess it works in the manga thanks to them both being 10 years old) & also because of how obsessive she gets. I got nothing against Amy(I use to not like her but I got over it), she's passionate, cares about her friends & doing what it takes to keep up with her friends(especially since most of them can speed) but her obsession with the idea of being Sonic's gf in the past was annoying. Amy seems to be kinda better in this manga but the thing that annoys me is how she seems more interested in Sonic than her own boyfriend after Sonic shows up. Yeah they're the same person but after looking around Tails seems to be the only one that is aware Sonic & Nicky are the same person(Not even Nicky knows cause he forgets what happened when Sonic took control) & it mentions Nicky feels jealous.(Like if she did know he's Sonic couldn't she say something or whatever? Nicky deserves to know. Actually Tails why didn't you say anything?)

Aside from my rambling & rants I think Nicky is adorable, he's nervous & has trouble standing up for himself & his girlfriend but he keeps trying. From what little I know Nicky seems to learn to eventually become brave. He also wants to be like his dad, who is a plane pilot. Nicky also likes the violin even if he isn't good at it. This kid makes me think of Peter Parker a little bit & it's both adorable & admirable cause he might not be brave or good at things but he keeps going & I adore characters like this.(And unfortunately traumatizing them in plots)

Nicky unintentionally sounds like my version of Sonic for my Sonic Underground stuff.(In my stuff thanks to losing his adopted parents & issues from the community he moved into after Chuck took him in Sonic became more nervous/timid & learned over time to regain some confidence/bravery) I find it interesting because I never knew about Nicky until a couple years ago but he seems like a character I'd be obsessed with.

Made a little worse by them having a lot of similarities between Nicky & my Lost Prince SU Sonic.

Both play instruments(Sonic a guitar, Nicky a violin)

Both wear glasses

Both have a sister(Nicky has one sibling named Tania. Sonic has two bio siblings, Sonia & Manic then also two adopted siblings, Cream & later on Tails)

Both are timid & over time learn to overcome their problems

Both wear red(Sonic is in a red shirt & later a red zip up hoodie, Nicky is sometimes depicted in a red t-shirt with "N" on it & usually depicted in some art & in a lot of fanart having a red sweater/turtle neck sweater with a "N" on it)

Needless to say I unintentionally made my own version of Nicky without knowing it until learning about him in recen years. My version of Sonic is Nicky if he had trauma & tried to hide behind a "mask" based on his brother(Manic's) personality that later on thanks to amnesia he forgot where it came from over time.

In conclusion Nicky has a special spot in my heart & I seem to enjoy trying to find ways to put him into plot ideas.(Which includes an idea I need to work on)

[silvershayde]

ok, your mot recent/current fandom interest, any stories you have for that? absolutely doesn't have to be transformers if it aint that

if not then more on the history of your terran predacons au pls <33

Okay so sadly I haven't done anything new recently. Thank Uni for that. But I dived into my files on anything I might've written or anything like that because I haven't picked up a pen of any kind in a while except for that one time I drew one of my ocs that was a product of a jujutsu kaisen fixation. Not to mention the AU I have actually posted about, the Sonic Acaesia one, is very much due for an overhaul especially considering so many things have changed. Like the fact that some characters who were initially part of the main story just aren't anymore.

I scoured through all my files related to transformers so I'll list the stuff down here cause its a couple of little underdeveloped things heh.

So I'll start with this one fic that I'm pretty sure was me venting. It was set tfp times and it was in second pov. I was using the concept of hanahaki's but instead of using it like unrequited feelings, I was using it as a "keep any emotions bottled up and unsaid and boom, coughing up flowers time". I reread it for the first time just now and it did bring out the feels so I'm reserving that for when I'm really Going Through It. Oh and it was called "the weeds in my garden are consuming me".

Here's like a lil excerpt for you lol and yes it was written in second pov because why not

Sadly no new things about my decepticon experiment au. i haven't thought of it for some time now honestly. I've been caught up with a fic that's only kind of doing the same thing so like not in mind at all. It's very much scratching that itch for me and I'm not exactly fully fully into transformers right now so likeeeeee.

BUT! I don't exactly remember what I have said about my predacon au, which should make talking about it easier.

So I should probably preface this by saying that even though I do call this the predacon/dracatron au, they only become a focus in the second arc (i guess) of the story when the Cybertronians that left Cybertron before the war started ended up on Earth. Then in the last arc they be coexisting with the cybertronians and by this point in time the Cybers (Earth-born cybertronians) are also out and about.

I made it a note that out of 13 ships that left cybertron, only ten made it to earth. Each ship came from one of the city states or whatever but did NOT name their new settlements after where there were from, yknow new settlements and all. However, those from off world do still go by the cities they know. For example Beatpulse is from Praxus so she is still known as Beatpulse of Praxus. When she changed her name to Kardia, she's known as Kardia of Notion. If that makes sense. Situations like Kardia only happen to those that changed their name, something something new starts. But aside from that usually you can tell if a mech is a Cybertronian or a Cyber based off which cities they go by. As much as I'd like to say it doesn't cause divide sometimes, it does.

Here's the cities and their earth equivalents:

Kaon -> Quantum

Iacon -> Vertex

Praxus -> Notion

Polyhex -> Neural

Altihex -> Neurone

Crystal City -> Diamond

Vos -> Ambit

Simfur -> Helix

Tarn -> Patron

Kalis -> Prism

I also kinda just took the concept of city-speakers and just made it my own. Something something over time the meaning of words and titles change. A rhetoric arose when they arrived on earth that essentially meant that the city is the people not the place. So a city-speaker is literally just a political position where they speak for their people in a sort of council. I don't know politics so I'm just leaving it at that. Diamond's city-speaker shenanigans are usually top gossip because every time elections come round something unorthodox happens over there.

I wish I was brave enough to write for this AU because it's one of the AUs i come back to mentally the most. The Sonic Acaesia AU is still like my biggest AU but again that's due for an overhaul - that happens every few years since its been simmering in my brain for so long (please if your interested send me questions i got a lot to say about it). But I digress.

Going back to the arcs, arc 1 is mainly in the perspective of Beatpulse and her life on cybertron. It came about when I was thinking of how other mechs were living whilst Megatron was protesting in the beginning like before everything hit the fan. Specifically a mech (Beatpulse in this case) wanting to learn about something that had nothing to do with her place on Cybertron. And obviously the chaos that ensues because of it.

Arc 2 is when they've reached Earth as I've mentioned early but this is the main bit where it is loosely inspired by HTTYD. I have to figure out how they are even THERE before any mechs had officially arrived but technically speaking the dracatron business is a side story in this arc. This doesn't take place in the settlement Beatpulse, who is now Kardia at this point, is a part of. But that doesn't mean she never makes an appearance ^-^. This arc follows a mech a part of the first wave of Cybers that hit these cities.

I will say though the dracatrons here are in abundance and they've been on the planet for a hot minute. I'm torn between a shockwave-esque reason as to why they are there, or some of them were preserved on cybertron and just sent of alongside one of them information pods seen in tfp, or just go the whole unicron is a planet thing and since energon is in abundance it is not farfetched to believe it was an energy source for something from the get. I will decide someday lol.

Arc 3 is... the least thought out currently. All I do know is that Cybers are everywhere at this point, there are invaders from the stars, Diamond has a new city-speaker, the mech from arc 2 is also a city-speaker, and this arc is, i think, my first proper attempt at a dark turn for a story. Usually I can't deal with crazy shit in my stories since I'm here for a fun time, but this is where my inspiration drawn from the movie Nine comes in and it's actually kinda horrific. Heh it's not a fun story. But it isn't exactly out there in terms of the plots when it comes to Transformers. I do know how that Arc ends. Maybe one day I'll write these out.

But yeah my aus concerning transformers. Sorry this took like a decade to respond I've been floating about sorta. It's been rough out here. Hope you enjoyed!

[grayseekerswritinglife]

Tricks & Treats (1/5)

Chapter One: Smoke-Bombs

Starscream locked his lab door behind him and took a long, hard look around. He was alone. There was no telltale ‘vop’ of teleportation, nor was anyone perched on his work-bench, feet swinging idly as they babbled a string of increasingly nonsensical questions.

Hey, Starscream! What about exploding snakes? That’d be cool, right? No—wait! What about sparklers that turn into snakes and then explode? I mean! One second you’re wavin’ a sparkler around, and next it turns into a snake and explodes! Wouldn’t that be nifty?

“It would not,” Starscream growled, stalking through his now-vacant lab. “It would not be the least bit ‘nifty.’ It would be a puerile, pointless waste of my time and intellect.” He yanked open a supply cupboard, grabbed a sturdy trash bag, and began clearing away the mess. There was glitter. A lot of it, in varying shades of orange, black and purple. Also various accelerants, types of fuses, scraps of hollow, articulated cable meant to resemble snakes, globs of sticky orange resin designed to bond to one’s exo-structure and look… well, gross, and—last but not least—a pumpkin-shaped mold for making inflatable gourds.

Once the last bit of ‘snake’ tubing had disappeared into the bag, Starscream allowed himself a sigh of relief. While he’d accepted long ago that the only sure way to get any uninterrupted lab-time was to appease Skywarp’s need for ever more creative pranking supplies, this event that humans called ‘Halloween’ was testing the limits of his fragile patience. He tossed the bag in the trash receptacle and trudged to his workstation where he paused, one hand on the power-switch.

“Now, where was I?” His gaze settled idly on the holocube that sat beside his workstation. It showed two explorers about to depart Cybertron on a deep space mission. Neither of them had heard of Halloween, which was probably why they both looked so optimistic. “Ah, yes,” he said as he sat down. The screen flickered to life, and the project he’d been working on three days ago, when Skywarp had first invaded his lab, appeared. Within moments he’d re-immersed himself, and was in the throes of some highly sophisticated mental calculations when someone pounded on the door.

“Go away!” Starscream shouted. “I’m busy!”

The knock came again. Louder this time, and more urgent. So much for uninterrupted lab-time. Starscream pushed his chair back with a growl, pausing just long enough to switch off his monitor before he stomped to the door. Whoever his caller was, it couldn’t be Skywarp. Skywarp wouldn’t have knocked; he would have teleported right in and started nattering about his latest prank idea. The only other likely choice was Megatron, who sometimes knocked, but wasn’t always in the mood to respect a locked door. The last thing Starscream wanted was for Megatron to see what he’d been working on. Unlike Skywarp, he might actually figure out what it was.

“I’m coming! Hold on to your trigger-guard, and—” Starscream broke off as the next round of knocks were accompanied by… yes, it was: a faint boom of thunder. A sonic boom, just strong enough to rattle the chemistry glassware on his shelves. He yanked the door open.

“Thundercracker?” Starscream stared at his Trinemate. He wasn’t used to seeing Thundercracker by himself. Normally, Skywarp was at Thundercracker’s side—when he wasn’t haunting Starscream’s lab—and his presence provided a certain buffering influence. Alone, Thundercracker looked… dangerous. Especially with his wings hiked to such an aggressive angle and his fist raised to batter the door again. Or, possibly, Starscream’s face. He looked angry enough to try it, and Starscream took an involuntary step back. “What are you doing here?”

“Is he here?” Thundercracker demanded, peering into the lab. “Please say he is.”

“Is who here?” Starscream asked, irritated at his own reaction. He was the Trineleader, for frag’s sake. He had no reason to feel intimidated by an underling. Thundercracker shoved past him and stalked into the lab, raking his gaze over the shelves, the monitors, the small berth upon which Starscream occasionally slept, and the cabinets filled with supplies and scientific apparatus. “Wow,” he muttered. “Geek Central.”

“What do you want?” Starscream demanded. It occurred to him he couldn’t recall the last time Thundercracker had set foot anywhere near his lab. His presence here seemed ominous. It also occurred to him that he had more to hide than just his secret project. The holocube on his desk was rather incriminating. Normally he shoved it well out of sight before entertaining the few visitors he got down here, but this time he’d forgotten. He edged in front of it, trying to block Thundercracker’s view. “What are you looking for?”

Thundercracker let out a sigh. “I was hopin’ he’d be with you, but…” he reached into his subspace and drew out a plain black metal box. “You know what this is, right?”

Starscream nodded. He’d recognized it instantly. Originally designed to hold specimen-jars, it had recently been repurposed to house smoke-bombs. “What about it?”

“I found it on his berth.” Thundercracker raised the lid. “It was empty. He also cleared out the compartment where he was stashing his other Halloween junk.”

“So?” Starscream adjusted his wings as he spoke, mentally gauging the optimal angle to keep the holocube from Thundercracker’s line of sight. “He’s probably commenced this… Trick-or-Treat nonsense he keeps going on about.”

Thundercracker shook his head. “Nah. He was saving all that for Halloween, which isn’t for a couple days. I checked.”

“Thirty-six hours,” Starscream corrected automatically. “But what about it? Maybe he’s getting an early start.”

“Maybe.” Thundercracker sounded doubtful. He started to pace, forcing Starscream to turn in his direction to keep his wings in the right position. “But I don’t like it.” He stopped and leveled a glare. “You couldn’t just let him have his fun, could you?”

“What?” Starscream flinched at the note of accusation in his Trinemate’s voice. “You think this is my fault?”

“Who else? You got him interested in human traditions in the first place!”

“Me? I beg your pardon?”

“You encouraged him to go looking for Santa Claus at the North Pole!”

“Just to prove there’s no such thing!”

“Well, he didn’t take it that way! He took it as encouragement.”

“But—”

“He’s also decided he’s the Easter Bunny.”

“What?”

“He’s gonna… I dunno, hide a bunch of eggs in the Command Center or… something.” Thundercracker swept a hand over his forehead, as if trying to push the thought aside. “Human traditions are so bizarre. Anyway, when he got interested in Halloween, you encouraged him.”

“I did no such thing! I merely—”

“Helped him build smoke-bombs? Yeah, exactly.” Thundercracker shook the empty box. “And all that other nonsense, the… fake snakes and stuff. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talkin’ about.”

“If you know so much, how can you claim I wasn’t letting him have his fun?”

“Because!” Thundercracker slammed the box on the nearest table. “Halloween isn’t just about playing tricks!”

“It’s not?” Starscream had been rather under the impression that it was, considering how thoroughly Skywarp had latched onto it.

“No. Apparently it’s also an excuse for humans to gorge themselves on whatever disgusting food passes for sweets in their weird, organic diet. Well, guess who else likes treats?”

“I…” Starscream’s mind raced. “Wait. Are you talking about the gold? I couldn’t let him keep that!” Earlier that day, Starscream had discovered a sizable bag of gold ore in Skywarp’s quarters. Primus only knew where he’d gotten it from. Starscream allowed his fliers to consume some of the rich, sweet metal, which could be healthy in small quantities. It could strengthen one’s frame by improving flexibility, for example, but in larger quantities it could soften one’s armor and add excess weight, ruining a flier’s aerodynamic performance. "I am the Air Commander,” Starscream pointed out. “I need my fliers combat-ready, and Skywarp was taking on too much ballast.”

“It was just until Halloween,” Thundercracker argued. “You could have waited a couple extra days instead of takin' away all his goodies. Now he’s…”

“What?” Starscream felt a twinge of unease. “What’s going on, Thundercracker?” He realized that in his rush to defend himself, he’d neglected to ask. He’d also forgotten about the holocube, which was now in plain sight if Thundercracker cared to glance in its direction. He didn’t. His gaze was on the empty box which had contained the smoke-bombs.

“I dunno,” Thundercracker said heavily. “He’s not answering me. He’s run away somewhere—probably to get more treats—but hell if I know where.”

“More treats?” Starscream mused. “If gold is what he’s after, I might have an idea.”

~~~~~~~

This was written for @darkstarofchaos for the @transform-or-treat Halloween gift exchange. There are five chapters of it in all, and I will be posting a chapter a day until Halloween! Many, many thanks to @justawayninja or being my awesome beta. Your suggestions helped me get the story to the next level.

[benmcm18]

Group 7 Independent Project!

Pre Production -

This is the second time I’m working with Group 7. It is truly an honour to be surrounded by such talented people. We have learnt from last time and we thought it would be interesting to switch up the roles. Here was what we ended up with:

Director - Jack

Cinematographer - Bonnie

Producer - Heather

Production Design - Ben

Editor - Heather

Writer - Tom

Here were also the tasks we sorted ourselves:

Write a 1-page proposal (synopsis and directors statement) - JACK (13th May)

Make the movie - Jack

Make a plan and a schedule for your work - Heather

Create a mood board (Each character) - Ben

Create a sonic world for the film (no dialogue / no voice-over) - Heather and Ben

Cut together a series of still images or sequences of footage to create a 2min film - Heather

Record some sound effects using objects you have in your room/ house - you can record on your phone. - Heather and Ben

Source and use sound effects and Atmos sound on Freesound. - Tom

Make a storyboard + animatic - Bonnie

Source footage - eg shoot, take stills, source stills, or work with stock footage from Film Supply to envision your idea - Bonnie

Shot list - Bonnie

Scriptwriting and development - Tom

Present it at the crit - receive feedback - Everyone

Write a short critical reflection on your blog. - Everyone

Songs - Everyone

As Production designer I had to create a mood board. We had discussed in meetings what aesthetic we wanted to go for and I believe we ended up with a mixture between films like “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Fight Club”. Either way, these were two of the films I took inspiration from when working on the mood board of the film.

Additionally, I had to think of the costume for both actors. For the man I chose to instead of having major differences in the two separate costumes to instead change them subtly to give a feeling he is still grounded in reality. So that means I added the glasses, changed the tie and gave him a watch to switch up how he looked. The Imagination costume is inspired from Ewan MacGregor’s character in “Big Fish'' we wanted to give him a full blue costume originally but I realised fairly soon that that wasn’t going to happen. So I adapted and decided to use his ties as a means of stating which reality he was in. When he is in the “dream world” he has a very colourful yellow tie but when he returns to his office I believe we went with a black/red tie.

For the woman, I chose to give her a very colourful look. This was purely so she could match the imagination around her. I discussed with Bonnie about possibly putting flowers in her hair but for some reason we couldn’t find anything. In regards to the rest of her costume I gave her shades so that there would be a physical separation between the two. If he can’t make eye contact with her how is he supposed to connect.

Overall, I’m very happy with the costumes and for a first attempt I’m actually quite proud.

Finally, set design. I had recently worked on a project called “Pied” where I had to create a whole set for my actors. That was pretty much my crash course for this independent project. Using the knowledge I can gain from creating that set I tried implementing it into the office workspace and the picnic arrangement. I’m happy with it but it will honestly be down to you to decide if I did a good job. If I could mention any little “fun facts” about what I did here would be a few:

I used a ping-pong table as the walls splitting the workspace

I tried spreading the food along the picnic like a wall that separated the two of them.

There is a jar of pickles in one of the shots. I don’t know who would bring a jar of pickles to a picnic but I thought it would be funny

On the back wall of the office there is a bunch of hidden Easter eggs *HOWEVER* David’s massive head covers them up!

In regards to how the other team members did. We developed the script ideas until we landed on this one. Jack had a great idea about filming some really nice shots of food. We were actually quite a big fan of this idea. I just thought Heather’s idea would allow us to experiment more.

Tom then wrote a (very) detailed script in collaboration with Heather, Bonnie drew a genuinely fantastic storyboard (she is too hard on herself haha) and Jack prepared for the shoot. One issue that presented itself fairly soon was the fact we had two actors on set. However, our Producer (Heather) handled it like a pro and we managed to get the all clear. Overall, a very hardworking start with the promise of Bonnie doing a short animation for the storyboard. (I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing it)

Production -

The shoot day was very fun. We all arrived at 11:30am and we made our way over to the location. Originally, we had planned to film on top of a hill however, things quickly changed and Jack said there was a fantastic path to film on. I was fairly set on the hill idea (As I had imagined the scene being somewhat similar to the UP opening montage) but he said it was a better location and I trust him.

So this is where it got a bit funky. It turns out the location had been converted into a dirt road since the last time Jack had been there. This was a bit demoralising as we had carried a lot of props out but luckily we had seen a location closer to the beach that could possibly work and the rest was history. That very location near the beach ended up where we would film.

With Jack directing and myself on camera we began to make our way through the storyboard Bonnie had devised. I have to be honest there were parts where we deviated from what was on the storyboard: For example, there is a section where he falls over however it didn’t look natural so we thought of another way to film it. This was where I got a bit carried away with VFX. In the long run I’m pretty sure everyone is happy with it but I wasn’t too sure at the time.

Jack did well as a director, he worked well with David and Kady especially when it came to movements of the actors. There isn’t any dialogue in the scenes so it's mainly physical language instead of verbal. My only advice for Jack would be to do a bit more research on the project before going onto the shoot because there were parts of the shoot where actors would ask questions about their character and I wasn’t confident he knew the answer.

In regards to me, I find it very hard to create something someone else envisions because I’m used to directing and filming projects on my own. I definitely think I improved on this project and having the storyboard and detailed script was a big help. I also felt I should have been more prepared as it didn’t look very good in front of the actors with me fiddling around with the camera because I had set it up in the wrong position.

Overall, I think it was a very fun shoot and it went pretty smoothly. You're going to hit speed bumps on the way but I believe Jack and I handled them well.

Oh also, forgot to mention that I had to also record sound and label all the audio and footage for Heather (why do I almost call you Clair XD) It didn’t take as long as I expected and was actually somewhat therapeutic if you can believe haha.

Post-Production -

The post production process has been going well. We have plenty of time until the deadline and we have already got a very solid draft edit so I’m not worried. I just kind of want to get it finished.

First and foremost, Heather has been doing a fantastic job editing the video. She works efficiently, takes feedback on board and seems to me to have a very solid feel on the fundamentals of editing. Looking at the edit now, there are definite issues but nothing that can’t be solved in 10 minutes. It’s clean, fluid and most of all enjoyable to watch. I’m worried without a synopsis people might not get it but I guess you could see it as “up for interpretation” haha!

Before I talk about my role in the Post-Production process, I just want to mention who else is working on the edit as well. Bonnie is planning on adding some very small animations to the edit to give it that feeling of “not-reality” I think this is crucial because without the animation in the shots. When the man defies the laws of physics it will seem really strange. I believe Tom is doing sound, I’ve supplied them with plenty of audio from on set and am free at anytime to get more for them so it will just be down to when it is completed, I have faith that Tom will create something really special with the Sound design as he will probably blend the sound of the surrounding nature with cold office sounds. I’m excited.

Now onto the part I play. I offered to do the VFX for the film and I’m very happy with them. It’s nothing incredibly tedious to create. It’s very basic motion tracking and keyframing but I think using it in small doses works well and with it accompanied by the animation and sound it will take the film to new levels of quality.

I’m just going to talk about the final VFX shot as it was the most challenging (but fun) part to work on. First, I had to figure out how I was going to get the image of Kady onto the wall without printing her because I realised I would be able to match up the shots if I had just zoomed out from an actual image. So I went for a bit of green paper. I motioned tracked it through After Effects and then played with the colour so it matched the scene. I then added an artificial zoom in Premiere and I got the final result. Now, it is not perfect in any means. I wasn’t able to track back any further than I did so the image in the paper actually moves but with the help of Heather and the use of changing aspect ratios I think it really works. I guess we will have to see how people respond.

So that is about everything on the project. I will be back to reflect next month on the finished project. Hopefully it turns out okay. Hopefully, it doesn’t turn into a train wreck. I’m sure it won’t :)

[signor-signor]

Trending 27th - January 2020

What have been your efforts in the campaign for SaveWOY and what are your upcoming plans to save WOY? Now this is a question worth answering!

In the past, I made a little list of the things I did to support SaveWOY and bring awareness to Wander Over Yonder’s existence and its third season plans. Since then, I’ve done a whole lot more from hand-drawn art to more intricate art. Some of them are almost as special as that signed poster @peepsqueak got from the WOY crew as a token of their gratitude.

Here’s an updated list of everything I did for SaveWOY so far:

Attended the SaveWOY picnic at Griffith Park, where I got to sign a banner.

Pointed out various higher-ups involved in the business of Disney television.

Sent several letters to the higher-ups, some of which had envelopes with an image of the downed space pod taped to them.

Started a weekly Twitter post series, SaveWOY Thought of the Week.

Made Lite-Brite art of Wander and Lord Hater, which Craig McCracken and Francisco Angones liked.

Attended D23 2017 with an Operation: FORCE drawing of Hater, a colored page of Wander and Sylvia and a few facts about WOY, and an orange pen with a green hat (I got the hat from the aforementioned picnic) - there, I signed a bench with Wander and the phrase, “Never hurts to help.”

Signed my name, drew Wander (and my own character, Jacken DeBox), and wrote, “Happiest place in outer space!” on the highest beam for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Wrote a letter (and drew Wander) for the victims of the Las Vegas tragedy with the message, “The darkest times call for the sunniest smiles!”

Got Craig to reveal the name of the ship (said to play a BIG part in S3, made a cameo in Future-Worm) when I commented that we’d have to figure out the name - his response: “The ship is called The Star Nomad.”

Wrote a couple of cards to two Disney higher-ups with the message, “A little nice makes naughty think twice!”

Drew Dominator in a situation that might take place several seconds after she passes the downed space pod, just in time for Noël Wells’s B-day.

Made the Star Nomad with LEGO Digital Designer.

Made three images in the style of the original Star Wars trilogy VHS set.

Posted 50 WOYS3PredictionPolls on Twitter.

Made an image of “The First 5 Years” with over 140 individuals (including the question marks for 3 new mains and 2 new regulars - I still want to know what they look like!) and one cleverly made Hidden Mickey.

Shared WOY-related images from my 1st 5 Years fan art on Twitter acknowledging the B-days of most of the voice actors (Charlie Adler, Kevin Michael Richardson, Ken Marino, Josh Sussman, H. Michael Croner, James Adomian, Jason Ritter, and Piotr Michael clearly noticed).

Typed a summary of how I think the S3 premiere would go.

Typed lyrics to “Let’s Go Soarin’ and Explorin’,” a song from my aforementioned S3 premiere summary. Wouldn’t it be great if Andy Bean used it?

Made a microgame with WarioWare: D.I.Y. where the player has to spin the fan to make the Star Nomad fly. Part of a chorus from “Let’s Go Soarin’ and Explorin’” included.

Started FanCharacterFriday on Twitter - more Tumblr users seem to like Dr. Otmar Vunderbar.

Made a short comic page of Lord Hater trying to break out of the DTVA vault plus a sly reminder that Disney owns the rights to WOY.

Shared a list of potential episode titles for S3.

Made an actual LEGO Star Nomad based on the model made with LDD. Hopefully, those who worked on WOY have noticed. In case you missed it, here’s a picture...

Now, the ideas I have in mind for further boosting support for the campaign. I may not be able to do most of them myself, but they are certainly for everyone’s consideration.

Provide updated information of higher-ups (if any).

As soon as we find out what Kid Cosmic looks like, expect fan art of him saying, “Watch my show and tell your friends so we’ll make that Mousey Company pay for what they did to my half-brother!”

Another SaveWOY picnic - if there’s one in my general area, you can count me in.

LP album artwork of My Fair Hatey.

A mural identical to that of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate consisting of not just characters from WOY, but also characters who were said to debut in S3 and characters who’d fit in perfectly, namely some of my OCs.

Pumpkin stencils of the main characters for Halloween.

Drawings of various WOY characters stuck on the ex-secret planet explaining why they need to leave said planet. Maybe I could also show how the galaxy’s villains would react if they learn that Lord Dominator’s been bested by Lord Hater.

Drawings consisting of SaveWOY-related messages spoken by the main characters from Disney shows that got at least three seasons (e.g. DuckTales, Fish Hooks), tons of love from the viewers and the executives (e.g. Gravity Falls), or both (e.g. SvtFoE, Mickey Mouse ‘13).

Example with Phineas and Ferb:

Phineas: “We may be creative and famous, but we’re not the ones who came up with the Star Nomad. It’s the ship powered by orbbles! Orbbles! I’d LOVE to see it take flight, wouldn’t you? If you let Mr. McCracken end the show his way, and not the executive way, which, truth be told, is the absolute worst, Wander will surely be elated!”

Ferb: “The Orbble Transporter was invented by conjoined twin brothers, voiced by the performers of the theme song.”

Irving (peeking in from the side): “Speaking of voices, the titular main character sounds JUST LIKE ME! How could you possibly resist?! And look, just because I’m the biggest fan of these guys (gesturing to P&F) doesn’t mean I have no interest in what’s planned for the furry orange fella!”

Since I’m a full-time Disneyland cast member, I should be able to make contacts with anyone who might have more clues about what S3 would entail. It might be a long shot, but if I’m able to convince Disney that WOY’s influence on my life boosted my chance at gaining employment at the company, they should understand.

A weekly Jeopardy-type pop quiz on Twitter - here’s the catch: you must refrain from finding information online when you read the answer (I bet you that the most hardcore fans of the most popular shows will get most of the questions wrong).

Example: This arachnomorph got his name from a dog tag he swallowed when he infiltrated a fish-shaped ship. He later became Lord Hater’s beloved pet.

-Who is Captain Tim?

Summaries of S3 episodes I made up myself a while back.

More fan-made characters - my most recent is an elected official of Cluckon, Mayor Spye C. Drumstick.

Conjuring a logo that best fits the status of S3/TV movie - Wander Over Yonder: The New Galaxy (the center would have the silhouette of the Star Nomad with Wander and Sylvia on it).

Brainstorming possible ideas for the three new main characters.

If all else fails, I suggest we make a web comic based on the hints we accumulated back in 2016 and what we learned from the cameo in Future-Worm’s finale. Team Sea3on has been taking that approach for SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog S3, though they are also making an animated version.

That’s about all I’ve got so far. In closing, I have several questions to ask as the new decade kicks off.

Disney executives: Are you even listening to us WOY fans? What more do you want? I’ve done so much for the campaign that I feel I’m entitled to know everything that was planned for WOY’s third and final season, especially now that I’m working full-time for your company. If you tell us what your demands are, we’d be happy to oblige.

@crackmccraigen: Are you aware of how hard the fans and I have been trying to talk Disney into giving you the chance for true closure? We’ll make sure we watch KC when it comes out on Netflix. If we’re lucky, we might see WOY get added to Disney+, where it should get that closure, assuming you’ll have finished KC your way before then.

@suspendersofdisbelief: I know you’re super busy with DuckTales and you love the plans for WOY S3 so much that you can’t bear to reveal it all in one post, but it’s been waaaay too long since we got any hints from you. Are there any other WOY S3-related facts you could describe in much greater detail? The campaign could do with more motivation.

Non-WOY fans: Are you convinced? Need I remind you what’s in the end tag of the “last” episode of WOY? You know there’s much more to life than tales from the land of Ooo, a blue middle school cat boy in a world of unusual individuals, adolescent twins in an Oregon town filled with oddities, a half-gem half-human protagonist, a coming-of-age princess of Mewni, a trio of ursine trend-followers in San Francisco, and all that jazz. If you’re not one bit interested in Hater’s origin story and all that was planned for S3, it’s your loss.

Pessimists: Will you please dispense with this unnerving “Wander is dead” talk? As a certain Popeye would say, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” You’re not trying to let the Disney bosses win, are you? You probably used to think previously canceled shows like Hey Arnold!, Samurai Jack, and Young Justice could never be brought back. The point is, all is not lost.

@peepsqueak and WOY fans/SaveWOY supporters: Have I been of assistance? Almost every remark I’ve ever made shows wit and perception. I mean, just think. Wander is still stuck in that vault where his goal of reforming Lord Hater remains incomplete, and he has no idea of what threat awaits him. He says, “Glorn, help us.” It’ll take something big and extraordinary to convince every Disney fan (and perhaps every Netflix fan) to talk some sense into the higher-ups. Not to mention the replacement/back-up voice actors we’ll have to find if Disney takes even longer (we already lost one - René Auberjonois). We shan’t rest until we get the answers!

@disneyanimation

[swampstriderart]

I drew this ship for my Spaceships and Starwyrms campaign. They’ve been saving up a lot of credits to upgrade their starter ship (which I’ll be posting next), and this is what we’ve come up with! 

~~~

A new ship has a certain… silhouette. In the light of the stars and air-dock halogen, they glimmer, they shine. They don’t have the scuffs that cause light to catch and dull across their surfaces, their barrier is completely active and is almost invisible, but visible just enough to change the light quality as it passes throug, bounces off the glimmering hull, and then reflects back out. It is beautiful, in the way all things new are beautiful.

This ship is not new. This ship is scratched, dented, scarred. To many, this ship is far more beautiful, because it clearly works. It has been tested. It bears the signs of traveling through a meteor storm without serious damage. There’s a curious starburst, a splayed burn that runs across the top of one of its wings, that anyone with any understanding of weapon systems would recognize as the mark left when a Plasma Cannon hits point-blank but doesn’t punch through the hull. This ship is not new. But it is badass. It has been through the ringer, and it came out blasting.

The vessel looks sort of like an axe blade with a truncated handle. It has a wingspan of over a hundred and fifty feet and is about two hundred feet long. The shortest point is the tip of the wings, which are about thirty feet tall at the ends. From the bottom of the hangar bay in the rear to the top of the command deck, the ship’s almost a hundred feet in height. On the top of each wing and nestled just behind the command deck are the three weapon systems of the ship, and dotting the top of the wings are the various communications and scanning arrays the ship utilizes.

The twin engines sit at the back of the wings, and the sweep of the ship’s rear is interrupted by three large doors: one in the middle that accesses the hangar, and the two smaller ones that open onto the cargo holds.

~~~

The ship’s interior is retro-fitted to fit a curious aesthetic. The deck-plates beneath your feet have been altered to resemble wooden floorboards, and the doors, while still opening upwards into the bulkhead like most saguarin doors, look like carved oak. The window portholes have been altered to have actual sills and to be square or rectangular, and much of the furniture is either made from actual wood, with the stuff that couldn’t be bought like that made from cleverly-disguised metal or plastic. The air is rather dry and warm, and the lighting system has a slightly-harsher glare than you might be used to.

Individual Room Descriptions below the cut

The Life Deck: Bottom Floor

1 - The Mess Hall: The mess hall is loaded with outdated but functional equipment. Along the front wall is a refrigerator, a reheater, and a coffee pot, and drawers sit under the countertop. Along the back wall is a sink, complete with food-waste incinerator and next to it an electric stove top. A tall pantry sits in the corner. On the other side is a stair-case leading up to a balcony overlooking the mess hall (see area 12). 

2 - Crew Quarters: These rooms are all furnished more or less the same. There’s a tall dresser with drawers in it, a desk, and a bed. The bed mattresses are old and dusty but perfectly usable, and the furniture has scuff marks, likely from wherever it had been stored before it was hastily thrown into the room. There’s a single window looking out into space, and the door can be locked from the inside.

3 – The Sonic Cleanser: This small room has a rack for hanging your clothes and a retractable table for doing whatever else needs doing immediately before or after bathing. The sonic cleanser, similar to but less wasteful than a standard shower, takes up the back half of the room. This room uses sound to force off dirt, dead skin, and other undesirable coatings. Special soap sits in cubbies on the walls.. The cleanser has controls for different settings, and it is currently set to its maximum force. The cleanser can be set to use water, but it is a severe drain on water supplies: the water generator can only work so fast.

4 – The Food Waste Room: This small room has a single sink that can be set to use water or sonics for cleaning, some soaps, a cupboard full of recently-purchased toiletries of all kinds, and a toilet. The room has an air of being completely unused until very, very recently.

5 – The Medbay: This room comes equipped with a rolling cart, a bunch of cupboards for the storage of medical supplies, and a large table that could have a mattress secured to it if one needed to remain in medbay for a long time. With the upgrades to the ship, the Medbay is now equipped with a toilet and sink, and a second bed platform folded up against one wall.

6 - The Central Ladder: This open space is dominated by a large, reinforced ladder that goes up to the next floor. It leads up through to Deck Two and then further up to The Bridge (see areas 15 and 19).

7 – The AI Core: This room’s door is labeled “Ship Habitation Interface Technology: Unit 33 Control Room.” Inside is a massive computer system, a single small desk, and a chair. The room is exceptionally cold. 

8 – Storage Rooms: These rooms are for storing small, non-essential but useful goods. Back-up rations, extra tools, and spare parts are just some of the eclectic things stored in these spaces.

9 - Hangar: This massive room is mostly empty space. The Hangar is meant to store multiple ships, and currently you’ve only got one shuttle. Even with the free modification making it larger, the shuttle looks miniscule in the cavernous space. Doors dot the walls, and a big one on the back wall opens up into space.

9a - Lifts: The two lifts here lead up into the Engineering level on Deck 2 (see area 18).

9b - Tiny Ship Dock: The Hangar has four locations within the hangar to dock a tiny-sized ship, or a vehicle of huge-size or smaller. If two of the docking slots are empty, you could use them to secure a small sized ship. 

9c - The Shuttle: The shuttle itself is docked here. When upgrading the ship, there was enough left over material and credits to bump up the shuttle to fit a few extra people. 

9d - The Hangar Doors: These huge doors are almost three feet thick. It takes almost thirty seconds for them to open fully, though they open just enough for a tiny ship to fit through in about six seconds. A large ramp can be extended from the back of the hangar when the doors are fully opened, to allow vehicles or passengers to come up from the ground. 

10a - The Left Engine Room: The left wing of the ship is filled with one of the massive engines that propel the ship through space. At the front of the wing is the Atmosphere Apparatus and Water Generator system. The door out of 10a does not function if the Hangar is without atmosphere, unless the engine compartment is also without atmosphere or you override the controls. There’s a steep staircase leading up from the lower level to Deck 2 (See 18a).

10b - The Right Engine Room: The right wing of the ship is filled with one of the massive engines that propel the ship through space. At the front of the wing are the Heating Controls, the Power Distribution system, and the Solar Emitter Core that allows the lights to function as sunlight. The door out of 10b does not function if the Hangar is without atmosphere, unless the engine compartment is also without atmosphere or you override the controls. There’s a steep staircase leading up from the lower level to Deck 2 (See 18b).

11 - The Cargo Holds: There are two distinct cargo holds on either side of the ship, snug between engine and hangar. They’re reinforced rooms, the doors have powerful locks that can be coded to open with a three, five, or seven digit code. There are large doors that fold down to form a ramp along the back of these rooms. 

The Work Deck: The Middle Floor

12 - The Balcony: A balcony runs the width of Deck 2, looking out over the mess hall and through the massive window that makes up the slanted roof of the mess hall. To the right of the balcony is a staircase leading down to the mess hall (area 1), and behind it is the hallway leading to the rest of Deck 2 and the Primary Airlock.

13 - The Primary Airlock: The airlock here is larger than it was before, with small lockers inside to store emergency gear. Currently the lockers are empty. From the airlock door, a thirty foot umbilical of metal can be extended outwards to connect to another ship’s airlock or another ship’s umbilical. This umbilical can curve up to 90 degrees, and can double as a ramp out of the ship. 

14 - Storage: Another storage room, much like those on deck 1, this room is for storing the miscellaneous equipment one might need on deck 2, but doesn’t want to have to run downstairs to get it.

15 - The Central Ladder: This open space has doors on its three walls and a tunnel leading to the front of the ship. A ladder leads down to Deck 3 and up to the Bridge (see areas 6 and 19 respectively). 

16 - The Science Lab: This room is full to bursting with state-of-the-art (but discounted) lab equipment. While in this room, researchers and scientists have advantage on Science skill checks that may benefit from such equipment. 

17 - The Mechanics Workshop: The room here is filled with tools, spare components, and other useful gadgets and doodads for crafting and maintaining equipment and the ship itself. The mechanics workshop is considered to be stocked with the average tools needed for a Wisdom (Mechanics) skill check and also contains a built-in repair kit. Having a mechanics workshop onboard a ship cuts the time required to fix a damaged vessel by half, and allows you to speed-repair equipment. You can choose to cut the time it takes to repair a piece of damaged equipment in half, but doing so increases the DC by 5. If you fail by 10 or more while speed-repairing equipment, it becomes useless junk. 

18 - Primary Engineering: The Primary Engineering room has tools and equipment for general ship maintenance, and provides quick access to all the integral systems of the ship. Two lifts descend into the Hangar (see 9a), and the computer on the back wall provides access to all the internal diagnostic and control systems necessary for running the ship. 

18a - The Barrier Core: In the upper part of the left wing is the powerful barrier core that projects the protective energy field around the entire ship.

18b - The Power Core: In the upper part of the right wing is ship’s generator and power systems. The generator is what generates all the power in the ship. 

The Command Deck: The Topmost Floor

19 - The Bridge: The bridge is slightly larger than before, but hasn’t changed too much. There are some extra seats to make the additional crew members a bit more comfortable when in a dog fight. The ladder leading down to area 15 and then to area 6 is still in the same place a few feet behind the captain’s chair, and can be lowered, covered with a trapdoor, and locked off. 

20 - Escape Pods: With the larger ship came larger and more escape pods. Instead of two narrow, cramped pods that required you to climb up and down to get to the seats, these pods are built more like a shuttle.

21 - Communications Suite: The communication’s suite allows one to monitor communications, scan for signals, and project a secure network for all of your devices to interact with. The large comm arrays on either side make this possible, and all of the systems can be manipulated from the control computer on the desk along the back wall. 

[violetganache42]

HOLY SHIT!

Today's issue was too close for comfort! I'm dead serious when I say this: all my expectations about what would happen were thrown right out the window! I mean, where do I even begin?!

[Spoilers under the cut]

Sonic having to face off against an infected Shadow and most of the citizens of Sunset City…

…at the risk of making his own infection getting much worse than it already is!

Shadow may not be as fast when he's a Zombot (faster an average Zombot though), but he had the strength to deal serious damage to Omega's body…

…complete with the other Zombots piling up to tear him apart! No joke: I gasped at the sight of Omega's body being critically destroyed!

And the pièce de résistance:

Sonic getting overwhelmed by the situation he is! And can I please say Jack Lawrence has been quickly becoming one of my favorite Sonic comic artists? Because he did a fantastic job emphasizing the fear on his face; hell, it's on par with how Diana Skelly drew Sonic when he first got infected! When the solicit for this issue came out, I was legit afraid this was where he was going to become a Zombot and it sure did a damn convincing job at that! Speaking of solicits, I am glad the solicit for #23 is staying true to its word because…

…a fully recovered Silver is accompanied by Tails to rescue him and what's left of Omega! Can you imagine the sheer happiness I experienced when I saw all the Zombots being lifted via psychokinesis? We are literally witnessing a zombie-like apocalypse and we already have a "sigh of relief" moment for the time being.

With that rollercoaster finished, we also got some interesting stuff that follows.

We finally get a full look at what the building for Restoration HQ—formerly Resistance HQ—looks like! I don't know if it matters to anyone, but it certainly matters to me! I mean, where on Mobius were they exactly located during Sonic Forces and the events following it? I also like how it has sustained some damage whereas its surroundings have suffered much more. It strongly suggests that this area is still recovering from the War against the Eggman Empire, and seeing that there's no Zombots in sight, there's no telling how much more damage they'll cause to this location if they do show up.

Some much needed moments between Sonic and Cream. I am a huge sucker for their older brother/younger sister dynamic and I'm glad this issue has provided with some. :)

Sonic breaking the unfortunate news to Rouge is worth noting. She is dead focused on dealing with the Zombots yet she can't help but turn her head after hearing the news. Yes, she is mad at Shadow for taking on the Zombots, but from that movement in the right panel alone, we can see she is also upset. She had witnessed her friend fall victim to the Metal Virus as she tells Amy their evacuation efforts were taking a turn for the worst; hell, this issue literally kicks off with her looking in disbelief as an infected Shadow pins Sonic against the truck by the throat.

Despite everything that happened in Sunset City and how she's annoyed with what unfolded in the previous issue, at the end of the day, Rouge still cares about Shadow. I mean, let's face it; yes, that idiot should've run when she told him to, but he's her idiot. (Before anyone says it, I have heard about why Shadow was portrayed that way in Issue 19 and I would rather not discuss it because the fandom has vented on it well enough, so it's pretty much like beating a dead horse. I will say that this recent ordeal reminded me of what Commander Firebrand said in a video of his… and also this to a further extent.)

First, we get the named locations of where the Chaotix and G-Merl, Cream, and her family reside in. Now, we get the names of new and unseen locations like Cascade City and Turtleshell Island? I do like the varying world-building elements they included.

And now, on to something I find the most interesting out of the entire issue. …Well, a few things, actually.

First off, Sonic near the end of Sunset City's crisis and during the aftermath.

Throughout most of the issue's second half, we are treated with two intriguing aspects about the current state of Sonic's dilemma. I won't post all the panels as there are plenty for the reader to see, but I did select some good examples, especially for the second point.

Starting with the second panel of page 12, there are a few small bits of the Metal Virus on Sonic's spines, but they have not spread at all, something I'm sure you noticed in the previous panels I posted. Tails has mention the Mach One speed is capable of combating the Robo-Flu (Thanks, Tangle. XD) and keeping it at bay, so I have a hunch that this must be a variation of it being stablized for now. Think about it: we've had Sonic running all the way from Echo Mine to Tails' workshop, which drove it into temporary remission, and the many instances of running to shave off as much of the Virus as possible. With "The Last Minute" coming up, who knows when it'll start spreading again.

All the running Sonic has done to avoid becoming a Zombot is finally starting to take a toll on him. Exhaustion has struck ever since Silver and Tails arrived to let him escape and get rid of a huge chunk of the nearly spread Metal Virus. Throughout his time at Restoration HQ, there are various instances that illustrate how tired he has become, especially on pages 17 and 18; there are a couple wrinkles next to his eyes, which are also slightly lidded. And here we thought he needed some major sleep during and after the events of Unleashed. Now this is just me, but if he's risking sleep-deprivation in order to help the uninfected and thwart Eggman, then he better at least have an iced latte because he really needs the caffeine.

Second of all, the entire last page devoted to Starline, specifically what he has planned for the Zombots.

Me: Oh, snap! The events of another Sonic game occurred in the IDW-verse!

Everyone:

…Okay, I won't lie. I am well aware of how the fandom is not the biggest fan of the Deadly Six, but I will say this. If they do end up appearing in the near future, then I hope Ian characterizes them well to where they're at least endearing. We have a whole history's worth of Sonic comics that proves it, especially in Big's case because I have seen comments of how he did a great job with his character and recall seeing one comment on how someone changed their overall opinion on Big. We also got Scourge, who went from being the bland, womanizing Evil Sonic to a popular and beloved bad boy among the fanbase all thanks to Ian. Long story short, what I'm hoping for throughout the Deadly Six's appearance in the IDW comics—and if they make more appearances—is to highlight what makes each Zeti unique and even give them some sort of depth to make them compelling. Just throwing that out there.

On that note, what makes this last page interesting for me is what Starline says.

It's clear he's starting a plan of his own to control the Zombots, but how exactly is going to do that? Is he planning on going to the Lost Hex to put his plan into motion? Since the Cacophonic Conch inhibits the Zeti's abilities, including their magnetokinesis, and was used by Eggman to enslave the Deadly Six, will he stumble upon it and use it in a different manner? If that's not the case, will he strike some sort of deal with them? How exactly will Eggman react to this when he finds out? What sort of impact will this manuever have on each other? …Will this have some sort of connection to the big surprise in the 25th issue? I honestly don't know, but we'll have to wait and see when "The Last Minute" and more stories gets published.

…AND ANOTHER THING! I honestly thought "The Last Minute" was going to be a three-part "Meanwhile" story that details what Sonic's friends have been up to during the events of Issues 17-20, but I'm glad that's far from the case because I don't know how they would've reacted if they learned and/or ended up encountering Sonic as a Zombot. I know for damn well I would've been an emotional wreck if that did end up happening.

[blazehedgehog]

Regarding emulation, I've seen a video on YouTube by Nerrel called "Let's imagine a world without emulation" which I'd think you enjoy. It makes the argument that emulation is necessary to preserve old games. But I bring this up because some idiot tried to debunk the video (Poorly) with a rebuttal titled "Imagine a world without pirates" about how piracy is evil and they only want free stuff and fan games having no right to exist.

Man, I had a whole huge post typed out here and then Firefox acted like it was going to freeze, so I restarted my browser without realizing I never finished writing my response. I guess I’ll try to get back where I was…

What’s interesting to me in this video is the part where he talks about the idea that not everybody pirates games because they want to steal something without paying for it. His example is the Wii U emulator, CEMU, which is currently making over $6000 a month on Patreon. People sometimes emulate because they want features and convenience they can’t get anywhere else.

(Speaking personally, I installed CEMU recently because I didn’t want to keep digging out my Wii U to just replay a little bit of Mario Kart 8 every now and again)

The problem here is that Nintendo ascribes to specific mantras when it comes to providing users with customization options.

Nintendo games are so polished that the end-user shouldn’t want any options, because the ideal solutions have been found and implemented. In other words, it’s so good that you won’t want to change it.

Optional content is inefficient and expensive. Spending money to develop something only a fraction of their users will actually touch is a waste. (This also applies to why so many Nintendo games never had much in the way of bonus, post-game content until recently)

The ultimate takeaway here is that Nintendo is frugal to a fault. I’ve relayed the story before, about Gunpei Yokoi’s history in developing toys for Nintendo in the pre-video-games era, where he would boil concepts down to their bare parts and cut features to reduce manufacturing costs. This allowed Nintendo to undercut their competition while preserving the core of the experience. Not low effort, but laser-focused effort in a few important areas, with the potential for reaping high rewards.

This is the same company that deletes custom Smash Bros. arenas and Super Mario Maker levels for being “unpopular.” Speaking from personal experience in developing level editing tools, even the most complex Super Mario Maker levels probably aren’t much more than 50kb in size. This means that you could store millions of levels on a $10 64gb thumb drive. On a professional web server, we’re talking hundreds of billions of levels. Nintendo could store every Super Mario Maker level ever made for upwards of a decade and never have to worry about running out of space. And yet, they delete “unpopular” levels anyway.

Even if it only accounts for 2% of their profits, Nintendo can and will go for it as long as it’s easy enough. And, with regards to emulation, nothing is easier than the pennies spent on ink and paper for a Cease & Desist notice. Again, one single act of laser-focused effort with exponential benefits.

What’s interesting is that Sega kind of used to do this. Back in the day, there was a site called Sonic-Cult, and they were a research hub in to beta versions of Sega games. They also hosted lots of things that made Sega unhappy; development kits, leaked versions of games before they officially released, things like that. So, Sega would send them Cease & Desist notices.

Sonic-Cult was the misfit scourge of the Sonic community back then. They openly terrorized anyone at length that drew their ire. When Sega sent a takedown notice, Sonic-Cult gave them the middle finger. “Freedom of information” and all that, but also “screw you for trying to control us.”

Sega backed down. It was more trouble than it was worth.

Which makes me wonder about Nintendo. When Nintendo sends a takedown notice, people comply outright. Nobody challenges them. Nintendo, whose wallets are ever tightened, pennies constantly pinched, gets to steamroll their way all over their most dedicated fans with minimal effort. If Pokemon Uranium is to be believed, they quit exclusively out of fear, not because Nintendo sent them a letter.

What would happen if somebody actually pushed back? At what point would the benefit be overshadowed by the investment, for Nintendo?

Now, Nintendo is no stranger to putting real legal muscle behind its threats, but mostly that’s towards raids on huge piracy rings in China. For something like AM2R, Nintendo actually stands to gain very, very, very little should they take it to court. Would they really do it?

Obviously, people respect Nintendo. Hence why they comply with Cease & Desist notices, sometimes even sight unseen. Sonic-Cult, for all their baditude bravado, often acted more like they had a deathwish. They pretended to be invincible, but it’s not hard to imagine an alternate universe where that backfired on them hard.

Sega vs. Sonic-Cult was also over 15 years ago at this point. Nowadays, you can’t even get away with hosting files on your own personal server as a means to escape the long arm of the law. One phone call to your ISP, and suddenly that server you’re running from your bedroom is forced offline.

All of this is theoretical, of course; but given Nintendo’s precedents, it’s an interesting train of thought to have.

[kechiarts]

Warning!! Long post ahead (LOL)

I’ve been meaning to do one of these for a while now. Quite a few friends and followers have asked me ‘what big influences can you think of that have inspired you as an artist/creator?’

A lot of movies, games, books, tv series, artists, and writers have influenced my drawing style and storytelling - some of them more so than others. (As represented by the larger squares in the image)

So here we go!! The numbers for each inspiration were chosen at random, the order doesn’t have any significance lol

1. Cardcaptor Sakura - (and the works of CLAMP in general I suppose because I read them all) Cardcaptor Sakura wasn’t my first manga but it holds a really special place in my heart because it’s lore and depictions of love has influenced my storytelling a LOT. I was obsessed with CLAMP and their art style when I was young to the point I would trace their drawings to learn and emulate their style.  To this day I feel like it left a big impact on my art style especially.

2. Cyborg 009 - When I was a kid my parents told me and my brother that we couldn’t afford cable TV and reduced our service to the news channels and public broadcasting.  We didn’t have cable TV for several years and when we finally got it back when I was 12, one of the FIRST TV programs I saw was Cyborg 009. I was just beginning to understand what anime was, since the only anime I’d seen was before our cable got cut, and I was so young I didn’t know it WAS anime. I immediately fell in love with Cyborg 009. I  loved the characters, the story, everything - and I still do! It was the beginning of my exploration of the anime genre as a whole haha

3. ‘The Twelve Kingdoms’ book series  - Around the same time I started watching Cyborg 009, I began getting into manga. While browsing the section in the bookstore one day I came across the first novel in The Twelve Kingdoms series. I was surprised to find a novel in the manga section and decided to browse through it. I couldn’t put it down! The rich world building and storytelling pulled me in and left me wanting more. I devoured the entire book series and the way the world was brought to life really stuck with me and influenced my own world building.

4. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - my very first Final Fantasy game, and it was a spinoff title to boot! I was drawn in by the dark, melancholic world and cute graphics. I played this game a lot with my friends and even though multiplayer was a nightmare to set up, we had so much fun. I wasn’t able to beat it until I was 16, and the story left me in tears. The Crystal Chronicles games as  whole have left a HUGE impact on me, but the first one especially so.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog - My first game ever! My brother and I first played Sonic the Hedgehog 2 when we were around 3 or 4 years old. We were hooked on our parent’s Sega Genesis system and Sonic was our favorite! When we’d get home from school we’d fight over who got to play first in single player, eventually we settled on a system, My brother would play sonic, and since Tails couldn’t die even if he ran out of rings, I would fight all the boss battles as Tails while my brother tried to keep Sonic out of the way. Using this system we made it all the way up to Metal Sonic but could never beat him. We’d have 99 lives too because we knew ALL the secrets of the game LOL. I’ve played most of the Sonic titles since then, including my favorite, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.  

6. Sailor Moon - my ‘first’ anime. I was very young when I first saw this anime. I didn’t even know what anime was! But the portrayal of girl power and how strong all the female characters were really stuck out to me, raised as I was in a women-are-inferior-and-should-serve-their-husbands religious household. Sailor Jupiter was my favorite because she was a tomboy and wore ponytails just like me haha

7. Fullmetal Alchemist - I think I’ve touched on this before, but I have had really weak bones since I was a little kid. In middle school I was constantly on and off of crutches or in and out of wheelchairs with broken bones and such. (I blame being a huge clutz) It got to the point my classmates started calling me ‘calamity Jane’ and making fun of me. To that dorky middle school girl with crutches and leg braces, Edward Elric was my HERO. Disability representation matters folks! It certainly helped me through a rough time in my life.

8. The works of Studio Ghibli - My first Ghibli movie was My Neighbor Totoro, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I actually managed to get my mom into them too, so now we can have mother/daughter quality bonding time over new Ghibli movies when they come out. It gives us a lot of fond memories together and I enjoy those times I get to spend with her. Mom and I may not see eye to eye all the time, but I truly treasure the memories I have of watching Ghibli films with her.

9. Odin Sphere - This one is more recent, and one I blame @heebiejeebiejade for. I love everything about it. The story, the art, the characters!   It tore my heart out and the writing is just superb I love it so much. and the ART my god it’s so beautiful.

10. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles the Crystal Bearers - I decided I needed to make this one separate from the earlier Crystal Chronicles section. Mostly because this game HEAVILY influenced and changed my life. Not only is it my favorite game ever, it brought me to many of my current friendships! If not for this game I never would have met @heebiejeebiejade @killerkitty4 @indestructiblemoog @shadyfolk @ninjamonkeystudios and SOOOOO many others. These friendships mean a great deal to me. They’ve changed and shaped who I am today and I’m truly grateful for them, and they never would have been possible without Crystal Bearers.

11. Dragonball - Another one of those I never knew it was Anime cartoons I watched as a young child. I loved Dragonball and later Dragonball Z. The characters, the storytelling, the fight scenes, I loved it all because it was so different from what I was used to seeing in American cartoons. My brother and I would have Super Saiyan battles in our backyard throwing Kamehamehas at each other and laughing and generally annoying our neighbors XD

12. Over the Garden Wall - Another more recent influence. Over the Garden Wall was one of the first new cartoons that grabbed my attention due to it’s great pacing and creepy Americana storytelling. Mysteries, ghosts, the afterlife, purgatory, this show dealt with a lot of creepy things while simultaneously making it funny and endearing. I rewatch it often and it’s one of my favorites.

13. Legend of Mana and the Seiken Densetsu Series - Again, I blame @heebiejeebiejade entirely for this. She sent me a huge box with every game in the Seiken Densetsu series in it along with the guidebooks saying “you HAVE to play these.” I knew she liked them so I gave them a try and YEP as per usual with anything Jade introduces me to, they COMPLETELY DESTROYED ME. Love, sacrifice, life, death, and rebirth, are a huge part of these title’s storytelling and they drew me in completely. Legend of Mana and Dawn of Mana especially. Their world building and plot devices may or may not have heavily influence my own XD

14. The ‘Stravaganza’ book series - The first time I picked up a Stravaganza book title was when I was twelve and found this really shiny book in a used bookstore for $3. It featured a picture of Venice, and a pair of violet eyes staring at you from behind a shiny silver mask on the cover. I’m not sure why It spoke to me, it just did. I bought it and finished it within a day. That book was titled City of Masks and I loved it a lot! And then I found out there were more! An entire series! The books featured time travel and dimensional travel, espionage and intrigue! I read and devoured them all and to this day I hold out hope for a final volume to finish the series.

15. Avatar: the Last Airbender - At age 12 I dismissed Avatar as a kid show originally. I scoffed at it and laughed at my little brother for being so into it. Then I saw the first episode. And it was then that I knew what a mistake I had made. I know a LOT of people love Avatar, and for good reason! I don’t have to go super in-depth here because I’m sure most of you already know how great it is. It’s definitely influenced both my art style and my storytelling.

16. Hikaru no Go - This one’s special. When I was in high school I was bullied a LOT. Like, people writing DIE YOU WHORE in my textbooks and putting thumb tacks in my gym shoes kind of bullying. They’d touch me and then pretended that they’d die of the plague. That if anyone had a crush on me they were worse than trash. The kind of bullying that made me a bit suicidal in my teen years. Lucky for me my mother had bought me a copy of Monthly Shonen Jump in early 2005, She knew that I liked manga and thought it would be the perfect magazine gift for me for valentine’s day. Boy was she right and one of the manga featured in it was Hikaru no Go. I loved the art style, and the storytelling. I was instantly captivated by the characters and I wanted to know what happened next. I soon subscribed to SJ monthly and eagerly awaited the next installment each month. What this meant was that whenever I was feeling like I wanted to end it all, I’d remember that I didn't’ know what happened next and would wait. I honestly believe that Hikaru no Go is at least partially responsible for me making it out of high school alive, and I treasure it to this day. (Also I’m on anti-depressants now so don’t worry about me y’all okay? XD) There was another manga like this, but I'mnot sure how to feel about that one anymore :(

17. Magic Knight Rayearth - I know I’ve already listed CLAMP as a heavy influence on me, but I felt Magic Knight Rayearth deserved it’s own place because it was my first manga ever! I’d seen the commercial for the anime on one of my old DVDs way back when, and I was already intereseted in it when I happened to find the manga in a bookstore! I bought it and reread the first volume a dozen times before I even found the second ahaha. I must have read the complete set a hundred times now and let me tell you the twist ending of the first part kills me every time! The first of my manga obsession ahaha

18. Tales of the Abyss and The ‘Tales of’ game series - Tales of the Abyss was my first (and still my favorite) Tales game, and since then I’ve played almost all of them! They definitely influenced my character designs, most of my friends comment on how Tales-like my costumes are ahaha

19. The 'Riyria’ book series - The most recent novel series I’ve read. It’s got everything I’d ever want to see in a novel, it’s so great and the story is so deep and intriguing! I recommend everyone to read it, it’s a MUST READ for sure!

20. Journey - The first time I played this game I cried for three hours. I felt like I’d just had a religious and spiritual experience far beyond what I’d ever experienced in a video game before. It was just something so… beyond me. I recommend everyone to play this game at least once in their lifetime. I can’t really form the words to express what it means to me. It’s just something you’d have to experience for yourself.

21. Ico: Castle in the Mist and Shadow of the Colossus - Another famous one lol a LOT of people love these games but In particular I want to bring attention to the Ico novelization, Ico: Castle in the Mist. I really enjoyed the novel and it’s worldbuilding. The games will always be special to me, but that novel man. That novel.

22. Yu Yu Hakusho - One of my guilty favorites! I first saw Yu Yu Hakusho when I was 16 and I’ve loved it ever since! I’ve always been fascinated with spirits and the occult, but I definitely had to hide this one from my religious parents.

23. Black Cat - Honestly this one surprises me. I love those secret identity and hidden horrible past animes and this one definitely fits that bill. I think this one established my favorite tropes in my life more than anything else.

24. A Bride’s Story - Two words. THE ART. MY GOD THE ART. This manga, in addtion to being a really great read, has some of the most detailed artwork I’ve ever seen. It’s influenced me greatly and I encourage everyone to read it.

25. Bravely Default - Bravely Default definitely influenced my story building and characters, it was one of the first 3DS games that really captivated me and drew me into its world!

26. Yu-Gi-Oh!! - Another series I had to hide from my parents ahah This anime was something I really loved in my childhood. Again, I really love ghosts and spirits and things like that so this anime was probably what started it all!

27. Fire Emblem Awakening and the Fire Emblem Series - Awakening was my first Fire Emblem game (Cue whining from the FE purists LOL) but since then I’ve played them all! (Including the JP only ones don’t start with me haters ahahahaha) The storytelling and bonds between the characters really resonated with me and it’s become one of my favorite game series!

28. The ‘Legend of Zelda’ game series - The repeating themes of good vs evil throughout the Legend of Zelda games really struck a chord with me, especially when I was young. Twilight Princess and Wind Waker especially influenced me. “A Sword has no strength unless the hand that wields it has courage.” Is something that has suck with me for a long time, and something that encourages me and helps me get through my everyday life.

29. The Final Fantasy Series - Final Fantasy has had a HUGE impact on my life. I already gave Crystal Chronicles it’s due, now it’s the numbered titles turn! Final Fantasy has influenced my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined ten years ago even! I’ve played them all (Except 11, curse having no internet as a teenager!) and they’ve definitely shaped my lore and world building skills!

30. Naruto - Okay I’ll admit it! I was Naruto weeboo trash in highschool!!! Oh woe is me!! Just kidding! I honestly still love Naruto, and it’s something that really stuck with me for a long time, since it’s one of the first anime I saw (after learning what anime was ahaha)

31. Gravity Falls - How can I put this… Hmmmm. Gravity Falls has heavily influenced my character building. I love it’s characters. Don’t get me wrong I love the story too! But the characters are honestly what kept me coming back for more! Not to mention that epic foreshadowing in season one. Yep.

32. Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning - Another one of my favorite manga in Highschool that oddly helped me through my depression. The main character’s struggles sort of resonated with me and helped my healing process in my late teens and early twenties.

33. Final Fantasy XII - Okay WORLDBUILDING. Let’s talk about worldbuilding because MY GOD has Final Fantasy XII have it. I love the Ivalice games in general, but the amount of effort put into 12 having a world that feels like it’s alive is astounding to be honest. The world truly feels like it’s alive, and it drew me in for over 400 hours of gameplay on Playstation 2. To this day it’s the game I have logged the most hours into.

34. Radiant Historia - What drew me in here was TIME TRAVEL and STORY AND WORLDBUILDING. This game is a hidden gem in the Nintendo DS’s extensive library. It doesn’t have the best graphics or even the best gameplay mechanics, but it didn’t matter to me because the story kept me coming back for more! By far one of my favorite games ever. (Pssst go play it, it got a remake for 3DS)

35. Final Fanasy XIV - This one is a favorite, not just because of it’s story and world building - both of which are excellent btw - but because of the connections I’ve made through it. I have made so many friends online through this game, friends that make me feel better about myself as a person, and who’ve stuck with me through the hard times along with the good.

36. Mushishi - We’ve established that I love ghosts and spirits and things, but this series made me love connecting it with nature, something that has heavily influenced my writing and my own webcomic!

37. Voltron - Mostly the first two seasons. Beast King Golion was one of my first super sentai anime as a child, and I loved seeing it remade! It was like getting to revisit my childhood

38. Gundam SEED and the Gundam Series - Okay Gundam has influenced me throughout my life, starting with Gundam Wing when I was six years old, and continuing on to this day. The one I’ve watched the most times though, is Gundam SEED, and it’s influenced my characters and storytelling a lot!

Wow, congrats to whoever manged to read this far. You’re really determined I’ll give you that! Thanks for reading!

[deitiesofduat]

What are all the Deities AUs so far? And what are some of your personal headcannons?

Ah, well I’ve never made an official count or list of DEITIES AUs / crossovers before now, I kinda just… make them up as I think of them, or as others’ bring them up??? But of the ones I know that I’ve shared on the blog or elsewhere, or that I’ve mused about myself, I can present the following under the cut, with the ones in bold that have links to their own tags.

Keep in mind that most of these are AUs that I muse about on my own or with friends, and in my personal free time. There are a few that I may hopefully explore for fun (after I resume my main activity with, y'know, the main story >>) and others are small niche AUs that may not be explored in depth, but they’re all fun to think about regardless. Just fair warning to not expect me to spill ALLLLLLLLL the headcanons I have in a row if you ask, I don’t have the stamina for it right now, but I may consider doing an AU ask theme later whenever I do…

[1] DEITIES x Pokemon AU – This AU combines my two loves and can easily be divided into several sub-AUs all its own – Deities as pokemon trainers? Deities as pokemon / pokemon gijinka? Deities as gym leaders? DEITIES but everyone has sacred pokemon forms?? PMD!DEITIES?? THIS ONE IS TRUE AU GOLD THAT NEVER RUNS OUT–

[2] DEITIES x Harry Potter – More specifically, I think of the “Deities at hogwarts” scenario in this AU, so DEITIES cast as students in their respective houses, their best subjects, their sacred animal as their patronus – one time someone asked about their ideal quidditch positions, and well, I tried.

[3] DEITIES x Avatar the Last Airbender – Specifically like, the DEITIES as element-benders or non-benders within the ATLA world. It’s a tough one because certain DEITIES would do well in multiple elements (Set as a lightning(fire)-bender or sand(earth)-bender??), but I try to stick to the ATLA lore and keep to one. No idea who the avatar would be tho…

[4] DEITIES Business AU – Admittedly, this is one that I shared with a friend, I would need to check with her to see if she minded me sharing certain details. But think of the whole pantheon as part of a big company, with the Royal Family as the top “chief officer” positions (CEO, CCO, CFO, COO, etc.), and other staff/interns in said company (plus chairman!Ra).

[5] DEITIES Mafia AU – Or crime syndicate, whichever is the better term?? Just think The Contendings but as a modern struggle between 2 opposing crime families/gangs. And knives and firearms, ofc.

[6] DEITIES Merfolk AU – Self-explanatory. Also technically not far removed from canon; some deities could transform their hybrid features to resemble merfolk if they really wanted to. I just, need to actually draw it out–

[7] Genderbent!DEITIES – Also self-explanatory, and also technically not far removed from canon, since deities can change their gender expression however it suits them. I don’t explore this too deeply though, I just like to imagine what their designs might look like, and how the dynamics in The Contendings might shift with Set and Horus as dueling goddesses, etc.

[8] Modern!DEITIES – Really just any scenario where the DEITIES are living in modern time. I like the version where it’s basically canon DEITIES in the farrrrrrrrrrrrrr future where everyone is at least 5000+ years old, fully adapted to contemporary society and living it up in the 21st century.

[9] DEITIES School/Gakeun/College AUs – Self explanatory, and a riff from Modern!DEITIES. Either the DEITIES cast as students or as teachers/profs/staff, or some combination.

[10] DEITIES Musicians / Band AU – Related to Modern!DEITIES but with all the deities as musicians, specializing in different instruments or vocals! Or alternatively, deities in an INDIE ROCK BAND or something!! Haven’t revisited it in a while though, or settled on which instruments suit them best.

[11] DEITIES Cirque AU – Think “Cirque du Soleil” or any modern circus with the DEITIES as skilled performers with different acts. But I also shared this AU with a friend who I’ll have to double check with.

[12] DEITIES Olympics AU – EVERY OTHER YEAR I wanna draw the deities participating in Summer Games or Winter Games as Olympic athletes in their respective sports and events, and I never have the time. BUT IF I DID!!! YEAH….

[13] DEITIES Vacations – Modern!DEITIES going on destination vacations “because they can” and to bring the whole pantheon together once in a while. Disney/Themeparks was the one someone recently brought up that I had in the back of my mind, but other attractions at applicable as well. I also had Las Vegas, NYC, and Hawaii in mind as well, with plenty of room for other destinations and countries-outside-the-US as well.

[14] DEITIES… futurepunk?? cyberpunk?? – IDK THE CORRECT TERM BUT basically the DEITIES storyline for The Contendings, but instead of Ancient Egypt, it’s “Ancient Egypt” if it had survived several millennia in the future – with modern advancement and technology in place of magic. I have more ideas regard this AU, but in the event someone else is planning to do a similar epic, I’ll keep my details underwraps for a bit until I can explore it myself 

(Additional note: I’m not super invested in -punk AUs but I could acknowledge things like steampunk!DEITIES, dieselpunk!DEITIES, solarpunk!DEITIES, etc.)

[15] DEITIES In-game / Gaming AUs – Basically the DEITIES cast following the mechanics and designs of different game series I like, vicariously or otherwise – including Sonic (sanic!DEITIES and sanic teams), Splatoon (Inkling/Octoling DEITIES), Animal Crossing (DEITIES as animal neighbors), Super Smash Bros (The cast as SSB fighters), Overwatch (the cast maining different heroes) and, most recently, Dragalia Lost (Adventurer!DEITIES who tURN INTO DRAGONS…!).

[16] DEITIES Holiday Designs – Not really an AU, just the DEITIES cast in festive designs for certain holidays on the blog, purely for fun. So far we have Halloween DEITIES and their transformations; Set transformed as one of santa’s reindeer; and Set’s “B-day” for Valentines day (which, I really attribute to the kemetic community for that one, I just participated with Set drawings haha;;)

[17] DEITIES Crossovers – most of the AUs I mentioned are crossover, but here I mean when I or someone else crossover’s our stories or casts for non-canon fun. On my end, so far I’ve drawn Set as a demon from Koolaid’s Living When Dead, and the Set Spawn running into some other smol familiars. Also drawn a few other crossovers with those who drew me amazing giftart in years past.

[18] Other Personal AUs – Any of the other dozen AUs that I already indulge in with my group of friends and our personal OCs, but with the DEITIES cast as a cameo. You’d have to sift thru my personal artblog with my OCs to understand most of them (and some of them aren’t even publicly posted yet), but they  include, but are not limited to: Mythical!gijinka, Fantasy AU, vampire/lycan/witches AU, demons/angels (and the related deadly sins/heavenly virtues) AU… that’s about it that I haven’t mentioned before jskdfsdf

o)———

[pastelsketches64]

Sketches of the Month: March!

Happy Easter-Fools Day everyone! Tumblr just pulled a funny joke on me actually, where I was half way through typing this post up and then the post just... disappeared.

Hilarious, right?

Seriously though, I post these from my iPad, and I apparently touched a notification that wasn’t there??? So this is my second time typing this up. 

But it’s fine! I just feel bad since I type everything off the top of my head, so I personally feel bothered that I’m not saying exactly what I was saying before. Personal gripe though, so let’s just get back into this!

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1 & 2: Daily Dose of Sonic Gals! 

This is probably gonna be a new segment in SotM now XD These are 2 requests from @ dailysonicgals : Amy and Cream as cheerleaders, and Heavy Magician and Heavy Rider in frilly dresses!

If you wanna see a bunch of cute art of Sonic girls, then I’d definitely recommend following, since everyone else is just so talented. I mean seriously, how can I even be associated with these people??? XD

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3: Amy Rose in Sonic Underground

So @zippityzap is remaking Sonic Underground, and they came up with a cool idea to potentially implement Amy into it. After her parents are roboticized, she is taken in by the Oracle as an apprentice, which explain the purple robes XD 

I’m really glad that you liked how it turned out! It’s always fun to try and replicate another art style!

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4: An Adorable Helpy! 

I’m pretty sure I created this blog a while after my FNaF obsession died down, but I’ve always been excited for the next game in the series. So let’s all just be honest here, Helpy is revolutionary. 

I mean, an animatronic that doesn’t want to kill us??? That’s progress XD 

Seriously though, Helpy is just so darn adorable and hilarious, and after a few attempts I think I finally captured just how cute he looks to me!

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5: Guess that Song! Ft. Discord Friends

Do any of y’all remember when I mentioned my friends livestreaming some stuff a while ago? Well, we’ve been doing it a bit more recently, and in the heat of the moment I quickly drew this up before we started one of them XD 

If you’re interested at all in the funny actics we get up to, you can follow us at: https://www.twitch.tv/cosmiostar 

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6: Tiny Sonk and Me 

That’s literally all the context there is to this image XD One of the rare moments where I drew a perfect and precious Sonic, and I then had a strong need to finish it up digitally! Oh, I guess I’m there as well... huh... XD

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7: Mighty & Ray’s Adventures??? 

So if you’re as avid a Sonic fan as I am, then you have already seen the first episode of Sonic Mania Adventures. It’s so awesome, right?! 

Well, during the SXSW Sonic panel, the idea of Mighty and Ray being in the animated shorts was brought up; and I decided that would be a good excuse to try and draw them in Tyson Hesse’s adorable arty style!

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And that is everything for this month! Did you notice the *keep reading* up there? Yeah, I figured out how to do it! Think I’ll go through my other SotM and add it in, since most other people don’t upload their art altogether and write a bunch about it XD

I hope you enjoyed what you saw, and I hope you’re excited for the MHA Big Bang stuff this month! It may be 2 or 3 more weeks of waiting, but that’s actually not that long! 

It’s honestly where all my effort for backgrounds has went, which I have very little effort for it to begin with XD

[beevean]

Yeah that's the fact that I meant about Rebecca. The pedo stuff related to lily has to do with some MLP fics she wrote that I heard about but basically what was bothering me was people trashing her for the fics and not saying anything about Rebecca sugar with the drawings she Drew but at the same time I feel like it's a different because in Rebecca's case she made those drawings like a decade ago and possibly before she start working for CN and might not reflect the person she is today...

And in Lily's case according to what I heard about she's been in recent controversies and those MLP fics she made were three years ago according to a post I saw. And in her case it's more understandable to easily accept the possibility that she may be a actual pedo due to the controversies surrounding her then Rebecca. I don't know, it's something it's something I may be easily wrong about and like I said I want an answer instead of just outright blocking me even if it's defending RS and...

Trashing Lily and bringing up points why Rebecca is good and points and potential evidence pointing to Lily being a bad person and an actual pedo.

As someone who firmly believes fiction is not reality and is tolerant of porn and dark fiction, I can see the difference between NSFW shippy art that doesn’t go beyond kisses and implied intercourse, and graphic child (literal child, not 17 year olds) porn/torture stories.

A ship is just a ship. Indulging in graphic stories in a way that almost seems fetishy (by not making it clear that you find it wrong and disgusting) becomes less defendable. Especially if it seems to be your favorite subject.

I know an author in the Sonic fandom who loves writing about rape, for example. I have no problem with rape stories, at worst I can make fun of how unrealistic they are, but when you only write about rape with little to no variation, asking yourself questions about the author themself becomes unevitable.

It’s still not enough to accuse someone of being an outright bad person, but it does leave a worse taste in your mouth, IMO.

Now if you add that to possession of actual child porn, well, drawing Edd and Eddy having sex doesn’t seem that disgusting now, does it?

[notdeadjusttrash-blog]

My Friend has been Falsely Accused of Tracing So I Will Defend Him

Okay I accidentally deleted the blog I posted this one because I’m a dumbass, so I’ll just repost it here even though I don’t use this blog anymore, but apparently I still have followers. Bless caches because I was able to get this back from google caches so I don’t have to retype everything. I added further evidence and refutes to claims that were not in my original post btw.

Anyways, I am making this post to help out my good friend @5ru9 aka Falco who has been recently accused of tracing/copy pasting other people’s / official art!

I’ve known Falco for over 3 years, and we’ve grown as artists together. Once in a while we give each other advice on art (thanks for the mech and armor advice and teaching me how you line and color!), but most of the time we just meme each other.

Anyways, a lot of people have pointed out that they’ve seen him livestream before, and he’s already posted some of his block outs and other wips as proof that he does not trace in his post here:

http://5ru9.tumblr.com/post/168277137427/hello-i-have-been-informed-about-a-callout-post

To further prove his claim with solid evidence, I shall present to you!

Times he’s asked for advice on his art, or I randomly decided to mention things I notice in his WIPs!

Exhibit A-1:

A Tenkai Knight he made up! I pointed out a few things I thought were awkward about the perspective in his WIP.

Exhibit A-2:

He started working on this way back in July and didn’t finish it until much later because he was working on several other pieces at the same time. I suggested lowering the eyebrows and drawing the eyes a bit narrower to get more of the playful expression he was aiming for. In his final piece here, you can see that Falco continued to refine the piece.

By the way! The reason he sometimes posts a lot of detailed artworks one shortly after the other is because he sometimes works on multiple pieces at once! And then finishes coloring them around the same time.

Exhibit A-3

Falco and I spent good time trying to figure out why he felt like something was wrong with his sketch! I thought maybe it was the trapezius and I decided to red line (or blue line i guess) it so it’d be easier for him to see approximately where i thought the line should go to fix it.

Exhibit A-4:

The gif-ing process turned white bg into blue… anyways! Falco showed me an early version of his Tenkai Knights OC that he eventually used in an April Fool’s joke to pass off as a new character in the series. He mastered the tenkai style enough that at first glance, people really did believe it was official! Like you had to get a good look to realize Shiyu was not really a real new character! Btw I had to go into my old twitter acc to find this…. (Edit: the gif wasn’t working bc it was too big so i had to make it smaller… and choppier and stuff to fit the mb max)

Well now that brings us into!!!

Exhibit B

Some of his old art!! (I’m so sorry falco i’ll be exposing your ancient art to ppl now)

Here you can see his progress from 2014 Tenkai fan art to early 2015! It starts looking more and more like the official art, which is what he was going for.

For reference, here’s what the character Ceylan Jones/Washizaki looks like:

I blocked out fan art by everyone except falco (which i marked) that shows up in this google search. Everything else is official art. The two fan arts by falco you see here are more recent, the angel one being from 2016 and the chicken one from 2017 (i think he also made a version with sonic instead of the chicken? lol). They’re both on his dA accounts btw! The 2017 one really looks like official art, doesn’t it? But it’s his artwork! He practiced a LOT to reach that point, and I hope the earlier arts I showed above this one are enough to convince you in his art progression! Side note: i only used images w/ceylan because 1. i’m biased because ceylan is my favorite character and 2. he drew ceylan a lot because ceylan is his favorite character Also you can see his handle change from s3iwashi to burningbraven. 5ru9 is is a pretty recent handle.

ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN IN THE TENKAI FANDOM FOR A WHILE CAN VOUCH FOR HIM!!!!!

And now for the last one,

Exhibit C

WHAT? WHO IS THIS???

This is my favorite character from a Chinese series called AOTU World! His name is Grey, or 格瑞。I commissioned Falco to draw Grey for me, and let me tell you it would be IMPOSSIBLE for him to have copied any of this. Why? Because the donghua is 3D and the manhua’s art is very inconsistent!

Let me show you the reference pictures I gave him to work with!

They’re all in my gdrive folder here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CqwH5KS-pHX0ZqLHQpoIZBi6W-gsU_Tz

This is all official art from the manhua, except the 3D model is from the donghua. Look at how inconsistent the references are! There’s no way he could have copy and pasted or traced this! Grey doesn’t even do this particular pose anywhere. lol. I told Falco “give him a cool sword pose”. (I’m sorry for being so vague, Falco! But it turned out great!!) The style he ended up drawing in was a mixture of all of them.

Btw!! here’s the blockout and the sketch he sent me before I sent my payment for the commission!! You can see his construction in the block out!! The arm construction and leg construction is light, but it’s there. You can also see the block out below the sketch. Notice he actually fixed the leg length from block out -> sketch?

ARGUMENTS AGAINST SPECIFIC ACCUSATIONS

LOOK, thte actual drawing doesn’t even match the sprites that closely. Pay attention to the collar especially. The whole frankensteining the image and then painting over it thing is just way more effort than drawing it himself. They don’t even match that well in the overlays. Like wow it’s such a crime to try and stay on model.

WHO WOULD EVEN NEED TO TRACE A MOUTH LIKE THAT? IT’S SO EASY TO DRAW. I CAN DRAW IT PERFECTLY JUST BY LOOKING AT IT. (well i AM an animator so I also do style mimicking)

Doesn’t the fact that you have to edit the sprites to match his artwork prove that you’re just a tryhard in making up fake evidence and not a tryhard enough at art since you think it’s so impossible for people to draw characters on model?

Yes he referenced the broom and possibly the heels from this image, but your overlays for the leg and arms are disingenuous and you know it. The leg positions are different, and the overlay doesn’t even match up. Face tracing also makes no sense. You literally stretched the mouth to try and make it fit but it still doesn’t fit. Do you really think it’s that hard to draw mouths and eyes in the DR style? DR faces are really simple to emulate. Also you fool, if you follow Falco’s artwork enough, you’d realize the way he draws bodies is actually rather consistent even as he does different styles. Especially when it comes to hands. His way of drawing hands is how I recognize his art and know right away it’s his art and not official art or a trace (also his coloring style). The heels he drew are also reminiscient of how he typically draws shoes/feet. he draws them bulkier. The other art has dainty heels. At most he referenced how backside works because he’s used to drawing sneakers.

Also come on, if all you referenced from an image was a broom because you liked the style (his is also clearly drawn by himself since you can’t overlay it on the other one. like i said he mostly used the style as a reference for how-to-broom) and you referenced pieces from many other images, are you going to list every single thing you referenced? While yeah it’d be nice to, it’s a little ridiculous to expect all 5-20 references whenever they post the image. It’s a thing where, if someone asks, you’d tell them, but it’s too much to list all of it. This isn’t a 20 page thesis.

If it’s such a crime, then holy shit sue all those people who parody other people’s comics and sue everyone who dares!!! to ever draw something remotely similar to someone else. Dang.

Art doesn’t live in a vacuum.

Okay, this one is just plain stupid. You distorted the sprite to match it up with his, but what would be the point for him to distort it just to trace? Also if he traced, can you explain the rest of the fingers that are drawn nicely but clearly different from the sprite? Also the thumbs don’t even match up. His faces more downward while the sprite is facing more forward. Also explain the turned body in Falco’s sketch, then!! And the hair! OH WAIT YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN IT BY ANY OTHER WAY THAN HE DREW IT HIMSELF!!! BECAUSE NO SPRITES MATCH IT AND YOU CAN’T FIND ANY SPRITES TO DISTORT ENOUGH TO EVEN GET CLOSE TO MAKING FAKE EVIDENCE FOR IT.

By the way, the style he drew it in is closer to the drv3 than this sprite. while it’s pretty much the same style as the older games, drv3′s art is more refined than the older games. Falco’s art is also more refined as you can see. (wow not only did falco’s art improved from back when we first met; even professional artists improve. shocker. /s)

Dude what the hell? The overlays don’t even match up even ifi you tried to frankenstein them. And these are really common poses at really common angles, and once again, must every single thing we reference from be listed in the description of every place we post an image? Let me just list all 30 videos and 50 images i used as reference for one of my prints. jfc.

As for the saihara animation based on the digimon opening animation? It was pretty clear to everyone that it’s some kind of parody. Many people when making parody animations don’t mention the original video either?? It’s a fun thing for fans of the franchise to recognize the reference themselves. Yes he could have said it was the digimon opening on the description, but at least he didn’t say he thought of the idea himself? And if you talk to him about the animation, he will openly tell you it’s from digimon. And the fact that you think it’s a trace despite how much the overlays do NOT work out is practically proof that you’re just doing this maliciously and hoping that saying he traces enough with shoddy evidence will make people believe you.

ALSO PEOPLE LITERALLY TRACE ANIMATIONS TO MAKE PARODIES OF, DOWN THE STYLE WHERE ALL THEY CHANGE IS THE HAIR AND OUTFIT, AND YET SOMETHING WITH DIFFERENCES EVEN DOWN TO THE STYLE LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU THINK IS A TRACE? Do you need a new pair of glasses?

I was gonna ignore this one because it was the same as a lot of the others, but you literally erased Falco’s face line so it would match the sprite, and you covered the bigger boobs Falco gave her, and totally ignored that the angle doesn’t even match properly. Like you covered parts of his sketch in your overlay just to make it look more like it matches, but if you actually fucking overlayed it correctly, even with squashing it, it won’t fit. (Also sorry to point this out Falco, but the circles on your goggle lenses are too small compared to the sprite; Maybe if you actually traced like this person claims you’re doing, they’d be perfectly like the sprite. OH BUT WAIT YOU DREW IT YOURSELF SO OF COURSE THERE’S SOME DIFFERENCES. JUST LIKE HOW EVEN THOUGH ALL YOUR OTHER WORKS ARE REALLY CLOSE TO THE STYLE AND PRETTY MUCH ON MODEL, THEY’RE NOT EXACTLY THE SAME WITH THE SPRITES! SHOCKER...!)

HOLY FUCK. I already pointed out and gave evidence that Falco started on the Nier Automata drawing waaaaaaay before he posted the actual picture. The 2 sketches are sketches! They don’t take a super long time. I busted out 10 inktobers in 1 day. (thumbnails of my artwork below)

Look I even even lined and colored 5 fairly detailed chibis in 1 day (i did the sketches earlier though. btw i hand drew the plaid on ray. it was annoying)

At the moment I have 5 wips. They’ll likely all be done around the same time. I know Falco often has multiple wips as well, and sometimes he also finishes some of them close to each other. Some artists (like my friend Fish) can pump out extremely detailed paintings in less than a day. WOW some artists can draw at a fairly fast rate. WHO KNEW? (manga artists in weekly magazines pump out 15-20 pages of manga in a week)

He’s still developing a style; he’s mostly doing style mimics of series he likes in the mean time.

At the moment he’s mostly experimenting with the drv3 style, but he was practicing p5 earlier. By the way, he DESIGNED a phantom outfit for mishima. Who the heck would he copy that from? He made it up because he loved mishima and wanted to make him part of the gang in some AU fan art. Mishima doesn’t have artwork like this for him to trace, so it should be obvious it’s his own work.

And the pokemon and crash bandicoot ones are actually not that close. The pokemon one looks like a good attempt at imitating the pokemon style, but since he hasn’t practiced it enough, you can tell it’s a little off model because, well, he drew it himself and doesn’t practice the pokemon style a lot. Same with the crash one. Had it been a trace, with his level of control over his lines (which you can’t refute), it would have been much closer.

And you act like it’s a crime to imitate others’ art style. It’s really not. What is wrong with you? Do you want to slow down animation production by only letting the character designer draw everything? Or do you want animation where the art has 0 semblance of consistency because all the artists draw in vastly different styles? lol. What do you have against artists that try to stay on model?

LOL THIS IS ONE IS SO STUPID WHERE DO I EVEN START?

Oh, I KNOW. Why don’t I do that same pose with my own hands?

IT’S A MIDDLE FINGER, YOU IDIOT.

Just because YOU don’t know basic anatomy and can’t tell a middle finger from a pinky, doesn’t mean everyone else is as incompetent as you. He wasn’t doing the rock-on hand pose (sry idk if that pose actually has a name lol), and he’s drawn the rock-on hand pose properly before.

Closing statement

I believe I covered a lot of things and provided a lot of evidence here that Falco and his other friends did not cover in his defense against the false accusations.

I even added more counter arguments in this repost because apparently my original post wasn’t enough to convince people.

Perhaps the person calling him out meant well (no, I doubt it because they made a new side blog just to diss him because they knew if they did it on their actual blog, they’d be called out for being a jerk), but they did not do enough digging to find out if their claims were true or not (and they probably know well enough that they MADE UP THEIR EVIDENCE).

If you’re going to make a call out post, please make triple sure sure of everything before you accuse people. Talk to them first. Talk to those who know them too.

Many jobs require you to be able to draw characters exactly in the style given. Animators for example! There are multiple animators working on one series, and they all need the skill to draw consistently! Some games also have teams that need to be able to draw in the same style so they don’t have to leave everything up to one person. Comic artists often have assistants that help them draw background characters, but those background characters can’t be too different from the main style either.

As for the people who believed the call out post before, it’s perfectly understandable. I am also guilty of falling for similar posts in the past. Due to that, I decided it was best to double check before retweeting (i say retweet because i use twitter far more than tumblr these days. heck i almost never post anything on this blog) things, and if i wasn’t sure, I would just leave it be.

I hope my post was able to convince you on Falco’s innocence and all his hard work. And if you already believed him but checked out this post anyways… Thanks! ObligatoryPleaseWatchAotuWorld.

And again:

Art does NOT exist in a vacuum. All artists are influenced by each other and MANY artists, especially professionals, use a lot of references, whether it be from photographers, their own pictures, others’ artwork, life, or whatever. We all use many different resources. If you’re going to say that’s wrong, you just dismissed millions of artists in the world.

[slothrusts]

Hey @taylorswift ! Since you made a playlist for us, I thought I’d make one for you. Music is my life, I even study it at school, and my favorite thing about music is songwriting (which is probably why I love you so much). Lyrics are the most important part of a song to me, but soundscapes are also really rad. So here’s 19 songs that I adore, both lyrically and sonically, and hope that you will also like! @taylornation and fellow swifties feel free to listen in as well :)

Also, Taylor, look beneath the Read More for the track listing and me talking about each song like I know what I’m talking about lol

1.) Lit Me Up- Brand New 

     This is the best opening song of all opening songs. Brand New has created such an interesting soundscape and feel with the whole Science Fiction Album. It’s creepy, but great. Taylor I feel like you’d really enjoy some of the binaural action going on.

2.) Turn Out the Lights- Julien Baker @julienbaker

     Julien Baker is one of THE BEST lyricists I have ever found (besides you of course Tay). Everything she writes is heart-wrenching  and beautiful and I love it. I mean, come on “When I turn out the lights/there’s no one left/between myself and me” (lyk if u cri evrytim). This is a single from her forthcoming album by the same name and I highly recommend you listen to her debut Sprained Ankle cause damn is it good. 

3.) Horseshoe Crab- Slothrust 

     This song is a trip man. Slothrust (its Sloth-rust not Slo-thrust fyi) is this cool little rock/jazz/blues band from Brooklyn that I ADORE. Leah writes some outlandish but still poignant af lyrics. Notably: “Sometimes I feel like I’m a sea horse/Sometimes I think that I’m a horseshoe crab/I don’t have anything in common with myself/Except that I came from the sea just like everyone else did”

4.) Ready to Go- Hurts @adam-hurts

     Suggested activity while listening to this song is dancing because damn it’s a certifiable BOP. 

5.) Queen- Flint Eastwood @flinteastwooddetroit

     You’ve probably never seen these guys play live but Jax Anderson is a hype beast like no other and can get a crowd full of people who have never heard her music to sing and jump along like they’re the headliners. The chorus gets u going and I think that reputation era Taylor would appreciate “I’m a queen not a soldier”

6.) I Forgive No One- Citizen 

     While I’m not sure if this genre/sound is your thing Taylor, it does remind me a lot of the whole reputation era mindset. “I forgive no one for anything/I forgive no one for what can change”

7.) Moonshine- Lights @lightsalot

     Another great bop about staying up late and partying. Also Lights wrote and drew an entire comic book series to go along with this concept album?? How fucking cool is that?? It reminds a bit of New Romantics in the attitude of “who gives a shit lets go party anyway!!” 

8.) Sunshine Type- Turnover @turnoverva

     Turnover is my go-to feel good band. This song actually sounds like the way sunshine feels. “I was thinking that you could love a song that I hate/I’d still play it for you”. 

9.) Separate- Pvris @thisispvris

     I’d imagine that swimming underneath an iceberg sounds like this song. Pvris (pronounced like Paris not p-virus or puh-vris) makes some super spooky but beautiful things. And can we talk about “There’s always been a disconnect/Running from my heart to my head/And no it’s never made much sense” as well as “Pull away the world from me I don’t mind/As long as they don’t separate you from me I’ll be fine”. It’s almost the opposite of Clean, but in a good way. This entire album has got some killer outros btw.

10.) Burn it Down- Daughter 

      Elena Tonra from Daughter is SUCH a GREAT lyricist. You, her, and Julien are probably the best lyricists that I know of honestly. Plus, her, Remi, and Igor as a band make some DOPE soundscapes that you can get actually physically lost in. “Always said I was a good kid/Always said I had a way with words/Never knew I could be speechless/Don’t know how I’ll ever break this curse”. They wrote this album for a video game soundtrack, but the one before this one Not to Disappear is lyrically so powerful I cry every time I see them live lol.

11.) Trainwreck- Banks

     Banks is a bad ass bitch and I think you and her would get along swimmingly. Also perhaps invite her to sing this with you on the rep tour?? (hint hint wink wink) “Born to take care of you, or I thought so/Maybe it was just a phase” It’s like an updated more sonically banging Dear John imo

12.) Helicopter- Deerhunter

     Back on the soundscape train Deerhunter just sounds cool as shit. The lyrics to this one are story-based and talk about some guy who was a victim of human trafficking. BUT Bradford Cox makes it sound cerebral and plucky.

13.) Deadcrush- alt-J

     I love this song cause it has the coolest premise. It’s about the Dead Crushes of the band members. So like, dead people that the band members admire. The crushes are Anne Boleyn and Lee Miller. I particularly enjoy the music video for this song which is weird as all hell. The pulsing beat that drives this song is something that I think you would appreciate, Taylor. This is one of the songs where it feels more like the words are meant to be a part of a music rather than their own separate piece if that makes sense.

14.) SGL- Now, Now @nownowband

     SGL stands for “Shot Gun Lover” and holy heck does this lyrically resemble some of your stuff! Sign me the fuck up for “Starry-eyed/I was young and undone/But I could’ve died/With you there in the sun”. I’ve been listening to this band for almost as long as I’ve listened to you but they recently got a more pop sound and I am LIVING for it

15.) Lose Myself- From Indian Lakes @fromindianlakes

     I saw on your playlist that you like Cigarettes After Sex and so I thought you might also enjoy the recent stuff by From Indian Lakes. This is the kind of song you listen to when driving home from a date. Ponder closely, “Am I the worm on a lover’s hook/And now I’m right where I’m supposed to be/But something still feels wrong with me”

16.) You and I (stripped version)- Pvris

     Pvris gets to be on here twice cause they are that good sorry but I don’t make the rules (wait yes I do). The lyrics here also remind me of you and how we all just have way too many feelings and our best shot at figuring things out is through writing about them. You and I is about a love that’s not working but that is still desperately wanted, “I know it’s cold when we’re apart/And I hate to feel this die/But  you can’t give me what I want/Just give it time”. Listen to this stripped version to hear how beautiful and lilting Lynn’s voice is and listen to the full band version to hear how much of a powerhouse her voice can be.

17.) Jesus Christ- Brand New

     Yes another Brand New song. You know why? Cause they are also fucking amazing. Taylor, I recommend you listen to this song while lying in your bed staring up at the ceiling and thinking “How the hell did I get here, and how the hell am I gonna leave?” (here can be anywhere, your hotel room, you home, this universe). The next time you read a shitty headline about you in a tabloid think about the lyrics, “We all got wood and nails/And we turn out hate in factories/We all got wood and nails/And we sleep inside of this machine”

18.) Townie- Mitski @whoismitski

     “I want a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony/And I want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground/I’m holding my breath with a baseball bat though I don’t know what I’m waiting for/I’m not gonna be who my daddy wants me to be”…… do I need to say anything else? Hopefully you’ve already heard some of Mitski’s stuff cause she’s gonna be on tour with your homegirl @lordemusic this next spring!

19.) Pigpen- Slothrust

     Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with the post-chorus riff from this song in my head. Taylor, the lyrics I’d want you to hear the most from this one are; “I would spread my wings/If they weren’t so god damn heavy/Yeah I would spread my wings/If they weren’t coated in honey” 

And that’s everyone!! I hope you liked at least one of these songs @taylorswift . Love you eternally and catch you on the flipside!!!

[devilinheadphones]

2017 Year In Review - Tumblr Edition

It’s really here, isn’t it, guys? 2017 is nearly over, 2018 is nearly here. I’ve wanted to make a post about this for a couple of weeks now, but this and that has happened and I finally have a little bit to really get this out there. I want to take this time to look back on people I’ve met and/or talked a lot with this year, ones who have really brightened things up when things have gone from bad to worse over 2017. I guess it’s more a callout “thank you” than a real year in review, but oh well. Also I’m typing this up on my laptop and I almost exclusively use Tumblr mobile so bear with the blandness of this. Let’s just jump right into it! Putting a read more cause this is kind of a long thingy

@galecsybuns - Where do I even begin? I know i didn’t meet you this year, but talking to you has certainly helped me out across all the crazy shit happening this year. I know it isn’t all too often, but I’m alright with that. You’re a good friend and I’m happy to have gotten to know you like I have. Maybe next year we can actually see each other! P.S. Your art is still rockin, don’t ever be afraid to spam me with what you’re working on; I’d love to see it and admire how cool it is! I’ve actually still got that drawing you made of me with my headphones and the “HECK” hoodie, it’s up with other important things that remind me of good friends. Here’s to another awesome year of friendship!

@sinish-tem - My guy, you’re certainly an interesting friend. It was kind of surprising to see someone ask me of all people about what Kingdom Hearts was, but I’m happy you did, because a great friendship blossomed from that question. Granted, when I was first answering, I was running on about two hours of sleep and pure excitement, but it seems to have worked out well enough. You’re not annoying or pushy or any of that stuff. You’re a good, loyal friend who has a lot to say and even more to ask, and that curiosity is what drew me to you. I may not always get back to you in a timely manner, but I promise I see everything you send and tag me in, you’re not ignored! I’ll probably end up doing a lot more videos and live streams this year, maybe if timing works out you could join me? I’ll have a lot of Kingdom Hearts content since KH3 is coming out, look forward to it!

@cutegirlmayra - I started talking with you waaayyyyyy in the beginning of this year, kinda crazy to think about because it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but here we are! I know we haven’t talked much recently as when we first met, but that doesn’t mean I think of you as any less of a friend! It always warms my heart seeing your writing prompts or just general opinions you have of Sonic related things. Maybe we can talk some more soon? Miss you bestie~

@sweets-paradise - Also didn’t meet you in 2017 but I love when we talk about things we enjoy and when I see your art and generally just whenever you’re on my dash or in my notifications. I hope you’re doing well and that we can both get even more excited together for the Klonoa movie, whenever that does come out. You know I’ll be hitting you up here or on twitter! Hope things are going well for you, friend.

Next up, I wanted to use this part to mention some people I’ve followed this year who maybe I haven’t directly interacted with, but have helped me out indirectly for the content they post.

@markiplier​ - I just had to say it, buddy. This man somehow brings a smile to my face any time I watch one of his videos, and I definitely needed some smiles this year. Thanks a ton, Mark.

@speeps-highway​ - Sonic Adventure is my favorite video game of all time, so getting to learn more about it or seeing previously exclusive content makes me happy, like I’m finding a whole new layer of fun with the game. I’ve seen a couple of your videos on YouTube, keep up the awesome work.

@drawloverlala​ - If it isn’t obvious yet, I love Sonic the Hedgehog. This person here made one of, if not my top favorite AU for Sonic, and the art is simply stunning. I go back to it just to admire the style and detail put into it, and discovering that you were the artist this year made me jump with joy because I already loved your other pieces before that.

@momoppi​ - Also only talked a bit here and there, but the art you make is beautiful and gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling whenever I see it. Thank you for creating what you do, you’ve helped out in more ways than you could think.

@miracletails​ - I found out you’re like best buddies with Ria, and seeing you guys interact on Twitter always manages to make me smile. Your art is also adorable and I just wanted to make sure I said that for the billionth time because y’all are great friends and I’m happy I found you through her. Hope your life is going well, friend.

@sonicthehedgehog​ - What a crazy exciting year it’s been for the blue blur. Here’s to another 25 years of fast fun! Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Whew, that’s quite a bit of people from this past year. And that’s only people I mostly interact with here on Tumblr! Sorry if I missed anyone, I’m very exhausted from this year and those were the only ones I could think of off the top of my head! If you wanna talk more, don’t be shy to hit me up on here! Or if you use other media instead, just drop a message with your name and preferred media choice and I’ll hit you up there! To everyone I’ve met through this site, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I wish you all the best in 2018 with whatever you choose to do, so from me to you, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

-Josh