#i've actually finally gotten to a point with my art where i feel really happy with it and proud of it

[dungeonsandblorbos]

for my birthday in . . . [checks watch] . . . less than two weeks, i think i'm gonna actually finally post some of the art i've been obsessing over (and neglecting my tumblr in favor of) for the past few months but y'all have to be nice and hype me up so i don't chicken out okay?

okay thank you

anyway here's a little preview:

[adyophene]

lucifer x husk is something i never knew i needed and as a multishipper im screaming

literally. king of hell x some alcoholic furry guy

i love them i need to know how they wouldve met, fallen for each other and started dating. and how much thatd piss alastor off

Ooh I am so happy other people are enjoying this pair as much as I am! I've gotten a few asks about my headcanons for them, and I am happy to blab on and on. Fair warning. This is gunna be a long and rambling essay.

I'm gunna put it all under a readmore, just cause I want to insert the art I've done of them so far, since I've been half-heartedly trying to tell a visual story through the doodles.

Okay. On we go!

How they met;

We did see them technically meet in the show, where they shared their singular canon piece of dialogue, which was just Husk saying 'hey'. And then in the finale where we see a literal split second moment of Lucifer holding Husk's arm.

(also seeing the sweet looks huskerdust is giving each other here just makes me feel so delulu for writing this all, but crackships are silly by definition, so lets get back to the lucihusk) For me, what I imagined, is after the Hotel is finished its rebuilding, that is when Husk and Lucifer finally actually meet in a proper manner. I think Lucifer would be trying to make a good impression on all Charlie's friends at this point, endeared to all of them from their actions during the finale. Unfortunately, I think he is also the King of Bad First Impressions.

[Note. I think at this point Lucifer wouldn't even remember Husk's name quite yet. I think he would call him 'Keekee' ( by accident) or 'Dusk' (confidently incorrect) or just be like "Hey!.... Uh... You?" until Charlie or Vaggie finally corrected him. ]

Husk, on the other hand, I feel like maybe wouldn't gel with Lucifer right away. Wouldn't hate him, but also maybe not be enamored with him right away. Same as Lucifer, maybe he would have sweetened on him a bit through the hotel's rebuilding, but I think they'd start out at very neutral feelings. Maybe a vague sense of 'He's okay, but I don't know if we will really get along.'

Despite this, Lucifer is persistent, and he's going to be everyone's (except maybe Al, unless they start getting along by s2) buddy. He'd start hanging around the bar and participate in the redemption exercises.

Now, we know Lucifer struggles with depression, and I think he would be trying real hard to mask anything going on during this time. They defeated Adam! They rebuilt the Hotel! He believes in Charlie's dream, and he's more involved with her life and other people than he has been for years.

His only issue being Husk sees right through it, both because Husk is perceptive, but also because even the King of Hell can't help but have a lonely night or two at the bar where he ends up venting about his divorce and subsequent lingering loneliness.

[snapcube ref aside, )I really do think Husk would start to feel more positively toward Lucifer after Luci would drop the act somewhat. That they could bond over feeling both at their lowest of lows, while also being to admit that things seem to be getting better!

This would be about the point that I imagine Lucifer developing more romantic feelings! Husk would be a bit less prickly, and Luci would just absolutely eat up any and all positive interactions they'd have. I like to picture a lot of little shows of care at the this point, like Husk memorizing what Lucifer likes and even making up 'fun' drinks just to try and cheer the guy up. And Lucifer would fun a fun game in trying to get the grumpy cat to smile, and just, lighting up himself any time he was successful.

And that culminating into the two of them making each other laugh, with Alastor being an easy butt of the jokes, and a good way for Husk, himself, to finally get a chance to vent. I think Lucifer would be one of the only 'safe' options for Husk to do that with, in just so far as Al can't really threaten Lucifer, and Lucifer already sees Al as a bit of a manipulative bastard.

Falling for each other; At this point, Lucifer would start being a bit more caring toward Husk, though with that wonderful, oblivious flair of his. I don't think Lucifer himself would realize he'd have a crush up until he'd start feeling protective or jealous over Husk, and it would really throw him for a loop at first.

Because fake dating is one of my all-time favorite tropes, I have always had a idea for a fanfic (or comic) that I haven't gotten around to yet, based around Lilith coming back, and Lucifer panickily asking Husk to pretend to be his boyfriend, so he can appear well adjusted/completely over her. Of course the whole thing would backfire, as Lilith would see through it (as Lucifer wouldn't be as good of an actor as he'd think), and that Husk would end up kind of feeling hurt by the whole thing.

Husk, who'd go along with the plot with an eyeroll, would find himself seizing up through the whole fake date/encounter. Would find weird, sudden emotions bubbling up and absolutely hating it.

I don't think that man would think about the class difference between him and Lucifer up until someone would say something about it, maybe Lucifer himself trying to rationalize the (at this time still fake) relationship to Lilith. Now, Husk feels uneasy about the whole thing and ends up drinking heavily the whole night so he doesn't have to think about feelings. (Blitz and Stolas who? Ahaha. fuck.) Meanwhile, while the date would be fake, I think Lucifer would really rather like having Husk on his arm and feeling like he'd have a love-life again, while also not really getting why Husk's mood would be getting worse throughout the night. I think they'd still end up on good terms, but both of them would have their feelings in a jumble, and Husk would not like it. (he thinks he's lost the ability to love, after all)

I think somewhere at this point, as they are starting to develop feelings for one another, is when Lucifer finally starts really realizing how tied to Alastor Husk is, and he starts to make it everyone's problem. I do think Al and Lucifer would stay snarky at each other this whole time, but that it'd only get worse, as Al would poke back since he'd find Lu's over reactions funny.

I also think Al would be maybe the last person to realize anything romantic would be brewing between Lucifer and Husk, and he'd just think it'd be a purely platonic thing.

Beyond just bitching about Alastor, Lucifer would really be ramping up his attention towards Husk too. Fully in that 'puppylove/crush' stage, and trying his darndest to make Husk feel good and special. Husk would be resistant to it all, thinking it would just be Lucifer rebounding hard, and not wanting to get wrapped up in Morningstar family drama when he could happily (miserably) keep his head down and just keep drinking the days away.

But then Lucifer would find out about Husk's love of stage magic, and his history as a performer, and it'd be all over for the catman. It would become Luci's new pet project to rope Husk into some joyful self-expression, and after a song and dance number's worth of convincing, Husk would start to come around. I have to post all these images now cause- I drew them with the intention of mimicking a musical number! Husk starting off as a bit resistant before jumping in whole heartedly, and Lucifer overexcitedly dragging him along throughout the music number, hyping him up and just all around being smitten.

And this is where Husk would start really falling. Getting swept up in indulging his favorite, least destructive hobby, and having someone who absolutely loves it to bond with. Especially when it would be over. When they would just settle down and talk, and laugh, and bond over what they love about performing. The spectacle, the audience, the love of the craft. Its about the comradery!!!

@belladonazeppole wrote a wonderful series of fanfics based off these pictures, as well as the songs from 'The Greatest Showman' that really fit the ship! I would be remiss to not mention them here, because Bella and their fics are just wonderful!

How they started dating;

Now. Don't think just cause they both caught feelings for each other, that they'd immediately admit to it. No. I think both of them would drag their heels. I don't think Husk would admit to them at all, without some outside force effecting it. I think he'd stubbornly try to ignore the crush or drink it away, rather than let his heart become vulnerable to anymore damage.

Meanwhile, Lucifer would be struggling between his feelings for Husk and Lilith. (In the actual canon, I do think they might try to rekindle things, depending on what kind of person Lilith turns out to be, but I digress.) Part of him would be so swept up in a giddy kind of excitement, while the other would be set firmly in the camp of 'this is a bad idea, this won't work out, just look at what happened to your last relationship'. It wouldn't stop him from being outwardly more and more affectionate, but it would be weighing on him.

I do think Lucifer would end up being the one who would be thinking; "What am I doing. He'd never like me back." While Husk would be just sitting there (echoing what was said in the ask- sorry I went all wild and wrote this much about the ship dear god)- "I'm just some fucking furry alcoholic, what the fuck would the king of hell see in me??? Am I delusional? What the fuck is going on??" And I feel like this stage would go on for MONTHS and drive everyone else nuts. It would be clear to everyone (except Alastor, who again, would be just this meme

Though that wouldn't stop him from getting a little pissy about it) And then it would all come to a head during something benign, like a board game night. There would be flirting, there would be jealousy, there would be arguing, and then finally, loudly and with a lot of feeling, Lucifer would shout his way through asking Husk out on a date. A real Date. A capital 'D' date out on the town, dressed to the nines and a real good time. The board would be knocked over in the fray, game pieces raining down upon them while Husk would just stare blank faced, trying to process what just happened. An awkward half-minute would pass before he'd finally, trying to play it cool, shrug out a 'sure'.

How much it'd piss Alastor off;

In the aftermath, a radio static would just lowly grate everyone's ears as Alastor would be slowly coming to terms on how just annoying it would be to have his friend (/Unhealthy co-dependent pet friend possession??) romantically involved (ew) with the King of Hell (double ew)??? Then, either it would be something light hearted like 'he keeps trying to break them up but failing cause he hates interacting with romance' or a darker route where 'he keeps trying to manipulate them into breaking up by preying on all their worst insecurities in the relationship'.

And that, my friend, is all I have in mind so far for this delusional crackship au! There is more I could flesh out, of course, like Angel's role as a friend or potential third in the relationship, or what I imagine as Husk becoming like a stepdad to Charlie, but I've typed enough for the whole month. Hope any of that was coherent! I did not bother to edit or proof read it. Just pure stream of consciousness.

[hypersomniagame]

HYPERSOMNIA JANUARY DEV LOG : "LOG 1, WOOHOO!"

Hi! For all of you who follow HYPERSOMNIA, or are just stopping by, let me introduce you to this post to really set the tone.

For 2024, I am going to try to release a dev log about HYPERSOMNIA once a month, may come earlier, may come a little late, but I'm doing this to help give insight on to how the game is going, and to give me motivation to work on the game.

First things first, big news!

HYPERSOMNIA IS NOW AVAILABLE TO WISHLIST ON STEAM! (LINK)

After a while of back and forwarding with Valve, I've finally got a Steam page to call my own, and MAN is it bizarre seeing my weird little RPG in my Steam library. Like, that's my logo, and my key art, and screenshots of MY game, that's so weird. It doesn't feel real. BUT IT IS!

And, I would really really really really really appreciate it if you would consider wishlisting the game on Steam. It helps with the algorithm, and my happiness because I like seeing numbers go up, it feels good.

I even drew this as a announcement/commemoration for the page going live.

(P.S; if you couldn't tell, I really like Half-Life, it's one of my favorite game series.)

Secondly...

A new trailer is in the works! We were accepted for this year's MOTHER Direct (4th time baby, whoo!)

The trailer has been coming along well, I hope to show more battle oriented clips that I've missed the last few years, like special moves.

Can you believe I've never actually gotten to adding those in the game? I mean, they come set-up in default RPG Maker projects but I've never gotten around to revamping them until now, year 4 of engine work. Isn't that strange?

I also hope to improve on editing in the trailers. Whenever I finish a trailer I come back a few months later to notice minor points where I was kinda sloppy.

I'm not much of a video editor, (I only learned so I could edit trailers on my own) but I'd like to keep them at a good presentable quality. You gotta have standards with that kinda stuff, it's important!

OK, TIME FOR THE ACTUAL GAME STUFF. HERE WE GO.

Abilities are now implemented! And work! Wahoo!

In HYPERSOMNIA, players are able to switch abilities between party members. I find this a really interesting mechanic for how simple it seems, you get to choose who plays what role in your party. I think this is HUGE, and opens up a lot of unique scenarios for the game's encounters. I've had this planned for years, as far back as 2021 if I can recall, so it's super cool seeing it in game.

Mapping is being worked on!

I've also been working on mapping out more areas of the game! The forest part you hopefully saw in the last trailer is almost completely mapped. I've been working on the second part to it and am hoping to finish it sometime soon.

Mapping forests really suck. THOUGH, almost all the maps for the first chapter of the game are done! That's just another step closer to the demo. (Which, FYI, will be on Steam and Itch! ^^)

I've also been working on re-spriting older scenes!

This one's been really fun to do, I've been going back and redoing older stuff from the 2022 trailer, like this train! It's weird seeing it side by side, because you can definitely see where it's come from but at the same time, it looks so different.

(Also side note, these sprites are CRUSTY! EWWW!)

Lastly, Script and Music updates!

The script for HYPERSOMNIA's first act has been completed! with just 37 pages of just cutscene dialog alone! We're also currently working on wrapping up NPC dialog! Not much else to say.

And music is being worked on!

Music has been making some progress! I like to lay out demo's for areas I'm mapping out to help make both the music and scene come together. (Also, to help break up the eerie silence when playtesting...)

Speaking of music, FIREBALL, the games main battle theme, was recently delisted on our YouTube channel.

We did this because we decided we wanted to resample FIREBALL, and found that it's best to not have the song uploaded until a complete, final version is made. At least for the demo, it could possibly change before the final game but that's a bit too far in the future for me to think about fully.

Hey! Thanks for reading the whole dev log! Unless you just skipped to the end, you should probably go back up and read it. there's a steam page now. and some cool ross art at the top. you're missing out!

I hope this was like, readable to you all. I'm new to this whole dev log thing, so if you read it all the way through, let me know! It'd be cool!

I'd like to use this portion to pretty much just advertise Unique Indie RPG's.

Have you ever seen that strange purple square at the beginning of the 2nd and 3rd HYPERSOMNIA trailers?

Yeah, that! That's UNIQUE INDIE RPG's, which is a Discord community for you guessed it, Unique Indie RPG videogames developed by people like me! Or you! Or whoever! Who cares!

I help run it with some of my friends, and we all share cool stuff about our videogames! There's a ton of other SUPER cool RPG Maker games there like Astral Guard [LINK], or SOMEWHEN [LINK], or even MOMOinc [LINK]!

And of course, HYPERSOMNIA. It's a really laid back community, we're all super chill. Come swing by! We'd love to have ya, and SHOW US YOUR GAME!

[LINK TO DISCORD SERVER]

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

STEAM

UNIQUE INDIE RPG'S [SHOW US YOUR GAME!]

[PREV] [ABOUT HYPERSOMNIA] [NEXT]

[thatfreshi]

"Unlucky Draw" (Uni AU p. 15)

There's finally some fluff guys!!!!!!!!!

tw - anxiety, discussion of weed

Since Halsin's little break-up escapade happened, you actually do get the chance to see Astarion later that night. As of recent, he's been throwing himself into his thesis project more and more, to the point where most of your time hanging is spent with him looking through books and asking 'do you think this sounds right?'

"You know you can take a break, right?"

"I could, you're right, but then I'd just be wasting time. And I'm not allotted much time to work on this."

The two of you are comfortably sprawled across his mattress, like teenagers at a sleepover. You roll over and shut his laptop.

"C'mon, you've been staring at that paper for like two hours."

"And what else should I do, my darling Tav? Maybe stare at the ceiling in silence? Or scroll mindlessly on my phone until I don't feel like moving anymore?"

"Ugh, no! I don't know, take a coffee break. You're probably not going to sleep anyways."

Your best friend almost looks peaceful like this, wrapped in a cozy sweater and sweatpants, always wearing long socks because he gets cold too easily. You find yourself lingering on the thought longer than normal, wishing he could feel that comfortable warmth all the time, wondering it might be like to share in it.

"Tav, are you listening? God, maybe we should just stare at the ceiling in silence."

"Sorry, just spacing out. What were you saying?"

"I was saying, how I should probably cut back on the caffeine."

"Really? Astarion Barista Ancunín, are you turning your back on your beloved espresso machine?"

"Look, I'm not happy about it, but I've been far too anxious as of late. My nerves are on fire constantly, jumping at every little noise I hear. It's irritating, to say the least."

"I thought being caffeinated was how you dealt with the insomnia though?"

"Oh it very much is, which will become a problem soon enough, but I just can't be this nervous constantly."

It's something that you've definitely noticed, how quiet and fidgety he's become recently.

"You considered smoking weed? I know Gale says it helps him zen out, especially when it comes to art stuff."

"Nope, makes me paranoid."

"Damn, unlucky draw I guess."

"You're telling me. I smoked one time back in high school, couldn't sleep for hours, kept thinking someone was out to get me or something."

You start to get lost in the peace of the moment again, the fact that you're able to talk about shit that doesn't matter, how the light from the bedside lamp hits his eyes just right...

"Are you alright? You seem, out of it."

"Sorry, just thinking about what Halsin said to me."

"I can't believe he just broke things off like that, without a reason."

You swallow hard.

"He, he said it's because he thinks you like me? And that he doesn't want to get in the way of that?"

There's silence for a moment, that you jump to fill.

"But that's not true right? We're just friends, I don't know where he would've gotten that idea from."

"Right, I don't know either... sounds like you dodged a bullet with him."

"Yeah, probably so."

God, has he always looked like this? Damn Halsin, damn all those things he said, damn Gale for even playing into it. You remind yourself that Astarion's right, that this doesn't need to get any more complicated than it already is, that he has enough on his plate.

"Now, am I allowed to go back to my thesis now? Or do I need to have more mandatory break time?"

You playfully sigh.

"I guess you can do productive things or whatever."

"Well, in that case would you like to come read what I have?"

"I'll look at it, but you have the cool narrator voice, you have to read it to be like a professional author."

He rolls his eyes, and you go to sit next to him, looking at the thousands of words he's typed at this point. Astarion starts to read it out loud, editing tiny things as he goes, forever a little perfectionist. After a while, the voice becomes too soothing, and you fall asleep there next to him, letting your head hit his shoulder.

"Tav?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees you knocked out, clearly exhausted. He doesn't stop reading though, worried if he does that he'll somehow ruin the sleep he's let you stumble into. So he spends the rest of the night rereading out loud and talking to himself, occasionally asking you things that you don't answer. After many hours pass, and the wee hours of the morning arrive, along with the clock turning to say five AM, he puts his laptop aside, and asks you one final question.

"Why do you insist on pulling my heartstrings the way you do?"

And it falls on your sleeping ears, never truly getting through.

[cerealforkart]

Announcements and Updates

I already mentioned this with my anniversary comic this morning (I'm glad people seemed to like "it's back on air"), but Dungeons and Daddies the Manga is a whole year old today and I wanted to talk about a couple things!

For starters, thank you to everyone who's been on this journey with me, from those of you who have been here since lesson 1 to those of you who only just discovered lesson 42 yesterday (you probably don't exist because the tags hated lesson 42). Whether you like or reblog every single lesson, you silently read the updates without ever interacting with them, and even if you fell out of the fandom but you read the manga at some point, I appreciate you all so deeply.

I might be making this a bigger deal than it actually is, but Dungeons and Daddies the Manga is a really special project to me. I'm so proud of my growth and I've put a genuinely crazy amount of time and effort into this. There was a time when I was trying to catch up when this was basically a second job. I would come home from work and draw manga pages until I went to sleep, it was all I did, it probably wasn't healthy tbh. People in the discord know, I've gotten crazy efficient at making these, if I don't have anything else going on, I can pump out 2-3 of these a day when new episodes drop. I've never undertaken a project this big before, I'm more the kind of person with a million abandoned first chapters, so to actually still be keeping up with this is huge for me, so I'm hyping this up a little bit.

If anyone has ever thought, "wow, I would love to support cereal financially! They seem to work very hard and would probably really like some money! I would also love some of cereal's cute art to plaster on my belongings," please keep your eyes open, I'll be dropping stickers in near future (Taylor in the trash can will be one of them)! I meant to have them ready for today, but I've never sold anything online before, and I'm kind of stumbling through the process. I'll try to have them up soon! So keep an eye out in the upcoming weeks.

For those of you who only care about Dungeons and Daddies the Manga, you can stop reading here, thank you so much for enjoying my manga this past year! For anyone interested in some personal updates and projects, please keep reading, I've been working on something I'm finally ready to announce.

I've learned a lot from my work on Dungeons and Daddies the Manga. My art has improved a lot, and it's still improving all the time, and I've really come to love making comics. Which is why maybe it won't be so surprising to learn I've decided to start an original webcomic. This webcomic won't interfere with my work on the manga, no need to worry, but as much as I love the manga, and the DnDads community, there's only so much I feel like I get back from it. I've been pouring so much time, energy, and love into Dungeons and Daddies the Manga over the past year, and I'm so proud of my product, but I want to start putting some of all that into something that's actually mine. I've been through a weird past couple of months where I went through some really bad burnout, looked around my life and realized "oh wow, this ALL sucks! I don't like a single thing I have going on here!" So, I quit my job, moved, and while I've been restructuring my life, I started dusting off some of those old abandoned first chapters I mentioned earlier and getting back into original work.

The webcomic is called The Rotting Things, I've teased it a very little bit here and there. It's about a boy with a power that is slowly but surely killing him and a man said to be unable to die trying to maneuver through a world of magic that hates anyone unlucky enough to be able to wield it.

I'm kind of nervous about starting a webcomic, but I've been waiting to be "good enough" to put something out there for a very long time, and I'm trying to come to terms with the fact I'll never be fully happy with my own work and just diving in. It would mean a lot to me if anyone wanted to give it a chance.

An eight page prologue will be dropping next Friday, September 29th, after which pages will start to drop one at a time every Friday. We'll see how I handle the one update a week schedule, it might go up to two pages a week depending on how confident I feel. Just like the manga was, this will be a learning curve for me, but I'm eager to try it out! Please give it a shot!

[med-ex]

feelin rlly idk HAPPY?? over this franchise as a whole✨

I wasn't even alive for Fallout 1 & 2 - but upon entering the world 3 years after they were released, would grow up hearing its name constantly... never did i think it would take GTA's place as my favourite video game series. Like literally never thought the weird little isometric game talked about by my older cousins would be the one.

I played Fallout 3 at the worst period of my life- it became a pure escape from graduating high school, becoming a severe alcoholic and moving off my mountain into my province's capital city. I was in love with it to the point that when I came home to my family home to visit, I would haul my xbox 360 in my backpack and strap my little tv to my back with a rope- ���that's✨ how addicted I was to it.

It resonated with me in a way no other game series has. No, I obviously didn't grow up in the same standards as the wastes, but could resonate with foraging for food, no clean water & mess, destruction and despair everywhere you turned.

Fast forward a year or so, and I try Fallout: New Vegas. This is where it finally became my favorite series ever. I could list all the reasons, but they're similar to what you'll see all over the net; it's just amazing. I already was all "fuck the government" since I was a child but it made me think- think about the rule of authority, think about perseverance, weigh out what "right" and "wrong" truly means and the blurred line between the two.

By the time I was 21, I tried Fallout 4. It took some getting used to in the terms of its modern graphics, but I really loved how I got to experience conversations that felt like I was actually having them. I loved building the world back up and when I was brave enough to try mods- then shit got real interesting. I was already obsessed with Fallout 3 & NV but we can thank Fallout 4 for getting me into the community as a whole.

I was one of the ones to make fun of FO76- the launch was a huge part of that, but I just didn't understand how it could ever truly fit into the Fallout series. I played it for the first time when I was 2022, and now after 2 years I wholeheartedly regret shitting on it so hard. There are so many cool quests/stories and though some of them are silly seeing as it's online-based and they need to cater to that and though it's a bit strange at first, it feels so cool to be around other players adventuring the wastes + actually having to persist to build your own base, feed yourself and survive- as console commands don't exist in the same realm they used to with the earlier titles.

Now, we arrive at the airing of the first Fallout television show. I seriously thought it was gonna be shit- I just couldn't imagine them being able to do a good job but as we can see, here we are. The show is amazing and I didn't even know it was something I wanted so badly. The only real-life renditions of Fallout I've seen is that one live action trailer for 76 + cosplay- so seeing it in film, is seriously so fucking cool.

Idk guess im just gettin a little ✨sentimental✨ towards a series that has given me so many lessons, so much ability to cope with my own shit + gotten me into such a fun community filled with funny jokes, amazing art, discussions and rich lore that maybe one day could leave the video game + TV screen and become even a book.

Ty to the crew of original artists who started this back in the 90s, and thank you to the crew of artists at Bethesda in this current century who kept this game going💖

[reshiram]

You mentioned that Seofon means a lot to you and I just felt the need to say that, yeah, same

I used to be a pretty casual Granblue player who was mostly around for Belial and about a year ago I developed a strange fascination with Seofon, to a point that I got a bunch of my friends into him as well (including Shades, it's my fault). I was apprehensive about recruiting an Eternal, so I got Seofon from the freebie I got after Seeds of Redemption in early February

...I then recruited the other nine Eternals over the course of the next seven months

Just yesterday I transcended Seofon for the third time

Which meant clawing my way to victory against Ewiyar in a grueling solo battle, but I pushed through. For. For him

I used to be so casual and I've been getting nonstop Platinum every month since March. I've gotten so much stronger, especially in Wind. Can you guess why? It's all his fault

First perpetuity ring and everything

I used the free revans weapon we got from the anni event to get a Sette di Spade because I can't do revans raids yet and I've been using it ever since too -

He just gives me a lot of feelings

The friend group keeps making jokes that ever since he noticed my interest, we've been getting a lot of content for him as well, Heart of the Sun and Last Sumo Warrior and Relink and the Grandcypher Kitchen and his art for the orchestra concert and who knows what else

I also had to grind like crazy in Relink to unlock him immediately when I hadn't unlocked Proud quests yet so I spent hours farming Ahrimans, so I'm used to suffering for him at least

I just wanted to get that off my chest as I am the resident Most Normal Seofon Anon

Anyway, he's pretty great I guess (understatement of the century)

OH. YOU... So you're finally in my inbox hmm?~ heheh... yes i have seen you around, what a lovely pleasure it is to answer an ask from the fabled Most Normal Seofon Anon...

anyway... this is a beautiful story. like actually... seofon really is contagious 97% of the time... i really understand where you're coming from, because most of my seofon insanity is posted on Other Sites and such, which means Tumblr is Spared from half the things i say... but it made me... really happy? to see that people found out who seofon is because of me on those sites! like i ran a poll on twitter and a huge chunk of people said they found out about him because of me... so you anon, are my kindred, truly. i get you. you get me. 🌟

like people even call me an authority on him and send me posts with him and it makes me go Woah. I've had an impact on the people. they see this freak and think of me... let's spread the illness together...

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME, LET ME JUST. SAY. GOOD JOB WITH ALL OF THAT!!!!! CONGRATS ON STAGE 3 TRANSCENDENCE!!! YAY!!!!!! 💓 let's work on stages 4 + 5 together... ^__^ i'll think of you from now on when i work on 5*'ing the other eternals~

i get going crazy over him and doing crazy grinds over him. i actually logged my progress on his first stage last year, where you can see i went pretty insane in a short period of time. 😳 unfortunately due to my health i have this tendency of going Wild for a bit and then taking breaks. but hey. if it works...? (do not get me started on the evoker grind pre-rank 200. i fought 1300 six dragon raids in three days to get 3 sands... >_< but that's offtopic so---)

i'm over rank 200, so i get to visit seofon whenever i want (i also have my siero academy permanently stuck on the v2 battle with seofon)

BUT YEAAAAAAH THANKS FOR DROPPING BY SEOFON ANON!!!!! feel free to keep me updated on how you're doing~ maybe to inspire you i'll drop a silly picture of my seofon mochi kororin in a Situation next time you're in my inbox. for now i'll leave you with this video. which i think will really resonate with you.

lore about this video is that i just got out of the ER and just felt the need to make it. the hospital drugs told me to.

[accultant]

Ormor is not at camp when Iago returns for the evening. A note pinned to their tent flap with a silver needle waves sadly in the damp air. The artful handwriting shimmers in the fire light like fresh fallen snow, and it is apparent who has left the note before it is read.

“Dearest Iago,

You have a good brother. He cares very deeply for you and your safety. While discussing matters with him this afternoon, it was decided that the safest place for you was far from me. I hope you will not hold a grudge against him for it. Perhaps he is right. There is little place for one such as I in the world below. I have set out for my companion’s grave. When I have paid my respects, I will return to the mountain. Please keep each other close. You will have need of each other for your coming trials.

Ever yours,

Hvítrbroddhálsormor

PS: I was happy to have had you in my life, though it was for briefest of moments. If you fold the paper as marked on the back, it will yield a most pleasant surprise.”

The pleasant surprise, a beautifully crafted flower after a few folds, the same kind that first introduced Iago to Ormor, was safely tucked into their pocket. They had been holding it, but their fists kept clenching or sparking off periodically so they decided not to risk crushing it while they grumble their way up the mountain.

They don't even know if he'll be there. He said he was going to visit a grave, but Iago didn't know where that was, so to the mountain they found themselves. They don't have a clue how they plan to actually find him. Even if he's back in his form as dragon, rather difficult to miss, it is still a large mountain. And Iago has short legs and minimal stamina.

Hence, the grumbling between misty steps. Turns out, spite and irritation are strong motivators to hike a mountain.

They read the letter no less than twenty times before turning it into a flower. Memorized it. Briefly thought about ripping it up. Felt bad about that.

When they were making the decision to find him, it chilled them how tempting it was to let him leave without a word. Why try? Why chase? Why spend the effort? It was so easy to let something like this happen. It was for the best, probably, they could convince themselves. If there's one thing Iago excels at, it's complacency. Biting their tongue, refusing to feel, sitting with the cards they're dealt.

But that's just the thing, isn't it? They did that for a decade. Longer than that, really. They're so, so tired of doing nothing. Of letting things happen to themselves, to the people around them, and simply shutting down in the face of it all.

And Ormor - kind, gentle, Ormor, has left camp. Left them. It hurts. As much as they don't want to be, they are upset. They have to hold onto that if they want to think themselves a better person. Someone who tries. Someone who wants to care, even if it doesn't come naturally, even if they've long since beaten that out of themselves.

They're out of breath when they finally find him again. "Hvítrbroddhálsormor," ( they had been practicing that one. Their draconic was still rudimentary at best, but they had at least gotten the name down ) they straighten up, brushing away one of the many strands of hair that had fallen in their face, cheeks flushed from the travel. They had all that time to think on the way here, but still couldn't come up with just exactly what to say. Still breathless, they start towards him with an accusatory point and blurt out, "You are a coward."

Rich, coming from you, Iago. Hypocrite.

They flinch at their own rough start and fish the flower out of their cloak. "This-" they huff another breath. "Is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read." Not any better!

"I mean- shit, I'm no good at this-" they double over again with their hands on their knees for a few moments before they wave the letter-turned-flower in his direction. "You could've said goodbye first."

[therosielord]

If you are planning on fleeing a red state, here is my pitch for moving to Chicago

I am a lesbian and a lifelong Chicagoan and I fuckin love it here. I grew up here, went to college here, and now live here as an adult, and I have no plans to leave. Despite being the 3rd biggest city in America, Chicago gets weirdly overlooked a lot and many people have never even been here.

If you are fleeing a red state because you're LGBTQ+, a woman, or an immigrant, here are the reasons I think you should move to Chicago:

We're a super queer-friendly city with several historically queer neighborhoods (that are actually affordable enough to live in).

Illinois has literally never voted red in my entire lifetime. That's the entire 21st century so far, btw.

We have a looooong history of fighting for abortion rights, even helping women get care before it was legal (google the Jane Collective).

Although there are red counties in the more rural part of the states, the blue influence of Chicago spreads far beyond the city's official borders. Chicago has such a large network of sprawling towns around it that still feel like a part of the city that we have a name for it: Chicagoland! So even if you're not a city person, you can find lots of more rural spaces within Chicagoland.

If you can't stand the idea of living too far from nature, never fear: there are tons of gorgeous nature preserves around Chicago! I grew up in a suburb where both the city border AND a forest preserve were a bike ride away.

Illinois has a great governor, J. B. Pritzker, whose response after the recent election was "To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom, opportunity, and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior. You come for my people – you come through me."

We're a very diverse city with a large immigrant population. (Fun fact: the only city with a larger population of Polish people is Warsaw.) We have many localized ethnic neighborhoods all over the city. Which ties into my next point...

We have amazing food! Seriously, Chicago is super overlooked as one of the best eating cities in the country. I can find literally any cuisine from any country somewhere in Chicagoland, and we have everything from 3 Michelin star restaurants to hidden gem counter service spots with the best tacos al pastor you've ever had.

We have very strict gun control laws. Unfortunately, people get around these laws by going to Indiana to buy guns (thanks a LOT, Indiana), but the extra hassle means that there are actually fewer guns here than in red states and no one can open carry.

Chicago has a $15 citywide minimum wage and has plans to phase out tipping in restaurants (replaced with higher salaries).

We have really amazing museums like the Art Institute of Chicago (widely considered to be one of the best museums IN THE WORLD), the Field Museum (home to the most complete T-Rex ever, our beautiful mascot Sue), as well as a great aquarium, modern art museum, planetarium, and so many more I can't list them all. And they all have free days for Illinois residents!

We have great public transit. I don't own a car, most of my friends don't own a car, and we can get around just fine.

We never have hurricanes because we're a LAKE city, baby. We do have tornados but they rarely hit the actual city, they tend to stay out where there's more open space.

Cost of living is lower than other major blue cities like San Francisco and NYC

We have two baseball teams so that's double the baseball

Broadway shows frequently do a premier in Chicago before they open in NYC so we get a lot of huge musicals here. I've gotten free tickets to shows that later went on to tour the country.

Unlike SOME other large blue cities I could mention, we know how to put our trash in DUMPSTERS instead of IN THE STREET.

Giant bean

Your life will change after you've had a juicy Italian beef sandwich with hot giardiniera.

And finally, to address all the stories about Chicago being a crime-ridden warzone, here's the deal: they are simply not true. Where do those stories come from? It's simple: Chicago has a historically large black population and we're a liberal city. Racist republicans have convinced themselves that this means we must be a haven for crime. We have the same amount of crime as any large city, which is to say: far less crime per capita than in rural red areas. Seriously, look it up.

Not only is Chicago not the most dangerous city in America, we don't even make the list of the top 25.

But the thing is, those lies about Chicago actually kind of work in our favor, because it means that Republicans are too scared to come here. My own grandparents haven't visited in 10 years because they're convinced that if they do they'll get shot or something.

Anyway, move to Chicago, it's great here. And it'll probably be one of the safest strongholds for whatever comes in the next 4 years. If you're also from Chicago and have any other points I missed, please add them!

[suleikashideaway]

2023

So I see a lot of people around here with their various wrapped updates regarding the progression of their art. I never really considered that I had much to say, considering I'm such a baby writer and haven't actually published anything. Who am I to join the conversation?

On reflection, I do have a lot to say, and yeah, it's worth saying. 2023 was a big year for me as a writer. So for posterity's sake, I want it known here in my blog.

The big project: FF8

Technically I've been working on a final fantasy 8 fic for years at this point. The fact that it's so personal and complicated kept me from sharing it with anyone. It was for me. It made me happy. But this was the year I decided to at least start the attempt at making it publishable.

After several drafts of this story, early this year I finally reached a point where I could write THE END and mean it. At something close to 140k words, It felt like I had climbed a mountain. Of course, now I look back and see that it was a tiny little baby hill, but it was maybe one of the most important hills I've ever walked.

To my surprise, I found a beta right away, and from there my 2023 trajectory took off into the stratosphere. They know this already, but I have to thank my beta (and now one of my very best friends) @failed221b-chill for lifting me out of the solitude and teaching me so much about everything, but especially taking on the role of my personal writing tutor. Together we went line-by-line through part 1 of my 3-part story, and my little baby writing mind EXPLODED.

Lemme tell ya. The confidence I gained from that. Woof.

It was also made very clear that I had my work cut out for me. Not only did I decide to double the entire fucking thing (by adding in another POV that was initially going to be a separate work), but I realized I needed to rewrite pretty much all of my existing draft.

In the span of a few weeks, I drafted over 35k of the other POV for part 1. With my newfound writing knowledge, I'm going through, line-by-line, and making this story what I want it to be.

Though I feel like I've grown exponentially as a writer, I still feel like this fic, as it stands, is not ready for publishing. Part 1 is almost there...I'm inching closer every day...but I don't know how long it will take to get it done to my satisfaction.

And I'm okay with that. My original goal was to have the entire 3-part thing written and completely done before publishing. Now, I may consider sharing before that goal is accomplished. Stay tuned.

Another Project: Stardew Valley

Something I learned incidentally (that I bet a bunch of other people have already learned before me, and here I am trying to reinvent the wheel of course) was that I actually needed another writing project to bounce back and forth between. Before this year, in between writing my ff8 fic, I wrote an entire Stardew Valley slow burn romance harvey/farmer fic, probably around 150k words. It was extremely cathartic and fun to write butttt I reread it now and cringe, hard, at my lil baby writing skills. I'll never delete it, because obviously it was another little baby hill I needed to climb. But as it is, it will never see the light of day lol. I keep having thoughts of how to completely rewrite this piece, but at the moment it's pretty vague. Not sure I'll ever return.

Instead, I was wildly inspired by @not-poignant's take on Alex, and feverishly wrote my first-ever Alex stuff, somewhere around 12k words. This is currently sitting on a back-burner, awaiting my soul-searching to decide what I really want from the piece.

What's Next?

My ff8 fic will always have precedence. But it's a mammoth. And due to the nature of the content, it is sometimes emotionally very difficult for me to write it. Sooooo it may be a while. That's okay with me.

In the meantime, I'm super excited that the first @ffviiicharacterweek is happening in January!!! It's given me an opportunity to write much shorter pieces that I never would have gotten around to. Hopefully I'll be able to participate fully and enjoy the works that come out of that.

Overall, it's been a damn good year for writing.

So anyway, if anyone has given this post the time of day, thanks for sticking it out to the end! I'm certainly open for chatting about any of this stuff, or if you just want to talk I'm up for that, too! I hope you have a joyous new year!

[goldenteaset]

(I know I've posted this official art before but I don't care, it fits the occasion)

It's my 1 year yume-versary with Belial today! I felt like being a hopeless romantic (especially after seeing this art again), so I wound up thinking about the process of how this happened. And while it's 99% coincidences that make me happy, when put together like this they do form a love story...

While I got into GBF because of him, the actual act of falling for him "as myself" (for lack of a better way to put it) was a lot longer. Four years, in fact! It was half "I just like him with Djeeta and Lyria better" and half "Nah, he wouldn't like *me*, I'd be too shy".

Cue 2022. XD;

By which I mean, I'm not sure when in summer it started, but all of a sudden he kept showing up in my dreams (as Oribe, his semi-canon school AU self). "Oh cool, that hasn't happened before", I thought, thinking nothing of it. It seemed a good reason to write him and Djeeta in a similar setting; I'd take it.

And then I started noticing that Djeeta wasn't involved. "Well, maybe she's there but I'm seeing things from her POV this time"... ^^;

Months before the Oribe dreams, I kept dreaming about Summer Belial months before we got the Summon, which is funny anyway, but those were still focused on Djeeta. My subconscious really wanted me to have fun with Oribe/Belial, and it was going to bludgeon me until I did. At the same time, two things happened:

A particularly powerful dream about Oribe!Belial where he really wanted to take a selfie with me and kept insisting "I want to see your face, don't hide~"

The "Belial advice column for GBFest" appeared

The former was A Lot, but the latter was easily compartmentalized: "Just write the letter as if you're part of GBF's world". It took a few tries, because I had to remember kafabe (i.e. these letters were being sent to "Belial", not the devs), but I did it!

I burbled about how he'd always gotten me out of writer's block, because of course, and made absolutely sure not to overthink my heart racing while imagining sending it in canon. It was in English, down to the pen name "Shy Writer", and knew it probably wouldn't get picked for the GBFest segment.

"Just the fantasy is enough," I thought, forgetting what "yume" meant.

Fast forward to Jan 2023!

GBFest is here, it's fun whether you're there in person or not...and I'm catching up on Day 1's stream after falling asleep. ^^; I found the "Belial answers fanmail" segment and was just enjoying the spectacle. Here's a video of it separate from the massive stream one:

Someone had sent in something about being shy/nervous about who they liked, very likely him. (Also they called him "Beli-chan", which is adorable.) Belial read it normally, but his response (at 4:13, yes I've kept track of it)...well...

He let out probably the deepest, sultriest chuckle we've heard from him yet, which is saying a lot, and then added "'Shy'? How cute (kawaii ne)~."

Again: it's all coincidence, of course. Just a lot of convenient circumstances that eventually lined up into a fantasy narrative that makes me happy.

But boy did it not matter in that moment, when I felt like a tsundere who'd been found out after a whole season of UST. XD

It felt like there wasn't any need to deny it anymore. Nor to make excuses that were never going to hold up, as long as I kept denying that sense of fun to my own detriment. Or, to be extra sappy about it--it was as if Belial had been seducing me throughout '22 to the beginning of '23 and had now finally gotten the point across to my very dense self-insert/OC.

I've been enjoying myself a lot since then--going out more, trying new hobbies, just being happier in general. Could that have happened without this as a push? Maybe. But it didn't happen until I "had food at home", so to speak, which feels telling.

I think we as a species need space in our heads for imagination and play, and that varies from person to person. Along with writing, mine just happens to be (day)dreaming about the Primarch of Cunning acting like a bird of paradise and/or seducing me and my self-insert OC into semi-reasonable sleep schedules.

So, yeah. Happy anniversary, Belial. May there be many more!

[anxietymadmax]

Cheeky wee Art Recap

Aha haven't gotten to do anything like this before.. hmhmm.

I finally started doing digital art in October this year, and while it has presented so many skill-checks and struggle points, it's all been learning, practising, and honing whatever the hell I'm doing, which is a fun feeling.

So, I've put together the 9 things that I've been happiest with, most proud of, or just had a ton of fun making. Which I shall go into typical excruciating detail on. (and also share some traditionally done highlights for funsies)

Though in no super particular order, just visual appeal, I did purposefully place the top left, centre, and bottom right.

Top left is the initial painterly style that I first tried doing digital with, which I feel like was a style that (though I soon found the flaws with) helped my confidence in actually putting stuff down digitally, and feeling it out mechanically. I still really like how it turned out, it was a super cool visual I really wanted to portray.

Then in the middle is where Hyperfixation(TM) does its magic and unlocks your full potential. I don't really know why I was determined to draw The Nightmare digitally, but hey I was shocked by my own ability and that really gave me the drive to continue. While it has been surpassed as what I think is my best work, it fills a pretty special role in this little art journey, hence a (memed) version of it has been my pfp since I posted it.

And finally I decided to put Remire Valley bottom right since it is the most recent thing I've done (literally yesterday) and I still really like it! The opinion-decay has been weaker than usual which is nice.

I still believe that Thorn (middle right) is the best thing I've made so far, and in general I'm like, so thankful to the slay the princess creators for inspiring me and influencing my art style in a way that I love.

My New Years resolution is to continue to draw pretty and/or spooky girls. and maybe a guy, sometimes.

Bonus Traditional Highlights

I did also some random traditional drawings here and there, mosty from before I started doing digital, though I believe the earliest drawing I'm gonna show here comes from about August.

Never showed it off but I did this little practice of closed helmets which I found pretty fun, looked at some cool helmet references and tried my best to work out the shapes, and I think they actually turned out pretty cool. This study was done to prepare for doing the character design on the right, who is a prepared NPC for the dnd campaign, though I expect it will be some time until they ever turn up, so barring blocking their name/title I feel okay with showing them here in terms of spoilers. I can confidently say that they are not associated with any current plot threads, so they will arise when their own little story comes up.

Speaking of the dnd campaign, that was probably my biggest motivator for traditional art, I did so many sketches/concept art for things I have put in the campaign (and lots of things that are yet to appear, as seen). Of these, by far the ones I'm happiest with are the Peccatorum soldiers and their leader, The Pontiff.

There's one other traditional thing that I thought I'd share, since it was a pretty neat exercise in character concepts and design, those being some interpretations of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.

(or horsewomen, because of course they are)

These designs are probably my current idea for a redo in digital, since I really like some of the concepts and design elements, whilst I'd probably change/refine some others. That'll probably be my next big project, but I have ideas for other smaller drawings, and every now and then I'm still opening up the sketchbook to just do whatever.

So yeah, if there's one thing I can say about 2024 it's that it brought about the actualisation of multiple creative outlets (the dnd campaign, and doing more art than ever) which I'm super happy about, and I look forward to doing even more and seeing what 2025 will look like.

[frogsandfries]

So anyway, the real reason I came over here:

I've been watching more sketchbook tours and watching people talk about their graphic novels. I just wanted to remark, I'm noticing this interesting pattern. Or, idk I guess maybe not a pattern. There are some people who are perhaps, in my opinion, overly proud of their work, even though it's not all that, and by their own admission they didn't work all that hard on it. On the other hand, I found someone who was perhaps overly critical of their work, to the point of going back over and over, not redrawing the whole thing, but redrawing pages they weren't happy with.

I'm obviously no professional. When it comes to discussing my own graphic novel, I obviously have no fucking idea what I'm doing, seeing as I've never sold a copy of my single issue of my own graphic novel (available on Amazon please at least click the link if you see this).

As a matter of fact, I wonder if I'm not maybe a little embarrassed of what this cute, seemingly-innocent slice of life will become...one day, maybe in a million years, it feels like. Maybe that's what's holding me back...

But, I don't look back. That's the rule. I have been searching for a way to continue coloring my graphic novel, so very strictly speaking, you very fairly could say that I most certainly have gone back. I have started coloring volume 001 probably three times. To be fair, it's not like I've gotten very far on any of my attempts. I'm not charging forward with the coloring only to repeatedly backtrack. More to the point, since I've "Actually™️ Started " the graphic novel, I haven't gone back and completely redrawn entire scenes. I've traced my own work in order to set it up for the coloring process. I've improved hands and feet. But I haven't finished any part of my work only to completely throw it out and start completely over.

I don't look back. No matter how badly I might one day want to, like, maybe I've finally finished it and I'm comparing the last-est frame to the first? I mean, personally, I like to think I'm pretty zen about my art. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time, more secure than insecure that yesterday is gone and behind me, even in my art.

Plus, when trying to make a graphic novel, I'm not trying to suffer any more than I already am. It feels like the only thing there is, at least in terms of my linework and this graphic novel, is whatever there is. For graphic novels, it's perhaps the one time and place in my creative journey where quantity is more significant than quality.

I read graphic novels, of course I do (mostly for the art). I know that when I'm reading a graphic novel, I'm paying more attention than the average reader to things like composition, color palette, character design, small details that anyone with an untrained eye wouldn't think twice about.

I know there's probably a million places where the artist said to themself, quietly, Oh shit. Oops. Argh.

But a fellow artist who has zero relation with these artists has no idea where these "oh shit"s are. And the average reader probably doesn't really even know or care that these moments happen (unless they are so jarringly, glaringly obvious that there was definitely an opportunity to fix that and now anyone who sees this error will be thrown bodily from their suspension of disbelief).

So, apart from fighting myself over how to color the damn graphic novel in the first place, given that pixel art was painfully unsustainable, I have a) learned to train my focus forward (especially because, if you think Ava's Demon is huge, the only difference between the sizes of our bodies of work presently is merely starting time), and b) fully embraced quantity of art over quality of art for this body of work. If I want to make any sort of progress on this project, I simply cannot be throwing the whole thing in the garbage every six months because it isn't absolutely flawless. I've been making art for long enough, and college was brutal enough, for me to have fully made me more than embrace the imperfection of a quantity-based creative endeavor, but I have fully absorbed the lessons of imperfection.

Anyway, all this to say, I think style one of being peacockish-ly proud of something you barely put any time and effort into, to the point that it shows, is sophomoric in not having any critical thoughts or feelings toward your work. I don't beam like a toddler every time I finish a single page. Style two of reviewing your graphic novel every six months or whatever is also sophomoric, perhaps self-sabotaging in a way. I'm not trying to pretend that one shouldn't be proud of their graphic novel, whether it's five pages or twenty-five volumes. I don’t think you should be so proud of your work, you want to slap it on the fridge; nor should you be so self-sabotagingly harsh.

And to be totally fair, maybe low-effort artist has it right in a way: Maybe, who cares about becoming a better artist in the course of making a graphic novel. Certainly most readers aren't necessarily watching your creative journey; they should be focused on the story.

[black-arcana]

Watch: EVANESCENCE Joined By P.O.D.'s SONNY SANDOVAL For 'Bring Me To Life' Performance At 2024 SONIC TEMPLE Festival

P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval joined EVANESCENCE on stage Thursday (May 16) at the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio to perform the latter band's breakthrough 2003 hit "Bring Me To Life". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Canada's iHeart Radio, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee reflected on "Bring Me To Life", which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES. She said: "When we first did the song, I didn't wanna do the rap. That was like a concession kind of a thing with the label, trying to find a place for us. And LINKIN PARK was hot on the radio at the time. That was part of their [the label's] calculation of what was gonna help break a female through. And it was hard for me, actually. I got to write it. I was a part of it, like all of it, Paul was wonderful — still wonderful. But it was something that I like had an internal struggle with. But all these years later, with just — I don't want to use the word 'success', 'cause it's deeper than that, but the life that that song has had and all of these live shows, now that we're at this point now, 20 years later, and playing festivals with so many… It's just really, really, really an amazing gift to have our big song be a duet, because whenever we're out with somebody who's even remotely kind of in the realm of that would fit that voice, we get to have them up on our set. So that's been this really fun guest finale moment a lot. And even if the person isn't like the most famous person — it's cool when that happens — but when it's not, too, it just changes the energy of the song and is this easy, plug-in, really fun… I don't know. I don't know if that's the answer you were looking for, but I've gotten to a point where I'm super grateful that we have that song for that reason. The crowd goes nuts and everybody knows it, so it's super fun to have it be a collab."

Back in February 2022, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Philipp Stölzl-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December of 2009, was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features Amy in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band is playing on a higher floor of the building.

The album version of "Bring Me to Life" was included on the soundtrack of superhero film "Daredevil".

In 2021, Amy spoke to Germany's Sonic Seducer about the lyrical inspiration for "Bring Me To Life". The song reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE's first U.K. No. 1 single.

"I remember what I wrote 'Bring Me To Life' about, because I wrote it about my current husband before we were married," she said. "There was this moment — I was in a tough place and in a bad relationship. And my husband now, Josh, at the time was just a friend and a person that I barely knew; it was maybe the third or fourth time we'd ever met. And we went in to go grab a seat at a restaurant while our friends parked the car. And we sat across from each other, and he looked at me and he just said, 'So, are you happy?' And it took me so off guard, and I just felt like it pierced my heart, because I felt like I had been pretending really well, and it was, like, somebody could see through me. And then that whole first verse came out of it: 'How can you see into my eyes, like open doors.' It really made me feel and recognize the sense of yearning that I had to get to a better place. And it really kind of set me out on a journey. And it's amazing that that became the song, the first song that broke us on to the scene and made everyone hear of us, because it was about something — I don't know — something so personal that I was recognizing in my life."

In March 2021, Lee told Alternative Press that EVANESCENCE's original record label Wind Up threatened not to release the group's debut album, "Fallen", if she and her bandmates didn't add a male voice to lead single "Bring Me To Life" to make it more palatable for radio.

"Fallen" sold 17 million copies and won two Grammys, including "Best Rock Performance" for "Bring Me To Life".

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", arrived in March 2021 via BMG. It was EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years.

[slashercult]

Hello! I hope your day's going well:)

I'm here for the new year game - 🕯️

Prediction for you - " i think you'll get a good grip on tarot cards and may have a good amount of following here on Tumblr"

Something good happened to me - I became somewhat emotionally stable

Not certainly a book passage but a dialogue from fleabag ( i hope that works cause i don't read much books 😶‍🌫️)

"" Fleabag- A 11 year old school boy was sent to juvenile prison for repeatedly sticking the rubber ended pencil into his hamster's arsehole

Boo - Why would he do that ?

Fleabag- he said that he liked when their eyes popped out

Boo - why would they send him away ? He needs help .They shouldn't just send him away.

Flea- HE PENCIL FUCKED A HAMSTER !

Boo- He wasn't really happy . Happy people doesn't do things like that .

Flea- fair point -

Boo- And anyways, that's the very reason they put rubber at the end of pencils .

Flea- what ? To fuck Hamsters?

Boo- No ... Because people make mistakes ""

hii!! i hope your day is going well, thank you for waiting for your reading ik it took some time but good news is i finally did it. i hope that the prediction that you made for me comes true. i also loved the fleabag scene you sent it resonated a lot and im even thinking of watching it soon so thank you! here is your free reading i hope you enjoy!

current energies & what you need to focus on? high priestess (r), ace of wands, death explain the death card? page of wands oracle card the otter and cattail (peace) i feel like you are lowkey going through a glow up, things have gotten a bit better for you; it doesn't seem like a lot right now but compared to you in the past you have really grown and learned from everything. i sense that you could be someone who can focus too much on other people's opinions on them or you may have trust issues from past relationships - too much of focusing on this negativity is not good for you and will lead you nowhere. you are really trying to prioritize self care and focus more on yourself, you're looking for guidance from within to help you along this journey. i feel like you've recently started a new beginning for yourself, a new journey, where you focus on transformation and growth. in the new year you're being told to focus on your passions and realize how much potential you truly have. the death card is probably one of the most interesting cards to get in my opinion and this is actually the first time i've done a reading where someone has gotten the death card! death symbolizes letting go of everything that has been holding us back and starting off new again like a new born baby almost.

you need to let go of your bad habits or even bad people, no matter how small they seem to you, letting go of all of this negativity will allow yourself to grow and transform into a more healthy and balanced person. i shuffled to see what exactly the death card was telling you to let go of and i got page of wands. this basically means that you need to start speaking up for yourself more, express your needs and boundaries to other people. don't let them walk all over you and use you, you are stronger and know better now than to let them have their way. im also seeing that you need to focus on expressing yourself more through art - maybe start doodling, painting, singing, and just letting your inspiration flow through. the new year requires you to find your inner peace, maybe start doing some more meditation, reiki, something that will keep you more balanced from within.

that's all that i got for your reading! im wishing you the best and please do not forget to leave feedback as it really does help me out.

[magicalgirlmindcrank]

Miku Wrap-up 2022

Another year comes to an end and it's time to look back and reflect, so here's my top 10 favorite Mikus of the year!

#10:

While this has a few janky bits that keep it from being higher up I can't help but adore her smarmy ass look, the foot up on an unoccupied chair and the little details with the dice and the cards.

#9:

This one, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, is just so ridiculous I can't help but love it. It's somewhat a spiritual successor to the Goya inspired Miku and emulating the style/appearance of such old art was a joy, as was filling in the gaps with a few Miku related references.

#8:

Speaking of the ridiculous, this Loss meme parody I titled Gain.png still gets me. Doing the Gumi for the body pillow was also fun and Miku is very cute in this.

#7:

I have no idea why I drew this even then but fuck me is it good. Don't think I've drawn a pony since a few poor attempts over a decade before this. I love how AJ came out and the idea of like, Applejack carrying home a drunk Miku while chiding her for having too much cider is so fucking good to me.

#6:

This one is rather simple honestly, but I just love how clear the silhouette is and the highlights from the back lighting. This was inspired by an AURORA concert my sister invited me to.

#5:

Im still very happy with how this came out, especially in regards to the lighting. I feel like I made a lot of headway here as an artist, even if parts of it could stand to be cleaner.

#4:

Hatslimey Migoo looks so relaxed here, the details I was able to include for the room such as the water under the door are great and the small bit of landscape outside the window is something I'm extremely proud of. Had I just a bit more time with this piece I think it could have placed even higher.

#3

This one's a bit special cuz uh, it's fucking me lmao. Not only is this my high school duds, the location is also based off the liquor store I used to bum around at after school senior year. I still have the pants (they're more shredded now) and the black and white sleeve (actually leg warmers). The only real anachronism is the black nails- my dad wouldn't let me do that cuz he said I'd look like a fag lmao. Looking at this piece brings me just immense amounts of joy and soothes that part of me still in highschool and mad about it.

#2:

Honestly this and the #1 spot are really tough to decide which goes where but I think I'm happy with this. Based off some AI generated text (no doubt written by Miku herself) Not only is this the most successful piece I've done notes-wise it's also my first one where I drew more akin to painting then to coloring cleaned up lines, a process I made a ton of progress with over the year. There's very few things about this I would change (namely a few details in the final panel) but the way this comic is laid out was and is excellent. I feel this piece is the biggest jump in overall quality I had during the year.

Honorable mention:

While i do adore these, especially the top left and bottom one, there are a few issues that keep it from being in the top 10 properly. I also wanted to avoid this list being just every Hatslimey Migoo piece which actually brings me to the final entry and my favorite Miku of the year 2022-

#1:

The original Hatslimey Migoo, before she even had that name. This piece is very interesting because I had pissed away most of time and couldn't do the Miku I had thought about doing up to that point. Unwilling to do proper anatomy either, because again, I had gotten too wrapped up in runescape and was low on time, It popped in my head that I could make her a slime girl. I can't mess up getting bodily structure right if there is no proper bodily structure after all. The result couldn't have been better. She's so cute and adorable and this is easily the best original design I've yet to do for Miku. I doubt I'll top it for some time. The pieces came together naturally- her color had to be green to give her that Miku color, she had a few spots to give some detail, her arms were bulky to be reminiscent of her sleeves the headset was to help push visually that this was, indeed, Hatsune Miku and her eyes were pink to stand out and draw attention to them. Created in haste, Hatslimey Migoo has gone on to fill my heart with joy (and slime) and if I could pick any of my Mikus to be adopted by the wider vocaloid fan base it would have to be Migoo.

Thats my top 10 for 2022, I'll see you next year to wrap up this year- I'm sure I'll make even better Mikus! If you like these and wish to support me, I have a Patreon where I upload the full PSD, PNG and a 60 second time lapse of the Miku being drawn. It's only 2$ a month and it means a lot to me.