#it's fun to put them in characters solely because we can imagine it- but always remember none of it is real at the end of the day

[simpjaes]

I feel like for me- PERSONALLY- the way you write the members through your view has actually influenced me into seeing them in a light I never thought of before, and now I realize how well you seem to read them even without seeing them act upon super sexual situations, although we may never know what they’re like 100% (even though I’m sure Jay is spooning you and reading this over your shoulder rn)

jay is absolutely spooning me rn like "good job babe, now if you could stop sharing how i am in such an intimate light it would be nice, that's for you only."

no but really, my opinions of them both outside and inside of sexual situations come solely from their astrology charts bc i'll be fucking damned if that shit isn't accurate in my own experience.

ppl can write mommy kink jake all they want [me] but it doesn't change the fact that if he has a mommy kink u better be begging him later bc he needs what the stars say he needs KJFHDSKJFHSDK

[genericpuff]

I'm honestly amazed by how well you can imitate the LO S3 art style! Have you always been good at this sort of thing or is it a skill you developed due to your work as a tattoo artist?

ahhh thank you, but ima let you in on a little trade secret -

it's literally just referencing LMAO which is a valuable skillset to have! but one that I think a lot of folks tend to overlook because they think "learning to draw" means "I need to be able to draw everything perfectly from imagination!" Which sure, learning how to draw things without needing references might be cool, but it's ultimately not the sole defining feature of a "good artist" and I think there's frankly way too much emphasis put on "drawing without references" these days because it creates this unrealistic expectation of what an artist is. Referencing is part of the process! It's important! And it's a valuable skill to have so that you can actually grow your skills beyond your own limits! Referencing is as important to the process of creating art as research is to the process of writing, you can only produce so much new stuff if you're not taking in new stuff alongside it.

Though I use this skill a lot in tattooing as well, it's mostly rooted in my animation schooling which broke me out of the habit of drawing purely from imagination and taught me how to properly reference other material for educational purposes.

And I'm sure there are people in audience right now gasping at the fact that I simply cropped a bunch of different shots of Minthe from S3 and rearranged them like some surgical madman playing with body parts-

-but this is like, the actual majority of the process when it comes to learning other art styles and this process is taught as a skill in a lot of art schools because it forces you to draw what's there rather than what you think is there. This is the basis of master studies, to learn the techniques of other artists by trying to mimic them as closely as possible. Don't know what tools that artist used specifically? Try to recreate the work anyways with your best guess. Even if you only get close but not perfect, you'll still likely learn a lot along the way and may even develop some brand NEW techniques that weren't present in the original work you're studying from.

Imagination is necessary to the creative process, but it's only part of that process, you can't suddenly learn how to draw the way other artists draw through imagination alone because your imagination is limited purely by your own lived experiences. Our brains don't come pre-installed with these skills, they can't just magically unlock the capability to "do the thing". Just like how we have to learn to follow recipes as a means to becoming a baker or learn to read the alphabet to learn how to read and write, we have to learn how to draw what we see and reference the material around us if we truly want to expand our own innermost knowledge which will allow us to draw from imagination.

Here are some other examples of studies I've done, such as my attempts to learn the art style of The Doctor Foxglove Show:

As well as a background study from S1 of LO:

And of course here are a handful of the shitloads of studies I've done to try and "figure out" how to draw Hades and Persephone from S1 of LO:

Aaaand just for the fun of it, here are some completely non-LO studies, like the ones I did of Kazuma Koda's background work and Akihiko Yoshida's character designs for Nier: Automata:

And this sorta rotoscoped ??? animatic of Mitsuhiro doing the opening jig for Still Feel by Half Alive which is 100% not done and probably never will be LOL

I'm always progressively doing studies of both LO and other media in this way so that I can update my knowledge and continue to improve my skillset.

Though, despite my best efforts to mimic the original creator's style, works like Rekindled will always have my own stylizations present, as that's just an inevitable consequence of it being made by myself and Banshriek (and the fact that we just refuse to draw worse to look more like LO because jfc so much of LO's original art, even the stuff we love, is rooted in Rachel's trial and errors lmao), but that's a feature, not a bug :') <3

So the answer is yes, the Minthe S3 redraw was done through skills I developed over time, though not necessarily through tattooing, simply through learning how to actually practice properly beyond "drawing a lot". And you can too! Draw lots, but also remember that your brain isn't naturally just going to "get better" at whatever you're trying to achieve just because you really want to achieve it. I try to avoid the mantra of "just practice" because it oversimplifies what's truly necessary to learning - having something to learn from outside of your own imagination. If you don't learn how to practice properly, then you'll just wind up repeating the same mistakes and reinforcing the same bad habits over and over again.

All that's to say, if you want to learn how to draw like a certain artist, try and recreate their art for yourself ;0 (but like also please for the love of god remember that it's for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES, I shouldn't have to tell y'all not to copy directly off other artists' work for your own because that's just deadass stealing lmao) I know this enters the ethical dilemma of tracing, and whether or not it's a "valid" way to learn, but there's a lot of virtue in learning through referencing other artists and building new skills through them. I'm sure folks will argue that it's a 'crutch' or 'training wheels', but that's all often being touted from the perspective that crutches and training wheels... are automatically bad things and aren't meant to help people ?

Like obviously if you want to create your own thing that isn't purely "living in the shadow" of the works that inspired you, you WILL have to make that leap into the unknown. But that leap's a lot less scary to make when you have a parachute.

[phoenixkaptain]

Really all three of the Sonic movies are a masterclass in making films geared towards fans while still creating new stories, but Sonic 3 especially because like. They listened! The fans said “we don’t like all these human parts” and the movie went “alright” and there are almost no scenes starring solely the human characters. Even in scenes prominently featuring them, Sonic and friends either show up (making the scene no longer solely focused on humans) or they’re focused in some way on what Sonic’s doing. Like damn man, they really… Listened? And accepted the criticism they received?? And improved??? And they even technically made the wedding subplot in 2 relevent to the plot????

I really liked the movie! Part of that is my fondness for Shadow, who I will never ever get over being the saddest little ultimate lifeform in the whole world. And movie Shadow really ticks all the boxes, I mean- the way he talks so stiltedly? The way he skates? The way he teleports? The fact that he doesn’t even initiate the majority of fights? The fluffiest little ultimate lifeform in ever, truly, 2024/10 for the year of Shadow-

I like this Shadow. The opening scene of him escaping is just beautiful. Him being all drenched filled me with an urge to blowdry him so he could puff up like a lil angry cat. He’s so legitimately awkward and confused watching the Eggmans that I watched his expression more than what either Robotnik was doing. He looks so confused! He’s over there like “somehow, the human has grown weirder with age… and here I thought humans were supposed to grow wiser…”

Also Maria’s face when Shadow gets sad because the movie they’re watching is called “Alien Freak” or whatever??? Beautiful, amazing, outstanding, give this lady an Oscar.

Sonic’s relationship with Shadow throughout the movie is so fun to watch progress. He just canNOT stand this guy!!! This new hedgehog who has definitely been around longer than him!!! Let Sonic be angy, it is so cute.

Tails and Knuckles are also very cute, though they feel a lot more sidelined. Which, I mean, literally every single character aside from Sonic, Shadow, and Robotnik have no character arc. And that’s fine! That’s good, even! Side characters don’t need to be focused on so intently! It only feels strange because Sonic 2 was so different in where it focused, but it isn’t a bad thing! Do I wish there was more Tails? Always. Do I think Knuckles was great just because he could have punched through the barrier really at any moment? Absolutely. I think the characters fit their roles in the movie very well.

All in all, I like Shadow. He is the saddest little ultimate hedgehog lifeform in the history of ever. He isn’t even all that angry for most of the movie. He’s just sad and lost and hopeless and it’s very depressing! Guy really tried to taunt his way into being killed, and I just think him trying to irritate Sonic into committing murder is funny, especially since it very nearly worked. Also, the scenes of Shadow jumpscaring everyone makes me assume that he has been jumpscaring people for years, which causes me to imagine that there were many occasions of GUN agents finding a Shadow where there was not a Shadow five seconds before. When did he get into the cupboard? How long has he been standing behind that door? Can we put a bell on the hedgehog, please, this is getting out of hand!

In my imagined future Shadow series where Shadow becomes friends with Sonic and pals, Maddie makes him wear a little bell so he stops giving everyone heart attacks. He still manages to give everyone heart attacks. I like to think they will occasionally wake up to find him standing at the foot of the bed ominously. Shadow is a eldritch cat monster, I’m pretty sure that was made canon-

Anyway. TLDR: 10/10 movie. The creators listened to the criticism they received on the second movie and made changes. Shadow was perfect. Sonic being taken off guard by Shadow will never not be funny, nor will their banter grow old. The dog has subtitles and I can only assume it’s because Knuckles and only Knuckles can understand him. Stone’s love was reciprocated in the very end. And yeah, I’m with the menacing hedgehog, Gabriella should have just killed Juan and Pablo both and been done with it.

[simplysamiblog]

How Luffy will lose his Devil Fruit power. My personal theory

Dense clouds darken the sky. Lightning bolts cut through them, tearing them apart. No problem for Luffy, who, in true 1930s cartoon style, turns the lightning into elastic ropes and starts bouncing around like a mad spinning top, all accompanied by hysterical laughter and amused grimaces. And he’s not the only one having fun, although Kaido’s entertainment is of a different kind.

Kaido, the immortal, has waited his whole life for this fight. Someone on his level, someone who could face him like no one ever has. This doesn’t mean he intends to lose, quite the opposite. Luffy’s Gear 5 caught him off guard, sure, it’s hard not to be destabilized by “such an absurd power,” but the emperor quickly recovers.

And not only that, in the heart of the battle, Kaido loudly declares something that feels immutable, something as certain as death:

“You can play around all you want! But…a Devil Fruit power will never conquer the world! It’s amazing how things work. Just how Roger was not a Devil Fruit power user…only Haki can triumph all else!”

Yeah, at that moment we learned something that until then everyone, myself included, believed to be the opposite: Roger, the Pirate King, did not possess the powers of a Devil Fruit. This man had conquered the Grand Line, discovered ancient secrets, and gained worldwide fame, using “simply” the strength of his Ambition (Haki).

A real shock, right? Yes, but… on second thought, not so much.

Why? Well, it’s curious, but from chapter 1 of One Piece, we learn about a formidable character, incredibly strong, who does not possess the powers of a Devil Fruit. Red-Haired Shanks is the very first example. He is one of the Four Emperors, faces Whitebeard almost as an equal, and we know his Haki is very, very strong. But no Devil Fruit.

Other characters? Dracule Mihawk, the world’s strongest swordsman, no Devil Fruit, just his Haki, and of course, innate talent and discipline. Silvers Rayleigh, the first mate of Roger’s crew, a literal master in Haki control. Then we have Kozuki Oden, Benn Beckman (quite a few first mates, huh?).

In Luffy’s own crew, we have formidable characters like Zoro, who have never used anything other than their own strength and Haki. And without necessarily looking among the pirates, we find examples of extremely feared men who, with the sole power of Haki, rivaled the Pirate King himself, like Monkey D. Garp.

In short, Oda-san has said it in every way possible: you don’t need Devil Fruits to achieve great goals.

But why have ambitious people like Roger or Garp never exploited one of those fruits? Why did they never want that kind of power? It shouldn’t have been difficult for men with their knowledge and means to obtain one.

One could hypothesize anything, but knowing One Piece, and knowing the stubbornness of certain characters, I’ve honestly come to a simple yet banal answer: pride.

Are you kidding? Relying on such tricks? Imagine the scene: Roger has a Devil Fruit in front of him, all ready for him. “With this, you’ll become incredibly strong! You won’t have any rivals, and your journey will be much easier.” Roger would have had a big laugh and told anyone who proposed such a thing to go to hell. “I don’t need and don’t want my journey to be easy, bring on the strongest enemies, put me in front of the most incredible challenges: I will overcome them with my own strength and my crew, I need nothing else.”

Men of another time. A bit arrogant perhaps, but certainly true to themselves. Because that was THEIR life, that was THEIR journey, that was THEIR test.

And Luffy, I believe, will be put to the test. And Oda-san is preparing us for that moment, leaving us, as always, small, tiny clues here and there.

Teach, better known as Blackbeard, has discovered a way to steal and obtain the power of Devil Fruits, and to use more than one at the same time.

Teach and Luffy will clash sooner or later, I know it, you know it. It’s just a matter of when. According to my theory, one way or another, Teach will manage to overpower and steal the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit (or Hito-Hito Model Nika). And it will be at that moment, in that instant, that we will discover who is truly worthy.

Borrowing the infamous quote from Geto Suguru (from the now equally famous Jujutsu Kaisen), which I think fits perfectly in this situation: “Is Luffy the strongest because of the Gum-Gum fruit, or is the Gum-Gum fruit strong because of Luffy?”

There always comes a moment when you have to prove yourself, the moment when the truth comes out: who are we? What makes us who we are?

We might already have a possible answer. As Kaido said: “Only Haki can triumph all else!”

In short: Luffy’s Haki, his Ambition, will overshadow Teach’s, and this will allow him to win. But I don’t think it stops there. There is something deeper, something more true and tangible that Luffy has, and that Teach will never have. An unstoppable, faithful, infallible force.

Unlike the Gum-Gum Fruit, which was a strange and unexpected twist of fate, there is one thing that Luffy has sought, longed for, and cultivated with care and a lot, a lot of love.

“I don’t know how to use swords! I don’t know how to sail the oceans. I can’t cook, I can’t lie either! But…I can defeat you!”

Luffy is nothing without his crew, and the crew is nothing without Luffy. Devil Fruit or no Devil Fruit. That is one truth we can be certain of. And they’re never afraid to ask for help from each other; they’re each other’s strength.

And with his crew, with his family by his side, Luffy will always have the Ambition (Haki) to win, to be the strongest. He doesn’t need anything else.

Teach has none of this, and we saw it clearly during his fight with Trafalgar Law, where Teach’s crew sniper, Van Augur, to avoid Bepo’s attack, didn’t hesitate to dodge, letting his captain take the full hit instead.

Such a thing would be unimaginable among the Straw Hats. Teach’s arrogance and greed will be his downfall. And his fear will be his grave.

Because as Luffy said to Crocodile: “If you die, you die!”

Teach’s stolen Devil Fruit powers will become dead weight, while Luffy, free as he is and always will be, will still have everything that made him strong. And it certainly won’t be the lack of a trick like the Gum-Gum Fruit that will stop Luffy from winning.

And it will be then that he will have passed the test, it will be then that he will truly become worthy. Of what? We’ll see.

And don’t forget, it was Oda-san who said it: “A Devil Fruit power will never conquer the world!”

But we know, Luffy doesn’t want to rule anything, he just wants to be free.

[ad-astra-per-aspera-1389]

This is totally random, but as far as the JONAS (LA) X BTR crossover (either one, really) goes...

Macy's favorite of the btr boys is carlos, because sports, and also bc he's just fun to hang out with. macy seems normal and put together at first, but she loves physical activity, as we know from s1, and carlos (platonically) matches her freak in the places nick doesn't

Stella's favorite is...and isn't james. she's basically that post that's like "you're in his dms. i'm pissing him off, i'm ruining his day" but in the most convoluted way possible, they also, platonically, match each other's freak. all in all, stella would rather spend time with the other girls, and she obviously adores joe, bc he understands her thoroughly, but james is like...the opposite. they understand each other and fucking hate it.

Katie and Frankie deserve the most insane sublot that builds up over time, until their scheme eventually collides with the main plotline and wreaks absolute havoc. they're ten years old and evil geniuses with famous brothers, you know the two of them meeting will bite everyone in the ass in the end.

I do think Nick and Logan would get along, but the thing is, logan is a science and math nerd and nick is a writing and music nerd. they're slightly different species of nerd. but I think nick would get along best with logan and kendall, bc even though they can go off the deep end sometimes, they're easier to handle than carlos and james.

I'm gonna ramble about Kevin and Lucy again bc I want to. it's so hard for me to imagine lucy with like, any other guy, just bc james is clearly gay, and the subplot with her and kendall was a total mess since he hadn't broken up with jo first... Anyway, they're both rockstars, and Kevin had a lot of character development in s2. he's kind, responsible, ambitious, and Lucy is headstrong, confident, and clever. I feel like they'd actually have a very normal relationship timeline compared to a lot of other ships/couples, simply bc by the time they're both in the narrative they're 18/19 and living on their own.

Joe...he would get along best with kendall, not just for the main character energy, but also bc I feel like they react similarly in a lot of situations, but joe is also a little more self-sufficient than kendall is, which isn't a bad thing, and is mostly due to living in la without his parents for a/multiple (depends on crossover fic) summer(s), whereas kendall's always had his mom and friends doing everything together.

Kevin's an interesting one, bc while s1 era kevin would definitely be best friends with carlos, by the time jonas la rolls around he's mellowed out. he's still a little dramatic sometimes, but post-HMA Kevin is very different bc of the responsibility for his brothers he gained over the summer. I feel like he'd sort of keep that older brother role he's grown into, so, besides his relationship with lucy, he's mostly helping clean up the trouble and not cause it. at the same time though, i think he'd get wrapped up in the katie and frankie subplot the most

Joe and Camille would also get along pretty well, mostly bc they have acting in common, with joe wanting advice from camille solely due to her years of experience. she's also easier to talk to than bigger names in the industry, so it's more of leaning on a friend instead of a mentor

Jo and Macy definitely spar every so often, mostly bc jo likes that there's another girl around that she can connect with about physical sports. it's not the same trying to spar with kendall, and now she has someone who's an even match against her.

Mona is one of the few people that aren't afraid to go toe to toe against griffin, given she doesn't work for him, and she's definitely screamed at him for Kelly's sake. gustavo is a little afraid of mona, and rightfully so. she's proud of that.

Still no one likes DZ

[eliotquillon]

Cameron seems like one of those victorian girls that shoplifted just to feel a rush.

In all honesty, I don't think she was that much of a goody-two-shoes when she was younger. It always seemed to me that what happened to her husband changed everything about her. Her morals, thoughts, ideas etc. She was probably a compelety normal teenage girl.

yeah to be clear if characters make speculative assumptions about each other in my fic that’s not necessarily indicative of what i personally headcanon for them—especially for chameron tbh. the things chase or cameron assume about each other in my fic are almost always slightly off from what i personally think about them as separate characters because they forever have some kind of communication gap going on.

that said . i do hesitate to say that her husband’s death is solely responsible for why cameron is the way she is. one of the first things house says when cameron tells him about her husband in 1x7 is ‘you knew he was dying when you married him’; he accepts his death as an explanation for why she’s so bad at giving patients bad news and why she puts marriage on such a pedestal, but the implication here is that actually the reason why cameron is Like That isn’t as simple as the one-off traumatic event that house has been fishing for. see the episode with the 600lb guy where everyone is popping at her all episode desperate to find out what part of her past makes her want to help this guy so badly because they can’t understand and it turns out there isn’t some dramatic reason at all. ‘you can’t be that good a person and well-adjusted’ house adds—he’s not talking about cameron crying over the centrifuge during this scene, he’s still talking about cameron’s decision to marry her dying husband. she was already holding a lot of the same beliefs as in canon when she met her husband.

i think cameron was probably a bit more normal as a teenager, but not drastically different—if anything, she might have been even more puritan in certain regards than she is in canon (like, fuck tritter, but he has a point when he contrasts her decision to sabotage her own college calculus grade with her honesty vs giving him the run round in s3). as chase and cameron say in 2x7 (hunting) while talking about things the hospital might dig up to prove she caught hiv through her own ‘negligence’ if she tests positive—it isn’t like there’d be anything for them to find. so i think high school cameron probably was a bit of a goody two shoes, but not to the extent chase or foreman imagine her to be; she got top grades, and was probably kind of annoying when they had any class debates about morality, but she was still reasonably social and well-liked, even if it was only because she grew up to be conventionally attractive. imo this is probably where cameron’s whole ‘people don’t take me seriously because i’m beautiful and a woman and a bit of a bitch’ complex starts. this is probably a really boring thing for me to say but my attitude towards emptier backstories like cameron’s—i.e where we don’t know anything about her family, her high school, and all the info is focused on her dead husband—is that if that information were central to who she grows up to be, or if it’d be wildly different to what we as an audience would reasonably infer, we’d have been explicitly told it at some point in canon the way we’re told about *waves hand* everything about chase and foreman’s pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps complex. this isn’t to say that cameron’s childhood/college years aren’t interesting to me—they ARE—but moreso that i think they’re kind of deliberately left empty for a reason, and that whatever i can come up with to ‘fill them’ is usually just what’s intuitive to me.

same goes for her arrest btw like logically you can kind of narrow it down (certain things would disqualify her from becoming a doctor/would lead to serious issues down the line) but honestly for me that one is more fun to just leave up in the air. could totally see shoplifting as the reason! part of me is desperate for it to have been a fight/for cameron to have been busted for underage drinking in her first and last high school party or whatever, but it’s more fun to keep us guessing imo.

[troloyunu]

Sorry if you've answered this somewhere before, but do you have any advice for improving/practicing art?

I am not sure if I am the best person to be giving advice on this matter as there are a lot of aspects of my art that are lacking, but here are some tips that have worked for me personally that I think worth are trying!

This got kinda long so. Under the cut!

First, this is always important, and I know people are sick of hearing this but it's true: practice, practice, practice! Observing things is very important for art but you actually have to try your hand again and again in order to have a result that is to your liking when it comes to art. Please just try to draw as much as you can. You have a pen in your hand? Scribble something. This will also improve your linework.

Do NOT be afraid to use references. It is highly unlikely that you will just happen to be able to draw something you have never drawn before without a reference. If you can't find any refs, take your own pictures. (I do this a lot when it comes to drawing hands)

Most of the time we have these conceptions of how things look especially when it comes to anatomy but humans are all sooo vastly different so I believe it is important to broaden your vision by using diverse references

Don't be afraid to draw bad. Seriously. If a piece you just made sucks, don't beat yourself up about it. It is geniunely not that serious. Take a break and come back to it, if it is still not to your liking and you cannot improve it; it is okay to delete that drawing and try something else. You'll get it, I promise. Just keep practicing.

Most of the time I find that it helps A LOT to draw something I am obsessed with. When I am learning anatomy, I don't just always draw some random people's pics I found on the internet, I will sometimes make that drawing into a character/ship I love

Do redraws from your old art! It is so motivating and fun to see how you have improved and changed as an artist :3

I know it is not healthy to rely solely on validation, but it does help a lot! If you are part of a community, esp one with a lot of artists, don't hesitate to show them your work! You can also draw your friends' ocs and such if you want to, it really is a win win situation because you will be drawing something you want to draw and your friend will be so happy that you took the time to draw their character. I loved gifting people little doodles when I was part of an oc centred fandom :D

Also, since we are talking about validation, validate YOURSELF please. Imagine yourself 2 years, 5 years, 10 years whatever ago. How would you have felt if you saw your drawings today? You would have been so impressed! So take the time to appreciate your own work.

If there are any artists you adore, don't hesitate to try to redraw their drawings, or maybe just some aspects of their style that you love. If you do a redraw, it is advised that you do not post it as your own idea, but if the artist is ok with you posting it with credit, then you can do that too! :D

That being said, keep in mind that you don't have to post EVERYTHING you draw! I used to do that which put a lot of pressure onto me since I would get so upset whenever a drawing turned out bad, but when you realize that you can just not post it, that lifts a lot of tension.

Take care of yourselfff!!! Take care of your arm, your wrist, your back. I think there is this program that makes you take breaks every x minute which is called EyeLeo, you can install that or something similar. But please do take care of your health.

Sometimes breaks are needed. If nothing you draw looks right and you don't feel any joy in drawing, do take up another hobby for some time. Let yourself miss drawing.

Play around with styles and colors and lineweights, see what you like the best. I used to always get so upset that I didnt have a set style, my drawings vary a lot throughout each piece. But now I just keep it cool and don't think about it too much. Don't force yourself!

Also for me a part of drawing I ALWAYS look forward to when drawing canon characters is giving them alternate outfits I save on pinterest. I enjoy so much searching which outfits a character might wear. Maybe you can try this? I know drawing the same outfit over and over again for a character gets old.

Honestly being obsessed with something helps a lot with improving. Like a character or a pairing or whatever. Because you will just REALLY want to draw something for this thing you love, and you will just keep on doing and doing it. Really helpful

But 99.9% of the time, the thing you imagine will not translate completely identical to the canvas/paper. And that's OKAY! That means that you have a great imagination and you will try to get a satisfactory result. It just means more practicing. When you get an idea that you want to draw but don't feel like your skills are enough for, draw them anyway! That way you can see a lot more clearly what you need to work on. And do work on those things.

I think for reference images just find nude reference pictures of real life people. The drawing pose references we see on here or on pinterest with simple shapes ARE very convenient when you just wanna quickly draw something, but if your goal is to learn anatomy, then using a pic of an actual human is ideal.

Remember that art is supposed to be FUN. So do have fun. Experiment!!!

Also I would say like, when I was more of a beginner and tried to do fullbody drawings and such, it never looked good and I was quite discouraged but things started improving when I started to individually focus on things like eyes, noses, lips etc and then trying a more general approach with fullbodies. Might not be the same for everyone though!

I think that's all I can think about for now. Sorry if this is not that useful, but yeah! I would say the most important thing is to just practice honestly :D Go ahead, have fun, draw something! I wish you the best <3

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Hey, I stumbled across your last post addressing the toh blog critiquing fans of belos and how they engage with the show and i'd like to put my 2 cents in as an au creator who has belos featured in my aus.

When I made arofam, I was just goofing around, it was before s2 officially aired and I thought at work one day "oh, belos and this gg kid look like parallels to luz and eda, wouldn't an au swapping them be funny?". I made that au based solely on that, and everything after that was straight up just me trying to work around everything the show was throwing at me and try and adapt it in the au. It became more emotional with time, but it wasn't built on a foundation of trying to make his canon self less bad nor excuse anything he did. (Undoubtedly that goofy au just made me more invested in those characters over time).

Like we didn't even know belos's plans, his abuse of the ggs, his brother, nothing, when I made the au. The show really had to make me work to make belos likable in my au after that.

I say this because it's why it's wrong to always make assumptions about ppl based on what they create or are engaged in. You don't have to like the content yourself, but there's a variety of reasons ppl make aus with philip in a prominent role. Some wanna explore him in unique ways that canon can't, some are intrigued by his backstory and wanna play with that, and some are like me who just woke up one day and thought " Ok, but what if we did a silly with him?".

It would be wrong to categorize everyone into one box, with the same ideals and same opinions. Not everyone will have the same draws but assuming the worst of a fan who likes to play with the main antagonist in noncanon work or personally have different opinions on his execution in the show is extremely judgemental and hurtful because a lot of these fans are just having fun and have very little malicious intent.

If you have criticism of the work and wanna kindly address it to the creator, then sure, they might be allowed to give their opinions on where they were coming from while they're at it in case the work was misinterpreted.

But you can genuinely hurt ppl and creators by throwing them under a " bad person" label without allowing yourself to understand them or their work and why they made the choices they did.

I guess the point I'm making here is, fans engage with the media they like for a number of reasons, if you're going to make accusations on them, at least have clear solid reasons rather then basing it on pure assumptions based on work that might not even really be that deep in the first place or even just the comments of a few fans.

If they're being purposely malicious and awful then sure.

But sometimes it's really not that deep, some ppl just wake up one day and wanna imagine a swap au with belos or wanted a cooler death.

People shouldn't be crucified online for that.

100% agree with you there! I've stated before that this fandom has a tendency to connect a person's morality to the type of media they consume or how they engage with it. It's really unsettling, tbh.

You don't like AUs that redeem Belos? Or make him a goofy uncle? Or make Caleb the evil emperor?

Then don't read them. You're not the target audience.

In other words...

I hope any and all creators with a Belos AU aren't discouraged because some ninny on the net, who thinks they're the arbiter of social justice, got mad because they decided to have fun with a fictional character.

Fandom is not activism.

Just chill and let people put the old man in a dress.

[lokissweater]

HONEY ILL ALWAYS COME BACK FROM WAR JS FOR YOUUUU 🫵😣💕 like im tryna show off in war to come home to my wife duh like that’s my sole purpose 😻😻😻

(LET ME PREFACEEEEE THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ASK BC IM RESPONDING TO UR RESPONSE TEWWW AND GIVING MY THOTS ON ANNI GUMIIIIIII)

KENTO TAKING CARE OF READER WHILE SHES EXHAUSTED IS SO CUTEEEE (but not exhausted for that knight in shining armor’s sword tho iykyk 😜😜😜) he can spank us all he wants bc he’s a GOOD MAN 😋😋😋

THANK YOU FOR SEEING THE VISION ON EX SUKUNA POOKIE?!?!?! LIKE bro had us and decided to fck around and find out and now we exes, and now he want us back bc he’s down bad and YEARNINNNNGGGGGGG 😣😣😣 either it was emotional constipation (I can totes see this) or some external factor that tore them apart 🙁💔 but like it’s his fault in the end, I’m not taking other answers. Mans needs to GROVEL!!!! 😻😻😻 and band!gojo, he’s so charming… #romanempirefr and THANK YOU FOR THE STRONG READER AGENDA BC GIRLIE NEEDS A BACKBONE TO PUT THAT BITCH INTO PLACE 🫵😋

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, IKKKKKKK you’ll COOK on new au gumi dhekjdowmeke alr drooling thinking abt it 🤤🤤🤤 imagine there’s a caseoh cameo in one of ur fics, I’d cackle tbh (GAMER AU WITH A CHARACTER AND THEY COLLAB W THE CUTESY GINGER HUNK?!?!?! 🫵😻) DONT GET ME STARTED ON MY APPRECIATION TO THE UNIVERSE TO LET ME EXIST AT THE SAME TIME AS YOU TO READ YOUR FICS GIRLLLL 😣😣😣😣😣💕💕💕💕💕💕 I exist solely to read ur fics, period. 😋💕

———————

I STARTED SOBBING WHEN I READ ANNI MLB!GUMI BC IT HEALED SMT WITHIN ME…

tldr, I acc have an ex from hs, lasted around 3 years and 4 months so very close to the fic, I had to do a fcking double take girl 😨😨😨 I had a similar experience too abt the money thing, bro was kinda well off but only bought/paid for things that also benefitted him (ie dinner or buying me in game cosmetics for a game I don’t play much, js to force me online despite me not liking that game anymore) 😕😕😕

ANYWAYS, GUMI WOULD NEVERRRR LIKE MANS KNEW WHAT TF TO BUY FOR READER???? WITHHOUT EXPECTING MUCH BACK??? I STARTED BAWLING NICKIIIII 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 their relationship is so insanely healthy and sweet and cute and gosh. I can imagine that he has notes on what she likes and writes in them over the span of their relationship 🥹🥹🥹 and the friendship between the 4 idiots is always so fun to read, the dynamic is SOOOOOO CHEFS KISS 😣🎀 I fear bff would even ask her own man Yuji to judge reader’s outfit so she can get ready for her steamy sesh w gumi 😜😜 (but ofc hedgehog over here would go feral 😹😹)

I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL REST OF UR WEEK MY LOVEEEE 🫵😣💕💕💕 I need to catch back up on sleep bc I’ve been studying for finals :(

- 🎀

BAHAHAHAHAHAH NO LITERALLY reader was a little whore for kento and was too tired to walk and be responsible, but she up and running and alert for that poised respectable cawk!!! 😝😝 AND AS SHE MF SHOULD !!! 🫦🫦 i am no better…. SOMEONE COME SPANK ME 😻😻

NOOOO BECAUSE MY BABY BLUE BOWS you don’t understand how genius you are for that concept of sir kuna and exes to lovers i actually started fucking vibrating and going crazy THINKING of the desperation he’s under for reader and so much REGREEEETTTTTT and trying to hard to get her back that it’s eating him absolutely ALIVE !!! his dignity is out the window and he’s smothering and DEMANDING reader to please just listen to him and give him a chance 🫦🫦🫦 I LOVE A BEGGING FUCKING MAN OK ARREST MEEEEE !!! ARREST MEEEEE I LOVE IT WHEN MEN CRY 😻🫶🫶🫶 meow meow

so i WILL be writing this i promise yew my love congratulations you just got sukuna on a foreseeable rotation 🥹🥹🫶🫶🫶 MWAAHHHH I LOVE YOUR BRAIN ❤️❤️❤️❤️ AND BIIITCHHH IM CRYING A MF CASEOH CAMEO IN THE FICS IS SOOO FUNNNYYYYY I HAVE TO DO IT !!!!

AND OMFFFGGGGG GIRLLLLLL YOU AND I ARE SIMILAR AAAAFFFFFFF !!! i cannot believe my precious little baby bows went through that shit ESPECIALLY when that mf was well off ??? HELLO ???? WHERE THE FLOWERS THAT YOU DESERVE AT AND THE JUST BECAUSE GIFTS ???? NOT giving you shit that’s beneficial to him oh my god are you fucking kidding me rn … let’s not be lame please dear god.

let’s just say i was writing those scenarios based off of personal experience … BUT I DIGRESS !!! i hope you’re happier now my baby and just KNOWWWW … that i could treat you better 🫦🫦 AYO WHAT??? 😝😝😝 LMFAO WTF idk who just said that rn that was so weird !😻

AND I KNOOOOWWWWWWW GUMI IS SO FUCKING HEALING FOR ME BRO that man just KNOWS. watches readers every move and makes sure that she’s happy with him and makes CONSTANT mental notes in his head every time he hears even a GUSP from reader 🥹🫶🫶 new mary jane pumps just dropped ???? and yes she has five other pairs (from him already) but it’s a different color she doesn’t have ??? and did she just slightly gasp but then hide it bc omg she already has so many pairs she needs to stop ???

gumi just nods to himself. 😻 gumi makes a note of it and tucks it away for later. 😻 gumi goes to buy said shoes the next week. 😻

AND YEEESSSSS I LOVE THE FOUR OF THEM SOOOO FUCKING MUCH WRITING THEM IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAAAVVVV THINGS TO DOOOOO !!!! they’re so stupid and i love the fights 😻😻🫶🫶 AND THE WAY yuji would be so focused too in trying to pick a good outfit for steamy sesh and reader is MORTIFIED about it and they both genuinely do not see what the issue is 😭😭😭😭 parents af 😻🫶

I LOOOVEEEE YOUUU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU MY BABY BLUE BOWS THANK YOU SOOOOO MUUUCHHHH FOR COMING TO VISIT ME AND MAKING ME LAUGH AND MAKING ME NOT GO FAWKIN CRAZY BC OF MY STUDIESS !!!! 😝😝😝 PLEASE have the GREATEST rest of your week my love you DESERVE IT !!!! please take care and stay safe and look both ways before you cross the street !!! :33 <3333

AND YES CATCH UP ON THAT BEAUTY REST PLEASE !!!! I NEED TO HEAR YOU HONK SHOOING !!!!!! 😻😻😻

MWAH MWAH TILL WE MEET AGAIN !!! <333

[theoriginaltortuga]

Thoughts and opinions on Connor and Devon through the it lives series 

warning: long post, very rambly, and spoilers abound

So this might go in headcanon territory but ill try to keep it general for this post

ILITW:

I’ll admit connor was like the fourth LI i romanced after i started playing it lives and even then it was only because i had a specific playthrough i wanted. I don’t know how other people do it, but i changed my MCs personalities and appearances based on what i wanted their ending and final nerve score to be. So Devon Hernandez, my sole survivor, needed to be kind of a prick, or at least have severe foot in mouth syndrome, while maintaining the highest nerve he could and dating Connor was the best for that

But alas I fell hard for this character i previously skipped a lot of dialogue for. Connor is a wannabe bad boy in the best possible way, he’s got the leather jacket, the cool car, and the fighting skills, all while being “forbidden” by being Stacy’s brother. (won’t lie i was expecting a slight conflict from that even if it was just in flavor text, but im not mad that she was cool with it)  

the banter between him and Devon really worked for me, and i loved how even outside of the romance specific scenes there was still acknowledgment of the relationship (whether thats a failing on pb’s part or done because he’s technically on screen less than the others im not sure) 

More on personality, Connor is interested but not pushy, acts like he’s “not too good” while being too good at all times, a caring person and a fun one, an affectionate boyfriend and doesn’t put up with people’s shit. I realized i actually cared about him the second he offered to take Devon to a diner with burgers the size of their face

Main Route (connor and MC live, all their friends are dead) : 

Jumping through time to ilw and him and Devon are horndogs living together in a cabin and scarring their friends with their sex life, which was a direction i wasn’t expecting but one i loved anyway. Again all the small acknowledgements of their relationship killed me and pet names are always a win. Connor evolved from background character and “The Love Interest” to a semi-main badass. 

One thing i loved about it lives within is that all the characters from the previous books felt like themselves in a way that’s hard to explain but basically you just bought that these were the exact same characters and the fact that it was a completely different writer never crossed my mind

There is a kind of maturity in Connor and Devon���s relationship that is nice to see because they have been together 4 years, while still staying true to the versions of them we first met

This route ended with Connor proposing to Devon and getting them their beautiful house with the porch swing and several dog children and I loved the final moments of happiness in their otherwise kind of heartbreaking story

Good Route (connor and MC live, everyone lived):

Basically the same as above, though I will say I love the idea that the whole memorial Stacy knew exactly what was about to go down and I may or may not nudge aside the idea that Devon let their friendships fall to shit and their all like bridesmaids or groomsmen, its not that them falling apart again is unrealistic or bad, it just makes me kind of sad so I ignore it in my own hc

Bad Route (connor and noah live, everyone else died and then so does Connor):

The one i just finished playing and all the interactions between Connor and Redfield!MC were so sweet and i loved them but it always held that kind of bittersweet feeling.

I played with Noah also being into Devon which was also painful, but the line “i suspected for a while now” made me laugh because all i can imagine is an internal montage of Noah being annoyed at Connor and Devon’s affection and constantly looking at Devon with heart eyes and Connor just like “wow i should’ve clocked that like last year” 

i have a lot to say on the Devon being comforted scene that i will save for the hc post but the call back to “too good” was *chefs kiss*

And towards the end realization that Connor was a horror, the accidental hope i gave the crew, and then Connor’s horrific (in the best possible way) death was so wonderfully written. You know when you read something so good that you just have to do a couple laps around the room? That was me. 

Rowan flung Connor into the fucking ceiling and the description of his blood dripping onto them and Devon was just so gnarly. Devon has lost everything, watched most of the people they loved be brutally murdered before their very eyes, and is lashing out while also being sort of aware that its not really Rowans fault which speaks a lot to their character but it hurt so freakin much

and don’t even get me started on the graveyard scene and the parallels with the other Redfield!MC graveyard scene, metal rose and all. I mentioned it before but my Devon in this route is just burnt out on love and friendship and people in a way that i’ll get into more in a hc post but yeah he’s not finding love again and i don’t think he’d ever want to

In conclusion, i love connor and devon together and I thank the og ilitw writers for writing their relationship and the ilw writers for making it even better and tearing my heart apart along with Connor’s and Devon’s in very different ways

[cagednoob]

Gonna spitball stupid ideas about God of War since I just finished GOW: Ragnorak.

Putting under a readmore so I don’t kill anyone with a potential huge block of words-

Also spoilers, obviously.

So onto the first-

Who will the next game follow?

Ngl I feel like the obvious answer is that it follows Atreus. He’s going on a journey to find other Giants. It makes sense to follow him.

This game feels like the perfect conclusion to Kratos and his story. Him leading the Nine Realms and fixing the harm done to it (or as much as he, Freya and Mimir can). I think it’d do more harm then good to force him into another game.

Could he cameo in a game solely with Atreus? Maybe? I think a cameo of him would always be a bonus. Whether it’s just dialogue or if him and Atreus find a magical way to communicate long distance.

Actually maybe no magical communication, so then the possible reunion would be so much more sweet. And they better reunite.

Where will the next game take place?

In my heart- Egypt. Egypt was the original idea for the 2018 game, and it was eventually swapped to Norse mythology.

Which fun fact- Atreus wasn’t originally Loki! It was conceived halfway through, and honestly props to that guy who suggested it. But if we’d kept with the Egyptian route I think our boy would’ve been just normal boy.

But also the reason why I say Egypt- Egyptian hieroglyphs are one of the three languages on the Mask of Creation. The others being Ancient Greece and Japanese.

Now along with it being the original setting and cast, we’ve also had many artifacts that originate from the Egyptian mythology.

Such as an Ankh in GOW: Ragnorak, and Atreus himself even puts on a helmet that originates from the region (if I am remembering correctly) in 2018.

And along with this, I can see Atreus having a time in the Egyptian Pantheon- most of them do have animal forms that they can also slip into, which would give Atreus more of an in I guess.

Also the concept art have the Egyptian Gods seen as gigantic (other then Thoth in that one comic, though maybe he could also become big). So I think he’d logically head that way eventually.

Here is some concept art just to share them

Giant God in the distance (maybe Ra, or even another one such as Osiris/Set/Horus)

Killing giant Sphinx from the looks of it

Finally not 100 certain on this piece, but Kratos fighting a giant Sobek

Who would Atreus be in the Egyptian Pantheon?

Now this is a tricky one. Mostly because it’s one you gotta do carefully.

Atreus being Loki is the twist. And it works solely because he was a new character. Kratos works as Fárbauti because he isn’t super prevalent in the mythology. He’s only mentioned by name.

Thus Atreus should he be also someone in the Egyptian Pantheon (whether outright said or stupidly highly suggested)- he can’t be a big player in the myths. We know the boy now, and forcing him into the role of Set (a similar Chaos being), who is a big player doesn’t work. Because we know both their stories, and we know they don’t fit.

Therefor a suggestion would be to look at deities not super well known in public eye, or even those that don’t have as many mythological stories of them.

My suggestion? Wepwawet. There isn’t too much known of him, but also Atreus could fit him.

Wepwawet is known to have two known weapons- a mace and a bow. He is a wolf deity (a form well associated with boy), and also said to accompany the Pharaohs on hunts. And he is the “opener of ways” which Atreus like his father can bring. Especially if he continues the fight against fate like his father.

But he’s a War God, I hear you say. And I say- so what? Yes, Loki isn’t a war god, but Atreus is also Y’know Atreus. And he was raised by Kratos of all people. I can imagine he could theoretically take up the God of War mantle. Which I’d imagine they’d have to if they want to continue calling the franchise following Atreus, God of War. And he could be a Tyr type and fight for peace.

But he doesn’t have to claim the role of any God or mythological figure tbh. But if they have to make him someone I think Wepwawet would be the best bet at the current moment.

Sigyn?

Not sure what to make the “title” of this section, but this is mostly a small ramble-

I’ve seen some nitpicks or complaints that Sigyn wasn’t seen in Ragnorak and I understand for the most part.

I think Atreus didn’t have enough time in Asgard to get to know too many people. There’s many other Asgardians we never met. But we did meet the big players (or the ones widely known by media).

But with the changed fate shenanigans, this likely prevented Atreus from meeting Sigyn as well.

However I do think we could still meet her.

As we saw from the end, many pieces of Asgard fell into the realms. Who’s to say she also didn’t fall with these pieces and managed to, I don’t know? Wonder off?

It’s possible she’d even possibly travel into another place entirely in trying to escape what was happening. After all, how many of the Asgardians were told of what Odin had done? How many did Sif get to inform about the change in plans before the collapse?

So, if she isn’t in Vanaheim, wasn’t updated, and did fall with the pieces of Asgard, why wouldn’t she run? Asgard fell to the enemies and they could be going after every Aesir God. And who knows? Maybe she managed to get to another area entirely far from the Norse Pantheon.

Could do enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc with her and Atreus even. And yes, Atreus can have multiple loves in his life. Whether it leads to a polyamorous relationship or just a period of romance (between him and Sigyn or Angrboda idk) I’m not sure of. But I think I’d be fine with either.

And her parents can just be two unnamed Aesir Gods. They could imply her parents to be someone sure, but it also fits to just have them being unnamed similar to Angrboda.

But I for sure feel like they have a chance to still include her.

Edit to this 2/11/24: since posting this I am very much more of the supporter of Atreus and Angrboda. I’m still in that mindset of one of them can very much have different romances because love to me is fluid, and who you’re with can change depending on time and place.

So yeah 🤷 I still think she(Sigyn) can still be included somehow one day as a potential love interest. Or polyam relationship, but that’s just me imagining the impossible (probably won’t see a polyam relationship done good in a loooooong time lol).

But if it doesn’t happen it doesn’t happen. But if it did happen I wouldn’t be bothered too much since that’s life. And we know that Atreus and Angrboda end up together in the end, we just don’t know the journey to that point. Which what that journey entails could be anything.

Now who would be the big bad?

If it’s Egypt, it’s Ra.

Now there’s many Gods that are the Pharaohs (such as Osiris, Set, and Horus to name a few), but Ra is the big player. Pharaohs claimed to the be the sons of him, and other gods would often times merge with him.

This could be the combined form of Ra, known as Amun-Ra even. Since in this form he is considered the King of the Gods.

But also if Ra was the big bad, that means the Eye of Ra could be bosses. Since there is a mythos of him sending the Eye of Ra as the form of Sekhmet to destroy the humans who were plotting to rebel against him.

And if Atreus was believed to be a threat why wouldn’t one of Eye of Ra be sent after him? And there’s at least three (Sekhmet, Hathor and Bastet).

Last thing too is that Ra sometimes has a myth attached to him where he is reborn everyday. With the sunrise he’d be born again, and I think that’d be an interesting thing to see play out.

Most the final big bads have been older guys, and while Ra could fit the bill- it’d be interesting to see him at different ages. Imagine an age we could see him at even being the same age as Atreus. Maybe the final fight could be just holding him off until sunset when he’s at his oldest.

But the image of Atreus befriending someone his age and then an hour or so later running into the same guy but ancient is something that digs at my mind in a good way. Imagine the fuckery.

I kind of played with the idea in my head that the Eye of Ra Goddesses came from different pantheons. Since most of them their only parent is Ra (Bastet sometimes has a mother that is Isis), one could potentially play with it. Maybe one of them is from the fallen Greek Pantheon, one from the Japanese (the other languages on the mask), and to tie in more form Norse the final one from that Pantheon.

Hell Sigyn could even be one of them, and it would still work tbh since she’d be a new character. Maybe she’d be Bastet.

But that’s a big maybe idea. Since them being just plain ol Egyptian origins is also fine.

Calliope

Now this one is a tricky one as well- and I’ve seen mentions of people saying she’s gonna come back. And tbh? I’m not sure. I don’t think she should because then the impact of losing her (twice) wouldn’t be there.

But I feel like there can be a way since by the end of GOW3 Greece had fallen, and the underworld opened to allow those within to travel. Theoretically she along with other members of the family could’ve wondered out and away.

Personally if she came back, I can’t see Athena not snatching her and using her similar to Kratos. Buuuuut maybe she wasn’t caught by Athena?

Tbh I kind of like the idea of her becoming a God in her own right and having beef with Atreus.

Because Kratos ‘replaced’ her and her mother with a new family Y’know. Not sure what God she’d be. I kind of played with her being Sekhmet since Ra “created” his daughter with magic. Hell with that you could even have his two other daughters Hathor and Bast being individuals from other pantheons that he took in and made his daughters.

Could even do the same to Sigyn :0

But that would be a big stretch and not likely at All. Just a little playful AU in my mind tbh.

[lalo-tellmeagain]

I just need to get this off my notes— I’ve been working on it a while and hopefully it’s enough to convey my feelings. I’m putting this here with the preface that I love this character so much!

While I’ve been enjoying the fan fiction and art and all the various ships, I just don’t see Lalo as capable of having any sort of relationship with anyone.

I don’t think he thinks about love or friends or sex at all beyond maybe just the most basic of bodily functions. And that’s a very big maybe.

This is perhaps best illustrated during the scenes at his home in Mexico. Every person there is hired help, and so they are loyal for the pay and probably out of fear, and yes they seem to sort of enjoy his company (maybe) but it’s all superficial because they know what Lalo is capable of.

It’s hard for the audience to get past the idea that this handsome middle aged man would just sit around by himself in this giant compound, barely sleeping, and working on his hobbies without at least wanting a partner or a family, but I really don’t think he cares or thinks about it.

He gets off on endlessly plotting his next moves- which brings us to Sylvia and Mateo. What happens to them shows us how utterly insidious Lalo is- he has imagined scenarios where he may need to fake his own death, or use Mateo in some way because of their similar looks, and he keeps them around solely for that purpose. He’s generous to them and they appear to be very loving and grateful toward him— he will always turn on the charm to deflect his true intentions. They think he really wanted to help them with the dental work, and he did, but for his own twisted reason.

Speaking of employees, poor Ciro! Here’s a kid who has been clearly bullied by Lalo his whole life, and who clearly lives in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. Lalo tells Jimmy he’s known Ciro since he was a little boy, but neglects to mention using the kid as a human shield!

Nacho is also an employee. Lalo treats him as such, even in moments of seeming to be friendly (Nachito!) there’s always an undercurrent of distrust. He’s not going to send Nacho to pick up 7 million. He makes Nacho drive him everywhere and never tell him what they’re doing or where they are going. And let’s be honest- his gut feeling about Nacho was correct-

That’s why Kim’s lecture is so incredible- you see the moment where Lalo doubts himself- maybe she’s right? Maybe I do need to try and let someone in and try to trust a little bit- even against my better judgment…..

And he’s immediately betrayed. He’s never going to make that mistake again.

The argument that Lalo has the ability to care because of his attitude toward Hector also doesn’t really work for me because Hector is absolutely the worst kind of person. Cruel. Hateful. Joyless. Where does Lalo get his own lack of humanity? Probably Hector.

Lalo admires him, constantly talking about how family is everything, but none of the Salamancas even have their own families! It’s an empty sentiment. Plus Lalo could easily bring Hector to live with him in his giant mansion and provide him with round the clock medical care, and he doesn’t! He cares about the business and the money and taking out his rivals. Imagine if the Salamancas succeeded? To what end? Who gets their vast fortune when they can never trust anyone and have no families of their own?

I think Lalo has fun playing mind games with Gus. I think he enjoys the chase a lot. He’s never not going to have a good time. And we love him for that. It’s really hard to not be curious about him (and his potential relationships) and I’m endlessly fascinated with the idea that someone could really just exist this way because to us he has an incredible life! And why wouldn’t he be sharing it with someone or many people? Why live this way? He’s just really an extremely shallow person- he cares most about his money, his cars, his house-“don’t get grease on my sink!”

Bottom line — he cannot care about any person other than himself. He doesn’t think about others at all beyond what he can use them for. He’s happiest in his own head. In Lalo land.

[boyfhee]

OKAY IM BACK 🤩🤩 ( after some self reflection on my attachment to take two ) NGL I DIDNT EXPECT YOU TO GIVE ME A SHOUTOUT OR EVEN FOR ME TO HELP PLAY A PART ( even if its a teeny tiny bit ) IN THE ENDING ??? you can literally imagine my surprise when i opened the app after a goodnight sleep to see a new update and mentions of me in the a/n 😭😭 the ending was so fhdjsnjsnsks BITTERSWEET. it was so nice to know that they all found comfort in each other ultimately ( despite it not turning into something romantic wise at that moment ) and being such good friends ?? it really shows their growth as characters which behaved selfishly to ones that were willing to accept each others shortcomings whole heartedly ( at least imo ) . although yn doesnt have an endgame (cries cos my imaginations were running wild at the slightly open but not so open ending if you get what i mean ) , it feels very realistic that wonki hasnt moved on yet — especially since this happens a lot irl ( i never experienced it before but ive seen my friends go through it ! ). i think it was a very well written ending considering how you couldnt make everyones wishes come through ( talking about the readers choice of endgame ) but yet still delivered one of satisfactory level. it was such a wild ride watching ynki make every mistake we as humans could make. miya was truly a test - she was testing my patience half the time 💀💀💀. but miya also serves as a reminder to everyone of how easily it is to unknowingly cheat on your partner without having to lay a single hand or even touch the person. emotional cheating is JUST AS BAD AS PHYSICALLY CHEATING IF NOT WORST ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ i kinda feel bad (?) for wonki though because even though they were given closure and time to heal, it always felt more like a right person wrong time kind of thing so they will never be able to properly move on imo. IT MAKES ME EVEN SADDER THAT IT FEELS LIKE YN GETS THE HAPPY ENDING AND WONKI GOT A HAPPY ENDING TOO BUT IT COMES WITH A CHANCE THAT THEY MIGHT NEVER BE ABLE TO GET ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH YN EVER AGAIN. its really giving “ feels like we have matching wounds but mines still black and bruised and yours is perfectly fine “ < the exit - conan gray >

okay i feel like i should stop here before i get carried away and keep repeating the same points but more aggressively with each sentence 🥶🥶 i was actually a pure literature student before i graduated from school and its been a while since i had graduated so it was really fun to be able to make analysis on characters again as well as figure out plots through diction 🤩🤩 i cant thank you enough for writing take two because it gave me a chance to put my literature to good use, it wouldve been a real shame if i studied so hard just for me to never use it ever again. thank you thank you thank you thank you.

please have a good rest and all the best for your studies ! i had national exams last year and it absolutely beat the crap out of my brain 😭😭 had me tearing at every math question and feeling hella defeated. its going to be tough but you can do it !! take as long as you need for your break ! you absolutely deserve it after dropping that bombass smau 😩😩😩😩 i will look forward to your return with full excitement ! take care ~

- 🎐 ( its been a pleasure being one of take twos biggest fans - self proclaimed )

WINDCHIME ANON HEHE HELLO 💗💗 no bc a shoutout was a must bc ur ask helped me pick the direction i wanted to go with the ending. and i was so scared bc ppl were hoping for a ynwon ending but i gave them kind of nothing i was like 'what if they dont like' BUT FUCK IT BC IN MY EYES YN DOESNT DESERVE A HAPPY ENDING JUST YET . tbh the whole point of the friends part was that they were willing to give their relationship another try despite the mistakes, call that character development. and miya was created solely to tell people how important communication is. none of this would've happened if riki told yn about miya, if yn told him ab meeting miya, if riki told yn ab his plan, the communication was gone on so many levels. the thing that ruined ynki, if you ask me, was the lack of communications. not miya, not jungwon, not media, not fans, but yn and riki themselves. SO CHIYUV NATION, COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY. ALWAYS. take it from me i love clearing things out and it always ends well unless u start phrasing things wrong ( dont do it )

AND ANON WE R GETTING A PART TWO WITH SEPARATE ENDINGS let ur imagination run wild again ☝️☝️ that conan gray lyrics r so ksdjfhhs fits so well fr. AND OMG HI FELLOW LIT. STUDENT i had science but also had eng on the side, spent my youth editing drafts and analysing proses and poetry it was fun . everyday i think about ur asks ab take two and it makes miso happy (sunghoon hi) bc they rlly made my day U ARE THE BIGGEST TAKE TWO FAN i will give u that medal 🥇

[fipindustries]

this is a feast! This is a veritable banquet! So often i starve for criticism but i shall famish no longer! This is the one and sole reason why i create art! Lets sink my teeth on this!

First of all, thank you very very much, this is all ive ever wanted and it makes me so happy to see someone really interacting with my work, specially in this depth and with something that is as near and dear to my heart as jennyffer. You have joined @not-terezi-pyrope in the olympus of people who have put this much work into it.

Second, lets take a look at all you say...

You don’t really go this hard ever again in the series! Both the shooting and Jennyffer’s primal scream are unique to this episode in their tonal intensity.

There was one planned episode where i was planning to do that again but i cut it out first because i was ready to finish the series and i didnt have the time or the energy to stretch it any longer and also because it felt very meanspirited, it was about visiting jennys geandpa on her dad's side. Things go really bad.

I hope that isn’t an unwelcome criticism.

Not at all! I always appreciate constructive criticism and in this case i was already aware of it. The biggest struggle through this show has been to find a good microphone and a good recording space for each episode, on top of tge fact that i am entirely ignorant about audio engineering. So audio tends to be tge thing that suffers more in this show and it would be the primary thing that i would fix if i had a budget to work with

I’m also just weirdly fascinated by Mean Girls, so I love the attention you give them here.

See there is something fascinating here on multiple levels because i also find the mean girl archetype fascinating and fun to play with, but i am doubtful of how "true to life" it is. To me the type of character was always more akin to a hollywood monster than a true to life experience. I went to a school that used to be boys only, so we would only have like two girl students for every thirty boys. So mean girl cliques just did not exist at my school, im much more intimatly familiar with the type of bullying you see on ep 3 with the rugbiers.

But also on top of that i dont know how much kids encounter that now a days, it seems that bullying has changed a lot at schools with the new generations and characters like "the jock" or "the queen bee" have mutated and become a bit outdated in the same way that the greaser style "bad boy" with a black leather jacket and a pompadour was an outdated stereotype in our childhood.

Because of this i became hesitant to keep including them and replaced them with the kind of ostracism in ep 7, more couched social justice language. I did have a funny ongoing gag planned with them where every episode they show up for whatever reason one wpuld be taken out (we get to see that in the credits of ep 4 where jenny nearly snaps the neck of one pf the girls) and a new one would have to become the new ashley until there was only one left and she would admit theyre nonbinary and decide to stop bullying jenny. Sadly it couldnt be.

I think it makes your work a lot more real that you’re willing and able to illustrate the transphobic worldview as a fact of life among many people and the background cultural default in society

Yes! thank you! I always find stories that dont do this unbearably saccarine. (Although sometimes i can totally be in the mood for that). And the fact that it is presented as this backround noise radiation is also important to me. One goal i had in jennyffer was to explore transphobia in all the different ways it manifests, from the openly cruel of ep1 to the subtly annoying of ep 7 to the cloyingly dishonest of ep 4, to the dissmisively insensitive of ep 9.

I can only imagine how many references I’m missing

oh buddy if you only knew, eps 5 and 9 areprobably the two singularly densest episodes in terms of ammount of obscure references i include. Ep 5 for transgirl culture in general (did you noticed i put bayes formula in felix' laptop?) And ep 9 for 4chan culture, which probably contain the two most impenetrable jokes in the show "i always thought you were a little onions" and "i gotta fart super bad"

On top of that a gag i have going on with peter is that he is a fan of super niche nerdy stuff like sparks or julia ecklar, and so every time we see his room i cram it with references to movies or boardgames.

you have a great sense of comedic layering. It’s also a good example of something I haven’t articulated yet, which is that your comedic style is ultra sharp and punchy.

Aw thank you so much! Im glad to know this, i dont always have the chance to get a clear view of where my strengths lie or what it is exactly that im doing because so much of it relies on intuitions of what seems funny to me, so getting a better understanding of what is it that makes me stand out is very useful. Im quick and punchy apparetnly! Well, is like mark twain said "brevity [...] is wit" ( this is a simpsons joke)

Also i like to think im good at the unstated and subtle humor, for example the fact that peter's parents are black even though peter is white (we never explore this in the series but peter is not adopted, he is just a genetic anomaly)

“Oh no! I haven’t been checking to see if I’m writing ‘Jennyffer’ with two Fs!” I was like “Did Fip do that just to catch people who aren’t paying close attention?”

The reason why jennyffer's name is written like that is purely due to search engine optimization, i wanted to give her an atypical spelling so its easier to recognize and for it to stand out as its own brand

Jennyffer gets the wind taken out of her sails over the crotch bulge in her bathing suit and how it is making other people uncomfortable, and, instead of fighting or being an asshole about it, she is defeated and retreats.

This was something very important for me in the way i write jenny, she's an asshole but shes not needlesly aggro all the time to everyone for no reason, she only attacks after being attacked. She gets disarmed by 'politeness' and 'civility'. She knows how to handle bullies but she doesnt know how to handle niceness, shes ok with people seeing her as a jerk or a brute but she doesnt want to look like the bad guy. This separates her from characters like eric cartman or dr house with whom she has so much in common otherwise.

Also, “Episode 10, Part 1,” lolol. Beware scope creep! 😂

Ah

Ha ha

Coming from you i know the dark omen that warning is. But worry not, the ammount of scope that has creeped on has been a calculated ammount. I know exactly how much bigger and how much more ambitious i wanted to make this story. Parts 1-4 have been carefully delineated and circumscribed and i would say im around three months away from finishing all of them in one fell swoop which has fallen well into the deadline i gave myself when i started this final episode.

So yeah! I have some other stuff to say but ill leave that to discord. Once more thank you so much for tjis effort you put into enjoying my little show

Notes on my Watch-Through of Jennyffer by F.I.P. Industries

This week I watched the animated webseries Jennyffer, by @fipindustries / Amanda Avila. It’s a short series about an assholeish trans girl in high school, just living life in our silly world. You can watch it on YouTube!

TL;DR: This series is funny, witty, edgy, delightfully absurdist, and full of visual richness, gags, and allusions despite the minimalist style of the drawing and animation. Jennyffer grew on me as I watched it and I definitely think it’s worth the hour or so runtime. There are nine episodes averaging about 4 minutes apiece, plus a few small bonuses.

Fip is a friend of mine so I wrote down my thoughts as I was watching, but I am posting them here (with her approval) in the hope that folks happen to get intrigued and decide to go check it out. I’ve adapted my notes a little bit to make them easier for you to read, but for the most part these are extemporaneous notes speaking directly to Fip.

Indented (“ ---> “) comments are written after I watched the entire series and went back to review my notes.

“TUMBLR PEEPS / TP” comments are additional comments I’ve written for you lovely people on this huggable hellsite. I’ll also give you my overall review and recommendations at the end.

* This post contains spoilers for Jennyffer.

Title Sequence

Very fun! :3

TUMBLR PEEPS: Not very useful for you, I know. Fip is both an illustrator and an animator, and I think this title sequence sets the tone for what she’s aiming for with the series. There’s always a moment of disorientation when stepping into the world of an artist whose style you’re unfamiliar with, but if you hang on it begins to make sense soon enough.

Ep. 1

I appreciate subtle touch of “Panoptic” High School, with the round building, etc. TP: This series is full of background references. It’s one of my favorite things about it.

Lol @ the identical 😮 faces on the pack of Mean Girls in the background.

Wasn’t expecting the confrontation to escalate that hard! 😮😂

----> You don’t really go this hard ever again in the series! Both the shooting and Jennyffer’s primal scream are unique to this episode in their tonal intensity. 

LOL @ the Mean Girls actually turning into a pack of feral monsters when their leader falls; unmasked at last!

---> This is a candidate for my favorite single joke in the series just because of how economically and absurdly it encapsulates so much about this trope.

I appreciate that Ashley admitted defeat; that’s cathartic because this (almost) never happens in real life.

TUMBLR PEEPS: When I watched this episode, it came across to me as uneven on the audiovisual production values. Things like Fip’s audio recording setup not being as good as the guest star’s, sound levels being a little imbalanced, etc. I would encourage you not to be scared off by that! Although it doesn’t completely go away over the series, it does improve a lot, and in any case it doesn’t interfere with the storytelling or worldbuilding basically at all. I wanted to lampshade this because I know some people nope out of a series if the production values aren’t AAA. Give this one a chance!

Ep. 2

I appreciate that Mom is trying her best.

---> To build on this point, I appreciate that it’s true to life for many trans kids whose parents are willing to accept them when they come out, but don’t really know “how.”

TUMBLR PEEPS: That’s my only note for the entire episode, lol. This episode is probably my least favorite in the series. Fip’s style of humor is very much old-school Simpsons in that it keeps dropping joke after joke; so you’re always smiling because even if one joke doesn’t land there’s another one coming up in a few seconds. This episode is different in that it’s basically one joke that gets hit over and over again. And since it’s a joke that doesn’t land for me, it’s kind of forgettable. (When I was preparing this post for Tumblr I was like "Why did I only write one sentence for Episode 2?" And then I went back and realized why as soon as I saw the thumbnail.) This is my most negative criticism of the entire series. In my opinion, things get significantly better from here!

Ep. 3

RIP his Gains 🤣🤣🤣

Lol, and they still win the big cup! 💪🎀

---> I appreciate the continuity on these jock girls later in the series.

You have a great sense for comedic layering of different jokes operating on different wavelengths happening close together or even at the same time. (That’s more of a sense from everything I’ve seen so far than just this specific episode, but it stood out to me when Jennyffer’s friend Peter gets his lights punched out just as a side gag.)

---> I originally wrote “when Jennyffer’s friend gets his lights punched out…” here because I couldn’t make out Peter’s name whenever you first introduced it. I am hard of hearing and the audio mixing, especially in the earlier episodes, is a little low at points. One frequent constructive criticism I have for people is to make sure that dialogue is sharp / non-mumbly on the soundtrack, otherwise people like me get lost, especially with names and proper nouns.

---> (I hope that isn’t an unwelcome criticism. A friend of mine just started a new podcast, and he had this same issue on his soundtrack. He got so upset when I gave him this feedback, because of course the reasons we do things are often not closely connected to the things we do, and I realized too late that he was doing this podcast for validation and self-empowerment, so it turned out that he wasn’t in the mood for constructive feedback at all. But that's about the only kind of substantive feedback I know how to offer. So I hope you understand my intent isn’t to shoot down your work; I’d just like to be able to hear it better. You got better with this as the series went on, but I think there’s still room for improvement.)

Ep. 4

That is some Grade A, all-natural, free-range School Counseling for sure. I have a hard time dealing with this shit in the media (including in this comic) because I’m already rubbed so raw at the dysfunction of systems (in this case the healthcare system) that are supposed to help (and which I very much want to support in principle) and I just don’t have much resiliency left to deal even with fictional accounts of it.

I think the Mean Girls are my favorite background part of this series so far. They come across as (tragically) true-to-life, and your depiction of them is just utterly unapologetic. Going so hard on that is what makes it work.

---> I’m also just weirdly fascinated by Mean Girls, so I love the attention you give them here. I guess they live in a tonal space that’s fairly close down the block to the tonalities of the types of female characters I tend to like to write. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to push Mean Girls off a cliff when they’re actually Being Mean, but in terms of the “vibe” there’s something I find compelling about it.

I think it makes your work a lot more real that you’re willing and able to illustrate the transphobic worldview as a fact of life among many people and the background cultural default in society, with all of the transphobic jokes and wrong pronouns etc. that this entails. I see a lot of queer artists choose not to do so, probably in some cases because they can’t (see my comment above about not having much resilience myself to put up with systemic dysfunction in fiction). The willingness and ability to be able to do this is the difference between art that is capable of also being subversively realistic (among its other qualities) versus art that is limited to being escapist or revisionist. It’s always empowering to be able to depict “the enemy,” in whatever guise they might take.

I’d never heard of Hannah Daigle, but since the Credits told me I need to go look up Satina, I looked it up, and wow! Going by her subscriber count, that’s a pretty big get!

3’44” This isn’t even half the true power of high school students and their superability to befoul school bathrooms. 😭😭😭

Ep. 5

For a minute there it seemed like things were going well. Too well. One thing about a series this ruthlessly cynical is that the expectation that “Nothing Good Will Happen and Nothing Good That Does Happen Can Be Kept” sets expectations for the other shoe to drop (indeed, many an other shoe).

3’15” Just the one cat ear up as she’s leaning in and talking secretively…great attention to detail! This is something I often notice with illustrators who get into animation (as opposed to artists who go directly into animation). So many details in virtually every frame! Both in support of the story and simply there for environmental embellishment. (Like the rose that hasn’t bloomed yet.) I can only imagine how many references I’m missing! TP: Seriously, I love the depth of subtle background references in this series!! I’m not calling out most of them in these notes, but they’re a constant presence in the background of the story.

She [the tutor] got there! Yep. As soon as it occurred to me to notice that the rose hadn’t bloomed yet, I knew how this one was ending. 😏

Ep. 6

* breaks computer *

MOM: "You know you don’t have to break your computer every time I come into your room, right?"

🤔🤔🤔

But seriously, that’s what I’m talking about when I say you have a great sense of comedic layering. It’s also a good example of something I haven’t articulated yet, which is that your comedic style is ultra sharp and punchy. It’s so economical, so efficient! It goes really hard with minimalist support, and, in my experience with other creators’ work, that only works for people who have a genuine gift for being funny. I think this is one of your strongest suits as a potential entertainment creator, and you could potentially develop it as a possible pathway to get noticed / get bigger.

---> This is a skill I could only dream of. I’d like to think I have a good sense of humor and can be funny not infrequently, but I need way more words to do it than you do, and my efforts are rarely as clean.

Lol, Jennyffer is the true master of the schoolyard. I appreciate the continuity from Episode 3. TP: When I was writing my notes during my watch-through, this is the comment where I realized “Oh no! I haven’t been checking to see if I’m writing ‘Jennyffer’ with two Fs!” I was like “Did Fip do that just to catch people who aren’t paying close attention?” And I figured, probably not! But I went back and made sure I got all my spellings right, and corrected a previous erroneous instance of it, and tried not to mess it up again going forward. I hate to get names wrong, especially when it’s the title of the goddamn series, lol.

That first stringer chord was great. Then I stopped noticing the next few. Then the ones after that actively grated on me. I get what you were going for (I think), but it didn’t work for me.

That confrontation with Dad went surprisingly well!! I was prepared for (and about halfway-expecting) this conversation with Peter’s dad to go in a much darker direction. <3

Interlude

0’39” That Whale is TOO CUTE omg :3333

---> Seriously, that Whale is the cutest friggin’ whale on the planet. Too wholesome for this world; too pure! <3333

Happy Birthday, Jennyffer! So sweet. I think it’s important for cynical works to have moments like these. I mean, that’s just my opinion, but it really humanizes the work, I think, which makes it easier to connect with and perceive as “real” in the sense of reflecting reality as opposed to being a purely stylized fiction.

TUMBLR PEEPS: I just want to emphasize that point. If you’re writing a work that’s heavily cynical, I would suggest that, unless you’re going for a very specific stylistic effect, a few moments of wholesomeness here and there, where you’re willing to let characters care about things and not get punished for it, is really important to adding depth to the story and humanizing the people in it.

Ep. 7

1’09” “No, that’s not how that works.” 😂 The deadpan here (and really through the whole series on this same joke) is so good. This kind of straight-man (figuratively speaking of course) reaction to an insane world is pure 😒😒😒, and 😒 is one of my favorite forms of absurdism. TP: This is in reference to a joke about how cis people sometimes misgender trans people because they just flat-out do not understand gender or queerness.

Also, can I just say, I’ve been noticing it for a few episodes, and I have no clue what it’s called, if it’s called anything, but I absolutely love Jennyffer’s ridiculously high and short ponytail. I wish we saw this hairstyle more in real life, because I always love it when I see it, but in American culture anyway it’s usually played as a joke / a sign of somebody who isn’t being serious. Then again, maybe that’s exactly the point with Jennyffer wearing it; I could see that being a decision she’d make. So maybe its mockédness and unpopularity are exactly why I get to see it here?! 🤔

2’40” lol, I am delight. TP: You’re a rotter, Mister Grinch…

That ending! 🤣 Yep. Jennyffer is chaotic neutral for sure, and a USDA Prime goofball.

---> I think this was the tipping point where I basically started liking Jennyffer as a character and identifying with her / rooting for her to succeed. It often takes time for characters to build on me, especially cynical assholes. (I have a hard time with cynicism despite having devolved into a cynic myself from my many years of woe.) And coming around on Jennyffer basically meant this was the point where I came around on the whole series. I certainly hadn’t disliked it at any point, but I originally came to watch it because you had recommended it to me and as a friend I wanted to check out your work, and not because I was actively seeking it out for its own sake. But now I think I can say I like it on its own merits.

A personal anecdote: In this episode, there is a moment where Jennyffer gets the wind taken out of her sails over the crotch bulge in her bathing suit and how it is making other people uncomfortable, and, instead of fighting or being an asshole about it, she is defeated and retreats. A very rare moment for her in the entire series, and thus a potent illustration of how humiliating it can be to be the target of bigotry. I love the creative decision that was made to play it this way. I can sort of relate to this issue in my own way. When I was a kid I never swam in public without a t-shirt on, because, for me, my attraction to fat is a sexual orientation which has been with me my whole life, even before I adolesced and understood it as a “sexual” thing. So as a kid I was always super sensitive to being perceived as fat. And I had a big ol’ round belly my whole life, not even because I was actually overweight as a kid (I mostly wasn't) but because I’m just shaped that way. I am convex at all weights. And I was very embarrassed about it! So, in my childhood memory, public pools were always a minefield of me trying to have fun versus trying not to be humiliated. Also, I couldn’t swim until I was like 12 or something, so that was embarrassing too, and I tried to fake it by splashing around in the 4’ zone.

Ep. 8

1’43” Glam!! Even cynical dystopic trans girls aren’t immune from the siren song of the shutter and flashbulb! That jacket is sweet, too! I love that look.

This is the second time you had a chance to completely change the tonality of the series into something way darker because of a scary father figure, and this time I genuinely didn’t know what would happen. But I’m glad it turned out this way, not only because it’s totally one of the many different reactions that are true-to-life among real-world parents but which don’t get highlighted as often as the more awful scenarios, but also because I just really struggle with grimdark stuff and I kinda just want everyone in this series to turn out okay. <3

Also: John Jingleheimer, eh? (Jennyffer Jingleheimer, lolol!) So, if Peter’s dad is named Jacob Schmitz, then I totally see what you’ve done. I’m pretty sure their family name is Schmitz (right??), but I don’t remember what episode(s) I got that from. I went back and watched Ep. 6 but his name is not mentioned. I personally appreciate all the J names in Jennyffer’s family. 😏

Stingers at the end of episodes really suit this series’ style! I found myself explicitly missing them in the beginning of the series. I’m glad they found their way to you.

7’06” The happiest we’ve ever seen her, 😂! 💖 (Give or take the birthday episode.) I just wrote that same moment in Galaxy Federal a few nights ago. (Cherry’s parents get her a spazer after she sneaks out one time and is gone all night.)

I appreciate the clearer-to-read credits at the end as the series has gone on. I had decided in the early episodes that I wasn’t going to criticize the original cursive because I kind of hate it that we live in a world where we can’t have nice / bespoke / Weird things because people always want something easier / more convenient / more accessible (I’m still upset they killed the big clock a block away from my apartment, whose chimes had been a charming part of living here; I’m sure it was because of “noise” complaints). So, since they weren't a content accessibility issue the way, say, the sound levels were at the start of the series, I was actually rooting for your cursive credits to never give up! Let the people struggle to read them! Long live the glory of the impenetrable! It would be very much in Jennyffer’s spirit for her credits to be totally unreadable if she were to make an animated series herself. Oh well! With legible credits I win and lose at the same time.

Ep. 9

Love the comment at 6’57” (from somebody who had written that your series is doing work to advance trans acceptance in society). I think there’s some truth to that, too. A lot of people can only come around on issues of acceptance by being introduced to it through the humor of this sort. More medicinal / academic / intellectual approaches don’t work on them at all.

April Fool’s

Caramelldansen!! A Desert Bus classic. I watch this every year! They’re both doing it right. Lol, Jennyffer is the best; it’s like Fate has put her in this skit so she has to do the dance, and she hates it, but she also secretly loves it.

I love seeing them in color.

Also, “Episode 10, Part 1,” lolol. Beware scope creep! 😂

Final Thoughts

Like I said in the TL;DR, this series is funny, witty, edgy, delightfully absurdist, and visually rich. It packs a lot into a small space.

Fip is freakishly smart, has a lot of insight and perspective to offer as an artist, executes on her concepts well, and has a distinctive style all her own. This, together with her artistic talents, makes her art very approachable, very easy to enjoy once you settle into it. On a more personal note, Fip has been the most supportive person I know here on Tumblr. I am inexpressibly grateful for the work she has done to try and boost my own art, and it is an honor to have the chance to offer something like that to her in return. She works hard to get her work noticed without being spammy about it, and deserves more attention than she gets, so I hope at least one (and preferably more than one!) person reads my notes here and checks out her work. It’s very important for small artists to support each other, and moreover it’s an honor to support a friend.

Go check out Jennyffer! I went into it with an open mind and no expectations, and I enjoyed the ride, and came away liking the series. You can also see more of Fip’s art on her alt account, @unbeknownsttomen.

[faulty-writes]

Hi there making a request headcanon here a Natasha Romanoff like s/o with tenya iida and todoroki or katsuki bakugou wherein she doesn't have a quirk but she a badass you know kicking there ass especially with todoroki I imagine her kicking endeavors ass for insulting quirkless people like her infront of the todoroki family like natsuo is cheering behind

[ So my rules state that you can ask up to three characters per headcanon request. So since you mentioned three characters, I'll do headcanons for all three. ]

"I have repeatedly asked you to cease your violent tendencies during school hours!" Tenya snapped, chopping his hand through the air as you glared at him. No surprise, you and he went head to head frequently because you had a habit of putting people in their place and being quirkless you solely relied on your fists to do the talking.

Tenya would attempt to restrain you whenever another student pushed your buttons and your desire to kick their ass increased. "Pardon my touch but I am afraid I refuse to allow you to harm another student!" he'd say, but his actions would prove to be foolish considering you sent him to Recovery girl every time he did this.

Many of the hero students asked you to train them, but Tenya was slightly different. "I admire your self-defense skills greatly. However, if I am to become a great hero I would prefer to learn from my own self-experience," it was hard to believe you were falling for someone so...noble.

After the two of you entered into a relationship during your 3rd year, Tenya allowed you to spar with him. You'd always end up kicking his ass because he would go soft on you. "Forgive me, but I do not believe I could allow myself to physically harm you," sometimes you wished he wouldn't put you in such high regard.

"I assure you while I enjoy learning from Y/n, I refuse to allow them to be treated poorly due to their quirkless status nor ashamed to admit they are more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than most pro heroes," the two of you were often made fun of because of your relationship, but Tenya would never hesitate to speak his mind.

When Tenya finally achieved his dream and took over the Idaten Agency, he gave a long and hearty speech that included a special thanks to you. "Without Y/n I would not have developed the skills necessary to both engage in physical combat nor feel the warmth of true love's kiss," yup...he was still as noble as ever.

"Hey...you're that quirkless student," was the first set of words he had spoken to you, and although you couldn't tell, Shoto was actually impressed that someone like you had made it into Yuuei, and you were impressed when you learned he was the son of the number two hero, Endeavor.

Shoto was considered one of the most powerful first years with an intimidating personality, but he quickly learned from you that's not the only thing that could make a hero. When you insisted on going head to head with him during the Sports Festival, the match ended with him receiving a bloody nose and a few broken bones.

You always got attention for your self-defense skills, so much so that people outside of Yuuei knew. This included Shoto's older sister Fuyumi who convinced him to ask you to come to dinner. "So...will you come?" he wasn't as excited to ask you but you thought it would be interesting to meet his family, especially his father.

During that dinner, you tried to end the drama between Shoto's older brother and Endeavor who then made a comment about quirkless individuals. This led to you breaking a few plates and Natsuo cheering you on as you proceeded to engage in combat with Endeavor.

Surprisingly Shoto became more interested in you after this and you grew closer as a result. Eventually, he confronted you about his feelings. "I'm not sure what love or relationships are like, but...I think we would be good together...?" you were shocked by his words, but decided to give the relationship a try.

Shoto's father set him up with an agency after he had graduated Yuuei and you came along as his secretary and personal trainer. Though he wasn't outspoken about your relationship with the press, the way he smiled when in your presence was enough to tell you just how happy he was to be with you.

"Get the hell off me!" he growled, peering up at you with a hateful glance, however you didn't budge. Your legs were firmly wrapped around his waist and your hands kept his pinned against the ground. You grinned, feeling rather confident that you managed to pin down a hero in training.

You two were constantly in competition. "Another round, right now! Damn extra!" Katsuki would command, grabbing your shirt collar in the process. Unfortunately, he continued to prove himself to be no match against your self-defense skills which continued to piss him off.

When the two of you grew closer and whenever you happened to be alone, you would end up fighting. Sometimes this would lead to you wrestling in bed where Katsuki would try his best to pin you down. "Damn extra, stay down!" he'd growl, but you always managed to escape his grasp.

You knew that much like Deku, you drove Katsuki to do his best and he wasn't shy about verbally expressing this. "Just stay the hell outta my way! Damn quirkless extra! I'll be number one before you're even recognized!" you always smiled when he did this, it was nice to know you pushed his buttons.

You never picked Katsuki for the jealous type, but when he found out you were giving self-defense lessons to his classmates he let you know. You could still feel the heat of his quirk as his hand slammed next to your head. "What the hell do you think you're doing spending time with others and not me dumbass?!"

It was rare that you got injured, but even you weren't immune to finding yourself in trouble, and on one occasion Katsuki had even saved you. "Look...I know you have your stupid self-defense, but just remember I'm the hero around here and...I'll...always protect you okay!? Because I...love you and stuff"

[bonkusdonkus]

Something I think about a lot in fantasy worlds with lots of different exotic races,(mostly DnD, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fantasy franchise any near as many races as DnD) is how their cultures would handle jewelry, make up, or just general self-decoration.

Like, we humans have come up with all kinds of ways to pretty ourselves up, tattoos, hair dyes, piercings, rings, etc. But all of that stuff is based on our anatomy, some of it isn’t going to work for some races. And besides, why would other races/cultures use beautification techniques solely pioneered by humans? Surely they have their own based on their own cultures and bodies! Think of the possibilities!

Like, maybe Tieflings put piercings in the fleshy bits of their tails, to glam them up with jewelry! Or maybe they drill little holes in their horns, and string ribbons or small chains through them!

Or what about the Kenku! They’ve got nice shiny beaks and talons, what if they painted little designs on them, kind of like henna? Plus, they’ve got lots of feathers, maybe they could dye them? Or if they were feeling particularly adventurous, they dye their feathers to resemble other birds, like Bluejays, or Peacocks!

Orcs are pretty humanish for the most part, but the big thing that sets them apart, (aside from, ya know, being green,) is their tusks. I feel like the Orcs would be really into decorating their tusks. Maybe they’d put little caps made of precious metal on them, or paint them in Clan colors. Heck, maybe they’d even carve little symbols or runes into them. It would probably hurt like the dickens, but somehow I can’t imagine that stopping them. Lol

Speaking of carving, Tortles! I bet they carve all kinds of stuff into their shells! Or at the very least paint them! They’ve got a big ol’ canvas right on their backs, why not use them?

Tabaxi are covered in fur, making things like tattoos pretty difficult. After all, the point of a tattoo is to pigment your skin, and unless you shave it off, fur kinda makes that tricky. So what if they tattooed their paw pads? It’s basically the only exposed skin they have, except maybe the inside of their ears, which might be a bit too sensitive to tattoo. Also, I like the idea of Tabaxi painting their claws. They’re retractable, so you can’t see them most of the time, but on the occasion that a Tabaxi does decide to relieve someone of their face, at least they’ll be doing it in style!

Ever since the Rabbitfolk/Harengon (their the same thing, don’t worry about it,) were announced I’ve been thinking about bunnies with earrings. I mean, they’ve got so much ear real estate! Why not use it? Also, I imagine that those big flippy flops get in the way when you’re moving a lot, so I bet Rabbitfolk/Harengon use something like a hair tie, or something to their ears from flying around all over the place.

Centaurs! A cross between a horse and human! You know what that means? Caparisons baby! (For the record, Caparisons are those big fancy cloths knights used put on their horses. If you’ve seen a horse wearing something like a dress or a big skirt, that’s a Caparison. At least, according to my limited horse knowledge. Lol) It’s always struck me as a little strange then Centaurs were okay running around naked from the waste down, so this my answer to that. Fancy horse dresses! Also, I like to imagine that Centaur hair grows more like a horse’s mane than human hair, so really long, and tending to fall to one or the other side of their head. So maybe some Centaur cultures are really into braiding?

Minotaur time! Maybe it’s a bit stereotypical to imagine a Minotaur with a nose ring, but honestly it just fits in my brain. Maybe it has some kind of cultural significance, like maybe it acts the same way as a wedding ring, or maybe it denotes rank in their community. Another important bit are those big lovely horns! I can imagine all kinds of decorations on those bad boys! You could go simple, and just slap a few simple rings on there, or could a little more complex and do piercings,(Does it count as a piercing if it’s a horn?) and hang a bunch of dangly stuff on em! You could paint the horns, carve designs in them, heck, you could even drill holes in both horns, and run a chord or chain connecting them! All kinds of possibilities!

Finally, let’s talk lizards, specifically Dragonborn. Honestly, I can’t imagine Dragonborn painting their scales, or even wearing too much flashy jewelry. The impression I get from Dragonborn is that they are immensely proud of their Draconic heritage, and tampering too much with their scales would probably be seen as either disrespectful, or maybe even shameful.(Because why would you want to hide your scales, the single most visible sign of your glorious draconic lineage, unless you were disgusted by them, ashamed of them?) What I CAN see them doing is trying every possible way to show off and enhance their scales. Dragonborn would definitely take meticulous care of their scales, and that includes shining them up to make shine like a dang mirror. They might even use some kind of wax, or something to protect them from damage.

My point is, with all this rigamaroll I just spouted, is self expression should not be not limited to human sensibilities. No matter what they look like, these are people, and people aren’t manufactured on a conveyer belt. Get creative with your characters looks, take things like species, background, and culture into account, have fun with it!