#i still really like how original sprites skirts were colored

[kumzorg]

she's showing you around the hinamizawa :3

plus bonus rena that i was too bored to add

[danganronpadespairtime]

Bonus Episodes + Other Questions

Briefly, I will open up the askbox again, because I think there may be some questions.

You can send in questions here. A Tumblr account is not needed to ask questions.

There may be chapter 1 spoilers.

Anonymous asked:

Can we get color palettes for the characters? It's hard to get the right colors from the sprites since there are so many gradients, and not every character has a CG. Sorry to inconvenience you.

I color pick from sprites, because when the gradient is removed it may make certain colors look lighter... But if that isn’t a concern for you, then I will provide flats.

Anonymous asked:

What each of the cast member’s clothing preferences? I want to do fan art of them in casual clothing, so I’m pretty curious! 

Sorry, I have a bad fashion sense and it may limit my responses, but I’ll try to answer to the best of my ability

Eden: She enjoys cute fashion, but she also enjoys wearing androgynous style clothes.

J: Refuses to wear feminine things. Likes dark colors and hoodies.

Teruko: Her fashion sense diverges from what she’d actually wear. Secretly she wants to wear girly, cute things, but is unable to afford that kind of thing. She likes skirts.

Nico: Like Teruko, wants to wear girly things but doesn’t due to external factors

Hu: Wears modernized casual hanfu. She also likes long skirts

Veronika: Complicated, lolita-like fashion

Min: She cares more about practicality than looks. She wears comfortable clothing

Levi: Fashionable

Arturo: Something that appears expensive... Designer clothes, faux high fashion

Whit: A similar style to the clothes that he is current wearing

Arei: Cute,Girly

Ace: Sporty

Charles: Semi-formal, but he doesn’t care too much about appearance

David: Semi-formal. ‘professional’ and stylish look

Rose: Eccentric and colorful, and not delicate

Anonymous asked:

This question doesn’t relate to the episodes, but rather the comic: would you say that the comic is also canonic and prior to the events of drdt? 

No, it was just a joke.

Anonymous asked: 

Was the Ultimate contest for eminent students part of the Korean Hope’s Peak, and then Min later came to america?

Currently there is no confirmation that Korea has built a Hope’s Peak. I think there may be some assumption that because someone has a foreign name, they can’t be american nor have grown up in america. This isn’t really true.

Stated explicitly, every member of the cast is American, and has spent a significant portion of their childhood growing up in the US.

That being said, Min has always been serviced by america’s Hope’s Peak. Whenever DRDT references Hope’s Peak, it will almost always be in reference to the American ones.

Anonymous asked:

Why Xander has both eyes? What happend to his eyepatch?

Xander presumably received his eye injury shortly before the start of the the events of DRDT, so it’s not like he had it for most of his life.

Anonymous asked:

sorry im so confused... is chariton like, a country that xander is from or something?

Chariton is a fictional town in an unspecified state in the US. North C is a city that is north of Chariton, in the same state. Both receive water from Chariton River (also fictional) that flows from north to south. 

There is a real town and a real river named Chariton but that is an unintended coincidence.

Anonymous asked: 

Is there gonna be more Bonus episodes? 

That is all there is for now. More bonus episodes may come after chapter 2.

Anonymous asked: 

Is there a fully body for Xander's casual outfit in the bonus episode? I think it looks really awesome!

Anonymous asked:

Do you have a rough estimation of the next chapter release? It’s ok if you don’t!

No to both, sorry. Regarding the second thing I am so early on in the production process that I cannot even begin to fathom a release date.

Anonymous asked:

Are both "unnamed students" the same person given that they have the same voice actor? Or is it just a coincidence? Also, why is Nico called "Nico Kasabyan" in the prologue? Was that his original name?

1. Same person

2. That was a mistake

Anonymous asked:

Not exactly an important question, but did Ace’s hair turn more dull?

Yes. He is getting a little sloppy with his hair dye maintenance, and/or he stopped caring.

Anonymous asked:

What year does this take place?

I don’t want to be too specific with dates nor places lest I accidentally invoke some real-life associations. DRDT takes place 70-80 years after the events of Danganronpa, somewhere in the US. That’s about specific as it gets.

Although you’d expect things to be very different after almost a century, much of that time was devoted to rebuilding post-Tragedy, so it is about analogous to our present day.

Anonymous asked:

Will Duke Spurling be mentioned in the main story at all? The story in the side episodes intrigue me a lot, and it makes me wonder if they’ll ever cross over.

I should clarify that the bonus episodes being “not plot important” doesn’t mean that none of the content will show up in the main story, just that if any events in them are plot important, then they will be also discussed as necessary within the story themself. That is to say, you can skip them and still understand the main story.

I do realize now this may be misleading wording on my part, so I apologize. That being said, some of the people and events mentioned, particularly in the second episode, may come up in the story... sometime in the distant future... Please remain patient!

koivoid asked:

How many students were in East Class 27? 

16 students, with (including) one randomly selected Ultimate Lucky Student. This is standard for all Hope’s Peak classes, with very few exceptions. In addition the classes are always “evenly split by gender” (in theory).

Anonymous asked:

are Nico's eye fades red or gray? Cause I noticed some inconsistencies between the videos and cast page. I'm not sure if it's intentional or the cast page is old and needs to be updated.

I changed them to gray after seeing that too many characters already had red eyelashes, but I haven’t updated the cast page. If there are any discrepancies within the cast pages or photos, they’re usually insignificant.

[creepercraftguy]

My thoughts and feelings on the Danganronpa S Swimsuit Designs.

Recently the designs for everyone’s swimsuit sprites in Danganronpa S were leaked on a preorder website here: https://ebten.jp/spchun/p/7015021110403

There’s a lot I have to say about each of these designs, so I figured I’d make a decently long post ranking each of them.

These are all my opinions and my thoughts and feelings may be a little biased, but please hear me out and respect my opinions. Also, sorry for low quality images, since that was the most clear cut I could make them by zooming in on the sheets.

7/10:

It’s a fairly plain design, but honestly, I think that’s quite befitting of the first games plucky protagonist. One of Makoto’s main traits is that he’s nothing remotely that special, so his swimsuit shouldn’t really be anything major. I do like however, that it’s colours replicate the brighter aspects of his original design.

6/10:

Of all the characters in the game who could have been stuck with the speedo look, I’m glad it was Taka. Unfortunately, this also means that his design, other than the very befitting whistle around his neck, isn’t anything major.

8/10:

This is a really good look for Byakuya. It’s really fitting with his personality and status and he wears it well.

5/10:

Unfortunately, Mondo’s outfit is exactly what I expected it to be. It’s unfortunate because I was hoping the game would do more, given how extra his 10th anniversary do was, but I was left a little disappointed with this one. It’s not bad though and it does work with him.

6/10:

It’s a pretty plain and simple design with no real outstanding aspects, but it really fits Leon’s character and he does well with it.

7/10:

This is honestly hilarious, because this wasn’t what I expected from Hifumi. I was expecting him to have a shirt or something, but I’m glad he doesn’t because that can be considered fat-shaming in my eyes. The Pretty Pudgy Princess image on his shorts was, for whatever reason, NOT what I was expecting though, and I think it looks great.

8/10:

I’ve had my differences with Hiro, but I have to admit that this design really does suit him and his character. I really love the little alien pattern on his shorts.

10/10:

This has got to be my favourite design in the entire selection of these characters! The main reason is because it really suits Chihiro’s character. He’s sporting both some very boy-like shorts but also a very girl-like crop top. The design doesn’t prioritize masculinity or femininity, but instead creates a well done balance of the two. This was probably the best that they could have done for Chihiro and I’m so glad he got his justice in this game.

10/10:

I feel like Sayaka is so underappreciated and so berated that we fail to recognize just how beautiful she is. I mean LOOK at this! She’s so fucking gorgeous!

10/10:

Kyoko is among, if not the top of, the characters in this that can sport a really plain and slightly bare bones design, but look absolutely beautiful while doing it. The dark swimsuit clashing with her bright hair, and also not sporting anything too outstanding, just like her original design, makes her look absolutely ravishing.

10/10:

I know it seems like I’m just dishing out 10’s at this point, but the DR1 girls are just THAT amazing looking with their designs, and Hina in particular is really good. One of the things that I love about some of these swimsuit designs is the subversion of the colors that I’m used to the characters sporting. Hina for instance is usually associated with red or blue, but here she is wearing a deep yellow bikini and my god does she look amazing in it. Also, it’s hard to see, but she does have some slight abs, which is something I wish to see on most of these girls.

9/10:

We have to talk about these two at once because they kind of have the same swimsuit with just one difference, in that Toko wears the skirt, while Genocide Jill does not. This makes sense and it’s pretty clever in design, since Toko has usually always worn long dresses/skirts in her previous designs, to cover up the tally marks Jill engraved in her legs from her kills. Jill obviously wouldn’t care about that, so she feels no need to wear the skirt, and given that Jill is slightly more outgoing and sociable than Toko, she wouldn’t have as much of a problem showing off more skin. It really does make a lot of sense and the design itself is overall very solid.

6/10:

I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is bad, but this style and colour is not what I expected or would have liked to see on Sakura. She’s still pretty, but I just think there’s more potential here.

8/10:

In a sense, this is a very clever design of swimsuit, since it’s almost as if Celeste’s original dress was turned into a bikini, and it’s incredibly fitting as a result. Still, it’s not out of any expectation.

10/10:

This is probably the most ingenious design out of every swimsuit in this game, so hear me out. One of the things Junko is the most well known for in Danganronpa’s world is she always defies expectations, most of the time in ways that leave people dissatisfied or unhappy. What could be more dissatisfying to a regular hormonal teenager (which most of the DR cast are) on a summer trip than a busty beauty arriving to the beach wearing a cheap, one-piece school swimsuit with nothing remarkable about it. It’s so clever and such a smart move on the designers part that perfectly encapsulates Junko’s character.

9/10:

I love this swimsuit design, and I think Mukuro looks wonderful in it, but I still stand by my complaint that she deserves to be her own person in this game and not disguised as Junko.

5/10:

Monokuma looks less like a lifeguard in this design and more like a McDonald’s drive thru employee. Still, I didn’t expect Monokuma to get a swimsuit at all, and this does fit his character, so whatever.

9/10:

Like Makoto, this outfit is fairly simple. Unlike Makoto however, it doesn’t really replicate the coloration of the original design and instead provides Hajime with something more vibrant and original, and I think it looks pretty good on him.

10/10:

I just in general think this is a really solid look for Nagito. It’s a nice diversion from his original style, while also keeping some of the things that made his original design unique, namely the pattern on his hoodie is transitioned over, but in a new, quite dashing colour. I also like how he and Hajime have a contrasting blue/red dynamic with their designs.

7/10:

I mean, it obviously has to be the same as Byakuya’s design, but the colours of the hoodie are inverted. It makes sense, but I do believe the original Togami does it better in this case.

4/10:

Is this REALLY the best you could give Gundham? This is such a simple design for someone with Gundham’s personality, he deserves something far more impressive. Yeah, I get that Makoto has the same thing, shorts of a single colour with his symbol on it, but that makes sense for Makoto given that he’s naturally quite bare bones, whereas Gundham is much the opposite. Honestly, this is kind of a letdown.

8/10:

Can Kazuichi just naturally pull off any vibrant colour? First, in DR2, his outfit was a vibrant yellow, and then in DR3, he had a deep blue outfit. Now he’s sporting this Neon Green and it looks so good on him. Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks that this is a really good way of transitioning his original design while also adding some originality?

7/10:

I don’t think it’s anything great, but I like the rose patterns and the clash of the dark shirt with the bright shorts. Honestly, this is a pretty good outfit sporting Teruteru’s moniker.

6/10:

Again, I kind of expected Nekomaru to wear the speedo, and I like the fact that he kept the chain on, but overall, the outfit doesn’t have an awful lot of uniqueness.

8/10:

There’s really not an awful lot to this design, but I think white shorts and a gold chain are a real good look for Fuyuhiko. He doesn’t really need anything more than this to look super good on the beach.

7/10:

We did see this outfit in DR2, but it was a CG and not a sprite, and at least she’s not covered in blood this time. The colours and patterns are a little plain for Akane, but she still looks pretty good in this outfit.

10/10:

This swimsuit already has a CG and sprites in the original DR2, but now we get to see more of them. And just as well because this plain white swimming outfit looks wonderful on Chiaki. She’s just super adorable like this and I can’t ask for anything more.

10/10:

I have to give Sonia the score she deserves here. While I am surprised she isn’t showing off nearly as much leg skin as I thought she would, I have no complaints to this. The colour is a good colour alongside her hair and the swimsuit itself looks splendid on her.

9/10:

I never thought in a million years that Hiyoko would look good in green, but I’ve never been more happy to be wrong. I’m also glad, and I can’t speak for everyone here, that she’s wearing a two-piece and not a school swimsuit like Junko, because she deserves more than that.

10/10:

I’m so tempted to sing the Bryan Highland song but change the yellow in the lyrics to blue. Words cannot describe just how much I love this simple patterns design on my all time best girl. Mahiru looks absolutely angelic with this outfit, and I’ve basically fallen for her all over again.

8/10:

All things considered, I’m really satisfied with this outfit. We all know what Spike Chunsoft and DR’s writers like to do to Mikan, so I was very concerned that whatever swimsuit she got, it was going to turn out to be really skimpy and barely cover anything. I am glad that this is a lot more modest than I thought it would be, and I thank the creators for giving her something more normal. However, it is still a string piece that has a likely chance of coming undone, so I am expecting a few wardrobe malfunctions in the game. Other than that, my only other real complaint is that I kind of want more than just a plain white design. I think a deep purple or even a deep red would work very well on her as opposed to this.

10/10:

This is the design I expected for Ibuki, and it works really well for her, so while my expectations weren’t defied, this is still among the better designs out of the selection we have.

10/10:

We all need to take a minute to appreciate just how gorgeous Peko looks in a plain black two-piece, because this lady looks absolutely exquisite. Even the most simple designs can bring out the best in characters, and while we did see this in DR2, we never got the sprite we needed. She just looks great like this, that’s all I can say.

5/10:

Izuru has a different swimsuit to Hajime for some reason, but I guess it does make sense since a bright, vibrant swimsuit like the one Hajime has wouldn’t work with him. Hajime’s is still better in my book though.

5/10:

Usami and Monomi have always had the adult/child dynamic in their designs. For example, in the regular designs, Usami has a skirt while Monomi wears a diaper, and that dynamic carries over in these designs too, which I really appreciate. Still, the outfits themselves aren’t anything outstanding.

10/10:

Is it just me, or is Komaru ever so slightly chubby in this? It’s the first time Komaru’s midriff has ever been shown in a sprite, so it’s the first time we’ve ever seen her bare belly like this. It’s not a complaint, if anything, I’ve been wanting to see some chub on the girls. Regardless, this is another example of a plain design pulled off extraordinarily well, since the plain yellow outfit makes Komaru look delightful.

6/10:

About what I expected from Masaru. Like Nagito, I like how he carries patterns from his og design into this one, but he doesn’t really do it as well. His design is kind of basic.

8/10:

I like this transition. The outfit and hoodie has originality, but it still bases itself off Jataro’s original design and I like how they do it.

10/10:

She’s just way too cute! This design is just super adorable and Kotoko pulls it off wonderfully. She was honestly one who I expected to wear a one-piece, so showing off this much skin is surprising given her backstory. It really does fit her though, and I wouldn’t think of changing it.

5/10:

Honestly, there’s not much to this. The colour and pattern fits Nagisa, totally, but I do wish there was a little bit more than just whatever this is. Nagisa’s a much deeper character than this outfit gives him credit for.

8/10:

It’s a really simple design with nothing outstanding besides the skirt, but Monaca looks really cute wearing this, and I think that that alone is enough. Besides, Junko had a fairly basic design too, so Monaca having one isn’t out of the question.

3/10:

I’ve always believed, as much as I really don’t like him and wish he wasn’t in this game, that Kurokuma has always had one of the best designs out of all the Monokuma’s. But as much as I believe that, and as much as I love the addition of the water gun in this design, this is honestly kind of lazy. The gun and the glasses don’t count as part of the swimsuit, they’re just accessories. In summary, literally all they did was give him orange trunks.

1/10:

THIS however is somehow even worse, because this straight up is NOT a swimsuit! Shirokuma is literally just wearing a hat and a floatie. This is probably my least favourite of all the designs in this.

9/10:

I have to add here that I’m rather disappointed that based on the scans, it seems unlikely that Yuta and Taichi from UDG are getting in the game, since I believe they both deserve some spotlight that they’re now giving Hiroko. I also don’t consider myself to be attracting to older women, but I am forced to admit that like with Mikan, I did expect something worse with Hiroko’s swimsuit, and this was a pleasant subversion of my expectations because I think she looks great.

10/10:

Maybe I’m being a but biased with my scoring here, but had Shuichi not been wearing the hoodie, I would have been a bit disappointed. Also, am I the only one who thinks that this is a surprisingly good look for Shuichi given that the colours aren’t his typical dark, emo style? I never thought Shuichi could rock a white hoodie and dark blue shorts, but here I am being proved wrong.

6/10:

Honestly, I did expect this of Kaito’s outfit, and I am a little let down that this is it really. Sure, it does look good, as he has the space pattern that he usually has on the inside of his coat, but speaking of his coat, one thing that I was expecting was that he, like Shuichi or Nagito, would have a hoodie in his design that he hung loosely around his shoulders like he does in his original design. C’est la vie…

7/10:

He literally looks like a tiny sailor! Like they straight up ripped him out of a Popeye cartoon or something! It looks really funny for some reason.

9/10:

Call me crazy, but I actually seriously love the colour of Rantaro’s shorts. The pink/red rose colour is a wonderful clash with his avocado green hair, and while the design is kind of simple, Rantaro has never been known to have the most over the top appearance. He’s kind of just a casual guy, so he deserves a casual attire.

4/10:

Oh Gonta, there’s nothing wrong with your swimsuit, but is this really the most justice they could do you? It looks so…I dunno…plain?

5/10:

Where’s his white coat go? Like, I love the shorts pattern, but is this really it? This is all we get out our clown prince of lies? It’s not totally disappointing like Gundham’s was, and thank god he doesn’t have abs anymore, but even still, is this the best they could do for Kokichi?

10/10:

Fuck yes! Why put Kiyo in shorts like the rest of them when we could give him this extremely fitting wetsuit! Like, seriously, how come I didn’t think this was a good idea? This is quite literally the perfect direction you could have gone in for Kiyo especially.

9/10:

Fucking…Keebo oh my god…Why did I expect any differently?

9/10:

Kirumi, Kyoko and Peko have exactly the same reason for getting their scores, and Peko and Kyoko only slightly pull it off better. My only complaint I have with Kirumi sporting this is that she doesn’t appear to have the spider pattern that she had on her dress before, which was one of her most notable features in her original design. Maybe it is there and I just can’t see it due to low res, but I’m fairly sure that this is all you need to make Kirumi look damn sexy during summertime.

6/10:

I know for a fact that Himiko doesn’t like the ocean, so maybe there’s a reason her swimwear looks like this. I don’t hate it, but I think Himiko might look better in a one piece, and maybe I’d like a bit more context as to why it looks like this of all things.

10/10:

Maki is so attractive in this outfit. It’s the perfect shade of red, and it’s everything she deserves. Honestly, while a lot of these girls look stunning in colours that I’m not used to seeing them in, had Maki had anything else than this red, I think I would have been a little disappointed.

7/10:

Pink was not what I expected on Tenko. I was honestly expecting something similar to Ibuki, but with light blue and green instea of blue and pink, and I’m honestly a little upset we didn’t get that. On top of that, she’s showing an awful lot of skin, maybe even more than Mikan, since that swimsuit looks like it doesn’t fit her, which I didn’t expect from her.  Still, you won’t be hearing any major issues on my behalf, since I still like this design somewhat.

10/10:

Yes, yes, and more YES! I ADORE the yellow swimsuit with Tsumugi’s dark blue hair. I was expecting something plain and white like what Mikan got with Tsumugi, and I’m so glad we didn’t. Not even Team DR are willing to take their jokes that far. She looks so god damn sublime.

6/10:

I’m fairly sure that all they did for Angie’s appearance was take off her coat. I mean, she does kind of wear swimwear all the time, so I think that even though there’s no real uniqueness or originality to this one, it was the obvious direction to go in, so I have no real comment on it.

9/10:

Ok, this was a good one. I was really hoping that Miu in particular would fit her character to a tee, and if it didn’t I think I would have been rather let down. This is definitely satisfactory though, since leopard print absolutely works for her. Overall I think she looks superb.

10/10:

KAEDE PLEASE MARRY ME! She looks so fucking pulchritudinous! That’s not a word anyone knows, but that’s the extent of how enticing, foxy and sublime she looks! The sky blue is SO good on her, words can barely describe it! Kaede was one in particular who I set high expectations for, and I can gladly say that they were exceeded above and beyond!

[snowbellewells]

A Cottage by the Sea

Here we go!! My first @cssns entry of the summer. I hope that those who were expecting two simple one shots from me in the event this year, won’t be too upset that I ended up with a different fic than I intended to start out with - one that will probably have at least four more parts to it. My original idea just would not work, so I pulled out this headcanon that I’d been mulling over for some time...and it simply grew from there.  Here in the Prologue, it’s going to seem more straightforward Lieutenant Duckling, Enchanted Forest au, but the supernatural elements will come if you stick with me. My intention is to update every other Tuesday until this story is ended; meaning you should have Part One on June 23rd.

I hope you’ll enjoy - and I’d love to hear what you think of this first part...

***Immense thank yous to @searchingwardrobes for this cover art that I am absolutely in love with, and to @tornadoamy for looking this over and giving me early feedback as a beta. And to the @cssns event and mods for giving me the opportunity to flesh out this idea I’ve harbored for so long - and for so much fun and entertainment the previous two summers, and coming up in this one as well!***

Can also be found on AO3

Summary: Princess Emma has always been drawn to the shores of Misthaven, where the sea meets the shore near her parents’ castle. When an unknown boy washes up on the sand, with eyes as fathomless and blue as the waters that brought him to her, he soon becomes Emma’s best friend, her partner in crime, and her other half.  But the tides give and the tides take away, and as her blue-eyed boy sails in her father’s navy and risks all in defense of those who made him family, unexpected danger and challenge will try to tear them apart, and might well show him just where he came from that day he first appeared to her from the sea…”

by: @snowbellewells

~~~prologue~~~

The land around her parents’ castle had always called to Princess Emma. The open spaces and craggy cliffs she could see in the distance as they plummeted into the churning sea, were windswept and wild much like herself. Though she had always been cared for and beloved, the sole heir to the kingdom of Queen Snow White, Emma also felt the desire to run free, as if she were destined for more than curtsies, crown fittings, and learning to smile demurely. Naturally, she adored her happily devoted, perfectly paired father and mother - just more so when they were teaching her to ride or aim a bow than when they were reminding her once again that she must exude patience and diplomacy at even the most interminable state dinners. She valued her kingdom and its people, understood the honor of her role in it, but that knowledge and affection failed to negate the fact that she often wished just as strongly to rip the fancy curled updos and jeweled tiaras from her head and run streaking like a loosed cannon along the wet sand at the ocean shore she could see from her chamber window, hair streaming behind her and cool, salty air on her face. All the proper princess etiquette and worries left behind.

The easiest - and her most favored - cure for that feeling of wanderlust and burning energy within was for either her mother or her father, or both whenever possible, to take her walking along the water’s edge in the evening. Emma would almost swear the Queen and King enjoyed the calming getaways almost as much as she did, both as a moment to be free of so many fussing, crowding, obsequious attendants and hangers-on, as well as to feel the open air of the world outside their palace cleansing them. She knew - though from nothing more than history and bedtime stories - that her parents had once lived and thrived out of doors, falling in love on the run as rebels before her mother regained the kingdom she had been born to lead. Both her mother, once a legendary bandit, and her father, who had started life as a humble shepherd, seemed to appreciate the chance to escape the castle walls of stone and venture out on their own with their adored and wild-hearted little girl. It concerned neither of them that Emma was bold and adventurous, bucking the traditional prim and dainty image of feminine royalty; in fact, they might have treasured those traits in her even more for how they harkened to what each loved most in the other.

One such evening, however, Queen Snow had been kept well into the twilight hour in a council meeting over trade routes and revenue, along with Emma’s father, and even Red, her godmother. Waiting impatiently, Emma fretted that she wouldn’t get outdoors and down to the shore at all, as she sat in the wide, cozy window seat of her tower room, looking out over the waves crashing up on the sands. She took in the lights of ships in their harbor, the mist and waves, and she longed to be closer - to be part of it all. In fact, she was mischievously contemplating whether or not she could scale down the outer walls in her nightdress and robe, and get to her usual walking course alone without being detected, when the door to her room opened behind her.

Snow White entered in a pleasantly flushed bluster of activity. Charming followed her with an indulgent smile, happily sweeping his daughter up into his arms as she ran to him in an excited blonde blur. She might be nearly 10-years-old, but he could still swing her up in his arms and twirl her through the air and all around the room as easily as he did when she was but a babe. Giggling happily, Emma threw her arms around her Papa’s neck and revelled in the exuberant joy of his affection.

When he put her down again, she immediately hopped around him excitedly tugging on his hand. “Can we go out for our walk now, please? Down by the shore… can we? Can we, pleeease?”

The King shook his head with a rueful chuckle, having known this would be her request the moment they set foot in their daughter’s room. She was made for the out-of-doors, an enchanting sprite of waves and sky, and he found it nigh as impossible as ever to disappoint her if her wish was within his power. “You’ll have to ask your mother this time, Sweetheart. I have more meetings, stores to check for the winter, applicants for aid to hear, a few more hours of work this evening yet.”

Snow smiled at him over Emma’s tousled blond head, nodded her agreement to a short jaunt while there was still light, Emma squealed with glee and danced an excited little jig before scampering toward the door, pulling at her mother’s hand impatiently, determined to hurry her along, Queen or no.

“You and Granny had better have cocoa and biscuits waiting for us when we return, Charming,” the dark-haired monarch grumbled, appearing stern, but the playful spark in her eyes told her husband she wasn’t really that upset. He was assuring they had what was needed for charitable giving to those less fortunate throughout the kingdom once harvests were over for the season; it would take but a moment to let the head palace cook know his wife’s wishes before continuing with his tasks.

“Anything for you, Dear,” he playfully mock-bowed before happily accepting a sweet kiss on the cheek and following his wife and daughter from the room. He was off in one direction; Marco and Jiminy both waiting down the hall to help him judge numbers, ask questions, and take notes, while Emma and Snow went in the other, headed down the stairs to the first floor side entrance and quickest path to the shore Emma was so anxious to reach. Charming supposed that many might think it strange he was not more troubled by letting his beloved and his only child wander outside the grounds alone, but his Queen could more than take care of herself. And if he knew Snow’s trusted bodyguard at all, the Huntsman they had long ago freed from Snow’s stepmother’s control, he would not be far if they had need of him when David could not accompany them - whether he was in view or not.

~~***~~

They were hand in hand, Emma’s shoes in her mother’s grip, as she skipped with exuberant satisfaction at her side, toes squidging with the exquisite feel of the wet grains of sand as she did. It was all Emma had wanted all day, from the moment she’d gotten dressed and shared breakfast with her parents and godmother, informal as they had no visitors in the warm, cozy castle kitchens. Throughout her interminable etiquette lessons with the Blue Fairy, and studying with her tutors, she had wanted nothing more than to be carefree by the water like this, and she was beside herself with excitement to be there at last.

Ruffling her daughter’s hair, Snow let the worries and concerns of meetings, treaties, budgets, and protocols slide from her shoulders while the evening breeze caressed her face. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes for a moment and laughed into the wind right along with her precious child. Perhaps she had needed the escape just as much.

Then, with a sharp jerk, Emma’s smaller hand tugged from hers with a cry of surprise. “Mama, look there!” she called, her fingers slipping from her mother’s grasp as she began to pelt across the sand in alarm. “A boy! A boy just came out of the water!  He’s hurt!”

Immediately, Snow White’s focus was sharp, snapping back into full awareness, scanning ahead of them to where she saw a dark, bedraggled shape, not much larger than Emma, lying on the lighter colored beach. Emma had run forward in such concern that she had already almost reached the small shape, and her mother quickly gathered up her skirts and jogged forward to catch her, not sure yet what to expect. “Emma! Wait! Be careful!” she warned, though she already knew the caution would fall on deaf ears. Emma was fearless for her own safety, and had a soft spot for any person or thing injured or in need; she wouldn’t be stopping if she thought she could help.

Nearing the indeed soaked, disheveled, and unconscious child, Emma had already fallen to her knees, trying to shake and urge the unknown person back to awareness. The queen’s concern for her daughter’s safety instantly melted into compassion for the waif who didn’t move, didn’t speak, and barely seemed to breathe. For a child of his seeming height, he was frighteningly thin, his clothing threadbare and torn, hair too long, nearly hiding his closed eyes as soaked to his skin as it was. The Queen’s maternal heart ached for him, wondering how he came to be in such a state, alone and washed up from the sea. Taking Emma’s hand to stop her jostling him, Queen Snow could only hope they weren’t too late to save this mere boy’s life. It was only just beginning.

She looked up, wondering how they could get him back to the castle and trying to gauge how far they had traveled from the gates. Just as she was vaguely considering whether or not she could call one of the birds she was able to use as messengers - a gift that had served her often throughout life - when a tall shadow materialized from the woods bordering the shore, before she even needed to call out. Her long time bodyguard, Graham, Snow realized with easy relief; she should have known he would not be far, and regardless of the necessity - or lack thereof - in this moment she was glad he was there. This child needed help, and they needed to get him to a physician as soon as possible.

The Huntsman scooped the still-motionless boy up easily and began to carry him back the way they had come. Snow and Emma hovered on either side in anxious worry. As soon as they got him home to safety, they would bring him around. They had to. They had to have found him for a reason.

~~***~~

Once the unknown boy had been carried back to the castle, his slight form hardly causing the Huntsman to strain himself, bundled down before the warm hearthfire of the kitchens, boneless still, but changed from his wet rags into a old castoff tunic of the King’s (long enough to be a nightshirt on the lanky youth) and covered in numerous blankets, it took little time for the youth to come back to himself. 

Emma hovered anxiously next to the little stranger she had found, feeling oddly protective of “her boy” as she was already thinking of him in her head. She only paused in her agitated fidgeting to briefly take a cup of cocoa for herself and return the supportive hand squeeze offered her by their friend Red, Granny’s actual granddaughter and Emma’s frequent babysitter and playmate as well as her godmother.

Of course, Doc, the castle’s rather unofficial physician, had been sent for upon their return, but as the child before them began to stir of his own accord, Emma let herself hope that it would prove a mere precaution and their charge would be just fine. Heavy-lidded eyes blinked open slowly, as if still weary and reluctant to revive. When finally the thick, dark lashes parted to reveal rather stunning, unbelievably sea-blue eyes, Emma gasped at the shock that ran through her. Even as the boy’s widened in equal surprise and alarm, his eyes fixed on her gaze for several endless moments before darting around his surroundings, clearly unsure where he was or what had happened.

“Shh…. sh… hush now…” Emma felt her own tense muscles loosen as her mother’s voice calmly bathed the scene in gentle comfort. The Queen, soft and careful, and looking for all the world in that moment just like any other mother hoping to reassure her frightened child, stooped down to eye level with the boy they had propped up in a heaping nest of pillows and quilts by the fire. She reached out to softly brush his dark hair off his forehead, but froze when the boy flinched back like a startled animal. Instead, she only added in the same low, sweet croon. “You’re safe here. No one is going to hurt you… It’s alright now.”

The youngster’s eyes continued to cast about him for several tense moments, but then he seemed to finally register the calm surrounding him and accept that he would be alright. The tentatively crooked smile he offered back to the Queen sparked a bit of hope in all who were gathered around him. And when a steaming cup of cocoa was pressed into his hands by Granny with a brusque but concerned admonishment to “drink up, it’ll warm your insides” before the cook bustled off again, he seemed to come back to himself even more at the scent which wafted up into his face of chocolate and their family’s customary hint of cinnamon.

Emma could practically see interest light up those expressive eyes, but the child hesitated rather than bringing the cup to his lips for a taste. Darting from Queen to Princess uncertainly, he seemed to be gauging whether or not it was truly acceptable for him to take a drink.

“Go ahead,” Emma urged, smiling in what she hoped was reassurance. She wasn’t known for her patience, and she couldn’t know that this youth had never experienced hot cocoa, nor many pleasant treats at all, in his young life. Hoping to encourage him, she lifted her own mug to drink and then smacked her lips at the delightful taste, making Ruby laugh and her mother shake her head at her dreadful table manners. The boy’s face, however, lit with a bit of humor and happiness that it had not yet held. “It’s good, I promise,” Emma added with a grin. “You’ll like it.”

Almost as if he could resist no longer, the boy tipped his cup and took a sip of the warm, rich beverage at last. Then, it seemed he discovered the powers of liquid chocolate that everyone else in the room well knew. His eyes widened in delight, and he tipped his head back to get every last drop as he quickly guzzled down the rest, making Emma giggle, and him startle guiltily as if he’d done something wrong.

“Don’t worry,” Emma assured, reaching out innocently to lay her hand on his, “You can have some more, right Mama?”

Queen Snow White’s eyes were a bit misty with unshed tears, having already met Granny’s gaze over Emma’s head and Ruby’s as well, the three women piecing together things Emma in her sheltered, loving world could not yet know about what this youngster must have gone through. His reactions and his guardedness spoke volumes, even in silence. Nodding simply, not sure at first that she could speak around the painful lump in her throat, Snow finally managed to agree, “Yes, for tonight at least, our new friend may have all the hot cocoa his heart desires.”

~~***~~

The boy’s name, it turned out, was Killian Jones. He did recall that much once he regained his bearings, as well as the fact that he had possessed a father, mother, and older brother in a happy little house before his mother had seemingly vanished from his young life, and they had sent sail on the boat he had been on before washing ashore. No matter how many questions they asked or how he tried to call more forth, he remembered little else of what happened to his mother or father. He knew he had been told she fell ill and died, but all he could bring forth in his mind’s eye was that one morning he had awakened and she had vanished from his life as if she never existed at all - just a pleasant dream. His elder brother Liam had been on the boat with him, and Killian had shed tears that broke all their hearts when he recalled the day his brother had been swept overboard and lost to him forever. But as to what had become of his father, and how he had been sentenced to the life of hard labor he had clearly endured afterward, there was nothing but a blank and questions.

 As days and weeks, then months, and finally years went by, he remained with them at Misthaven castle.  Though far from a young prince, Killian was raised as a member of the royal household, growing up side-by-side with Princess Emma. They appeared to be quite close in age, and joined by the fact that she had found him and seemed to take Killian on as her own, he and Emma were quite inseparable - the best of friends and as “thick as thieves” as Granny always lamented when they were underfoot or stealing berries meant for tarts and pies on the royal dinner table.

As they reached adolescence, the King and Queen began to wonder where Kilian would be happiest as he came of age. The young man they had come to adore almost as a son had several skills: he was invaluable in the stables, exuding a calming force over the horses and evincing a knack for their training and care; he was quite good as an extra hand in the kitchen when Granny was understaffed or had more visiting mouths than usual to feed (for all her tough talk the aging widow had a soft spot for the boy and would no doubt have mentored him as a cook). Killian was bright; genuine knowledge and curiosity made him a voracious reader and student, honestly gaining more from the princess’ many esteemed tutors than Emma ever had and enjoying the study much more. He would have been easy to train as a page or diplomat, but none of those options seemed quite right.

It was not until his fifteenth birthday that the way Killian hoped to take became clear. It might have seemed improbable to most, knowing that the sea had once nearly swallowed him whole and claimed his life, but to Emma who knew him better than anyone else, it made sense. Those restless, wandering waves held an appeal, a mystery and adventure, and perhaps even still some bit of himself that her friend needed to claim. He stated his intention to join her father’s Navy with a proud certainty. And Emma’s heart swelled with equal gratification, but also fear. The sea had given him to her, but it wanted to take him back again…

It had taken them all such a long time to show Killian that he was welcome there, truly a part of their loving extended family. At first, Killian had shrunk back - shoulders hunched, head bowed, breath coming quickly in frightened pants - any time he might accidentally drop and break a dish or he reached for a second roll at the table, making it clear was that he had been punished and berated, to the point that he cowered like a whipped dog whenever he feared he might have put even a toe out of line. Princess Emma knew that her parents suspected beatings and physical abuse; it was clear in the concerned way their eyes met in silent communication whenever Killian reacted with the intense fear and apology he often showed in his bearing; she sadly had to agree that they were quite probably correct. She shuddered to think of how he might still be suffering under some cruel captain’s mistreatment, miserable, stranded and helpless to change his situation if it had not been for the shipwreck which brought him to Misthaven instead. There had been no question for any of them that he must stay, when they had learned of his indenture and how he had been orphaned and abandoned. She couldn’t have been more glad that all in the castle were in agreement; Emma had already decided that “her boy” needed to stay there with them, where he was safe and she could be sure he was happy and free. Neither of them were small children anymore, but Emma’s care and affection for him had never changed.

For so long before Killian’s arrival, she had been the only child in a palace of grown-ups: rulers, dignitaries, staff - a whole caravan of people who doted and adored, but very few who could be peers, to play with, talk to, and simply understand her. As the days had flowed into one another, turning into months and years until most people could hardly remember when she and Killian were not linked, they  were practically siblings in every way that mattered. The princess knew that she didn’t intend to live - not could she imagine - her life without him ever again.

And then, seemingly in the mere blink of an eye, they were fifteen and moving from playing tag amongst the grape arbors and lilac bushes in her mother’s gardens and slipping out of the interminable poise and etiquette lessons which Emma detested yet was never allowed to miss, to the stage where Killian was serving as her partner while she learned the waltz and other ballroom dances she would need to master for formal balls and ceremonies. Not only that, but as they edged into adolescence, Emma’s heart thumped against her chest differently than it used to as Killian led her gracefully through the steps. Even as her heart seemed ready to ricochet from her body, the warmth of Killian’s skin where they touched and the utter safety she felt in his hold half intoxicated her. As awareness spun her head round, uncertain what to do with it or how to proceed with these strange new feelings suddenly flooding her, all Emma could be certain of was the pang of loss she felt at knowing that Killian’s desire was to soon join her father’s naval fleet. At fifteen, he was at last of age to sail as a cabin boy and begin to work his way up in a ship’s ranks. Though she knew that had long been her friend’s desired course, Emma’s heart still ached to see him go.

However, her parents could not deny him the chance to seek such a worthy ambition. Indeed, they were proud of Killian, happy to help him secure a place on one of their finest vessels and make certain he knew their confidence in him and their faith that he would succeed. All too soon, after years with him at her side, it was the day Emma’s confidant and companion was set to sail on his first voyage. Though she knew in her head that the kingdom was in a time of peace and that it was a mere routine mission, her heart could not ignore the fact that sea travel always came with risk. Not only that, but she would miss Killian terribly.

Still, goodbyes had been said, all was made ready, and she was left on the dock, waving goodbye as the best friend she had ever known met her eyes and waved back. His pretty blue eyes, that had long since begun to speak to her as ardently as his actual words, expressed a potent blend of pained anxiety at leaving his adopted family and the life he had known and excitement for the adventure ahead on the waves that stirred his blood. She stood there long after the rest of the crowd seeing him off had dispersed and gone back to the castle, watching as the naval ship bearing “her boy” (as she sometimes still in the deepest and most secret depths  of her heart thought of him) became a small dot on the horizon before fading from view entirely. 

And only then had the journey truly begun...

Tagging: @searchingwardrobes @jennjenn615 @kmomof4 @cssns @tiganasummertree @hollyethecurious @darkcolinodonorgasm @winterbaby89 @shireness-says @snidgetsafan @let-it-raines @therooksshiningknight @spartanguard @mayquita @thisonesatellite @stahlop @whimsicallyenchantedrose @thislassishooked @drowned-dreamer @ineffablecolors @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @kday426 @lfh1226-linda @carpedzem 

[world-without-authors]

15th anniversary of our madness!

Yes, you read that right. Today, April 13th 2021, marks the 15th anniversary of when I was crazy enough to bring out the idea of a crazy roundrobin crossover on the Moony Witcher Forum.

When on that day, April 13th 2006, I made a post with the general idea for Mai Dire Fine I never thought I would be starting a saga that would be still ongoing 15 years later.

But here we are, with me and Aelit still working on its latest sequel of sorts, The World without Authors. Compared to back then, our writing skills improved a lot (Mai Dire Fine was not a good story) and, while there’s always more we can still learn, we are proud of our improvement.

So, where are we? We published recently the 10th chapter of The World without Authors, which is currently around 69.000 words – we’re already closing in towards Blank Sprite‘s length (77.000) and that’s just part of the first arc, Scattered Shards. Adding in the previous stories, we’re past 320.000 already.

Even with The World without Authors‘s “all-stars” cast, we still only have a total of five characters from Mai Dire Fine, only three of which (Sergio, Nikki and Kathleen) were part of the main cast as the other two (Faith and Virgilia) were introduced towards the end… well, technically there’s a sixth character, the mysterious “Professor”, but his identity is spoilers as of now. I believe there might be enough hints between The World without Authors and my older behind the scenes post for you to be able to guess his identity already, but the reveal is meant to be a nasty surprise that will set up the second and third arcs, Venezia Immortale and The Dove and the Crow. Yes, we’re planning (well… sort of planning) that far!

But enough of that, let’s head to the celebration specials!

Unfortunately, the Q&A session was a complete failure. We didn’t receive any question by the deadline, but the mailbox is still open! Feel free to ask us anything, we’ll make a Q&A post as soon as the question come in, and we’ll keep it updated every time new questions arrive.

We still have a few more goodies, though. The first is a bit of an experiment on my part, I took one of my early PPC missions, A Very Awkward Exorcism, alongside a couple scenes from the interlude set chronologically just before it, Planes, Guns, Clones and other usual PPC Stuff, and gave them a complete makeover into a comic. Yes, I made what I believe might be the first full PPC mission in comic form! You can download it in PDF format (Trigger warning for rape, contains some partial nudity) here. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Another thing I made is a special anniversary illustration, in which our characters, and a few we borrowed, from all over our works enjoy some partying. With all the things happening due to the Unravel they deserve some off time, don’t  you think?

Let’s start with the back row, left to right.

First one is Ai Minase, from Koikatu. She has the distinction of being the “adopted canon character” of The World Without Authors – while we have other canons working with Strike Dove, she’s the only one who became part of the main cast on a deep level. While Hayate Yagami, her crew, the Razgriz and Long Caster also work with my main cast, they’re more of external allies. Her dress looks a bit like a tablecloth, but that’s a canon-ish outfit of hers: while she never wears it in her route, it is in her character card in the slot that gets used during dates in normal gameplay.

Next to her we have Keiko Caterina Turbo, Sergio and Nikki’s daughter with her own PPC spinoff, Wings of Canon: Second Strike. She is also the only survivor of the Second Strike cast, having lost Shiro and Saki in the Unravel, and as such the role of representative of her series is all on her. She also doesn’t like skirts, at all, why do you ask?

Then we have Hajime Irene Turbo, Keiko’s half sister/alternate incarnation from the timeline in which Sergio got together with Ami instead. She’s an original The World without Authors character, but still related to characters from my previous works. Fun fact: Keiko and Hajome’s birthday, April 13, in indeed based on the day and month we began Mai Dire Fine. If we consider HQ Standard Time (the PPC’s timeline) to coincide with the real world, they turned two years old today.

Next is Hajime’s mother, Ami Tanegashima. Mentioned first in I don’t like luxury cars to pave her way for her posthumous role in Blank Sprite, we can consider her the representative of my Blank Sprite original characters here. She’s now stuck with the absurdity of not only having a daughter she never thought she could have, but also of said daughter being currently only four years younger than her. Considering Ami’s small frame, there will likely be plenty of times in which she’s mistaken for Hajime’s younger sister… also, now that she’s 20 years old and of drinking age in Japan, she discovered she actually likes alcohol. And can deal with it surprisingly well despite her light build (as opposed to Sergio and Nikki who both can’t hold their liquor)… yes, she had more than a few glasses here. Luckily, she doesn’t drink very often.

Toasting with her is Aya Kibokami, the “fragment” that split off Madoka Kaname at the end of Blank Sprite. As such, she’s here as a representative of canon characters of Blank Sprite. Due to a certain scene of Madoka Magica, in which Madoka expresses a desire to go out drinking with her mother (who really enjoys drinking) once old enough, there is fanon of her eventually developing the same taste for liquor. While we’ll likely never know if the canon Madoka would, Aya is the other heavy drinker of my cast and here is depicted finally having a toast (or two… or a few…) with Ami to celebrate the success of their “Save Sergio and Homura from their spirals of self-destruction by making them defeat Vera and save Madoka together” master plan.

And, of course, fussing over Aya’s excessive drinking we have Kuroko Tenshimi, AKA the “split fragment” of Homura Akemi retaining the memories of the Blank Sprite Incident. While her and Aya haven’t featured yet, they did make it to the Unraveled World. However, I don’t plan on making them part of the main cast yet (in fact, I’m planning to reduce the amount of characters we’re following as the cast is getting too big), and I’m actually considering having them star in their own The World without Authors spinoff, but nothing set in stone yet. Oh, and fun fact about them, they did already have a bit of starring of their own as they were the hosts of the Third PPC HQ Hunger Games. How Nutmeg TV managed to get hold of them for that will forever remain a mistery.

Next, a character very few of you are likely to be familiar with. Nina De Nobili, the title character of the Nina, the child of the Sixth Moon book series. Acting as a representative of the Mai Dire Fine canon characters here, she’s been chosen since, as I said in the past, we started Mai Dire Fine on her author’s forum, and even received encouragement from her to keep writing at one point… despite the fact we were basically butchering her work. However, everyone has to begin somewhere, and Moony Witcher (real name Roberta Rizzo) knew that, so I’m glad she didn’t shoot down our hopes – I might not be here now with a 300.000+ words saga under my belt otherwise. Nina is not planned to reappear in the Unraveled Worlds, as she’s from a series intended for children that wouldn’t mesh well with our current plots.

The little guy sitting over the counter doing karaoke is Conan Edogawa from Detective Conan (anyone insisting on calling the series Case Closed can leave now). He’s again a canon character featured in Mai Dire Fine, but there are plans to involve him and some other characters of his series in the third arc. Also, as you can guess by Nina’s reaction, he’s a terrible, terrible singer.

Leaning on the couch we have Hiro Shirogane, our Gundam pilot. He’s a fully original character created for The World without Authors whose original concept was made by Aelit, although I was the one developing his backstory and relationship with Miksa. I admit that for a while we weren’t too sure about what to do with him, but I hope his current subplot will be enjoyable.

And now, the front row. Leftmost is Hanami, Nikki’s alternate from Kathleen’s alternate timeline (and as such a The World without Authors original). She’s been adopted by the Kinomotos (as she’s also an alternate of Sakura) and is now living with them. Something that debuted in this illustration are the glasses: those are her timeline’s Sergio, and she doesn’t actually have a need for eyesight correction. She had the lenses replaced with fake ones, and wears them due to them being one of the few things she has left of him, though they’re also a good way to differentiate herself from her “sisters”.

Then we have Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura herself. If we go by name only, her first appearance in my works would be Mai Dire Fine, but that particular Sakura ended up becoming Nikki so it is safe to assume her first appearance was actually in the first mission of Wings of Canon, my main PPC spinoff, titled Don’t Forget The Canon, and she has been confirmed alive in the Unraveled World, in which she is now legally Nikki and Hanami’s younger sister. As in the comic I posted above, her hair is actually lighter than Nikki or Hanami’s as most CCS media have her with a light shade, but Nikki and Hanami both derive from the 1998 anime that had a darker brown as Sakura’s hair color.

Next to Sakura is Syaoran Li from the same series, who instead did appear as himself in Mai Dire Fine. He was badly OOC though, and if the The World without Authors incarnation of him does remember Sergio, things might a bit tense between them at first… though, hopefully, just until he gets explained that no, the “Sakura” Sergio was in love with was actualy Nikki and there’s no need to be jealous.

Then we get to Kathleen Leone. She is not the Mai Dire Fine incarnation of the character, but an alternate made for The World without Authors. Despite that, she started considering the main timeline Sergio as her own brother even before he had to kill her timeline’s, due to the latter’s descent into madness. We haven’t been able to give her much space until now, due to the action being mostly in the air, but that will change soon. I won’t spoiler anything, but Chapter 11 will be a big turning point in the story.

Of course, holding arms with her is Faith Leone, Everything I said about Kathleen applies about her too, as they’ve arrived in the Unraveled World together. We haven’t shown much on our plans to develop her so far, but trust us: we’re going to both fill in more of her bakcstory, and give her chances to shine soon.

Cutting the cake together we have Sergio Turbo and Nikki Cherryflower, both of which made their first appearances in Mai Dire Fine and appeared in all sequel works. For as much grief the Unraveled World is bringing them, it is arguable they’ve gained more than they have lost, as they’ve both got their families back thanks to it. Fun fact: their outfits are loosely based on the ones they wore during Chapter 7 of Blank Sprite.

Last but not least, Corolla. Introduced in Don’t Forget The Canon, she’s my most successful character. Defined by Aelit “Kathleen, but written well” way before we started working on The World without Authors, it isn’t a suprise they synergize so well together… much to Sergio and Nikki’s dismay. Here, is she more excited for the cake, or because they are cutting it together like it was a wedding cake? Probably both.

And that’s it, 15 years of writing, condensed in one image. We hope you’ll keep following us in the future!

[edelfliss]

So, here’s my take on the fellswap gold au character designs.  The original designs, aside from Papyrus’, really bothered me, so I decided to tweak them.  Another thing that really bothered me was that all of the characters shared the same color scheme (ie. black, white, gold/yellow, and red) and I have no idea why that has been a trend in these AUs.  To me that doesn’t sound or look very creative, so that was the first thing to go.

Sans doesn’t really wear much armor, as he’s very smug about his dodge ability, and uses it very liberally.  Kept the face scars, and added in that he’s blind in that eye.  He got those scars from protecting Papyrus.  I wanted to keep his signature blue color, and keep a sort of casual air about him despite his rank.

Papyrus wasn’t really changed too much, I really like his original design, but I did get rid of the braces as I don’t really know why he has them to begin with.  I opted instead to give him a silver tooth as a call back to the Underfell inspiration.  His original tooth got knocked out during a fight, and Sans insisted they get him a replacement tooth.  It was very expensive.  I’m also giving him eye light pupils, like Sans, kind of just because I want to.  Also switched out his tennis shoes for boots similar to his Undertale ones.

Undyne’s colors were tricky, because she’s not wearing her normal royal guard armor.  I knew I wanted to have her wear green to symbolize her inner kindness, and yellow to reflect her desire for justice for monster kind.  Might change her shirt color, but for now I think it looks ok.  She still wears some armor to protect herself, but she’s made sure it doesn’t bear the deltarune crest on it to show that she’s on the monster people’s side and not the royal’s.  Also, skin spots because yes.

Alphys was fairly simple.  She doesn’t look too different from her Undertale counterpart, but I did give her the swirly glasses (you can kind of make it out).  Gave her some pink because of her obsession with Mew Mew Kissie Cutie, and gave her a dark skirt to hint at her underlying regrets and stressors.  And skin spots for her too because it looks good.

Went in an Underswap direction for Asgore, but with a more beaten down and unkempt look.  Gave him simple robes and some dead golden flowers for his messy hair.

I knew I wanted Toriel to look dignified, but also intimidating.  I took a lot of inspiration from Jumbletale Toriel, specifically this design (I hope it’s ok that I referenced it, aaaaaa).  I specifically made her colors dull to try and reflect the dismal state she and her people are in.

Mettaton was a lot of fun.  He’s a killing machine, so of course he needed to have red, but I also threw in some pink and magentas to reflect his inner most feelings.  And what Mettaton design would be complete without a hot pink chainsaw and matching microphone.

I almost forgot to include Chara, as I was originally going to have Flowey be in the story, but the more I thought about it, I felt that Chara would probably fit better into this setting.  Made their skin color a bit darker/desaturated to hint at something being off about them.  And I added more stripes to their sweater because I honestly forgot how many their original in-game sprite had, but whatever.

So yeah, these are just the first passes of the character designs as this was mainly done to get their overall color schemes set and in place before tweaking their designs a bit more.

[mysaldate]

DouKoto fairy AU

Original idea by @dumplingsworship

Title: Flowery dreams Fandom: Kimetsu no Yaiba/Demon Slayer Pairing: Douma/Kotoha Characters: Douma, Kotoha Hashibira, Muzan Kibutsuji, random temple servant, mentions of Nakime Rating: G Word count: 3543

“So...” Douma looks the servant up and down once more before returning his glance to the glass in the man’s hands. “You found this outside in the gardens?”

“Yes, Gracious Founder.” The man speaks with his head bowed, obviously puzzled. Quite possibly even more than the demon himself. Awkwardly, he holds the glass out to him and Douma accepts with the same uncertainness in his movements.

“Thank you. You’re dismissed.”

The servant leaves and Douma is left alone with the strange little thing in the glass. Now that he looks at it closely, it almost looks like a human girl, only she is tiny – so very tiny – and appears to have colorful semi-transparent wings that are wrapped all around the petite body like a blanket. She’s asleep for now but that’s probably to be expected since the sun has only just peeked above the horizon a little while ago.

The demon sets the glass on the floor and waits as he sees the girl starting to stir in her sleep. He aura is different from that of a demon but nor is she human, obviously. But he hasn’t really heard of any other creatures in this world. Then again, if demons exist, who’s to say tiny little... things like this one can’t be real either?

The small wings flutter open and his pocket-sized prisoner stretches out her teensy arms with a yawn. He can now see that she’s clad in what looks like a white flower petal dress. Her ebony black hair turns into a wonderful blue shade towards the end and it reminds him of the picture of the sea he’s once seen in a book when he was a little child. It cascades down her back between the butterfly-like wings and ends just a bit short of her skirt, pooling around her slim ankles.

Finally, she opens her eyes, shiny green lanterns of a morning forest. Her look meets Douma’s rainbow-colored orbs and she comes to a halt with her movements. It takes her a moment to comprehend where she is and who’s watching her so intently.

Once it does click, however, she lets out a yelp and skips to the other side of the glass, bumping her back against the invisible barrier. It makes the demon chuckle ever so lightly as he sits back, holding up his hands in a defensive gesture.

“There there, little one.” He offers her a bright grin. “I’m not gonna hurt you, calm down.”

It doesn’t seem like she trusts him for the time being, not much at least, but she stops pressing herself against the blockade so tightly. It’s almost a miracle she hasn’t accidentally tripped over her own hair with how long it is but he supposes she’s used to it. She probably knows how and where to step.

Connecting her hands at her front, she lowers her head a little and looks up at him through her rich eyelashes. If her eyes were any dimmer, he doubts he’d see them at all.

“Please, let me go.” She pleads in a voice just as tiny as he would expect from a creature as petite as her. And he has to admit he’s almost smitten to do her bidding. Alas, he only shakes his head with yet another cheerful grin.

“Sorry miss! Can’t do. You snuck into my garden without permission. For all I know, you might as well be a thief or an evil sprite.” Of course, that’s ridiculous. She’s much too small to carry anything away and much too pretty to be anything related to evil gremlins supposedly lurking the earth to bring bad luck upon humans. Not to mention he isn’t even human in the first place.

A panicked look flashes through her eyes and he would probably feel sorry for her, were he anyone else. She stumbles over her words and for a moment, he can’t exactly make out anything of what she’s mumbling but when she looks at him again, he can tell she’s somewhere between determined to prove him wrong and fearful of what he might do if she fails. His years of reading in people really do come in handy at the weirdest times.

“I’m a fairy!” She exclaims, motioning towards her wings. “Or would a sprite have wings like this? An evil sprite? And I didn’t steal anything, I promise! I’m sorry for coming to your garden without asking first but I really didn’t have any ill intentions! I just...”

“Hmm?” Douma raises a brow when she stops so abruptly but she simply avoids his look. “You just?”

“I just thought the flowers looked lovely...” Her answer comes in so quiet he barely hears it but it draws a short laugh from him. What a cute little thing, what an innocent being.

He reaches out and plays with the glass for a little, not tilting it enough for her to slip out from under it. That would be a shame now that he’s got himself such an amusing companion. Even if he’s still a bit doubtful about her claim of being a fairy. Weren’t those things at least human-sized?

“I’ll forward your compliments to the servants taking care of them.” He shuffles a little closer, reveling in how the self-proclaimed fairy squeezes herself once more against the glass wall of her make-shift prison. “Now, what to do with you though? I don’t really have a reason to let you go, do I?”

“You... I will fulfill a wish for you if you let me go!” Gathering up all the courage in her tiny body, she steps up closer to him again, pressing her hands on the glass separating them. It almost looks like she might tear up at any moment and he’s not really too keen on the idea.

He taps on the glass a little, just enough to send her tumbling back on her butt. Though it’s more because he’s surprised her than him using too much power. Still, it makes for a comical show. “I don’t know, you don’t seem like you can fulfill any wish I might have.”

“But... I can...” Sitting on the floor, dumbstruck and untrusted, the fairy’s eyes well up with tears that soon slip down her pale cheeks and drip on her pearly white skirt. The demon recoils slightly, giving her some space but she doesn’t show any signs of stopping the sobs or the shivers of her shoulders. “I will make any wish come true... I promise... Let me go... Please...”

What a situation... If anyone were to come in right at that moment, Douma could probably never explain. Still, he doesn’t really want to give in so easily. He glances around the room. All the windows and doors are closed. He can’t let the sunlight in after all. There shouldn’t really be a way for her to escape.

She doesn’t even notice at first when he lifts the glass up, face buried in her hands as more and more droplets of her sadness slip through her fingers. Only once he nudges her gently with his finger does she look up again, noticing the sudden freedom. He expects her to take off and search for a way out immediately but to his great surprise, she stays put, letting his careful touch travel through her hair.

The silence stretches through the room as the last of her hiccups die down as well, their eyes connected for the longest while since she woke up. Then, just as quickly as it came, it passes again as she avoids his look, turning her glance down to her tightly clenched fists in her lap.

“So... what do you want?” She asks finally. “I don’t care if it’s something selfish. Like money or health or love or... I don’t care, just make a wish.” She’s probably flustered by his pats. At least that’s what it seems like to him. Her hair is a little messy now and he’s the only one to blame but somehow, it brings a smile to his face rather than making him feel guilty.

He taps his chin as if he were deep in thoughts but eventually just clasps his hands with a gleeful smile. “Sorry! I can’t think of anything right now! But I know of someone who will surely have a wish for you! It’s alright if it’s for someone else, right?”

The tiny girl looks up at him a little confused. She’s probably not sure if it’s possible either but before she can voice any concerns, Douma picks her up by her waist, just carefully enough not to squish her, and drops her on the palm of his hand. “It’s fine, I’ll just make a wish that their wish comes true! That works, right?”

It still takes her a while to think about it and he’s almost sure he will just have to keep her trapped under the glass again until she agrees but then the fairy gives him a firm nod. “Yes. That works!”

“Good!” Douma cheers, aiming to place her on his shoulder but she flies up from his hand and hovers in the air near his face instead. Well, that works too. “Let’s go meet that person then!”

He swings open the door to the Infinity Fortress and a gush of chill air welcomes them in his favorite room. Lotus flowers bloom all over the pond with a porch coming right out of the water, spacious room is filled with the sweet scent of the blossoms and fresh, clean water. The fairy hesitates for a moment before following behind him finally, taking in the full beauty of the chamber. He hears a soft gasp escape her and even faster than he can fully percept, she dashes over to the nearest flower peeking its opened head from the water.

“Hey biwa girl!” Douma calls in a greeting, causing the fairy to still her movements and give him a puzzled look. He has to remind himself his little friend has no idea where they are or how the place works. It’s pretty adorable, at least in his opinion. “Can you open the door to wherever Muzan is at the moment? I have something that will surely interest him!”

Silence is his only answer but he knows better than to rush the resident demon of the place. She could very well just shut him out and block him from visiting for a while if he’s too annoying. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. While he waits for any kind of response, he sits down at the edge of the porch and watches the fairy skip from bloom to bloom.

It’s like she’s dancing and he has to admire the lightness of her movements. It’s maybe to be expected due to her size but it still feels as if she’s just floating along, not even touching the gentle petals, not disrupting the water surface in the slightest. She must really like flowers. It makes her earlier statement about the reason for her visit all the more believable.

“So then, miss fairy!” He calls out to her when she gets a little too far. And just as he'd expect, she’s quick to hurry back closer. “Do I just call you like that or do you have a name? I’m Douma by the way.”

It seems she’s finally starting to relax around him as she sits down in the flower she’s standing on and glances up at him, returning the smile he offers her, though shyer and smaller. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Douma. I’m Kotoha.”

“Just Douma is fine enough, you know?” It’s not like he’s gonna call her lady Kotoha just because he knows her name now so it feels only fair that she would just use his name as well. “Do you really like flowers this much?”

“How much?” She cocks her head to the side, clearly confused by his choice of words. “Is there something wrong with me enjoying the flowers here..?”

She has to be a little stupid at least if she means that seriously. Douma doesn’t really feel like explaining what he meant either though so he just shakes his head with another carefree smirk. “Don’t worry about it, Kotoha! It just surprised me, that’s all.”

The strum of biwa suddenly fills the place, casing the unexpecting fairy to nearly jump up in fright. It’s amusing to the demon but for the sake of the whole wish-granting thing, he muffles his chuckle and instead gives the poor thing an apologetic look. “Sorry about that, I should’ve warned you. But it means we can now go see the friend whose wish I want you to fulfill!”

She doesn’t say anything but from the look she gives him, Douma can easily tell what’s going on inside her head. She wants to be done with it quickly, though not because it feels annoying to her. If anything, he would say she’s anxious. And that’s not even knowing who is she coming to meet. She either has a really good intuition or she’s just shy regardless of the standing of her company. Either way works just fine for him.

Kotoha finally flies out of the blossom she’s settled down in before and approaches him again as he gets up. The door on the other side of the room cracks open just enough so he can see a lean boy sitting in an antique-looking armchair and reading a book. But based on the air surrounding him, it’s clear the biwa girl isn’t mistaken about their target.

Douma walks into the room confidently, a proud grin playing on his lips. He knows he doesn’t have to say anything since Muzan can already hear his thoughts but for the sake of his little friend and so as not to confuse her even further, he still speaks up, his usual cheer just as polished as ever.

“Good morning! I’ve got some good news!”

Muzan peers at him over the book, clearly not very happy about seeing him. It’s been so long since the last meeting Douma almost feels hurt by the obvious displeasure on his superior’s face. Almost.

“Look what I’ve got!” He snatches Kotoha from the air before she can escape him and holds her out towards Muzan with a tinge of pride in his chest.

To say that Muzan looks disinterested would be an understatement but Douma can’t quite recall any stronger word to use at the moment. He can feel Kotoha squirming around in his hold so he loosens up a bit so she can relax some more.

“You disturb me because you started collecting dolls?”

He’s not sure what he was expecting but he didn’t really think Muzan’s opinion of him was that low. Still, his smile remains unchanged even though his complaint was very well heard. Just not commented, probably since it promises something better.

“Not a doll! This is a fairy who can make a wish come true! But I couldn’t think of anything to ask so I thought you might have some idea!”

There’s a red flash and the next thing he knows, his head is repairing itself from a particularly nasty punch. Kotoha doesn’t seem to have comprehended what just happened but she shrieks as she looks back at him. Finally, new hair washes over his scalp and he can grin properly without risking popping the joints in his jaw out again.

Muzan, on the other hand, seems to be far from a good mood.

“You couldn’t think of anything.” He repeats and though his voice stays even, Douma can tell he’s fuming. Well, Kotoha can probably tell too. The demon lord has never been good at hiding his emotions after all. Douma has to avoid a book flung at him for that thought. “You couldn’t think of a single thing to ask when you have the chance to have anything at all!”

“Well, it was a little sudden and it’s not like I’m hungry or hurt or anything. There isn’t a single thing I could want.” Douma just gives a light shrug, watching the boy stomp closer and yank him down by the fabric of his turtleneck.

“You’re not supposed to want anything for yourself!” Oh, now it clicks in his head. And as if to confirm his thoughts, Muzan goes on. “Your first priority should be looking for the blue spider lily and ridding the world of demon slayers! Yet, you can only think of your stomach, as always!”

Knowing full well he can’t argue with that, Douma just gives a sheepish smile, hoping to be let go soon. Before long, Muzan is facing his tiny fairy and the little thing looks about ready to break down. Poor Kotoha, but it’s her fault for agreeing without knowing what kind of person he was.

“Can you kill the demon slayers?” Muzan’s frown is colder than Douma’s ice at that moment and he’s almost worried his teensy treasure will freeze in his hands but she only shakes her head.

That’s a bit of a surprise so Douma decides to speak up. Maybe he can get back on Muzan’s somewhat good side if he tries hard enough? Of course, it’s most likely pointless with that sort of attitude. “Didn’t you say you would fulfill any wish?”

“I... I did but... I can’t just kill someone!” She’s tearing up now again and Douma quickly relaxes his hold a bit further to make sure it’s not from pain because of his hold. She doesn’t stop. So it’s probably for some other reason. Oh well, he did what he could.

“Then what about the blue spider lily?” Figuring there would be no talking to her if she’s crying, Douma decides to focus on the other thing his boss wants. Just as he expected, her sobbing calms down soon enough and she looks up at him with swollen eyes before, finally, giving a nod.

“That’s fine, that... that shouldn’t be a problem.”

He releases her and lets her float on her own over to the desk situated under the window in the room. It faces west so the sun isn’t directly visible yet but it has to be a pain in the evenings for sure. She flutters over, placing her hands on the wood and for a moment, she goes still, focusing hard. Though he stays quiet, Muzan’s doubts are practically audible at that point.

But Douma is hopeful. She’s such a cute little thing and she doesn’t seem like a liar. Maybe she will be able to help, at least a little bit. Her tiny hands light up as blue as the ends of her hair and it doesn’t take long for a small sprout to appear, coming right out of the wood. It’s not very big and he has no idea whether it is even the correct plant but she all but collapses next to it with a proud smile.

He comes over to scoop her up in his hands with a grin and pats her hair again. “Is that it?”

“It is.” She answers him weakly. It seems she got all exhausted from such a spell. 

Muzan paces over impatiently, checking the weak sprout with a glare. It’s not usable by any means but if it survives for long enough to bloom out, it might be of some good. Still, the boy doesn’t seem too pleased.

“Well, if that’s all you can do!” Douma chirps happily, letting the fairy settle down in his hands. She’s kind of cute like this, exhausted and sleepy. She nuzzles against the palm of his hand, wrapping herself up in her delicate wings. It’s not long before she falls right back asleep. It makes Douma chuckle but he doesn’t try waking her up. She’s deserved her rest after all.

“Will you stick around for much longer?” Muzan’s voice is more than heavily laced with irritation and Douma doesn’t particularly wish to push his luck any further. With his usual trademark grin, he says his goodbyes and leaves through the exit provided by the biwa girl. He doesn’t much bother to think about how will Muzan get the plant out of his desk or what will he do if he needs to move before it can fully bloom. For the time being, he’s satisfied to have seen his little fairy at work.

He sets her down on one of his cushions as soon as they reach home and sends one of the temple maidens to pick him a few fresh flowers from the garden. Another one is sent for a large glass tank, he’s sure he’s seen it somewhere before. And before his tiny companion can wake up, he makes sure her new home is decorated nicely enough with soft pieces of fabric and beautiful flower heads laid out all around.

He sets her down carefully and covers the tank with a wooden plank so she wouldn’t escape. At least he has something to do now. Watching the little thing sleep, he just smiles to himself. There may not be a paradise for his followers. There may not be any for fairies like her either. But at least he can be a step closer to one for himself.

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

2020 Megaman Valentine’s Day Contest - Cat. 1 (Talent) Results!

Thank you to everyone again for your patience! This is getting posted way later than I wanted to. As much as I try to keep it short and sweet, I never do, so bear with my walls of text. 

For the talent category this year, the theme was about killing Mega Man with kindness. More specifically, entrants had to create their own original love/Valentine’s-themed Robot Master or equivalent boss character that was created to defeat Mega Man with the power of love! Even though the theme title and concept alluded more to the classic Robot Master character contests, designs for any series were acceptable. But other than one Navi and one Reploid entry, everyone stuck to a Classic-series themed creation. So you were all pretty consistent! 

There were a total of 16 entries for this category this year. Thank you all for your participation! It was extremely hard to choose winners for this category, because you all had really clever and creative concepts based off of this theme. So thank you for thinking up such clever and cool characters!!

Also thanks to Reploid 21XX for the coloring book prizes and for some additional insight. 

Again, raffle prize winners will be contained in both posts, so keep an eye out between your name and your art. Not all raffle prize winners are contained in this post. I’ll be contacting all winners soon enough, so sit tight! Might be late after work tonight, so don’t panic if you don’t hear from me right after this is posted.

Your category winners and full gallery of entries are right here, after the break:

Category 1 (Talent) -  Dr. Wily’s Greatest Creation: Killing Mega Man With Kindness

[Full Talent Gallery]

1.) @mo-sketchbook​:

*For coming in 1st, mo-sketchbook has won $100 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value AND a Rockman 7 Coloring Book.*

First and foremost, I appreciate all the effort you put into covering so many aspects of your creation, from the various design viewpoints, weapon get form for Mega Man, and showing the weapon in action. I really loved all the things you integrated into the design to give off the feeling that it is a love-based character. The “love bug” form, cherub-like Heat/Plug-type facial features, and how you utilized hearts in different ways for his design and powers. 

I’m no Keiji Inafune, but I feel like this is a concept he would greenlight, in terms of it following his Robot Master design formula. It doesn’t need to be super detailed or flashy, but still fits the mold very well! The thought of the hearts missing their target and love energy then getting weaker is actually pretty clever, too. Cute, and I wuv it. 

2.) @peachycircuits​:

*For coming in 2nd, peachy has won $50 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value AND a Rockman 7 Coloring Book*

As usual, on the technical side of things, your art is one of the more polished and clean entries of the bunch. Combining a couple different aspects - swans as a creature known as a symbol of love, bonded for life like in marriage, and turning that into an inseparable pair of Robot Masters, was a clever way to think about your design, in terms of the theme of this category. 

And then echoing that with the iconic Swan Lake, making them ballet dancers, is like taking Tundra Man and Gemini Man’s concept up another notch. Plus, not gonna lie, amused seeing Mega Man getting equipped with a tutu. LOL So even if it’s not as heart-themed as most of the other entries, I totally liked how you thought outside the box a little bit for this. 

3.) Komito Amae:

*For coming in 3rd, Komito has won $25 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value*

I figured a cupid-styled arrow theme would pop up in a bunch of entries, but your Reploid, Beta, here caught my eye. Both in terms of the hearts, arrows and wings incorporated into her armor, and the pretty sweet looking buster that she and X both have equipped. 

While I’m not sure how it would play out in the game, I think it would be interesting to suddenly take control of random enemies in a stage, and be able to change perspective as them for a short time, after you have shot them. Whether it would be to take out an enemy horde, or perform a task X can’t that the enemy could, it would be different! Can’t see it quite having the same powerful effect on a Maverick boss, but it’s certainly neat to think about how that could work!

And the rest of the wonderful entries, in alphabetical order by alias: 

@autobot-bumblebee​:

*Raffle Prize Winner*  Dreamwave Comics: Issue 4 Page 15

I’m sorry you didn’t win a cash prize this time! Please don’t take me hostage! I totally loved the creative vintage chocolate factory mascot backstory, along with making your entry like an Ariga-styled character sheet page. Certainly get that retro feel with her clothing design. Her rose blade kinda reminds me of other hand-turned-blade-like-weapon characters, such as Alan Gabriel in the Big O or Ed transmuting one in FMA. Which is always a snazzy transformation for a robot!

@drewblossom​:

In all honesty, if I hadn’t placed you in the humor category, I think this would have very likely been somewhere in the top 3 for this category. A cuddly teddy bear with a massive Ariga-Quick Man-sized heart for a chest, extending flailing tube arms, who just wants to hug Mega Man to death is so amusing and awesome of a design. Hugs for everyone!

FluffyFrostyFury:

Your take of heat-seeking arrows and the added high jump powers were certainly a different take compared to the other cupid-styled creations. Definitely would be nice gameplay bonuses when equipped. I like how Mega Man also has the wings sprout out of his head, to mimic Cherub Woman’s pigtails, rather than the usual spot you would assume, on his back. 

HealerCharm:

Hahaha, I love how your creation has caused Mega Man to wave the white flag after falling in love...wait, it isn’t White Day, and he should be giving her a gift if it was! XD Her hair tied up into a heart was a creative touch, much like how her dress flows into all those heart shapes. Adorable!

@inanehipsterslang​:

Um, can...can I count on you to vote for Bernie this election year?

Remember kids, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, looks don’t matter. Everyone deserves love, even those you consider ‘vermin.’ This was certainly an unexpected take on the theme, and gave me a good laugh, too. ‘Boiling-hot water...with a hint of citrus!’ It burns, but it smells so lemony-fresh!! XD But the two different moves fit together well, to protect and attack. 

I like how you still incorporated a heart shape into Rodent Woman’s design with, both in her chest shape and the “nostril” area which is echoed in the Rodent Rover. And also props for giving her the non-armor form, unique compared to other entries. 

Mattasaurs:

On the one hand, your design feels so different for a Robot Master, and maybe more Navi-like. But then I get the Astro/Galaxy-type eye vibe, and sort of a Plant Man~ish body with Devil hands feel, and see how it’d fit into Classic. It’s a unique look, and I liked it the more I inspected it. I really do love the idea of the heart bubble entrapping more and more enemies, and the big ol’ group hug ending up bursting their love bubble. It’s a different concept that stood out!

Minnie:

Our Navi of the bunch combined the love bug and cupid design, but your concept changed up the attack to suck out the energy of it’s target. Which almost made me think she should have an arrow-like mosquito nose, to feast on her target that way. XD I liked your wing shield concept and RiCO-styled skirt of hearts. Rock gets some cool shades in his Love Soul/Cross form, and I get the ProtoSoul vibe, with the shield transferring to his arm as well.

@pstart​:

Another Heat/Plug-type design Share Man looks cute and sleepy, but is also “clumsy and weak.” His ability is to share body parts, so “the danger is in him sharing his less than ideal parts with his opponents.” It’s a totally neat concept, to see Mega Man lose his buster almost by accident, and now be powerless to stop Share Man. His split color scheme drives home the concept that his parts might not all be his own, and sort of a Frankenstein bot at times. Props to that idea!

While his weapon gives Mega Man the power to make enemies docile and sleepy, I really almost want to see Mega Man get dumb parts of enemies, too! Helmet switched to a Met helmet, Batton wings, a big Suzy eye! It’s now I’ve got your power...but...but what am I supposed to do with it? XD

RetroNinjin:

Unlike most others, your entry pushed the heart theme heavily in her armor design around the entire head and shoulder parts, so I definitely felt the love vibe. The color scheme fits well. Just would have liked to have had seen a little more information about her attack and concept.

RoninApprentice:

Mega Man having a “Wing Man” to set him up is a hilarious and clever idea! I give you kudos for thinking outside the box a bit on your concept and theme here. The shipping chart certainly drives the idea home, too. You still give him a classy/formal look, and keep the wing man aviation origin apparent in his attack style. Certainly a different idea having the heart bowtie transfer to Rock’s helmet in the form change, but it really doesn’t look that bad there, opposed to around his neck like it would be normally.

@star-crossed-swords​:

Different from the other cupid concepts, Eros Woman utilizes a Search-Man like targeting system to hit her targets. I like the heart scope addition over her and Rock’s eye when they go into firing mode. You took a different approach to the wing concept compared to others, echoing Cinnamon’s hairstyle in many respects. But it certainly fits with the rest of her design nicely, and looks good for Mega Man’s equipped form.

@star-shaped-soul:

Love that you were able to both include a drawing and your own sprite, to mix in with the weapon equip ones. That is one powerful crush Mega Man has on his enemies now! I feel bad for Crush Man with how big and heavy those snare trap hands of his are. This seems like a Robot Master too cute for Wily to design; more like he stole him and added horrible, cruel hands onto him! This is taking a crush on someone to a whole different level! XD

Yuri Kadry:

When equipped with Cupid Man’s power, I like the visor Mega Man gets. I think this is also a clever use of the weapon, having enemies shot attracted to one another, causing them to collide into each other. Well thought out! Love the original sprite art, and he stands out nicely against the pinks and purples in the background. 

[wheremyscalesslither]

The Glowfish Adventure

In January 2016 my family decided to get a "low maintenance" pet for my nephew's 4-5th birthday... somehow they decided fish fit the bill. I rallied against it so hard because I knew inevitably no one would provide the care needed for a fish tank. Between the water changes, and feeding, and making sure the habitat was actually suitable for the inhabitants, I knew my family wouldn't keep up.

Literally a month later I was caring for the fish. My family wasnt willing to provide the care above, but also refused to get rid of them, so I bitterly took the lead. Bitterly, because fish were dumb and boring, amirite? But ESPECIALLY GLOWFISH.

No, not because they are "tattooed/dyed" (they are bred for their coloration) or because theyre GMO (the food you eat is GMO). But because in my head Glowfish were the pinnacle of gross capitalism: pushing the fad of owning a living animal for decoration.

Still yet, I was not going to let animals suffer.

TA-DA. The first fish tank. Okay actually the first fish tank had fake plants. Real plants were my first move as the caretaker. I went to the local aquarium shop and asked them to give me the easiest plants. They gave me:

water wisteria

Water sprite

Elodea anacharis

Echinodorus "red flame"

And at a random trip to petsmart I got an anubius nana for too much money 🤷‍♀️

And why yes, that is a grand total of 2 tetra glowfish in a 20 gallon because the other 4 died during what I learned was a "fish in cycle" 😬 I wasnt very fish savvy yet so I wasnt aware of what a cycle was let alone that you need constant water changes to not kill fish.

With a lot of help from @jayce-space and other great people (but mostly I bothered jayce-space) i started to slowly upgrade the tetra tank. Oh and the plants grew!!

Look at that healthy school of fish. And the questionably healthy plants. The only plants that survived the first tank were the wisteria, red flame sword, a sprig of elodea, and the anubias nana. Elodea died pretty quick afterward though, and the water Sprite became uprooted so my mom threw it out thinking it was garbage 😂 still one of the biggest WTF moments for me in animal keeping. "Mom you dont think twice about the tank why did you throw those plants away randomly" she still doesnt know hahaha

Onwards,

A year passed and I decided I *actually* enjoyed keeping aquariums, so much so that for my birthday I begged my parents to let me get the tetras a tank that was better suited for them.

And thusly the 40B gallon was born!

Oh man look at that aquascaping 👌👌👌 I branched out to more plants. I got 2 more swords (Echinodorus "ozelot" and Apongeton crispus), some dwarf sag, and planted the wisteria, anubias, and red flame sword into the 40B. those cholla were soooo aesthetically pleasing. Dont mind the rocks, they're weighing the driftwood down.

From January to September I added a ton more species of plants and more tetras: black skirt and white skirt- 2 more "normal" colors.

The new additions of plants are: Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Hygrophila corymbosa, Amazon swords

Eventually the cholla decompoosed too much and the bottom of the aquarium was ALWAYS dirty so I switched it out for some spider wood. One new plant species was added: staurogyne repens

Here is the tetra tank January 2018, 2 years into taking over the care of the tank.

By September 2018, someone gifted me a 55 gallon which was initially intended to be a salt water tank. After discovering just how much more careful and vigilant you have to be with salt water aquariums, as well as the hefty price tag, I made it into a bioactive enclosure for a snake. Which I got bored of and turned into an upgrade for the tetras 😊

Oh boy those plants look sparse in such a long tank. What survived, might you ask?? Not quite the variety I had hoped for, though some of the plants from my original purchase survived:

Echinodorus "red flame" *first plant 😃

Water wisteria *clones of the first plant!

Anubias nana *first plant!

Echinodorus "ozelot"

Amazon swords

Apongeton crispus (though it melted and has never been the same since)

Hydrophilia corymbosa

A sprig of dwarf sag

A sprig of staurogyne repens

I later added java moss to make moss "trees"

Adding pressurized co2 was game changer. Plants EXPLODED. I'm 10000% committed to using co2 in aquariums. Holy cow it makes a difference.

Sadly I dont have a comparison to this January In a photo, just a video.

But heres a photo from March!

Along the way I got water Sprite again and java ferns. I also had a brief interest in shrimp (actually I LOVE them) so I added amano and ghost shrimp. I have also added platies and my nephews' betta fish after watching very very closely. Honestly at this point, the fish tank is no longer a tetra tank. It's mostly a platy tank. And they've done an excellent job of stocking it for me 😑

More recently, I switched to a better diffuser and the plants got even crazier! Here's a photo from 1-2 days ago after 2 weeks on the new diffuser:

I was literally pulling plants out by the handful to fill in my dad's 57 gallon tank.

Some plants got transferred:

Echinodorus "red flame," (she is arguably my favorite plant) Not only has she survived this long, but she outgrew the 55 gallon to the extent her leaves were sprouting out of the water and dying. I moved her into my dad's ridiculously shaped 57 gallon. That's her standing proudly on the left:

java moss trees got moved. The height of this tank suits them better and looks less crowded

One of the 2 Amazon swords

I cloned my original java moss, and it is now 7 separate plants- 3 of the smaller ones are in this 57 gal.

A very large sprig of water wisteria and a large clump of water sprite

A few dwarf sag

The elodea came from a science project at school, and they gave me all the snails and elodea from it :)

I also had some duckweed introduced from the snails and elodea so RIP me.

And finally, the tetra tank today:

It got a nice old trim and pull of plants even after I took some for my dad's tank. Now I need to add the hardscaping back in. And I'm really itching to get new plants and more glowfish tetras!!

Heres the final attendance sheet:

Fauna:

glowfish tetra

Glowfish shark

Black skirt tetra

White skirt tetra

Blue platies

Rando Pond snails

One nerite snail

3 amano shrimp

1 ghost shrimp

Flora:

Echinodorus "ozelot"

Amazon sword

Anubias nana

Java fern

Water sprite

Water wisteria

Dwarf sag

Some reddish plant I forgot the name of 🤔

Bacopa caroliana

Some other bacopa species 🤷‍♀️

Its funny to think back to the first experiences I had with aquariums and realize how far I've come.

So what's next?

What's next is my uncle is building me a frame for the 135 gallon tank my parents bought. The tetra and platies will likely be going right in there with all the plants :)

wish me luck!

[untilthenextencore]

Safira & Jimmy Snippet 1973~

Esmerelda & Safira - aka Essie & Safi - are two teen models & secret muses for a Romantic style artist. Their mom was an artsy bohemian type. Not anyone the artist slept with thank God, so there's no chance of their being his. But she'd had her fun. Including with lads his - and therefore her - age. When the girls were small.

Rumors abound about who the girls in the paintings might be. Only a very select few people know.

A few popular pieces are titled things like~.

"Little Girl Blue"

"Goddess of the Moon"

"Twilight Child"

Etc.

Murmurs abound.

The public wondering if the subject model was Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, maybe Linda Ronstadt or Ronnie Spector perhaps?

But no...

No one well enough known to be so traceable...

So public...

So obvious...

Perhaps Jimmy & Robert might be fans of the Artist's Pre-Raphaelite inspired work~?

Imagine Jimmy and Robert seeking, collecting, owning original pieces from that artist. Paintings and artwork commissioned by the artist.

Wondering themselves who the models are?

Spending nights & early dawns gazing at them...

Then they meet two dusky skinned girls who bear a marked resemblance to the myriad of maidens, nymphs, sprites, naiads & goddesses in the artist's work...

Only to realise, later on as they get closer, that Safi & Essie ARE indeed the maidens in his pieces!

This piece could fall either before or after the "big reveal" but is likely before~...

I hope to flesh this out more later~...

The painting I used as inspiration for Safi and her outfit is "Dolce Far Niente" by John William Godward.

As ever, I am forever editing~...

Enjoy~...

...

Locked away in Jimmy's dressing room during another one of Bonzo's epic solos Safi stands against the wall near the rather cluttered vanity in one of her frothy gowns. Jimmy faces her, sitting in his chair in one of his stage suits. He motions for her begin, as the other hand begins to grope & massage his growing bulge. As they agreed, he has her lift her skirts a little. Jimmy watches with rapt attention as the multi-layered curtain of filmy fabric inches up tanned legs & can't help but to grunt softly as he unzips & begins to stroke himself at the sight.

Lightheaded at the sight of his very own Pre-Raphaelite like nymph in his midst...

Letting him see flashes & peeks underneath her diaphonous dresses & filmy layers...

He’s enraptured...

Truly & utterly...

His heart beating like bird wings against a bone cage, his breath stolen from his lungs with every rasp & whispery slip of Safi’s skirts sliding up her legs, revealing her rapidly dampening core, kept hidden from his sight by only the barest sheath of lace. His eyes glow greener than ever, like cat’s eyes, the faster his hand moves.

All he can manage is a whisper as he finally rises to his feet...

"Safi~..."

His mouth dry, a fierce hunger suddenly burning throughout his body. A delicious heated pressure steady building low in his stomach. His hand steadily shuffling along his dripping, slickening length, it beginning to throb & pulse & grow more in his hand.

Jimmy started to pant. He came closer to her, leaning in & meeting her lips with bated breath in a kiss. She responds as soft & hesitant & shy as he is bold & hungry & wanting.

He rasps lowly.

"Safi~... Safi, please~... Please~... Let me~..."

As his free hand slowly makes a gentle contact with her knee, then curves to slowly begin to slide up her inner thigh a little bit. His other hand still shuffling along his length.

A fierce blush colored her cheek at the feel of his hand, warm & rough as it moves against her soft skin. Her skirts continuing to come up, legs unconsciously parting at the low roughness of his voice.

His fingers dance along her skin until they reach, graze & caress her as yet untouched core.

Safi whimpers. Jimmy grunts. He finds he has to slow down his strokes. Even gripping the base as he pets her & feels her heat radiating through the filmy spiderweb thin sheath separating him from her dampening core.

The strokes of his fingers combined with the sight of him so elegant & feral at once raises a soft gasp from Safi.

Not one of terror or displeasure, but one of shock & excitement, an earthy sense of amazement at how beautiful a man could look when gripped by such a storm of desire in his heart. She feels herself trembling before him, deliberately parts her thighs wider, nipples tight & pressing through the gauzy veil of her dress. She closes her eyes & nods, eager for more sensations.

His fingers curve & tug admittedly a little roughly at the fabric, only meaning to pull it just enough to be able to slip his fingers behind, threads being pulled & snapped in the process. And after teasing her a little, he at last carefully slipped one finger - his middle - inside. Safi mewled & he felt her clench around him. Jimmy grinned, though he had to make sure to keep a firm grip on himself just in case. He pressed soft kisses to her temple, cheek & finally lips, hushing her, trying to soothe her.

"Shh~... Shh~... Shh~... Shh, Safi~... It's alright, dear~... It's alright~... It's alright~... Be a good girl for me now, alright~?"

Safi nodded, leading him to press the tip of his ring finger in to join his middle, stretching her & making her cry out & grip his glittered jacket.

"Mmmm~..." Jimmy smiled both at the reaction & the feel of her tight, wet, heat constricting around his fingers. "Safira~... My girl~... Precious girl~... Darling girl~... Mmmm, Safira~... Safira~... Safira~... You feel like heaven, darling~..."

"R... R... R-R-Really~?" Safira mewled as she felt his fingers press deeper into her.

"Mmm-hmm~..." He hummed in apparent approval as he curved his fingers up to begin his "quest". What he was searching for he seemed to find quickly as he heard her gasp & felt her shudder against him. He then continued curving to hit that precious sweet spot of hers that made her toes curl.

He received ten tiny fingers curling in his hair & jacket, a lithe, curvy body pressing closer to his, soft breasts & peaked nipples grazing his chest through filmy layers & a soft purr of a voice drawling out a long, low, sigh of a single word as her head tilted back.

"Jimmmmmyyyyy~..."

[renejamesart]

I Wanna See Your Shine Spark!!

 Today marks the JP release of VA-11 HALL-A on Switch and PS4! I’m so excited to celebrate, and plan to over the course of today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday with some special illustrations.

To kick things off, I’ve decided to go with my favorite girls –and Glitch City’s best idol singer Lilim- *Kira*Miki!

 Miki instantly because one of my favorite characters during my first play-through of VA-11 HALL-A. I really loved her design and liked her character arc. I won’t give away any spoilers other than saying that I hope a lot of people who are new to the games come to love her too: she’s a very deep character and quite interesting!

That being said, I’d actually like to go into detail about this picture, largely because this was a multi-day sketch and color illustration as opposed to my typical in-a-day process. I really had to dig deep and think about how I wanted to pose her, how I wanted to depict her, and ultimately, the vibe I wanted to come from the picture.

I have to admit that this is my most ambitious piece to date, and what a wonderful undertaking it was! This is a bit of a page stretch, so apologies in advance, but I really just want to gush.

So here goes!

In General

So overall, I went with a much more saturated palette than I usually do, playing largely off of Miki’s pink-red eyes and her blue hair and character elements.

There’s a lot of work with gradients in this picture: no specifically as the sole element of the background, but the accent and highlight Miki in different ways. Speaking of highlights, I used a simple white highlight set to Overlay: I felt that it was best not to have too many colors on her because of the very active background and the element of her holding a drink. 

(Fun Fact: The bisexual flag colors in the background are a complete accident, but like… what a happy accident for me, a bi/pan person!)

 *Kira*Miki

I really wanted Miki to have a fun pose, and I haven’t done much with sitting recently, so I decided that her sitting a bit elegantly would be fun. I also wanted her to hold a drink, primarily since VA-11 HALL-A is a game centered around bartending and drinking, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic. The Blue Fairy –as you can see by the name– is an alcohol-optional drink, but more on that later. Right now, I wanna focus on Miki herself.

At first, her hair was closer to her body to have more volume rather than flow. This was because I imagined her shoulders being high until I tried to mimic that pose and found it immensely uncomfortable, and decided to drop her shoulders and have her drink clutched in the arm that would be slung across her stomach. To better flow with her new position, I decided that having her hair flowing behind her balanced the picture and centered her a bit better: as a bonus, it ate up more empty space, and didn’t make the right side feel too bare. Unfortunately, I had to counteract that with the left-side being awfully empty until I struck on the idea to add text behind her. 

Most interesting are her legs: I have no clue what Miki’s legs look like, and in game, we only see a bust and half-sprite. So, I went with something simple and decided that purple-pink ballet flats would be fine. 

(I’m still not good at drawing shoes, which is why so many of my pieces are either girls with socks or from the knees up. Or maxi skirts/dresses.)

Her hair is one of my favorite parts: not only did I do shadow, I did midtones and highlights when I typically only do highlights and some shadow work. I really wanted her to have this very stylish, playful look to her hair. I really like how much more depth it added, and think that in future pictures, I’ll have a lot more tones involved in how I color hair and even skin. 

Additionally, Miki has interior coloring on her lines. I left to outside black so there would be some contrast between her and the background, but I used a lot of purples and blues to soften elements. I’ve actually been doing this bit by bit in my art, and this was the first piece where I let that extend to some of the exterior lines too.

 Background Work

Making Miki was actually the easy thing to do: making the background was much, much harder. Usually, I do one of two things for backgrounds: a flat color or a gradient. Sometimes, I mix it up, specifically if it’s fanart. Most times… I don’t. A lot of that is because I haven’t really focused much on background work, though I plan to this year. 

For this piece, I really wanted to do something a bit more stylized and because Miki is essentially an android, I decided a glitch background would be cool. Problem was I wasn’t sure how to do something with that as the idea. 

So I improvised.

 What I ended up doing was overlaying a bunch of white squares on top of each other with some smaller squares to give the effect of pixels. I then put that through a mosaic filter, then flipped everything to Overlay. I did end up using a gradient, but I think that’s okay because laying the pixelated squares let different colors bleed through. 

Over everything is a blend of a Static (TV Static, more specifically) Brush and a Gradient done in reverse so it added a bit of color to the highlights and everything in general.

 A Blue Fairy for a Blue Fairy

This is actually a really good time to talk about the Blue Fairy drink I drew, which works really well with the pinky-purple of the background. I wanted it to be really saturated and pop, and it certainly does! 

I drew the lineart for the drink separately because of how I wanted to blend everything. I wanted the drink to have a somewhat sci-fi feel, and to me, that meant it needed to glow and have a bit of sparkle inside it. So I overlayed some of the same blue color with an airbrush, and shaped it so it had a nice, sharp glow.

I also added more liquid than would have been able to fit because I wanted it to look really dynamic. A lot of this image wasn’t about having realistic boundaries: it was about creating something really fun. 

I chose a Blue Fairy specifically because it’s a drink that can change Miki’s actions at a point in VA-11 HALL-A: as an alcohol-optional drink, it can be served virgin or... laden with as much Karmotrine as you wanna put in. Spoilers: this can quickly make Miki drunk, and can lead to some rather candid statements about her personality and her role as an idol. It’s a really deep moment, and has stuck with me since my first play-through. 

(I also chose a Blue Fairy because it fit the blue-purple-pink motif I was going for. It let me play off of Miki’s hair and give her a bit more color up top to make her further pop against the pink.) 

The Blue Fairies –completely inspired by Zelda, naturally- were just a cute little addition I decided on last minute. I thought they were cute, and though they have nothing to do with the actual game or Miki, they fit and kind of ate up some space that I didn’t want to be empty.

 All in All

This was a really long project for me: I think I spent about 20 hours on everything, coloring and recoloring and adjusting until I had something I really, really love. Honestly, I’ll probably be turning this into a print for myself because I’d love to have it on my wall. I know my art will look different next year –heck, next month even– but this… I’ll always be proud of this piece. 

This is only the first of two or three more images over the course of the end of the work week and the weekend. I’m glad I showed this one off first: the others are gonna be pretty great, but this… just had a really special place in my heart. 

Thanks for your support, and hey: if you haven’t played VA-11 HALL-A yet, it’s available on multiple platforms, ranging from Steam to PS Vita to Switch. I highly suggest picking up a copy and sinking yourself into the world of Glitch City and a really powerful branching story that can easily find a place in everyone’s lives.

 Originally created 5.25 and completed 5.29.2019 in celebration of Sukeban Game’s Japanese physical release of VA-11 HALL-A on Switch and PS4; made in Mediband Paint for iOS

[snailanimations]

Ahhh, how about Lindsay for a redesign? She's cute in personality, but I'm not super fond of how she looks, haha

OKAY so here’s my redesign for Lindsay and I honestly really like it. I’m gonna talk about what I did and why, but I’ll put it under a cut for those who don’t care to know haha. the tl;dr of it all is that I think Total Drama is a product of it’s early-2000′s time and that’s why all the fashion is Bad, but! the rest is under the cut haha

I personally prefer the redesign but hey man it doesn’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea

SO my main issue with Lindsay was her disaster of an outfit and all the different tones that tend to compete with each other. I actually really like the blue of her eyes and the blue of her bandana matching, but when it’s all centered in one place it almost looks like an accident? especially since the bandana and eye color are slightly different shades of blue. Also, she’s a very saturated character. Her skin tone, hair, and clothing is all very saturated and it competes for the eye’s attention in a bad way. Not to mention, her undershirt situation is entirely pure red. I’m not kidding, I color selected straight off of her sprite from the show. What the fuck. It’s a good thing they used so little of it because that color is so incredibly grating on the eyes.

I’m not sure what’s going on with Lindsay’s skirt that looks like it’s supposed to be some kind of wrap? Also the cowboy boots don’t really seem to fit her personality at all. She’s not the type that particularly loves getting dirty (though to the creators’ credit, she doesn’t seem to despise it and freak out too much) and it just seems like an odd fashion choice for the outfit she already has. Maybe it was a 2000s preppy girl trend, who knows. I think bandanas were definitely on the list of trends though, to be fair.

Anyway, about what I changed: I kind of went for a more Barbie-esque aesthetic for her. I did unexaggerate her figure a small bit, but tried to keep her still fairly curvy and thin. Be it style or not, I noticed that Lindsay’s head has a bit of a heart-shape to it and, since she seems like a fashion-forward character, I leaned toward the thought that she would know the type of hairstyle that would compliment her face shape. (I didn’t know this, but google says it’s side-parted, sometimes with bangs, sometimes not, I opted for the bangs, though.)

I kept the bright blue of her eyes and gave her a headband instead, since it seems much more in line with today’s current fashion-trends. Even though headbands probably aren’t super trendy, they’re a step in the right direction. And I also tried to carry the blue a little farther and give her a beaded bracelet with the same colors so that it wouldn’t all be isolated onto her head. I made this her Accent Color so that something would draw your eye from her face to the rest of her body and her movements.

Speaking of her bracelets, I gave her some more of those because Lindsay definitely seems like the type who would want to accessorize. Instead of drawing more attention to her face, since there’s already plenty going on, I went for bracelets. I find jewelry to definitely be something that shows that a character is put together, at least in the fashion-sense, because it’s extra attention that has to be paid to your appearance every day when you get up and get dressed. I did a similar thing with her lipstick, since I thought Lindsay’s original lip color seemed incredibly natural for someone who was constantly seen putting on makeup? Sure natural lip colors are a thing, but why not go the extra mile?

I also kept the balance of colors the same, generally. Like in her original design, her lips and skirt are both similar in color, and her top and her boots match. I tried to keep the skirt as an accent piece, which I think is honestly more successful with it being red, instead of an orange tone that blends in with the brown and bright red of her top and boots. I think it’s more successful in pulling the eye toward the full character, rather than keeping it all fixated on her face.

I gave her a more frilly crop top to go with today’s fashion trends more, and then gave her a skirt pattern that actually makes sense, instead of her bandage skirt. Her boots were one of the first things I fixed in my head, since it makes much more sense for the boots to be more fashionable and less...cowboy? Plus they still match the top, as I said before.

I think the biggest change was making her more of a platinum blonde than a golden blonde, but I think her original hair color is extremely muddied and contributes to all the colors on her competing for each other. Using bright versions of red, blue, and yellow in the character design is an unfortunate decision, in my opinion, especially considering how easily they all blend together in a big mess. I think lightening the hair allowed it to fall more into the background of her face and outfit, which her design desperately needed. It also helped differentiate it from the tan of her skin tone, which I tried to retain in my redesign of her.

[kaibutsushidousha]

Artbook Data - Tsumugi Shirogane

Best girl doesn’t disappoint.

Seiyuu’s comment: Mikako Komatsu

She looks very much like a class representative, so I first expected her to be like a cool big sis, but when I got to play her it turned out she was much instable character, always getting overexcited about the things she like. I didn’t have much experience with this type of character, so I had a lot of fun with her. I’m really looking forward to play this game for myself.

Kodaka’s comment: The fanatic mind hidden in “plain” sight

She’s named “Shirogane” because it’s a name gives sort of a “honours student” vibe and “Tsumugi” because she is the one who weaves the story. This is a verbal representation of her mentality that allowed the killing games to continue. The keyword for her design was “honours student-like” and for her personality was “cringey otaku”. I personally wanted her to have vaguely likeable features without looking any special, but if I made her too lacking in personality it would get suspicious, so I tried to make her stand out from time to time while still keeping her plainness as her central gimmick and find this balance was extremely difficult.

The “Super High School Level Cosplayer” characterization was established starting from its final punchline: the alternating transformations. Reverse-engeneering from this established conclusion, we defined her as a cosplayer. And then we made her mixing this with the vaguely-defined “honours student” keyword we set from before. I had quite a tough time trying to decide how her “true personality” sprite, how it should be different from her regular sprites, what indications should I give to the seiyuu and stuff. I wanted her to be something more than just threatening... So we made her in a way she feels like an escalation of the outside world’s worldbuilding, a world hopelessly obsessed with DanganRonpa.

She has some “fun cosplay stories” in the first half of the story and her free time events. These were all stories I got by interviewing real cosplayers. I think that’s  the first time I actually interviewed someone to make a character. But it was very worth it, seeing how well-liked she is among the cosplayers.

By the way, about her cosplays of past characters, I really wanted to include the the characters from the DanganRonpa 3 anime. However, we didn’t have enough budget nor ready sprites, so my idea was almost immediately rejected. We’re limited to videogames, 1 and 2. Ultra Despair Girls was removed for being as spin-off and I cry every time I remember this fact. But even without them, the voice acting cost for the final parts already killed me... I’m sorry I had this idea.

Design Notes:

Plain Glasses: A must-have item for the plain folk. We’ll never figure out whether wearing glasses make you plain or if being plain attracts glasses but we still not for sure this is the plain character’s trademark.

Plain Face Out of Costume: Normally, she gets called a plain face a lot. But if Shirogane words “When I take my glasses off, I transform” are real, she could probably look like a different person with the power of her make-up.

Company Badge: 

A misterious company’s badge. She keeps it hidden in her person instead of wearing it so it won’t disturb her plain visual. Is it a cosplay office or is it perhaps something else...?

Plain Conversations: Shirogane’s speech pattern has the distinticve otaku quality: she’s only talkative about her hobbies and normally just reacts to what other people are saying and nothing else. She shows up for breakfast every morning, so the reason why people forget she exists so much is indeed because she is plain!?

Plain Body: When it comes to cosplaying a wide range of characters, having curves too wide can sometimes be counterproductive and you can hear many ingenious tricks to purposely make your chest look smaller, bigger, etc. Good thing she’s was born with a plain, moderate body, perfect for cosplaying.

Plain Uniform: A high-waist skirt with a form-fitting jacket. But even an uniform so cleverly design to emphasize her femininity so strongly becomes plain when Shirogane wears it.

Underwear: A pair made for the ultimate final battle. But they are not for show, so she firmly refuse to take low angle photos.

Favorite presents:

Cosplay Carrying Bag: A carrying case highly demanded by cosplayer for being easy to carry. Very useful for things like travels and of course, conventions. Something Shirogane would probably consider a trusted partner.

Photostore: An image editing software used mainly to retouch photographs. Perfect to erase flaws in your make-up or visible freckles. Indispensable for any cosplayer nowadays.

Sewing Set: A portal kit all the basic tools necessary for sewing. In the context of cosplay, she can use it to immediately fix a damaged piece. Indispensable for Shirogane’s daily life.

Steels Glasses Case: It’s sturdy enough to protect your glasses from any kind of shock, even being stepped on by an Exisal. After all, glasses are as super important as underwear! 

Hated present:

Death Flag: An item with an unexplainable effect of increasing it’s owner chances of dying. A rare case of an item hated by Shirogane, who is otherwise very proud of her open-mindedness.

Key phrases:

Cosplay is an Equivalent Exchange: The cosplays that defined Shirogane as the Super High School Level Cosplayer are famous and popular enough to earn her sponsors and their selling point is faithfulness to the original’s character design. That said, she prefers devoting herself to making the costumes rather than wearing them and acting the character. For that reason, she has a lot of complaints about the current community of idol-like cosplayers and vocally expresses them in order protect the quality and the soul of cosplaying. By the way, the condition for her cosplay is an “Equivalent Exchange”. She claims that if she imitates real people, she breaks out in a horrible allergic reaction and is limited to only playing fictional characters... Leaving aside the question that this can’t be described as Equivalent Exchange at all, this is a terrifying allergy that colors her whole body pink. You can tells it’s harsh just by looking at it.

Glasses are underwear!?: For Shirogane, a fervent defender of plainness, glasses are an indispensable prop, an item to be always worn, no different from underwear. The glasses are the trademark of the plain. By just wearing a pair, you are turned into a plain person and disappears from the plains of existence... That quicly leads to you having innumerable plain anecdotes, like passing unnoticed by the cashier, being left behind by your friends, entering the movie theater with a ticket, becoming an expert in covert investigations, etc. Leaving aside the question of how many of those are true, the point here is that appearence is important.

God has Black Hair and Red Eyes: Angie’s God prioritizes convenience above all else, changing it’s appearence according to the believer. So, if you’re wondering what would he be like for the fiction-loving Shirogane, the answer is the expected one: she sees a God loaded with fantasy tropes like “black hair and red eyes”. She, who values those characteristic hard to find in real life and makes fervorous speeches about “Red-eyed black-haired characters are all perfect”, has already completely turned to an Angie devout. I... just hope  someone who would wholeheartedly listen to all her hyperfixations descends from heaven to her soon!?

Main Quotes:

“Huhuhu... Don’t you know? Those who see my true form pay a terrible price, you see?“: The foul-mouthed Iruma told Shirogane “If you take off your glasses, you’ll fade away“. In other words, if she loses the glasses that mark her as a plain character, her character would lose it’s meaning of existance and disappear. However, Shirogane said she’s off, if she takes her glasses off, she will transform. “She was actually hot all along without her glasses!” is a plot we see a lot in shoujo manga, but in Shirogane’s case we’re very curious to see what her real face will look like!? 

“Sorry... I’m in a bit of a financial trouble. Oh, if only someone could support me, that would be so great“: Now, Shirogane ascended to the top of the cosplayer world with overwhelming fame and reach. But before, she was a measly cosplayer that lived barely scraping by and had to earn her money through part-time jobs. A simple and easy option if you wanted to earn money fast, is to work in a place that sells alcohol to rich men, smile sweetly and conquer sponsorers. It’s admirable how far her passion towards her hobbies go!

“But, as I thought... maybe you should be The White Kanata“: After teaching the Cosplaying 101, Shirogane finally starts luring Saihara into the unescapable path of cosplay (popularly known as “cosplay hell“) and starts endlessly brainstorming garments that would suit him! After considering fantasy knights, failproof school uniforms and even crossdressing, the answer she arrived at was the protagonist of an old superhero anime Saihara also knows, “The White Kanata“. It was the first character Shirogane ever cosplayed and visibly a character she has strong feelings about. Knowing about their unexpected common point, Shirogane became unstoppable, filled with the will to put her soul into Saihara’s outfit.

Final comment: She clinging on to her otaku hyperfixations, fully trusting the belief they do no harm nor good. Shirogane’s presence runs full speed on the path to plainness, but it turns out she wants to make it shine on the cosplay stage!?

[fantroll-purgatory]

@47098

Sorry about my spriting here, I’m not good at making pants. ;

Left is her in her coat. It’s the only piece of lime-colored clothing she owns. Right is her usual wear, or what she puts on when she leaves her cave.

FIRST: Alternia or Beforus or some type of AU?

Alternia

Name (preferably include how you came up with it and why): Orwnet Jketli

I really don’t remember how I came up with this name! I feel a bit bad about that, but I do remember that I partially made it nonsense because of the fact that Calliope said Lime names were a bit more weird.

Okay so looking at her, I notice a theme of sneaking/fleeing, fear, those sorts of Prey Animal themes. I also notice an interesting in practical goofs and cartography and also her disconnect from relationships. A lot of neat stuff to work with! 

I think I’m going to recommend changing her name… to Quarie Jkrebt. I wanted to keep playing with the ‘weird lime names’ rule you pointed out, and I wanted to preserve that cool Jk sound in the last name. 

Quarie comes from Quarry, which is what a hunted animal is called. And Jkrebt comes from Jack Rabbit! 

Age: 6.9 sweeps

Weapon: Confetti Cannon! She is pretty non-violent overall, so I figured she wouldn’t have an /actual/ weapon.

A confetti cannon is cute, but I don’t know if it fits the theme super well? I does fit her love of jokes… Hmm. Oh, I know! Maybe Jacks!

A good ol bag of jacks. She can scatter them on the ground when she needs to make an escape. It’s also another pun on Jackrabbit. And it has some alchemization potential. Like creating jacks that can Also release a puff of smoke. 

Inventory: WHEEL OF FORTUNE! Spin the wheel, who knows what you’ll get! Anytime she wants an item she has to spin the wheel, and she doesn’t actually get to choose what comes out.

I do like the Fortune thing because Lucky Rabbit joke. 

Blood color: Lime

Symbol and meaning: A sort of eye, peering over something. It’s also partially meant to look like a record.

I’ll be picking out a new one when we get down to the title and moon.

Trolltag: amicableJukebox [AJ] (very open to suggestions on this, i did NOT mean for her trolltag to be apple juice)

uneasyBinky, maybe? Uneasy referencing her anxious and unsettled nature and binky being the cute little hoppy thing bunnies do. 

Quirk: orgets the beginning parts of sentences! oesn’t really use capitals or emphasis either, even when upset.

The lack of capitals and emphasis is a good nod to her blood caste’s calming role. I don’t really understand the Origin of the forgetting the beginning of sentences quirk? But it’s still legible and it’s a cute idea, so I won’t switch it up.

Special Abilities (if any): She has the ability to calm people down extremely well. She is good at diffusing arguments as well, making her a good auspitice. It isn’t really an innate power, but it is something that comes with her caste, I suppose? She also used to have a empathetic link to her lusus, where her lusus could project certain feelings or invoke certain kinds of memories to ‘communicate’ with her.

I was also thinking of adding the empath link as an actual ability, as in she could use it on other trolls if she really concentrates, but I’m not sure how well that would really fit.

I think it would fit really well! We know that lower-blooded trolls are more prone to gaining psychic abilities and it’d fall in line with what we already expect from limeblooded trolls. I like the idea of her starting off with a weak empathetic link that she ends up developing and strengthening. Maybe she can only use it with her lusus at first, but slowly gains the strength to utilize it with other trolls, sharing emotions with those around her. 

Lusus: A four-eyed rabbit. Two eyes on the front of its head, two eyes on the back. It also sort of… eminates white particles, just because. Orwnet calls her Hippy.

I don’t want this Bunnymom to be just a plane ol four-eyed rabbit, so I think I’ll recommend a Rasselgeiß. That’s a rabbit with antlers and fangs. Just unique enough.

Personality:

Extremely secretive and chill, Orwnet keeps all of her emotions behind a wall of jokes and self depreciation. Orwnet can get along with just about anyone, but that’s because she doesn’t put much weight into what she wants so she lets everyone walk over her. She will speak up when a plan is obviously bullshit, or if she thinks people will die from said plan, but if she thinks no real harm will come of it she’ll let it slide. If someone is being rude or overly confrontational, she will most likely skirt out of the conversation. She has no close friends, and finds it hard to get along with people on a deeper level. She often distances herself.

Orwnet takes great pleasure in persuing a cause. She will devote herself entirely to something passionately, even if she seems to be joking around about it or skirting around the issue. People will most likely think she’s slacking off when she’s really coming up with plans, trying to work them through in her head. She is very skittish by nature, so she often doesn’t share her plans with others, but makes sure to work her plans around the people she is with. If her plans fall through or fail she will be crushed, but won’t tell anyone about how she feels.

Orwnet is very jumpy and evasive due to her childhood of terror. She has a deep distrust for everyone, fearing that they will turn her in or try to cull her. She still acts friendly, but will bolt at a moments notice if she senses danger aimed only at herself. If she feels like someone else is being targetted, she will try to help in any way she can, but that often involves finding a non-violent way to get them out of the situation. She finds more value in running away than in physical confrontation.

I really, really like this personality. I’m interested in her lack of self-confidence, her passion, and her emotional struggles, and her fear of intimacy. All great character traits!

Additional info:

Okay her existence and alive-ness is due to shenanigans on part of my fankids.

She lives in a cave, where she and her lusus have taken residence ever since her lusus picked her up. The cave has since been added onto, extra tunnels being dug by Hippy. In Orwnet’s room there is a secret passage hidden by some maps taped onto the wall. It’s for when others enter her cave without her knowing.

Interests:

MAPS (keeps them b/c she needs to know her way around so she can sneak better)

PAPER CRAFTS

JOKES

Self-depreciation

VEGETABLES

HIDE-AND-SEEK (a joke about how shes always hiding from the drones)

LONG DISTANCE RUNNING (a joke about how shes always running from the drones)

FUNNY NOISES (she mixes a lot of gag-noises on a soundboard she carries around, she presses the buttons when something funny happens)

These are cute interests. Maybe as part of maps you could give her a bit of an interest in cartography or tracking? Also I have to wonder about vegetables- how does she get them? Does she farm? I know Kanaya mentioned landscaping is uncommon on the planet, but it’s possible farming is a bit more common… Maybe have her do some self defense training, too?

Title: HEIR OF TIME

Now I have to contest this gently. I think she’s most likely a Heart player! The fact that she lets people walk all over her… The fact that she has trouble with intimacy, her intense devotion to causes and her incredible passion- it all reads as very heart player! It seems like an area she needs a lot of development in, too. I think placing her as Seer of Heart with her inverse being Witch of Mind is a good place to be!

Land: MUSIC and LOCOMOTION

Land of Carnivores and Locomotion, maybe?

Dream Planet: Derse

I definitely agree with this!

Which means we can decide on a symbol now!

Cano, the Translucent. 

(thank you for helping with maroux as well! your sprite was so cute and all of your help was so good!) 

Glad I could help with this one and with Maroux! Now onto the design!:

Horns: I adjusted the horns to fit the new symbol I provided. I wanted to keep them relatively small and rounded!

Hair: I just beefed it up in a few tiny places because it felt a little flat up top in particular.

Eyes: I gave her some eyelashes and also slightly larger pupils to reflect those seen on a prey animal! 

Mouth: I adjusted her teeth just a little to make them a little neater… And make it more obvious that the one tooth is coming up from the bottom. 

Jacket: I adjusted it to the correct color and also spruced it up a little. Fixed the outline, the lapels, give it a little tie around the waist. 

Shirt: I adjusted the color and outline. 

Pants: I made them have a little more form but didn’t do much else. 

Shoes: I took some of Jade’s shoes and edited them to make them look a bit more comfortable to run in. 

Now we’ve got ‘em done! Thank you for sharing her!

-CD

[danganronparpg]

Help wanted - recruitment

Here is the recruitment post I mentioned I was typing up over the past week.

We’re in dire need of new artists. Dire to the point where, we can’t release a new version until after we get new artists.

If you’re not an artist, there is another job not really art related we’re looking for, that only requires a decent image editing software. This particular one is more like a ‘favor’ and we’ll just need you until you finish it, but despite that, you will be credited in the game credits under “Special Thanks” and we’ll be eternally grateful.

Anyway, if you are interested in helping, please read these following guidelines first:

You need to have time for this. I can’t stress this one enough. I have had several people join the project (all of which artists) only to back out because they realized afterward were too busy with school. Don’t join if you think you’ll be too busy.

Please, be nice to the fellow devs. We’re all supposed to be a team. You can critique others’ work but don’t be so harsh about it and try to praise them too.

Keep in mind that this is at the core meant to be a fun project!

Try to stay positive. We want the game to succeed, and you too must believe that it will.

You need a Discord, we have a dev chat where we discuss the game, and also one of these jobs will require cooperation with other devs and Discord will make it easier for everyone to stay in contact.

Under the cut is specific information about the positions. (Remember, one isn’t really art related and just requires a decent editing software!) Please read them if you’re still interested so you know what they entail.

Designer:

A designer designs the outfits that the characters will wear in this AU. Since the theme is medieval fantasy, you can be creative with them and take inspiration from other medieval fantasy game character designs if you wish, but I must ask that you please refrain from unrealistic fanservicey design choices, such as “boob plate titty armor” and unrealistically short skirts. The only characters who should have particularly fanservicy designs are the ones that it would make sense for. We’ll discuss that topic more in private.

I made a post about this a few days ago, but since there are so many characters to design, that it is quite a taxing job. So myself and Munakata I decided that there will be multiple designers, with certain characters assigned to you to design based on what they are best at designing or what characters you like most, but if multiple people want to design the same character, you guys need to be able to reach an agreement.

If the designers worked together, giving each other feedback, there would be relative continuity between the outfits that wouldn’t be apparent through the spriter and portrait editor’s work shown in-game. Remember that the designers’ work is behind the scene stuff for the portrait editor and spriter to work from. But tldr, you NEED to be able to work together with others!

Send in a proposal demonstrating your skills. We won’t accept you if you don’t.

Portrait editor:

A portrait editor basically makes these, for usage in textboxes for dialogue.

For the most part, you’ll be looking at the references that the designers drew, and edit the clothing from there.

In order to be accepted, you need to be good at replicating DR’s style, because it can’t look like a clash between styles when you edit the DR sprites to make the portraits.

Some characters will need more major edits that isn’t just about clothes, for example, we want some of Fukawa and Syo’s DRAE sprite poses to be made into their DR1 sprite style (the color palette along with having her hair in braids, idk how else to put it.) Certain characters, such as Komaru, will need her sprites edited to look more like she did in Naegi’s video. So yeah the edits aren’t just about clothes.

That all said, this job can be quite taxing, given all the characters, so please keep that in mind. But also keep in mind that you’re not doing everything at once, and there will be breaks between while you’re waiting for the designers to finish designing the characters’ outfits.

We might accept more than one portrait editor, since some people are better at editing clothes, while other people are better at editing hair, which some sprites will need but mostly it’ll be just clothing edits. We’ll see.

Send in a proposal demonstrating your skills. We won’t accept you if you don’t.

Artist:

This position can be fulfilled by a designer or portrait editor, but I figured I’d also mention this on here while I’m at it. We also need someone who can make DR-esque event images. An ex-member of the team who I don’t like talking about edited some of the event images from DR1 into scenes from this game to use for a similar purpose, such as this one:

However, we’d like someone who can make stuff like this from scratch instead of just editing because this game is much different from the main series so different stuff happens and not everything can just be an edit.

It would also be nice if there can be one designated person who can make “official art” of the playable characters in this kinda fashion for promotional purposes, like for the eventual trailer:

Speaking of promotional stuff, I have been saying this for a long time but we really need this blog’s sidebar image changed and the artist can also make that. 

Someone to make ‘placeholder portraits’:

This is the non-art related help I was talking about. We really need the current character portraits out of the game, asap. Really badly. We’ve had this problem for nearly a year now and it’s made it hard to work on the game for reasons.

So we need someone to take the normal unedited dr sprites from the original games and make them into placeholder icons. I’d like to have your Discord too for this, because it’ll just make things easier. Like I said earlier, you don’t really need art skills to do this, you just need a decent eye and an image editing software that supports layers and transparency.

If anyone wants to help out with this, we’ll be eternally grateful. I’ll let you be a beta tester as well as your name will appear under “Special Thanks” in the credits.

____________

Please consider joining because I don’t want to give up on this project.

-Fukawa

[cassandraooc]

Hi guys. So you would think the silence was me working on projects, and I wanted it to be, but my brain decided the only thing I could make that didn’t turn out horribly right now are Homestuck/Halternian My Little Ponies. So, um, Enjoy if it’s your thing. If not, that’s okay.

I made those who had magical abilities unicorns, and sea dwellers pegasus. (I know I could have done Sea Ponies, but I feel Pegasus fit better, especially as they actually can leave the ocean, and a lot of the Alternian sea creatures seem to have the ability to fly. Since being a sea dweller is a pure bonus it seemed a good choice.) Fef is the exception, as she doesn’t have psychic abilities but she IS a princess, so she get’s to be an Alicorn. (Though I imagine all would become so either upon arrival on prospit and thereby becoming royalty, or on achieving god tier.)

I’m gonna try to do the whole read more under the break thing I should have learned how to do long ago, and I apologize for all my long posts. Individual versions of each one below the cut!

Aradia’s cutie mark was my attempt at making a horse ghost! I don’t know how well it came out. Her body color is her blood color. I was going to give her the main the color of her god tier hood, but was advised to go with black instead and I do think it looks much better. A ghost seemed the right cutie mark because she really is Death’s fangirl, and seems to enjoy tending to the dead... as well as old things and adventure, which I think it could touch on too!

Tavros gave me the hardest time. His main and tail color are borrowed from his Pupa Pan outfit and his eyes are colored based on his God Tier outfit. I played around with a lot of colors trying to find the right one! I was originally thinking of making him a Pegasus with broken wings but I think this meshes best wtih the rest. His cutie mark of course represents his bond with and love for animals, but because Tinkerbull is a fairy bull it also touches on his love of fairies and fantasy.

For the most part, I reserved 2+ toned manes/tails for high bloods, because I noticed a lot of the MLP that had them seemed to be either well off themselves, or related to someone who was. The exception to this was Sollux because of course it was.

His cutie mark is one of his server hives, with a blue and red wire to evoke his sign. Also a be on either end because bees and also duality.

I don’t feel I need to explain my color choices, other then I made his skin slightly lighter than his blood because it looked better. (Also I was considering doing some black and white stuff but I’m happy with the red/blue.

Nepeta’s cutie mark was a bit of a challenge, as well as figuring out what to focus on. Shipping could also have worked out, but I feel like the paw with claws out captured her identification with cats, her place as a warrior and huntress, as well as her imagination and love of roleplay. I did try to add some paint splatter, like the paw had been painting, but then I was worried it would be evocative of blood and that wasn’t quite what I was going for.

Her skin color is based on blood color, mane and tail the color of her hat and tail. (This also connects her to Equius a bit more!)

Karkat is just grey and black with candy red eyes. I felt it suited him. He’s not really the ostentatious type.

His cutie mark represents his passion for romance, as well as his strength in advising on romantic relationships (something he’s actually quite good at) as WELL as his persuit/desire for a pan-quadrant relationship. I’m sure he’d have spent a long time trying to get a symbol to represent being a badass leader or warrior, but his biggest strength really is how deeply he cares for his friends and his best skill really is in supporting them sincerely rather than trying to boss them around.

Kanaya I also was unsure of for a bit. For her cutie mark, I was debating between the Matriorb and the Lipstick. The latter could represent fashion, feminity, and killing things with the chainsaw said lipstick turned into. (Also, lipstick lesbian, more subtly.) But the matriorb represents the role she’s chosen and accepted for herself from the beginning of the comic until the end, as a mother to her entire race. It’s pretty badass and definitely worthy of being her cutie mark!

Her hair and mane are blood color, as well as eyes, and I gave her white skin to reference the rainbow drinker glow. She’s also one of only a few ponies who are wearing decorative clothing.

Terezi is another one who’s cutie mark one could definitely make arguemetns over. After all, a scale, or noose, might be considered appropriate.

But I feel like her justice fangirling wasn’t really who she is in the same way. The chalk represents her creativity, her weirdness. It represents the tool she uses to play, but also to change the destiny of an entire reality. It’s a tool of writing and creating and play and I just think it fits really well and is more her than justicy ones, which is why I chose it.

Her body is her blood color, and her mane and tail are her favorite color/the color of her shoes/various accessories.)

Vriska was actually the first pony who got finished! I sort of did her ees weird and because how I did them weird it was hard to change later. Oh well. Her mane and tail are based on her blood color, her body is based on her typing color.

Her cutie mark represents several things! Her love of roleplay and games, gambling, chance and luck, and of course, winning! (Plus, yknow, 8.) All things that I felt were really suitable.

Equius’s cutie mark is a wrench with weights on it, because I couldn’t decide between robos and STRONGNESS and just decided why not both.

His mane and tail are his typing color, and his skin was pulled from a sprite of him god tier with wings. (Not sure if official or fan made honestly, but the color works well!)

Gamzee I’m really happy with! His mane and tail are the color of his blood and the color of sopor slime mixed together. His eyes similarly are a mix of his normal color and the red they turn in a rage. I don’t remember where his body color came from :x

I was tempted to give him a club for a cutie mark, and I still think that could work. I sort of have a mental theme of giving the destruction classes weapons. But I feel the smilies are their own reference to it. The :o) smily is the color of sopor slime, and the )o: face is the color of his blood. Both are on a rounded splotchy backdrop the color he types in, that also sort of nods at his pants. It helps represent his duality, his enjoyment of just being chill and a clown and making people laugh on one hand, but also the psychotic destructive force laying in wait just benieth that on the other.

Eridan is one of the fanciest dressed ponies, of course. I wanted him to have multicolored hair, but I didn’t want his hair color and body color to match. So instead, I took the brighter purple of one of his rings and used that for his body. His eyes are based on the color of his scarf and pants, because I didn’t want everyone to have yellow eyes. (And the hope outfit is still yellow!)

His cutie mark as Ahab’s Crosshair’s isn’t just a representation of his skills as a marksman, but also of his nature as a force of destruction. It’s a gun often turned against himself as well as everyone around him.

Princess Feferi! I think she came out best of everyone. :)

Her cutie mark is a squiddle glubbing out dream bubbles, to represent her love of cute cuddly squids as well as her role in helping create a magical dreamland for ghosts and dreaming mortals to meet and play and talk to eachother... as well as herself being happy and cute and glubbing! What a good girl. :3

Her eyes and glasses are her blood color. Her mane and tail are the color of her skirt. Her body is also based on the shade of pink from her skirt because I felt it worked better for her design. Like Eridan she’s got some fancy gear, in this case, jewelry! Alright, I’m tired AF so I’m posting this now. I wanted to explain some of my choices in more detail but I’m too tired. Hope you enjoy it guys! Or, whatever the percentage of MLP/Homestuck crossover there is.