#like they always seem to come up with interesting visual styles to show things happening within characters imaginations to differentiate...

[neofelis----nebulosa]

watched the second full scene released from kfp 4 and it is significantly lowering my expectations

[crusty-chronicles]

Hiei Courting Headcannons

In honor of the Live Action series (Even though I don't Have High Hopes For It)

Now, we all know Hiei is a very stubborn demon. Especially when it comes to his feelings. When he realized he liked you and didn't just tolerate your presence, he fought hard to deny it.

So what if he spent most of his time with you? Who cares that the first place he goes to after coming back from the demon world is your house? It didn't matter that his eyes seemed to soften whenever you were around.

No not one bit.

But the second Kurama threatened to court you himself, well Hiei couldn't just sit down and let that happen. Didn't that fox understand he shouldn't touch what wasn't his.

1. Showing off to see if you're interested

Hiei may be a demon, but he has some semblance of manners. His pride wouldn't allow him to claim you until you accepted his advances. Any creature who dared force themselves onto another was the lowest of the lowest.

So, his first step is showing off during fights.

Letting the enemy bloody him up more to show that injury didn't affect him.

Using more spirit energy than was needed to end another demon with just one blow

Stopping you from fighting because he'll "take care of it. You humans are too fragile."

He'll also use his Jagan more frequently.

You lost something?

Well look no further, he can track it down precisely and easily.

Praise him even once or say in passing he's really strong, and he'll take that as you being interested.

Even if you're just trying to be nice.

2. Wearing Richer Colors

I firmly believe Hiei courts more like a crow than the usual beast. He's sleek like one anyways.

Now if you didn't know, most birds attract mates with their bright feathers.

In Hiei's case, he'll start to wear dark, yet rich colors to get your attention.

Strength is one thing. Any low-class demon can demonstrate strength and be happy about it.

What Hiei is looking for is to see if you're attracted to him. If you find him visually appealing.

Though he's not a vain creature, he still yearns for the confirmation that him and him alone captivates you.

He'll start with darker blues. Maybe change up his cloak a little.

And when that doesn't work, he moves onto purples. Getting teased by Kurama for 'changing up his style.' But he stays determined.

Eventually moving onto a burgundy. And the way you were immediately drawn to him then made it worth it.

Relishing in your compliments on how 'the color really suits him' and 'it matches his eyes perfectly.'

Letting you grab at the fabric and inspect it until he asks why you like it so much.

"Well I always thought your eyes were pretty. It's nice to see something that reminds me of them."

He's a prideful smug bastard after that. Not even comments from Yusuke can tick him off that day.

3. Bringing You Shiny Objects

Once again, he courts like a crow.

Now that you've shown interest in him, it's time to properly start showing his affections.

Hiei isn't one for flirting or compliments. He's more prone to showing rather than telling. And in this case the way to do that is to bring you little trinkets that catch his eye.

Usually, it'll be small gems he stumbles across in demon world.

Rubies, diamonds, and emeralds. All things he knows where to find thanks to his prior occupation as a thief.

He's not trying to buy your affection. He knows you're not that vain judging by the pushback you always give when he presents you with a jewel.

No, rather he's trying to show that he can provide for you. That you'd never have to worry about scrounging around to survive as long as he was with you.

A protector and a provider.

He also notices how you treasure the less valuable items with as much fondness and care as the others.

He had asked you why you slept with a chunk of pyrite on your bedside one time. And your response let him know he wouldn't give up on pursuing you anytime soon.

"Because it was one of the first things you gave me. Don't you remember? You said something along the lines of fool's gold for a fool's heart. I think it's sweet you even got me something at all."

You didn't care about what he brought you. All that mattered was that it came from him.

If that didn't mean you accepted his advances, then he didn't know what would.

4. Scenting

Ah, yes. Back to the classics

Once you've accepted the gifts he's continuously given you, Hiei takes it as you liking him back.

He's aware human and demon courting processes are very different from one another.

But he's exactly not human, is he?

When it comes to demons, once you've accepted their advances, your mates.

In a sense, it's like dating. Only except a dissatisfied partner will kill the other in most cases.

With this in mind, Hiei happily accepts the fact you're his and immediately moves onto the final stage of courting.

Scenting you so that other demons know to back off.

Think of it as your last out if you realize what's happening and actually don't have feelings for him.

The scenting process will start with Hiei showing up to your place of residence and staying with you.

Not yet following you around, but making sure to spend time in each room.

If he has to leave somewhere, he'll leave either an article of clothing or his sword.

It confuses you at first and you think maybe he just trusts you.

But you start to think otherwise when he starts getting touchy.

Laying in your lap and ordering you to stay still, only to find out he's fallen asleep on you.

Or letting his face rest against the crook of your neck. Which you didn't mind all that much.

It was quite funny to see someone as tough as Hiei become completely docile around you.

You weren't too worried until he followed you out when you went to buy groceries.

"You don't like being around people. Don't you wanna stay home until I get back?" You asked him.

"I've already shown you that you're a very fragile creature compared to me. It's best I accompany you so you don't hurt yourself."

Usually you would have argued back, but it was clear something was off with him.

These past few months had been strange with him either trying to get your attention or trying to stay directly next to you.

You wouldn't figure out what it was until your other three friends showed up.

Kuwabara wanting to have a movie night and you offering your home to do it.

When the three of them arrived, you noticed Kurama and Yusuke hesitate by the entrance.

"Something wrong?" You questioned.

" I can't put my finger on it, but something's telling me I shouldn't go in." Yusuke responded.

Unawares it was Hiei's scent warding him off.

But Kurama knew. He'd known since you opened the door.

It seems Hiei had staked his claim on you.

Yet judging by your calm demeanor, you didn't know that yet.

"Have you noticed Hiei acting strange lately?" Kurama asked.

"Yes! I thought I was the only one. He's been really clingy. I mean at first it was odd he kept bringing me stuff like gems, but then he started following me around like a house cat. It's endearing, but honestly what's going on with him?" You ranted. Prompting a laugh from the redhead.

"I see. Good luck on your new relationship."

Before you could question him about what he meant, a gentle grip around your waist stopped you.

"What're you doing inviting these fools to our home. You know how long it took me to get rid of their scent the first time? It's like you want me to start the whole courting process all over again."

Courting?

Oh.

Oh.

You couldn't say you minded now that you knew what was actually going on.

[genericpuff]

You mentioned multiple times that Persephone is a self insert of Rachel, how is that so?

Also, I love Lore Rekindled

So obviously it's not like Rachel herself has outright stated that Persephone is a self-insert, but there's a lot of narrative and visual evidence that points to this being so.

Disclaimer before I continue: a lot of this is speculation, take it with grains of salt, but understand that all of the following evidence is why so many people subscribe to the idea that Rachel is using Persephone as a self-insert power fantasy, myself included. This is going to be a long post.

First, the most obvious - Rachel and Persephone look virtually identical, especially when Persephone's hair is short. In a way that's not even reaching at this point, like there are times when Persephone literally looks like she was traced directly off Rachel's face. It's panels like these where you don't even have to squint or fill in the blanks with your own interpretations, Persephone literally looks like Rachel.

There was also that time she dyed her hair pink and her own audience called out how she looked like Persephone (unironically for the most part, which goes to show how much the implications of Persephone being a self-insert of Rachel has gone over their heads, sigh)

She's also made absurd claims in interviews that Persephone and Hades were her "muses" since all the way back in middle school.

I say these claims are 'absurd' because frankly I just don't think that's true, there's nothing from her early-mid 2000's online presence (which is still accessible via the Wayback Machine) that suggests she was into Greek myth content, most of her stuff from back then was medical fetish and lolita art and not a single piece of Greek work is mentioned on any of her profile bios, favorite book lists, or interests, not even once you get to the 2010's when she started shifting away from blatant medical fetish art and more towards marketable storybook-style art.

(she definitely mentions Lolita though 😒)

I firmly believe she's just making up that whole "Persephone and Hades were my muses" thing the same way she's made up her 'folklorist' label to hide the fact that she has no connection to Greek myth whatsoever and was just creating LO on a whim during the era of Hades x Persephone shipping prompts that were popular on Tumblr at the time. It just so happened to become massively popular so she stuck with it and tried to pretend like she always loved Greek myth as a way to justify her success when really it was just luck and circumstance.

But we can go further back than that.

You see, Rachel also really... really likes Mads Mikkelson. Like, beyond just enjoying his work and entering teenage girl obsessive cringe territory. I wouldn't be calling it out if she was a teenage girl or even a young adult, but she isn't - she's thirty seven years old.

Mads Mikkelson is, of course, her dream cast for Hades, and when you see how she views Mads Mikkelson, the rest practically writes itself.

But we can go even further back than that.

Because, you see, Rachel has old art accounts from long before Lore Olympus. Normally I try to avoid posting a lot of this stuff because it's very much old skeletons that we usually understand to leave buried, but this particular piece is very relevant to this discussion.

'Madame issue' was the screenname of her account where this drawing comes from. You may also notice this is very likely where the name 'used bandaid' came from. This character is meant to be Rachel. It was very common for her to draw herself with short pink hair back then and it seems that's barely changed now.

Just wanna also throw it out there real quick that Rachel's birthday is March 21st. Guess what date Rachel chose to make Persephone's birthday? Oh yeah, the first day of Spring, literally March 20th. Which shouldn't even exist yet as Lore Olympus is based on The Hymn to Demeter which outlines the creation of the season. But I digress.

Now, this may be a little irrelevant and nitpicky, but to circle back around to the point I made earlier about her not having any genuine connection to Greek myth, Rachel seems to have always behaved like this, in a way that tries to 'hide' the fact that she's not 'legit'. There are old FAQ's from her art pages that answer questions she's asking herself in a very arrogant "how dare you ask me this" kind of way. Like, she claims to have imposter syndrome, which I'm not saying is a lie, but if she does, she definitely uses blind arrogance as a way to cover up for it. It reeks of early 2000's 'mean because it's cool to be mean' energy and that seems to be an attitude that she hasn't left behind in the early 2000's where it belongs - she's just channeled it into 'girl boss' Persephone instead.

It's become abundantly clear after going through old LO asks/livejournal/flickr/etc. posts that Rachel herself 1.) romanticizes purity culture (again, like the Greek myth 'self-proclaimed folklorist' thing, she's trying to claim she's 'deconstructing' purity culture when her actual beliefs are the exact opposite), 2.) values naivety and youthfulness vs. experience and wisdom, especially with how she talks about Persephone and 3.) constantly tries to act like a 'boss babe' similarly to Persephone.

There's also the fact that the time skip perfectly aligned Persephone's age to be in the same range as Rachel - she's now 30 to Rachel's 37. The time skip didn't have to be exactly ten years, if it was purely to retcon the age gap problems then she could have made it far longer, but she made it specifically 10 years and I feel like it can't be a coincidence when we consider how close in age Persephone and Rachel now are. Recalling that earlier point that Rachel seems to be obsessed with naivety and youthfulness, she probably didn't like the idea of making Persephone 40 because that would be too "old".

That's not even getting into the actual way that Persephone is written. This is the part where I say there's nothing inherently wrong with writing self-inserts, even famous authors do it, but the issue lies in authors writing them as power fantasies and not actual fleshed out characters. Persephone is not a fleshed out character. She does not have flaws - at least none that are recognized as flaws - and she never loses. She does whatever Rachel wants her to do on a whim even if it contradicts previous actions or information we've been shown. Sometimes she's an inexperienced "uwu" teenage girl, other times she's attempting to be a 'boss babe' (but really it just comes across as her acting like a Karen.)

All that said, it's not uncommon for poorly written self-inserts to lack consistent characterization because the author is too hopped up on writing them to fulfill their fantasies, even if those fantasies don't align with pre-existing information. There's also the fact that Persephone herself never suffers any consequences for her actions, even when she's in the wrong, and terrible things that happen to her are more for the sympathy of the audience and less for actual character development, depth, or underlying meaning. The comic's universe and the characters that reside within it bend around Persephone and her wants and needs, and this is something that happens with poorly-written self-inserts a lot especially when they're being written purely as power fantasies and not actual character studies or reflections. Nothing bad will ever happen to Persephone, she'll never suffer real consequences for her actions, and she'll never make any real sacrifices, because Persephone is Rachel and Rachel can't write Persephone separate from herself.

This kind of goes hand in hand with the whole "she didn't make Persephone 40+ because then she'd be too old" thing, but I'd also like to mention real quick that Rachel has never written a female character who isn't like this. All of her main characters from all of her works are women, which is perfectly fine in isolation, but they're all written as the exact same woman, sharing traits of naivety, inexperience, youthfulness and innocence. None of her female characters are over the age of 21. Making Persephone a "doesn't know she's sexy" 19 year old who's often drawn very childlike was very intentional as it's the exact same kind of character she's been drawing for years now, and the fact that she's 30 now is simply Rachel trying to retcon the problematic age gap that she got called out on; with the added bonus that it makes Persephone even more like Rachel.

No, Rachel has never directly confessed to Persephone being a self-insert, but I don't think someone like Rachel - who already speaks with a veil of disingenuous arrogance - would admit to it anyways. The writing is on the wall: how she's written Persephone and every female protagonist who has preceded her is a deliberate choice based around Rachel's own beliefs and values - that women are only desirable when they're young and thin, that the "ideal man" is someone who's above everyone else in power, wealth, and status and will and should use that power, wealth, and status to get what they want, and that women should be as cute and innocent as they can be until any degree of opposition or questioning comes their way, in which they are justified in exercising outright cruelty and abuse towards those in their way, with no in-between.

And that's all I'm gonna say on that.

[maleyanderecafe]

Honey Hotline (Visual Novel)

Created by: chuiipon

Genre: Horror

Phew, I was really happy to see this game come out since I've been following this artist for a while. It's always really fun seeing people create ocs that are in games, especially now that there's this trend of yandere vns (which I appreciate). Anyways, this is an r18 game and it's a good introduction to the story of this game. If you are interested, you can learn more at @ringringringbananafone.

Honey is the default name, so I'll just be calling them as such.

Honey wakes up after a strange dream in the middle of their college class. They find out that they're going to be part of a group project and Amesy asks them to join their group. Their group consists of her, a guy named Fone and Seon. Fone is a quiet guy who has trouble communicating and writes on a notebook, while Seon seems to be a tidy guy. Amesy suggests that Honey and Fone work together on the slideshow and the two head to Honey's house to finish. The two work on the project together, getting closer with one another until Fone has to go home. Honey fiddles with the slides more until they get a strange recording of someone moaning their name and seemingly masturbating to them. This person sends message after message apologizing and stating that they love honey, asking them to not block them. Honey realizes that with this new phone, the only people who could have sent this message are the three classmates that they're working on the project with. With this, they set out to investigate which one it is. The next day, Honey can go to Amesy, Fone or Seon's place.

Going to Fone's place makes Fone very excited. In his house, Fone reveals that he has a cat named Mallow (Marshmallow), which Honey (and I) enjoy very much. Honey can ask Fone about a lot of different topics like hobbies, what his family is like and why he has a hard time speaking. After hanging out, Honey returns hom.

Going to Seon's place, there is a chance to reveal that Seon is really into anime, which makes him really happy and blurt out a thousand facts about anime. Seon even invites Honey to a convention later before walking them home. Otherwise, Seon and Honey will still have a good time, but won't find out that he's really into anime.

Going to Amesy's house, she offers Honey some cookies and the two talk about various things. We find out that Amesy and Fone are actually cousins and that Fone used to be a very cheerful and extroverted child, but isn't sure what happened to make him the way he is now. Thus the reason why Amesy was trying to help Fone and Honey talk to each other. Afterwards, Amesy offers to bring Honey home on her motorcycle.

After all of that, Honey gets another voice recording stating that they enjoyed their time together today and wishes them a good night. Honey deduces it must be someone who they've hung out with today.

For an introduction, it does a good job of showing off all the different characters, and sets up the mystery of who the person stalking Honey is, though if you follow the creator's blog, you'll find out pretty quickly that it's Fone who is the one sending these messages. It's hinted at as well when Honey mentions that the person sounds raspy as if they haven't talked in a while, as well as when talking to Fone there's the chance to talk about the neighbors, and the recent murders happening, which is awfully suspicious and likely related to Fone. Still, there are other mysteries such as what kind of childhood Fone had to have changed from a cheerful child to how he is now. The artwork in this is very nice, though I'm biased because I really love the art style of the characters.

As for yandere behavior from Fone, there is several that goes on. The first one and most obvious is the message sent to Honey on the first and second day. Based on what Honey mentions about the neighbors, likely is also next door to hear what Honey is saying. There's also the aforementioned murders which are likely tied to Fone, and if Honey refuses to work on the project with Amesy in the beginning, the game will sort of reset, forcing them to be in that team. Ominous messages at the beginning and end of the game also play out, as well as some text files that will spawn inside of the folder depending on what options are chosen. I'm not sure how these breaking the fourth wall things will come to play later as a lot of yandere vns are using them these days, but hopefully it will be a unique idea.

Overall, for a demo, I thought it was an interesting premise. Even though I believe we already know who is the one sending these messages to Honey, I am curious about other aspects of the game. If you enjoy these types of games, please feel free to try it out.

[tea-with-veth]

how to write fight scene???help?

Hi anon. Don't know if you're still around, but I've been ruminating on this since it landed in my inbox in February of 2021. And I'm finally sitting down to give you my tips. Sorry for the delay...of like..two years...

How to write fight scene:

Figure out what you need the scene to accomplish. Where do you want the characters to be when the scene ends? What's the goal? Is someone dead or injured? Does someone flee the battlefield? You can use that information to build the scene toward its desired end goal.

Determine a flow of action for the scene. This one is the hardest step and the one that always takes me the most time. What actually happens during the fight? Visualizing things (like it's a movie in your head) helps. When I get stuck I sit down and draw a storyboard, to help me keep track of the characters and figure out who goes where.

Use the environment to keep things interesting. Where is your fight happening? Use that imaginary space to make the battle dynamic. If they're in a forest, describe the characters vaulting over rocks or hiding behind trees. If they're in a castle, have them swordfight on a table. Maybe one character gets his sword knocked out of his hands and has to use improvisational tools around him, like a kitchen knife or a poker from a nearby fireplace.

The rule of badass moments. Include at least two or three badass moments per fight scene-- particularly if it's a big one. Try and give all the characters a minimum of one, and rotate between characters getting their moment in the spotlight. For instance, in the ultimate fight scene in my first fic, and as he fell (you walked away), I have five characters on the battlefield: George, Sapnap, and Bad all fighting Techno, and Dream who is incapacitated. Each gets a badass moment-- George shoots Techno in the hand, Sapnap charges in from behind with a fallen sword, Bad does a feint where he drops his sword and instead stabs with a stiletto, Techno gains the upper hand and almost strangles Bad to death, and Dream comes in with a big last-minute rescue by stabbing him from the back. There's the connective tissue between each of these moments, but these badass moments give the fight structure.

The rule of suspense. Keep your fight scene interesting by making it seem like your protagonist might lose. Don't be afraid to let them get beat up, fear losing, or have to fight for the upper hand. It's tempting to make your hero an invincible badass, but they're going to be at their most engaging when you don't know what will happen. Plus, it will make your fight more active.

Get in the head of your protagonist. If they're an experienced fighter, they're going to observe the fight more clearly, notice more details, and keep their emotions from overwhelming their ability. You could show this by revealing their thought process, showing more environmental details, and using full sentences. If they're less experienced, or more emotional, you could show that by making things more choppy and confusing, to reflect what the experience is like from their eyes.

Pay attention to pace and flow. In my fic the words of an emperor (verba amici) I open with a fight between Technoblade and Philza when they first meet. In order to give the fight momentum, I use sentence fragments, sentences cut short, and long run-on sentences in combination to give the whole fight a stream-of-consciousness feeling. That way, even though the fight takes up a decent chunk of the chapter, it feels fast-paced and urgent. Communicating that sense of speed and momentum can make your scene more intense!

Ultimately, this advice will help you write a fun, though formulaic, Hollywood-style fight scene. I recommend watching movie clips or imagining your fight over and over again, letting it play out in your mind's eye. You can always mix and match recommendations as you see fit. I hope that this is at least a little bit helpful! Thanks for the question anon :)

[oddygaul]

Death's Door

Recently, I listened to Band of Skulls’ Himalayan for the first time in a while. Though it’s by no means top tier for me compared with the entire oeuvre of music, I’ve always quite liked it. There’s about three more plodding ballads than I’d prefer, but there’s no denying the groove on songs like the title track or 'Asleep at the Wheel'. What really struck me on that listen, though, was an issue of timing. As I listened, I couldn’t help comparing it to the classic 70’s rock and blues it’s inspired by, and the interesting thing is - it stacks up. I’m fully convinced that if Himalayan dropped in 1971, Band of Skulls would stand among the classic rock pantheon; the riffs, the swagger, the catchy vocal hooks, it’s all there. Play it next to a Cars album, and it hangs. Thing is… the album came out in 2014, so it’s just another drop in the bucket.

All art is inherently tied to the era it’s created and released. Art isn’t made (or viewed) in a vacuum; it’s the summation of all of a creator’s influences & inspirations, and a reaction to the contemporaneous art being made around them. Normally, creators are working within the mold of their peers, with perhaps one solid fresh take or angle to put in, and end up creating work that is Good. The ones that are remembered and referenced decades later, though, are often the works that take a big swing, that take a big leap forward, and are different enough that they not only stay in the public consciousness, but have an outsized influence on the art and artists that come in their wake. We’re talking your Star Wars, your Evangelion.

Due to the constant progression of style and medium, of course, it’s common for one to go back to works like this and be underwhelmed - as TV Tropes puts it, the ‘Seinfeld is Unfunny’ effect. This happens when a work is so influential, and so much other art is derivative of it, that the original itself seems uninspired and doesn’t quite live up to the cultural hype - and, since it was the first of its kind, it’s often rougher around the edges and less refined than the works riffing and iterating on it. I’ve run aground of this many a time when going back to classics, to varying emotional responses: while I take some weird, anti-boomer pleasure in thinking the Stones are boring as fuck, there’s also a part of me that weeps for the deep ambivalence I felt after reading Akira for the first time. I’ve even gotten this feeling when revisiting a work that I loved back when it was fresh: Bastion set the indie world on fire back in 2011, but a revisit in 2022 left me cold.

(as a friend put it, Bastion walked so Hades could run… but going back to that pace is tough.)

The other end of this spectrum, then, is a work that is almost… the endpoint of a certain style, as set in motion by one of those classics. A work created by people that have seen what started the subgenre, that have seen the work that was inspired by it, that have read decades of criticism and know what works and what doesn’t. A work that, conceptually speaking, is playing things about as safe as it possibly can, but is absolutely nailing everything it goes for on the technical level. It shows a deep understanding, even reverence, for what came before, it speaks to a mastery of craft, and to a deep polish and sense of perfectionism. This sort of work isn't attempting to break the mold; they know exactly the type of work they want to emulate, and are just doing it exceptionally well... if about twenty years late. This, to me, is Himalayan, and, as you may have guessed by this point, this is Death’s Door. The unfortunate thing is, where Himalayan’s humble confidence always lands for me, Death’s Door left a lot to be desired.

There should be a lot to love here. The visual design is sharp, with a cool macro lens effect and well-defined shape language. The locations are varied and distinct, while keeping to a consistent palette. The controls are responsive and intuitive. The music is pleasant. The game runs well, and doesn’t have any huge design snags or difficulty spikes that leave it feeling undercooked. It’s just… that’s all there is to it, really. It’s all very polished and well done and dull.

Playing it just feels like going through the motions. There’s this big world, but despite being a crow, you don’t really have any interesting movement options; you’re just slowly running from place to place, and there is a non-trivial amount of backtracking to do. I put all my points in the game’s upgrade system towards movement, just so I could get from place to place marginally faster. The combat is pretty average; its risk/reward projectile system is reminiscent of Hyper Light Drifter. There’s not many mix-ups or options; you have a sword, a dodge, a projectile. You get new weapons, but they’re more or less stat changes. You have upgrades, but they’re pretty unnoticeable percentage stat boosts. None of the enemy designs are particularly compelling* or difficult, and challenge is largely increased by throwing out a bunch of them at once, or in repeated waves.

*I will give the one exception here to the Urn Witch fight, which was chock-full of interesting patterns and give & take.

There’s not even really puzzles, per se. There’s ways you interact with the environment to proceed, sure, and you get items that let you access new areas, but it’s more like being a rat in a maze than anything else. You enter one of the labyrinthine areas, and the way forward is just to make sure you’ve gone down every corridor, pulled every lever, and used the right projectile for each obstacle. You can usually see everything you’ll need to do when you enter a space, you just have to perform the rote actions necessary to proceed in a way that isn't particularly interesting or satisfying.

One of these moments is the exact point where I mentally checked out of the game, during the Flooded Fortress level. You’re walking along a long series of docks and fortifications, occasionally loosing an arrow at a pink button to open the way, but mostly just ambling down a long, winding pathway.

And then, you come to this gate. You’re coming from the path to the top, and you need to get up those stairs and through the gate, but the gate is closed. See that lever, just below the gate? That lever opens the gate. So you walk around the side of the gate, pull the lever, the gate opens, and you can then walk back and proceed through the gate.

What the fuck? What is this? Is this supposed to be a puzzle? Is this gameplay? What are we doing here?

...

Speaking of labyrinthine areas, hot damn, this game could use a map. The levels are sprawling, and while there’s a lot of visual variety between the different areas, each area itself is sorely lacking in landmarks and waypoints. The cemetery hub was the worst offender; every time I had to go back there I had a sense of dread, despite there being literal signposts littered around. I also felt there was precious little actual worldbuilding for how much the game seems to want to be a tone piece. The levels are certainly themed and attractive, they just feel more like levels from a PS1 platformer, using the theme as set dressing. It’s another context situation: fifteen years ago, this level of polish alone would turn heads, while today, I compare it to Hyper Light Drifter’s fabulous and enigmatic environmental storytelling and feel it coming up short.

Death’s Door has its charm. I love the lil spirit guys that line up and follow you around. They did a great job with the main character’s idle pose, how he just twitches around doing bird shit. I thought the furnace sequence, with the pistons synced to the frenetic music, was a memorable standout. Some of the dialogue and characters are great; shout-out to the crow in the main office that just fucking CAN NOT get enough paperwork, like just could not be happier the more monotonous typing she has to do. Keep thriving, queen.

My favorite idea is how you hold a funeral for each boss after defeating them. I’m sure this ties into some of the game’s ruminations on the role of death as the game goes on (I’ll never know, I quit after the Frog King), but it’s just such a novel thing to do. How many enemies do we slay in any game, how many bosses, how many people with names and backstory and motivations do we cut down, and how rarely does a game take a moment to acknowledge their passing? This is obviously not the first game to explore this idea - look at Shadow of the Colossus, hell, I just played through NieR, and I’m sure this has been done before I was even born. But the simple mundanity of having you and the other NPCs gather around and say a few words about some big fuckin frog you just beat to death lends a fascinating sense of gravity and normalcy to the proceedings.

Well, let me pay my last respects to Death’s Door, then. If you came out ten years ago, you would’ve blown everybody’s fucking mind, I’m sure.

[gurggggleburgle]

ok so like i woke up at 4am and this post was screaming in my brain and you can feel free to tell me to kindly go away but I have a theory for where this comes from and it's probably the same reason Lan Wangji drawn with overly gold eyes and the various other color combos we've gotten over the years.

The easiest and simplest answer would be the official art promoters for the donghuas and the book covers/official merch. When I first got into svsss the donghua was in fact just coming out at that point there wasn't nearly any official art pieces to go off on for fanart but the ones that existed were in fact things like this.

Now this piece is simple and has the black eyes so like hey it can't be them but ah wait sports fans! there's more

This image is official art that follows the cannonized design used in the show. Please note the extremely light green eyes that are probably meant to be read more grey. The translation according to google denotes it as a promotional image and the earliest post I found with reverse google image search was back in may 2020 on a facebook group post prior to the show's release.

Even within the show the model has grayish eyes. This was all probably done to help visually distinct SQQ in marketing because fun fact the human brain is bad at distinguishing animated/cartoon characters apart.

While humans are great for pattern recognition animation by it's own nature smooths out so many of the irl distinctions we use to tell apart one another. This why everyone makes the haha all the disney women look alike joke and I acknowledge it is a problem but it's also what you do to get people to read faces because shape language is nigh universal. Anime styled shows and in particular are really bad at this but for another reason. Same face syndrome in anime is because anime was designed to be copy paste virtually from conception. The joke of SAO characters all being kirito in a wig is not a bug but a feature. This is a similar reason to why WWX wears black the entire time he's on screen. It's to help make sure the audience can track him no matter what and I have experienced this happen irl. I had some animator friends watch the show with me and acknowledge that if the show didn't color code the characters they would have trouble distinguishing the designs and yeah that's how that works. I would also like to point out merch and book covers. With SVSSS's show in particular the models are all clearly made from the same base mold and sometimes characters don't seem to be rendered all at the same fidelity so anything distinct helps. Models that are meant to look realistic in 3D really struggle to look compelling especially because the faces in the show have really minimal movement.

While I have not gone through every single piece of scum merch ever and it's hard to what entirely is all official the nendriod itself is already telling. While the eyes are grey they scale a lot towards green depending on the lighting in the photos. This is official merch for a cannonized design and it forgoes dark eyes.

Then there are a few interesting cases in particular with the plushes for minidoll

these two seem to use the green eyed designs. From what I could gather they also went into preorder september 2020

Meanwhile from another company around the same time we go these.

Note the eyes are grey and also color and wise is closer to light green in show and that top promo art.

If you also go through all the publication covers for other countries for scum villain while Shen Qingqiu's eyes are not always green they are distinctly lighter than Binghe's and tend to lean on a grayish green side either by just how they were shaded or by color contrast and lighting. And that's just on my monitors. We often forget that certain screen calibrations could shift the color more green and give the illusion and my tinfoil hat says that's probably part of why this happened.

Now I'm not tech savvy enough to go digging through the Chinese side of the fandom for finding when and how it happened but I can say I dug through blogs and twitter and deviantart posts looking to see if anyone pre 2020 in particular was doing this and other examples. I did in fact find a few and some with blueish leaning eyes

https://x.com/mochiplanet/status/1055713456874151936?s=20

https://www.tumblr.com/nairuru/180597509491/i-wanted-to-try-a-different-painting-style-and?source=share

https://agexp.tumblr.com/post/187771284935/did-you-think-i-hadnt-noticed-your-incessant

Shen Qingqiu by Kanda3egle on DeviantArt

What this tells me is this was at least a thing prior to release. That said a lot of examples still heavily featured grey eyes. In sketches where a one accent color was used sometimes these would appear green because shading ya know.

https://www.tumblr.com/reblog/scumvillain/179870001922/Z5cfHcIf

https://www.tumblr.com/reblog/scumvillain/182707171010/JJwL6TQ2

So why? So why green eyes? My ultimate conclusion after digging around for hours is it probably started early on with simply design synergy and coloring the black/grey eyes in a green tint. Most artist don't use black directly in digital because it's too strong so you use heavy tinted notes of dark grey probably often in a greenish or blueish tone and slowly it shifted bit by bit into what we have today of just green. It's visually distinct on merch and creates contrast pair color scheme between the boys in everyday fanart. This also by virtue of ending up in official merch not necessarily expected to ever reach a western market shows that this was at least conceivable on that side of the fandom.

one of these days i'm gonna be swallowed up by my own salt

[vinxwatches]

watching disenchantment season 1

the parts of it i have seen i remember thinking seemed pretty nice. i don't remember what it was, just that it seemed interesting. the artstyle, simpsons styles, isn't too appealing, but if it's good it'll survive a weak artstyle (it's not like the lower decks looked amazing. not bad but not amazing). lets have a look

netflix opening. yes it's a surprise. i pirate basically everything. no job no income, no income no subscriptions, that's my rule. also fuck big corporations. so far i've never been disapointed with their stuff, but in general i don't disappoint easily and it's not like i watched a lot of their stuff. still they are pretty good about lgbtq+ stuff which makes them one of the less shit companies.

ok yea no like 10 seconds in and i know i'll like the princess. i am, in fact, increadibly easy to please. ok yea no i love the vibe 3 min in. oh how i love some lawful evil. "take of those clothes and come down wearing something princesslike" are not safe words with someone who's confident and doesn't like you. ok, thei visual gags fucking rock. ... this is a lot of notes for less then 6 minutes in. this'll be a good one.

ok that gate is neat and something i may steal for my dnd game. a gate that's a gate into a different realm, damn, it's probably not something i can visually describe well enough to make work.

ok, that's more digs at religion then i'd expect from a show like this. i mean i love it but i can imagine a lot of people didn't.

punching your way trough a glass in lead windows? look elfs and demons i can suspend my disbelief with, but doing unrealistic things with real things is just more immersion breaking.

ok, racist antelope was not a one off joke, it was a two off joke. honestly amazing.

ending of the first episode was on the weaker side, and we don't even have a status quo yet. oh well. still a great episode. i hope they can keep the jokes going.

is mermaid song a genre? because i always really like it.

oh, is the status quo going to be trying to kill the guy and failing? if so i'd love it but i wouldn't guess it.

weak endings seem to be a trend, or at least happened both times now.

ok, you made me lol with a dad joke.

i love the jokes based in history. like yea lemons were probably rare in northern europe seen as they grow further south. sure trade did always exist, but fruit is hard to transport, but bringing them back after crusades? yea, makes sense. also that drug looks like ginger.

ok, the exorcist has some great animation jokes. an exorcist with good aftercare... i mean that does already make him better then most modern exorcists, even with the attempt to kill her to get the demon to leave her, that's nothing special.

yea ok that concludes it this show sucks at endings. the rest of the episode makes it worth it but damn do they suck.

not a fan of Elfo's useless "i want to be with her" thing. it's just creepy. like haha stuck in the friendzone, but no, if you follow someone around not because you can just want to back them that's just creepy.

ok, so this episode is really about that. now to see if it's a moment of change or to acknowledge a problem and yet try to return to the status quo. welp, i'm afraid it's the latter. yet somehow the strongest ending... doesn't mean a lot but maybe shit'll get better with time.

"how dare you bring logic into gods house" fucking love it. also i just noticed that episodes are named chapters, which is just neat. is season 2 named book 2?

i'd love it if she picked up witchcraft. don't expect it, would love it.

"i'm bad at everything" except swordfighting in the last episode, getting things organized, and cleaning up a multi murder scene with but 1 (serious) error.

ok, ep5 easily the strongest ending. not strong, but not weak. and yes now i'll be listing the quality of all endings. because i saw a glimmer of a pattern at the start and now i can't stop. because i'm normal like that /s

damn ep6 starts with a delightful tune on the violin.

ok, there seems to be growth in their relationship. i wonder if it'll stick. also endings continue getting better.

ok, fun twist, also man how do you think you're going to get out of this web of lies my guy? like i lie often, or at least used to, got less stuff to lie about nowdays, and lies need to stay small, believable and concentrated. if you're late for work you don't make up a story about family drama, you lie about local traffic that has no way of coming back up in a much later date and they have no reasonable way of knowing.

damn Tes is a lot of fun. hope we'll see her again.

damn how they re-use characters is really neat. making them deeper characters then they were.

"i'll play you a sad song on the words smallest lute" i mean funny... and googled it to make sure, and no the violin is post medieval period. nevermind then.

damn, not even half way trough season 1 and we seem to be near a finally. mid way big change?

main character death? i don't buy it. damn, i saw that twist coming. oh, did not see that choice coming. like it makes the most sense, but character never make that choice. it's always moving forward and returning to the status quo. they did the exact opposite and now i'm hooked.

damn, that title though (ep10). very happy opening, and then that end. "it took all season" i love such meta jokes.

oh damn, this was well planned out, the kingdown/city was designed for this. amazing. and damn that was foreshadowed

the shows title takes on such a massively different meaning. it started, in my mind, like "oh you think this story is enchanting? nah, we're the cynical joke show. this story is disenchanting" but oh no, it's something completely different.

the room they walk into is supposed to be creepy, with red-ish walls and darker and tall furniture... while i'm sitting in my room. with a black floor. 2 silver and 1 red wall, up to the ceiling black wardrobe, and i'm just thinking "oh that room looks nice". am i the villain? no, but i'm probably at least somewhat goth. including swears in regular phrases to seem ominous also doesn't do much when that's just how it talk too.

damn that's one hell of an episode, setting up where things are going to go while also moving the story a lot. i'm sure that wasn't the last we saw of those 3, probably 4 even.

ok, dealing with the problem of evil, and calling god out for the vileness that is inherit in the character growth excuse.

"emotional support demon" now who came up with it first? the click (the youtuber) or this show?

damn the infernal stronghold looks really cool. the book of people send to hell includes a lot of popes. nice.

not really a twist, it was really obvious, but still nice.

i love the chewing out of god. yes i'm easily pleased sue me.

what the fuck happened between ep 12 and 13? how is everyone alive again? the thing it had wrong was that it was the wrong episode as 13. the site works great, but it often has errors like this. i need to check that the episode is titled the same as the site says it's called.

oh, i like her new look and outlook.

it's a surprisingly good resolution with some more nice mysteries.

damn i really love ex queens exit. it's just so not standard and with a lot of depth to it. a lot of depth we never saw in her before but makes total sense with what we did know, and it's a really heart-warming breakup, something that needs to be normalized more.

neat interpretation of a classic mythological creature. and not a minute later we're taking the other half of those stories. but i really like what they did with it.

damn that's some cliffhanger. what's up with the damn musicbox?

also the 3d in this show stays surprisingly good. the blending between 2d and 3d is far from flawless, but it still allows them to do a lot of cool visual stuff.

and damn that reveal of ogre matters.

not a fan of the circus being thieves. not a good stereotype to continue. also not a fan of my suspicion that they'll double cross. and i was correct. old media or new they keep coming back to this.

do like the twist, but the stereotype is still bad.

cool underwater scene, but you'd both have drowned.

ok, going for a joke ending that made me lol. well done.

name the play "the king & me"? like the untrustworthy story? odd choice.

having to work trough emotional problems? great lesson, great to touch on. i'm also currently binging the show to escape my emotions so i fail to properly apricate it.

looks like a dragon, looks more like an airship.

don't get me wrong i love steampunk, but i prefer when the types of magic words stay separated. or if the steampunk world is dead dwemer style, that one also works.

OH. that's an ending and an half. of all the characters i could believe this would be the one as they can die having fulfilled their purposes in the plot.

talk about a witch-hunt. the kings last action? nope, the queens. fuck

i was thinking of doing the whole show in one post... lets not

[gamersonthego]

GOTG Review: Opus: Echo of Starsong

This is the third game in my Backlog Roulette series, where each month I spin a wheel to randomly select a game on my massive backlog that I must play (though not necessarily to completion). These wheel spins occur on the monthly preview episodes I co-host with my friends on The Casual Hour podcast. Video games can be anything — from a complex web of interactions in something like Crusader Kings, to the twitchy, fast-paced action of a Call of Duty, even to the chill vibes of A Little To The Left — but should they be? Can you think of a time when you were playing a game and thought “this might be better as a movie/book/comic/TV show?” Because that’s kind of where I am on Opus: Echo of Starsong.

Opus is billed as a text-driven side-scrolling adventure game, which, while technically true, seems a bit generous. Outside of its quite pleasing aesthetic elements (interesting characters, a well-realized world, striking visuals and sound design), the rest of the game feels…kind of like an afterthought. 

You can freely move your ship around space, but moving to a destination requires an amount of fuel equivalent to where you were last stationed.

In Opus, you travel around a solar system in a spaceship, talk to people and explore asteroids as you look for increasingly rare caves of lumen (the game’s energy source, basis for religion and handwaving catchall to explain literally anything). But all of these activities feel not just unfun, but so powerfully straightforward as to be mere busy work before the next story beat can be told. 

Driving your ship around the stars requires fuel, and going from place to place can trigger FTL/Oregon Trail-style events. Maybe you’ll run into some pirates and lose some armor plating. Maybe you’ll find a guy who will give you a material with which to upgrade your ship. Sounds like some juicy push/pull risk/reward so far, but you’ll quickly come to realize it all just finds a way to even itself out. You always seem to have just enough resources to get by, and if you don’t, you can be sure you will after visiting one or two more stations along the way. I couldn’t even tell you if completely running out of fuel or armor plating is a lose condition because you’re just not ever put in that position. 

The ship looks great, and the upgrades all show up cosmetically, but they don't really change the way you play the game.

You can upgrade your ship, sure, but you should know those upgrade aren’t really giving you a leg up or expanding your options: They’re just letting you keep up with the slightly higher numbers you’ll need for the next bit. Get a bigger fuel capacity? Lo and behold, your next destinations just so happen to be a tiny bit further out than before. Equip a part that gives you bonus points on your chance dice rolls? Now instead of a 2-in-6 chance, you have a 4-in-12. Lucky you.

Plus there’s the always fun “illusion of choice” dialogue options. Don’t expect any of your decisions to prove especially meaningful. Opus’s story, while well told, is not yours to tell, just to observe.

Even the game’s puzzles are devoid of challenge or interest. Move here. Select a thing. Move there. Select a thing. It’s less about “solving” anything, and more just going through the motions. 

This is about as puzzling as Opus gets. Just line up the white lines with the pillars.

Which leads me back to my main question — Why is Opus: Echo of Starsong a game if all the game stuff is so flat?

The answer isn’t complicated: When video game developers make something, it tends to be a video game. The same way a movie studio is more inclined to make a movie rather than write a book. And people end up having different strengths and weaknesses. The team at SIGONO happen to be pretty good storytellers and visual artists, but maybe aren’t as good at the mechanical parts of a video game. 

The game looks (and sounds) fantastic.

The devs seem to know the strengths of Opus too. Looking into the options menu before I started playing, I noticed an unusual one: You can individually switch on or off each character’s voice lines. The game presents it as a way to perform the game with a group, with each person taking a role of a different character, and the game filling in with voiced dialogue for whoever’s left over (though, do note, there isn’t any English voice acting, just Chinese and Japanese.) I think it’s a hell of a cool addition, but I wouldn’t put my friends through the hell of having to watch me fiddle with the most basic of inventory management before getting back to the next story scene. 

Should Opus: Echo of Starsong be a video game? Maybe, but maybe not this video game. There’s a lot of cool stuff being done in the visual novel space these days. I think Opus could fit in pretty well there. But as is, I just don’t find the fun-to-tedious ration to be in its favor. 

[deliciouswastelandgoddess]

Kinnporsche and Queer Dressing - The Genius of Kinnporsche's Wardrobe

Also read:

The Genius of Kinnporsche's Humour

The Genius of Kinnporsche's Intimacy The Genius of Kinnporsche's Plot Twists

I remember the first time I came across any KP content on Tumblr - it was the entire boat scene set where Kinn is leveling a gun at Porsche asking him to be his bodyguard and P just yeets himself off of the boat. I had no prior knowledge or context for this but I still remember thinking - this looks fruity as hell. And I know it was because of alot of things but primarily it was because of how Kinn was dressed. So I bring to you my take on how Kinnporsche utilizes each character's wardrobe to frame their queerness in the narrative - four characters in particular actually - Tankhun, Kinn, Vegas and Porsche.

I want to prelude this by stating that I like to think of Kinnporsche as a romantic/comedy/action show which happens to have a gay lead pair rather than a gay mafia show - I think the cast and crew have gone out of their way to make it feel that way as well because while there exists a distinctive queer experience of life, in the end people are people and no amount sexuality or gender differences will stop us from empathising and sympathising with a character.

A character's wardrobe can be a powerful tool in delivering narrative short hand. Some short-hands can contribute to creating excessively harmful stereotypes but if done right it can engage the target audiences (queer people in this case) by giving them something to relate to. It could be the way someone talks, or their body language, film references and ofcourse their clothes. To me it feels like the KP showrunners went out of their way to find stylists who were in touch with queer pop culture (both western and eastern) and how that reflects in men's wardrobe (all men I would say but gay and gnc men in particular).

1. Tankhun

Tankhun's style is representative of the early western media depiction of what a gay man would dress like. They haven't really confirmed his sexuality in the show so far but I don't think that matters. Even if he turned out to be straight, the roots of his wardrobe choices lay in the out and proud gays of the 70s, 80s and the 90s in the west.

Tankhun sticks to a masculine cut - blouses and trousers - but the fabrics and colors are not what you would expect from western traditional masculine attire. You see a lot of pink - a colour associated with femininity traditionally, eccentric prints, colorful necklaces, glitter, funny sunglasses, leather, furs, ruffles, and ostentatious jackets. He's confidently loud about his gender non-conformity.

It's also interesting to note that while garish colors or prints are not considered effeminate when it comes to traditional eastern clothing for men, the same group of people would consider it effeminate just because the clothes are western. Tankhun really embodies the idea of queer dressing as we see it in western pop culture - this is queer dressing at its loudest. Also I would give my left lung for that floral Cape he's wearing here.

2. Kinn

Kinn at first glance seems to be the antithesis of Tankhun when it comes to his dressing. He is always in his suits and button downs, hair always in place, luxury watches, etc. - he oozes classic western masculine elegance. Very Very masculine and very very elegant. Even his informal clothing and pyjamas are very crisp. But let me remind you again that it was his ombre suit that made me think that something very LGBT seems to be happening in this show.

Porsche should have clocked him the moment he turned up to Yok's bar in this absolute icon of a suit. It's the softest of colours - a faint blush - completely at odds with his first impression of mafia machismo. He still manages to look edgy in it but it's so so feminine and delicate. The legendary ombre suit is iconic not just because it's a beautifully put together fashion moment (I would give both my lungs for this one) but because it frames Kinn's queerness visually rather than just through words or dialogues. Kinn is also the only character in the story who actually calls himself "gay" like sure everyone is gay in KP but he's the only one who owns up to that label. So not only is he an out and proud gay man he's actually in touch with queer fashion sensibilities and not afraid to use feminine/gnc elements in his dressing. It's also great representation to have different types of queer characters expressing themselves.

Once you start noticing his dressing with a keen eye you can really see that very few straight men would dress the way Kinn does but it's a very subtle thing. His penchant for red, his earrings (oh lord his earrings), the rich boy knit t-shirts tucked into his cropped pants, the 6 inches of ankle over his little pull on shoes - he screams gay but like very quietly. The second time Porsche should have clocked him:

Again to add here, earrings aren't considered to be particularly feminine in many Eastern cultures. Also they are gaining mainstream popularity in the west as well. Thirdly steel jewelry for crime lords is a very old media trope. It's still a little fruity though.

Kinn's wardrobe is hands down my favourite in the show for multiple reasons and the understated queerness just makes it even more delicious. I could go on and on about him in just the first episode but alas we have to move on.

3. Vegas

Vegas is again on the subtler side of the queer dressing spectrum - I would argue he is even more understated than Kinn. He employs a bunch of interesting prints but that's actually pretty normal for asian mafia representation in media (eg: the guy standing behind Vegas in the gif).

His most telling outfit was this red satin blouse which is gloriously androgynous - the cut is pretty masculine, the fabric is feminine and colour is something between the two. It isn't soft at all (unlike the ombre suit) but it's very delicate - both delicate and dangerous - it's a lovely dichotomy. Interestingly this is also an outfit that evokes the way lesbians tend to dress which is a very different vibe to Kinn and Tankhun. I can't articulate why this screams lesbian™ but it does and i think it's very neat.

4. Porsche

My second favourite wardrobe in the show after Kinn's. He started out with the most basic straight manwhore™ outfits but slowly came into his queer fashion sensibilities. The stylists understood the assignment with him people. The tailored Italian pants with worned out t-shirts and old chucks just -*chef's kiss*- love to see it, very LGBT of him.

It's also a fun detail because clearly Porsche is a queer character but he isn't really in touch with queer pop culture so he's picking things up from his partner - he's learning. The high fashion Italian pants are obviously an influence from Kinn who is a much more experienced...ah gay, a learned gay, if you will - he be gaying alot longer than Porsche. Funnily enough though, even before Porsche started dating Kinn he exhibited quirks that I can only chalk up to him being a ✨bisexual✨ like not to sound like a Jane Austenesque puritan but what's with all the rolled up t-shirt sleeves huh??

It's an outdated term but Porsche's recent outfits really channel the Y2K metrosexual™. It's also lovely to see the fact, that there isn't a wrong way to be queer, represented in media. Porsche may not exactly fit into the well-read tuned-in category of the Twitter and Tumblr savvy woke™ LGBT community but he is woke because he is a decent human being. He is also the most traditionally masculine in his fashion choices (the cut, the fabric, the colors) amongst the four discussed in this post- the only remotely feminine thing in his outfits is the delicate silver chain and that's it but his wardrobe still manages to feel like it's catering to the...queer gaze, for lack of a better phrase.

~

There isn't really a conclusion to this post except that I really enjoy overthinking about weird details in the media I consume.

+Honorary mentions:

Lady Jessica and Tay - love what they have done with their gender, absolute legends.

[shirecorn]

how about 17 and 24? what inspires you and how do you deal with art block?

Long post warning.

Art block...

I don't actually get art block, which is probably a combination of neurodivergence and drawing every day for the last 3 years

I wrote an entire tutorial about how to do that, but didn't feel like illustrating it. Would people want to read it even without visuals?

Maybe... I'll just start rambling.

There's a couple different types of art block, and it's really just a philosophy puzzle to get past them. I'm going to assume that the things I think of slow days, or art mud, is a milder form of art block and work through that.

Art block is a symptom, not a disease. You probably have something deep inside that you don't want to face, or don't know how. Sometimes you need to discover the cause, sometimes just power through.

Method 1: Rest

Let yourself just Exist. The act of consuming art is part of the process. Watching shows and playing games, taking a break and going gardening or focus on school. This is what you need for burnout-induced art block.

Method 2: Action

I always choose action, sometimes it means a tiny 2 min sketch per day. Ugly or super simplified. As long as I don't stop moving.

Toss everything. Start every piece thinking you will throw it away.

The act of drawing moves you forward; pinning it to the fridge does not. Don't work things until they are perfect. Work them until they are there.

Art block causes and solutions:

- No Inspiration

Not sure what to draw, nothing seems appealing. Art won't come out like it used to.

Do studies from life or photos. Sketch, paint, digital, traditional, doesn't matter. Rocks, fruit, figure drawing, landscapes, buildings, anything.

Study and copy professional's work. Old masters are best, like rubens, michalangelo (only his men tho) etc because they will teach you anatomy while you work. If you copy someone with a lot of flaws, you will repeat those flaws.

Trace to learn, not to earn. Trace photography and art from anyone you want. Don't post it unless you have the artist's permission or they are dead, whichever comes first. This is strictly work for yourself, on yourself. It's not about the finished drawing.

Find an artist with a fun style and try converting stuff into their style. Don't make that your new style though and especially don't start selling it. Your style is a chimera of everyone you love, not a clone of one person.

Take blurry photos. You don't need a fancy camera or good skills or beautiful subjects. Doing studies from your own photos can spark life into your workflow.

Make challenges for yourself. Randomly generate things to combine. Try fusing characters! Don't try to make it look good, just be fun.

Doodle patterns, swirls, lines, random stuff. Try looking up art warmups and doing some of those.

- Everything Sucks

You finally see how bad you are. Or somehow you got worse. Every piece is a fight and you spend hours trying to get something right only for it to be stiff and disgusting and STILL wrong.

Why are you trying to draw good? It's enough just to draw.

Accept that your art is bad. Every artist can see flaws in their work. Your problem is that those flaws outweigh anything remotely worthwhile and hurt to look at.

So what? You're in a period of growth, not a period of production. Keep that wonky second eye. Let them have hot dog fingers.

Show everyone! Show no one! No piece of art can ever be a reflection of the artist. Not their worth, not their skill. The only thing your art says about you is "Held and moved a pen for a bit."

Make bad art. It's ok. Most of the time, the pressure to perform and get things Right is what made them wrong in the first place. Relax.

- No Motivation

The #1 killer of artists everywhere. On some level you think you should draw, on every other level you think you should stay in bed.

You are not lazy. You wouldn't have read this far in a post about art block if you were lazy. You wouldn't CALL it art block if you were lazy. Laziness is wishing you didn't have to do anything. A block is wishing you were doing something. If you think you can namecall Yourself into productivity again, you're wrong and You need to unionize so that you don't treat You like that anymore.

Consider Mental Illness. Losing interest in something that brought you joy can be a symptom of depression. I know it seems obvious, but if you're waiting for a sign that it's "bad enough," it's bad enough. Seek care if you have the means. Forgive yourself if you already know this.

Selfcare. Examine yourself for neglect. Nutrition, exercise, enrichment, social need, and sleep are all part of the art process. Eat three meals and sleep 8 hours. That's your gaymer fuel. You deserve it, I promise. Depriving yourself of your needs will make your blocks worse, not kick you into making them better.

Identify potholes. Sketchbook falling apart? Tablet cord frayed? Half your pencils missing? Chair uncomfortable? Desk hard to reach? There's a lot of things that you tell yourself to work around and get over. Just because you CAN workaround something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. A difficult work environment can cause secret dread deep inside that you don't recognize and just think you're lazy. What you think of as "no motivation" might actually be "I don't want to deal with my tablet disconnecting every time I move it wrong and I have to wiggle it for a few seconds to make it work again." These little things are like potholes in the road. Sure you CAN still drive through them, but eventually you're going to look up and realize you haven't voluntarily left the house in weeks.

Repair potholes and roadblocks. You might feel bad about buying a new pencil, headphones, tablet, car, etc because technically the old one works if you hustle. But if you're running into so many potholes you've ground to a halt, it doesn't Actually work anymore, does it? Invest, save up, request, and require working equipment and suitable conditions. This stuff isn't just cushy privilege, it's an investment in yourself and your art. You are worth the effort it takes to clear the way. If you can't afford reliable (reliable! not perfect or luxurious) equipment, then say it. If cardboard is all you can afford, draw on cardboard. But know that you deserve canvas, and one day you might be able to make the jump. Acknowledge that sometimes, if you don't have it in you to smear burned twigs on wet cardboard, the problem isn't motivation, but opportunity.

- Haven't Drawn in So Long

A unique type of art block that self perpetuates. The thought of starting again is so stressful you can't do it. Or maybe you'll do it tomorrow. Yeah. Tomorrow for sure.

Face your fears. Are you ashamed of your lack of drawing? Are you anthropomorphizing your paper and thinking it's going to judge you, like "oh NOW you come back >:/" I internalize voices I hear and project them onto other people, concepts, locations, and inanimate objects. Your paper, computer, WIPs folder.... none of that is judging you.

Reframe your WIPs. Do you feel shame when you see "unfinished" projects? Why? Who says you MUST bring everything you start to Finish? You don't have to. A sketch is a finished art piece; it's called a sketch! If a sketch is a fully realized creation, pages that are half colored, 75% lined, or partially rendered are all fully realized creations too. Unless paid otherwise, art is done when you're done working on it.

Lower the stakes. Draw a chibi or grab some crayons. Get messy and slowly ease yourself back into the flow over the course of a couple days. It's fine.

Get a buddy! Find an art meme, do an art trade, get a study subject, or just wing it. Drawing art alongside someone can help you get past that block.

Pretend you never stopped. Don't think about the gap, how long it's been, or rustiness. As far as anyone knows, you drew the mona lisa yesterday and didn't break a sweat. Today, you drew a starfish on your hand with a gel pen. Keep up that streak, good job!

Just keep drawing. Make a goal to do one sucky drawing per day on the back of a napkin. Don't make up for missed days, just pretend they didn't happen. Who's going to judge you? The calendar? That's pieces of paper; it doesn't have an opinion. Draw a cat on it. Done. Keeping up the momentum is a great way to prevent art blocks in the future.

TLDR: Draw imperfectly and toss it. Selfcare is king. Draw often and don't judge yourself.

Art is a process, not a product.

[douxie-casperan]

Rise of the Titans and the assassination Hisirdoux Casperan’s character development

I’ve been ranting so much since Wednesday morning that I finally condensed by thoughts of WHY this one subject keeps setting me off namely the utterly diabolical way they handled Douxie and Archie’s relationship in Rise of the Titans and how it wasn’t just enough to hit him with the nerf bat.

Please note I’m at the point where I literally cannot tell the difference between Aaron headcanons, Teny headcanons and my own they are all mixed together in the blender that does funky things. I also apologise for typo/weird wording it’s half 1 in the morning and I’d rather sleep than edit.

~

If asked to sum up Hisirdoux Casperan there are certainly several things that come to mind:

Sees the value in people as a whole and will find do anything if there is a chance of help someone out

Prefers tactics that disable/banish rather than kill an enemy yet willing and able to pull the trigger if circumstances become forced

While not academically inclined he is very capable of thinking on his feet and outside the box calling back to his time on the streets where a split-second decision making is the difference between being caught and not

Terrible at planning he’ll be in there figuring it out as he goes along which is what makes the previous point so vital to literally how he goes through life

A natural charmer that would let him talk his way out of trouble 9/10 providing a perfect cover for his distrustful nature and reluctance to be touched by random people

Very down to earth, humble and never one to brag unless outright sassing someone

Will bang out some hot tunes at the drop of a hat, his love of music has never wavered once since he caught the bug despite instrument hopping ironically becoming a jack of all trades much like his magic style

The earliest memories he can recall are him as a young boy lost in the woods where he was for an unknown amount of time before his soon to be familiar finds him amongst the roots covered in dirt and drying tears, there is nothing before that. Unbeknownst to him is the colour of his magic matches the blue of a lost mother’s eyes and the song that haunts his nightmares as much as fire could well be hers though there is no way to be sure. From that moment on Archibald, shortened to Archie, would become his entire world and their friendship only becoming closer during the years they prowled Camelot together trying to keep themselves in one piece until the fateful day Douxie tricks the wrong person leading him straight into the path of the famous wizard Merlin Ambrosius.

It's no real secret that Merlin is a very closed off person who keeps his emotions as well guarded as his secrets, prefers the style of negative reinforcement over positive encouragement and is a very strict perfectionist in his. At this point in his life he can be very easily described as a disaster that is genuinely doing his best with every little mistake held of his head and his future self when brought back to that time period is belittled by Lancelot (Errand boy) and Arthur (Boy) too meaning it’s hardly a wonder his confidence was very fragile revelling in the times where he could do things without being told off for it. With Morgana largely ignoring him too (Though personally I like to think as he got older she’d occasionally take an interest until the blistering arguments with their master started to talk over daily life) a certain disguised dragon would have remained a lifeline and give that physical affection he craved much like being told he’d done well never seemed able to earn.

With Killahead he’d lose that home and family he made leaving just the two of them behind struggling to figure out their place in the world that had abandoned them.

There wouldn’t have been the words for it back then but the way he had been treated prior was outright abusive instilling very bad habits into Douxie yet by irony he was always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and help those in trouble without thinking earning a reputation as the Shepard of Fire. He refused to become like him seeking to be better, perhaps not as a wizard (Even though he was learning new charms and spells along the way) but certainly as a person. Despite everything he suffers through or witnesses in the intervening years, the loss of friends and kindling of far newer ones he never loses his good heart 

That said is it any wonder that after rightfully sassing Merlin for resurfacing, ignoring his existence despite being in the same town and only visiting him to run a finding errand that all the confidence he’d managed to build completely from scratch after Camelot wavered causing him to fall back solely into trying impressing his old Master who was acting like his humble apprentice must have coasted the past few centuries who himself fell back into old habits of belittling? It’s only when Merlin started to truly listen and acknowledge that this was not the same Moppet he once knew after Excalibur was fixed that their relationship finally started to become more like equals. After the defeat of Janus the changeling that broke into the castle he touched Douxie’s shoulder with a genuine smile and for a second he simply didn’t know what to do because the old man never did this before his brain kicked into gear and realised he’d finally earned that one thing he’d been so desperate for his entire life: That in Merlin’s eyes he could be more than a failure who only caused problems for the closest thing to a father figure he’d ever had, never solved them.

A staff will be earned, history would be set back on trap by banishing Morgana tag teaming with Archie because they know one another inside and out, as promised he’d get the kids back to the present but soon after things would go badly wrong. They’d lose Jim and because of his very nature he’d make a gamble to try and get him back because that life is worth trying for just for in a moment of surprising selflessness Merlin would be sacrificed to save him. The only constant in his life apart from Archie would apologise, openly express pride and how the greatest thing he’d ever done was saving this orphan, call him son for the first and final time before turning into ash in his arms. There would be no time to grieve for things will barrel into the crescendo of Douxie sacrificing his own life to buy everyone time to escape because if they did that everything he’d ever done would be worth it with one last whispered goodbye.

(Zoe sees him fall, so does Archie – His heart would break if he was conscious just like theirs does when his body crumples into the ground)

On the very fringes of the Light Realm he is gifted one more conversation with Merlin in a truly heart-breaking sequence (THANKS TENY) where they can just talk without any fear of consequence or politics and just be completely honest. Douxie is allowed to stand equal to Merlin, to have the hug he’d needed since he was a child and be allowed to simply let go of every pretense and cry his heart out because this can never happen again. He’s allowed to say goodbye to both his master and Morgana who had both shaped so very much of his life but like the painting he’d always remained firmly in the long shadows of until that moment.

When Hisirdoux Casperan finally leaves Wizards if we just accidently deliberately put the shawarma back in along with checking in with Zoe before departure, it is with having learned to live during his wandering years but this is the point of true freedom because he can finally escape into his own light with Archie by his side to keep Nari out of the hands of those that would see the world harmed. It won’t be easy but it feels possible somehow even with the knowledge everything is simply running on borrowed time.

Then Rise of the Titans happens.

At first everything is genuinely fine! No more running, they engineer a solution shut the Order’s magic down to make them a lot less dangerous and potentially at least incapacitate them until they can come up with a longer-term solution but all the best laid plans and all that. Douxie’s quick thinking stops the train from crushing any of the people below and it’s a very him style move to switch places with Nari to stall for time because for some reason the plot disabled Claire from portaling her or any of the threatened people/heroes to safety. He openly sasses the Order despite knowing the consequences will be bad for him because once again he’s managed to trick them, buy time that at the other end isn’t even slightly utilised until he’s forced back into his own body in excruciating pain. Archie immediately mobs him with comfort just as he has done every single time the wizard is distressed or collapsed with exhaustion without thinking because that is what their bond is like, incredibly close and far more than the Soul Bond mark that connects them together. They’re very alike in that regard, you have to earn the right to touch while equally knowing exactly what form the other needs the most in that precise moment in a way very few others could.

Bar the moment of figuring out that an illusion is in place to hide where the Order is opening the Genesis Seals and the brief insistence on reconnecting with Nari somehow Douxie manages to forget everything that makes him who he is after this point choosing to stand in the background being very no thoughts head empty or can only use the most basic spells of his youthful days not the seasoned master wizard he should be. Nomura is treated like an innocent slip rather than an outright death he did absolutely nothing to prevent (Not to mention the stupid daytime thing) nor seems to care particularly about afterwards yet with Nari’s he’s allowed to openly grieve in a gorgeously animated visual showing how he’d failed to keep her safe despite everything. He did nothing to help here either mind despite allowing himself to be tortured in the same piece of media to keep her safe, just watched another loss happen right in front of his eyes in his conga long line of them.

Then there’s Archie, oh god then there was Archie.

The dragon who even here he’d been shown to have an incredibly close bond with him decides you know what sod that tell him goodbye I’m going to make a joke about having a kingdom now dad and me are trapped in here forever. Douxie on his part looked sad for all of three seconds saying that he hoped he’s happy like it's a pet that wandered out into the world one day and never came back instead of a lifelong companion that has been there for as long as he can remember. He was now completely alone in the world since Zoe was also written out entirely and because every bit of his background had been forgotten about it somehow meant nothing. This wasn’t “I know you miss him, I know you need to grieve but you are running out of time” moment like things had been with Charlie, this was “cool shapeshifting dragon cat is now stuck in a plot hole that’s a shame” with zero pay off or any of the genuine reaction that should have been there or hell even trying to Ohana him back that very second because it never should have happened in the first place. Then even this wasn’t enough somehow, they managed to de-power Douxie even further into uselessness bar the (Admittedly nifty!) sticky feet stunt, the one who fought Skrael and Bellroc to a stalemate was shunted aside with barely a thought and his head would somehow get even emptier.

The one person who knew the danger of time magic the most stood by and said nothing.

The one person who would suffer the most by a reset because the lynchpin to his issues would be asleep if you got it wrong and should have drilled it into Jim’s head the best time to aim for stood by and said nothing.

The one person who had just suffered the loss of his familiar, best friend and only family along with the almost sister like Nari stood by and said nothing.

Then to add further insult to injury the caption when Douxie and Archie is shown says Some go their entire lives living an existence of quiet desperation because every drop of his character growth, his ability to finally start addressing his trauma instilled back in the 12th century, the staff he longed for was instead openly mocked by going “Aww he got his cat friend back how nice!” Everything he’d rightfully earned and had now would be unable to progress until certain criteria are met because it hinges entirely on the Trollhunter going to Merlin’s tomb and there’s only so much your support network of two (One if she’s written out) can do, the root of the majority of his issues all stem from one man.

And this folks is why I’ve been going on multiple rants about Douxie in particular, everyone was hit with the out of character bat to some degree in this film but when they came for him they didn’t just stop after they took his legs out because they wanted him to suffer from something he’s never had any control over to begin with all over again. Abuse survivors deserve better, these characters deserve better and we as viewers deserve far far better writing than we were forced to endure.

[jostepherjoestar]

Do the Stardust Crusaders prefer an adorable or sexy s/o?(not poly, like what does each member prefer? also i hope this made sense)

Stardust Crusaders and their preferences HC’s

suggestive // gn reader

So this one made me think a little since in my opinion your fave will ALWAYS like you no matter what! So instead of only going by “adorable or sexy” let’s widen it up and delve a bit deeper into their preferences personality wise and style wise :D (ofc u will always be their favourite dw 😌) Kakyoin and Jotaro are kept sfw!! 💖✨

Avdol

Avdol is such a kind and understanding soul but still never afraid to voice his opinion in an earnest manner. He’ll appreciate that sentiment in his partners too, open to many ideas and understanding others’ way of thinking.

He does enjoy someone who’s a bit rowdy or playful to help bring out that side in him. Being silly together and just overall heightening the playful atmosphere really puts him at ease.

That’s the exact reason he secretly loves a little bit of chaos around him. Avdol himself is calm and determined but drama and unexpected events always seem to follow him. Don’t worry though, he loves being able to stride in and show off his abilities he’s so proud of!  

Be sure to work on your debate skills though, the man is a whole library of knowledge and if you end up in a discussion he needs you to be able to offer your substantiated opinion. If you talk him into a corner, be sure to soften the blow to his ego with lots of hugs and kisses afterwards 😌

Style-wise the man doesn’t have strong preferences. Earthy tones and a natural flare complement his own style very well though, so he loves a bit of a scholarly look as well. Show up in a long coat and cute glasses carrying some cool old books you’ve found and he might just swoop you off your feet hehe!

If you wear a minimalistic set in the bedroom- think dark burgundy, chocolate, burnt orange, he cannot take his eyes off of you. He’ll treat you like the absolute present you are while he unwraps you 😏  

Polnareff

Let this man spoil you for the love of all that is good!!!

He has SO much love to give and he will shower you by the bucketload so you better enjoy his antics! He thrives off of complementing you, albeit with the cheesiest lines, anything to see your cheeks flush. Also expect lots of cute gifts!!

If you’re a bit clumsy, get embarrassed easily and are a bit shy... Polnareff will never let you go, he’s so smitten by the way you stand behind him so often while meeting new people as he chatters away. He’ll pull out his best charming jokes to get you to laugh and when he sees how cute you are trying to hide your smile he’ll come smother you with kisses.

Loves it when you go along with his jokes and impulsive nature but prefers it if you’re a bit more responsible, the man struggles with self control so needs some guidance and someone to hold up the stop signs.

He will also look up to a more dominant person just as much, wanting to make sure he does everything to be on his best behaviour to please you. But he never looses that cheeky side and loves getting reprimanded for it. (not just in the bedroom, daily life as well) So make sure to keep that leash tight ;D!

Ok as much as I hate to say it... this man’s style tastes can be a bit tacky. If you like pink he’d love to see you in anything cutesy and frilly, perhaps to a worrying degree. Be sure to gently steer him to your own choices, he’ll forget all about his own ideas if you show a bit of skin anyways. This man is too easy to distract for his own good 🙄

Oldseph (forgive me Suzy Q 🙏)

Because he is the way he is *sigh*, he loves being yelled at for his antics. Joseph will never stop acting like a child no matter his age, that youthful sparkle always present even as he has started to take life a lot more serious.

Boss him around a little too much and he’ll pick you up just to smirk at you until you shut up. Eye-rolls are the dead give away that you like him and he’ll gladly accept them along with the annoyed sighs.

If you reside on the other side of the spectrum- playful and offering a childlike wonder too, he’ll take it all the way. Everyday is a silly playdate, joking around, showing off, any way to impress you and pull you along into the fun.

He LOVES vintage clothes, the fifties are his favourite era style wise and adores it when you dress the part. Joseph ain’t no chump so he’ll always offer to pay the deft fees of authentic vintage pieces. Hell, he’ll even fly you overseas if there happens to be a special item on sale that you’ve been eyeing.

Just like Polnareff, he loves to spoil you. Indulging your every need, even when you’re grumpy or mad at him. It’s his life’s goal to make those droopy corners shoot upwards with his dumb jokes and antics.

Stroll up in nothing but stockings and garters and he’s dead. Good job you killed the un-killable Joestar! But before his soul ascends the mortal plane he’ll ravish you, sure to buy you a new pair that’s even prettier.

Jotaro

As we all know this edgy dude doesn’t love loud annoying people. But here’s a secret he’ll never audibly let slip: if he sees you holding yourself back, trying not to be “too” much of anything he might not like... that next yare yare is him admitting he doesn’t mind it, as long as you don’t start yelling. He’ll actually enjoy your excitement, quietly of course, sure not to let others onto his amusement of your cuteness.

If you share his interests (marine biology, reading, nature in general) he’ll feel a bit more inclined to talk about them, just a smidge. Jotaro enjoys listening to you talk about your passions though, even if they differ from his. That intent stare taking in the way your eyes sparkle, that cute smile making butterflies flutter in his stomach.

Even though he loves going on walks, admiring nature and inhaling the fresh air, he is a secret homebody and would love it if you shared the sentiment. Lounging on the couch in comfy clothes, quietly enjoying each other’s presence while doing your own things, just basking in the shared space.

Since this is SDC Jotaro, he’s in the early stages of his love for showing off his accessories and he likes it when you do too. Just a couple of small hints at your likes through cute pins or a small chains.

He likes to be stylish but is by no means that into fashion, he knows what he likes and sticks to that. But if you’re a bit more of a fashionista he’ll share his opinions on louder outfits that attract a lot of attention. Just don’t take it too personal, he means well 😬

Likes you best in your comfortable pj’s, wrapped up like a cute burrito in a dolphin blanket 🥰

Kakyoin

As much as the jokes get made, if you’re the mom friend, he’s constantly trying to do right by you. A doting nature that still lets him be independent will make him go 🥰😍!!

Love and kindness towards others is so endearing to him, and if you’re not afraid to speak your mind openly, he might have to confess his love right this minute. He won’t be shy in letting his liking for you show either, offering charming jokes and compliments whenever you’re near.

And if you share his dry genZmemer humour, gently starting to drop hints that you’re not afraid to be a bit edgy you become his ultimate favourite person.

Because of his introverted nature, he likes someone who is a bit more independent as well, offering yourselves time and a comfortable pace to move in throughout the relationship.

He also greatly admires a strong need for justice and loyalty to a cause, it shows integrity and intelligence. That fiery passion in your eyes invigorates him just as much!

Kakyoin loves elegance and something that complements your features, no matter what style. He does have a bit of a thing for having matching colour palettes or at least ones that complement each other.

Cool gem tones are his favourite; emerald, ruby, sapphire...the list goes on.

At home though...get him a random shirt with a ridiculous slogan or phrase and he’ll wear it till it’s barely hanging on by a thread. Make him one too, a plain white shirt with a scribbly drawn frog or a meme-y phrase! He’ll wear it forever, being reminded of his love for you every time he laughs at the visual 😊

[shadydirt]

I think this is the best scene of Qrow’s transformation, because for once he isn’t transforming completely behind something, we can see part of the transformation,, but what we can see is... well, exaggerated proportions aside, very interesting.

Remember this scene from RWBY Chibi?

Where Qrow gets himself stuck mid-transformation with the head of a human and body of a Qrow, he comes to Ozpin to get help, to which Ozpin switches the way his body was stuck instead of simply making him human.

Well, once again RWBY Chibi is foreshadowing things that’ll happen in the show just slightly different.

We’ve never actually seen a transformation before, both Raven and Qrow have a tendency to transform behind things, obstructed from view. Every time they do so, one frame they're a bird the next their human, this.. always felt like a weird animation cop out to me, like why not give us a visual of the transformation unless A) You haven’t thought of one or B) The way you want to do it is gonna be a lot of work and there's more priority on other animations.

Whatever they intended with it, we have a GREAT base to work with with his episode because of the way it’s framed. Yes, once again Qrow is obstructed by something, but this time it’s something small and we have a fixed area of space because Qrow is close to the floor when he transforms, not high up in the air.

After Qrow was found under a piece of ruble, he flies up towards the face of the soldier who found him. The camera then pans father out, moving Qrow and the soldier to the background (conveniently obstructing Qrow's transformation with more rubble.).

In this frame we can see Qrow’s head, landing just at knee hight of the soldier, there is no way his entire body is obstructed, he’s too close to the floor and the next frame shows he still has the momentum he’s built up with his wings as he starts to jump out.

As we can see more of Qrow, we see his arms are pushed behind him, lining up with the way his wings were when he was in bird form, and feathers appear around the newly exposed parts of his body.

Next frame we have him pushing his arms forward to take the guard down, we see all of his torso and the start of his legs (Again, we’re ignoring the exaggerated proportions because that’s just the animation style) once more feathers clustered around the newly exposed parts.

And lastly, Qrow’s legs and feet are exposed as he pushes the guard back, and it’s hard to see against the dark background but if I increase the exposure like so,, we see the last cluster of feathers in the air behind him.

Conclusion? Qrow’s transformation isn’t as clean as it seems, he doesn't just turn into a bird instantaneously, his body morphs to be part bird-part human as he transforms. 

This... doesn't really hold any significance or anything, I just wanted to point out we do know how he transforms now. And who knows? Maybe he can choose certain parts of his body to be human versus crow, he just doesn't because there’s no actual use for it. 

[rantrambles]

Ever get so upset you make a Tumblr account to vent?

I haven’t even listened to The Penumbra Podcast yet but it’s on my list because it’s insanely popular and the cosplays I’ve seen are hot as hell (A+ to all the cosplayers I’ve seen you’ve done great work). Now, with the recent news surrounding the podcast, I’ll wait till it’s done if I ever do get into it. I’m Asian and part of the LGBT community but I’m not nonbinary so I can’t say much about the trans represention in the art but I wanted to add my two cents on the matter as a person of color and someone examining the situation from the outside. Also, before I get deeply into it, I’m not the only person of color with opinions on this matter so if people have their own frustrations and criticism with the racism in The Penumbra Podcast and/or the new artist they hired, definitely listen to them too. These are my own personal opinions, and I’m sure other people will disagree and that’s fine. We’re all going to have different views on this so bear that in mind. Also, feel free to correct me or add anything if I’ve missed some information. Here’s a great breakdown of the whole situation for those that don’t know what happened. Finally, I was very hesitant to post this, but I felt it was important because I make a statement at the end on how race should be presented in a podcast format so if you are interested in making a podcast and want to have a diverse range of characters, please skip to the end to read those thoughts.

I’ll start off by saying, I’m not even that upset with the new artist that The Penumbra Podcast hired. I know that statement alone is controversial but I don't personally know them, and I’m not going to judge who they are as a person by a few pieces of art they’ve made. They are the least of the problems that I have here. Since the announcement and the backlash, I’ve been scrolling through the artist’s Instagram account and I can tell why people find the designs offensive, but I’m also comparing the designs to the artist’s other work, and I honestly believe that’s just their style. They’ve exaggerated the features of just about every character they’ve made, regardless of race or gender. From what I’ve seen the sharp angles and overly round curves in the anatomy that make some of the character’s features more jarring are how they prefer to draw. I’m sure they’re capable of drawing more realistic proportions but for the most part they’re art aims to call attention, be bold, and create distinguished features. Not inherently a bad thing on its own.

And yeah I’d understand the issue if this were a scenario where the artist heard how these characters acted in the podcast and thought “hey, obviously this character is a black woman because they are super strong and therefore must have big muscles, no other woman could look like that” or “hey, this character has to be Asian because they act super seductive sometimes better draw them as such.” But from my understanding the race was already decided by previous official artists and a general description of the characters were already generated by the audience, similar to how The Magnus Archives leaned towards drawing scrawny Jon with black, greying hair and dark skin. The new artists couldn’t really change those features even if those features aren’t described in canon because a depiction that strayed too far from popular fandom interpretation would make the character’s unrecognizable to the fanbase. 

I think the reason this became such a big issue for most people is because the new Penumbra artist used their exaggerated art style when making these characters and people of color and nonbinary folks already see themselves drawn as these exaggerated caricatures all the time (with those images being used to further discriminate against them). I’m sure the artist didn’t mean for their art to be offensive, but that of course doesn’t change how it was received. 

According to some, the poses and expressions the artists chose did not fully represent the characters entirely and only served to further perpetuate harmful stereotypes, and I’ll have to take their word for it because I still haven’t listened to the podcast so I have no idea how the characters act. But again much of the criticism is based on the one line-up and doing a deeper dive into the artist’s work I managed to find artwork that was much less offensive. Here some art where Vespa is depicted in a non-violent pose and one where Vespa is in a threatening pose but not an overly violent one. Here is Peter drawn in a non-seductive pose. Hopefully, the artist truly does keep the criticisms in mind as they work on the new official art. I’m just not the type of person that wants to get the pitchforks out and cause this particular person to lose a job they seemed really excited about over their old character line-up, especially when that person is also part of a marginalized group.

Again, that’s just my opinion on that particular artist. Those who are offended by their art are still valid in how they feel, and the artist should absolutely take their criticism to heart to better how they represent the characters.

What I’m more upset about is that I think The Penumbra Podcast should never have released official art for their characters in the first place and that’s their mistake that they refuse to own up about. They have made it clear that the story was never meant to portray characters of colors, a fact emphasized by the fact they hired mostly white actors from the start. They only started releasing art of the characters to get a profit. And the thing is they know what they did was wrong. All I had to do was search Penumbra Podcast racism and there is a note on their website saying that they archived some old official art.

“We have discontinued all Penumbra merchandise that uses the original character designs, and in the meantime, any profits on the sales of that merchandise will go to the For The Gworls project. We also realize that the depiction of these characters as POC, while not appropriate for us to use in our marketing and merchandise, has nonetheless become personally meaningful to many POC listeners. For that reason, and because we do not wish to distance ourselves from our mistake, we are keeping these images on our website for archival purposes. Though we do want to make it clear that many of the main/featured voice actors are white and that we did not write the characters to represent any specific POC experience, you are, as always, free to imagine these characters in any way that you like.”

I went to their shop and they still sell posters and pins with the character’s faces on them, but they are donating it to a good cause so hopefully that stays the same. However, I still find it a little uncomfortable that they are still selling character merch and have plans to continue selling character merch. They have no right to dissuade the fans that already found representation in the characters, but they also have no right to profit off the representation that was built, regardless if they made the story. 

Let’s compare this to another piece of popular media. I love Avatar the Last Airbender and, I liked the ATLA voice actors just fine but there should have been more people of color doing voice acting behind the screen too. The voice actors for that show were mainly white too, however, the creators knew that they would be making poc characters. That’s what makes the difference. Did they still choose to go with mostly white voice actors? Yes. Could they have done better and pay more people of color? Also yes. But I’m not as furious at them because they did their research on the cultures they were basing the ATLA world off of and intentionally gave us a show where Asians could see characters that looked like them represented on the screen. The Penumbra Podcast did not do any of that. Again, they openly admitted that it was never their intention to make the character’s people of color when they made the podcast so that goes to show no research was made to properly represent specific cultures. The color of the character’s skin in their official designs therefore became more of aesthetic choice rather than representation, and it wasn’t even their aesthetic choice to begin with!

Race isn’t a color you can just throw onto the character because you feel like it. So I want this to be a lesson to anyone that wants to make a podcast: if you want to include poc characters please do some research into the cultures you plan to represent the way you would with any other form of media. Just because the audience can’t see the characters and just because it’s harder to smoothly introduce the character’s appearance doesn’t mean you’re allowed to be lazy on how you present the characters. Do research before you start writing the first episode and take the time to hire poc actors. Hiring poc actors is actually the least that can be done to show representation. Also, since the audience cannot visually see the race of the characters on a podcast and it can’t typically be described the way you would in a book, you’ll have to be creative. It’s not my job to say how, but my suggestions would be, before the fans come up with their own image of the character, you need to establish race in the first few episodes or release character profiles on a website so that the fans know you canonically intended the characters to be of a certain race even if you aren’t able to mention it in the actual podcast. If you are unwilling to do any of these then the best route is to avoid stating race at all and allow the audience to build their own representation into your form of media. However, once this happens, you are not allowed to profit off popular fan interpretations. You lose all rights to create official art or images of the characters. You cannot use “we have a diverse cast of characters” when you market your story. It doesn’t matter whether you created the content or not, you did not create the representation for those minority groups.

It’s one thing for fans to build their own inclusivity into a form of art like a podcast, but it’s another thing for the creators who never worked to make the representation happen to take advantage of the representation that the listeners built for themselves. Thank you for attending my TedTalk.

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: ‘Wizard City’ (Distant Lands, Ep. 4)

Airdate: September 2, 2021

Story by: Adam Muto, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang, Hanna K. Nyström, & Charley Feldman

Storyboarded by: Maya Petersen, Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, & Aleks Sennwald, & Haewon Lee

Directed by: Miki Brewster & Jeff Liu (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)

An episode focusing on Peppermint Butler’s dark side is something that the fandom has craved ever since the little guy demanded Finn and Jake’s flesh in season two’s “Death in Bloom.” While installments like season five’s “The Suitor” and season six’s “Nemesis” did much to scratch that itch, the story of the Dark One remained mostly unknown…

And after “Wizard City,” it still remains largely unknown. But that’s OK, because instead of focusing on the character’s history, this special focuses on Peps’ quest to relearn magic at a magic school. Put most simply, this special is largely a fun excuse for the show to riff on Harry Potter and The Owl House-style “magic school hijinks,” and it mostly all works.

The special follows Peps quest to go to WizArts (a definite play on CalArts, the school that Pen Ward and Adam Muto, among many others, went to) so that he can relearn magic and once again become one of the greatest dark wizards of his time. Initially, Peps tries to make friends with cool kid Spader and his posse, but once they learn that Peps is not as talented at magic as they had initially thought, they kick him to the curb. It is at this point that Cadebra, Abracadaniel’s adorkable niece who is fascinated with stage magic, enters the picture. Cadebra tries everything in her power to befriend Peps, but Peps pushes back, since she’s not “cool.” It does not matter, though, because both Peps and Cadebra are sorted into the same “house”—the “Skink House—and are forced to work together.

While Peps and his cohort begin learning more and more complex magic, a secret cult of school professors, led by the otherwise caring Dr. Caledonius, are scheming to resurrect Coconteppi, a powerful dark wizard whose putrid heart has been discovered underneath the school excreting a very powerful ichor. The school cult kidnaps Spader and gives him some of the ichor to drink; they hope that because of his talent, he will be able to house the spirit of Coconteppi. This does not go as planned, and Spader is graphically killed (albeit off screen). (In a more humorous moment, Bufo, the scam wizard from season one’s “Wizard,” also ingests some of the ichor, believing himself powerful enough to handle it, but it kills him.)

Eventually Peps and Cadebra learn what is going on. Dr. Caledonius welcomes Peps, believing that he is strong enough to handle the ichor. When Cadebra’s life is put in danger, Peps reluctantly gives the putrid fluid a swig, which infuses him with the power of Coconteppi. Coconteppi-Peps then kills all the cult members before Cadebra manages to remove the ichor from Peps body. For uncovering a heinous plot, Peps is promoted to the highest house, “Salamander,” but he decides to remain a Skink and learn magic “the hard way” with Cadebra as his friend.

As I mentioned near the start of this review, “Wizard City” spends most of its time riffing on the “magic boarding school” trope, with much of the episode feeling like a light-hearted parody of Harry Potter: The characters, after all, are “sorted” into “houses,” they learn various types of magic from skilled “professors,” and they bunk in different parts of a large castle-like campus. Of course, Harry Potter didn’t invent the idea of a boarding school, but when setting your story in a school for magic, it is very hard not to lean at least somewhat into the Hogwarts relation. And this really is a double-edged sword, for while Harry Potter references can be fun here and there, they can also make the overall story feel like a fanfic parody. This special does a good job focusing more so on the characters rather than the setting, but I won’t lie, at times it did feel as if they show was really trying to make you realize it was making a Harry Potter joke.

Of all the characters introduced in the special, the breakout star is easily Cadebra, voiced by Chloe Coleman. Radiating a sort of Mabel Pines energy, Cadebra is the beam of optimism who shines brightly in an otherwise macabre special. There is something about her plucky personality and sense of wacky individualism that charms the viewer. I appreciate how the show compared and contrasted her with her uncle, the one and only Abracadaniel: like her uncle, Cadebra is a good person who wants to help others, but unlike Abracadaniel, she has a sense of courage and fortitude that results in her taking on a Coconteppi-possessed Peps at the episode’s climax. (Say what you will, Abracadaniel stans, but our favorite custodian would never have done that!) Thanks to her bravery and dedication to Peps, Cadebra is easily the heart of the special.

The episode throws an interesting little curveball into the mix by having the ‘ghost’ of Past Peppermint Butler constantly haunt Peps in the here-and-now. Past Peppermint, it seems, was so determined to become a great wizard, he cursed himself, so that if anything were to go awry, his Past self could materialize and set him straight. It’s confusing, but I do think that mixing the “overbearing parent” trope with a curse is a clever idea; it gives the whole special some dramatic heft. The whole setup is made even funnier by the special’s conclusion: After Future Peppermint Butler is ‘defeated’ and the day is saved, Peps reveals to Cadebra that he still wants to be a great and powerful dark wizard… but he wants to earn that power through hard work and determination. (Peppermint Butler might commune with demons, but he would never sell his soul to one for power; Glob helps those who help themselves, ya know?)

One of the special’s strongest points is its background art. Adventure Time always had some beautiful set pieces, and this special goes above and beyond to give WizArts an ancient sense of grandeur and mystery. Ghostshrimp, a freelance artist who was the show’s lead background designer during seasons 1-4, return for this special as a “visual developer”—basically, he mocked up a bunch of rough designs for the locales, and then the episode’s background artists worked up the final pieces in his style. On his podcast, Ghostshrimp mentioned how hectic he found Adventure Time to be, because he was used to taking his time on pieces. As such, the decision to bring him on for just development was smart, as it allowed him to still come up with iconic background designs while also playing fast and loose with everything. Hopefully the show will continue this approach with the Fionna and Cake miniseries that is coming up. After all, Ghosthsrimp’s style is the look of Adventure Time.

Another strong point for the episode is its voice acting. For one thing, you have your regulars like Tom Kenny and Dana Snyder, and Duncan Trussell, who all give a solid performance. But to voice many of the special’s new characters, the show brought on a bevy of fun actors: Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader, for instance, is now voicing Bufo, and he does a solid job hamming up his role as the old fogey. And then there’s Toks Olagundoye, whose British accent gives Dr. Caledonius a sense of knowledge and expertise. To my delight and surprise, SungWon Cho, an internet personality and voice actor perhaps better known as ProZD, was tapped to voice Brain Wizard, and he does an excellent job. And finally, Anthony Stewart Head, a very talented actor who I know best as Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, voices Con Wizard, and is even given a fun little ditty to sing. I can safely say that the voice acting in this special is likely the best of the bunch, and it’s obvious that the actors were all having a great time playing their parts.

What drags the whole thing down, in my opinion is the excessive murder. (I joked on Twitter that during the climax of “Wizard City,” it felt like I was watching an Adventure Time-ified version of Invincible!) Infused with the power of Coconteppi, Peps goes on a brutal killing spree, boiling Potable Wizard into steam, zapping Dimension Wizard into another plane of existence, smashing Berdzerd, and—perhaps most graphically—excerebrates (had to look that word up!) Brain Wiz. On Twitter, @sometipsygnostalgic​ argued that while, yes, the scene is startling, it does wonders to transmute “a poor Summer Camp Island knockoff [into] Adventure Time chaos.” The more I think about it, the more I think that’s a fair point; after all, this is hardly the first dark thing that has happened in Adventure Time. But the part that I cannot really stomach is the fact that Spader was murdered for no real reason, and the special ends without anyone really expressing their horror at the situation. Sure, Spader was a schoolyard bully, but he was also a child. And killing a child—either for the drama or the lulz—feels decidedly out of place in an Adventure Time episode. It’s hard to express, but it just felt unnecessarily nihilistic and mean-spirited.

All things considered, I think this was a fun episode, but it was somewhat underwhelming for a ‘finale.’ Much of this is because it had to air after the perfection that was the back-to-back “Obsidian”/”Together Again” wombo combo. But I can’t help but feel like this special just felt a little... off. A little too meanspirited, and it leaned a bit too much on standard tropes. Still, it was a fun spin, and I know that I’ll rewatch it.

Mushroom War Evidence: As Peps rides the bus to school, he passes a bunch of abandoned houses, some of which are buried in the ground. There is an unexploded bomb above the fossilized elephant in the school. Cadebra has a dream that takes place in the ruins of a city.

Final Grade: B+