#i like this style it's messy and it's fun to do in character illustrations

[keepitdreamin]

I don't think I ever posted these but this campaign just had a big battle tonight (we won but it looked pretty dicey for a minute) and made me think about them again. After our first game, I decided that my character Coinin, a harengon paladin, keeps like a nature journal where he does watercolor illustrations of his adventures, so then I actually made it (mainly so I could do little character portraits of everybody)

[tinycrescent]

do you have any tips for learning how to draw? your art looks so free and expressive even in rough sketch form, and the colors are absolutely gorgeous, but i don't even know how to color normally and don't have the means to do it digitally, so i'll leave that for later haha. anyway just wondering if you did anything in particular to practice or to learn your skills. your art is just so good. sorry if you've been asked before. thank you for sharing your art with the dn fandom!!

thank you for your message!!! ♥︎ you're very kind. I hope what I write here is helpful, but this is sort of a complicated one for me to answer!

in all honesty, I struggle deeply with seeing my art as good enough. my relationship with my creative process is something I’d consider unhealthy more often than not– though I’d like to think it’s getting better as of late. :')

I wasn’t formally taught how to draw, but I was obsessed with hand-drawn media from a young age, whether it was comics, 2D animation, illustrations, etc., and growing up, I would try to emulate the artists I loved as practice. I was just using a cheap yellow pencil and notebook paper, but it was all I needed at the time. and I think that's a really good place to start! don't worry about buying a bunch of art supplies all at once; you'll naturally accumulate tools as you go.

I’d say look at art, a lot of different types of art, and study it to discover what you like, and equally importantly, what you don’t. drill into why. if an artist you love shows their works in progress or sketches, really take a look at those. it’s so much easier to understand a rough image and how it was drawn/what marks the artist used rather than dissecting a polished piece. 

if you have friends who like to draw, spend time drawing with them! make up stories and characters together. I drew all the time growing up. all the time. I was a super quiet, well behaved kid in school because I was terrified of getting in trouble, and yet I was constantly reprimanded for drawing during class. it was the one thing I was willing to get yelled at for. my point isn’t to get in trouble (lol), but more so– draw whenever you can, wherever you can. even when it’s mindless. keep paper nearby. doodle. draw what you see around you.

these days, it’s my perfectionism that really kills my love for drawing. it stops me from drawing at all sometimes, because I’m worried (before I even start!) whatever I make won’t be “good enough”, whatever that means. it got much easier when I stopped trying to keep a neat sketchbook and allowed myself to let go. draw quick, draw messy, draw “bad”. you have to make art you aren't satisfied with to get better. and it sucks! you might try something new and feel like, damn this looks so incredibly amateur, but it's an unavoidable part of the process. if you can look at what you made, accept it for what it is, and then keep going, you’ve already jumped the biggest hurdle.

when I’m stuck in a mental feedback loop of oh my god, I don’t know how to draw, why is my art so bad, I compare something I made this year to the year before. even if the differences aren’t immediately apparent, chances are you learned something between then and now– whether it be a better understanding of your personal taste/drawing style or composition or, like, how to draw ears. it gives you concrete proof that you’ve improved.

⬇ this is a Light I drew in 2022 compared to one from early 2024. even now, I look at the more recent image on the right and think, yeah I would probably draw that differently. but I'm also proud of the me back then who did her best.

really, truly, I’m still learning how to draw all the time. part of the reason I made this account and started posting Death Note fanart was because it was a low pressure way to be creative and let go and have fun. and maybe that’s my biggest piece of advice, simple as it is. enjoy it! draw self-indulgently. strive to improve, but also be lenient with yourself. if you find the love in drawing, it'll pull you through the times when it’s frustrating.

♥︎

[engardeitsme]

The Hunted, Haunted and Forgotten - Part 8

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Pairing: Battle Maniac x fem!Reader

Word count: 5.5k

Summary: You get to know the Rabbits a little better and keep wondering if you're okay with that...

A/N: I DID IT I WROTE SOMETHING YOU GUYSSS AND IT'S FLUFF YOU GUYSSS LIKE CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? NEW YEAR NEW ME FRFR WOOOO💃💃 hrmhrm anyway,, i'm here with more headcanon lore for our dear wabbits bc it's what they deserve🤲♥️ hope you enjoy the fun sib shenanigans~! (before the inevitable Return of the Angst)

***

Part 8 - If only for a moment

In the morning light, Giulia's room had turned out to be a fascinating mixture of "boring old bureaucrat" and "teenage girl goes delinquent".

The former office was not very large, so the dusty secretary and various other office paraphernalia had to be moved into a corner to make room for a bed and other very important pieces of furniture - a (very messy) dressing table, for example. Others were simply repurposed: All the drawers and shelves had been removed from a large cabinet on the left-hand side of the room and unceremoniously stacked on top of the desk. The resulting space was now filled to the brim with clothes, from all kinds of shoes and fancy hats to ruffled dresses and heavy coats. It didn't make it particularly hard to guess what seemed to be the Rabbit girl's favourite haul.

And also a cherished hobby, judging by the dressmaker's dummy (which looked suspiciously like the dismembered torso of a Puppet, something you were only too happy to ignore) equipped with various colored pieces of fabric and other sewing utensils. The preparatory work for this undertaking could be found just behind it on the wall, which was effectively covered with sketches and illustrations of Giulia's creative outpourings. Here and there, due to a spontaneous lack of paper you presumed, the wallpaper itself had served as an alternative even. Most of the drawings were in the same hastily scribbled style, but some were almost professional in character, which was probably Massimo's doing.

You couldn't help but think it was sweet that he was so supportive of her passion.

The opposite side of the room wore his handwriting as well; there were a couple of shelves on the wall right next to the bedside table, which were completely surrounded by all sorts of drawings. Some were rather simple, like a butterfly or a pretty field of red flowers under a blue sky. Most, however, were of the four Stalker siblings, ranging from more elaborate portraits to sketches of everyday life. A little variety was provided by framed insect specimens and a poster advertising the production of "The Witch's Tower And Princess" starring Adelina Corday, as well as a Wanted poster - starring the Rabbits themselves, of course.

The shelves were littered with so many knickknacks it was hard to take it in all at once. There was a purse in the shape of a frog, a ship in a bottle and a music box with a dancing ballerina in the middle. A shiny comb lay beside a gilded box; it stood open, revealing a whole mountain of jewelry, on top of which was the brooch Massimo had gifted the girl after your very first treasure hunt together. This was followed by an impressive collection of shells, a feathered fan leaning against the back wall, and some tattered picture books, judging by the titles.

Most of the shelf space, however, was taken up by a veritable army of stuffed animals, dolls and figurines, of which you were particularly taken with a small mechanical rabbit on a bicycle - that was, until you vaguely remembered Giulia telling you that Matteo had made her a toy rabbit just like that for her last birthday...

At which point you promptly decided to end your little expedition through the teenage girl's room.

Currently you were standing in front of the full-length mirror next to the dummy. Dim light fell through the pretty curtains in front of the windows onto your scowling face as you plucked at all the fabric hanging from your body. By now you realized why Massimo had described the outfit he had chosen for you as "creative"; although you felt that this time his artistic mind had overshot the mark a little. A little much. So much so that at first you even thought it was a joke.

Because part of it had actually turned out to be a skirt.

Not an ugly one, mind you; in fact, before the disasters, the auburn, calf-length piece with the decorative buttons would have been right up your alley. But that was just the thing, before the disasters. Now you couldn't think of anything more impractical. At least it was floaty enough not to restrict your movement too much... And you'd only have to wear it until your own clothes were clean again, which, according to Massimo, shouldn't take too long (if that hadn't been another joke...).

Still, you didn't understand why he hadn't just given you a pair of men's pants and a belt if Giulia didn't have anything suitable at hand. Especially since he had done exactly that regarding the top of your outfit, which was nothing more than a loose, cream-colored, wide-sleeved men's shirt. Although it was showing signs of wear, the fabric was still thick and sturdy, so you didn't have to worry about it being see-through - the first thing you'd checked.

As soon as you recognized it as a man's shirt, the question of its actual owner came to mind. You could definitely rule out Vito because of his size, and Matteo...

You grimaced. You wouldn't put it past Massimo. Especially since it would effectively kill two birds with one stone: embarrass both you and the scarf wearer. However, you could hardly imagine (and didn't want to either) that this shirt would suit his style. It was way too light, way too casual, way too... romantic.

The thought hadn't even taken full shape before the images, memories, feelings that had kept you awake at night (and that you had tried so hard to ignore away) came flooding back.

No, no, no, you said to yourself, shaking your head vehemently, it's Massimo's, gotta be.

You knew it was mostly wishful thinking, but you quickly decided to ignore that too, as you set about tucking the shirt into the waistband of your skirt. You couldn't allow these thoughts to follow you into the new day even. It was one thing to have to deal with your sick brain (quite literally) when you were alone in a pitch-black room, but another when you were surrounded by the very last people you wanted to know what was really going on with you...

As if to draw a line under it, the next moment you smoothed your skirt, sorted out your shirt collar and sleeves, and gave your reflection a final, determined nod. Then you turned around and marched with firm steps toward the door...

Only to pause and turn back toward the open space when you realized that you had almost forgotten the most important thing.

Quickly, you approached the bed again and fumbled for the piece of paper on which you had written down the locations of the treasures. And which you had unceremoniously stuffed between the pile of pillows while changing, just in case. Now you shoved it into your left boot as far as it would go; that seemed much safer than putting it in the breast pocket of your shirt. After all, you never knew when you'd be standing chest to chest with a Rabbit again...

As soon as the thought crossed your mind, you wanted to slap yourself, but then just hissed: "Bloody stop it already!!" before crossing the room once more.

This time, however, you didn't spare your reflection a second glance.

+++

You had barely stepped out into the hallway when you heard someone calling your name. Someone who soon turned out to be Massimo, leaning against the wall by the bathroom door with his arms crossed. He was wearing his bucket helmet/mask, which could only mean that one or more of the Rabbits had gone out (there was no question who you were hoping for).

"Back among the living, eh? I was just about to send out a search party to make sure you weren't buried under Mt. Pillow."

You rolled your eyes as you joined him, but couldn't help the small smile. "Good morning to you too."

You were about to ask him why he was standing here all dressed up and with nowhere to go, when he nodded towards the bathroom and said: "I'm supervising Giulia on her little pee trip." He turned his head toward the door and continued in a loud voice: "Emphasis on pee! Oi! I don't remember agreeing to listen to you unloading in there!"

"Am not!", it sounded indignantly from behind the door. "It's all just... a bit more annoying when you only have one working leg!"

"What do you need your legs for when you take a shit??"

"No, the problem is..." A pause. "Oh piss off, Moe!!"

The Rabbit chuckled before turning back to you. "She refused the potty..."

"Yeah, cause it's disgusting!", you could hear Giulia's muffled voice once more.

"...so it can only be a matter of hours", he finished with a shrug. "Sorry."

You waved it off. "Never mind. I freshened up earlier, right after I got up."

"Smart." He nodded approvingly. Then he seemed to take a closer look at you and asked: "By the by, how do you like your new outfit? Pretty, isn't it?"

"Pretty impractical perhaps..." The laughter you got in response was definitely not remorseful enough for you. "Didn't you have some extra pants lying around?", you added with a grumble.

"Oh, no yeah I did." You could well imagine his grin stretching from one Rabbit ear to the other by now, just like the painted version on his bucket. "But they weren't as pretty~"

This time you held the smile as you rolled your eyes. "Oh, har, har..."

The next moment, the bathroom door opened. As soon as she spotted you, Giulia gave you a beaming smile - until she suddenly stumbled over the threshold, her face almost greeting the wooden floorboards if you hadn't reacted on instinct and grabbed her arm. Something you half regretted not one second later when the girl grabbed your arm in return, causing a sharp pain that made you grit your teeth.

Which, of course, had not gone unnoticed. After all, you were dealing with a bunch of unnatural freaks here.

"Oh, that's nasty looking", Massimo exclaimed promptly, as soon as Giulia had stood up straight again, albeit still a little wobbly. "Is that from yesterday??"

You wanted to quickly pull your sleeve over the bruise, but he was quicker and soon held your wrist in front of his goggles to inspect it more closely. Something that immediately gave you another annoying déjà-vu and made your heart skip a beat - which annoyed you even more.

"It's fine", you said curtly and tried to take your arm again, but the man in front of you wouldn't let it go.

In two ways.

"If this is 'fine', I don't wanna know what 'not fine' looks like to you", he said doubtfully, "especially since it seems to hurt quite a bit."

You sighed. "Not really, I just- Ow! What the hell?!", you blurted out as he suddenly pressed his fingers directly on your discolored skin.

This time you managed to snatch your arm back, while he just gave you a smug look. "You were saying?"

Oh, that little...

"Okay, fine! You made your point", you grumbled. "Happy now?"

"I will be, if you stop being such a stubborn pain in my arse. One is more than enough."

That shut you up for good.

A state that continued on even minutes later when the three of you found yourselves in the main room of the Town Hall, with Massimo busy rubbing a thick, pain-relieving ointment on your forearm and then applying a fancy (and, in your opinion, completely unnecessary) bandage. You were sitting opposite each other at the table, while Giulia had moved back to the sofa and was now tinkering with something you couldn't quite make out from where you were sitting.

The Rabbit across from you let out an impressed whistle as he held your arm up to the light. "Blimey... Must've been a fresh one, or it wouldn't have had the fine motor skills left."

"A fresh one...?" You frowned uncomprehendingly, your mind elsewhere for a moment.

"Your Carcass admirer, the one that gave you this lovely bracelet", he explained before he flexed his fingers and then began to carefully wrap your arm in the cloth of the bandage. "They quickly forget how hands work. So I think this fella here can't have been back on its feet for long if it still remembered how to hold on to someone."

Ooh. That's what he meant.

You shook your head. "That wasn't a Carcass. Got your dear brother to thank for that one."

No sooner had you finished speaking than the man in front of you suddenly froze, and out of the corner of your eye you saw that Giulia had done the same.

You looked from one to the other. "What?"

"You mean... Matteo did this?", Massimo asked slowly and with a strange undertone in his voice.

It made you frown again. "Yeah...?"

Until it finally dawned on you.

"Ooh, you mean...! No, no, that... It wasn't on purpose", you rushed to explain, "just in the, uh... heat of the moment, basically! We also already sorted it out yesterday - well, sort of... So there's nothing to worry about, really!"

It briefly occurred to you how wrong it felt to defend the scarf wearer in this way, when usually you liked to blame him for the bad weather even. But this wasn't really about him, after all. You just wanted to set the record straight, nothing more!

Massimo crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "'In the heat of the moment', huh? That so..."

You thought you could feel him piercing you with his gaze; it seemed as if he was trying to see inside your very soul. Though at the same time, you didn't get the impression that he didn't believe you, oh no. Rather, it sounded as if he knew something you didn't. As if he was hinting at something...

The thought made you gulp. It couldn't have anything to do with what had happened- had almost happened between you and Matteo yesterday, right? He couldn't possibly know about that.

...Right??

"I-I mean", you stammered, while trying to keep the temperature of your face at a normal level, "of course I was a little... startled at first. After all, he's not usually the... emotional type, I guess you could sa-"

"'Emotional' you say?", Giulia interrupted suddenly.

"'Emotional' how...?", Massimo joined in.

Again, your eyes darted back and forth between the two, now incredibly confused by their strange behavior. "Well, that was... when we were stuck in the ravine, Giulia and I. Right after Matteo found us. He was worried that something had happened to us-"

"'Us'? More like you", the Rabbit girl corrected. "You would've been skewered if Teo hadn't shown up!"

"...Right", you said slowly, not really in the mood to think back to your near-death experience (and slightly weirded out by her strange excitement about it). "I guess he thought I was seriously hurt... which would have been rather inconvenient, of course. Our situation was already bad enough with Giulia's injured foot. So it's no wonder really, that he got a bit carried away ther- Okay, what is this?", you interrupted yourself as the Rabbits exchanged another indefinable look.

Suddenly Giulia started laughing and exclaimed: "See?? I told you!"

Massimo only responded with an incomprehensible grumble.

"Told him what?", you asked, irritated.

But Giulia just kept on giggling, while her brother gave you a no less revealing "Hm?", as if he'd just remembered that you were there, too.

You deadpanned. "Are you serious?"

"Nah, I'm Massimo. Why?"

You felt your temple twitch with irritation, and put as much sarcasm as you could into your next words. "Oh, I don't know... Maybe because you're acting even weirder than usual??" You narrowed your eyes. "Like you're up to something."

"Where did you get that idea?" Giulia asked, sounding about as innocent as a child trying to talk its way out of stealing cookies with its hands still in the cookie jar.

Which didn't do much to dispel your suspicion that they were just fucking with you after all, and only made you more annoyed. But before you could open your mouth again, Massimo finally took pity on you.

"It's just a little... surprising. That's all."

You waited for him to continue. When he didn't, you pressed on: "What is??"

"Wellll", he said at last, "it's true, our dear brother is about as touchy-feely as an Alchemist is honest. Unless..."

"Unless...", Giulia repeated in the same conspiratorial tone.

You raised your eyebrows. "...Yes?"

Before he went on, Massimo continued to work on your bandage. "You see, Matteo's developed this... habit. Back when this whole shitshow started and we lost the HQ and he was..." He took a deep breath. "Well, I'll spare you the details, but believe me, it wasn't pretty and really messed him up. To the point that every time someone he cares about is in danger now, he just freaks out until he's made sure they're all right. And since he's usually not quite in his right mind at those moments, this can be a bit, er... a bit forceful, you might say."

He hadn't even finished speaking before you were already scowling - but not at Massimo.

"You put him up to this", you accused the girl sitting behind him.

"Wha- Did not!", Giulia blurted out, before turning to her brother and explaining (with a big eye roll, judging by her tone): "She thinks Teo 'hates' her."

It was quiet for a moment.

Then Massimo burst out laughing, and your scowl deepened.

"Hates you?", he finally gasped. "Oh believe me, you'd definitely know if he hated you."

"That's what I said!", Giulia exclaimed excitedly.

You, however, could only snort loudly. "Well, he has an interesting way of showing that..."

An extremely interesting way, suddenly flashed through your mind, along with some extremely interesting images from the previous night... Which you hastily shoved back into the farthest corner of your broken brain before they could unfold their full annoyance once more.

Massimo chuckled softly as he picked up a pair of scissors. "And right you are. But even if he comes across a bit... constipated a lot of the time-"

"And like a big old know-it-all", Giulia added.

"Humourless too."

"And stingy!"

"Arrogant."

"Mean."

"Stubborn."

"Unfair."

"And has absolutely no sense for the arts..."

"Wow, you're really selling the guy", you commented dryly.

"...he's not a bad bloke", Massimo finally concluded. "Just needs to work through a few things."

"Yeah, well. We all do."

"Exactly."

You raised an eyebrow. "So what was yesterday all about then?"

"Ah, what can I say... As much as my fingers sometimes itch to impale him with that toothpick he calls a weapon..." He shrugged, and you could hear him grinning. "We're Rabbits! Family. At the end of the day, we always got each other's backs, no matter what."

"Aww! How touching, bro!"

"...except for Giulia, because she can't reach that high."

He let out an ugly cackle as she complained loudly and puffed out her cheeks. Then he turned back to your bandage and put the finishing touches on it before announcing: "Et voilà! All done!"

"Thank you..." you murmured, but were still thinking about his earlier words, about the all too familiar feeling that they had stirred within you...

And that you wished you could forget, because every reminder created a longing that tore your heart in two.

You quickly tried to distract yourself by taking a closer look at Massimo's creation: First you moved your arm back and forth, then you opened and closed your hand to test if the bandage restricted the movement of your fingers. You were pleased to see that it did not. The Rabbit had really done an excellent job.

Still, you couldn't help but give him a skeptical look before saying: "But was the bowknot really necessary?"

"Very much so, sugarplum", he replied, gently patting your arm. Then he suddenly pushed his chair back to give himself enough room to stretch his arms and legs, and groaned loudly: "Fuck me, so much work in the morning is really wearing me out...! I'm gonna grab a bite. You want anything?"

You had barely opened your mouth when he nodded, jumped to his feet and dashed past you towards the pantry. Perplexed, you closed your mouth again.

"I like it! Looks like little bunny ears~", Giulia commented on your artful bandage before raising her hands above her head to wiggle her own.

You couldn't help but smile back at her.

A little later, the girl had resumed her mysterious work, though now she also occasionally nibbled at a strawberry jam sandwich. You had your breakfast laid out before you as well: a buttered cheese sandwich, tomatoes, an egg and smoked herring. Fish had always been a staple food in the surrounding coastal region - at least as long as people could go fishing. Instead of being killed by bloodthirsty monsters or joining their hivemind.

In the early days of your dealings with the Rabbits, you had regularly refused their offers to share in their hearty meals, but now your guilt had subsided somewhat. You still liked to think that all you were really doing was preventing the food from going to waste. After all, that wouldn't have helped anyone either! But in reality, your lowered inhibitions in this matter were simply due to your growing awareness of your impending demise. And because you thought this deserved the odd indulgence of questionable character, if only for a moment.

Something you would never admit out loud, though. You wanted Matteo to believe that you had taken the "goody-two-shoes" - as he so nicely put it - to your grave.

As you took another sip of your tea, you noticed that Massimo had put down the egg he was peeling and started massaging his fingers instead. You were about to tease him by asking if he needed any help, when you suddenly heard noises from outside and, not a second later, the front door opened to reveal the two missing Rabbits.

Matteo was already unbuckling his mask as he stepped over the threshold, so that he could pull it off as soon as he reached your table. Meanwhile, Vito closed the door behind them and leaned his monstrous weapon against the adjacent wall before following the scarf wearer.

It was as if his eyes were magnetic. But no sooner had you made contact than you quickly averted yours, suddenly extremely worried about what Matteo would read in them... Which was simply ridiculous, and for no reason at all! Whatever had happened between the two of you yesterday meant nothing, absolutely nothing. Either the Rabbit had really just been pulling your leg (in which case this whole thing was even more irrelevant), or it had simply been a small slip-up caused by your fatigue. After all, you'd had a long day and your nerves were pretty frayed - ideal conditions for doing things you didn't really mean. Especially when, as in your case, you were also slowly but surely going insane.

So pull yourself together, for Saint's sake, you ordered yourself and willed your heartbeat to calm down again.

"You got it?", Massimo asked the next moment, running his fingers through his hair - now that the Rabbits were reunited, they had all taken off their masks, as was their unwritten rule.

In response, Matteo simply raised his right arm and dropped a small bag onto the table, where it landed with a loud clink. Then he said: "Naturally. Was a walk in the park after the tin cans had settled down."

His brother let out a small cheer and grabbed the bag to inspect its contents. Meanwhile, you gave the scarf wearer a surprised look.

"Wait, you went to Moonlight Town again?", you blurted out, even though the answer couldn't have been more obvious. To sound less stupid, you hastily added: "A-and you're back already?"

Matteo turned away from you, fiddling with something at his side. "Perks of having a competent colleague for once."

...Yep. You still hated him, all right. Shooting him an annoyed look, you started to protest-

When suddenly he turned around again and made you jump. Then you just sat there for a few moments with your mouth half open, blinking in confusion at the object the man was holding out to you. And which your brain eventually recognized as your lost knife.

The Rabbit raised an eyebrow and gave it a little shake, a clear invitation.

"You... What... But how...?", you finally stammered, accepting it almost reverently.

Vito signed something, which Massimo immediately translated out loud: "The knife was harder to find than the treasure."

"Not really", Matteo grumbled. "All you had to do was follow the trail of destruction..."

You were far too happy to have your knife back to pay much attention to the sarcasm in his words. Instead you simply looked him in the eye again the next moment and said sincerely: "Thank you. That... I appreciate it."

He held your gaze for a few seconds, silently. Briefly, you thought you saw something flash in his gray-green eyes... But then he looked away, clearing his throat. "I owed you a favour, didn't I?"

You frowned. "Wait, I thought I could choose what-"

"Yeah, well. Change of plans", he replied curtly before sitting down at the table next to Vito.

Of course..., you thought morosely as you watched the two of them loading up their plates as well.

You were, however, not particularly surprised and therefore not particularly angry that Matteo had changed his mind about that one. Getting your knife back was far more than you had ever hoped for from this "favor" of his. In fact, you had expected him to forget about it all together (or pretend to)...

"Alright, alright", Giulia suddenly said. "Listen up! You may have beaten me to the punch, bro, but we'll see who got the last laugh! Ta-daah!! It's done!"

Everyone's heads turned in her direction as she finally presented what she had been working on all this time: your mask, which you had been missing since last night.

And which had now been given a Black Rabbit makeover, including two protruding rabbit ears.

"I used one of my black velvet cushions", she explained, pointing first to the inside of the ears and then to the black bow at their base. "The lace around the edges and the little stars are from my last dress, so I had plenty left over. Can't say the same for the wire though, which is why the left ear is so droopy... But honestly? I think it looks even cuter this way!" She gave you a big smile and, when you failed to react, asked curiously: "So? Do you like it?? It was something of a tradition for the senior Stalkers to pick out the masks for the newbies. And since you're basically already part of the family..."

If you had taken a sip of your tea at her last words, it would be anywhere but in your mouth now. Instead, you just blurted out: "Well, I don't know about that..."

Right as Matteo said: "Absolutely not."

The two of you exchanged a quick glance while Giulia pouted. "But why not?"

"Yeah, bro." Massimo propped his chin on his hands. "Why not...?"

Vito also looked at him expectantly and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Because it's weird", the scarf wearer finally said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I bet it is..." Massimo's shit-eating grin turned into a laugh as his brother threw a grape at him.

Meanwhile, you were still quite dumbfounded. Not so long ago, you would have rather thrown yourself out of a window than be considered part of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood. Alright, you had to admit that you had misjudged them in some respects. And it was also true that you had come to see a certain... appeal in their company. But that didn't mean you wanted to fraternize with them...!

And yet your resolve faltered the second you looked into Giulia's disappointed face. It made you feel absolutely miserable that you were the one responsible... And ultimately made you rationalize that after yesterday (and the prospect of a week or two of mind-numbing boredom), it couldn't hurt to cheer the girl up a bit. So what! What difference would it make if they thought you were starting to come around? No one but you would ever know.

True to the motto: I already play the part, I can play another.

"I like it!", you announced loudly the next moment, giving the girl a smile. "I think it's really pretty, thank you."

Her face immediately lit up like a second sunrise, and you admittedly felt quite pleased with yourself.

"Really?? Oh, I'm so happy!", she exclaimed, beaming with joy. "The design gave me a bit of a headache at first, I did the first sketch ages ago, back then I was still wondering if I should go for ruffles instead..."

As she babbled on, Vito made a few discreet hand gestures and Massimo mouthed: "You probably made her day."

You returned their smiles and thought you also saw the corners of Matteo's mouth twitch upwards for a fraction of a second... But weren't sure if it wasn't just your imagination.

Especially when, in the next moment, you stood up to accept your gift, and suddenly there was a choked cough behind you, followed by: "What the hell are you wearing??"

"Oh, I almost forgot!", Massimo laughed, "You don't like it? I for one think she looks just lovely!"

When you turned around, Matteo looked like he wanted to throw his butter knife next.

But his brother just ignored him and explained to you with a grin: "You know, back in school we had a teacher..."

"Don't", the scarf wearer growled.

"...who dressed really similarly..."

"I'm serious, Moe."

"...and who turned the heads of many a boy~..."

"Don't."

There was a brief silence as they eyed each other. Then Massimo's grin widened and he finished quickly: "Presentcompanyincluded-"

Immediately Matteo jumped to his feet and lunged at his laughing brother, who dodged him and then took off in the opposite direction. You quickly stepped back to get out of the way, raising your hands defensively as they began to chase each other around the table. Vito, meanwhile, just shook his head with a grin and spread some honey on a slice of bread, completely unfazed.

The only other person who seemed to have no love for all the chaos was Giulia.

"Ughh, who cares!", she complained loudly before looking at you. "You better say which present you prefer! Mine or Teo's??"

The latter looked up briefly at the mention of his name and met your gaze... but then turned away again to put Massimo in a headlock without paying any further attention to you.

You didn't have to think twice. "Well, since Teo didn't have to go to much trouble to find my knife, according to his own words..." You closed the gap to the sofa, grabbed your mask and held it up to your face. "I hereby declare Giulia the winner!!"

The girl cheered loudly and clapped her hands.

"That's just...", Massimo said a little out of breath after Matteo had let go of him, "because I... didn't participate! So watch out!! Next time... I'm gonna beat you both!"

"Oh, no, please don't", you hurried to say, waving him off with a laugh. "No more presents please, at least not any time soon!"

"You hear that, bro? No more cheap shortcuts! From now on, you gotta work a little harder if you want her to-"

Massimo didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Matteo had grabbed him again. As the two continued to wrestle, Vito took an amused sip of his coffee and Giulia cheered them on from the sidelines...

And that warm, familiar feeling spread through your chest again. Only this time, the expected pain didn't come. You had already prepared for it, instinctively looking for another distraction, so you could wrap yourself in a cloak of indifference once more. But now, that you felt nothing more than a slightly unpleasant tug... It made your heart beat faster, because there it was again, the temptation to just indulge. To forget about everything and just enjoy life like you would a good meal...

...if only for a moment, you thought, as a small smile formed on your lips and your fingers tightened around your Rabbit mask.

***

I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR!!!!!!! i always wished i had more sibs so this is like, the ultimate form of self inserting to me ngl skdkd♥️♥️

thank you sm for readingg, i hope you enjoyed it!! feedback is welcome and very much appreciated~

[tookishcombeferre]

My ramblings below the cut.

(If the drawing of Tilly, Cordelia, Roland, and Cedric bears resemblance to the cover of The Outsiders Broadway album ... I take no personal responsibility for how many times I've listened to it. It's just so good.)

The concept for this came off of a few different ideas that have bounced like ping pong balls around my head lately.

First was a post floating around about Baileywick and Cedric that has this screen still of Cedric where he's is creeping up behind Baileywick like my toddler does right before they pounce on me to ask for pony rides.

Anyhow, Cedric's posture in that post made me remember that Baileywick was easily about late twenties, early to mid-thirties around the time of The Incident. Meaning, Baileywick is a well established member of that adult generations' "safe adult" group prior to The Incident. (I very much see Baileywick as the person Cedric, Tilly, Roland, and Cordelia went to when their mothers weren't around for comfort. I also see him as the person they went to to hide their mistakes and messes from their fathers.)

Second, I just finished writing a story set after "In Cedric We Trust" and the story opens with Baileywick's perspective. The backstory I set for Baileywick had him and Nigel both really involved in the politics and life of the castle. But, it also put him deeply at the mercy of Roland I and Goodwyn's style of thinking. This leads to my next point.

Finally, I've also been quilting some pieces for "In the Flares of the Sun," and writing a few scenes between Baileywick and Cedric, or ones where they're heavily involved with each other even if neither of them is narrating, and I've found it really interesting to think about how Baileywick breaks down, not only his thoughts and notions about Cedric over time, but also how Baileywick gets time to reflect on these moments that he shared with this past generation.

I wanted Baileywick to have time to think about the things he misses from his being the "go to" person for the four of these, then children, now adults. I wanted him to have time to think about his own role in the mess that ended up happening. (And, it gets *messy.*) I wanted him to have time to think about his biases, his struggles, his career, and his mistakes. But, I also wanted him to be able to find forgiveness and peace, eventually.

Thus, this little doodle popped into my head

That said, I’m not sure how well practiced I am at drawing anymore, but I used to be an IB Art student back with the dinosaurs when I was in high school many, many moons ago.

My gimmick project was basically writing my own original poetry into cartoons/children's book style illustration either through artistic matting or by weaving it into composition. (There was a lot more to it than that, but that was the basics.)

Sadly, I don’t even own a functional scanner anymore. I tried to get zoomed in shots of the individual panels, but they refused to turn out without getting shadows of my phone and fingers in the way of the shots. (Hopefully, everything is still legible without the individual panel shots.)

I truly haven’t tried doing this type of composition in … almost twelve years? But, as this is my “week of throwbacks,” since I will be turning thirty next week. I gave myself some doodle time for pleasure since, as a parent of a toddler, I rarely get time to draw anymore and I (secretly, not so secretly) still love doing it. I rarely draw in black and white, but this was fun. I will definitely do it again.

I did my very best with the characters. Most of the time now, I just draw clothes because I sketch fashion designs for the characters in my novels so I know what they're wearing and how it would move in space when they're doing stuff. And, I hardly ever draw kids. So, that was an adventure for me.

Also, I have always struggled to draw hands. I lost patience towards the end, and since this was meant to be for pleasure, I just sort of gave up on Sofia's hand.

This got long. Anyway. Enjoy the art. Maybe, next year, I'll make another doodle because it will honestly probably take me that long to draw again.

[aoki553]

GRGRGRGRG FINALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO INFODUMP ABT HIM!!! tysm @makifishcake and prepare for a long ramble abt best boy ever (to me) and why saijun is real... let's start with an introduction to a canon crossover character only The Loser (me) cares about! this is gonna get messy in writing near the end cuz its like 3 am for me rn.

Kouno Jun is one of the two protagonists of Asou-sensei's older work, Our Hero Studies and is one of Haganeno Ken's students at Holy Lance Academy (a private school that either exists the same town as Saiki or some neighboring one)

The only translated OHS chapters so far show us who Jun and Haganeno are as characters. Kouno Jun's a generic tsukkomi high school student with normal teenage boy interests and crushes... he's baby and a total boyfail.

Jun likes video games (Kaisou Monogatari, an in-universe franchise), ramen, melon soda and Yayumi - the class rep. Pretty normal dude that's just being constantly bothered by his classmates and the teacher he hates...

...and then there's Haganeno Ken - THE delusional cosplayer hero wannabe teacher with huge interest in roleplaying and RPG video games, who immediately takes a liking to Jun, mainly for his name (his name means shield, while Haganeno's mean sword. you see where i'm going?)

most of the ohs panels will be machine translated cuz i have no strength or motivation to continue my actual translation work ngnhnh one day maybe... 😔

He may look like a generic high school shonen manga protagonist, but it's actually really charming to me how adorable he can be despite the boring presentation lolol HIS CRUSH ON YAYUMI IS SO CUTE UGHNHNH

And yeah of course he shows up in Saiki bc WHY WOULDNT HE???

Asou-sensei put him there twice. In the Christmas chapter where he's walking with a girl (MOST LIKELY YAYUMI), sees Kusuo sitting alone and being like "haha that's so sad to be lonely on christmas lmao"... EXCEPT ITS HILARIOUS CUZ HE DOES THE SAME THING IN HIS OWN MANGA'S CHRISTMAS CHAPTER.

and in the Hero Studies crossover chapter, right at the end as an unused character. (wouldn't make sense to have two tsukkomis there tbh so i get it lolol)

Same thing happens in the anime except Jun in the Christmas episode wasn't animated like he's an actual pre-existing character, except just a background character so he looks different but has the same jacket with his initials so its definitely him.

so here's all his screentime:

his terrible sense of style was referenced by Takeru at one point as well. yes, Jun dresses terrible and he has outfits much worse than this. hes a loser and i love him

okay but what's with the saijun thing? orz

basically its a silly ship me and my lovely sweetest gf (@lu-kario ) came up with and it kinda stuck around. "omg haha what if the two protagonists from different manga dated" but yeah it became an actual thing with thought out scenarios between us.

Me saying it'd be like satousai but Kusuo finds someone "normal" with actual personality would be not giving this ship enough justice. I can't tell much rn cuz I forget 90% of the stuff i make up unless i write it down BUT all i'll say is that

I like to imagine Jun and Kusuo having a calm and nice relationship, lots of quality time spent playing video games or going out to get some ramen together. Kusuo gets to have someone more usual by his side and Jun isn't likely to be bothered by Ken when Kusuo is around (:3).

and yeah, they do get another scene together in volume zero! how lovely! the christmas episode is also one of the reasons i find the ship cool but even despite the sillies having canon scenes and illustrations together i like it simply for fun.

canon crossover ships are cool and epic

my final words: go read ohs its fully in japanese online and 5 chapters are in english so far.

seriously go read it the fandom doesn't exist its really lonely.

and if you care abt our hero studies u can motivate me in the ask box, gimme a kick on the butt so i go and translate this work again after like a year or more of hiatus

[sciderman]

How did you find your art style??

oh, buddy – it's something that happens so, so accidentally... i don't really think about it, it just shifts and changes and i do what i think looks cool, and i focus my energy on the bits i enjoy the most or the bits that i want to get really good at - for me, i'm obsessed with facial expressions and getting good performances out of the characters i draw, so that's where i focus all my effort - i do a lot of people-watching - which helps with capturing personalities, but also really helps in loosening your lines because it's a time-sensitive practice - you have to get your lines down as quickly as possible before your subject runs away...

doing a LOT of quick drawings is the quickest way to get a nice loose line, and i kind of love my lines these days. my lines used to be so rough and messy - which had a lot to do with my equipment - i was working on a tiny, screenless graphics tab

nowadays all my illustrations are done on an iPad - and so i get much more control over my line (sexy) (very good)

the raddest cooliest thing about running this blog for nigh on a decade is that i've kind of got a record of how my art style evolved over the years!

i think one of the most fun things i've noticed is how much it changed over the hiatus - i think my art was very influenced by contemporary marvel comics before the hiatus, it was the bulk of what i read, so my art was so very cinematic.

during the hiatus i took a massive step away from marvel - i was still reading comics, but fell head over heels with the scrooge mcduck comics. i don't think there's any art in the world that's more sweet and appealing to me than those ducks - the simple, bouncy lines and easily readable expressions - it's oh. it's so nice.

i think it fed a lot into my art post-hiatus - that, and having worked in animation a LOT since then, my art's kind of got a more cartoony approach - with Character Consistency! (something that used to be my mortal enemy, pre-animation career.)

working in animation, you start considering things like character silhouettes and appeal, and ways to make characters distinct and their designs sort of be reflective of their personalities - all really fun things that i've been playing with.

i do want to foray back into more cinematic art again - maybe find a way to marry the two - but for now, i think the cartoony art really suits the more slice-of-life stories i'm telling with wade and peter at the moment. and i love their silly, silly faces.

[aphyray]

Just got back from attending TCAF in Toronto. Got to meet a bunch of the sapphic artists I love. Gonna plug everyone I got art and zines and books from.

renstrapp

Super emotive art. Butches that don't hold their punches – in Butch4Butch stories. Ren's characters tend to be terrible people in a realistic way – and that's the appeal. Ongoing comic Shepherd's Sword features a very complex relationship between the two butch leads. Amira the Van Life Cunt is easily the most fun I've had reading smut in my life. The recently published How Could You is a very attractive graphic novel about lesbians making terrible decisions in a spring semester at college. Also makes very cool riso prints. Also did the art for the cover of my book and is working on a bunch of illustrations for me. A delight to work with.

fawnduu

Well-paced intimate narratives with clean art that has a distinctive style. Every character in every story is super lovable. Cute and well-loved transbians – in supporting and lead roles. A master of making girlcock look fun and natural in a way that often seems to trigger some intense gender euphoria for readers. Beyond compare. Butch cowgirls in Big Cats. Dragon girlfriends and cat witches and shy vampires and bratty butch werewolves in My Dragon Girlfriend. Watch Dog features a half-competent stoner girl who decides to work a fire watch gig over the summer and oops there's some werewolf stuff going down.

gipki

Has an ongoing pirate lesbian comic Boon of the Beacon Maker which is just getting to some peak drama. I'm pumped for more. Also has some lovely Arcane fanart starring Cait and Vi. Good taste.

catskullery

Doing a sapphic, monster hunting, fantasy comic Blind Wolf Bleeding Lamb. Just learned about this today. A buff butch bodyguard working with a clever femme who's a solid twelve inches shorter – you know, for that good, good height difference moe I keep hearing about. Also has Cait/Vi fanart. Yet more good taste. 🙏

enaloi

It is hard to describe what ends up on this Tumblr blog but I love it so much. A lot of emotionally impactful vignettes primarily starring a pair of grown ass women who are both human trainwrecks – from the ongoing band comic Take Five. These two are either the only thing holding each other together or the horrible thing ripping open metaphorical scars and stitches to look at the wounds. It's complicated and messy and real in a way that hurts. Also made a cool sci-fi zine I really like called Rewired about the things we may sacrifice in the future to steal the affection of the ones we love.

haaaaaarper

It's Harper! I love Harper's work. A lot of clueless lesbian types. Some extremely fun and charming autobio comics. I'm a huge fan of the ongoing Hopper series. Full of messy pining and jealousy.

Hey Aphy come on that's it? You only visited six artists?

Listen I'm not good at cons okay. I went in with laser focus and got out. I did a great job really. The table numbering system was utterly inscrutable. I was lost for five minutes between each table I visited. I was lucky the first four artists were all together or I'd still be wandering those aisles in search of a 34 next to a 52.

[bettertwin1]

I wanna attempt at drawing, but I have literally no clue how to start, so do you have any tips?

OUGH, we're not the right person to ask we just do stuff and hope it looks okay enough to post...

Personally though, the way we started was by watching tutorial videos (you guys would have better tutorials now, so this works out in your favor!!) and we kept trying over and over again until we got the product we wanted (This was traditional though)!! We also traced, alot, i mean the desperate press of the paper against the computer screen type tracing (again, you guessed it! Traditional practice!)

For digital, we just did whatever and kept hoping it would come out looking okay, we mostly learned from watching others and studying their artstyles and trying to replicate it so I have no advice for that either...unless that counts as advice...

We never really did the recommended things like studying (text book studies about poses and light and expressions and stuff) but you definitely should! Don't be like us cause honestly not knowing those things are a genuine struggle and makes art a lil harder than it needs to be. Also go crazy with your style! Don't stick to one thing, branch out, get silly, draw anime, draw cartoon, draw realism, draw whatever! Do illustrations, poses, character designs, perspective arts...

It helps a lot in the long run!!

And don't get upset with yourself if you aren't 'great' at it immediately, don't give up just keep trying! Don't compare yourself to others either! It's hard not to but instead try studying them, figure out what you could do better by looking at others!

Art is meant to be fun and silly! It doesn't need to be perfect, art is the most imperfect perfect form of media meaning it doesn't matter how simple or how complicated or messy or 'terrible' or glamorous the art is, in the end, it's all art, and someone out there is going to absolutely love it! Even when you don't sometimes! :>

They will see two cakes!

I hope this helps! Goodluck ♡!!

~☆

[17mujipens]

the dragon prince season 5 live thoughts:

the way Rayla constantly has the weight of the world and her parents and her personal relationship and then the world again on her shoulders is insane

Terry is bf goals, he really saw his girl having a meltdown and was like here are some nice textures. autism wins again

Callum really was like ‘my girl can commit any crime she wants :)’

that little bug elf person is so scary for no reason

loooove the dragon designs. like every time we see a dragon i’m fascinated

im so glad that in-universe people understand that Ezran is just a kid. like its heartbreaking but i’m glad it is discussed

side note but Corvus and Soren are def fucking and Corvus is not proud of it

i love how everyone is experiencing trauma and Rayla and Callum are in some second chance romance fluffy story

THEYRE SO CUTEEEE

VIREN mindscape

that scene between King Harrow and Viren genuinely has me hyperventilating

oh Harrow is that bird for sure for sure

oh to have a partner as dedicated to your success as Terry….

baby Soren is such a sweetie!!!!! im gonna cry

oh even more beautiful dragons

i totally forgot that Aarovos whispered something to the previous queen and now that intrigue is back

i feel like i gotta stop saying something every time Terry does/says something incredibly sweet because we’ll be here for so long

they keep reiterating how important family is to Viren and i mean it’s not a necessarily new characteristic but it’s more intense now. like the way morality doesn’t exist when it concerns them. before it was all for power and now its all for them and it doesn’t matter that Soren is on the ‘enemy’ side so it has me thinking that something is going to happen to one of his children that will. result in either Viren’s self sacrifice or his betrayal of Aarovos

Amaya and Janai are so so real

OMG baby Claudia!

Callum and Rayla’s frustration over being forbidden from going to Lux Area is hilarious, especially how Callum gave a freaking illustration shdjjdbdb

Aunt Amaya is a real one

oh i just knooow Karim’s storyline is going to be so so messy

also this made me think. like what the fuck do you even do after you get banished. like where do you go

Claudia and Viren sinking and saving each other is mirrored is just muah delicious

Soren running away terrified Viren but Claudia turning out just like him is scaring him even more

Claudia is my wet cat pathetic but also op character

some eye of sauron shit in Lux Aurea

the nerd elf is so cute and way too innocent for all this bullshit

Aunt Amaya is a real one pt. 2

omg. didn’t i say Karim’s story is going to be insane

i feel like Amaya’s monologue about love is going to be so heartbreaking in a few episodes

i’m usually a throwback montage hater but this one is so cute and sweet and it really highlights just how much they’ve grown and how far these two have come

Stella is a little kleptomaniac. sweetie.

Karim is constantly misunderstanding things because of his own biases. like how he thought the Janai wouldn’t fight because he came to the conclusion that the throne doesn’t matter to her because she didn’t lead like he wanted her to. and now he thinks that what Sol Regem needs is sight when what he actually needs is hope

the ‘i would do anything for you’ is sounding scary in the context of we just heard that that’s what started Viren’s descend into darkness

the library fight sequence is great, always fun to see their different fighting styles and how the cooperate

but it also gave me so much anxiety because Amaya is exactly the character that’s important and beloved enough that the writers might decide to make her infected so we all suffer

Dragon Queen to the rescue!!! oh how powerful dragons are…

why are u always leaving Bait behind :( he’s just a baby :(

NO I SPOKE TOO SOON!!! AMAYAAA

AND CORVUS TOO??????? agony and pain in Xadia

oh and i totally forgot about the Queen herself!!!!

oh Viren’s brain is doing a full reset

EZRAN YOU SWEETHEART <33333

i’m obsessed with Tina already. her design and her grumpy old woman attitude

oh Terry and Claudia you will always be famous to me

Akiyu and Lujanne would be besties

‘ when your mind is telling you to speak, instead you must listen’ LMAO

i know this Bloodhuntress is evil, they even say this out loud but… she’s kinda hot, yeah?

im really hoping that they find some way to cure the dragon queen. we don’t need to preteen kings

that boat set up is terrifying. and way too similar to Charon to be comfortable

bright hope cove…or scumport

this made me realise how much i just need at least a short story or something on Rayla years alone

this is such a fun setting. i have a soft spot for these types of towns in stories

i NEED the reaction pic someone already should have made of Ezran and Bait after Finnegran announced the ship’s price

omg pirate return!!

Claudia my girl who is worse <3

baby glow toads are 80% eye and 20% body lol

oh another return appearance!! i hope Nyx’ll bring some interpersonal drama

yeah, and she’s already pushing Callum’s buttons lol

damn, Soren is strong as hell, swimming in armour

oof i think she shouldn’t trust Miyana, wasn’t she Karim’s lover?

now that i see the Bloodhuntress in daylight, i have to say im not a fan of her colour scheme BUT powers are so cool visually, this whole fight sequence is amazing

Callum is just so powerful… i feel like we forget it sometimes but he is the first human mage to use any primal magic and the scale of the spells he’s using here is just insane

ITS A FUCKING HERMIT CRAB?????

oh god seeing Anaya in pain and despair is somehow worse than anyone else. and seeing her grief turn into anger muah chefs kiss

why is this y-7 show giving me anxiety. i literally started watching this to relax and think about interesting fantasy concepts what’s all this!!

oh shit this intro has Callum in it. shits about to hit the fan

i feel like that sea shanty has to have some deeper meaning. i hope it’s not that they’re going to drown our heroes

WHY IS THERE TORTURE IN HERE!!!!

don’t get me wrong i’m a tragedy enjoyer, i should know that by now but holy shit i just wasn’t emotionally prepared for all this

Soren, himbo of all time

Finnergrin is a great character to contrast our heroes actually and push them over

HES FREEZING HER BLOOD

oh Callum :( i love those moments where his anger boils over but i also love how they show how that scares him

Finnegrin is putting Rayla in mortal danger…i HOPE Callum goes feral

oh yeah this is some serious levelling up!!! Go Callum!!!

Soren, sweetheart :( he really saw this wood man get treated like trash, recognised it and at great personal cost helped him free himself :) using his daddy issues for the greater good

oh wow that greater good is apparently killing! slay

i feel like i gotta say something about Callum using dark magic to free himself but god that’s just plain heavy

oh Zubeia is still grieving and she’s just going on for her kid :(((

it’s day 30, damon what a way to up the already high stakes

Ezran was so sure that the prison being underwater would stump them but they figured it out so quick

my one thing is, this is open sea, if they’re even approximately at the same place, shouldn’t they have seen each other?

Aaravos really says every single sentence like it’s some dirty talk. like bro is saying something about borrowing consciousness or whatever with the same voice u usually hear say some shit like ‘oh you like that?’

finally Claudia and Callum and Ezran meeting! the way she truly believes that the ends justify the means and that all that dark magic hasn’t had its affect on her… wow

OUR CHILD? this whole monologue has me in hysterics

also because like…if he didn’t say anything, and was just like ‘kill this homunculus and your life will be restored’ Viren probably would have done it

i fear that ultimately, Viren will be too little too late for Claudia. because while he turned into who he is while an adult, Claudia was raised to be like this. so if he tries to change her, it’d be a betrayal to her

yeah, see Claudia is even more extreme than her father. because she has nothing else besides him, there is not status or prestige, or brother, or anyone else. it’s just her and him

fucking hell, i KNEW Miyana wasn’t to be trusted!

i think Karim will have a devastating win in s6, but it’ll be short lived, because like i said before he lacks critical thinking

what the hell is this mushroom mage and how soon can he help us retake Lux Aurea

what the fuck did he mean by ‘swallow’

Claudia is literally destroying herself in her quest. like we know that dark magic is detrimental to not only your physical but also your mental health, like we saw with Viren, and Claudia’s hair, but now literally her leg is gone. how far will she go?

side note: i think that because Viren reset, that’s why all his mentality and soul came back and that’s why his morals are so much stronger than we ever saw them?

OH THATS JUST A CRAZY INSANE CRUEL PLACE TO FINISH THE SEASON WOW

[bergeronprocess]

10/18/24

I’m thinking a bit more about the themes behind one of this season’s magical girl anime shows, The Stories of Girls Who Couldn’t Become Magicians aka Mahonare.

There is a whole lot to like about this show. It has a really pretty color palette and visual style that feels a bit like a storybook illustrated with watercolor paintings. It’s a magic school show, but without the baggage of that one transphobic lady who wrote that one series of books. It has animals that look cute and make funny noises. The character designs are fun. The opening theme is a bop that gives me 90s anime song vibes and features Puffy - yes, from Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi!

I think it’s also trying to say something interesting about the value of handcrafting in a technological world. At this magic school, the only students allowed to actually practice magic are these elite students who all seem to have very pointy hair and who all wear extremely dramatic capes, kind of like the students who have earned many Stellas in Spy x Family. They use these notebooks to do magic spells and it seems like the notebooks are computers or something to that effect - the subtitles even refer to an “app” at one point in episode 3.

Our plucky protagonist Kurumi doesn’t get into this elite spellcaster class, even though she was visited by a magician as a child and given one of their notebooks. Instead, she’s in the standard program and everyone around her is telling her she cannot possibly do magic. Only those elite kids can become legally-regulated state licensed magicians, after all. 

Except her quirky teacher Minami Suzuki doesn’t subscribe to this principle. She believes that anyone can do magic by simply mastering the shapes that create the magic and drawing them themselves. (Yeah, she’s basically teaching them geometry. My husband walked into the room at that point and literally said “Oh, that’s magic math” aloud. He caught on to it right away!) She gave all her students magic pens that transform into very Sailor Moon-style scepters for drawing the magic shapes. She can also do a sort of finishing move that combines the 4 elements of magic to calm down weird calamities that keep happening at the school.  

Kurumi has even tried to do some magic already, though not much came of it, but she’s so overjoyed when she does so much as remember the moment. To me, that feels very much like the sense of accomplishment garnered from doing something by hand - whether it’s sewing a messy uneven blanket stitch, taking the first stab at a cross stitch project, trying to bake something complex, attempting to paint a picture, plucking on a guitar, you name it. There is a certain sense of joy that comes from this by-hand approach that you just don’t get through the more technological approaches. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s still a good thing.

In this era of automation and AI, I think that’s a very interesting and good message to send, and I’m very intrigued by this show and I look forward to watching it every week.

[ozwuv]

I would like to draw more but I find myself overthinking it and then losing motivation. So, I was wondering if you ever had a similar issue and if so what do you do to stay motivated and not overthink?

Really good question actually!

What nipped the overthinking for me was just completely dropping the planning stage of drawing. I don't put much thought into composition, colors, etc. I don't have any solid ideas of how I want things to look before I begin. Obligatory disclaimer that this is from my perspective as a hobbyist and therefore not practical for an aspiring professional, & this is gonna sound like BS but hear me out lol

Most of the time the only things I have in mind are 1. What character(s) I want to draw and 2. A vague idea of the atmosphere I want the finished product to convey. And "finished" can mean a lot of things -- a messy sketch can be finished, a fully rendered piece I spent an entire day could be finished. A common pitfall people fall into is having an impractically rigid idea of what a "finished" drawing is and subsequently what they want their art to look like, all the bells and whistles etc, when realistically your art is never going to look exactly how it did in your head. But is that really such a bad thing?

I guess the overarching concept is to just fall in love with the process and enjoy the journey rather than the destination. This obviously sounds easier than it is in reality, but imo people focus way too hard on what they're producing rather than how and why they're producing it. Other people loving what you draw and praising it is wonderful, but if you don't enjoy the process, what was the point? Drawing (and I would venture to say most other forms of art in general) becomes a chore with that mindset applied.

A lack of planning may very well mean you wind up drawing a lot of stuff that doesn't seem interesting, maybe haphazard, difficult to parse, etc, but this is all your perception. It's cliché, but there is always going to someone out there that adores something you think looks like a dumpster fire, and that applies to the things you draw too. Over time, just doing whatever you want and enjoying the process has this trickle effect that will improve your output. In the same vein, constantly overthinking will also inevitably trickles into your output. You can often tell when someone enjoyed the process of something they drew vs when it was just a slog for them to get through (at least relative to their other works).

I would venture to say that you could spend your entire life studying and could be the most technically knowledgeable person about illustration ever in the world, but if you don't genuinely love the process, your work will never be as good as it could be if you did.

If you finish something and think it looks like shit that's always a bummer, but if you had fun with it, I think that was time worth spending. I've said this before, but most of the time I only truly dislike something I've drawn when I spent any part of the process frustrated with how it was going. It's counterintuitive, but I really think that placing so much emphasis in how you want the finished product to look is what ultimately is going to make it look like shit to you.

All that being said, once you do get past that initial overthinking phase, you can start to get more specific with planning and whatnot. The key is to just stop holding onto the idea of what you want and allowing things to develop as you go. Your art will naturally improve this way since you're actually enjoying it. To me, that's what people mean when they say they can tell something was made with love.

Side note: Let go of the need to be consistent/have a developed style. Just let yourself be inconsistent. You don't need strict consistency unless you're like an animator who needs to keep characters on-model or something. Experimenting is not only way more fun, but leads to improvement and discovering new things to implement into your process/style at large.

Tl;dr just get a lil silly w it :3c

[vryfmi]

Talk Shop Tuesday! You asked me a really really good question about my art style, so I'd like to bounce it back to you! Are there any specific influences on your art style and/or process that you can pinpoint? How do you feel you incorporate new information and techniques to your existing style?

And, of course, what do you like best about your art style?

yes, i really like this question! i like getting insights into one's artistic journey and what started it. so, speaking of mine, i was asking the same question and failing miserably at answering it. it just happened? and i went with it?

as for influences i don't think it was any particular media, tho i have been getting quite a few comments that my artstyle (especially in traditional) reminds people of illustrations from various books. and the thing is yes, i can see that, i love illustrations that are done in ink, i did take a lot of inspiration from artists with similar styles and used their art as references when i liked something about it or the way they draw a certain thing. so i guess that's where it all originated and came together.

there's one influence of which im not 100% certainly about but i really really liked How To Train Your Dragon books as a kid and i always loved illustrations in it and how messy and unflattering yet compelling they looked. when i default to drawing characters in a very simplified manner i think there is a slight similarity or, at very least, similar vibe that could be noticed

[id from alt text: a page from How To Train Your Dragon book with very messy pencil drawings of main characters: Hiccup with Toothless on his shoulders, Fishlegs (hiccup's best friend) with Horrorcow and Camicazi./end id]

tho i specifically remember the turning point in drawing eyes, when i decided to stuck with only upper eyelid and the iris after noticing how many other professional artists simplify eyes in their quick sketches or figure drawings, where eyes are not a focal point but they still communicate emotions just as well and look coherent with the rest of a drawing. i just really like how it looked so i adopted it, plus drawing just two dots is fun.

i wouldn't say i learn a bunch of techniques, im still intimidated by actual hatching and learning process for that, im definitely not a jack of all trades when it comes to mediums and art tools. that said, the easiest (for me) way of incorporating something new is by drawing something one time but as detailed as possible and then finding ways to stylise or simplify it in the future. mostly i use it for character designs but it works with a lot of other things too.

and to round it up, i'd say the thing that i like about my artstyle the most is that it has a good balance between being realistic and stylised. it's versatile and gives me a certain freedom to be as detailed or not with what i draw but also doesn't limits me to drawing just one thing (my hyperfixation does). also i think it became somewhat consistent and recognisable in the past few years so that's also a nice thing to have

[sward-iak]

Intro Post!

Hello! Some of you may know me from somewhere else, and to that (unless you're a super close friend of years now) I say nay! You do not!

I am a in my 20s concept art/writer hobbyist. I work a full 40 hours with week, sometimes with overtime (so if I'm MIA, that's why!). When I'm not at work though I thoroughly enjoy reading, writing, drawing, playing video games, and hanging out with my family/friends!

Writeblr/Main: @sqeedledob

Request Info

I've been getting some DMs about my requests so hopefully this will clear things up! Commissions are always more of a priority than requests, and people who Donate to my Ko-Fi are my second priority. Requests will be completed at my leisure.

Primary Requests: CLOSED

Primary requests are in my typical style and can range from concept art to simple illustrations. These requests are actually colored and finished to varying stages just depending on how I'm feeling. I try not to spend more than a week on a request but if I'm really vibing with it, I'll probably finish it

Examples of what you can expect for a primary request

Sketch/Ask Box Requests: OPEN

Sketch requests take me a max of 20 minutes and I usually use them as a means of warming up. So if you'd rather quick art of an OC or character instead of something that could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, this is the way to go! These are only accepted through the Ask Box and MUST include a reference!

Examples of what you can expect for a Sketch/Ask Box

Below the cut are rules/expectations for requests, thank you guys for reading!

Also because a few people had asked for this, I am going to link my Ko-fi. There's no pressure to tip, I do all of this for fun, but if you want to I won't stop u! xD [Click here for da Ko-Fi]

PRIMARY REQUEST RULES

This is a request, not a commission. I will take the requester's input in mind when drawing, but I will not do revisions

Any fandom, cross over, and oc is welcome. I will do my best to characterize/draw them even if I'm not into the fandom myself, and you might just introduce me to my new favorite show/book!

NSFW requests are allowed, however keep in mind:

- I WILL NOT draw beastiality/Zoophilia - I WILL NOT draw Loli/Lolita or anything related to CP - I WILL NOT draw Furry NSFW. I have nothing against furries, furry NSFW just personally makes me uncomfortable and I do not like looking at it much less drawing it (this includes Ponies) - I WILL NOT draw anything for a franchise that is directed toward younger audiences, ie: anything rated PG or TV Y7 (PG-13 is Acceptable, DEPENDING ON THE FRANCHISE. ie: Marvel) - I WILL NOT draw Non/Dub Con, or anything that would cause someone to use the Dead Dove tag - I WILL NOT draw irl people in NSFW situations, ie Youtubers, Streamers, etc. Fictional Characters only IF A REQUEST SHOULD MAKE ME UNCOMORTABLE I fully reserve the right to Deny it, even if it is not on this list

If you do make an NSFW request, I will make a SFW version to post and send you the NSFW privately. I try to limit how much NSFW I share on this account

I can draw anything from landscapes to robots, humans to creatures. (Just cause I won't draw NSFW of furries or Ponies doesn't mean I won't do SFW art of them!) I fully enjoy testing the bounds of my artistic abilities and I invite people to help me challenge them!

Humans, robots, furries, dragons, anything. Put anything in here.

And to reiterate: Primary requests can take a while, especially since my queue is pretty long right now! I will make another post when my Queue opens up a bit!

In progress (Commissions): Tank (Color Picking) Simon (Line Art Clean Up) Wolfie (Sketch) Surplus (Sketch) Beth (Sketch) In Queue, not started (in order): @frlituj @jessica199616 @we-dont-talk-about-potato-nonono @lovablenatsume @princeasimdiya12 @airfriedfruitcake @hallwriteblr

Sketch/Ask Box Requests

This is a quick request to help me warm up and will usually take max 20 minutes. So it'll be fast/messy!

Any fandom, cross over, and oc is welcome. I will do my best to characterize/draw them even if I'm not into the fandom myself, and you might just introduce me to my new favorite show/book!

NSFW requests are not allowed for this one, just so I can keep it simple and quick without having to put too much thought into it

Humans, robots, furries, dragons, anything. Put anything in here.

[artsy-hobbitses]

Nightly music share while I work on commission drafts (Folks with slots will get invoices as soon as I have sketches at the ready!), and while I consider FMA: Brotherhood and Tiger & Bunny to be my all-time favorite series (Honourable mentions: Blackjack 21 and Young Blackjack, Samurai 7, Sakura Wars, Ranma 1/2, Ouran High School Host Club), Gensomaden Saiyuki was actually what got me wanting to write more/dig into more serious topics as a teenager.

Don't get me wrong/see this as a TOTAL endorsement of everything it was, because this anime was UNHINGED, and ABSOLUTELY NSFW in a MYRIAD OF WAYS which was, perhaps, not suitable for 15-year old me (Sure it FEELS AND LOOKS like a funny roadtrip with four bickering dumbasses until the COPIOUS CHILD ABUSE being handed out to nearly every character like tic tacs and at least two situations of incest come up) and not always in the best way, with an animation style that is serviceable at best and completely off model in some situations (Which is A SHAME because I had the artist's art books and her marker illustration work is painstakingly gorgeous/detailed), but one of the scenes which kind of burned itself in memory for me is the one attached to this song, which takes place when Cho Hakkai (The fellow being used in the thumbnail) has confirmation that his wife is dead after searching for her, and he's requested Sanzo (a very recaltricant monk tasked with getting his mass-murdering ass back in line) to pray for her over the ruins where she died.

And Sanzo, who religion-adversed at this point except when he's weaponising it for demon-killing agrees, but says something along the lines of "Fine. But this mantra isn't for the dead--it's for the living", at which point, over this music, you're treated to an absolute gut-punch of all four characters's cliff notes backstories that led them here, and how EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE is marred by tragedy my 15-year old brain was not equipped to deal with.

But it really cements that the anime's central theme is focused on living. Living through pain, through trauma, living for yourself as you are, living even when the world tries to tell you you're better off dead, living for tomorrow and the hope that things will be better, and if they aren't, then you fight tooth and claw to make it better for everyone who comes after you.

Saiyuki is... unique given that it's very selfish thematically that way when compared with standard anime. There is no fight for country, no trying to fix a corrupt system, no lofty ideals---they're messy, dysfunctional mercs on a mission, the good deeds are just Along The Way. These people, these heroes are fun and lively, generally altruistic even if they come in like wreckingballs and are very clearly attached to each other through the bickering (they've been A Team even in a past life, and they've found each other in this life against all odds), but are also jaded, very hedonistic, petty, flawed as hell, perverts, bastards and killers (mainly of demons, but still!).

And they make ZERO excuse or apologies for it---they'll get kicked out of monastries for being heathens, out of heaven for defending their 'blasphemous' choices and their friends and by god they'll do it again, and they'll fight god (this show has peak Fight God energy and they do it at LEAST TWICE), fate and everyone else telling them they don't deserve to or cannot love as fiercely or live as themselves they way they are.

Because theirs is song is for the living, not the dead; You, flaws and tragedy and sins and despair and all---fight and love and live in a way that's true to you, because you deserve to and because it's the biggest goddamn Fuck You to the uncaring Powers That Be.

(Also on a semi-related note to seal this deal, please enjoy their absolute banger opening themes)

[monstroustea]

a friend was talking about style influences earlier and it reminded me of this old meme and i wanted to do one!!!!! i'll talk more about each one under the read more, but if you want to do one, here's the link: https://www.deviantart.com/foxorian/art/Influence-Map-Template-174550753

Sailor Moon (particularly the 90s anime) - this is a big one! i remember drawing sailor moon in elementary school and playing pretend/LARPing sailor moon on the playground... the good old 90s anime style with the exaggerated expressions! cute girls! friendship! this general kind of soft, roundness to the style of the 90s anime? it has everything

Honey and Clover - this manga/anime means the world to me. i love the style, the way the mangaka draws emotions, but also the protagonist's story of finding himself? resonant. the manga especially is precious to me bc of the art tho, it has a sketchy quality that i love

Hey Arnold! - another childhood favorite... this one doesn't reflect on my actual style so much, but it's a big influence on the stories and characters i like and create. if i could make everyone watch only one cartoon, it would be hey arnold

this is a triple threat... Persona 5, sketchbooks, @meruz - if you look at more than one page of this blog, you can probably guess i like p5(r)!! a lot!! i love all the characters, even if you mostly see me drawing the protag and akechi bc i'm a shipper at heart lol... i'm always inspired by sketchbooks of other artists! especially proper sketchbooks, where they're messy and worked in and aren't curated to be "good looking" for people to look at. that said, this is a page meruz posted from one of their sketchbooks (go buy them) and i adore meruz's work! i got into their work a while back and their lineart really drew me in, the lineweight and use of spot blacks is delicious. i need to work more on those in my own art and meruz's work always makes me want to do just that

Dolls - and here we take a little detour from the obvious? i sadly don't own this doll :( she's a rune naito fashion doll and i want one so badly. i collect dolls, especially fashion dolls!! i love their designs!! i usually just leave them in their stock outfits bc those are part of the charm to me. i wanna draw my dolls more, but for now they're just a big influence on design and outfits for characters

Amanda Lafrenais - i've been following amanda for so many years i can't keep count anymore!! her style blends "western" and "anime" so well to me and also she just draws lots of pretty women?? also we love queens who draw different body types

Roleplaying (pixelated image from wiki-how) - i've been roleplaying, mostly just with my bestie erin, since i was like 14? i draw stuff inspired by our roleplays soooo much, whether it's from a scene or just "what if"s we threw around. erin is a brilliant writer, has great ideas, and she's basically the GM even tho it's collaborative writing-based rping lmao... im just like "erin come up with a plot and we can shoot ideas back and forth" lol

Drawfee - no idea anymore how i came across drawfee but it's a really fun and funny channel and i'll do some of their challenges on my own sometimes!! (my favorite is the 30s character from memory challenge, i'll have erin give me characters and time me) also they have a ttrpg-style series called Drawtectives that has great characters!!! also every time julia draws a scene im like "ah i want that to be me..."

The Golden Age of Illustration - i'm such a junkie for cartoons and anime and comics and such, i don't really know the classics OOPS... but in the past year or two i've gotten really into what's apparently known as the "golden age of illustration"!! roughly the 1880's to 1920s, there's a lot of fairy/folk tale art from this era and i'm obsessed with all of it. standout mentions that i love to look at the work of are kay nielsen and edmund dulac

honorable mentions are just... every manga i've ever loved. every artist i've ever obsessed over the art of. and HONORABLE honorable mention to drawingwiffwaffles who sadly hasn't updated in a few months... she got me back into traditional media tho and is a general delight to watch work

[wolfreader]

june 2025 wrap-up - comics / manga

this month i read three (3) comics and manga.

the princess and the grilled cheese by deya muniz 📚 🌟🌟🌟🌟

a silly goofy good time. it had a blend of modern and historical aspects to the worldbuilding that really don't make sense if you think about it for too long but when you're actually reading the book it doesn't bother you. the art style and the character designs are cute and fun and appealing and the romance is sweet and the cheese puns are cheesey.

one little thing i have - it's not even really a complaint or criticism - there's this one character that i think should have been trans. when she was introduced i thought she was trans, i thought it was so obvious, but then later the explanation for the things that i believed were showing that she was trans was just... really boring :-(. i think if she were trans it would have been better, not only because the actual reveal regarding her is really boring but also because of the very gender stuff going on with the main character it would have been a fun parallel to explore.

the magic fish by trung le nguyen 📚 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

this was such a heartwarming story with absolutely beautiful art. i love the author's art style so much that i looked into if they sell prints (they do!) and now i'm planning on buying one once i decide which one i'd like. the illustrations during the fairy tale sequences are so intricate and ethereal and evocative. i absolutely adored them.

mooncakes by wendy xu and suzanne walker 📚 🌟🌟🌟

cute but undercooked. the plot, while messy, has potential and the romance is cute and sweet in theory. but in execution everything just fell a little flat. i feel like i was really disconnected from the entire story, the plot, the romance, and the characters themselves.

everything relies on a lot of stuff that happened in the past, which we don't really get to see and is moreso told to us than shown to us (and like... this is a graphic novel. i would be so easy to show instead of tell). worldbuiding and character details are just spoken about without being introduced; it feels like the second book in a series, which is bad because it's a standalone.

so the plot and romance already feel a little undercooked due to that, and then they're also splitting page space between in each other in a way that wasn't really working for me, so it felt even less finished. and the art seemed really inconsistent and unfinished in some places. the concept sketches included at the end seemed more complete than some of the art actually in the finished product lmao.

i'm giving it three and not two stars (1) because if i gave it two stars then it would have to be placed on my worst books of the year list in december and it really doesn't deserve that and (2) i do think there's a lot of potential here it just wasn't executed well.