#i was struggling so hard to find the right composition

[purplebluepen45]

12 Days of Fontcest

"Seriously? You didn't realize there was a mistletoe above your head?"

"THERE WAS A MISTLETOE?!!"

.

Prompt by @underfellover

I couldn't find time to color the comic. Really sorry for that :'

But uhh.. hopefully this will suffice ^^;

[crimsoncandy04]

This is my first post but I feel like the world needs my vision so here it is.

Imagine actually getting The Wanderer to see you in a desirable way. I honestly feel like he'd still be rough around the edges (and with you too) simply because even though he wants you, this is still showing deep vulnerability which is uncomfortable for him.

So I picture him sort of passively trying to steer the conversation towards the topic and really trying hard to make it seem like you're the one who wants it and not him. And if he succeeded, he'd be so openly thirsty after that. (This man has craved the feeling of being wanted for centuries. You give him any greenlight and you're a done woman;))

He'd be so focused on making YOU feel good too. It's in his nature to serve after all. Even if he claims it's not.

He'd start gentle. Careful not to go too far right off the bat and risk scaring you away. Gently stretching your pussy open with his fingers as he asked if you were enjoying it. He'd pay close attention to every expression you make. Every sound from your lips. It doesn't take him longer than a minute to find your sweet spot either. And once he does he'd continuously massage it in a way that made those adorable moans escape from your throat that he secretly loved! He's a yapper too.

Calling you cute and also pathetic for cumming on his fingers so many times like the hopeless little slut you are ~

If you asked, he'd definitely try to taste you too.

He'd be curious anyway. Even if he never openly expressed this. But as you feel his tongue slide between your folds you can easily feel it. His tongue laps against your already sensitive inner walls as he holds you in place by your hips. Pulling you against him so he can taste as much of you as possible.

His tongue might accidentally graze your clit too. And the second you make a sound, he knows.

He'd cautiously give your nub another lick, testing the waters to see if you in fact liked that. Your soft moan being all the confirmation he needs as he begins to eagerly suckle and lick your pleasure spot knowing you're completely at his mercy and touch now.

He'd keep going until you told him to stop too. (Or at least until he got you to squirt. A sign he'd learn to take that he did well and would always strive for from then on)

And when you were on the brink of passing out and were all but spent, THEN he'd try to fuck you with his cock.

And because he's not a normal man, he's bigger than expected. (Clearly whoever decided to give him one wanted to make sure he was well equipped;))

WAY bigger.

You gasp and try to stifle the little whine that comes from your mouth but he's already heard it. He'd smirk at you, and would openly taunt you for going this far and yet still struggling to take him like a pitiful virgin but in his mind he'd be concerned and would start at a slower and softer pace until you got used to him. And when you finally adjust, he'd begin to get bold.

This man loves to be in charge as much as he loves to feel wanted and needed, so I feel like he'd put you in positions where he held the most control.

He'd start by flipping your knees over your head. Pounding deep into your still sensitive pussy as his tip kisses your cervix and your cries of pleasure echo throughout the room.

He'd hold you in his arms while standing. Gently bouncing your body up and down on his cock as he went in for a deep kiss.

Anything that involves you being under him or dependent on him while he pleasures you so that your entire world is nothing but him in that moment.

He'd end up being a little rough near the end but his aftercare is world class.

He'd hold you close and ask if you feel sore or pain anywhere. Telling you how good you felt to him and how pretty you looked. He'd be no where close to exhausted due to his physical composition and would bring you anything you needed without complaint. Food? Done. Water? Say no more. A massage or bath? Gladly.

Anything to make you feel comfortable after the number he put you through.

And though he wouldn't openly say it, you are basically his wife now.

Not even a girlfriend.

This man would be at your side from that day onwards and would absolutely get jealous if you tried to get close to anyone else.

But are you his girlfriend?

No that's stupid! As a puppet, he has no need for such trivial human connections nor emotions! He's told you this a million times already after all.

The little dates, gifts, and things he does for you are simply an exchange!

And he can't have anyone else ruining this special arrangement between you now can he?

[eddiediaaz]

hi guys, i am kind of ashamed and embarrassed to have to do this, but i figured it can't hurt to ask. basically i am really struggling right now (i know a lot of us are). i need financial help, so i set up a ko-fi page ☕

any kind of help would be so appreciated and i am so grateful for anyone taking the time to read this little post.

long story short: because of situations completely out of my control, i lost my job in vfx after almost 8 years and i am now forced to switch careers. i'm going back to school and can't find a part time job even tho i have been working non stop for 15 years. financial aid will only cover my rent, so i absolutely need to work 20 to 30 hours a week to cover the rest of my living expenses, but it's really hard to find a job. i am also currently over 10k cad in debt from my film school loans and credit cards.

signal boost would be appreciated, if you can 💕

my situation in more details under the cut for those who are curious

i was working in the vfx industry as a 2D compositor since 2016 (i have worked on over 40 films and tv shows), but in december of 2023 i lost my job due to the hollywood strikes (as expected, and as it should—i fully support the strikes). this was supposed to be temporary for a couple months where i could get unemployment benefits (only 45% of my usual salary though). unfortunately, on may 31st 2024, my government announced that they are significantly cutting the funding & tax credits for the vfx industry where i live. what does this mean? mass lay offs. thousands of canadians and other people in the world working in the industry are losing their career, including me. there will only be about 20% vfx jobs left where i live by 2025. vfx shops and production houses have already started to close doors here. i'm still mourning this career i have been working in for 8 years and loved, even tho it's been difficult and demanding at times (lots of overtime), but there are just no jobs right now (unless you are a senior vfx artist with decades of experience) and the future will only get more bleak. i could move abroad and follow the industry that is already moving somewhere else, but i don't want to do that on my own (i am already super lonely as it is!!) and i can't afford it.

my unemployment benefits will run out by the last week of september. in 4 weeks. i've been sending resumes everywhere, both online and in person, but i am just not getting anything in return. even tho i have over 15 years of experience working in various jobs and i have never been fired from anywhere. even tho my resume and cover letters are solid because they have been approved my professional counselors (a free service for people under 35 where i live). so much for they're hiring everywhere...

since my vfx compositing skills are very niche and not really applicable to much else, i decided to go back to school, taking college classes in the admin and excecutive assistant fields, since it's something that i think would be good for me and there are lots of jobs for that here. i will be getting some financial aid, but it's nowhere near enough to survive. it will only cover my rent, and that's because my rent is super cheap for my city. my college classes start on september 30 and i am excited for it, but also very stressed because i still don't have a part time job.

i've been living on my own with a small salary for over 10 years now, but it truly is the first time that i'm struggling this hard. i honestly don't have anything worth selling except some taylor swift perfumes, which i sold this week. i also have over 6k of credit debt and another 4.5k of school loans left to pay. at the bare minimum i will need about $1.000 CAD/month to cover my other bills and expenses after rent, hence why the need for a job ASAP. i am desperate and my mental health has been a huge mess. this is why i decided to open my ko-fi accounts. not that i'm expecting much, but anything can help, i think.

i don't have much to offer in exchange, except gifs? i'm wondering if (cheap, low price) gif commissions are a thing? i have no idea know, but i set up a poll on my ko-fi page to see if anyone would be interested.

thank you for reading if you've made it here, it's appreciated 💖

[fagboyfriend]

i rlly like ur composition, i wanna know about your process :D

thank uuu !! yeah so like. composing a scene for me generally begins with a vague idea that i want to get down as quickly as possible- and for me that usually starts with finding a setting. I knew that i wanted to draw a) a group of roomates gossiping in a crowded kitchen and i wanted there to be b) one figure in the extreme foreground and c) lots of plants. i do use some tools to figure out perspective, mainly the csp perspective ruler. Usually i start by finding a picture i like similar to the vibe im going for- but instead of referencing anything else- im purely interested in perspective. sorry to anyone who is shocked i dont generate all of my perspective purely by myself- i can draw in perspective fairly well but i struggle to make straight lines and this is easier to make grids with than the line tool lol ^_^ i try to use it kinda more like spellcheck on typos than like something to fully rely on. this is the video i learned this trick from:

i saw the left photo and realllly loved how the cabinets alligned with the wall- so i used my ruler tool to draw out my inital plotted points from the image- basically the linear movements i was most interested in and then i turned off the image layer and worked with those lines and the ruler tool to move on. eventually i had this:

which was enough for me to put my characters in for the inital round. if you notice- i made a looot of further adjustments as i go on. this sketch is not a final layout, its so my characters have somewhere to be! i cannot draw someone standing on a floor if theres no floor, nor leaning on a table that doesnt exist. i can’t draw my characters without a background, but i also cant finish my background without accounting for how my characters can comfortably exist in it!!

this was the like.. very basic start. i knew the positions of two characters- but i needed to change a lot not only to fit them better but to allow for the other two figures i had planned.

okay.. a little better. i widened the kitchen, closed the fridge door.. added a chair and fit in all the figures.. but this is waaay too dramatic. only two figures are actually interacting- and they are at wildly different energy levels!

this is where things started to make a little more sense characterwiss, so i was ready to refine backgrounds and figures and unite the two.

inital base sketch. much better layout.

okay- this is where im getting my footing but things seem.. really really off. You can see me working on my framing here- theres some good linear movement from left to right here- but not vertically. It’s hard to notice the figure in the far back, so i need to redirect the viewers eye to move upwards as well!

this is where i decided to zoom out, add an interesting vertical element to the left of the image and make it clearer whats happening in the foreground. i had to account for some stuff by adjusting the cropping, but i paid attention to that as well.

annnd- thats what a clean sketch looks for me! i have all the elements of my scene accounted for, and things are clean enough to read.

the next step for me would be transfer! essentially- I print the image of my sketch out, resizing and taping pages together so my sketch matches the size of the paper i want to paint on, and then i use a lightboard to transfer my sketch with pencil onto my paper. Then i refine the sketch a few times on paper before stretching my watercolor paper (essentially just prepping for painting) and inking with a brush and colored ink before going in with watercolor, gouache and ink, then usually finishing with marker, colored pencil, pastel and ink. it’s a lengthy process but a lot of fun lol. but sketches for me can be like.. 15 layers of different roughs until im happy with just the sketch. there were more images but im on mobile and theres a 10 image limit 😭😭 im a bit masochistic but i believe that if i dont have a good sketch i dont have a good painting!!

[blankwashed]

“paint the town red” listen to paint the town blue by jinx

(that’s where i got my inspiration from anyways)

DISCLAIMER: I don’t know if I should rate this, because generally nothing happened between them. LOL SO I GUESS PG. it’s kinda lame, i wanted it to be smut but i have no mood rn so here u go.

“what time is it?” you said after yawning. a mail man repeatedly rang your doorbell saying that there was a very urgent letter that he needed to deliver to you. it was strange, you never knew mailmen were so…urgent about their line of work. and don’t people just text nowadays?

after receiving the letter, you marveled at how beautiful and intricate it was. the invitation was in a sleek black envelope, the kind as if its delivered to royalty. the edges were marked with the faintest hint of red, making you feel as if the mailman delivered it to the wrong person. there was nobody that you knew had the capacity of doing something like this except one person. sylus. the rich, billionaire lone child that was known to pull such stunts like these.

the letter stated that sylus invited you to an art event. the words written by sylus were carried in a smooth and commanding tone that made it impossible for you to refuse. and you kind of thought the latter was cute too.

of course, he knew that you could never say no to him. the venue was an exclusive gallery perched at the edge of the city, where its windows glowed crimson against the night sky. inside, the space was bathed in deep red light, casting long shadows over the provocative artwork lining the walls. the pieces were daring, almost scandalous in their intensity. you wondered why he invited you to join him to look at such suggestive compositions of art.

he led you through the crowd, exchanging nods with the other well-dressed and high ranking officials of the city. “what do you think?” he asked, his voice smooth and teasing, gesturing to a nearby sculpture that twisted into something both sensual and chaotic.

“it’s bold,” you replied, unable to ignore the suggestiveness of the piece. “daring, even.”

his lips quirked up into a smirk. “like you.”

your breath hitched. you involuntarily held your breath. he had been like this all night, throwing compliments with the same sly tone, as if testing the waters. you felt a warmth rise in your cheeks, and sylus caught it immediately, nothing goes unnoticed pass his red eyes.

as the night went on, the gallery seemed to grow smaller, with the gallery goers leaving one by one. sylus leaned in closer, his voice lowering to something just above a whisper. “i’ve always admired art like this…. unapologetic, fearless. reminds me of someone.”

you could feel he was referring to you.

you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, trying to suppress the fluttering feeling in your chest. having a crush on sylus is so…typical. almost every female he meets goes head over heels for him. its, too basic. but you also know that his confidence and how he controls the room could make anyone fall in love with him.

“come with me,” he murmured, his hand brushing lightly against your arm as he guided you towards a hidden door at the back of the gallery. he led you into a private room, where the lighting shifted even darker, the red hues more intense. there was a secret stash of artwork there, much more bold and more intimate. each piece there seemed to tell a story of desire, seduction and passion.

“this,” he gestured to the art around you, “was just a backdrop. i just wanted us to have a space for us tonight.”

you swallowed hard, trying to keep your composure, but it was so impossible not to be affected by his presence, by the way his voice and lips curled up, making it harder for you to think straight.

“i brought you here for a reason,” he continued, his voice softer now but no less commanding. “the art…..it’s a reflection of something more. i’ve seen the way you look at me.”

your heart raced, your mind struggled to find the right words. you didn’t need to answer — he already knew. sylus closed the distance between you in a heartbeat, his hand finding the small of your back, pulling you closer. his lips hovered near you ear, sending a shiver down your spine.

“don’t act like you don’t feel it too.”

the air between you and sylus thickened, charged with the weight of unspoken desires. his breath grazed your neck as he spoke, his lips dangerously closer to brushing against yours. you could feel your heart pounding in your chest, your mind a blur of excitement.

your pulse raced as you felt the warmth of his body so near, his fingers pressing gently at the small of your back. you tried to form a response, anything that could help you regain control but the words refused to come.

“i’ve been patient…waiting,” sylus murmured, his voice low, almost a growl. “watching, waiting… now, i don’t want to wait any longer, kitten.”

before you could react, he tilted your chin up with his finger, locking your eyes with his. his crimson gaze was filled with a smoldering intensity, a hunger that mirrored your own. his lips hovered just above yours, teasingly close but not quite touching.

your mind could only think about kissing him, mushing your lips together, to finally feel his strawberry candy smelling lips against yours.

“what’s holding you back?” he whispered, his voice making you unsure about what to reply.

you swallowed hard. did you want to be one of those girls that he likes only for a day or two? do you have the basic decency for yourself?

“i’m not like the others,” you finally said, your voice shaking slightly. “i’m not here to manipulate you for fame or fortune.”

sylus’s eyes darkened as if he knew that about you. “i know,” he said, his lips curving into a slow, dangerous smile. “that’s what makes this so different. that’s what makes you different.”

and then, without warning, he closed the distance between you. his lips crashed against yours in a fierce, hungry kiss. the world seemed to blur around you, everything around you and all the noise faded away. his hands tightened around your waist, pushing you flush against him as his lips moved with undeniable passion against yours.

you melted into him, your arms wrapping around his neck as you surrendered into the kiss. it was intoxication, the feel of his lips on yours, the way his touch sent sparks of electricity coursing through your veins. every kiss, every touch, it made it harder to think, harder to remember why you ever hesitated in the first place.

sylus deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing your as his hands explored your back, pulling you closer. you felt the heat of his body though the thin fabric of your dress.

he pulled away slightly, his forehead resting against yours as you both caught your breath. his eyes never left yours, burning with the same intensity that you felt thrumming through your own body.

“this isn’t a feeling that i felt for tonight,” sylus said, his voice soft and quiet. “you know that right, don’t you?”

your nodded, unable to fathom what was going on, your mind still spinning from the kiss. it wasn’t just for tonight, it was something that had been silently building between the two of you for a long time, a connection that the both of you never wanted to address.

he brushed a thumb over your lips, his eyes flickering with something softer. and before you could respond, his lips found yours again, this time softer, more tender.

for another time, he released your lips from his. “painting the town red,” sylus said. it was the theme of the exhibition for today, wasn’t it? he requested for you to wear your tight red dress he sent through mail along with the red louboutins that he purchased for you.

“is it because your favourite colour is red?” you innocently replied him which made him laugh softly. “no, dear. it’s not that and its also not about the city or the art that was shown. it’s about what we create when we’re together.”

he moved closer again, his lips grazing the shell of your ear this time, sending a shiver down your spine. “when we’re together, we become something more. something bold, unapologetic, like those daring strokes of red on a canvas. passionate, reckless and uncontainable. it all reminds me of you.” his words were like a brushstroke - deliberate, calculated, painting vivid images in your mind.

then it hit you. sylus wasn’t just inviting you to be a part of the night; he was inviting you to be a part of his world. a world where boundaries dissolved, where everything was heightened and painted in the deepest hues of desire.

he took your hand, leading you toward the large windows overlooking the city, “see that?” he whispered, his fingers lacing through yours as you looked out at the skyline. “that’s ours to colour. ours to conquer.”

sylus was very philosophical towards you. all the time, if you think about it. every word that he says when he speaks to you has a hidden message behind the true meaning of it. he is a very mysterious person, after all.

“you and me,” he continued, his voice like liquid fire, “we’ll make the city ours tonight. paint it with our colour, red for the both of us. every step, every touch, every kiss we have will leave a trail of red.” sylus wasn’t speaking about indulging in a wild night (which you originally thought so) — he was talking about living life in bold strokes, making every moment a masterpiece of passion and….seduction.

he turned to you, his gaze fierce yet tender, his hand tightening around yours. “so, what do you say? let’s create something unforgettable. let’s leave our mark on this town.”

all of this — it was so sudden. it was so unexpected. all you thought was going to happen that night was you admiring art that you couldn’t even begin to understand. but here you were, in a hidden corner of the gallery, together with sylus, both of you wrapped in a world far removed from the rest of the city.

your tried to process how quickly the night had shifted. the evening had begun with polite conversation and the elegance of a typical art exhibit with posh individuals somberly laughing with one another.

“i didn’t expect this,” you whispered, almost to yourself. “i thought i’d just be here… admiring art. not-“

“not what?” sylus cuts in softly, his eyes never leaving yours, a small smirk playing on his lips. “i think you’ve been waiting for this. for me to take our relationship to the next step. you’ve felt it, just like i have. its blatantly obvious, kitten. your blushing cheeks whenever i speak to you, it’s all so…cute.”

“we’re not just admiring art tonight. well, i’m not. you think i invited you here for the art?” sylus’s voicee held a hint of amusement as he leaned in closer, his breath warm against your skin. “you’re the masterpiece i’ve been looking at all night.”

“sylus, i…” you started, but words failed you as he leaned in closer, his lips brushing just above yours, teasingly close. you could swear his hands were right about to swoop you up.

“you’re beautiful when you’re flustered,” he whispered, his voice deep and low, just like how you love it. “and i’ve been waiting for the right moment to ask you..how you feel about me.”

your heart pounded in your chest, was the kiss not enough to convey your feelings towards him? the best between you, the way your lips had lingered on his - wasn’t this all the answer he needed?

you opened your mouth to speak but the words got tangled in your throat that suddenly became dry. how could you put everything you felt into words? the affection that has been building for weeks, the electric pull that only seemed to grow stronger with each every passing moment.

his hand cupped your cheek, thumb brushing gently along your jawline, coaxing you to answer the three magic words, i love you. “i can feel it,” he murmured, his voice still so soft, so maddeningly calm. “but i still need to hear it.”

you exhaled shakily, the intensity of his gaze making it impossible to look away. “sylus…” you began, your voice barely a whisper. “i’ve fallen for you…it’s impossible not to…”

he smirked, that confident, knowing look flashing in his eyes. “i knew it,” he said, “but hearing it from you…” he leaned in closer, his lips ghosting over your ear sending a wave of heat coursing through your body. “it makes it even sweeter.”

you felt your knees weaken as he pulled you even closer, his lips brushing against the side of your neck. there was no more hiding, no more pretending between the both of you.

“i’ve wanted this from the moment i laid eyes on you,” he said, his voice full of desire. “and now that i have you…i’m not letting go.”

[luck-and-larceny]

FFXIV Write: Morsel

Marrant’s first and second love is himself. His third love is also himself. But somewhere a little way after that is music. 

Those are qualities we share, I suppose.

Where we disagree is on the topic of image. Marrant cannot rest until he proves to the world that he's every bit as important, intelligent and talented as he fully believes himself to be. He is certain he's a divine gift sent from the Twelve themselves to be idolized and admired by an adoring public. The problem comes when he encounters people who do not realize this. These ungrateful fools cause him to lose sleep, for if there is even one person who might doubt his capability he tosses and turns in bed, fully consumed by a gnawing need to prove them wrong. 

I cannot even begin to comprehend that. To me, it's more fun to be regarded differently by different people. I thrive as much off people hating me as I do them adoring me. 

So when Marrant tells me that he needs me to steal Audr Shade’s latest musical composition because it will win this year's competition I'm not surprised. He could never handle people thinking someone else's work was better than his own (though it often was). 

I am surprised when Marrant tells me that he needs me to also rob his place of the composition he was going to submit to the competition because, “It's not good enough and I won't embarrass myself by letting them hear it. But I also won't embarrass myself by not submitting it.”

“But you will embarrass yourself by asking your ex-girlfriend– who we've already established hates you and you hate in return– to steal it from you? Why not just say it was stolen?”

He rolls his eyes to make it clear to me that he's already considered that and he's disappointed that I can't keep up with his superior intellect.

“Unless it looks like it was actually stolen they'll see through it. They'll gossip amongst themselves that I made the whole robbery up because I was too ashamed to admit my incompetence. Despicable little cretins.”

“Oh, absolutely,” I agree, “It's so hard to find good, honest people to take you at your word these days while you're hiring thieves to wreck your home so you can save face in a stupid little music contest.”

His eyes light up with rage. Uh oh. That means a boring lecture will soon rain down upon me. 

“It's NOT a ‘stupid little music’ contest. The fact that I need to tell you that says so much about you and your lack of culture. All these years later and you still don't care about the things that matter, do you?”

“Nah,” I agree, “You need this done tonight, right? I'll need addresses…”

“The Gridanian Songwriting Competition is the most innovative and creative music celebration in all of Eorzea–”

“Wouldn't know it from the name,” I interrupt, “They use up all the innovation and creativity budget before getting to that?”

He ignores me. That's probably the right call. “Every important name in music and aspiring artist attends the competition. The winner becomes the most respected name in music for the entire year. As a professional musician there is no greater honor than to be acknowledged by the committee. If you spent half as much time on your music as you do skulking about, breaking windows and shoplifting–”

“Then I wouldn't be able to save you from utter humiliation at this contest by robbing you. So really, thank the Twelve I'm such an uncultured child, right?” 

He sniffs and says nothing because he knows I'm right. I'll savor this tiny victory crumb.

“Audr Shade is a genius. A musical genius.” It is a great struggle for Marrant to form these words and if I didn't despise him so much I might even pity him. Instead, I relish this. This is delicious.

“But he's also a heathen,” he says. “He is rude, uncouth, undignified and undeserving of the award.”

“Sounds like my kind of guy,” I reply.

“You'd like him,” he admits with a shrug. “But I still need you to steal that music if you want information on the Tempest Tapestry.”

“I steal from a lot of people I like,” I casually shrug back. 

“You're a terrible person,” he says and I don't disagree. Instead, I take down the address and make my plans to rob the musical genius and this insufferable bore tonight.

I might be a bad person, but at least I won't be a bored one.

[bloomeng]

!!! your art is so good! if i may ask, how do you figure out anatomy?

Ty!! Ah yes anatomy the age old art question. I might not be the best person to teach tips on this because my posing can be sort of stiff. The short answer is references. I typically gather both picture references which are always better to reference directly from as well as looking at art for ideas regarding composition (which is something I struggle with but I’m trying to improve right now. If I can’t find the reference I need I either take a photo myself or I ask my friend to model for me.

I’ve had some formal training where I’ve had access to live models specifically for life drawing. A lot of times art schools will actually have small sessions for free that anyone can walk in and draw, but a more accessible resource are sites that are actually designed for life drawing. In the past I’ve used the site Line Of Action, but there are others like it. They’re good for practicing quick gesture drawings.

There are a lot of good resources on YouTube that teach how to break down bodies into simple shapes and how to utilize line of action. They will also go into a lot of technical things that I’m not qualified teach, but I do have some quick tips from my professor that have really helped me.

1) To use a box as a starting point to form heads instead of a flat circle

2) The torso bean and the ribcage shape

3) Using a box for the hips (not my art this is a reference from the textbook we used— pictured on the left)

Anyway I hope this was at all helpful. Anatomy is hard and I’m not an art teacher but I find that drawing lightly and loosely at first and building up the sketch helps. My life drawing teacher used to encourage us to put as many marks on the page as possible and emphasis the right one, rather than trying to make one nice line.

[nateconnolly]

It takes one thousand saints nine-hundred ninety-nine years to make a new vertebra for the angel Uriel. First, the hallowed dead souls must find raw material. The saints wander the cosmos, looking for an asteroid or comet with the right chemical composition. Once they find it, the saints set to work with lava and thunderbolts, blasting the celestial rock into the rough shape of a vertebra. Then they refine the shape with hammers, awls, and saws. The tip of Uriel’s spine is like a lock—it will not accept a key unless each ridge and scratch is perfect.

She has infinitely many vertebrae, and her flesh has infinitely many cavities where a vertebra fits. The cavities are connected by little tunnels. These tunnels are thinner than the cavities. If a vertebra is pushed hard enough, it will squeeze into the thin, suffocating tunnels between cavities—but it will naturally pop into the next space under that much pressure. 

Every thousand years, the saints squeeze another vertebra through the slot in Uriel’s neck. It has to be one thousand years precisely—that is the unit of measurement. 

Uriel is a holy abacus. Her spine helps God count the millennia that have passed since beginningless time. At the end of each millennium, the saints finish another vertebrae. It always slips seamlessly down the slot in the back of her neck, right at the junction where her skull meets the rest of her body. 

“Why do you need an infinite amount of vertebrae?” I asked her.

“Because time had no beginning, and so there is an infinite amount of past,” she answered with a smile. When she breathed in to speak, the air whipped my hair and cloak about. I had to struggle to stand upright in the wind. “That means infinitely many millennia have passed, and each vertebra corresponds to one millennium.”

I looked to the saints gathered on her lap, sanding down what used to be a moon. 

“You will need a new vertebra soon,” I said, “so there must be a cavity for that vertebra.” 

“Yes, there is.”

“Will time go on forever?”

“Yes, it will.” 

“Then you will need infinitely many more vertebrae,” I deduced. “How is there enough room? I know that the cavities in your back are infinite, but the number of vertebrae you already have is also infinite. The number of cavities is equal to the number of vertebrae already there—after all, infinity equals infinity. That must mean your spine is completely full, and there is no room for this new vertebra that the saints are crafting.”

“When they are finished, they will make room,” Uriel explained. “The saints will push the vertebra at the top of my spine to the second cavity. At the same time, the vertebra that is currently in the second cavity will move to the third cavity. And the vertebra that is currently in the third cavity will move to the fourth cavity. All the way down my spine, each and every one of my vertebrae will move one cavity lower than before.”

“But what about the last vertebra?” I objected.

“There is no last. That is what it means to be infinite: however far you go, you can always move further down. For each vertebra, there is another vertebra below it. No matter how many vertebrae are pushed into the back of my neck, they will never completely fill the spaces in my back. No matter how many years go by, they will never outnumber Time.”

[zenaidamacrouras1]

Hi!!!! I hope this long unasked-for tumblr missive finds you very well!Sorry to crash into your inbox and randomly rant a Stucky AU idea at you but it's happening, also it's your fault bc I got this idea after reading all your wonderful wonderful Stucky AU fics.

ok ok so

what if

It's all New Yorky and Brooklyn-y. They each live in Brooklyn apartments but are from slightly different worlds.

Bucky is a sweet beefcake composite of all the wholesome Male Archetype tropes: protective, folksy, tough n strawng, stands by his word, pretty basic and square, fruit of the loom tshirts levi jeans, have a beer after work with the guys, this here's the best pizza/hot dog/etc in New York, and so on. -I've been telling myself the vibe I want is in the scene from No Country For Old Men when Llewellyn Moss goes into the clothing store and needs a whole new outfit and the guy says "we only got white socks" and Moss says "I only wear white" and the store guy clearly approves it's this whole cowboy moment and it's like OK??? You're in very dire need to be expressing that as a hard principle??? So dumb except it's also so great.- Bucky is devoted to his mom and his sisters who he probably helped raise, but he has a cliche good role model blue-collar dad (who maybe died years ago). He is every (non-shitty) older-brother trope and most dad tropes.

Steve is pre-serum Steve. He just has all the pre-serum Steve qualities aka is a highly principled spitfire who never stops fighting and whose perspective is colored by living with chronic illness and pain and not meeting the Male Physical Ideal. Art and education led him to college scholarships and then law school but he was raised by hardworking nurse single mom Sarah, so he's not a rich lawyer but a beleaguered one fighting on behalf of the little guy. Still a more middle-class and intellectual existence than Bucky's, particularly in Bucky's eyes.( Always love pre-serum Steve and his experiences in society in any decade bc we are so weird about gender identity and he shows that in so many ways.) (Also I just have always had intense irrational tender protective love for small sprites of men that I keep under wraps bc they are grown adult humans.)

These two come into each other's lives because of Something With Unions and Labor Disputes in NYC. Ahem. I started researching NY labor disputes and didn't know where to dive in. I have zero knowledge or context or background except for that season of the Wire with the longshoreman union. BUT anyway Bucky is some kind of super generational blue-collar union dude. It's entirely possible he suffered an injury to his left arm that took him more away from the physical side of things and got him more involved with the union. Either way he's a part of a union that is engaging in a Righteous Dispute with the employer. It's all very labor rights and worker justice, things which I believe in strongly but am so embarrassingly under-educated about.

And STEVE is a lawyer who fights on behalf of worker's rights! I know lawyers but not remotely union law. But I'm very confident lawyers are involved in labor disputes. Socialist Steve with a head full of knowledge and a powerful courtroom presence, using the system to try and make things better. I've spent more time thinking about Bucky and his white socks I can't lie but there's clearly cool stuff here.

Steve is an out gay man, while Bucky is incredibly in the closet at work and out to his immediate family but very private and very single. Steve has a lot of angry opinions about lgbtq+ rights, and he struggles hard with his self-image, but he also has fun being gay. He has game. Bucky is lonely and has no game except his Regular-Guy thing, which works for anonymous hookups but not much else.

They meet because they end up working together on the Some Kind Of Labor Dispute! They bring super different but equally important things to the table! The reader learns about the history of unions in NYC! They are constantly liason-ing and being overworked and fussing at each other for caring too much about Truth and Justice. Steve privately thinks Bucky is the biggest most ridiculously attractive dreamboat but would never dream he was gay let alone interested in him. (Bucky gives this Steve the pants feelings that Cap Steve gives Lawyer Bucky in Unpredictable Synchronicity). Bucky feels like a big square idiot compared to Steve, can't fathom that his old-fashioned blue-collar bro vibes inspire anything but disdain in someone as intelligent and accomplished and cultured and bravely uniquely themself as Steve. They are both for different reasons very afraid of falling in love. They share ups and downs in the case and get to know each other better.

and THEN

KISSING HAPPENS

so yeah that's my pitch dawg. Sorry for dropping this whole thing on you, I like online social interacting a lot but I definitely do not know how to do it lol

I got the idea for this story from getting COVID over the holidays and spending like 6 hours lying in bed with a fever, fully conscious but unable to really do anything, haven't had a fever like that since childhood, and I ended up entertaining myself by thinking up a scene in the above-described setting, where they're working on the case together but Steve comes down sick and Bucky pops in on him only to go all older-sibling on a feverish Steve who resists but actually needs some coddling, and it feels vulnerable and intimate and they each realize they have a crush/how bad the crush is. It' s been a bee in my bonnet ever since and I have like 3/4s of one page written. If you wanna write it, holy shit dude please do it. If you wanna talk about it, YAY OMG. If you're like 'ok cool but i have my own ideas buzzing at me to get written, this is a You Problem,' that's totally legit and I hope I write it one day and when/if I do I will be heavily under the influence of your fics.

If you are still reading, bless you, and let me just include in case you're actually interested:

QUESTIONS I HAVE NOT ANSWERED:

-What decade is it?????? I started overthinking this but it seems tough. The whole idea is really giving me 80s vibes. The thing about that is that pivotal gay history was happening in New York in the 80s and it was unspeakably fucking tragic and neither centering that in the story nor glossing it over feels right. So just nowadays?? But are big righteous union disputes in NYC still a thing nowadays?? Or say fuck it and go earlier but wow writing in the 70s or 60s feels like such a wild move. TBH that might be it. Earlier decades create more obstacles for their love story, but a more current setting would be easier to get into both as a writer and a reader.

-What the hell job are we talking about? Longshoreman seems kinda tricky but also kinda obvious. Steel worker? Construction? What is a good cliche union job in which the union's cause is righteous? In New York? I'm sure there are many to choose from but it does feel like it needs to be reasonably historically/politically accurate. Maybe 60s longshoreman?? But that's so long ago... the dilemma

-PS everyone is in their mid-to-late 30s bc that is my demographic and every main character being 17 makes me so old and tired.

Thank you so much for reading this, there's no pressure to respond at all of course, I had to get it out somewhere lol! Thanks for your awesome AO3 presence in general, you are such a delightful and talented writer, I'm very glad to know your work!!!!!!

Okay, 1, I had a very, very bad week because hellish flood disaster conditions [I am fine but my friends aren't and I have trauma from previous floods] and also some other weird life shit. Anyway, this made me laugh with such happy delight my kids were like, "WHAT ARE YOU READING!?" I did not tell them.

2. OMG THE SOCKS. The white socks.

3. Yeah we are on the same page here, friend. One can't set a gay love story in the 80s or 90s in NY unless it's about AIDS, I have a thing about that. I mean, I can't stop people, but I would try to blow it up with my mind. Nothing personal.

4. I actually know a lot about unions and in particular the trades, which are, more or less, the various unions that build things. So. Here's a fun one. In Pittsburgh the city chose the lowest bidder to repaint a bridge and used a contractor from Florida that was non-union. Um, maybe this doesn't sound as scandalous to anyone but me. It's a big deal because local hire is important to the local economy.

In a modern setting, a lot of construction projects that come into an area sign a community benefit agreement/project labor agreement that commits to using a certain % of local labor, high road labor standards, and things like apprenticeships which are entry level jobs which can mean that local people actually have a chance at the jobs. So we'll say the people that are repainting the bridge, or, whatever, installing the HVAC on the new soccer stadium, used a non-union contractor from NEW JERSEY which is in violation of their agreement. That kind of thing is definitely the kind of dispute labor attorneys would get involved in, and union reps are very possessive over because obviously they want the work for union contractors. So I can totally see Bucky being his local union rep - IUPAT is the painters union, could also be LIUNA - and working closely with an attorney doing a suit against the city or a developer for not using local hire/union labor.

There are certainly other kinds of labor disputes, that's just the kind I know the most about.

5. OH MY GOD listen. LISTEN. listen ARE YOU LISTEN? Blue collar Bucky feeling like Steve is too fancy to ever love him. Steve feeling like Bucky is too manly to ever love him. Their insecurities are a complementary ourobouros spiral of doom, like, the gift of the Magi by OHenry. It's two sides of the toxic masculinity coin and it's, ARE YOU LSITN??? STOP it with the tragic gender/classism dynamics. Heterosexuality and capitalism are the real villians of this tale. Oh it's so beautiful. Thank you.

6. The current port strike is absolutely DELIGHTFUL inside joke and relevant reference given fandom's love of making Bucky a dock worker. So, I mean, go for that, if you're feeling it. I have never lived on a coast and don't know much about dockworkers though I do know it's very dangerous work, and actually know someone who lost their arm doing river barge work, which, I'm guessing, is somewhat similar to port work? No actual fucking clue?

7. I feel really seen because yes indeed this whole plot is very much aligned with my interests, if you haven't guessed yet.

8. I am not gonna lie, as much as I adore every thing about this, probably not gonna write this. Right now I am very tired so it's a bad time to guess.

9. Please talk to me about it. I would love to enable this beautiful madness.

10. I am glad your Covid is better.

[morgan-angel]

Day 27+28+29+30 of my art challenge. 🪽

#morgan challenge

Thirty day (27-30) of september (September theme's is finding my art style. I've got a lot of references for this theme, I want to be confident with an art style. So here am I !). 🌱

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Late post again. And... It's not even finished. Let me get this straight : I had two mental breakdowns, big fatigue and this illustration was so hard to do. The anatomy and all... I felt so guilty about doing nothing. But then I remembered : this is MY challenge. I'm NOT mentally stable. It's okay to not finished this piece right in time because I had issues. It's okay to struggle. So, I'll try to finish this when I can. I still love it tho, even though it's not perfect.

Like I said, this illustration is a mix of everything I learned during September. I'm not gonna list everything I did work on, but I'll say it's a great conclusion for next month theme's (anatomy). I'm gonna show all the different versions.

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First one. Loving it but the anatomy of the wings and the composition isn't right.

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Still working on the wings but eh. I understood it wasn't it.

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Changing the wings and it's way better. But... Still missing some drama.

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Continuing the drama before the definitive version of the first sketch you saw at the top of the post.

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And there you go. End of September. I did a LOT of progress during this month. It was really cool to do. Thanks to all the person who supports me. It means a lot. Love y'all. ❤️

See ya next post for October. ~

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Go see the pin post on my profile if you need some context :)

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Working on opening a lil shop on Kofi tho. I really want to do some commissions. If you want to just follow me, here is the link : https://ko-fi.com/eishi_h

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Also, if you want some better quality photo or just want to see more of my art, go on my insta : https://www.instagram.com/eishihashimoto1?igsh=N2MycDh6NnE4cDMw :)

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Bye bye y'all. Stay safe.

🪽

[diavolosnumberone]

hallooo (⁠/⁠･⁠ω⁠･/ 🎉

i liked Kamuro's headcanons and ideals smm, indeed he's very underrated to me, and i trully enjoy seeing ppl that actually appreciates him ♡⁠(⁠˃͈⁠ ⁠દ⁠ ⁠˂͈⁠ ⁠༶⁠ ⁠)!!

Could you make a Ritsu version? I would like to know what you think about him too, If you don't mind, of course!

- nosy anon (again)

Hello again anon!!! And yes sure, I don't mind at all. I have less headcanons for him so it might be a bit briefer than the last one. 😅 (Also I'm so sorry for publishing this late, I've been feeling down lately).

(Excuse the gif I don't have that many lmfao)

GENERAL HCS (and ideas).

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶

-> Although he doesn't really find the appeal in music, he does listen to soft sounding compositions during his studying. All instrumental.

-> Even being a very smart boy and having had competed in the math nationals, he struggles a bit with algebra sometimes.

-> The year Tokugawa and Kamuro left was especially hard regarding duties, since they were the ones who helped the most regarding council matters. Them now going to highschool does leave him with a lot more things to do, though he's quick to grow used to it and eventually finds a way to balance out his time once more.

-> The diaries/journals he keeps help a lot with stress relief, and also a manner of building up writing skill. Furthermore, he has a nice caligraphy.

-> Sometimes helps Sho in taking care of his hamster, he finds the fluffy animal to be cute and has grown somewhat attached to it too.

-> Sometimes the guilt of his past actions still catch up to him and it causes him to behave somewhat distant for a while, feeling undeserving even though he has long made things right.

-> Although they don't go to school together anymore, still keeps up with Kamuro sometimes. Even when they don't speak all that often anymore, he still finds it nice to have a chat with someone he could somewhat relate to.

-> It's also stated that he's very jumpy, and doesn't really like bugs. As silly as it might be, he's afraid of insects and prefers to keep himself as far away from them as possible.

-> It's mentioned he excels in pretty much every school field including sports, and I like to think he's good at volleyball, and an unsurprisingly good team player overall.

-> Likes birds, but doesn't own any due to lack of time to take care of it.

-> His sleep schedule isn't that bad, but it's stull troublesome either way, and it keeps him very drained sometimes.

-> Actually has a cool taste in clothing (unlike someone), his wardrobe has pretty nice clothes. Aside from the ones Mob has passed down, anyway.

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶

Hahajdb I feel like this should be longer, but truth is I don't think that much about Ritsu, hence why I don't have all that much headcanons about him. Xp

[nipuni]

I've been a silent admirer for soooooooooo long. I've pinned so much of your art on Pinterest boards over the years, especially your Solas x Lavellan things. And I must confess that your art is the inspiration behind me taking the leap to attempting to be a full-time self-taught artist (and writer), and the struggle is so hard, but I work at it every day because since I've seen all of your lovely pictures on your Tumblr, I work harder than ever. Your post about how it took you and your husband 30 years to get to your perfect lifestyle struck a cord in me because it's the same for me and my husband right now and I want our future to be nice and comfortable and struggle-free. Thank you so much for being one of my biggest inspirations, and thank you for providing the world with your beautiful talents and sweet personality. Anytime someone asks me "who's your favorite artist?" I direct them to your work without hesitation. Anyways, thank you thank you thank you. ♥

!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm tearing up reading this message, you are so incredibly sweet I think I've read this over ten times today 😭😭😭 I don't know how to convey how much it means to me that you can find this kind of motivation in the things I share, I want to print this and keep it in a little box to read when I'm feeling down, thank you so much for sending it, you really made me so happy you have no idea 🥺❤️❤️❤️ and you are doing amazing!! your art feels very fluid, your poses are expressive and your compositions well balanced which are some of my favorite aspects in art and not easy to accomplish!! and as long as you enjoy what you do you can only get better!! ( also you are a writer too ahhhh 😍 ) I wish you and your husband success and all the best in your life projects!! make sure you take care of yourself and each other on your way 😊 much love!! and thanks again for such an uplifting message!!

[nyamcattt]

Omg I love your art so much I'm more of a proof and numbers person so I really struggle with the freedom of art when I try to make it any tips you can give me pretty please?

omg thank you??!? 😳

hmmm i'm assuming you meant numbers like, social media numbers? it's hard to deal with that in this current state of the internet, especially when you want to pursue art professionally the non traditional way, or to use online space to get to the traditional routes. the creative industry is a bit cooked rn.

i gotta admit it was easier when i was pursuing a different career and my income didn't hinge on how my art is doing online!! you just draw for yourself and draw whatever you like.

it's in the name itself, when it comes to freedom of art, you gotta let it go wild, be free, experiment with medium, try new compositions, new concepts, try what the others are doing, put random things together, they don't even have to make sense or have a specific meaning. but of course it won't always do well, especially when it comes to "proof" or "numbers".

you can chase numbers. however, you won't grow as an artist if you don't get out of your comfort zone, or out of what is liked and expected from you. professionals who are hiring artists want to see fresh and unique work.

it's easy to say "don't worry about what others think" but the reality is, to make it out there, you need an audience, and a substantial amount of people have to like your work for your to take off and reach the right people.

my tip is try to find balance. try pushing yourself to try something new in one or two aspects of your drawing. let's say you know people would like the piece if you draw a fanart, or from a art challenge, then try something new in other aspects of it, maybe try a new color palette, experiment with brush and textures, try different angles, lightings, style, add your own twist to the concept, etc. whatever it is, push yourself to try something new, one at a time.

MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH, remember and internalize this: this silly social media numbers game is not indicative of the quality of your work. these numbers depend on so many factors, while skill and ideas are part of them, there are also networking, marketing, presentation, consistency, and lots of LUCK.

so if a piece you're proud of "flops" don't nitpick it, don't be scared to do it again. it's discouraging, yes, but your overall growth as an artist is more important than just online numbers in the long run. others might not see it instantly, but if you are proud of it, that means you are going into the right direction!

[scyphosunny]

vargastober day 6 ! posted ( partially ) on time . what about it . . .

when i got ideas nice and set for the rest of the prompts i knew for a fact it was likely for me to skip days 4 and 5 . mostly because i didn't have any ideas .

though , i did find a piece that worked for denial ! everyone thinks about edgar being gay every time denial is mentioned , which of course is funny and great but i had something else in mind XP there's a lot of denial in the whole story . so i definitely could work with something !

well , i skip day 4 and i was ready to work on day five on saturday .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤbut ! there was a little detail . i had a birthday party on saturday ! all of my highschool best friends would be there , and i wouldn't miss it for anything !!!!!! i miss my friends . i really do . so , once i finished with day three's piece , i told myself i'd work on denial right after taking a short break , so i could just have it nice and ready to post on saturday , like i did with the first piece i posted .

the thing is ! taking short breaks never works with me ! i don't really remember what happened on friday . . . but i probably watched code lyoko with my sister and then got distracted with literally anything else .

it was 2AM probably , and i decided to start working on it . while the composition wasn't even hard to work with , ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤI STRUGGLE DRAWING 90% OF THE THINGS EXISTENT so i didn't get a sketch i liked :[

not gonna lie , i didn't feel like drawing that day . and knowing myself , pushing myself to draw more than one piece a day never works . i don't have a lot of energy to draw most of the time . at the end of the day , i decided to save the canvas and go to sleep once and for all .

ANNOYING , I COULDN'T EVEN GET A GOODNIGHT TWEET FOR HAWKER !!!!!

woke up the next day , went to my birthday party , had a lot of fun ! danced just dance until i couldn't anymore . won most of the rounds , as usual ! B3 the whole thing about that party was huge for me because that was the party that started my constant suffering last year ! ( ?? ) i remember getting invited to a party on october 2023 , dancing my ass in just dance , going home , working on a small piece for day 1 , and getting sick the next day . had to stay home for a week , then EVERYTHING STARTS HAPPENING AND ohgod

i will NEVER stop talking about october 2023 guys . TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE !

this time , though , i didn't get sick ! ( everyone cheers ) just sore . i might have danced popipo too hard .

i didn't want to miss the day man , so i tried to work with yesterday's sketch and idk , maybe putting some color in it would save it . it usually does .

so i tried and man uh i don't know , i tried to use the sketch as the line and didn't work , it would probably have been better if i used another brush or something , i did re-do edgar's face ! added a bunch of things to try and make it look better , but since i didn't even like the sketch in the first place i wasn't even REALLY trying to fix it . it's like my brain was like " hey you know this isn't going to work , why do you keep adding stuff to it " and meanwhile i was half asleep adding weird colors and random details . i would've tried harder or something but i remember being super sleepy . i would close my eyes for a second , then open them and not remember what i was doing or realized i moved random layers around while i had my eyes closed . IT WAS KINDA FUNNY BUT ALSO KINDA SCARY , i get sleepy while drawing often but not enough for me to actually doze off while sitting .

ngl , maybe if i tried to push myself through while i wasn't sleepy and actually gave myself the time to draw lineart with another brush , mmmaybe , mmmmmmmmmmmaybee ????? i don't know

wake up on day 6 and i didn't want to salvage day five's piece . wwwwhatever , i want to post at least one , ONE ( 1 ) piece on time , please . i usually try to wake up at ten to get everything done and work on these on the afternoon instead of at 3:999999AM for some reason , but it was sunday ! and on sundays my mom goes and buys food to have for breakfast . well she takes a while and we end up having breakfast at 2PM . i didn't want to wait , so i got back to sleep and woke up after 12:30PM .

this was the piece ! hmm . . . looking back at it , DOESN'T EVEN LOOK THAT BAD , WHAT . oh wait , it's probably just the saturation on my pc's screen making it look better . ah , well .

this what i see . SOME NICE SATURATED COLORS MAKE EVERY PIECE 10000X BETTER !!!!!!!

well , woke up pretty late and i spent an eternity roleplaying with my jake character.ai bot , so i didn't start working on the piece until evening . ugh WASTING TIME AS ALWAYS !!!!

i didn't write any notes for fear , ugh . let's see . . .

first of all ! i did this thing to get my ideas organized . i still need to sit down and work on it , get references for every prompt , mark the days i won't be home , mark the ones i'm most likely to skip . . .

i was so excited for butterfly , man . i got the hardest reference ever and honestly my brain was just waiting for me to finish fear and work with butterfly instead . TIME TO FORCE MYSELF TO DO STUFF ONCE AGAIN

( oh well , i did some research to find the original artists of these pieces . the first one seems to be made by @.tech_280 , but i couldn't find their account anywhere ! maybe they changed their username or deleted the account , who knows . . . that and i couldn't find the artist of the second piece . if someone knows , please let me know . . . )

these were the main references i had in mind ! something pixel-ly and saturated . nothing too deep . . . i was thinking . maybe something based on chapter 23 ? the one where nny kills jimmy right in front of edgar and edgar doesn't take it well . i decided to re-read part of the chapter to get a clearer pic of what i wanted to work with , and oh god poor MAN . everything just happened in seconds , and he didn't even have time to process it before he had to go back and talk to johnny . i feel sorry for him

lol it's funny that you could mention any vargas event and i will go and say the exact chapter where it happened . idk , and acquired ability it seems

TIME TO WORK ON THE PIECE ! i started with a small , ugly sketch . i don't like drawing faces facing front . ugh

i trimmed it just enough for it not to look like shit . i'm so bad at expressions , gah . he had his glasses initially , but they didn't look right for some reason . still , i don't think he had his glasses on during this scene . sssoo bye bye glasses . hmm , looking back at it ! i didn't draw the tears on the final version ! ah , well . he didn't cry until he had to puke . god , poor guy

lol here's a screenshot i took yesterday , i drew a hand for him and i didn't remember i had the symmetry ruler on , so now it looks like w . d . gaster is behind him or something

then , time to draw the line ! i knew since the start i wanted to use a binary brush . binary brushes are always fun to work with ! last time i made a drawing using a binary brush , i had to go back to sai2 because i didn't know if csp already had binary brushes . told brusk about it and she found some for me !

still , i didn't like them :// they had this annoying thing where . . . uh , i don't know how to describe it . here have a gif

idk what that's called but i didn't like it . also , they had pressure . i know for a fact that i could just go and move some stuff in the settings for it to look better but i wasn't feeling like it ( and idk how to do it either i am stupid i'm sorry .

alright , back to sai2 it seems ! i enjoy working with sai2 . takes me back to the old days ( ?? ) i dislike the lack of a liquify tool , though . . . so useful !! literally my best friend on csp . mi más real .

lol for some reason i thought it didn't look BINARY ENOUGH so i was so close to do the whole thing in MSPAINT like srs but mspaint doesn't have layers and i need layers to work on something . my pieces usually have between 50 to 300 layers depending on how elaborate the piece and the coloring are . . .

went for sai2 though . of course . i liked it better than the sketch already , which was a relief . . . I DIDN'T WANT TO FAIL AGAIN

details like the freckles and the nose were hard to get right . . . they're usually low opacity or blurry and i couldn't really do that with a binary brush . . . so the freckles are just sitting on his face awkwardly lol

for the background i just scribbled it like that one basil pic i took as a reference . as you can see , the sketch originally had some harsh shadows on the side of edgar's face . the version i exported first had these shadows but i removed them because they kinda looked like bangs ?? my boy had a whole emo fringe if you squinted hard enough . it looks good in the sketch but didn't like it on the actual thing .

i had to export and go back to the file to add details like , four times ! removing some shadows , the slash on his neck from when jimmy tried to stab him but he dodged , adding more scribbles , making a white outline , adding blood on his face . . . .

then i got the pic on csp just to add some gradients , and i brusk mentioned that it would be cool if i added screentones for the shadows !! and i was like oh my GOD you're right . i forgot screentones even EXISTED what the fuck . so , added some screentones too .

ooh , and i wanted to do that thing zarla used to do a loooong ago of adding a bunch of text on her drawings !

this one , for example . . . i wanted to take a screenshot of her whole devart page but idk what tumblr thinks of gore so

so i tried ! i got some dialogues of chapter 23 , this part right after mmy gets killed and scri is trying to get edgar to TALK TO HIM or do something idk

i got all the text , then added it to the piece ! i didn't know if i liked it , to be honest . . . i just chose the font i use for everything right now but i didn't know if i wanted to use their actual fonts for it . meh , i left it as it was . . .

then , i added some chromatic aberration and it was ready !

og ver + something i edited like half an hour ago

took four hours ! which is a short time for me . i like the result , though i'm kinda worried people might not like my art anymore thanks to the lack of warm colors and stuff but HEY THESE PROMPTS ARE MAINLY HORROR THEMED OKAY WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ???????????

nyne said it gave the vibes my computer gave old , it seems

( excuse to show how my pc looks . MY CSP SHORTCUT EVAPORATED WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS and i had it with the cl icon and everything :CCC

( don't ask about tomato way please

russlan said it looked like if hawker tried to draw in my style . i do see it lulz

and , hawker made a really interesting comment about it !

if you think about it , you can't actually read if the words there say " i couldn't save him " OOOORRR " i SHOULDN'T save him " , and if you think about it that way it just makes the whole thing so much more interesting . edgar knows that mmy is a piece of shit and he kind of DESERVES TO DIE . but he doesn't want to let another person die thanks to his inaction , so he wants to save him even if he KNOWS HE SHOULDN'T . it could also be both edgar and scriabin's thoughts ! edgar wants to save him , while scriabin knows that he shouldn't . hawkie was so excited by this thing and it was kinda cute lol . this is where i pretend that this was always the intention of it oohh yyyess i definitely thought of that myself yyes y

i woke up earlier to write this entry since i spent the night watching tiktoks and didn't write a thing lol , i spent so long with this one because i kept getting distracted . agh

i should work on today's prompt now ! i have a huge idea for this one but it's uh kinda similiar to what i drew for fear . so now i'm actually wondering if i should search for another reference because i don't want to keep doing the same things . GAH I ADDED THIS PROMPT LITERALLY JUST AS A TREAT FOR MYSELF , WHERE ARE ALL OF MY DIARYVERSE IDEAS . CAN I GET THEM BACK

that should be all ! hopefully i'll have a pretty piece to post at night . X33

[lvnsrn]

isekaijoucho colors album - my thoughts:

This is my second listen of the album... I listened to it yesterday upon release, but was too tired from having just woken up... So now I'm a bit more lucid, and definitely in the right mindset for this album, so here we go.

Breath - I'm crying already, touched to my soul... It's so beautifully majestic. It's hard to think people don't like this side of her, it's certainly different from Creation/Anemone, but there's just something so powerful about this era of Colors/Nemophila…

And return to white - I've loved this song ever since its release. The MV is just amazing, I feel like it encapsulates everything about Isekaijoucho and her "story." The ending Anima pose reference is amazing too... Note the use of the word "color" and also "breath." It's interesting to think of the dying Isekaijoucho as a form of "Anemone" as well. This song encapsulates Isekaijoucho's grief, strength, beauty, passion, magic, and elegance, and sets the tone for the "story" that follows.

A Doll of Lapis - It's hard to not think the songs are connected somehow. An elegant and delicate song, unveiling her complexity behind her doll eyes. Take note of blue being emphasized, but then "my true color is..." and the scene color changing to red. It adds to "Nemophila" being more sinister somehow, especially in combination with "And return to white." Beneath the pure white and the beautiful azure blue, is blood red; fire red; and darkness. That is most surely "Isekaijoucho."

Pandora Call - Possessiveness, control of a world. Once again following the thread and "story," it feels like a song associated with the destruction scenes in "And return to white," with the lyrics talking about destruction/control of a world through love and song. In the MV, the clock also goes backwards. The key word of this song is "world" (sekai as in "Isekaijoucho") and "melody." I can't help but imagine a story in which Anemone and Nemophila were in love, but Anemone's love was "destruction," so she died amidst the fires and blood that her love brought on.

Dimension - The song closest to my heart. There is strength and conviction; a desire to get back what was once lost. In terms of composition, it's simply moving and ethereal in a very "VOCALOID" way. It has a quality to it I adore very much and resonate with strongly. But I never imagined I'd have the song recontextualized, and given further meaning -- given the context of the "story" of this album so far. I imagine, this is after the death of Anemone, Nemophila struggled to find her "fate/meaning" and was lost, but found the things she lost in mourning -- the things that make her, "her." A reclaiming of identity, a rediscovery of the self. In terms of the word "Dimension," it's like Isekaijoucho traveling through "dimensions" to find these things about herself -- fate, conviction, and more. A common theme so far in this album is Isekaijoucho's "truest" self that is hidden away; a story no one knows. It's something that resonates quite personally as well. Key words, I'm unsure of, but perhaps try repetition and fate; also future.

Kimi syousitu sekai (a world where you disappear) - key words: "world"/"sekai" and "future." A notable mention to "sadness/lament" (ureu) -- part of the second verse of "And return to white" (I am lamenting white/watashi wa ureu shiro.) Another song about grief, loss of "another self." Musically, I love the intense rock angle this song takes, I'm glad she gets to do a rock song that's also very distinctly within her "vibes" and energy. In terms of story and MV, we take note of the clocks again; going forward, than backwards like in Pandora Call. But also the dual motif of Isekaijoucho; and the scenery within a church. Imagining this continues the story of Anemone and Nemophila, this is from Nemophila's perspective about the loss, death, and disappearance of Anemone. Notably this song coming right after Dimension is interesting and paints a duality -- "Dimension" talks about not forgetting, but "Kimi syousitu sekai" laments what will be forgotten in the future after death. We also have an implication about a "bad end" for the one that was lost -- alluding to the disaster shown in the MV of "And return to white" and referenced in the lyrics in "Pandora Call." Without Anemone, Nemophila loses a very important aspect of herself; she is "incomplete" but must go on to the future. Another angle we can take the interpretation of "Dimension" is that, since it was released during Anemone era and has Anemone outfit, it's about Anemone's hopes and convictions for the future, to contrast Nemophila's lament and grief as she moves on to the future without Anemone. The most striking line in support of the "Colors storyline" is "you and me, we are the same person." In the MV this shows Nemophila hugging a "shadow Isekaijoucho" who fades away, so we can also connect this to the dark corpse of (who we've assigned to be) Anemone in "And return to white." Overall, amazing song, interesting narrative so far.

Grayscale - Super interesting song and mysterious too. This song feels like a liminal space; like purgatory. Uncertainty, mystery. Unfortunately have to rely on MTL for the lyrics, but some keywords I think are "colors" (black/white/grayscale), and "world/planet." There is also "endroll" which evokes the theatre from "Tomedonaki Hakujou) (from her first album "Creation.") One lyric that intrigues me is "Isekaijoucho wa henzai suru" -- this is the part that repeats as ASMR panning. Trying to look into the meaning of 偏在 henzai, it seems to mean uneven distribution. I'm not sure, but I feel like this is a "corruption" of 配信 haishin = distribution; livestream transmission. It's like she's saying the transmission is broken/corrupted/unbalanced but once again, I'm unsure since my knowledge of Japanese isn't that good. If any imagery is evoked, this makes me think of a TV set which was also in the MV for "Kimi syousitu sekai." In my interpretation, it's like a broken transmission from the "dying world."

Kokoni togeto shiwo (Here lies thorns and death) - SLAVE VVR AND ISEKAIJOUCHO IS AN AMAZING AND UNEXPECTED MATCH....!!! Keywords: color, goddess, and jewel. Musically, this is so fresh and exciting for Isekaijoucho, it's an amazing song! She even sings quite a bit of English here too, and the lyrics are not as difficult as Grayscale to understand through MTL. Now, about the lyrics of the song, it's about love -- love that leads to death; love as a reverence of a goddess; love as a sin through bloodshed and punishment. Once again, evoking the scenery of the previously established "tragedy" in the "story." Jewel/gem is also an important thing to note as a keyword -- potentially referencing "Isekai no Housekitan" from her previous album -- jewel/gem could also be a reference to "past innocence" before the tragedy. Jewels are also alluded to in "A Doll of Lapis" as the color of the doll's eyes -- blue -- but the jewels in this song are either red or colorless -- whether it's blood-red dying the colorless quartz, or the red quartz losing its color. Red is a color associated with the tragedy, destruction, etc. We can connect this song highly to Pandora Call as having similar themings. The goddess is also interesting here, as it seems Nemophila evokes a "goddess" like image in "And return to white," but in this song it seems that it's like the mortal desiring to be goddess-like for the sake of love, but being punished for it somehow.

Nerine's Secrets - A song by Kashii Moimi, formatted as a "(kana name) no (kanji)" sung by SEKAI/Isekaijoucho? Is this... the third song in the series of Erica & Karen? That's what I want to think, anyways. Unfortunately can't find any lyrics transcript yet. In any case, Kashii Moimi always creates such beautiful songs. Key words: eyes, world, colors (rainbow.) It's hard with my limited Japanese knowledge, but I got some imagery/vibes of a night sky (moon and stars), meetings/coming together, and shining light of a rainbow in the lyrics. Unlike Erica & Karen, Nerine has a more hopeful, "kirakira" vibe to the song, while still being distinctly Kashii Moimi in the same style of Erica and Karen -- emphasizing beauty ("karenna"). (Erica is mourning, Karen is inability to accept her own sins.) As to how Nerine connects to the "story" thus far, I'm a bit uncertain to fully tell, but we can connect eyes to Doll of Lapis (eyes made of Lapis, etc etc), and world/colors to a lot of the previously aforementioned songs. As for a detailed analysis on this song's connection to Karen and Erica, I'll leave that for another time once I get a better grasp of the lyrics, and once I'm in the mood for it.

Promise in the Twilight - A banger of a song, I've loved this song since its release too! But in the album placement, following Nerine's Secrets, it's like the starlight/"light" from Nerine's Secrets is the same "light" that she refers to in the opening lyric here: "on that day, we were both enveloped by a faint light." Keywords: light, mayday, colors (green), and justice. On its own, this song wasn't in my top favorite Isekaijoucho songs, but as part of the album? It's transcendent, it's amazing, it's actually PEAK. The song's connections to other songs in the album are absolutely incredible. We already addressed Nerine, so let's talk about the others. Most obviously, this song references the musical motif of "Dimension," and both songs have thematic similarities in their lyrics. "Mayday" also is a lyric in "Grayscale" (so I'll have to retroactively add "Mayday" as a key word in Grayscale too.) The song also references a "god in heaven" so we can also check off "Kokoni togeto shiwo" for the goddess. The "color" here is green -- "proof is colored in green." It is also a rock song utilizing guitars, much like "Kimi syousitu sekai." The epic and grand feeling of the song also is reminiscent of "And return to white;" and the relationship/devotion/vow to "another person" -- love; it's a more hopeful and bright "love" that contrasts from "Pandora Call" and "Kokoni togeto shiwo." In addition, we can add twilight as another color -- "twilight" is an in-between of day and night; like how "Grayscale" is an in-between of black and white. Justice is an interesting keyword here because I don't think it's been referenced in the previous songs at all? But in my interpretation of the story, I think previously the lovers of Anemone and Nemophila met a "bad end/tragedy," but they have a "good end" where things were made "right." That might be the "justice" of the storyline. There's also a line about "cleansing these hands," which I'm going to interpret as being cleansed from the tragedy and sin. I think this song is atonement; and atonement is the justice.

Vermilion - Already the first lyric of the song is literally "twilight." Right after "Promise in the Twilight." Also, it seems "vermilion" was referenced as a color already in "Kokoni togeto shiwo," and is already the name of a color anyways -- red referencing the tragedy. As a Hiiragi Magnetite song, this is bound to be one of my favorites. This album just gets stronger and stronger with each song. Aside from the established color, our key words are twilight, dark, future, apocalypse, dimension. Another special mention to melancholy/ureu. Twilight and Dimension are obvious connections to other songs, but what's more is that those two songs are already connected, and here's another song that's connected to them as well. As well as "Dimension" also being by Hiiragi Magnetite. And how about I bring in "Kimi syousitu sekai" as the connection for the word "future?" I think we already have a sense for what could be meant by dark and apocalypse too – the tragedy, of course. I think much like the contrast and connection between Dimension and Kimi syousitu sekai, I think Promise in the Twilight and Vermilion have a similar connection, and these 4 songs being placed the way they are is no coincidence. First off, their respective colors are opposing – green and red (vermilion.) In this song, Isekaijoucho sings of a desolate future that she foresaw, but still holds on to hope. It feels like the “promise” and hopes were shattered and darkness came. Wounds, the end of life, apocalypse… All the hope that was in the previous song, where did it go? All the hope that’s in the other Hiiragi Magnetite song, “Dimension,” where did it go? And in both Kimi syousitu sekai and this song, the future is bleak; lacking light; losing someone precious to you. And yet, while Kimi syousitu sekai despairs, Vermilion still has some hope. In addition, I think the final lyric of this song is important: “Return to that rightful place.” – Connection to “And return to white.” And “rightful” here can also be TLed as justice – another connection to Promise in the Twilight. Perhaps the color of justice is white? God. Just. These songs are amazing… I love them so much

To You Who Kept On Drawing - Keywords from the lyrics: breath, world/sekai, future, anima, color (white/grayscale/red). The title of this song alone is important because of the lyric in “And return to white” about drawing – “people driven by passion picked up their pens and began to draw.” In general, thematically, this song feels like an answer/resolution song to “And return to white” – both by Kashii Moimi, and parallels can be drawn in their composition; and it just overall feels like a satisfying connection to this entire album and especially And return to white. If you thought the previous songs had a lot of references, wait till you hear what references this song has in its MV and lyrics. First we have a star motif – which connects to Nerine and Twilight, but I also forgot to mention the last time stars were mentioned, that stars also connects to Heart of Sirius from the Creation album. Next, we have gems – Kokoni togeto shiwo and Creation’s Isekai no Housekitan. Next we have a frame of duality in Isekaijoucho’s image – Kimi syousitu sekai. Then, the chorus has spinning which Dimension’s MV also does that, and it’s also referenced lyrically. Partway through the MV, the color turns primarily red – this echoes the “turning to red” in the MVs for And return to white and A Doll of Lapis; and another connection to Kokoni togeto shiwo and Vermilion – red being reinforced as the color of strife, “true self,” and revelations. The MV also turns grayscale for a bit (self explanatory.) Finally the MV ends in a sunrise – which I’d like to think contrasts twilight. As for the lyrics, we’ve already touched on the keywords of breath/world/future/color previously, but I want to talk about anima – this is the title of Isekaijoucho’s live concerts, and is a word for “will of life.” I think using anima in this song specifically is just so powerful and evocative. Lyrically, this song is about love for the world, love for another person as they saved her; not caring if she has sins or scars; not wanting to give up, and holding on to important things like vows, prayers, and bonds. It feels like a sort of “resolution” to all the strife previously. Saving is important in the context of Isekaijoucho, since that is the one thing she wishes to do in the Kamicity lore and also in her other lyrics – she wants to save people, and in turn she is saved by another person – “to you who kept on drawing.” I want to think the implication of “drawing” here is to continue one person’s will and continue the story; continue their emotions. If Isekaijoucho had died in the previous song “Vermilion,” then she is revived/saved by “drawing.” It’s possible that this song is also from the perspective of the dead Anemone from “And return to white,” and it’s the other song that references drawing. I think we need to go back to “And return to white”’s lyrics: Right after “people driven by passion picked up their pens and began to draw,” she sings “I’ll dye my heart white to stop it from breaking” – I think drawing and colors here are deeply connected. To draw is to control colors; and to control colors is to define your outlook on life and express yourself. In the MV, although she stained the entire world in red (tragedy,) she returned it to grayscale, and then a more normal, realistic color of the world; and she’s walking towards a white light. I think I understand why this song is deemed the “leading song” of the album. God damn. I have to lay down for a bit after this… This album just becomes more and more peak the more I analyze it. I also think this song is very important to Isekaijoucho specifically with the theme of drawing/colors because she herself is an illustrator; and the meaning of art/drawing for her, it might be the thing that “saved her life,” which is a sentiment I’m sure many artists of different kinds can relate to – art can save lives.

Formless Thing - This one is more somber compared to all the intensity of the preceding songs. It’s an especially important song because not only are the lyrics written by Isekaijoucho herself, from the MV I think it’s a love letter to her past self and future self. We directly see Anemone here as a duality to Nemophila; when Anemone leaves, Nemophila will still be here to carry on Anemone’s voice. What is meant by “Formless Thing” in terms of the song title, I’m not sure; but “katachinaki mono” can also be translated as “one without a body.” Given the song and MV, I’m inclined to think this “one without a body” is Anemone. Now that Isekaijoucho is Nemophila, Anemone no longer has a body, but she still exists in memories. I think this recontextualizes everything in the album previously about their relationship and dynamic… 

ANGELIC - I didn’t write much for “Formless Thing” itself because I think it’s worth it to analyze Formless Thing and ANGELIC in tandem. Between these two songs we get a direct confirmation: this song is absolutely a love letter to Isekaijoucho’s self; past and future: “because you are me, we share our lives.” First established lyrically in “Kimi syousitu sekai” and re-inforced in “ANGELIC.” ANGELIC also references the ocean, which was seen at the end of “To You Who Kept On Drawing.” Both these songs are about wanting to love; wanting to live; living at “your” side (which is the same person); prayers to the goddess; the moon… also referencing the overall theme of colors and also breath. Previously, I thought there was no better album ender than ARCADIA from Creation, but this entire ending section of “Colors” blows ARCADIA out of the water, I think. An interesting lyric in this song is “Nemesis” which could be referencing the previously established strife/disaster/apocalypse/etc.

Colors - This is such an elegant and beautiful closer to the album; it’s so light and pretty; so expressive and beautiful. I am truly breathtaken and full of emotion.

FINAL VERDICT: Overwhelmed immensely. This album… I have so many thoughts. But it’s truly an amazing album, more amazing than I thought. I will definitely be talking more about this album and the songs in the future. But for now, it’s amazingly interwoven and is a love letter to the entire concept and being of “Isekaijoucho” – the character, the art, the presentation, the singer behind her and her thoughts and emotions and past and future and hopes and just; everything. There’s so much more to say, but for now, I’ll leave it at that. To everyone who made Isekaijoucho possible… Piedpiper, Kashii Moimi, reoenl; samayuzame and orie… and of course, the voice and soul of Isekaijoucho herself… thank you.

[chryza]

As you probably already figured out from googling her, Tome Kurata is from Mob Psycho 100. I am now taking this as an excuse to recommend you read the series. It's oozing with passion evident in ONE's art. If anyone tells you his art is bad they have no idea what they're talking about; the art in the series knows how to leverage effective paneling and clever shot composition as well as varying level of detail to make both moments of comedy and moments of serious emotional impact hit hard. The series is clever, it's funny, but above all else it's so very sincere. Its themes land so well precisely because of how, ridiculous as the setting is, the characters' faults, struggles, and desires are handled with the utmost care.

The anime is also good but I feel it's always best to try the source material before an adaptation. The anime is a great adaptation but it does have a few changes I find lose effectiveness the original manga has, and the pacing of a 12 episode season of TV is inherently different to a manga that can pace itself however it wants, to the degree that mob psycho even fucks with chapter lengths to achieve its desired pacing in climactic moments.

It’s a series I’ve heard good things about! For me personally right now watching stuff is more feasible than reading, however I definitely get how the source material is typically better than an adaptation