#just a sketch but i was having trouble finishing this but i think the concept was too funny not to post

[circadianrhythmofthekiller]

BB with christmas cheer? jolly and festive?

day 161 - white elephant

[fred-the-god]

I'm back in the fucking building again.

and by the building, I mean finishing my drawings on my phone, with my finger, in ibis paint. because I have unresolved issues with my iPad and I'm to scared to work on it.

Anyway, here's cat boy/neko Virgil, cause I'm thinking of old fanfics I read and thinking "I can do better"

(And also spreading propaganda for my "give cat girls/boys more cat looking traits" agenda)

I have a concept of the world and story and such. A quick summary under the cut

for most of the worlds know history nekos been believed to be lesser than humans, and been treated as pets/property. But there's been a lot of push back on that the last decade or so, and recently (like a few years ago) owning/selling nekos has finally become illegal, as they've finally acquired rights. However there still exists a black market for it. And that's where Virgil grew up, until around the start of the story when he finally gets away.

He ends up with the other sides, who've been Champaign for neko rights for years, and are closely connected to nonprofit/organisation who focus on the rehabilitation of nekos and their integration into society. And with their help, throughout the story he has to learn and accept the fact he is a person, and not lesser than, as he's been raised to believe he was. Along with unlearning a lot of other things. and what that means for him. Part of that being learning to walk upright, as he was never allowed to. (Hence the crutches)

And who knows, maybe trouble shows up along the way. Like his ex owners/buyer still looking for him, trying to get him back somehow.

I also have a concept of Janus if I ever get around to drawing him properly.

Anyway, the drawing turned out better than I expected. :)

I think the cheek fluff turned out really cute (I'm a huge believer in cheek fluff) I ended up making it the same colour as the skin, as I thought it just looked cute (reminiscent of peach fuzz :]) I will say the sketch was definitely better on the full body, you could actually see the weight of the pose and stuff (I drew a pretty good body)

Although now I realise why I was originally upset to see procreate only had the smudge tool, and not the blur tool. And that's because the smudge tool on Ibis fucking sucks! I was unable to do my typical shading techniques 😔

Also for those curious, my unresolved issues involve it crashing and permanently loosing 4 months of artwork, and it not restoring any of my artwork (5 years worth) 🙃

[thechekhov]

Hello! I'm a big fan of your work. I wanted to ask for advice / thoughts about an art problem I've been struggling with that you seem to have at least some sort of solution for?

So basically I'm an animator and digital artist (hobbyist), and I'm constantly coming up with new ideas for things to make. Only problem is that most of these ideas would take up to or longer than 2 months to make because, yknow, animation isn't quick, especially if you want to take your time to make it good. But with so many ideas that all take so long to complete, I often find myself tied and frozen as I can't decide what's most worthwhile to start first. I passionately want to complete all these projects, but my inspiration for each one waxes and wanes in a way I can't control, and I've just been stuck for several months. You juggle a lot of projects- not all of them art, but it still seems applicable here. This is excluding other life responsibilities like work and stuff, I don't have problems with getting that stuff done. This is purely within my creative hobby.

If u can't say anything thats fine I'm just curious- You have a massive output with great quality. Thank you!

This is a very kind message, and one that humbles me a lot, because although I'd love to bestow upon you some sort of advice that might help, or give words of wisdom..............I feel like that would be fake of me because

I also suffer from this very same thing

That is to say, this part of your message:

my inspiration for each one waxes and wanes in a way I can't control

It rings true for me too! I think it might ring true for many others as well.

There are stories in my head all the time. There are stories, and concepts, and IDEAS and they are all so shiny and new in the beginning, and then they slowly peter out and, since I frequently don't have time to do anything about them, they fade into the background.

I have enough trouble with this in terms of COMICS (also a lengthy medium, though less so than animation, which, OOF, you have my condolences, you are stronger than I) that I have started to just come to terms with the fact that some things are not meant to be.

Which is, I think, one of the small bits of advice I can give.

1. Some things may just be ideas, and that's okay.

I think one of the best ways that I've learned to deal with Idea-Death is making it count towards something in the future. That is to say, using them as compost.

In order for this to work, you have to actively put your ideas into the compost pin instead of the trash. That means maybe investing in either a notebook, or a sketchbook, OR just a discord server for yourself where you organize ideas and dump them all into a channel to scroll back through later.

It may seem useless at first, but honestly, it can be satisfying to PUT them somewhere instead of letting them fade away.

Plus, you may one day scroll through them and rediscover an idea at just the right time. OR you may be inspired to take parts of an old idea and repurpose it for a new idea that you DO have motivation for.

However, there's also this part, right?

I've just been stuck for several months

I.......feel this. Sometimes I, too, feel stuck for several months. There are times when even if I WANT to work on something, I just don't have the time. It takes too long to finish!

.........which is why I recommend the following:

2. Don't finish. Just start.

Now, this is the toughie. I can't exactly say that it would work for everyone. But I have learned that I am WAY more likely to return to a project and work on it again sometime in the future if I actually DO something for it the first time I get inspired.

I have SO MANY things that I have not published in my folders. I have sketches of gifs that are 10 frames long. I have concept art sketches boldly labeled with project names that will likely never get off the ground. I have Googledoc files with summary and plot outlines for stories I'll probably never write. I have discord channels with random ass concepts and a few sketches for characters.

And what I have found is that if I just WORK on these ideas when I feel like it, they are more likely to survive, even if they don't thrive right away.

I'm also a huge proponent of Procrastination Rotation.

That is to say, I have so many projects I COULD be working on, that if I ever feel frustrated or stuck on one thing, I just shift myself slightly to the left and do another thing instead. I almost never force myself to work through a block (save for a few money-motivated deadlines) just to complete a thing.

Stuck on a comic? I'll go write a few lines of fic. Unsatisfied with where the fic is going?

I'll go sketch out an illustration. Incapable of finishing an illustration?

I'll go google some references for another comic project and slap them all into an image file for later, so that I have SOMETHING in place for when I want to do studies.

And so on and so forth.

I have comic ideas, and comic sketches, and 30+ pages of original comics sketched. I don't know if they'll make it. It would take a lot of work.

But it also takes very little work - just a few extra pages sketched while I'm bored for an hour. Or a bit of lineart while I listen to a podcast. Or just a doodle somewhere which I snap a pic of and add to my discord channel for that project.

Will it work for everyone? Probably not. But I think that our creative culture is sometimes too attached to a linear production style. The truth is that art, or illustrations, or animation, or comics - none of it has to be on an assembly line. It can be tinkered with and put aside. And then, maybe, picked apart for scraps.........or maybe made into something new!

I don't know if that helps you at all, but I hope it at least helps someone.

And good luck with your animating!

[kujiua-kun]

[MH || Redesign Lineup]

Last year, I wanted to rework my Monster High redesigns, but I never finished them, so here are the rough sketches/concepts for them. design/lore explanation under the cut!

Draculara - I mostly took inspo from lolita fashion with her, lots of frills, bows, and lace. I also wanted to give her a cute little bat nose and stuck with yellow being her accent color. I like to think my version of Draculara is a bit more ditsy and hyper, she also doesn't have full control over her powers so she does have a habit of switching to her bat form at inappropriate times.

Frankie - I mainly referenced G1 Frankie with a splash of G3, I know I wanted them to be multi-pronouned, She doesn't really care how people refer to her, so long as there isn't any malice behind it (they can tell). Frankie is also their preferred name, her real name is Eve, but she hates it, and being called it makes them uncomfortable for many reasons (Mainly having to do with their family).

Cleo - For cleo I mostly took from her G1 design. I wanted her to have this very "Old Hollywood" type of look, mainly with her headwrap and earrings, with a few modern elements. She has a very narrow view of fashion subcultures and tends to be very critical of other people's outfits, even if she's close friends with them.

Clawdeen - I wanted to give her, a more animal-esque appearance, so lots of extra fur, dog-esque nose, and digitigrade legs, that she magically manages to fit into heels! She's the tallest and most confident of the group, but she can also be very reserved when it comes to her own issues and has trouble opening up to others.

Abbey - Imma be honest with ya'll...she was a problem child. I had an idea for her going in, I wanted her to be a bit monkey-like with her features, but when it came to her outfit I had no fucking idea what to do. But I did my best to try and keep her outfit from looking like a copy of Clawdeen's. Abbey has a habit of being very direct, almost harsh, with people. Most of the time she doesn't mean to, she's just bad at wording things properly sometimes.

Lagoona - ALSO A PROBLEM CHILD. I tried to mix her G1 and G3 designs, I mainly referenced Betta Fish for how I patterned her skin and tail. Lagoona is a very sweet competitive person. She usually tries to have a positive and "look on the bright side" mindset, but sometimes tries to apply it when it's not needed.

Ghoulia - I wanted her to have this grunge-esque gamer girl vibe to her. Her outfit is supposed to be a bit withered and patched up (She also has a little virtual pet charm!). Ghoulia is mostly non-verbal with her communication, she tends to just point, grunt, or use head movements when she wants to convey something. While the ghouls and some staff have learned to communicate with her, and sometimes even interpret for her, it isn't common for students to take advantage of her not speaking, pushing her around to do their homework, cheat on quizzes, or just do anything they don't want to.

if you have any questions regarding my redesigns, you're more than free to ask!

[quibbs126]

So after the last batch of Cyberverse sketches, I tried to do more here with Cyberverse Megatron specifically, since he kind of stuck himself in my brain, at least yesterday

Admittedly I wish I drew more, but by that last corner I just wasn’t sure what to draw. I actually did draw something, yet again trying to draw that one kissing meme thing with him and Optimus, but yet again it didn’t turn out right looking, so you don’t see it

But other than that, while I’m aware my drawings aren’t the best, I do think I’m at least getting the hang of drawing this version of Megatron. I’m aware his face is still off looking, but oh well

My only real thoughts for what to draw with him were “more of body”, “him thinking “oh no that’s hot” at something Optimus is doing”, “season 3 Megs” and “he drink coffee”. And also to attempt lineless

Note on that last thing, at least on the head, it’s not as difficult as I’d thought it’d be. I could probably do it, if I at least knew what I wanted to draw

I don’t really have much to say on the drawings themselves though? There isn’t much going on that I haven’t already said. All I can say is I tried to use screenshots for references more than usual, since I thought it’d help. I did stop at some point, but still

I don’t know how I feel about Cyberverse Megatron. I think he’s really only in my head because I was searching for Cyberverse megop fanfics after finishing the show

But also, he’s sort of your typical Megatron. An asshole, and usually the cause of alliances falling short and me saying “Megatron, you bitch”. Granted he’s not as evil as other Megatrons, at least most of the time, considering he was willing to destroy the AllSpark that one time, but it’s probably also because the Autobots and Decepticons have to team up so often in Seasons 2 and 3

But then there’s Season 3b Megatron, in which he has some adventure across the multiverse and comes back to help his universe, armed with his own Matrix and actually willing to save the day and have peace with Optimus and end the war, even if the planet is split in two. And at least in his initial appearance, he seems like he’s actually become at least a slightly better person

Like on one hand, I like this idea of him becoming better on his own time, and also we can just accept that maybe he’s become actually better since we don’t know what he was up to to cause this. But in the other, I really would have liked to see what he was up to. I guess they didn’t have enough time to show us

But yeah in 3b, he’s still an ass but he isn’t causing too much trouble, and is instead preparing for a worse threat to come, and then dies not as a villain, though he got taken out too quick to be called a hero in this scenario. Kind of disappointed he didn’t really get to do anything when the other Megatron showed up, would have been nice to see

But also I’m told that’s actually what kills him? He actually dies? I guess it is a more powerful version of him, but considering the other things other Megatrons have survived, and also we never really saw him die in the episode itself, considering he made noises of pain after being attacked and we just didn’t see him again after Bee took his Matrix, it feels kind of weak to me

I don’t know, his concepts in 3b are interesting to me

Also random side note, while I wasn’t expecting it, I appreciate his fusion cannon and mace having red lights instead of purple. I’m used to the purple but the red is consistent with the rest of his colors

Also there’s the subject of Cyberverse megop. It doesn’t have TFA’s issue of being strangers, in fact they seem to have known each other for a very long time and there’s no Elita or anything in this universe to be another past option for Optimus. And Megatron does do some bad things in this series, some worse than others, but also it seems like the characters of this show aren’t the most serious about this war, at least not like they are in Prime or something. Apparently every few millennia or so Optimus and Megatron try to have peace talks and negotiate, only for it to inevitably fall apart and things to start up again, and everyone’s just used to this

I think I can ship it, they have divorced energy and both sides are just used to it, including each other. They are in essence, the core values of typical megop I think, except they were actually on decent terms by the end of things, when Megatron dies. Sad that, why’d he have to die? At least make it heroic or something so he can go out with a bang

Yeah I don’t know, thought I should sprinkle in some thoughts on this version of Megatron while I’m here. I don’t have much honestly other than I think he’s fine and neat, and so is this version of the ship

I think I’m done now

[forest-falcon]

The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 18

Rebuild is going well on Tracy Island. Not long until IR is taking to the sky/sea again with a major call-out. Got a couple of chapters to go in the meantime - hope you all enjoy!

💚🚒💛

"Knock, knock..."

Virgil looked up from his painting, and smiled.  "Hey Tam..."

"Not feeling the camaraderie tonight? I know Jonesy's jokes can be a little dark at times."

"Oh! No, it's all good - Jonesy cracks me up!" Virgil rubbed his ribs. "But it would seem, laughter isn't always the best medicine." 

Tam rested her shoulder against the doorframe.

"They still giving you jip?" 

"Eh they're getting there," he gave a gentle shrug before adding a little to his painting. "But the more I try not to laugh, the easier it is for Gords and Jonesy to set me off again. I don't want to worry anyone into thinking something's wrong, when really - I think Joe average's ribs would be sore after all that!" 

 "Speaking of..." He set down his brush.

"I appreciate you checking in n all, but don't pull yourself away on my account. I'm not sure my oils could stand up to their comic routine."

"Pfft! Jonesy knows like...five jokes. And I've  shared a station house, and rig with him for years. You know, I swear some of the callouts, Cass sets the blues and twos going just to drown him out!"

"Sounds like Gordon, though I don't have the luxury of a siren on Two. One to run by Brains!"

"What about the sonic cannons? They were all the station could talk about for weeks after the Crystal Spire."

Virgil gave the lightest of chuckles. "True, but I can't always be lugging that bad boy around, more's the pity!"

"So painting's your Gordon-free zone?"

Painting was his everyone-free zone, but he wasn't gonna tell her that. 

"Painting," he affirmed. 

Tam ventured further into the room.

"Of?"

Virgil tilted the canvas towards her.

Tam gasped. "Nooo...that's beautiful!"

"You think so?"

"Oh come off it with the false modesty! Virgil, this is amazing!"

"It's not finished yet," he pondered the piece critically. 

"I can't see how you'd improve upon it? You've really captured the island, and all the little changes!" Tam gestured to certain areas around the painted villa.

"I wanted to gift it to the fire station as a sorta thank you for all the hard work you guys have put in. The plan was to give it to Cass once work was complete."

"Oh you totally should! She would be honoured! We all would!"

"You really like it?"

"Like it? God. If I could be half that talented..."

"Hold up. Didn't Mac mention something about your art? You're an artist too, right?"

Tam's cheeks flushed.

"I wouldn't call my doodles art. Mac flatters me."

"Now who's being modest?"

Tam scoffed lightly, as Virgil rummaged through his art supplies. 

"Fancy joining me?" he handed her a small, leather-bound sketchbook.

"Oh! I um-" she turned the book over in her hands.

"I only scribble the odd caricature to troll the guys at the station. Really, I'd be wasting your paper."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

Tam chewed her lip, pondering.

"No pressure, mind, if you'd prefer to head back."

Virgil returned to his own painting, listening  quietly for her decision as he mixed colours on his palette.

He'd never sketched or painted alongside anyone before. His father had always flown his tutors in.

 But, now that he thought about it; there was something about the concept of them sketching together...something kind of raw, and...intimate, even.

Virgil mentally shook himself. He was way overthinking this, and definitely needed to get out more.

But the quiet scratch of graphite on parchment made his stomach flip.

And it was at that moment he realized: 

He was in trouble.

[flowersandskeletons526]

"Put Your Gloves Up" - Warriors Concept Album fanfic (part 7/?)

More flirting, more Mercy mention, more dyke drama. Enjoy!

Previous chapter

---------

Ajax leaned against the wall beside Rembrandt’s in-progress painting. She held Rembrandt’s sketchbook, flicking through the pages while Rembrandt focused on her paint cans and the mural slowly coming into shape through the layers. When anyone else held her sketchbook, Rembrandt had always been extremely strict on “I showed you this page so do not go looking at other pages” but with Ajax, she honestly didn’t mind it. She liked Ajax’s ghost of a smile and Ajax kept her thumb on the sketch Rembrandt needed to see when she asked, so she didn’t mind it. 

“So,” Ajax said as Rembrandt began blocking out a human silhouette. “What’s up with the mask?”

“I don’t want to be blowing rainbow snot for the next week,” Rembrandt said simply. “Also don’t want to get high off the fumes and shit.”

Ajax raised an eyebrow. “Should I have a mask?”

“I think you’re fine. You don’t have your face in the middle of it like I do.”

“Fair enough.” Ajax flipped through the sketchbook, pausing to brush her fingers over a page. “Hey, I got a question.”

Rembrandt paused. She dropped her can and glanced at Ajax out of the corner of her eye. “Tell me what drawing you’re looking at first.”

“Swan’s portrait.”

“Which one?” Rembrandt asked. Ajax held up the sketchbook to show her. It was Swan, asleep, her face calm and untroubled, drawn in dark monochromatic blues with a golden sunbeam falling across one eye. Rembrandt smirked, a little sadly. That was meant to be a present, but she never finished it. She turned back to the mural. “What’s your question?”

“How did you fall in with Swan?”

Rembrandt chuckled to herself. “God, we were in third grade, I think? Maybe fourth. I was already an easy target for bullies and she was the new kid in class so we just… started sitting together. She was already a fighter even when we were kids so she had my back. Even the times she was in juvie, she somehow found a way to watch out for me. Then we met Fox in middle school and she started tagging along and it was just the three of us for a long time before Swan dropped out and started living with Cleon.”

“Aw, childhood best friends. That’s cute.” 

“I guess?” Rembrandt laughed. “How did you fall in with Cochise?”

“Met her through Cleon. I used to be kind of a punk-”

“Used to be?” Rembrandt teased.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Ajax deadpanned. “Anyway, I used to cause some trouble around the neighborhood and Cleon decided she could turn that energy into something more constructive and helped me out. I have her to thank for almost everything.” 

“Yeah. Me too. I’d only met her twice when she offered me a bed at her place. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be right now.” Rembrandt paused. “If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead.”

Ajax shrugged. “You looked like you needed a little help.” 

“What were you even doing out that night?”

“Just wandering. I do that when I can’t sleep sometimes. Cleon taught me. Can’t sleep, take a walk. About to lose my temper, take a walk. If I can’t remove myself, take three deep breaths. That’s part of the reason she asked Cochise to get me security work. Physical activity helps emotional issues, I guess. It’s better than Cochise’s talk therapy,” she laughed. 

“Cochise does therapy?” 

“It’s stuff she learned from a veterans support group.” 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot she was in the military.”

“Combat medic. Girl’s seen some shit.” Ajax turned another page in the sketchbook. “These are really good.”

“Thanks.”

“They’re like the stuff you see in the MET.”

“Okay, now you’re exaggerating.” 

“No, I mean it. How’d you get into the art stuff, anyway?”

Rembrandt shrugged one shoulder. “I always liked to draw. When I was a kid, I had this art teacher who gave me supplies she was gonna throw away. Broken crayons, stubs of colored pencils, shit like that. I bought what I could and stole what I couldn’t, Swan helped me get supplies, and then I started really looking at the graffiti around the city and got some spray paints and…” Rembrandt stepped back from the mural and pulled off her mask. “Now I do this.” 

Ajax pushed herself off the wall, coming to stand beside Rembrandt. Sprayed across the wall was a faceless figure in a bright hoodie and mask, backdropped by a melting technicolor city; what Rembrandt assumed one might see if they dropped a shit ton of acid and stood on the very top of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was admittedly almost a self portrait, down to the shredded sleeves and the worn out Converse. Ajax whistled and crossed her arms as Rembrandt grabbed a skinny capped black spray paint can. In the bottom corner of the mural, she quickly scrawled her artist’s tag. 

Ajax cocked her head to the side. “Why do you sign it?”

“So other artists know to back the fuck off my turf,” Rembrandt said with a smirk, earning her a cackle from Ajax.

“Yeah, definitely good you’re running with Cleon now.” She peeked at her phone screen. “It’s still early. You got any other plans?”

“Honestly, I should get back. Cleon doesn’t exactly know that I’m gone.” 

“Thought you said she and Swanie were in the Bronx until morning.”

“I don’t want to push it.”

“That’s fair. C’mon, I’ll walk you.” 

The trip back to Cleon’s apartment was filled with light, easy conversation. That was the thing about Ajax: it was so easy to talk to her. The conversations came naturally, and Rembrandt had never been one for talking but with Ajax she couldn’t seem to stop. As they walked, Rembrandt pointed out painted storefronts she’d been paid to decorate, and Ajax complimented them every time. Rembrandt had heard everything she said a hundred times before, but it felt different coming from her. It felt more real. Everything felt more real with her.

They walked slowly, anything to draw out the night. When they finally reached the apartment, they lingered on the stoop, Rembrandt fiddling with her keys as she leaned against the wall next to the door. 

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” she said quietly. “It’s been awhile since I got the chance to put up a new mural. Without, y’know, getting my ass kicked.”

“Any time. I liked watching you work.” With one hand in her jacket pocket, Ajax braced her forearm above Rembrandt’s head and leaned over her. Rembrandt completely short circuited. “You’re really talented. I can tell you’re gonna go somewhere with it. Somewhere better than Coney.”

Rembrandt grinned and chuckled, hoping she didn’t sound too nervous as she tried to keep her eyes off Ajax’s face, dangerously close to hers. “Where could be better than Coney?”

Ajax smiled. “That’s true. For real, though. You’re gonna make it big.”

“Thanks.” Rembrandt took a deep breath. “Um, would you want to do this again, maybe? I seen one of those graffiti removal vans kinda lurking around so I’m gonna have a lot more open spots pretty soon.” 

“Yeah. Lemme know when you get another free night.” 

“Are you gonna be okay walking home by yourself?”

“Pssh. I’m the toughest motherfucker in Coney Island,” Ajax said with pride, and then more sincerely, “I’m not too far from here. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Ajax.”

“Night, Rembrandt. I’ll see you.” 

“Yeah. See you.” 

Cleon and Swan were still out, luckily. Rembrandt dropped her backpack just inside her bedroom door and collapsed into bed. She laid on her back, pressing a hand over her racing heart, willing it to slow down. She laughed a little to herself, unsure of how to feel, what to think, how to bring herself off this high. 

Ajax was so close. She could have reached up and-

Rembrandt shot upright. “Nope!” she hollered to the empty room. “No! I am not thinking about that!” 

Liar.

The next morning, Rembrandt met Fox outside her apartment. The first thing the younger girl said was, “How was your date with Ajax?”

Rembrandt shoved her. “It was not a date.” 

“It sounded like a date.” 

“It wasn’t.” 

“Swan’s gonna freak if she finds out.”

“It’s not Swan’s business.” 

Fox stopped dead in her tracks. “Who are you and what have you done with Rembrandt?” 

“Huh?”

“Since when is anything you do not Swan’s business?”

“I’m grown and she’s not my girlfriend. I can talk to whoever I want.”

“But you two have always been-”

“Fox.” Rembrandt grabbed her shoulders. “I’m not dating Ajax. And it’s not Swan’s business. Got it?”

Fox grumbled uncomfortably but nodded anyway. 

At the gym that afternoon, Rembrandt tried to forgive herself for the way she immediately looked for Ajax. She spotted her near the back office, talking to a man Cochise would later tell her was the gym’s owner. Rembrandt went to meet with Cochise and left Ajax to her work. She couldn’t deny she was a little sad they didn’t get the chance to talk in person that day, but she reminded herself that this was in fact Ajax’s job and Rembrandt couldn’t always have her undivided attention. Not that she was looking for Ajax’s undivided attention, anyway. Not usually.

A few days passed before Cleon and Swan went out for the night again. Rembrandt had Ajax on the phone almost immediately, and within minutes they were walking through the dark, cold streets together, hands brushing as they went but never fully interlocked, the smiles never leaving their faces. Ajax kept her head on a swivel, which Rembrandt appreciated, eyes darting to every out of place sound. 

If there was any chance of danger, Ajax had it handled. She made that very clear. It made Rembrandt feel safer than she had in years. 

This went on for a few weeks. Swan was gone so often that Rembrandt began running out of real mural plans and just went out to touch up old paintings with Ajax, sometimes multiple nights in a row. She learned a lot about the brawler in those weeks.

Ajax loved music and wanted to be a drummer as a child but settled on collecting vintage cassette tapes.

Ajax was “sorta” afraid of heights.

Ajax thought upstate was pretty but would miss the noise of the city if she ever left.

Ajax was deeply secretive of her past and changed the subject whenever conversation veered towards it. 

Rembrandt felt… better, the more time she spent with Ajax. Lighter. Happier. To the point where Fox and Cowgirl commented on it and Swan let up on her protectiveness just a little, like she thought Rembrandt was in a better place to handle herself. Which she was. 

And then Ajax wasn’t at the gym one day. Or the next. Or the day after that. Rembrandt texted her the second day asking if she was alright, and she promised she was. She gave the excuse that she’d “worked too many hours” and the owner asked her to take a few days off work. Rembrandt wasn’t sure how much she believed that.

The night she finally got to see her again was the night she finally had to ask Cleon for permission to leave, because this time, only Swan was going out. 

Swan was going out in her nicest clothes for the night. To Manhattan. Alone. 

To meet up with that fucking chick from the Bronx.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” Rembrandt badgered as Swan finished getting ready. “Where are you even going?”

“We’re just going to a club in the Village. My phone is fully charged and I’ve got money to get home. I’ll be fine, Rem, you can quit acting like she’s some kind of axe murderer.”

Hypocrite, Rembrandt thought as she followed her to the door. “She threw a bottle at your head when you first met.”

“She has a point, Swan,” Cleon called from the couch.

“Thanks for the support,” Swan deadpanned. “Rem, really, you can chill out. I’ll be home before three AM.”

“Two,” said Cleon.

“Cleon!”

“Fine. Two-thirty.”

Swan rolled her eyes as Rembrandt stifled a laugh. She pulled her into a quick hug, grabbing her keys from the hook beside the door. “I’ll text you when I’m on the train home. Get some sleep.”

“Have fun,” Rembrandt forced out. She prayed she didn’t sound as awful as she felt about this. 

She went to her room and flopped face first onto the bed. Like every other time, she gave it a minute before texting Ajax, enough to make sure Swan was well out of Coney Island. Like every other time, Ajax said she’d be there in ten. Rembrandt gathered all her courage, shouldered her backpack, and stepped out into the living room. 

Cleon glanced up at her as she stood at the edge of the couch. “Are you going to make sure Swan doesn’t get axe murdered?” the older woman joked, keeping her tone light. Because Cleon wasn’t worried. If she were worried, she wouldn’t have let Swan go.

“No, I… I wanted to know if it would be okay with you if I went out to work on a mural,” Rembrandt said. 

“You’re an adult. You don’t have to ask for my permission.”

“I’m covering my ass. Swan will lose it if I don’t let somewhere know where I am. She still thinks I’m gonna get jumped if I go out on my own at night.”

“Are you gonna be on your own?”

“No.” She shoved her hands in her pockets in an effort to stop fidgeting. “I’m going with Ajax.”

That gave Cleon pause. She raised her eyebrows. “Does Swan know that?”

“Swan doesn’t like Ajax.”

She made a face. “That’s fair. Yeah, I don’t mind. You have my number. Call me if there’s any trouble.”

Rembrandt grinned, her shoulders sagging with relief. “Thanks, Cleon.”

“Oh, wait.” Cleon stood as Rembrandt grabbed her boots. She lowered her voice. “You know that Ajax… works with me, right?”

Her smile faded. “Yeah?”

“And you know what I do?”

“What happened?”

“Just don’t freak out when you see her.” 

Rembrandt thought that was a weird warning until she was outside and finally saw Ajax for the first time in three days. “Don’t freak out” was apparently Cleon’s way of saying “she got the shit kicked out of her.” Ajax had a black eye and a badly busted lip, still healing, and one of her canines had the sharp tip chipped off. Rembrandt couldn’t see her hands, but she could imagine what they looked like: bruised to the wrist, split open and bloodied, should be bandaged but probably weren’t because Ajax flaunted injuries like war paint. 

Ajax raised her hands as Rembrandt ran over to her, and the artist got enough of a glimpse to know she was right. “I’m okay,” was the first thing to come out of her mouth. 

“Did you get hit by a train or something?” Rembrandt cried, panic rising in her chest. 

“I had to handle some business. It’s chill. I won.” 

“How many people did you fight?” 

“Not enough to beat me,” Ajax laughed. She spun and made a show of flexing. “See? Totally fine.”

Rembrandt couldn’t help but smile. “Dork.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She slung an arm over Rembrandt’s shoulders, an easy, friendly gesture, but one she hadn’t done before and one that sent Rembrandt’s mind into a spiral. “So, what are you working on tonight?”

“Just touch-ups.”

I just wanted to see you.

“I didn’t think Cleon had business tonight. Did you sneak out?”

“Cleon gave me permission.”

“And Swan?”

“She’s out with some girl.”

The night was normal, as far as their nights went. Some dickhead had scrawled a crappy tag over one of Rembrandt’s paintings. It didn’t take her long to cover it, but she moved slower than normal, not wanting to speed through and possibly cut her time with Ajax short. The more selfless part of her thought Ajax really wasn’t in any shape to be out. She caught the little hitch in her breath, the way she favored one leg and tried to keep weight off it. But every time she opened her mouth to ask, Ajax was quick to say, “I’m okay.” Like she could read her mind. 

The night was normal until Rembrandt stopped to X out the same tag that had marred her painting. A car revved around the corner. Ajax touched her shoulder, suddenly stone still as she looked in the direction of the sound. And then the lights flashed and the sirens blared and Ajax grabbed Rembrandt by the hand and shouted, “Cops!”

They bolted. Rembrandt knew Coney Island like the back of her hand, but Ajax apparently had a completely different map laid out in her mind. She led Rembrandt down side streets she hadn’t noticed, through backyards with low fences, weaving through an abandoned construction site as the cop car gave chase. Rembrandt counted them lucky that it was only one car. Usually they didn’t send out reinforcements for vandals but you never knew. 

Finally, Ajax pulled her through a broken panel in the fence around an empty lot. They tucked themselves into a corner, staying low as the police sirens passed and faded into the distance. They locked eyes when the sound finally disappeared. They burst out laughing. 

Ajax leaned back against the fence, holding her ribs. “Fuck! That was close.”

“Yeah,” Rembrandt chuckled. “How did you know all those spots to go through?”

“I’ve spent a lot of time running from the cops.” Turning to Rembrandt, she flashed a wolfish grin. “You want a drink?”

Which was how Rembrandt ended up sitting on the stoop of a condemned building with Ajax, sufficiently drunk, passing a cigarette and a bottle of gin back and forth. Cleon was right; gin was disgusting, but it made her feel warm in the cold night. She rested her head on Ajax’s shoulder as they talked. Ajax planted a hand behind her and leaned closer. 

“I really appreciate you coming out with me,” Rembrandt mumbled around the cigarette. “It’s a lot easier not having to look over my shoulder every two seconds.”

“I like seeing you paint. It’s cool.” Ajax took a long sip of gin. “Y’know, you could go to school for it. Make good money,” she suggested.

Rembrandt scoffed. “Maybe if I win the lottery.”

“Don’t they have scholarships and shit?” 

“Yeah, merit scholarships, for people with good grades. It’s not enough to cover a whole four years. My best chance is selling a few paintings that go for way more after I die and some historian writing a half-assed biography about me. Ugh, it’s fucking cliche, man!” she cried drunkenly. She leaned back on the stoop, barely registering the discomfort of the edge of the steps digging into her back. “Like, come on! Scrawny little kid, Mom’s gone, Dad hits me, I get bullied at school and turn to art as a coping mechanism. Seriously! It’s the backstory of every famous artist that gets a documentary made about them after they kick it. I’m just another ACS failure.”

Ajax chuckled, a little sadly. “You and me both.”

Rembrandt turned to look at her. “You? Really?”

“Father wasn’t around. Mommy dearest had a very hands-on approach to parenting, like your dad, and the people she let come around me were…” Ajax squirmed uncomfortably. “They weren’t very nice. Let’s leave it at that. I couldn’t just sit around and wait to get bigger than them so I learned how to fight back instead. Had to run eventually. Dropped out of school. I stayed with a cousin until he said he couldn’t deal with me and kicked me out. Just did odd jobs and maybe some less than legal stuff to make it through until I met Cleon and she helped me find an apartment, introduced me to Cochise, got me that job at the gym.”

Ajax took a deep, stuttering breath and looked away so Rembrandt couldn’t see her face. Rembrandt put a hand on her shoulder. She reached up to hold it there. It occurred to Rembrandt that this was the first crack in the facade she’d seen so far. No anger, no fight, no cockiness, Ajax was just… hurting.

“I know why Swan told you I was trouble. I don’t blame her for it. I know I probably could have turned out better.”

“I think you turned out good.”

Ajax looked down at Rembrandt. She sat up and suddenly found herself very, very close to Ajax’s face, gazing deep into those dark eyes now glassy with tears. She squeezed Ajax’s arm, feeling her muscle tense, and the sounds of the city faded away and all she could hear was Ajax’s shaky breathing and her own heartbeat hammering in her ears. She shifted closer to Ajax. She started to speak.

Ajax turned away and stood up suddenly only to fall right back on her ass. The moment broke as she held a hand to her head and started laughing. “Motherfucker!” she exclaimed. “I am way more drunk than I thought I was.”

Rembrandt giggled. “Me, too,” she said, and before she could think, continued, “I really don’t want to go home. Swan’s probably back by now and she’s gonna fucking kill me if I show up this out of it. She doesn’t even know I went out tonight.”

“Can’t blame her for being so protective over you.” Ajax dragged a hand down her face. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “Want to stay at my place? It’s just me and it’s not far from here.”

Rembrandt hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Why not?” Ajax said with a shrug. “You take the bed. I’ll take the couch. Deal with Swan’s wrath when you’re not plastered.”

“Yeah, when I’m hungover instead. Sure.” Rembrandt stood and offered a hand to help Ajax up, snickering as Ajax stumbled just a little bit. “You’re really drunk.”

“No shit,” Ajax laughed. She reached out, and Rembrandt instinctively moved against her side, putting an arm around her waist and letting the brawler lean on her. “Alright, uh… that way.”

“You sure you know the way back to your apartment? ’Cause if you get us lost-”

“I won’t, I won’t. Promise.”

The walk to Ajax’s apartment took far longer than it probably should have, with them stumbling and laughing the whole way. Ajax fumbled with her keys and dropped them twice before finally getting into the apartment. The pair haphazardly kicked off their shoes by the door, and Ajax gave Rembrandt a quick tour around the space. It was small and a little messy but no worse than Rembrandt’s room.

Ajax leaned against the wall next to the bedroom door. “This is it. The door locks, if you want it locked. I’ll be right out here if you need anything.”

Rembrandt was drunk and depressed and she honestly just wanted to stay with Ajax and suddenly she found herself leaning forward to rest her forehead against Ajax’s chest. “Will you lay with me?” she whispered. She had no idea what she was saying or why she couldn’t shut up but she just kept talking. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“I, uh, y-yeah. Yeah, I’ll stay.”

“Thank you.”

They laid down together fully clothed. Rembrandt curled up against Ajax’s chest, and Ajax pulled her close without hesitation, strong arms holding her tight. She felt the brawler relax against her, sighing as if an entire life’s worth of tension drained from her body in that one breath. Rembrandt slung an arm over her waist and gripped the back of her shirt to cuddle even closer, their legs intertwining as they melted into each other. 

As Rembrandt drifted off, she had a final drunken, fleeting thought. 

I could get used to this.

[elviraaxen]

ive really been loving the pacing of your story and i enjoy the concept and the bits that have been released about the plot! youre doing really well, and i admire it greatly!!

ive been having trouble figuring out an overall plot in my own work, i just have character ideas and the vaguest idea for a storyline. i try to just write but then i usually end up taking a break (re: dumping it) because i don't have anymore ideas for how to complete the plot. i've laso been curious about how you go about writing for a comic (do you write then do thumbnails? do thumbnails then go back to figure out dialogue? a third thing?) so i was wondering if you had any advice or resource tips for writing? both for comics and for overarching plots, if that's okay

if you don't have any ideas tho, no worries. i was just curious. good luck with Felt World! i love everything that's coming out so far, thank you for gifting us it!!

Oh thank you so much!! I can't say I'm a comic book artist at heart because I really don't have much experience, I was only an illustrator for a short while and never wrote anything myself, but learning from past mistakes (i.e. I don't stick to plans), I've so far done this and it seems to work:

I'm one of those that don't like to plan strict layouts for the entire thing, because chances are I will not stick to it, so what I've done for felt world is just write a sketch for the overarching plot, the b-plot and c-plot, with rough estimates in what order I want the major plot points and settings to be. My current sketch looks like this;

(which is done in Miro) and as you can see there aren't that many plot points, because I want to have the wiggle room to come up with something on the spot. And also, my comic focuses a lot on interpersonal relationships, character development, and themes rather than the plot, which means it needs to be concise or else the comic is gonna take 6 million years to finish.

And now,, I think this might just be how I work, but I think it's easier to be creative when you have strict restrictions rather than all the choices in the world.

for me, personally, I restrict an update of 10 pages tops, because instagram only allows max 10 images per post! This means I have to 1) fit all I want to say in 10 pages, 2) it has to be concise or else I infodump on readers, and 3) I have to answer some sort of question within the update, or else I said nothing and I start over.

As for scripts, I tend to write one or two sentences of what's going to happen for the update, and then I get to thumb-nailing and sketching right away! I come up with most of the dialogue on the spot too.

And also, I think what's most important, is that you take your damn time! If you aren't immersing yourself in your own world, how do you expect your readers to do the same?

I'm very much a believer that the stories you are telling are something that comes to you naturally if you just sit with it and listen rather than demand that it makes itself known to you. When I brainstorm for felt world I quite literally sit in my bed and go "omg!! And then what? :0" TO MYSELF LMAO as if I'm not making everything up myself! I think that's extremely important that your story is engaging to you first and foremost!

And as for more practical tips

carry a notebook with you or use your notes app AS SOON as you get ideas to write them down! No you will not remember, lol.

set rules of what you're not allowed to do with your story so that you don't fall into lazy trope territory! You can do that when you brain storm, but finesse the story post brainstorm to just make it.. smarter.. if that makes sens For example, don't kill your gay characters, don't make sensitive men the butt of the joke, don't make your women fight over men (unless it's the point), etc.

set physical restrictions! For example, max amount of pages per upload, max amount of pages for the whole story, max amount of characters, etc.! That literally forces you to problem solve, which by definition is creativity! Like, oh you can't do this the obvious way? Do it the creative way! That's way more fun!

I could probably go on, but this is too long already! But I hope it at least helped somewhat!

[phishyie]

Sorry thinking about them being stalkerish. What can you tell me about Donnie, Bowen, and Darling? Do you have like any posts talking more about them?

Ooo, I would say don’t get me started but this is an absolute guilty pleasure of mine, and I’m thrilled you’re interested!

I don’t have any other posts talking about them, but I am so willing and able to chat!

(Pics and fun info below! Long post warning)

Bowen and Donnie spawned about the same time, let’s call it ten years ago. A few dear friends and I were young teenagers, just playing around with the idea of what would happen if we were royals. Each person would have their own country, their own powers, their own court, etc.. Being the person I am, I have always loved the whole knights and chivalry and courtly love thing.

I have so many more pieces of Donnie, because he was created with the specific idea of someone to juxtapose Darling, someone to really love and care for her. Someone kind, and gentle - everything a prince should be. Save, he isn’t really a prince - he’s the Duke, but no matter.

(This is literally the first time this has ever been posted - I think these sketches are from 2014? God bless, character expression sheets were so in back then!)

Donnie:

- technically the Duke, Donnie has been betrothed to Darling since they were children. They have always been on good terms and they were each other’s childhood confidantes. Getting married never seemed to be anything more than a fulfillment of their friendship - entirely platonic, but definitely full of mutual affection.

- Donnie comes from a rather controlling family. Raised by his grandmother, being the “perfect” son and marrying royalty (Darling) is paramount to them. There is pressure there to be good, to make good, to be everything to everyone at all times.

(Sketch from 2016/17 - he always seems to have a bit of a crooked smile. He’s definitely a bit of a good-humored sort of person.)

- When Donnie and Darling grew older, younger teens, Donnie’s grandmother wasn’t satisfied with how the young man was turning out - through no fault of his own. So she sent him away to a finishing school, where Donnie and Darling eventually lost touch. He didn’t return until their early adult years, expecting to pick up right where they left off.

Handsome boy! I did this one maybe summer 2023, I think, never posted.

Bowen:

Bowen’s conception came about because Darling needed someone around to protect her, as a young princess is required when she grows older. He is everything and nothing like a knight should be - he can be selfish, perhaps a little cold, and he feels far deeper than he shows. He has noble ideals, being that his main purpose in life is to protect Darling. He’s a few years older, so originally his feelings began as more of a “this kid is… helpless. She needs someone, and since there’s no one else-“

But, as they often do, things get more complicated. (Sketch dated approx. 2014/15?)

- Bowen arrived at the Palace and did not make an incredible first impression. He was argumentative with the Princess, bickering relentlessly with her - not that her parents much minded. She needed someone to keep her out of trouble, they thought. Someone to be different from Donnie, someone who could argue back.

- watching over a princess who doesn’t want to be a princess isn’t an easy job. Bowen’s patience was tested to the fullest. He’s not a patient person by most standards, but as he and Darling grew closer, he got to see more of the young woman beneath the crown. A fearful, lonely person who needed someone to see her and prove that they would stay.

- As soon as they each got over their own pride, things became easier. Darling didn’t escape the Palace as much (only when she was stressed or felt pressured), Bowen actually laughed and smiled in front of her. They came to be friends, and they grew to trust one another.

- According to original lore (our old rp’s), Bowen being in love with Darling wasn’t planned! It was a plot twist I didn’t see coming at the time, so as I’ve fleshed out the story in recent years, it feels like something that could have developed over the long years Donnie was gone. Right as Bowen begins to discover that the feelings he has for the now young woman are definitely bridging a little more into the potentially romantic variety, Donnie returns.

And the drama continues!

[fayedartmouth]

Well since it’s okay please share some info about your upcoming projects sorry but im too curious and excited for my own good and i genuinely love your work read every single one in only a week

Well, in truth, I have like 20+ fics that are technically WIPs, all in various stages of development and completion.  I tend to get way more plot bunnies than I can write, and my WIPs range from rough concepts to like 30k words or more.  So it's just a wide range.

As per usual, I can't shut up, so the details are below.

For the record, some of those WIPs I really really love.  Like I have a whole series of Shoupe and preseries JJ that I'm super excited about (their first meeting, the first time Shoupe realizes JJ's getting beaten, JJ taking all of Luke's pills as a teenager, and a few more).  I have one very well developed with a preseries JJ getting kidnapped by one of Luke's associates and Luke blowing off the ransom (spoiler alert: it goes badly for JJ).  And I have a few now completely AU takes post S3, one with Rafe getting revenge on the Pogues by going after JJ (forcing him to take an overdose of drugs, and it's so convincing that almost everyone believes he did it himself) and a Sarah and JJ as siblings fic.  That's just a sampling.  There are so many more that I can't even remember them all.

One idea that just got hold of me this week is an AU with JJ and John B in the military.  There are a few other takes on this on AO3 that intrigued me, and the brothers in arms thing could be so fun to play out with those two.  And I mean, the whump. I may have wrote a few scenes....

However, the fics that I'm actively writing right now.  I'd say there are four (beyond the car accident fic I'm posting snippets of and the town council AU I did a snippet of last weekend).

1. Best of a Bad Deal part three.  This one is still in the works though technically kind of on my backburner.  I have completed quite a bit of this fic, which spans five-six years after JJ goes into remission.  I think I have a cohesive narrative at least through the third year with a lot of bits and pieces completed after that -- including the ending, which I really love.

2. My long fix-it.  I have been actively plotting this with woudsohfiv and currently have probably 70k done.  It starts around the mid point of S4 and maintains everything we see in canon -- but adds a secondary plot that manages to subvert it completely.  LOL, I don't want to spoil too much, but it heavily involves Luke.  The Pogues will still (mostly) think JJ is dead while JJ hits absolute rock bottom.  This fic is planned to be the first of a series.  We've been a little ambitious with our plotting and have sketched out plots for three additional fics.  The second one will really dig into JJ facing his trauma and dealing with his family heritage and Goat Island.  I'm really excited about this one!

3. I write fics for my friends for Christmas, and this year, I have two friends getting JJ fics.  The first one is for woudsohfiv, and she requested an AU of the S1 ep where Barry robs the Pogues.  IIn this take, JJ goes for the gun and gets shot for his trouble -- and the Pogues are faced with the reality of what they were willing to risk.  My goal is to make it eventually fit back into canon, however.  It's probably 15k in and is maybe half done.  It will (hopefully!) be done for Christmas.

4. For my other friend, I'm going on one of her favorite tropes:  seizures.  It's a fic set in that happy 18 months of Poguelandia 2.0 where the Pogues get sick -- and JJ ends up getting very, very ill.  This one is a pretty simple straight up sick fic where the Pogues have to confront that they're not quite as together as they thought they were, and wherein John B and Kiara have to face the reality that JJ isn't really as okay as he seems to be most of the time. Again, my goal is to finish this by Christmas, and I think I can pull it off. This should be relatively short hopefully in the 10k range.

Feel free to ask more questions or specifics! I'd even post snippets if you wanted. I only do completed fics on AO3 but I'm a lot looser here.

[willowisapillow]

🎄🌿 Marsh Matriarch 🌿🎄

No thoughts just them 💙❤️

First art of 2024! Hope y’all had a great Christmas. I’m so sorry if I  wasn’t able to post this exactly on the day of Christmas, I wanted to finish this before 2024, but I was busy spending some time with my family during the holidays. Also managed to get a lot of pretty great presents such as two Barbie dolls, with one of them being based on the 2023 movie, so my Christmas was pretty gud.

I’ve been getting back into South Park recently, and I felt like drawing my fav parents, Randy and Sharon as a late celebration. I also drew this as a Christmas gift for one of my older brothers, because he really likes the show too ^w^

When it comes to the characters in South Park, the parents are some of my favorite characters on the show. I don’t like them as much as the main kid characters, but they’re kinda coming close to it. I kinda have a soft spot for them no matter how stupid, terrible or unhinged they are lol

I tried combining my regular art style with the art style from the show, and I hated how the sketch looked on the first attempt, so I scrapped it. But when I started all over on a different piece of paper, I don’t think it turned out that bad. Nothing terrible or spectacular, but I feel like I could have done better.

Wanted to go with the whole somewhat cliched but romantic mistletoe for the concept of the art, and I loved how it turned out. I had so much freaking fun drawing these two dorks. I did have to use a lot of fanart as references because I did have some trouble getting their hairstyles right, but it was pretty easy in the end. I loved how Sharon in particular turned out, especially when it comes to her little ruffles that she has at the end of her sleeves and her short haircut.

And I may or may not had a lot of fun drawing Randy’s cursed awooga facial expression, but honestly, can ya blame him 💀

Merry (late) Christmas ya filthy animals. And a Happy New Year.

[shirogane-oushirou]

RO OMG...!!!!

👀👀👀👀

UNLEASH THE WIPS please ☺️✨️

Also I adore your new Ren icon!!! The befuddled expression is so memorable and cuuute hfnfgggghf 💖✨️

( @verykissablepixels )

HI REFFIE HEHEHE 💕✨ tysm, i can't wait to show some new (old??) wips!!! i'm still debating if i want to keep the new icon, but the tails gets trolled ren kills me every time i see it kdjngkj

these are more of my safeshiptember sketches!! the one on the left was "making a meal together", which i tossed mostly bc 1) i actually have more trouble with speed than with knife holding / safety, so this doesn't make much sense, and 2) getting the pose right when he's supposed to be shorter than me was. a pain. like he HAS to be able to see the food, but if he leans over too far he wouldn't be able to hold both hands. fun in concept, not fun to puzzle through. 😭

the one on the right i thiiink was supposed to be "selfie", and i tried sketches for both ren and mars, but i was just too burnt out to fix it up ;; i love the look of selfie drawings, with the arm stretched out in front of the camera, i've just never been good at the getting them right myself lskdmf. i do want to keep trying though!!! might revisit this one soon actually; his side profile came out cute, and i think i can get the extended arm looking okay really quickly. 😊

in another ask i talked about affectionate!drunk ren... well here's pining!drunk ren!! 💕💕 we're doing a friend dinner date thing at a rooftop restaurant (are there reasonably priced allergen-friendly rooftop restaurants in [nearby city]? don't ask me kJNKSFJDN), and we're looking over the city lights and he just. looks over and can't stop thinking... kiss?? we can't kiss but... kiss???? i'm still torn on whether he actually asks on accident (to which i have to sadly tell him no, he's drunk, i won't... but he can try again if he remembers when he's sober ;;;) or if he confesses on accident elsewhere.

BUT. EITHER WAY. i started to color this, but i didn't like the from-my-brain lighting i came up with and just never went back to it to try again ;; might revisit it as well; i'd like to do a proper nighttime lighting study with it!

.....ok so there's a post about sticking your face in your f/o's tits as therapy KJANSFKJNKJADFN. ;;; i'd like to finish this one if i remember to go back to it!! it's silly and cute and i could make a version that's just him without my face in front of his open shirt :)))

(ask game)

[strideofpride]

ooh, what did you have in mind for the post-series turning 40 au?? there are so few gg future fanfics depicting the leads in actual middle age versus being late 20s/early 30s, so that alone makes it sound like an interesting concept!!

Yeah, that's exactly why I wanna write it eventually! There are so few fics that really explore the characters past their early 30s, which is a shame, cause such a big theme of the show (at least at first) was the fear of becoming your parents.

I shared this brief snippet from the opening I wrote months and months ago, but my focus has been on other stuff and finishing like a rolling stone, and I just haven't felt like I've had the time to really devote myself to it the way I want to. Also it will probably be loosely inspired by Fleishman is in Trouble, so I wanna try to do a rewatch as well.

But yeah, basically this is my "oh my god I think we became our parents" fic for Serena, Dan, & Blair, and it will be from all three of their POVs. Serena & Dan have moved out to the suburbs because of the pandemic but you can't put an apex predator in the middle of nowhere like that, so Serena keeps spending more and more time in the city, while Dan is unhappily back in the suburbs with their two kids, trying and failing to get back to his artistic pursuits. Blair, meanwhile, has recently become a single mom to sixteen-year-old Henry (Chuck fucked off to TBD - but unlike in Fleishman, he will NOT be making any appearances) and reconnects with Nate and Serena after having been estranged since Trump & MeToo. And then that brings Dan and Blair back into each other's orbit and...there will be a dairfair. Eventually.

So yeah, that's kind of a very rough sketch of it. If you're familiar with Fleishman is in Trouble, it's not going to be a retelling the way like a rolling stone has become, I'm more planning on just taking some elements from it - namely, three old friends reconnecting after one of them gets divorced, a bad reunion party, and a speech about "when did we wake up and become our parents".

Maybe it will be my big project of 2024 idk.

[asirensrage]

important questions: what's the oc for? And also I want to hear everything about them even if I know nothing about the fandom.

Aw man, I didn't post that to get encouraged hahahah I don't actually know a lot about her, mainly because I haven't finished or caught up with the anime/manga yet. BUT who says I'll let that stop me. (I'm kidding...sort of.)

It's for Tokyo Revengers. I'm sure by now you (and everyone else) is well aware of how much I adore the trope/concept of "character arriving into another time/world" and isn't this fandom perfect for it (considering the main character time travels to his past self).

Anyway, the idea started in one scene where when he's like 14/15 and outside his house, he's watching these Mikey and Draken argue with each other and they start breaking his stuff as they throw it at each other and I just thought, "wouldn't it be funny if you had someone show up and be like "what are you doing?" and it turned out to be his sister, but as far as he knows, he doesn't have a sister??? so who is she?" (ngl, I explained this so much better to @emerald-valkyrie and I forgot to save it loll)

I don't know if you know the anime, so, you have the main character Takemichi, who somehow travels back and forth to 12 years in the past and is trying to save his old girlfriend from dying in the future from gang activity, but as he does so, he gets more and more involved with the gang and people in it. He becomes determined (where I'm at now) that the best way to save her is to take over the gang himself.

Now, add in his sister (my oc) Takara. She's a year older, generally unimpressed with the fact that she's there. She's aware that she didn't have a younger brother and had an entirely separate life before. The two of them admit the truth about each other (aka time travelling vs sudden addition to the world) and Takara basically offers to help Takemichi. Even though she woke up as his sister, she still somehow has memories of being his sister (those memories slowly come to Takemichi the longer she's there). No one else is aware that she doesn't really belong.

While Takemichi is well known for being a crybaby, Takara is less emotional. I think I might give her these traits I listed when I was playing around with the concept of what makes a problematic character problematic:

Negative traits: aggressive, manipulative, resentful, morbid/pessimistic, selfish, impulsive, antisocial  Positive ones: loyal, adaptable, adventurous, resourceful, intelligent, observant, playful, charming, 

I'm not sure yet what her role will be. I have a feeling in her attempts to help her brother she's going to find herself in a fair amount of trouble (especially because of who her brother is and his ambitions).

"The problem with having a brother who’s involved is that there’s no way to keep herself separate. Not really. She’ll always be a tool for leverage against him if he gains the power he wants and as many friends as Takemichi finds himself every time he returns, he has just as many enemies."

I have a couple scenes written that wouldn't leave my head but nothing really planned out. Like I have a bit of an idea of who her romantic interests are, but I'm also not certain and I think there is probably a difference of who she might be interested in vs who's interested in her. I think it would be interesting to mainly do it from her pov, especially to show the sharp contrast in Takemichi from when he's his usual 15years old self and when he's inhabited by his future self who's trying to save people.

Oh! I also have a sketch I did of her when I was trying to figure out what she'd look like related to him. Well, a couple but I'll show one.

if you can't tell, she's pissed. especially at being grabbed like that hahaha

Thanks for asking!! Even if it didn't fully make sense lol. I might be in the middle of creating a playlist for her but I also need to nail down what her personality is going to be like. (and if she has any skills....)

[mi4012thameenahallaldeen]

Concept Art

Just a sketch for now because I cannot come up with character design sheets to have the characters fleshed out in the concept art. (on character design block because I based my design on Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt)

Sketching a few ideas so I can pick one to complete.

"Put the lamp down Mills"

The next one is a comic page style idea I wanted to go for. From my previous feedback I was asked to try to come up with concept art that has all 3 characters. I can’t think of a frame with all the characters where their faces are visible. So I came up with this comic panel idea. The movie would actually fit a comic book adaptation.

Update : There actually is a comic book adaptation of the movie, written by Richard Dyer.

Decided to go with the second idea.

Process pics.

Final concept art

It's not perfect and a bit rushed. But I tried using more references this time. I also need to work more on proportions (human body) and perspectives. I was unable to go to the perspective drawing workshop so I missed out on brushing up on my skills which I only had a chance to properly practice during portofolio. I try to incorporate what I learnt into my submissions since that's the only chance I get to practice my drawing skills.

I had trouble with Detective Mills A LOT. Even in the character design sheet. I had trouble with the proportions of Somerset and the Police Captain in the second panel. I had trouble measuring how tall they're supposed to be in comparison with the table.

I noticed I'm reluctant to use references because I fear ending up tracing or making my drawings too similar to the original source. I should've used the rectangle tables at uni for reference. I didn't think to use references. At this point I just wanted to finish it up and get it over with so I can focus on my other modules.

I referenced the backgrounds from the photos of my set for the backgrounds and elements for my storyboards and concept art. That's probably why I kept feeling like something is off since the set measurements aren't 100% accurate.

[quibbs126]

So after that last practice thing, I figured I should probably try out the previous forms of Orion and D-16, or at least their heads since those I find significantly easier than the whole body (which I guess isn’t really a shocker there)

And also because as I keep bringing up, Lux, because I remembered that technically she should resemble these forms more than the final form Optimus and Megatron. Considering she's technically from before those two forms, and also those were upgrades. If she came after she might resemble their final forms more, but logistically she shouldn't

Honestly, I think I found the left side ones more difficult when sketching than the right side, not sure why. Though I do admit, I think cogless D's bottom side things look a bit off. I'm not sure how to draw them from a lower angle, or at least I wasn't until I already finished

Orion's side circles are still a bit difficult to draw, and I have no clue why, particularly since I draw them often on my AU designs. I think I just struggle with making them look good.

Also a note on the colors, it's more noticeable on Orion (probably because his helmet doesn't change colors), but the cogless forms are supposed to be a bit duller in colors. I think that's how it is in the movie, which makes sense, since the miners probably weren't getting proper paint maintenance due to their status and occupation

With the expressions, I was trying to have it so that with the cogless forms, Orion's probably got a scheme cooking, but D-16 loves him for his unadulterated self anyways. Meanwhile in the cogged forms, D-16's having his crash out, becoming a bit too aggressive, and while Orion's trying to go along with it, since he at least seems happy to be able to transform now and is just on an adrenaline rush, he's also concerned about his current behavior, hoping that it'll just go away with time and he'll be back to normal. Not sure I fully conveyed that

But anyways, on to talking about the cogged forms in particular, I had some trouble looking for good refs of these designs, particularly the colors. Like I'm still not 100% sure those are the right colors for D's helm. Yes, I have concept art, but the concept art isn't always the same as the final, as I've come to realize. And while these forms were in the movie much longer than their final forms, I can find screenshot references for those much easier

And this extends to fanart I think as well. You have the cogless forms when you want wholesome dpax before the tragedy, you have the upgraded forms for the angsty megop and stories that come after. And in AUs where nothing bad happens, I feel like you tend to get one or the other of those two or a mix of them as the default looks, depending on what you want. Even though I feel like in AUs where nothing bad happens and the Primes don't die, the characters should logistically be in their middle, cogged forms, especially since the cogless situation was a manufactured lie by Sentinel. I feel like you only get the middle in AUs where D doesn't become Megatron, and even then, they might still give him the Megatronus cog, he just didn't rob it from the corpse of the bot he executed. Or if Orion has the Matrix ripped out by Megatron and he isn't reverted back to cogless

I think it's because those cogged forms are basically seen as the middle stage evos for them, and by that point you're waiting for them to get their proper Optimus and Megatron forms. Like their original cogless forms are what we start with, what the marketing leading up to the movie showed us first, and when everything was happy between them. And then their final forms are what they end the movie with, and are the iconic Optimus and Megatron designs, the characters we know, and what they'll stay with moving forwards in the story. The cogged stages are just the day or so in between those changes, where things are falling apart and falling into place for what we know to come later

It's also sort of again, where the relationship is falling apart, due to D-16's crash-out. Technically it happens at the tail end of D-16's cogless state, but he gets his cog immediately after and that's when he starts reacting to the horrible information and Orion starts losing him, so it's more associated with this form of them

But it's also kind of interesting to me because in universe, I think these cogged forms are technically supposed to be their final forms. These are the full forms of Orion Pax and D-16, and their future forms are upgrades instead of a natural growth. It's just that we see them as middle stages because we know they become Optimus Prime and Megatron, and these aren't fully those designs yet. If they were to never become those two, or in a world where they never had their cogs removed, those middle stages are what they'd look like by default. It's just that we know they have another stage to go

I don't know, just thoughts that stemmed from drawing these