#i've been needing to redraw him for so long

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Why would you—That's not—I just wanted to ask for help, why did you have to go and make it awkward???

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[enhanced-operatives-division]

i would love to hear about the ollie and handler crack ship here’s a silly doodle as well

LOVE THE DOODLE YOU SEE THE VISION!!!

Also this got my ass to design Ollie so:

(Love him - Also redesigned Reggie for this too so thanks!!)

And idk if it's moreso a crackship or a rarepair that only works in an AU (HACKS up Starstruck), but Reggie's line of "...and I hope Ollie made it out too. I hope a lot of things." It's totally me reading into it but like,,,,I want them to talk because Ollie is not dead to me in my heart of hearts.

Maybe the only change is like Reggie taps into the communication on the radio in Hot Water instead of using the earpiece, so Ollie ends up hearing him also? And they end up getting along really well (with Reggie having to jump through a couple hoops to be like "haha what agency..."). There's an Agency base in the South-East coast of Australia and maybe the Agency ends up adopting him after he washes up on the shore with the escape pod (after HEAVY questioning).

Alas take a doodle of my own:

Transcript (it's just canon lines):

Ollie: "She's being controlled, it's not her fault."

Reggie: "Agent, I have 0 experience dealing with giant security squids."

[vetyr]

hi, i ireally love your work and i don't know if you've answered this before but, what kinds of studies do you do or how did you learn color theory? i wanna get better at rendering and anatomy but im having trouble TT TT

Hi! Long answer alert. Once a chatterbox, always a chatterbox.

When I started actively learning how to draw about 10 1/2 years ago, I exclusively did graphite studies in sketchbooks. Here's a few examples—I mostly stuck to doing line drawings to drill basic shapes/contours and proportions into my brain. The more rendered sketches helped me practice edge control & basic values, and they were REALLY good for learning the actual 3D structure behind what I was drawing.

I'd use reference images that I grabbed from fitness forums, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and some NSFW places, but you could find adequate ref material from figure drawing sites like Line of Action. LoA has refs for people (you can filter by clothed/unclothed, age, & gender), animals, expressions, hands/feet, and a few other useful things as well. Love them.

Learning how to render digitally was a similar story; it helped a lot that I had a pretty strong foundation for value/anatomy going in. I basically didn't touch color at all for ~2 years (except for a few attempts at bad digital or acrylic paint studies), which may not have been the best idea. I learned color from a lot of trial and error, honestly, and I'm pretty sure this process involved a lot of imitation—there were a number of digital/traditional painters whose styles I really wanted to emulate (notably their edge control, color choices, value distributions, and shape design), so I kiiind of did a mixture of that + my own experimentation.

For example, I really found Benjamin Björklund's style appealing, especially his softened/lost edges & vibrant pops of saturated color, so here's a study I did from some photograph that I'm *pretty* sure was painted with him in mind.

Learning how to detail was definitely a slow process, and like all the aforementioned things (anatomy/color/edge control/values/etc.) I'm still figuring it out. Focusing on edge control first (that is, deciding on where to place hard/soft edges for emphasizing/de-emphasizing certain areas of the image) is super useful, because you can honestly fool a viewer into thinking there's more detail in a piece than there actually is if you're very economical about where you place your hard edges.

The most important part, to me, is probably just doing this stuff over and over again. You're likely not going to see improvement in a few weeks or even a few months, so don't fret about not getting the exact results you want and just keep studying + making art. I like to think about learning art as a process where you *need* to fail and make crappy art/studies—there's literally no way around it—so you might as well fail right now. See, by making bad art you're actually moving forward—isn't that a fun prospect!!

It's useful to have a folder with art you admire, especially if you can dissect the pieces and understand why you like them so much. You can study those aspects (like, you can redraw or repaint that person's work) and break down whether this is art that you just like to look at, or if it's the kind of art that you want to *make.* There's a LOT of art out there that I love looking at, probably tens of thousands of styles/mediums, but there's a very narrow range that I want to make myself.

I've mentioned it in some ask reply in the past, but I really do think looking at other artist's work is such a cheat code for improving your own skills—the other artist does the work to filter reality/ideas for you, and this sort of allows you to contact the subject matter more directly. I can think of so many examples where an artist I admired exaggerated, like, the way sunlight rested on a face and created that orange fringe around its edge, or the greys/dull blues in a wheat field, or the bright indigo in a cast shadow, or the red along the outside of a person's eye, and it just clicked for me that this was a very available & observable aspect of reality, which had up until that point gone completely unnoticed! If you're really perceptive about the art you look at, it's shocking how much it can teach you about how to see the world (in this particular case I mean this literally, in that the art I looked at fully changed the way I visually processed the world, but of course it has had a strong effect on my worldviews/relationships/beliefs).

Thanks so much for sending in a question (& for reading, if you got this far)! I read every single ask I receive, including the kind words & compliments, which I genuinely always appreciate. Best of luck with learning, my friend :)

[eustasskidagenda]

hello!! ^^ this is my first time requesting, so hopefully i'm doing this correctly :;

can I request a trafalgar law/reader hurt to comfort oneshot, where the two of them get into a really big argument or fight and reader decides to leave him alone for a long time, so THAT eventually leads to some problems between the two and Law has to make things right??

(basically reader gives law the silent treatment, and law is too prideful to admit his wrongs)

thank you in advance!!! I've really enjoyed reading your kid works, so i'd be happy to see more of your writing :)

☆Trafalgar Law x Reader giving him the silent treatment after an argument 

Hello dear anon, don't worry, you did it perfectly and thank you so much for your request. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope it will match your expectation. Enjoy our dear emo boy!

CW : g/n reader, hurt&comfort, Law is bad at express how he feels, let me know if I forgot something

WC : around 2,000 words, whoops, I love Law way too much, I got carried away

Law is not a man of many words. That's the less you can tell. Always quiet about his plans, sometimes, you still struggle to understand what's going on in this beautiful mind. Usually, you just deal with it, supporting him as much as you can. But today, it's too much to handle. He is perpetually busy all day and night, and sometimes the bed is cold, and you know he didn't sleep with you. It hurts. You just have the feeling to carry on with this relationship alone. 

"We need to talk, Law." Busy with probably another shenanigan you don't know about, he totally ignores you and continues to read his newspaper. Again. Heavy-hearted, you close your eyes and clench your firsts. You can't step back and always try to round the corners. "Law", you insist. He finally drops the newspaper. "What, y/n-ya?" He asks, annoyed by the interruption. 

"Honestly, lately… I feel totally sidelined. You're always focused on your plans I don't nothing about, or busy with your patients. And it hurts" Law looks surprised by your words. Usually, you're more the one trying to smooth the things and trying to be super-comprehensive, because you do love Law, and you know he had been through a lot. Supporting him is the least you can do. But what about you? Your emotions? 

"I've not neglected you, y/n-ya. I'm just busy." Yes. That's the whole point. "You're always busy. If you don't need me anymore, just say it," you snarls, anger slowly heating your chest and burning your cheeks. Communication is maybe the key, but it's a struggle to communicate with someone as reserved as Law. The worst? You know he loves you. He's just… an aloof. Always distrustful. "Answer me," your voice is shaky from both anger and distress. " I have things to do, y/n-ya. Don't act like a child. I still feel the same way about you, and you know. " 

Maybe it's true, but you don't believe him anymore. You don't even remember the last time you kissed that sweet lips on him. And the feeling of his fingers entwined with yours, when you redraw the lines of his tattoos, cuddling with him in bed. How can you feel the absence of someone you see every day? "I miss you," you confess. "But I'm right here. With you. I need to get those things done, so please be patient." Why can't he understand? With that unreadable face, he's still sitting on his chair. What's going on his mind? "What things, then?" He sighs. "I can't tell." 

No. It's enough. Now, you're mad. "Stop pushing me away! I miss you. Do you realize the absurdity of missing someone I can see every day? It's been four days since we last slept together! This morning, you didn't kiss me! You're always taking me for granted and I feel like I'm transparent!" At last, you manage to get a response from him. He removes his hat, runs his hand through his hair, and his eyes darken as your anger is about to explode. "Can you not be patient? I need to… finish what I'm working on. "

No.

Not this time.

He has already stated that too many times before. Before Dressrosa. Before Wano. You already waited way too long. Even for someone as patient as you, it's too much. " I'm tired," you confess, the voice which with emotions. "It can't keep going like this. Why am I always the second choice for you?"

Maybe it's because you always give everything you have to him. Supporting him, regardless of what. You had to break his armor several times to get closer to him, despite his distant and detached personality. The moment he finally confessed about his past was beautiful. The nights you spend together, simply talking about your lives, goals, and dreams, are rooted in your heart. A warm memory of two souls bonding and finding comfort through words and confession. Now, everything is just fading away. And you hate how angry and confused you sound, when Law is just as calm as always. Does he even notice what you just said? You can't tell.

"You don't even answer me. Such a shame to be named heart pirates when you don't even have one." you explodes, shouting the words.

"I don’t think it's the right time to talk about this because you're too emotional y/n-ya. "

"And you're too logical!"

The saying goes that opposites attract, but you're not so certain anymore. 

"I'm just so fucking done!" Now, you're screaming and Law growls, "Shh, don't yell, everyone will hear us," he says, caring way too much about his privacy. "I don't care! Just say something! " He looks so tired, with his usual dark rings under his eyes. "Leave me or not, but do something because I'm so done with this shit. I'm the only one trying to communicate and make things right!"

You slam the door of his small office with anger and tears prickling at the corner of your eyes. He doesn't follow you. He remains confined, choking on his own pride. He probably thinks you will be back soon, as always after an argument. But not this time. You're really done. It's his time to make some efforts, to prove that he actually cares about you and your relationship. 

At the diner, he doesn't show up. During the night either. It's not easy to distance yourself from him. But you will not change your mind. After three days, he finally starts to realize that you will not come after him. 

Why aren't you bringing him his morning coffee, massaging his tensed shoulders, and spreading your stupid concealer under his eyes? All those small actions you always do to lighten his burden as a captain… damn, he never felt that lonely. But what can he do now? How can he fix the mess he made?

The Polar Tang's ambiance is as cold as a winter island after a week. Everybody noticed the huge tensions between you and the Law. The captain is irritable, barking orders at everyone and looking for you everywhere, but you're just hiding from him. He's exhausted by this situation. He's starting to understand what you said: he misses you, even if you're here. 

It's becoming too much for his tortured soul after 10 straight days. The pain in his heart is unbearable. In reality, he feels like a child he never had the chance to be: terrified, lost and alone. Are you going to leave him too? Why is everyone around him always dying or disappearing? Is it always his fault? Now, he feels miserable, almost crying alone in his office. He can't even focus when Bepo asks him to bandage a small wound he just made. His hair is messy because he runs his hands through it too much. Law sighs heavily. His nerves completely fading away as he struggles to bandage Bepo. Why the hell is he crying over a poor bandage? 

He's exhausted. Physically and mentally. An he misses you. Deeply. He understands everything you said that day. He understands how you have felt lately and it's a horrible sensation. You didn't deserve the way he pushed you away from everything. He misses the warmth of your body, the passion in your sweet kisses, and your hands redrawing his chest tattoo. 

He needs to make things right. 

In this situation, what Corazon would have done? 

Probably running after you after slamming the door, falling miserably on the ground, and crying pathetically with an ugly nose running. Law frowns. But at this point, he's so desperate that he wouldn't mind crawling and begging for your forgiveness. He stumbles out of his office, tired, and looks for you. How can you hide on such a small ship? "Have you seen y/n?" He asks to everyone and they all they say no. Are they lying? Where have you gone? Did something happen to you? Poor Law is so stressed right now, more than usual. He spent the entire day looking for you and failed. Is it too late? Have you just left? Without a goodbye? No. It can't be. He needs to see, kiss, and hug you. Just one more time, just one last time. Even if feels that he doesn't deserve you. 

He slams the door of the bedroom you used to share with brutal force. As he takes off his hat before laying on the mattress, he sighs and an idea crosses his mind. But he's afraid. Because if his plan is not working, it will mean you have already left the Polar Tang. For good. Hands shaking, he finally moves his fingers and mutters, 'room, shambles'. Your plushie disappears as you suddenly pop on the bed. 

Oh, thank god, you didn't leave. "Y/n-ya" he whispers, his voice thick with emotions. 

Your heart is pounding as you remain silent. Ten days. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin helped you hide from Law for ten days straight. Giving him the silent treatment was a difficult choice and all you can hope for is that it actually worked. "I'm not a man of many words," he confesses. "But I do love you. I'm sorry for always pushing you away, please forgive me. It's just that... I need to keep you out of trouble. If you don't know my current plan for now, it's safer. " For someone as quiet as him, he's talking a lot. But still not enough."I think I've taken you for granted, but I want to be there for you. Please, let me stay by your side. Don't leave me, please." He almost begs, his voice thick with emotions. 

His gentle touch on your cheek almost melts you.  You missed those beautiful, smooth hands on your face. You get closer, enjoying the warm heat heating up your chest. "You're so beautiful", he whispers. He looks so genuinely innocent, discovering again all the small details of your face. What has he done to be so fortunate in love? Does he only deserve you? You can tell that he's not even sure as he waits for your answer, trying to hide the slight shaking in his movements. 

"I love you, Law." You gently assure him by kissing the tattoos on his fingers. As the solace embraces his heart, Law is melting inside.

He didn't lose you. It's not too late. "I know you're not good at words, so I won't ask for much. What you just said is already perfect. Thank you for confessing to me. I know it's hard for you to open up." you reassure him. "What should I do, y/n-ya? How can I show you that I care about you? I won't repeat this situation twice." His eyes are now shining with pure determination. "Just the small things you used to do before. Sleeping with me, giving me a hello and a goodnight kiss... you remember that? Our routines." Law nods, probably taking mental note. "I have to kiss you twenty times." You raise an eyebrow confusedly. "Why?" 

He shrugs. "It's been ten days since I last saw you. And I'm supposed to kiss you all mornings and evenings." He's so serious right now, you can't help but burst out laughing. He's not joking at all. God, you love this nerd so much. The confusion on his face is even more hilarious. " I love you," you sigh between two laughs. "Why are you laughing? Am I wrong?" That man is so smart, cold and logical, but with love… he's just a mess. A beautiful mess. The one you will always love and cherish. "You're so adorable."

And now, he's blushing. How dare you call him adorable? "Just come here," he sighs, grabs your hips, and sits you on his laps. His lips are sealed to yours, and he kisses you. Twenty times. And he's counting. Every kiss is filled with passion, love, unspoken emotions, and sweet promises. 

And, as always when you're together in the same bed, you end up redrawing the tattoos on his chest. As you gently caress his skin, he falls asleep, the tension finally leaving his face. You cradle your head against his chest. His heart is slowly beating, and he looks so calm right now. 

You are here with him, and his tortured mind can finally get some sleep.

[nocturnalfandomartist]

.⋆｡ﾟ Art vs Artist 2024! ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Click for better quality!

It's my first time doing art vs artist, but I thought it'd be a nice opportunity to see how it looks! My style has been so inconsistent this year (thanks multiple style crises), but I am proud of a few pieces. Mostly. I seem to use similar techniques and colors a lot, but I guess that's the point of an art style anyway. Everything up here is cropped a bit since I don't draw at a 1:1 ratio usually. If this is your first time seeing my work, I love The Legend of Zelda and Zelink!

Thanks for another fun year of art! ^^ Some stats below:

#1 | 1,943 notes | June 18, 2024

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༺ Top 10 posts by notes!

I remember drawing this on the announcement day, within a few hours! It's my first post to surpass 1k!

My second post to surpass 1k!

#2 | 1,197 notes | June 22, 2024

#3 | 694 notes | July 27, 2024

...trends work

i need to repost this with type instead of handwriting

#4 | 572 notes | August 3, 2024

I want to redraw this one, even if it's not very canon

#5 | 546 notes | July 28, 2024

#6 | 528 notes | August 5, 2024

I will continue to change how I draw her

#7 | 456 notes | Setember 19, 2024

I tried a slightly different look here, I think it's kinda cute!

A tie!

#8 | 456 notes | June 19, 2024

Two pieces are in this post! I love Classic Zelink, so I was trying to figure out how I wanted to draw them. :) I have a lot of drawings of them to come...

#9 | 355 notes | June 9, 2024

I've really been trying to figure out how I want to do backgrounds on my doodle pages. And how to draw TP Zelda properly. Still haven't figured either out, if you're wondering.

#10 | 353 notes | May 18, 2024

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So much from EoW... I jumped on that hype so fast, it's the Zelda game I've only ever dreamed about!! ♡ Still kind of surprised nothing from Linktober is up here, though, considering it was all the better stuff. ^^" There are a few pieces I never finished this year, also... maybe 2025 will be their year!

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Small announcement - I got a private commission I'm working on at the moment, but soon they will be entirely open again! I do character art and designs if you're interested! ^^

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✦ Ko-Fi | ✧ Ao3 | ⟡ Bluesky

REBLOGGING IS ENCOURAGED, BUT DO NOT REPOST.

[lakesparkles]

Can you believe I like these two for ONE YEAR?? Because I can't!

If you want to read the big, emotional description I put on Instagram, here you go:

I'm a few days earlier, but it has been… a year since I started liking these two- Maybe it doesn't sound like a big deal, but I NEVER had a hyperfixation that lasted for so long, it's usually only some months. But here I am, drawing PB and Diane as usual. So this is a simple and self indulgente post, the first slide is me redrawing my first drawings of them! Being totally honest, I don't even know why I like them that much. It all started with "they have the most interesting and well written relationship I've ever seen" and soon turned into "I need to draw them kissing". I know they aren't the most usual ship, but I'm very thankful that more people like me drawing them, especially with how they make me a lot happier in general. Funny enough, the only problem I ever had shipping them was a few weeks ago when I found out someone reposted my art on Reddit of all places. This explains the second slide, because it was most comments it got, saying how much my art was weird, gross and disturbing. According to them, I draw Mr Peanutbutter more like a dog (?) so I shouldn't draw him kissing Diane…. they also didn't like my art style because I'm a furry :/ what surprises me is that they were fans of the show as well, complaining about me drawing a canon couples that kissed on the show and were married for four seasons… But oh well, it doesn't make me as upset as before and it surely won't make me stop drawing them. But PLEASE, don't repost my art of Reddit lmao Anyways, I love them <33

[canmom]

Animation Night 197: we're back, let's make some shit!

Hey everyone! Happy year increment.

Animation Night hasn't been on in a while, for a variety of reasons - some of them good. And I can't promise it's going to be back as a truly regular thing, necessarily. This year, I want to focus on making stuff, and spending time w people irl. If I'm blogging a lot, it's a symptom... The release of short story A Summoning, and the next two to come, is step one on that. As-yet unnamed short film project, presently in the scripting stage, is another.

With that in mind, maybe Animation Night has served its purpose. But I'm not done with Animation Night! And to set things off on the right foot, here are two films about making art for your perusal.

Look Back surely needs no introduction for the sakubuta/weeb slice of my audience but for the rest of ya, let's set the scene a little. We have here the adaptation of a one-shot manga by our god Tatsuki Fujimoto - yes, he of Chainsaw Man! and Fire Punch, Goodbye Eri... - about two girls Fujino and Kyomoto, very overtly based on Fujimoto himself, creating manga. A story of all the intense highs and lows that come with making art, gradually escalating until an abrupt turn to tragedy late in the story that is pure Fujimoto. It's a thoughtful, slightly enigmatic story, the thought of thing that scratches an itch in your brain and leaves you oddly fired up afterwards.

The story of the animated version, recounted as well as always on sakugablog, is also rather dramatic. So, this workaholic madlad Kiyotaka Oshiyama, fed up of how anime usually goes, was the furious driving force behind a really unusual production. It's one which let the key animation of Oshiyama himself (who animated about half the film) alongside industry legends like Toshiyuki Inoue go through without the usual redrawing step, that is, without the overly-clean stiffness that tends to bring in - an approach that really let them bring out the most incredibly lively and organic animation, the kind that really lets the emotions spill out of the screen.

Like, you know me, my favourite anime is Eizouken, you know how much I love stories about girls making pictures together. But this one is really something special. And, hey, after all the controversies over whether Mappa!Chainsaw Man missed the mark or not and how it ought to have been, we have a Fujimoto adaptation that everyone seems to agree is just perfect. Hooray!

There's much, much, much more to praise on the technical side: gorgeous colour design, super smart boards with incredibly funny elaborations on Fujino's 4koma strips, pacing that really gets the feel of a Fujimoto manga - just about everyone in this year's animation awards had something to add there. And it is also really short, much more like an OVA length than the usual big film. It is just as long as it needs to be: the perfectly tight production.

Which means we've got room for another.

So the other film I've got to show...

...is not as likely to be on your radar. Nobody's even gif'd it. I saw this one at the Scotland Loves Anime festival a few months ago, and it only very recently landed on Nyaa. So let me spend a few more words introducing it.

If Look Back is the work of industry veterans at the absolute top of their game, A Few Moments of Cheers is almost aggressively new, but in other ways its story is quite similar to Look Back. The director, Popreq/poprika of the three-person studio Hooray, is basically a baby - someone who established himself making music videos in Blender, such as this:

or this:

Popreq's style is characterised by bright colour, creative shading effects like the screentone dots you see in the first video, and lively mobile camerawork - really leaning into the unique qualities of 3DCG as a medium.

So much so that someone with money approached him like 'hey can you make a movie of this'. That movie concerns, get this, a young Blender animator specialising in music videos - but it's not actually autobiographical per se, it's just that writer Jukki Hanada pretty much wrote the script around Popreq.

The stylistic debt to Makoto Shinkai is certainly there, with the warm light washing over every surface, the dramatic shots of the sky, etc. etc., but this has its own story to tell; it is about the meeting of people at various points in the brutal cycle of artmaking. Kanata (the 3D artist in question) is a bright young thing full of fire and hope; he becomes aware of his teacher Yu's talent for singing in a chance encounter on the street, unaware that she's been so ground down by her unsuccessful efforts as a singer that she's basically on the edge of giving up - a predicament shared by his friend Daisuke, who has reached a point of unfulfilment with painting.

Kanata becomes convinced he must make a music video for Yu, and his faltering efforts and the fallout of that push him onto an arc of understanding. And much as it's got that Shinkai melodrama aspect, climactic chase and all, it really does hit some notes about the pain of not making it. So much anime about making art follows the templates of sports anime: the gradual rise in fame and escalating tiers of prestige like stages in a league. It's welcome to have a film more focused on exploring the emotions of not making it.

The methods of production are also notable. At Scotland Loves Anime there was an extended interview between Jonathan Clements and Popreq which really went into the production nitty gritty... something they promised to put online but I can't seem to find anywhere. Perhaps something to follow up on later. Popreq refused to be seen on camera (despite Clements claiming he had an exceptionally beautiful bishōnen face lmao) but came across as terribly sincere. I will have to recount from memory...

The film is of course mostly rendered in Blender - in fact, there's an incredible sequence of Kanata animating in Blender that is one of my favourite parts - but it also brings in some even newer tech: its animation is largely accomplished motion capture, using a variety of tools and software, including 'Perception Neuron' used to capture crowd scenes. Popreq himself plays nearly every character with an affordable mocap rig from his home. Only a few sequences, notably the live music performance scenes, used more traditional mocap studio tech. Here and there for more cartoonish scenes, 2D animation is mixed in, fitting in very seamlessly with the lineless 3D.

This single-actor mocap approach puts it in the company of The Pig That Survived Foot and Mouth Disease, the Korean film which I wrote about here. In both films, the tech enables a style of film that just couldn't be created before. Pig That Survived takes a more naturalistic approach to acting befitting its dark Shakespearean drama, while Cheers tends to go for more comical exaggerated motion - at least for its main boy. But honestly Popreq knocks it out of the park with the acting, conveying much with a subtle head tilt. (It helps, I suppose, to be his own cinematographer as much as main actor.)

I went into AFMOC without expectations (I just thought it looked neat on the programme) and was very pleasantly surprised, and it absolutely exemplifies the spirit of just, making some shit with whatever tools come to hand. So that's why I wanna bring it to you today, and even put it alongside a masterpiece like Look Back. Between these two films... well, they say what it's all about, really. Art about the struggles of making art can get a bit wanky, but when it's done well, it hits like nothing else. And both of these films leave me fired up to make something true. I hope they'll do the same for you.

Naturally I'm starting stupid late. Animation Night 197 will be going live in just a second at the usual twitch.tv/canmom, movies starting in about 15-20 minutes - we'll be watching AFMOC and then Look Back! Hope to see you there, and either way, happy new year freaks! I wanna see what you can't resist making, in whatever medium and idiom calls to you, just like these anime kids.

[clockwise-works]

"Power Couple"

So I know I had posted my Link design for this AU just a week or so ago, but truthfully I was really unhappy with how it turned out. I decided to play around with the posing, and used different brushes and colors. I didn't want to just do Link though, so surprise! You get a Mipha with it! I've got my thought process below the cut for anyone interested.

So for Link I didn't really want to change much from my last design. It was really just the art style and posing I didn't like. I DID decide to give into my demons and gave him a cape. The idea is that it's long enough for him to cover his arm up when in towns / conceal his identity from Ganondorf and Astor. It's also big enough for the two to share on particularly cold nights. I also added some knight's guards for his boots. I felt the bottom half of the original design was simply too boring, so I included it to add a little flair to his boots. I then added patches to his pants to show just how devastating the fight was WaterBlight was, every patch, scar, and tear a spot he was struck.

I then gave him a shield made of light from the Light Secret Stone. My idea is that since Link was unable to defend himself initially from Ganondorf's Gloom, he uses the Light Stone to make a shield to properly defend himself. The shield's design is a mix between the Hyrulean and Zora shields, symbolizing him dual upbringing in this AU. I wanted to include the Shield's design without the glow affect but have seemingly lost the file :( If anyone is interested I could redraw it and post it another time.

The stone ALSO slows down his arm's death, essentially counterbalancing the Gloom infection. His arm did take substantial damage up until that point though, as it as seemingly withered down drastically, and will definitely need amputation after the war. I then gave Mipha the Water Secret Stone, and for them it's the first one they find. The idea is that WaterBlight, after "defeating" Mipha and Link, makes a break to the Water Temple to steal the Secret Stone. In the process he uses the temple to rain hellfire upon the Zora, an attempt by Astor the cripple the closest army to Hyrule.

For Mipha's design I was initially disappointed. The original idea was to give her pieces of Zonai armor that she and Link find on the sky islands above Zora's Domain, but unfortunately TotK has like NO good actual armors. So I decided to just go with Zora's guard armor, the idea being her father REFUSING to allow his daughter and son to rejoin the fight so soon after WaterBlight unless she properly protected herself. I then removed and or damaged parts of her jewelry, most likely lost during her battle in Vah Ruta.

To give her more than just Zora's guard armor, I gave her a belt that holds a bunch of Elixers to use on their journey, and a pouch containing medical supplies and rations. I gave her Link's hairband because I imagined a scene of her disappointed that she lost one of her mother's bracelets, so Link gave it to Mipha to cheer her up. It doesn't really compare, he knows this, but she appreciated it. I then gave her the Amber Earrings to give her better defense.

Finally, the scars and bandages. While Mipha DOES have healing magic, at this point of the story she is practically drained. For frame of reference, she had been healing herself multiple times during the WaterBlight battle (a fight that lasted hours), AND THEN subconsciously used her magic to keep her and Link alive just barely when they escaped Vah Ruta and drifted down the Rutala River until the fleeing Zoras found them. Her magic healed their most egregious wounds, but multiple scars were left behind. Maybe she could force herself to heal more, but Link nor any of the Zora would allow her to push herself too far.

[softxsuki]

Hey! Uhm well I was wondering if you could do a ran or rindou haitani x reader self harm urges post if not both because I've been struggling really hard to try not to do it and losing sleep because of it. I hope you understand have a great night/day 😁

Shinichiro Comforts Reader With Self-Harm Urges

PLEASE DON'T READ IF MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM AND OLD SCARS WILL TRIGGER YOU MORE THAN IT WILL COMFORT YOU.

Pairing: Shinichiro x Gn!Reader

Warnings: mentions of self-harm, old scars, urges to hurt yourself

Genre: Comfort

Post-Type: Headcanons

Word Count: 690

Summary: In which Shinichiro comforts you after finding out about your urges to self-harm again

[A/N: Written with Shinichiro like you asked for in your other ask since I don't write for Ran or Rindou yet :3. Sorry about the delay, I took a nap since I've been sleep deprived lately, and my nap turned into a 5 hour long sleep...oops. But I hope this was worth the wait, and hopefully it provides you with some comfort to help those urges go away! Remember everyone, your comfort characters love you and wouldn't want you to hurt yourself; that includes Ran and Rindou. Though I don't know much about them, I just know that their s/o would be the most precious person to them, so knowing you were hurting yourself would break their heart. ily, thanks for trusting me with your urgent request <3]

Shinichiro:

Shinichiro is the type of guy who tells you he’ll always be there for you, and he really is

So long as you actually tell him whenever you’re struggling, he’s not that great at picking up on the subtle hints that you’re struggling on your own

Of course he knows about your history with self-harm, you’d both spoken about it on one of your heart to heart conversations where all your inner, darkest secrets were spilled to each other

Because of this, he has tried to be a little more observant towards you, making sure you’re not suffering alone, and feeling like you have to rely on self-harm to feel better

As soon as you do open up to him one night about your recent urges to self-harm again, he’s on high alert, racking his brain for the best words to soothe you

Knowing you have this internal struggle to harm yourself makes him feel useless, I mean, what could he possibly do or say to stop you from feeling this way? He didn’t want you to feel judged or bad for feeling the way you do…

So he does whatever comes to his mind first; he grabs a sharpie and gently holds your arm in his hands, flipping is over so he can see your wrists

Evidence of your older battles are evident on them still, scars that will always remain, yet are a testament to everything you’ve survived through thus far, a strength in you he greatly admired

He slowly draws a heart on your wrist with the sharpie, as you look on in confusion at his actions. He blows on your skin, allowing the ink to dry before pressing a kiss to it and allowing you your arm back

“That right there is my heart, whenever you feel the urge to hurt yourself and don’t feel confident enough to tell me about it, just look at the heart…if it fades, just let me know and I’ll redraw it for you as many times as you need. If you hurt yourself, you also hurt me,” he says softly, looking into your eyes

Shinichiro wasn’t the best at emotions and letting you know how he felt without getting blushy and nervous that he’ll mess up his words, was close to impossible

“Oh gosh, this is stupid right? I’m sorry, I was trying to be cool…Look, I just want you to know that I’m here for you and I care about you so much. It’s hard for anyone other than you to know exactly what you’re going through, but I promise I’ll be by your side to help you through anything you need. If you feel these urges to hurt yourself, maybe we can go out and blow off some steam. We can go to a junkyard and just smash up a few things. Just…please don’t take out your frustrations and complicated emotions on yourself. I’d rather you hit me and scream at me than harm yourself, Y/N.”

He means every word and is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel better, you only need to say the word

After your confession on the urges you’re feeling, Shin keeps an even closer eye on you, hoping that he doesn’t feel too suffocating. He just doesn’t want you to resort to temporary solutions to your feelings and would much rather target the root cause so you can feel better about things moving forward

Checks up on the heart he drew on you to make sure you’re taking good care of it, and smiles happily when he sees it’s still intact, peppering kisses to your skin, and embracing you

However, in the slight chance that his tactics don’t work and you do resort to your own methods of coping, he isn’t disappointed, but he is hurt and upset at himself that he couldn’t do enough to help you

If you fall once, just get back up and try again–that’s what he believes, so he’s right there by your side to pick you back up and try again until those urges never return

REQUESTS ARE OPEN :D

Posted: 08/23/2023

[shima-draws]

Hiya!! I saw you were having a hard time, so I'm here to distract you from the things!! >7<)/

Who was your first OC? What did they look like, mayhaps try to redesign/redraw them side by side!

I hope things get better for you soon!!

Aw thank you!!! 🥰

My first OC was either Shima or Riku, I can't remember for sure who came first but they've been with me the longest

And yeah I've redesigned them both lots of times already! I have a habit of redesigning OCs once every few years lol

First art I EVER posted of them? I had to dig into my old DeviantART account to find this, this is from 2011 holy SHIT?? Have I really been on the internet for that long? Anyway old art jumpscare warning

Aww. Baby Shima art <3

This was before Riku actually got a human form, he actually started out as a Pokemon OC that was like. A weird genetic mutation of Pikachu? Uncreative little me called him Rare Pikachu LMAO or RP for short. Neat bit of lore, when I eventually repurposed him to become Riku I kept those same initials. Riku Promethera = RP :") Just a callback to his origins <3 He's always been Shima's partner tho since the beginning which makes me really emo honestly

Anyway here have 10+ years of Shima and Riku art

Shima's hair has gotten noticeably pinker but her actual hair style has stayed relatively the same after the very first redesign. God it used to be so DARK and way browner but I think the pink fits the palette very well :"D

And Riku...I used to strictly adhere to the black color scheme but I think the new one with the earthy tones suits him perfectly since he's a land elemental!

Also I need to draw him pathetic and covered in blood again. Tbh.

[stepswordsen]

【Magi】 Judar Wearing Hanfu 🖤❤️🐈‍⬛

【Magi】 Judar wearing hanfu 🖤❤️🐈‍⬛

【マギ】 漢服（ハンフ）を着るジュダル

Intro

Judar is my fave Magi chara, and JuAli is my fave Magi ship, so I REALLY wanna create plushie designs of them one day, as well as a Tegaki fan-animatic MV... It's my dream 🙏

My unhinged gremlin black cat son who's Black Sun, Moon, and Eclipse themed! 🐈‍⬛☀️🖤🌙

1st Judar doodle is a planned concept art reference sheet I wanna do for my headcanon design of him wearing black and red hanfu 💞

2nd Judar doodle is based on a Vocaloid song parody with JuAli (Judar/Alibaba) x Unfriendly Hater by Meddmia (drawn by WOOMA) 🖤❤️💛

In my HCs, Judar wears a type of hanfu called Ruqun (襦裙). Ru (襦) is the cross-collared top of a hanfu, and the wrap-around skirt is called Qun (裙). The coat jacket is called Da Xiu Shan (大袖衫)

He'd look great wearing black and red hanfu with white and gold accents~ The black outer coat jacket is slightly translucent, so it'll show the cross collared top's red sleeves through it.

I drew some tentative rain drop earrings for now, but I imagine he would wear gold and red hanfu earrings, and/or snowflake/icicle ones (since Judar is an ice magic user) ❄️

I've been forgetting to post my doodles from my side account onto main, so here you go. I missed talking about my son and drawing him.

I think my art style is getting more refined 🥰💖 The way I draw faces/eyes has been improving steadily! The first Judar doodle was the first time I experimented with an eye style with thicker eyelashes and underlashes! I love the new eye style a lot, so I've comfortably settled into it for the rest of my arts.

I want to draw him in different styles of huafu too, but I made the main hanfu he wears in my HC version, simple to draw (black coat jacket, red cross collared top, black wrap around skirt) with simple patterns, just for my own sake.

...

I'm obsessed with Meow meow mf charas. Black and white colour scheme and design aesthetics. Black and/or white hair. Black Sun & Moon themed. Sharp tsurime eyes. Eyeshadow. Causes problems on purpose. C*nty Sen-core bastard cat. Smug chaotic edgy evil asshole character. Violent, unhinged, bloodthirsty and murderous. Arrogant with a huge ego that distances them from humanity (or social interactions).

I love "Sen-core Meow meow mf" and "Cunty Sen-core" bastard cat Annoying Nyam Nyam types like him /pos <3 🐈‍⬛💗

Judar's long black hair with braids, and black + white + red + yellow design hits my fave aesthetics 💗I love his braids sm

Judar is my fave Magi chara. No one is surprised LOL. Judar is a perfect Sen-core character.

Especially since I KNEW I have a history of being obsessed with Kuroha (KagePro) since I was 12. I knew exactly what would happen

The fact that my evil unhinged meow meow pipeline has led me from Kuroha (2013) to Judar (2022) is really not surprising at all.

It's so funny rereading my messages from 2022 when I first read Magi and guessed that he'd be my fave after seeing his 1st CAMEO appearance 😭😂 It's like watching my downfall in real time /lh

My friends mainly associate me with my meow meow mf faves like Douman, Xanxus, Judar, Idate, Kuroha, and Hibari. To be known for them is an honour ✨ It makes me very happy (❁´◡`❁)

Judar's a fun chara and a perfect squishable gremlin it's natural I'm devoted to him. I love my son

I wanna draw even more of him cuz he's just so fun to draw. I need to practice more cuz I have trouble drawing his spiky hair at times

I put the rest of my doodle WIPs, and talks of my headcanon design for him, and my art process under the cut ✨ Cuz I don't think I ever talked about how I got obsessed with this chara in full? I'll put that too

WIP Shots

The last one is an older doodle. I still like aspects of it but I'd redraw it (also the above doodles are just better drawn versions of it)

Headcanon Design

Judar wears hanfu and hanfu earrings in my headcanon design.

I imagined that he would wear gold and red hanfu earrings, and also snowflake/icicle ones! Silver snowflake ones, and glass icicle earrings would be cool...

So I think I may wanna put snowflake/ice and dragon patterns on his hanfu. The silhouette of a Chinese dragon (ice dragon) would be rad 🐉

I want Alibaba to wear traditional Arabic clothes (white and yellow). I've been looking into it for now, but I wanna draw it soon... I also HC Alibaba to have tanner skin in my HC design

Ohtaka is really good at harmonizing colour palettes (seen with the volume covers). I loooove using teal/cool tinted black when colouring my meow meow mf faves, so this is a treat hehe

Since Judar is from the Kou Empire, which is based on China, I wanted to project Judar's ethnicity onto his design more (since many friends who I've spoken to from my other interests didn't know he was even CN inspired until I told them)

I always take aspects I like from canon and imbue it with my own tastes! I base my drawings on my own headcanons/interpretations of my faves.

I agree with the above post <3

Magi is in my top favourite series ever in terms of art and writing. It's generally peak imo

Magi's biggest flaws are the whitewashing, colourism and racial stereotyping (ex. racially stereotyped clothing in the character designs) and some parts of the setting being bastardized takes on SWANA and South Asian cultures, and I've always been critical of that.

Of course, it's totally normal for cultures to do cultural exchanges with each other, but that's not what's going on here.

A lot of EA media feeds into insensitive/distasteful racial stereotypes on non EA cultures, we don't need more of it being perpetuated in fandom spaces. I personally won't be drawing certain Magi charas in their canon clothing designs.

Ohtaka's drawn him (Judar) in hanfu before, it should've been his canon clothes instead.

I love his hair design with the braids sm. I draw him in huafu in my HC design instead as a fix-it for the obvious colourism going on in Magi's chara designs, and also, the charas' clothing designs and parts of the settings too, being bastardized and racially stereotyped takes on SWANA and South Asian cultures.

WIP Shots (Art Process)

I drew these, which I like, but I liked the original best (up top). A few of them have slightly more curled hair strands! I think 1st and 2nd are the best in capturing the vibes, but the others are also interesting to see. I might incorporate some aspects from them when I refine this doodle

I think there's a lot of improvement from my past doodles. I still like this but I'd redraw it (since I feel like my recent doodles are just better drawn versions of this)

Admittedly I'm MUCH better at drawing meow meow mfs, so I haven't gotten the chance to draw Alibaba yet.

I find Judar's spiky hair hard to draw so I'm still trying to decide how I want to draw it...

I love how Ohtaka draws the shape of his braids. I didn't get the time to refine the sketch yet so I just blocked in the shape of his braids roughly with a silhouette (so I'll go fix it later)

I wanna redraw and refine the hair and clothes later 👍

I think when I actually get to colouring, though, I'm gonna desaturate the teal tinted black colour slightly

On the 1st sketch pass, I just care about making the face and eyes look good (since it's usually the main focus of my pieces)

Then I just scribble whatever for the clothes.

And then when I go back to clean up the sketch, then I fix everything else, including the clothes

Inspiration

(Magi: Kou Empire Arc - Ch. 255 Spoilers)

I was rereading the Judar vs. Aladdin fight in the Kou Empire arc and I love how dynamic Ohtaka's art is. I'm in love with the compositions

Judar's ice dragons and the the last page with Judar being themed with the moon!!! That's so cool. My son is so cool and iconic

Judar’s leitmotif is the Black Sun and Moon ☀️🖤🌙

I reread the Kou Empire arc so many times cuz it's SO good art/writing wise and just in general like WHDSHDHSH

But this is why I want Judar's hanfu to have snow/ice and ice dragons on it. I'll make it an easy pattern/silhouette and use a stamp brush probably cuz uh I don't want to have to draw that by hand every time

...

Ohtaka is one of my main art inspirations of what I wanna draw like someday in terms of technical skill. Her inking is godly.

Ohtaka is BRILLIANT with inking, dynamic battle compositions, perspectives, and colours... Her art is soooo good, it's such visual eye candy.

Ohtaka is brilliant with complex dynamic perspectives and inking. She draws GREAT expressions. Her colours harmonize really well. She's a brilliant author/story writer.

Her inking style is so unique. And it fits thematically too with how Magi is mainly in black and white (black and white rukh)

Since Magi was loosely based on 1001 Nights for the charas' names and parts of the setting, the roc/rukh is a giant legendary bird.

It's apparently a reference to Rukh/Rok (A mythological bird) and Rūḥ ("Essence/Soul")

Source: (X)

The way her inking stands out on its own with minimal screentone usage (except for BG effects and lighting) is a testament to her skill

Misc Rambles

These are my top fave meow meow mf faves.

My top main faves are all very important and personal to me, just in different ways. So I tie them all as no. 1 ✨

Irt Judar and Kuroha/Saeru, they're completely different characters personality wise, since Judar is mischievous, bratty and playful, childlike and emotionally immature (due to his personality and context), but they have similar~ish designs and a couple similarities, in terms of their basics.

As in, they're both evil black haired meow meow mfs with similar expression ranges, who are bloodthirsty, sadistic, and love causing violence for fun. They have the same Sen-core character type.

They have similar~ish hairstyles (black hair with braids in the back, unique eyes (Kuroha's snake eye pupils and the rings in Judar's eyes), and are unhinged bloodthirsty meow meow mf core charas

...

My History

(Magi: Ch. 15 - Judar's 1st Cameo Appearance)

Ok I don't think I ever told in full my origin story with this chara, I guess. Basically I was going off the mutuals/blorbo osmosis and just my friends' rambles at this point before I read the series.

And I was reading back my messages of what I sent to my friends at the time

I first read Magi, I think around Sept 2022, two chapters, then started again in Oct 2022 read to Ch. 15 saw Judar and was like. (.) 🧍 This design is Sen core. Don't let me go down like this.

When I first saw Judar’s CAMEO in Ch. 15... I had a feeling.

Cuz I sensed Sen core meow meow mf.

I felt my doom. I knew it... I sensed it with my instincts 😭

WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS PANEL OF JUDAR, I WAS LIKE OH NO... I SENSED MY DOWNFALL.

And then I was like, "Well I made my bed, so time to go lie in it 👍"

Since I saw the charas from my friends' tweets before, can you believe that at this point I was like "Wow I wonder how my would be ship interact together. They're on the same page!!!" 🤸

THIS IS INSANE OF ME DSAKLSDKLKLSDKLS

My friends were like "I can't believe you're shipping them this early 😭 Even before they actually interact omggg"

And I started shipping JuAli by Ch. 15. So before they even interacted. So when I JUST saw Judar. And then I doodled them right after (it was my first doodle of them!) 😭😂 LMFAOOOO

Good god me getting obsessed with charas/ships is like my insanity speedrun

Me with JuAli and KuroEne... Insanity speedrun x1000000

Like I had a feeling that he'd become my fave by his first CAMEO appearance... He makes his first major appearance around like ~Ch. 44

Douman took 5 days for me to be obsessed with after I found out about his character/writing.

Judar just took me seeing his 1st cameo appearance in the manga.

Kuroha/Saeru took just seeing the Outer Science MV when I was 12 (Tbf, Outer Science is peak KagePro and is one of the best KagePro MVs in terms of visuals and storytelling)

...

Judar is extremely important and personal to me, I feel this as someone who comes from a similar cultural background to him as well, Judar is EA/CN inspired and so his background and backstory context really makes me feel for him… Speaking personally, as someone who is Viet/SEA diaspora.

Considering Judar's backstory context, and his character arc themes of resentment and grief… Wahhhh ;__; I can mildly relate to him.

Like, ahhh, this character makes me so emotional… He makes me want to cry (in a good way). Emotional tears, cuz this chara is so healing and cathartic for me. I'll punch him out of love! 🫶

[quohotos]

I present to you, my Magnum Opus. The Underland Chronicles rendered in the style of an early 2000s flash based point and click adventure game (the MNOG)

I have spent so long on this. Inkscape doesn't log total project time the way Krita does, but it's the most time I've spent on any single piece of vector art. Even then there's still a million things I want to go in and change but... aaaaaa you have to cut it off somewhere. I have been copy pasting rats for hours, and don't even get me started on the shadows. The shadows look good, they are not physically accurate. I tried.

Here are some bonus features!

No text overlay. Clean if you want to print it or make it a desktop background.

Close up on Solovet and Ajax I've never actually drawn Solovet, or any underlanders really. I definitely am phoning it in by framing her from behind. When it came to designing what kind of armor they'd wear I took inspiration from both Greek and Roman designs. Ajax was originally much more saturated red until @paksenarrion-dorthansdotter corrected me. The books describe him as dried blood colored. (please don't look too close at the rats they don't hold up to scrutiny)

Close up on Ripred. He looks just a little bit small and fat in this one, but that's just because he's slouching. When he stands up it all stays in his hips and ass. I always draw Ripred like he appeared on my cover of Code of Claw. The scar on his face isn't really visible from this angle because it cuts left to right and he's looking left.

Lastly, here's Gregor and Ares. There is an official design for his armor as seen on the cover of my copy of Code of Claw. I redesigned it because I thought that version looked kinda pants, tbh. Little goofy and hard to take seriously.

The great thing about vector art is you can zoom in and obsess over tiny little details that end up only being like 4 pixels wide in the final export. Case in point, these rando flyers. Such minute detail that gets flattened out to a single pixel in some cases.

Sidenote: I always imagined the flyers as more microbat inspired, which is why I draw them with tails... but these ones end up looking very flying fox-like and have also some megabat proportions. This isn't really an intentional artistic choice, it's just a compromise I had to strike to make them look decent. I need to practice drawing microbats more.

Oh well. The author isn't that descriptive about their proportions so I guess it's up to interpretation.

Lastly, here's the original sketch that I traced over. A lot of features ultimately got cut, as well as the dimensions to the side being changed. Solovet originally was going to have a braid but then I remembered that line from the first book where Luxa explains that you have to cut your hair to go to war. Ripred also looked a lot more teddy bear like in the sketch, so I ended up not even tracing him. Bane was a redraw, and I actually did trace part of Ajax and then just frehanded the rest.

If anyone is reading this far and hasn't read the underland Chronicles, now is a great time to go to your local library and pick it up. These books slap and this tiny community would love to suffer our brainrot welcome you into our fold.

Fly You High

[friesian]

ockiss 4: lost

REDRAW OF SOMETHING I DREW ALMOST A YEAR AGO!! IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER NOW!! also now with writing from @kamiporterbridges. enjoy the outlaws first kiss. ----

As he walked, unafraid, through the Valley of Death, the lone wanderer took in his surroundings with the vague curiosity of a man who's lost, yet not in any hurry to be found. Shadows passed him by in a rush, as he scrunched the dress shirt he was wearing (dirty, green-ish red? Did he even like the color red? such information was dangling just outside his reach; tantalizing in its mystery, but a futile effort all the same).

Did it itch? Did it ache? Was there even a difference at this point?

Bright yellow and green eyes scanned the empty terrain, where other beings scurried around without a semblance of purpose. Just like him, they were lost. But unlike him, they resented such a position.

The wanderer could feel it, too. A submarine restlessness, agitating the placid lake of his emotions. But something else, more powerful (a supreme tiredness, vast like the ocean itself) weighed him down, keeping him in the utmost complacency.

He needed to be... somewhere. But that was before. Now, he was here, and he had to walk.

Suddenly, however, a bright light made him squint; the wanderer stopped, shielding his eyes as he surveyed the scene; somehow, such light seemed forbidden in a place such as this.

The light was a little wisp, dancing around like fireflies in the summer Krytan fields. But he didn't know what fireflies were anymore, or where Kryta was.

He had to...

"...Be somewhere else."

The wanderer stopped, looking up at the wisp - eyebrows shooting slightly up. How could that little ball of light echo his thoughts in such a perfect way? His voice was desperate, and it echoed in the cavernous, empty well of his emotions, making ripples like a rock on the water.

"Hey," he called, blinking. Then, he tipped his hat. "Howdy."

It felt natural to greet someone that way. The wisp seemed to think so too, stopping its aerial dance to turn, somehow, towards the wanderer.

Despite having no eyes to speak of, the wanderer knew it was looking straight at him.

"Howdy!" the wisp replied, floating closer, making the wanderer squint and step backwards. "Ah— sorry! I'm just—"

"Lost," the wanderer replied, frowning ever so slightly. "You got somewhere to be. So do I."

Briefly, the wisp lit up harder.

"Do ya?!" it exclaimed, echoing in the quiet in an unnatural way that made the wanderer's ears fold backwards. Loud. "Godsdamn, been lookin' for someone to help me outta here! I gotta be somewhere else, I lost... somethin'. And I gotta get it back!"

Once again, his urgency was contagious. The wanderer looked for fire and a cigarette, realizing he didn't have any, and that he didn't remember how to smoke, or how soothing tobacco felt down his throat.

"Motherfucker," he grumbled, looking up at the wisp once more. "You remember what you lost at all, kiddo?"

"No..." this time, the light dimmed. The wanderer scowled; why did that little wisp's grief felt like a stab through his heart? "But maybe we can help each other! Ya said you were lost too, right? You also gotta be somewhere else!"

"Eyup," the wanderer replied, nodding once.

"Then maybe we can look together!" The wanderer could feel the smile on the wisp's lips, despite it not having any. It was a strange feeling. "I help you, you help me. Sounds 'bout right?"

"Yer sure you wanna partner up with me?" the wanderer asked, arms crossed. "I know 'bout the same you do."

"Man, you're the only one I've seen so far who wants to do... well, anythin'!" the wisp danced and twirled in the air, and the wanderer felt the impulse, quickly repressed, to playfully grab at it. "So yeah, you're my partner now!"

For reasons unknown to him, the wanderer chuffed - a smile curving his lips up.

"Then let's go, partner."

—

The lights came down on two figures; one, sitting alone above a tree, perched on a branch with a turret by its side; long, tattered jacket hanging loose along with long, powerful legs and a bramble of green, vegetable hair. The wanderer observed the turret beside him with a squint, clenching and relaxing his fists. His hand ached for... something. Something he wasn't quite sure what it was.

The other figure, sitting against a wooden wall, trembled and shrunk - tarnished and dented armor clinking softly as he moved, shrugging and gasping every so often, golden hair falling over his obscured face. The wanderer tilted his head as the wisp hung in the air, expecting. An air of unmistakable sorrow draped over the scene like curtains before a show.

The figure against the wall waved a paper around - a paper that the wanderer eyed with curiosity. It was a letter; or at least, it was shaped like one. The words were garbled and the letters made no sense, like a half-remembered image of a notice looked at from afar.

The figure above, smoking up a storm, squinted as well, and the wanderer found himself touching his own face, his own brow. There was something familiar about that face. About those gestures. About that sorrow in his eyes.

The figure huffed like an angry bull, shaking his head as if scolding himself for what he was about to do, before leaning down, looming over that tiny blonde man with a scowl.

"Hey," he called - that low, bassy tone catching the wanderer's breath in his throat. "You good down there?"

Equally as shocked, the blonde figure below jumped - snapping at the man perched on the tree. And once again the wanderer found his breath caught in his throat; a deeply seated pain aching in the depths of his chest. A sorrow so deep it clawed its way back to him from the shores of oblivion.

"The hell you want?" the kid -because it was a kid, that much the wanderer knew- grumbled, hostile like a tiny feral kitten who has forgotten the taste of milk and the warmth of a lap to lay on.

Their back and forth was a strange dance; two steps ahead and one back, each time the blonde man regarded the one on the tree with hostility. But bemusement, and badly concealed worry, was all the man on the tree had to offer to the more and more disconcerted blonde.

Finally, a truce was made - the man of the turret offered a blunt, and the man with the letter accepted it, albeit begrudgingly. And finally the man in the tree was no more, as he jumped down and dropped, heavy as he was, in front of the blonde.

"Here you go," he offered, handing a rolled joint towards the blonde. "Name's—"

"There they are again!" the wisp suddenly alerted him, and the wanderer whipped around, wrench at the ready.

A shadowy figure jumped from the brambles, leaping over them to hold onto the figures, stretching out towards each other, offering and taking. And it ripped something crucial, it seemed; the image dissolved into the ether.

"Hey!" the wanderer yelled out, leaping into action as the wisp followed. "Give that back!"

He didn't quite know what that was. But the wanderer knew he needed it back - desperately so.

Scenes passed by the two of them as they pursued the shadowy figure - the blonde man and the man with the turret  slowly growing closer, eating together, fighting together, laughing together. The twang of a banjo made the wanderer's ears twitch as they ran by, as did the sound of the blonde man's tears. His sorrow felt like his own, in a way. And the impulse of reaching out, of squeezing him close, of shushing his fears and drying his tears, felt only natural.

"Here!" the wisp suddenly leapt forward, igniting in light, and making the shadowy figure recoil. And the wanderer finally brought down the wrench over it, tearing into its shape, unmaking it rather than destroying it.

The figure vanished, yet its shadow yielded an object that the wanderer contemplated, dumbfounded. An old, mistreated red bandana rested on the floor, unremarkable in its simplicity, but transcendental for reasons unknown.

The wanderer reached over, gloved fingers gingerly touching its rough embroidery, picked at it by the years. And then, as he stowed his weapon -Matilda, his wrench was called Matilda. He knew so now-, he grasped at it, picking it up, contemplating it like the treasure it was, despite having lost all meaning.

"Excuse me!" a voice called - a small, frail-looking woman observed him, the petals composing her hair puffing upon being noticed. "Yes, you! I'm sorry, but the patient cannot be visited at the time - he seems to be... unstable, and dangerous."

The wanderer blurted out the words, like an actor ready to read their lines on a well loved play.

"Name's Marwyd," he said - and the words rang true in his lips. "Priory engineer. I gotta see him."

The woman - a Pact medic, now he knew, seemed to recoil in sadness.

"Oh," she murmured, looking down. "He has been calling out for you. Even in dreams..."

Marwyd, the wanderer, felt that sorrow in his chest again. The Pact medic, however, interrupted his musings with a sigh.

"You have five minutes," she murmured, parting the tent flap as she glanced around. "Good luck, soldier."

Clumsily, still clinging to the bandana on his hand, Marwyd stepped forth. And there he was - the blonde man, laying on the bed, sleeping.

He remembered now. His name tasted sweet on his tongue.

"Johnny," he named the blonde man, who stirred at his voice, looking for him like a flowing looking for the sun.

"Mar?" he weakly, weepily called. And his stirring became frantic, covering himself from invisible monsters clawing at him from the shadows.

He remembered. Of course he remembered. The heat, the burning feeling on his hand as he reached out, holding him down, holding him close.

"S'alright, Johnny, s'alright," he swore, despite now knowing it wasn't alright. It would never be alright again. "I'm here now."

"It killed him, Mar!" Johnny  cried out, incandescent tears flowing down his cheeks. "He's dead. Nick's dead."

"M'sorry," he murmured, gently caressing the golden thread of his locks. "M'so sorry, Johnny. If there's anythin' I can do fer you..."

Johnny suddenly held his hands, clenching at the bandana as well. And Marwyd understood its purpose and its function like never before. The tether that binded them.

"Kill that damn dragon," Johnny growled through clenched teeth. "Kill it fuckin' dead!"

And as he let go of his bandana, of his name and self, Marwyd nodded. For he didn't need it anymore.

"I promise."

The image vanished - not dissolved in the ether, but gently fading as Johnny's expression softened. And the yearning grew in Marwyd's heart.

He had somewhere to be. Someone to find.

"Let's keep goin'," he said, turning backwards towards the wisp.

But its sudden stillness, its quiet contemplation, gave him pause. He tilted his head.

"You good?" he asked, squinting ever so slightly. The wisp jumped in place.

"Whah— yeah! M'good." It didn't sound convinced. And something in his voice made Marwyd's ears perk up in attention. Something in those whiny, saddened tones. "Let's go!"

Marwyd held his gaze on it for a moment, before nodding once. He figured they'd find whatever it was looking for eventually.

–

The road continued on down memories untold, through a darkened forest of bad omens. Marwyd and his incorporeal partner walked down treacherous slopes, finally leaving the Pact behind. Memories dropped gently like leaves sometimes, then suddenly like a cold winter shower. And Marwyd kept grabbing at his dress shirt, feeling the sting of loss, and something else entirely.

Under the canopy of naked branches they stopped once more. The scene lit up with the unbearable white of the sun glistening over the snow, and Marwyd inhaled sharply, scowling once again. He remembered that scene.

And he didn’t like it.

As if waiting for him to realize, the words reached his ears with painful clarity, folding backwards as if trying to escape it.

“You killed him!” Johnny was in hysterics - looking down at the man who didn’t deserve to be called his father.

“He ain't dead,” Marwyd assured him through clenched teeth. And not for lack of tryin’.

“Dad?! Dad!” he wasn't listening, hurrying to kneel beside that awful man, looking for a pulse with trembling hands.

Marwyd didn’t know if he was trembling because of the image of his father knocked out on the floor, or because of the cane he had gotten directly to the head, courtesy of the same man.

Despite knowing how it ended, Marwyd knew he was powerless to stop it. Johnny screamed, not listening, not even wanting to do so. Terrified of his own loneliness, he retreated deep within it, far away from where Marwyd could reach him.

“Get the fuck outta here!” Johnny yelled, and through the echoes of time Marwyd felt the impact of one of those delicate porcelain figurines - bruising the back of his head and shattering against the floor.

It hurt. It still hurt. And not because of the bruise.

He glared over his shoulder, seeing that known face twisted by rage and tears.

“Don't ever talk to me again,” he said - sealing the fate of their solitude.

“Wait!” Johnny called suddenly. “Please, don't– M'sorry, I didn't want to–” 

Marwyd stopped on his tracks, eyes wide. That wasn't how it went at all.

He turned on his heels, hoping to find Johnny's tenderness. But the memory was long gone, and only the wisp remained, floating in the air with confused urgency that echoed his own.

And once again, Marwyd named him. His name, despite everything, still sweet on his lips.

“Johnny?” he called.

The light became unbearable under the darkened sky. Marwyd shielded himself from it, but quickly forced himself to see. The light took shape, molding itself into a figure he knew all too well. A figure he would never be able to forget - not even in the Valley of Death.

More corporeal than the ghosts around him, Johnny's boots touched the ground, as he examined his body with shock and confusion.

“Johnny!” called Marwyd again.

“Mar!” Johnny called in turn, breaking into a sprint.

He clashed into Marwyd’s arms with the force of the ocean, or his impetuous temper. Whatever could hit the hardest - Marwyd wasn't sure he could tell the difference anymore.

He buried his hooked nose in those golden curls, enveloping Johnny in a devastating embrace, squeezing him against his chest. He who held the secret of his name, who reached through time and space, over and over again, no matter how far he was. Through the pain, through the years, through their own, miserable fears and grudges.

“M'sorry, Mar, M'so fuckin’ sorry!” Johnny cried in his chest, clinging to him as fiercely as Marwyd clung to him.

“Hey there, kid,” he murmured - lips brushing against the top of his head, desperate to touch him. To know he was real. To know that, once again, he had come looking for him. “S'alright.”

Despite their circumstances, he had to admit to himself, quietly and secretly, that he was happy they were together. Even in their final adventure.

“Kiddo, are you–” he murmured. Johnny leaned backwards, looking up at him.

“I ain’t sure,” he replied, wide eyes filled to the brim with tears he hurried to wipe away. “Guess that's a good sign. You…?”

Marwyd huffed tiredly.

“Don't think I made it, Firefly.”

Johnny drew in a shaky breath. And his panicked stare turned resolute.

“Well I don’t give no fucks,” he said, hands gripping at Marwyd's arms. “I told ya if ya got yourself killed I'd be right here to drag your ass back. Well, here I am! Now let's get draggin’!”

Biting down a smile, Marwyd chuffed. How in Torment did he always manage to make him believe in the impossible? Killing a dragon with a cannon? Hunting down an impostor mursaat? Killing a god?

The road behind him suddenly lit up in flames. Both of them looked over Marwyd’s shoulder - the fire dancing in their eyes.

“We gotta keep goin’,” he said - reluctantly letting go of Johnny. He nodded, resolute.

“Right behind ya.”

The road ascended in war and flames - up and up into the moonless sky. Quietly, Marwyd’s hand sought for Johnny's, finding eager fingers locking with his own.

–

The years of war they had waged against the rogue god of war Balthazar scarred even the Domain of the Lost, flames hurrying them up the ruins of a semblance of an ancient tower. Fighting the heralds, finding Marwyd’s father again, finding Johnny's brother, Nick, trapped inside an armor wielded shut. There was still much left to do. The people of Elona still needed to be free.

But at the top of the tower they found Balthazar, or its shadow in Marwyd’s memories. He had struck Johnny down - and only now Marwyd realized he was still alive, even if just barely. The Johnny beside him contemplated himself with saddened, yet curious eyes, rubbing his arm where a burnt bruise was still visible on his inert body.

“It is fitting, then,” Balthazar said, and Marwyd looked up at him in defiance. “You came all the way back to die in your home. Goodbye, outlaw.”

A flash of unbearable heat and light made Marwyd stumble, flinching, clutching at his chest where a sword went through him; cut and boiling from his shoulder to his hip. The incandescent pain made him hiss through clenched teeth. And then, nothing.

The fire faded, and the valley was quiet once again.

When Marwyd looked down at Johnny, he found him staring back up at him.

“Firefly–” 

“There's gotta be a way,” Johnny interrupted, fists clenched. “You promised. You promised!”

His words echoed inside his heart. A hollow pain taking over, worse than the pain of death.

“I know,” Marwyd said with a nod. “I promised I'd come back. And that's what I outta do.”

“Ah, so there you are.”

Both on alert, Marwyd and Johnny whipped around, weapons at the ready as the shadows gathered at the top of the tower. Slowly but surely a shape emerged from the shadows themselves; solid like Johnny, imposing like a mountain at night. Their face, under a black, hooded cloak, was a bone-white mask of death; a bovine creature whose semblance had long since been lost.

Marwyd had never been devoted to all of the human gods - his expertise lay in the mysteries of the cult of Balthazar. But even he could recognize the grim visage of one of the servants of the God of Death.

“Grenth?” Johnny murmured, stepping slightly in front of Marwyd. The figure scoffed, both amused and, apparently, annoyed.

“Hardly,” they said, contemplating them like an especially interesting piece of a puzzle. “But I am His will through His absence. I am the Judge, and you two have dodged me for long enough.”

Marwyd scowled. He had already been killed by a god. He could definitely take on one of their advisors.

“We ain’t dodgin’ no one, you Judge fella,” he said, arms crossed.

“We on our way out,” Johnny added, similarly scowling.

The Judge, once again, seemed amused by their defiance.

“I hope you two are aware of the place you are in,” they said - one ample gesture enveloping the whole valley. Shadows shambled on the plains, looking for their names, looking for their memories, or delivering themselves to despair.

Johnny scoffed in turn.

“Lemme tell ya somethin’ mister Judge,” he said, stepping up, out of Marwyd’s reach as he tried to stop him. “We ain’t from ‘round these parts. We got places to be, gods to kill, if ya catch my drift. Not yours, though. Other god.”

A green flame lit up the Judge’s eyes from within the depths of their mask.

“You hang at the edge of life and death,” they said, pointing an armored finger towards Johnny before regarding Marwyd in a similar manner. “And you succumbed to the rogue god’s power already. What hope do you have of beating him, as he grows more powerful and bold?”

Marwyd scowled, huffing like an angry bull.

“We don’t need no hope,” he said, weighing his trusty Matilda, on his hands. “Only thing we need’s a shot. And to kill the motherfucker before he does us.”

The Judge hummed, staring down at both, measuring their resolution.

“Your death might be long, agonizing,” they warned - their skeletal face lighting up from within once again. Marwyd could feel the burn cutting through him once more, but refused to do anything beyond glaring at the Judge, stalwart. “And your destiny might be too horrible to speak of.”

He gestured towards Johnny, who blinked once before looking up at Marwyd. Their eyes met briefly - a wordless dialogue.

“Well let the motherfucker try,” Johnny finally said, arms crossed.

“Fool me once, n’all that crap,” Marwyd added, hands gripping at Matilda with renewed vigor.

At the end of all things, they would even walk through the Valley of Death together. There was nothing that could stand in their way. Marwyd had to believe it to be so.

The Judge’s eyes lit up once more, hand still raised towards Johnny.

“Be it foolishness, or be it bravery; Balthazar must be stopped.” Their cadaveric face turned to face Johnny. “But the land of the dead is no place for the living.”

Johnny blinked once again, as Marwyd could feel a wave of relief washing over him. He was alive. He was alright.

“The hell does that mean?” Johnny questioned, stepping forward.

“You were stubborn enough to follow your friend down here,” the Judge explained, fingers weaving some sort of magic that made Marwyd’s spines stand on end. “But you must return to where you belong. Your time is not yet spent, son of Kryta.”

Eyes wide and breath hitching up, Johnny held onto Marwyd’s arm, squeezing.

“I ain’t leavin’ him here!” he protested, looking up at Marwyd, pleading.

Marwyd glanced down at him, stern as ever, but with a glint in his eye. He turned, releasing his arm from Johnny’s desperate grip to hold his shoulders, examining that face he had grown to know as well as his own. Those soft features, those big, sad eyes of golden lashes, those soft lips, pouting, with a question itching to blurt out of them like a torrent.

“He’s right, Firefly,” he finally said. Johnny’s eyes grew wide once more.

“What?!” he blurted up, stepping backwards. Marwyd sighed, hands slowly dropping to his sides.

“You helped me out a bunch here, but you gotta go back out there,” he insisted. “Whatever happens next, you gotta keep goin’. Fer Nick. And fer me.”

Shaking his head, eyes welling with tears, Johnny refused with a “nuh-uh” that grew in urgency.

“I ain’t goin’ back without you!” he insisted, tears finally rolling down his cheeks.

It was strange. To be dead. To have been murdered by the god he had been taught to worship. And to be at peace with it, if it meant Johnny could go back. If it meant he would live.

In the end, his death had meant something. There was still so much left to do. But Johnny was alive, and that was all that mattered.

So he dried Johnny’s tears one last time, gaze soft when it washed over that face.

“Be right behind you,” he said, finally taking a step backwards. “I promise.”

“No, Mar–!”

As he tried to reach him once more, Johnny’s figure dissolved in light, shrinking in on itself like the wisp it had been until it vanished. Marwyd closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before turning towards the Judge.

“You heard it,” he said, glaring in defiance. “I’m goin’ back even if I gotta blow the damn gate wide open.”

The Judge chuckled, finally lowering their hand as their attention turned towards Marwyd once more.

“Your body lacks the vital spark to return like your companion did,” they said, solemnly glancing down at him. “Even if I feel inclined to, I can’t open the path for you.”

Marwyd huffed.

“I made a promise to blondie,” he said, reaching for Matilda. “So you better scram or I’m takin’ the key or whatever from yer corpse.”

One last time, the Judge’s eyes lit up in a green flame.

“It is not me who holds the key to your freedom,” they said. “So I’m afraid you’ll be taking it from something else’s corpse.”

Marwyd squinted, standing up straight.

“The hell you mean by that,” he grumbled, gripping at Matilda still.

“Would you do me a favor before departing?” the Judge said, undeterred.

After a brief pause, Marwyd huffed once more. He didn’t like to owe to gods nor men. But working for it… it was certainly a different beast altogether.

“I’m listenin’.”

–

With a wheeze and an unbearable cough, Johnny found himself feeling the evening cold creeping inside his bones, as well as the sharp pain of a battle he had lost. He rolled on his side, unable to hold himself up, arms trembling before dropping on his face once more. Fresh cuts bled freely in the wind, and insects began their dusk chanting up to indifferent skies.

Groaning and crying out, Johnny gave himself a moment to catch his breath, feeling the loose dirt blowing up into his nose as he fought a broken rib to breathe.

The day ending, with the soothing night crawling over a sky that, slowly, became dotted with stars, felt like a cruel joke. And Johnny shrunk into himself, grabbing fistfuls of dirt as he curled up in on himself - unwelcome tears clearing paths through the soot and dust on his cheeks.

He didn't dare to open his eyes. To realize that what he feared was no dream, but his horrifying present.

But he had to face it. He owed it to Marwyd. At the very least, he owed him that much.

Sobbing and heaving, he sat up, trembling and squeezing his eyes shut one last time before glancing up through the tangled, bloody mess of his unraveled curls. And sure enough Marwyd was still there, like waiting for him to wake him up.

Desperate, gasping breaths ravaged him as he dragged himself closer, unable to ignite the rage magic that kept his legs working. At a glance, it seemed like Marwyd was sleeping - his face relaxed, free from its permanent scowl, from the rage and the pain. As Johnny cradled him up, holding his limp head over his lap, he noticed a drying bloodstain, dripping down from his parted lips to his chin. Johnny scrunched his face, feeling another wave of tears wreck him down, before sobbing a desperate breath and wiping the blood off with his finger.

He ignored the smoking, open gash splitting Marwyd from shoulder to hip, body barely held together by scraps of burnt, dark green flesh. He merely combed Marwyd's hair off his face, his hand softly cupping his cheek, caressing it with his thumb.

"Mar, I—" he drew a shaky breath, teardrops pooling on Marwyd's face as they fell, freely, from Johnny's eyes. "M'sorry. I tried... I— I failed. I miss you. I miss you so much. And I never told you—"

He had never told him. That every second apart was agony. That missing him was a malady that only finding him once more could ease. That he was diseased, bewitched, enthralled by days spent riding together, by evenings spent jamming the night away.

Feeling the sting of broken bones and pained muscle, Johnny hugged Marwyd's remains as if they could save him from oblivion. As if the long road ahead would be less lonely because he carried dark green bloodstains with him.

Marwyd had told him he would never leave him alone. But just like Nick, there was no returning from the Mists. And some promises would be left unfulfilled, no matter how hard they tried to keep them.

"I swear I'm gonna get that son of a bitch!" Johnny muttered, clinging to Marwyd's jacket with abandon. "I fuckin' swear it! I swear it, I swear it..."

Devolving into sobs once more, Johnny weeped on Marwyd's chest, hoping those clawed hands would hold him one last time for the road.

As the sun died down, however, a glint of green caught Johnny's eyes. He shrunk in on himself, vaguely remembering somber paths between life and death, and glowing, fiery eyes behind a skeletal mask. He blinked his eyes open, softly dropping Marwyd back down and staring at him, wiping his tears away despite knowing it was an absurd task.

In the growing darkness, it was hard to distinguish much of anything.

Until a soft, pained cough shook Marwyd's body on the ground.

Johnny's eyes widened in shock, as Marwyd's cough grew to a wheeze, and he rolled to his side, holding his shoulder. After spitting blood beside him, he finally glanced over his shoulder, catching Johnny's teary stare.

"You hurt?" he murmured - voice strained, cavernous like death itself.

Johnny blinked once, then twice, as his face scrunched once again; tears pooling in his eyes. A sob wrecked him, and he weeped like a child, openly and unashamed.

"I thought—! You—!" He gasped for air, unable to get a hold on himself, squeezing his arms in a tight, desperate hug. "You were dead, Mar! You were—"

"Shh, here," dragging himself closer, Marwyd stretched Johnny into a hug. "Judge cut me a deal. Got rid of a problem fer'em. And they used that energy to shove me back. S'alright, Firefly... told ya I ain't goin' nowhere."

"I thought you were gonna leave me alone," Johnny cried, nuzzling into Marwyd's bloody chest, minding little about the pungent smell of burning aloe impregnating it all. "I can't lose you Mar. I can't. I ain't strong enough. I don't wanna be alone... I don't wanna be without you!"

Each word squeezed at Marwyd's chest, echoing the feeling with an all-encompassing roar. He wasn't good with feelings - he didn't know what it all meant. But he did know one thing and one thing only: he didn't want to be alone anymore either.

He refused to be without Johnny.

They parted merely to look into each other's eyes - Johnny's still watery and bloodshot, making that deep blue even deeper in contrast. Marwyd had always thought one could get lost in those eyes. Like a wanderer in the desert. And maybe he'd like to wander in them, after being so close to lose it all.

In a flash, he realized he had been a fool. All the answers to his questions were right within his grasp all along, swimming in those eyes of blue. His hands climbed up Johnny's anatomy to reach his face, caressing his cheeks, framing those eyes.

All he had to do was reach out to grab those answers. The answer to his yearning, to his neverending sorrow. And perhaps death had, finally, made him braver than he had ever been.

As he leaned in, eyes lidded staring down at Johnny's lips to be sure not to mess it all up, he could feel Johnny's gaze going from crushing sadness to intrigued curiosity, and finally to open surprise. Yet he didn't move, softly parting his lips in a question he didn't get to formulate, as all the answers came to him in a rush.

Marwyd had never kissed anybody before. He didn't quite know what to expect - people always seemed to make a big deal out of things he couldn't hope to understand. But as he felt Johnny's soft, pouty lips finally touching his, suddenly everything made perfect sense. His painful upbringing, his eternal solitude. His roaming in the desert and his service in the Pact. That brief moment of compassion he had for a sad child soldier, all those years back. And his untimely death, begging for it to be enough to keep Johnny safe.

Now Johnny was safe in his arms, and neither of them were going nowhere. Johnny's eyes slowly, sleepily closed as he made the kiss deeper, tilting his head to the side, showing Marwyd the ropes, the pathways of expressing love in a language they could both understand. And it took Marwyd a moment to realize he hadn't been struck by the rage of an uncaring god once more for feeling something that wasn't hate for another man.

All he felt was a jolt inside his chest, a blooming in his heart, a flutter in his head. Was that what love felt like?

They only parted to glance at each other briefly, both surprised by that apparent breach of the rules of friendship. But neither had ever been too keen on rules, anyway. And this time it was Johnny the one who jumped into his arms once more, kissing him with abandon, making Marwyd grunt in pain for death had left its mark on him, but it didn't matter.

Finally, their games of cat and mouse were at an end. And even if he couldn't name it -not yet, not now, not so soon-, Marwyd realized it was okay.

From now on, they'd be forever intertwined. And it was, indeed, okay.

[bnhaobservation]

My two cents about Episode 146 (with spoilers about scenes which will appear in future episodes)

So I’ve watched episode 146 and I won’t lie, I was really anxious to see how they would transpose chap 350/352.

Some things are definitely great some… not so much so I'm gonna list here all I've loved and all I wasn't so fond about. Keep in mind it's just my opinion, if you loved it all that's good.

So, the last episode ended with Shouto asking Touya why he didn’t come home and Touya answering he’ll tell him.

When I watched the manga I got the impression that Touya’s answer included also what happened to him on Sekoto Peak, how he woke up in All for One’s orphanage and how he escaped until he finally told Shouto he came home but what he saw lead him to leave home.

I don’t quite get the same feeling from the anime.

The cut between an episode and the other is long, with this episode beginning with the police station. True, the same can be said for chap 350 but in it the scene moving from Ujiko to Touya and Shouto was smoother so that I could assume it was transition to go back to Touya and Shouto talking.

Here instead we move from Ujiko to Touya and Shouto but it seems more we do so because Ujiko is thinking to them than because we go back to them (there’s zero audio from what’s going on with Touya and Shouto, and we can only hear Ujiko’s words, giving more of a thought feeling than a transitioning feeling) and then the scene is interrupted because the opening starts.

When the episode resumes Touya made a weird sound of… excitement I guess, and Shouto’s group prepares for the battle, Shouto even starting to prepare phosphor in a way that doesn’t seem to imply they’re waiting for an answer but for an attack (even though Touya said he would tell Shouto in the past episode) and then Touya’s voice is very calm as it goes back to what happened to him, how he was waiting at Sekoto Peak, crying because his father wasn’t coming.

It seems, more than him telling Shouto about it, him just thinking back at it. This is not a complain, it can be that the scene was actually not meant to represent Touya telling all that to Shouto but just that he came back home, so Shouto has no idea of what happened to Touya from Sekoto Peak to him coming back home. If this is true, Enji is the only one who will know that Touya was actually taken by All for One.

I’m not going to complain on this, I’m just curious to see if future manga developments will dig on this since in the next chapter we’ll have a Todoroki confrontation.

Now… this episode redraw part of Touya asking Enji to go see him and the scene of him burning.

I’m all for redrawing scenes better the problem is… episode 130 was more compliant with what we see in the manga in chap 302 than episode 146 is while the redrawing doesn’t add much to the plot.

To compare.

In Ep 130, like in chap 302, Touya looked normal as he asked his father to come see him, to grow distressed only when Enji discovers his burns and gets angry, while here, Touya seems already on point of a psychological break down while Enji just stands there with an angry expression (honestly his body language in ep 130 was better).

(oh and yes, although they kept the final scene, the line of dialogue spoken there is different)

By the end of the scene we get Touya is deeply distressed even in ep 130/chap 302 without Touya needing to look like that from the start and the redrawing doesn’t answer instead to something that could have been interesting, where Touya was when Enji beat his mother over Rei not looking at him.

In ep 130/chap 302 it’s clear that Touya began to overheat, his body starting to slowly radiate heat... then the fire started from Touya’s eyes and, while he quickly start to completely burn, he’s not immediately looking like a human torch, which makes sense as although Touya had low fire resistance Horikoshi himself said he had some.

In Ep 146 the fire starts from Touya’s eyes so fast it’s hard to notice, and he’s immediately a human torch.

They also added a line about Touya asking his father why won't he come, which I honestly love.

I guess liking the changes is a matter of personal preference (I've mixed feelings on the changes for this bit), but the truth is… there was no real need for them. Chap 350 didn’t go back to all those scenes, it just jumps to Touya being having reached the point of being a human torch and goes on from here.

Sure, a summary of what happened to Touya could be useful to viewers who missed/forgot episode 130 and the change make Touya's situation even more dramatic but again, why change things that happened in the previous season, that were presented like the manga did and that many can remember?

Whatever, it’s not really a big complain.

What I’ve really liked is how the anime showed Touya tossing himself in the water as in the manga it was implied by the splash sound (as well as showing the steam) but it wasn’t that clear.

Now… although the anime shows it less clearly than the manga (but I would say clearly enough)… after this Touya’s body is COMPLETELY burned and he’s jawless.

In the manga when he wakes up at the orphanage he has two very clear scars on his cheeks that go to his mouth to his ears, a scar that goes through all his kin, some dark yet tiny scarring under his eyes and some minor additional lines on his jaw, neck, hands and feet which imply that he had skin grafts basically everywhere (as all his skin got burned down) but, except for the spot just below his eyes, the skin doesn’t look burnt, there’s not the usual dark shading Dabi has nor all the lines Dabi has on the burnt skin.

The anime instead decided that all the skin on his kin and on his neck needed to look burnt. Yes, there are less lines than Dabi usually has, but apparently they decided that in that area they would give him skin graft with a skin that was already looking burnt which… makes no sense, it looks as if All for One and Ujiko did it deliberately to make him look even worse than they could make him look like.

On another side I liked how they made the writing the kids left him more visible (in the manga it’s attached to the wall behind Touya… it makes it visible for the readers but he would need to get up and turn to see it…)

I loved the choice of using Touya’s younger voice for Touya’s thoughts… and how when he speaks he does so with Shimono Hiro’s voice but here Shimono Hiro manages to make him still sound so young…

I also liked how they got the girl to stand up and get close to talk with Touya, it’s so much better than how she remains sit in the manga.

Something that might get lost to English only speakers is that the girls talk of a ‘sensei’ (先生). The English version of the manga decides to translate this as “doctor” while the subbed anime goes with a “Mr. Sunny” as ‘sensei’ can mean both “doctor” and “teacher”.

Very likely the children are talking about their teacher, not of a doctor, so this would make the anime right… but the teacher’s name was Sun-Sun Haruaki (スンスン 晴明), not Sunny. I get they might have wanted to go with “Sunny” because he has the habit to end his sentences with ‘sun’, which the English sub translated as “sunny” but I’m not overly fond of changing names.

The anime tries to clarify which are the ‘horrible things’ Touya did by adding a flashback of him calling his father Endeavor and attacking Shouto when he was 8 and of him telling his mother “what do you know?” when they argued which is nice and underlines how Touya still felt regret for all that.

I also liked how they added Touya trying to say he was going to become a Hero only to get interrupted by All for One. The horror of Touya as he learns the truth is very well depicted.

We kind of lose the scene in which Touya connected the word ‘failed’ with how his hair started to turn white which was what caused him to become a ‘failed creation’ to get a series of images from his past, shown as if they were on a poorly working tv, starting with All Might on tv, him leaving after arguing with Fuyumi, Natsuo being born and him watching him, Shouto being born and him watching him, him training as he cries and begs his father to look at him, he and his father talking with him being desperate (it’s the scene before he’ll attack Shouto).

I guess they decided to show his misery through his life, as if to say all that was for nothing, instead than showing how the word failure triggered him into thinking back at when he began a ‘failed creation’ which is a choice, but one that gives a different flavor to the scene.

Despite this I liked how they added Touya saying ‘the only one who can teach me is my dad’. A nice addition is also how he tossed the keyboard against the pc and how Sun-Sun Haruaki grabbed him and tried to stop him… and it’s fine how Touya tried to use his fire the first time as it’s just a tiny, warning flame… the problem is when he does so the second time.

For start it seems it completely set Sun-Sun Haruaki on fire (which would have normally killed him but okay, Hawks could witstand for a longer time a much hotter fire so maybe Sun-Sun Haruaki got away with few minor burns) and what’s worse is how they show the orphanage is completely on fire.

Horikoshi in his notes said the fire wasn’t big, that no one died, that it was immediately shut down otherwise the Heroes would have been alerted… In the manga the fire seems to be solely in the garden, which would mean Touya tried to get out and, when he did so, Sun-Sun Haruaki attempted to stop him and that’s when Touya used his fire. With the garden taking fire it would make sense Sun-Sun Haruaki would focus on stopping it and let Touya go and nobody died in the fire.

The anime instead went overboard, the whole building is burning, and only Touya is escaping so the impression we have is that everyone inside the building died in the fire.

For comparison's sake I've coloured the fire in the manga... which fits the note Horikoshi wrote... and then look at the fire in the anime and tell me that fire didn't burn the place to the ground... especially since we know it started from the inside, which means in order to come out so much it needed to spread through all the building. Honestly I doubt such a big fire was 'put down easily'.

I really don’t like this change as Horikoshi himself remarked if the orphanage had really took fire like that, the Heroes would have been involved so that couldn’t take place and the choice to disregard Horikoshi’s words seems done purposely to place on Touya’s back more deaths.

I like instead how the anime showed Touya wandering through the city, trying to get back home, which seems a call back to how Shigaraki also wandered through the city, no one helping him. Touya looks worn out and in shock as he repeats he has to go back home… even though they cut the scene in which he actually ran back home… which is a pity.

I like how they showed Touya standing in front of his home, getting inside...

...peeking on Endeavor and Shouto training…

I like how they added tears in Touya’s eyes as he watches, though in the manga his expression is more one of shock than one of just pain (his eyes have plenty swirling lines inside... to be honest there are in the anime too but they're hardly visible).

I… find a little odd how they’ve placed Touya’s fire when he's fighting with Shouto but whatever. No big.

I like the scene showing how Touya burns his body further.

I do like how they showed Touya watching Enji on a video...

...though I’m not sure how he basically managed to take residence in such a huge abandoned house, how he got himself a pc and how he charged it (as I would expect energy would be turned off in such place).

I do hope they aren’t trying to tell me he went back to the orphanage which, in the anime, he previously set on fire. I hope not as not only the place still has wooden furniture which should have burned but it would have made even easier for him to get discovered.

But well, the floor is different so I wanna believe it's not the orphanage.

Still I was more expecting him to go to internet café and libraries to watch Enji on pc than him to own a pc and watch Enji on it, especially since they show him still wearing the same pajamas he was wearing when he escaped. LOL, the video Touya is watching being called Endeavor’s all special moves.

Now… I’m aware it was always Present Mic who did the narrator… but his cheerful voice to me didn’t really feel fitting for the moment as he explains flashfire fist.

Also this is me nitpicking but Enji in that scene is supposed to be around 20 as that’s the age he discovered he couldn’t surpass All Might. Instead, even though they remembered giving him his old Hero costume… he doesn’t really look like a young Endeavor.

When Shouto discovers Touya is faster at raising the temperature and doesn’t hesitate in the manga he look surprised. Here he’s just determinate, giving him a lower range of expressions/emotions (he’s been looking determinate by a while).

I do like how they showed him trying to get his fire back… though I do think they should have shown him in clothes different than those pajamas by this point… so as to imply he didn’t manage to recover his blue flames at the first try.

I do find ludicrous the pajamas take fire but, this time, Touya doesn’t roast himself even though the fire should have spread.

Now… I’m not a fan of the battle. It has some pretty art but the pace doesn’t seem to work for me as it’s too slow on some spots just to allow the characters to say their pieces and some choices as they fight are not so great.

I’ll clarify.

The scene in which Touya gets behind Shouto is too slow, in the manga I got the feeling he used Hell’s spider like a curtain and so they didn’t realize he moved there but in the anime it seems he remained where he was until Shouto said he was ready. Then sure, he was extremely fast to move behind him, but Touya is not Hawks and it feels as if he’d just stalled only to abruptly move at the speed of light… and… he actually jumped way too far from Shouto… and waits too much to move.

I mean, in the manga it seems he jumped behind Shouto and then used that to catch him on surprise and punch him… but here he waits too much before moving. It makes no sense Shouto remains with his back to Touya for so long, to the point Touya easily punches him.

The whole punching match actually feels more like a punching match than Touya using his fire against his brother. Now… part of the problem is that the manga can comfortably use space to fill it with text without showing us what’s going on. We picture the scene with few clues and who cares if it’s slower or faster than the time those words would need to be said. The anime doesn’t have the same luxury. It can’t show us frames filled with text, it has to show us action and that action needs to take place for all the time the characters need to talk their piece.

But having Shouto just lay there while, at a certain point, Touya doesn’t even seem to hit him and everyone talks about the heat but too little fire hitting Shouto is shown… well, it feels like something is going wrong here. It would have been better if they had moved more, Shouto maybe ending on the ground more than once than Shouto just lie down and take it.

Also… in the manga Touya kicks Shouto, that’s what sends Shouto flying… while here it seems as if it’s Touya’s fire which somehow went below Shouto and pushed him up?

And since the scene last too long Endeavor’s helpers seem to just waste time doing nothing to help Shouto.

I do liked how Touya looked at his hand as he realized Shouto neutralized his heat.

I love how they depicted Shouto preparing for phosphor, though I think they could have made his expression better (his eyes are just too open or his irises are just too small).

I find deliciously ironic that they chose to show a scene in which Touya burns people and it’s… the scene in which he burns the Villains that wanted to join the league… but the problem is the story has a huge problem in showing Touya burning people because… apart for Snatch (and that dead was also caused by Compress which compressed Snatch with Touya’s flames leaving him no way out) in the manga Touya is never shown murdering innocent people.

During the Forest Training Camp arc he didn’t kill anyone and the same applies to the Hideout Raid Arc. During the Meta Liberation Army Arc he considers killing people but before he could do it Geten attacks so he doesn’t do it. During the Paranormal Liberation War Arc again he fails to kill people.

In the manga the only ones he successfully murdered are the over mentioned Snatch and the wanna be future members of the league… which likely don’t qualify for the 30 innocent people he mentions in his video… but the Heroes might not know about this as their bodies might have ended up as unrecognizable.

Now, no, I don’t want to say it’s fine to kill Villains but it makes a completely different impression to say in a video transmitted nationwide ‘oh, I killed 30 innocent people’ and ‘oh, I murdered 30 Villains who wanted to join the League and wretch more havoc on the society’.

The anime could have used the kids at the orphanage since the anime actually have Touya indirectly kill them (since no one else was shown escaping to that devastating fire) but the manga doesn’t have them and Shouto doesn’t know about them since in the anime Touya didn’t tell him about it so… they went for Touya killing Villains and Shouto… scolding him for that.

Personally I just think either were using Snatch’s death or they would have done better not show anything.

What instead was good was to move here the flashback with the talk between Shouto and Midoriya so that the action scene can then run smoothly.

Again the fight slow down, with Touya taking the hit without doing anything for all the time Shouto needs to say his piece.

I do found interesting how they added Shouto seeing his family when he turns back… as if to say he’s chained and held back by it… though I’ve mixed feelings on this choice but I still find interesting.

Lastly, I think they found a really good way to portray child Touya and child Shouto when Shouto hit Touya with his ultimate move.

So... for me it's an episode which has a cool graphic and many good ideas but also some bad spot... which is a pity. But well, we can't have everything.

[fawnrats]

Salt, Equus, Zhihao & Adira are my OCs.

Salt is a cowardly white wolf with dark brown eyes who lived in North America during the late pleistocene. I've never drawn him before!

Equus is one of my new Primeval Age characters! she's a shy, clever & easily distracted dacentrurus. I haven't made a proper drawing of her yet, but here's a messy & slightly outdated doodle I made figuring out what I want her colors & patterns to be exactly, plus the link to her profile on primeval age where you can see her bio & official image! https://www.primevalarpg.com/import/5788

Zhihao is a saurolophus, & I haven't drawn him nor developed him much as a character yet ^^'

Adira is a tyrannosaurus. the last time I drew her was back when it was believed even adult tyrannosaurus had significant feathering, so she really needs a redesign for accuracy! she could use a rewrite too, not that she was ever a very developed character in the first place.

a while back I rewatched most of Seri! Pixel Biologist's Wolfquest 2.7 series that I loved so much as a kid :D I wanted to illustrate a couple things that happened in it, plus I'd love to redraw the fanart of Rain I did when I was a kid!

(the old Rain fanart in question.. I couldn't find the raw file so it's a cropped screenshot of when she featured it in an episode! at the time I went by Pancakes Plays, which is why she credited me as "Pancake")

moving on, I have a crapton of fursona ideas & a few existing fursonas, I think it'd be cool to draw all those fursonas I haven't yet & make a lineup of them all! hahaha it would probably be sooooo long! & it would take ages.. especially since I've been struggling a lot with making a design that sticks for my rat fursona! I think I finally have the shapes down but I'm still iffy on her colors >_< I haven't finished a colored artwork of her yet but here's a messy doodle & a WIP!

I hope my other fursona ideas aren't extremely difficult to figure out too q.q my other fursona ideas are a barn owl, a lynx, a barn owl-lynx gryphon, a blue calico cat, a glacier bear, & I think that's all? oh wait! & an opossum. most of my fursonas are just meant to represent me in my entirety, but I have this idea for an opossum fursona that more so represents my most intense feelings, if they were put on full display on the outside! In real life I'm a fairly mellow, shy & reserved person, my emotions don't tend to be really loud.. but my opossum fursona would be the opposite of that. energetic & colorful & excitable & loud & fierce & just super intense!! cuz sometimes that's how I feel on the inside, & it would be fun to express that with that character ^w^

here are my other fursonas that I have drawn already! I would probably draw everyone as anthropomorphic in the lineup, though I do really like my caribou fursona's feral design ^w^ maybe I should draw a feral version of the lineup too?

[genopaint]

The long awaited Week 10 of Daily Dragons! Like the last post, I just didn't really get the chance to post these cause my laptop was packed up and what not. But it's finally here for your viewing pleasure :)

As always you can follow me on twitter where they’re posted daily

And read more info on each of them below the cut

Daily Dragon #63 - Seal Dragon

These large, semi aquatic dragons are often seen basking on rocky shores. When hungry, the largest in a pack will swim into the ocean, hunt large animals like whales, and bring them back to shore for the whole pack to eat

I had a concept for a walrus like dragon but ultimately this isn't exactly what I had in mind. However, I do kinda like it! So you can expect to see at least one more seal-esc dragon in the future i guess lol

Daily Dragon #64 - Flying Dragon

As the name suggests, these dragons are ALWAYS in flight! They only land when they need to sleep, but are actually able to go surprisingly long times without needing any rest at all. Sometimes even multiple days!

Up and early with dragons these last few days aha Another redraw! I keep seeing it while looking at the other dragons for a hot minute so I wanted to tackle it too! I think it's actually from 2011-2012 like the Ghouldrogon because... Well they were on the same sheet of paper!

Daily Dragon #65 - Magon

The first Wario dragon! There's actually quite a few in his series. Lately I've been thinking about Wario Land/World/MoD for a while now. They're some of my favorite games and it might honestly be time for me to replay them

I played all the Wario games back in highschool so it's been a hot hot minute. But I really do like them all. They're all good as hell even (especially) Master of Disguise which is so underappreciated

Daily Dragon #66 - Snoozozaur

This dragon lives and breathes for one thing and one this only: sleeping! Rarely ever waking up, only for occasional food and water, they can actually sleep walk and sleep fight using what scientists believe to be some type of psychic ability. Additionally, they can levitate! Meaning they can comfortably sleep ANYWHERE!

Daily Dragon #67 - Shrine Dragon

This dragon is frequently seen guiding heroes of all kinds to temples and shrines important to their quests. If you're looking for a secret dungeon in a large area and spot one flying in the sky, it's in your best interest to follow it!

Daily Dragon #68 - Green Dragon

Thank you for all your amazing monsters and characters over the years, Mr. Toriyama!!

The more I keep thinking about it the more it's making me sad. Chrono Trigger's character designs were SO influential on me growing up. And the design for Arasu is SO important to RPG protagonists that I had OCs inspired by him before I even saw the character. And yeah, of course, Blue Dragon has always been a very important game to me even when I was a tiny child who couldn't afford an Xbox 360.

Daily Dragon #69 - Cuddlodon

A dragon that just loves being friendly and playful! They have some very basic combat skills like small fire balls and teeth, but why would you ever want to fight one? Come on, don't be mean to them :(

Really really low energy today. I wanted to do a Super Mario RPG celebration dragon, but I have something big in mind for the SMRPG dragon so I want to save it for when I'm less busy. Instead, today I redrew this fella from 2012: The Cuddly Dragon!

And of course, in 2024 (that's 12 years later holy hell!!) they come in multiple colors :)