#masked characters are cooler anyway>>>

[peppzi]

Seeing other ppls operators/drifters that look like fucking supermodels then.. there's.. my.. son. My ugly horrible son. He's hideous.

[autistic-britta-perry]

watching bmc London and having the opposite experience of when you hear musical songs out of context and interpret stuff that's not actually in the text not only it is THERE but there's even more in the dialogue

[attleboy]

i thought too hard about insect motifs got a little silly and made... a lot lmao these versions of the characters are from @sm-baby's amazing digital carnival au!! full images and rambling about insect choices are gonna get stuck under the cut... it'll be a bit long and i will be putting photos of real bugs down there so be mindful

pomni: "butterfly"

inspirational species are black swallowtails mostly for the shape, and malay red harlequins mostly for the pattern

carnival pomni's actually the one that kickstarted this whole set... i drew her hat in a way that reminded me of butterflies, went "wait...", then i fully leaned into it :)

jax: "centipede"

there was no specific species for jax. without being able to use color, they were too similar to pick any out... i have included a giant centipede just for reference though since it was mainly larger centipedes i used for inspiration

anddd there's a little bonus sketch for how pre-sentience jax might've looked with a centipede outfit... he gets a bug scarf and some goggles!

ragatha: "ladybug"

inspirational species was the twice-stabbed ladybug chosen because the inverted color scheme looked the best out of all the ones i tried, and also because it's a metal name and we know ragatha's good with a knife... stabby stab... i did add more than two spots to the dress though, it just looks cooler lol

gangle: "spider"

inspiration was the spinybacked orb weaver which i was absolutely ecstatic to find because come on that is the perfect spider for gangle like look at it!! it looks like her mask, it's got red, it's got gold on the limbs, literally twinning

zooble: "mantis"

inspiration was the spiny flower mantis which, like with gangle, i feel is pretty much perfect for zooble... they come in many colors (including pink), have abstract patterns, and it gave me the excuse to cover zooble in spikes :D fun

and no kaufmo because i'm lazy and he's dead (sorry kaufmo fans but am i wrong), and the rest don't have bug names that i know of?

i still want to draw the carnival characters in their regular looks sometime, i just got really really inspired by the idea of secret skins and bug-themed outfits and went a liiittle haywire :P

anyways if you read all that you're a real one and you've got too much time on your hands... if you didn't, i understand, i get wordy, sorry :'D okay i think that's all byeee

[vrisrezis]

Love triangle?? With atsv characters

Basically a love triangle between them, their spider alter ego and you … ?

Gwen has been longtime best friends with you and Peter for what feels like forever. Even after peters passing, you and Gwen remained close. Throughout the years, it was only natural for gwen to fall for you, her best friend. Peter had often encouraged her to try and go for it, but she never gave in to the temptation. Not when she has been lying to you for so long about who she really was. While her dad did often speak his mind on the mysterious spiderwoman and his doubts, you always seemed excited talking about her. It didn’t take long for her to find out you were not only a huge fan, but definitely had a bit of a crush.

This was amusing to her, obviously. But it also made her wonder if you felt nothing for the real her, and you just liked some alter ego of hers because she was cool and saved the day or whatever.

How you and spiderwoman met, was not under the best of circumstances. As you can imagine.

Growing up, you were always pretty tough. Fighting for and defending Peter against bullies, it was what drawn gwen to you right away. You always stood up for others, and perhaps in the real world it’d get you in more trouble, trying to help a defenses old man against some mugger, you nearly got real hurt in the process. Thankfully, your celebrity crush was there to web him up.

She remembers the look you gave her, you were so.. awestruck.

You never looked at her like that. Not the real her, anyway.

“Thank you spiderwoman!” you say with glee, a word she would almost never use to describe you.

She clears her throat, seeming off guard by the way you greeted her. Or perhaps she was caught off guard by how beautiful you looked in the moonlight. Is it hot outside or is it just her suit?

“Uh… uh…” she hesitates for a moment, before displaying faux confidence. She nods in understanding, “anytime, hopefully next time I’ll see you under better circumstances, cutie.” she says with a wink, before swinging away.

There’s practically hearts in your eyes, did spider woman… just flirt with you?!

Meanwhile, gwen is freaking the hell out over the fact she just said that. It’s certainly easier to flirt under the mask, she supposes.

You didn’t shut up about spiderwoman for the next week.

Miles was one of your best friends, had been for over a year now. Although this friendship, to many seemed newly found, to you both it felt like you knew eachother forever. You often ignored how Ganke never failed to mention that’s something people in love say about eachother.

Ganke was a close friend to the both of you. He was also very much aware of how miles was keeping this huge secret from you, and he often relayed to miles how he should just tell you already. Miles said no, everytime. So ganke had to resort to desperate measures, on one of your many hangouts with the two males.

“Hey, I’m curious.” Ganke starts, “what do you think of Spiderman?”

Miles nearly chokes, he looks wide eyed at ganke, as if ganke just killed a cat. Honestly, ganke is surprised miles hadn’t brought up Spiderman to you himself before, but honestly miles was terrified of what you actually thought, to the point he didn’t want it mentioned at all in front of you.

But your immediate grin makes miles almost audibly sigh.

“I think he’s awesome! Way cooler than the other one to be honest like wow have you seen that suit? Nice color.” Miles couldn’t help but notice the way your eyes lit up in excitement. How come he hasn’t heard you talk about spiderman before if you liked him so much?

“Hey, miles?”

“Huh?!” he yells, his voice becoming so high pitched it sounded like he was just hitting puberty, making you laugh.

“I- I mean.. yeah… what’s up?”

“Do you think he’s … cute?” you ask, rather curious what miles thinks of spiderman.

Ganke almost laughs at how wide miles eyes are, somehow even wider than before.

You would eventually have the chance to meet spiderman, which was not something miles would be happy about. A fight with a particularly … tough villain had caused much damage to the city. Miles swears, today he had to pull up at least 3 buses by his webs.

However, the bus you were in, as plain as day. He couldn’t see anyone but you, the other people in the bus being a blur to him.

He was scared, so so so scared. The moment you’re out and safe, he wants to hug you. He almost does, but he’s able to restrain himself once he feels gwen tug his arm, warning him of how weird that’d be.

He sighs, but he sees you smile at him, grateful. He’s blissfully unaware of how hot your cheeks are, seeing him in the flesh, in person.

You wonder if he’d be okay with signing an autograph.

Hobie was never the type for being subtle. He was blunt, but because of his casualness about it people do not take what he says seriously. He didn’t plan on making a strong effort to hide being spiderman from you. Because he trusts you, with his life in fact.

You two have fought together on many different occasions, way before he became spiderman. People didn’t like either of you, when you were young at least. Strong and unafraid, and like him, you often spoke your mind about things. Granted, you were a lot nicer about it but still. It’s something he definitely likes about you. To him, falling for you just felt natural. Like it was meant to happen. Like falling for you was second nature.

But over his time of becoming spiderman, he had … well… found out you had a major crush on his alter ego. You did not shut up about how “babygirl” he was. And while this was amusing at first, it annoyed him a little. Did that mean you weren’t interested in him, as hobie, romantically? And if you did find out who he really was, would you still like spiderman? Or would it ruin the imagination for you? And if you did, would it only be because he’s spiderman?

A lot of questions circle his mind, a lot of worry and it isn’t like him. He really hates it. Only you can manage to do that to him.

Eventually, the two of you do end up meeting.

You were known for being a fighter, laws or not, you didn’t care, maybe a bit headstrong in your beliefs. Maybe you got too caught up in things, as you often did. Difference was, hobie was not there to back you up. As he often was.

Not this time though, as apparently Hobie had some unfinished business to deal with. You had no idea what that meant, but you trusted hobie enough that he wouldn’t go off doing something stupid without you.

You were not hobie however, and did something stupid without him.

While yes, the guy had harassed you first and you had every right to be angry with him, you probably shouldn’t have provoked such a big and muscular looking guy. There’s no way you could take him in a fight, but you could always try.

Before you even had the gall to fight this guy, before he can even pull the first punch, webs are shot his way. You gasp in surprise, turning behind you to see the one and only.

His movements are quick, and honestly, spiderman struggles for a little.

If even he struggled during that fight, you didn’t stand a chance. But you’re too busy absolutely fangirl/boy/theythem’ing to even care.

Once everything was said and done, Spiderman turned around to take a look at you. He was relieved you weren’t banged up or anything, though you couldn’t tell. “You aight?” he asked, and typically he was so cool and collected, but around you he had no idea how he should be acting. Thoughts from before still clouding his mind:

He lets them go for a moment upon your excited squeal and has to hold himself back from laughing.

Pavitr mentioned spiderman quite a bit, and very early on when he first became the masked vigilante. He was quick to gauge your opinions, because in his mind you’re thoughts and feelings matter the most to him.

He would quickly learn you loved the guy, so he proudly continued doing the whole superhero thing. However, as time went by he had seen your admiration for Spiderman develop into a crush. Only upon your first meeting with him, though. He couldn’t blame you, he supposed that in your eyes this guy saved your life from imminent peril. In his eyes, he was just doing something that was common sense. Saving you while you were trapped in that bus was not something he needed to think twice about.

And he certainly didn’t think twice about hugging you, either. Despite you two not really being acquainted with one another. He was quick to come to his senses, about to pull away, but you held on. And he realized you needed this hug as much as he did. He combs his fingers through your hair, as if second nature. Just like he normally did, and he was the only one that ever did that. You didn’t seem to catch on in that state, but little did he know how grateful you were towards him. He could only imagine, but it was a fraction to how you truly felt.

“Thank you, spiderman.” You say with such softness in your voice, he’s never heard it from you before.

And from that point on, he did not stop hearing you gush about the arachnid. While he often laughed this off, he wondered if that meant things would be weird between you two if he told you the truth.

[snivyartjpeg]

Yuma Month Day 26 - Role Swap

god i was excited for this one. it first started off as a joke, but the more i thought about it, the more interesting this swap became. so here's my massive lore dump of changes that'd happen in the story beneath the cut (spoiler warning):

i think, fundamentally, yuma and yakou are very similar characters. they're both very protective and kindhearted, with a strong sense of justice and a penchant for attracting terrible luck. because of this, some things would remain the same, such as the NDA's dynamics with their doormat chief as well amnesia!yakou's massive unpaid intern energy. i think yakou would be pretty similar to how he behaved in the light novel- a bit more optimistic and naive, like yuma. but there are two key differences between them that'd make this a different story, especially in ch 4: yuma has a forte, and yakou is very selfish. so here's some changes:

yakou's wife is his shinigami now, as you can see, while shinigami is yuma's dead wife. i think mrs furio would act cooler than shinigami. she'd still be playful, but she takes her job more seriously. also she hands yakou the solution keys normally without throwing up. they still have to do the dance and mouth sword thing tho. and the other stuff. that's just death god protocol

shinigami (or in this case the unnamed Mrs. Kokohead but i will still be calling her shinigami for convenience sake) was a scientist at amaterasu who studied forensics and thanatology instead of regenerative medicine. this also means that the pill she gives zombie yuma is not going to bring him back, but instead grant the zombie homunculi a peaceful, painless, but permanent death

speaking of zombie yuma, he's the homunculus now! yakou is 100% human and also doesnt have a forte. he's still number one, but instead of having a forte he's just that good at solving mysteries

yes this means makoto looks like yakou now. sorry makotoheads. i think he'd have really long, shaggy hair dyed to be like. idk. black or something. also he's more clean shaven bc stubble with a mask on is a sensory nightmare

yuma still cant cook. he subsists entirely on takeout, meat buns, black coffee, and beer. he's still in a lot of debt and under a lot of stress and his personality is essentially "what if canon number one just gave up"

he doesn't smoke though. he tried once and got into the worst coughing fit

imma say it right now. kurumi is not a love interest. yakou likely disguises himself as a faculty member instead (also i think one of the teachers gets a crush on fem yakou bc i just know she'd be hot)

ANYWAY what about chapter 4? im SO glad you asked! because here's where things get spicy!

so, lets start with the dead wife. shinigami catches onto huesca's inhumane research and she's just as adamant about bringing the truth to light as she always is. she blows the whistle, so he blows her up. yuma investigates, but they dont let him look any further, yada yada, yuma stews in his misery for five years

yomi sends in the evidence to motivate yuma to kill huesca, and makoto lets it happen because a dead huesca would be convenient. he even introduces the hitman, fully expecting yuma to make use of him

yuma doesnt. in fact, he wants to kill huesca with his own hands. and now that these detectives are here, he can do it and even return alive. the thing is, he doesn't want to put them in danger, so he chooses to do almost everything alone (sound familiar?)

his plan is simple:

ask desuhiko for a peacekeeper uniform. desuhiko trusts him enough to take "i want to investigate kanai ward's ultimate secret by infiltrating their ranks" as an answer. he does, however, let yakou know about this as an offhand comment before the mystery ever begins

hold fubuki's hand. it doesnt really matter how. she'll gladly allow it because she's fubuki. he stores her time powers and heads out the sub. yakou also learns this as an offhand comment played off as a joke (maybe fubuki affectionately comments about how she never expected the chief's hands to be so soft... idk. there has to be some way for yakou to have this as a future clue)

use his peacekeeper status to sneak into amaterasu HQ and demand a functioning ama-pal from that one creepy researcher

use ama-pal + fubuki's borrowed powers to bypass huesca's security. sneak the bot past the hard-of-hearing doctor and press the button to shut off security

this would probably alert huesca, but since the doctor never received a warning, yuma has enough time to rush in and stab him before he realizes what's going on

leave HQ while still in uniform, dispose of the disguise once he's safe, and return to the NDA like nothing happened. success!

soooo.... yakou, on that same day, decides to investigate amaterasu HQ with makoto

all the while, vivia has his suspicions about yuma's actions and keeps an eye on him in spectral mode. he... basically witnessed the whole thing, so he gets up off his ass and decides to follow yakou to the lab because he has a Very Bad Feeling about this

just like canon, he senses the death god and deduces that our protag has been killing off murderers, and so he wants to protect his chief as well as his peace and quiet (his dynamic with yuma would be the same as his dynamic with yakou, since it's entirely believable for yuma to treat vivia with the same kindness yakou did)

yakou tries to speak to huesca, but surprise! security is disabled and he's dead in the lab! no one else at amaterasu liked huesca enough to check on him, so yakou and makoto are the first ones at the scene of the crime. yakou, of course, decides to start investigating this murder

vivia somehow sneaks into the lab (dont ask me how) and confronts yakou, threatening him with his boxcutter and adamantly imploring him to stop pursuing this particular mystery in the same way he did yuma in canon. unfortunately, this attracts attention, and now they're in trouble (maybe even yomi's there to fetch his files). at this point, yakou has enough solution keys, so he panics and goes right into the labyrinth (and maybe others can enter for another reason that isnt coalescence idk)

so... they go in the labyrinth... vivia tries to stop him every step of the way, until the answer is right in front of them

yakou kills yuma with his own hands. there's no stab wounds or toxic gas to leave any doubt. yakou begins to question what good his justice really does. it doesnt even save them from their predicament, just like the other deaths. instead, makoto ex machina comes in to save them, and hands yakou a small black box

when they return to the agency, everyone is heartbroken over their chief, who seemingly died out of nowhere. fubuki tried rewinding time, but to no avail. halara tried everything to wake him up, knowing it's futile. desuhiko stood aside, feeling completely helpless. and yakou and vivia return looking like they just came back from hell

they barely get the chance for a funeral before the knockout gas trap activates... you know the rest

AAAAND SCENE! so that's my extremely long winded lore dump about this au. i thought about it Way Too Much but god it's so interesting to me. i love these characters and swapping them was immensely fun

[theotherseapancakes]

Psssst. You mentioned no one cares about Philemon, but now I'm curious if you have any thoughts about his role in the games after he disappeared. And for sillies sake, does he have anything to do with the Dance games?

I have been waiting my entire life for this. Anon do you realize how verbose I'm going to get. DO YOU REALIZE? I hope you like read mores. Let me preface this with I am aware and have seen some popular theories, so I'm going to sidestep a lot of them and present one I've built since... well, I became a Persona fan as a teenager. MAJOR PERSONA SERIES SPOILERS LIKE THE ENTIRE THING OK? OK. yes even royal.

The P2 PSP additional scenario is so incredibly important and I think everyone missed the point of it. THE PERSONA 2 PSP ADDITIONAL TATSUYA SCENARIO!!!! It's beyond important, because it reveals to us Philemon can have more than one Avatar we know about, just like Nyarly. (Casual reminder he's like half the shopkeeps in P2. Time Count, anyone? Why was the Time Count so hot. Anyway.) Disclaimer: I'm just a casual fan who has played a LOT of Persona and SMT. I haven't gotten around to all of them, but I've played/finished both paths of 1, 2, 3 (and p3p) as well as 4 and 5. Didn't manage to get my hands on Golden but I've seen enough of it. (It's funny you ask about the dance games, they're the only ones I don't have right now! But my roommate does, and will be gone for a few months soon, perhaps I will take the time to start with p4DAN. I'm atrocious at rhythm games though so more than likely I'll find a video. Anyway.) WHAT is Philemon? If we can't define that, we can't talk about The Positivity Guy Ever.

So let's talk about Phil. He's a fascinating character. His Persona is just a form of Himself, But Cooler. And he seems to HAVE no set shape, not unlike Nyarlathotep. People have various theories about Shadows and their origins etc., but Phil is more like that vote of confidence in people. I think, personally, that after the end of Innocent Sin, Phil's been pretty weak. We see in Eternal Punishment he's fading pretty roughly, and has a hard time talking to the party. Presumably ending Nyarly might to some degree fix things when Deja-vu Boy goes home, but... the problem is, we don't know how fixed they truly ended up being, or the full depth of how much he could/did expend!

In fact, the first time we even see Phil without the dumb mask is when Tatsuya decks him. Pay close attention to that fact. To the mask motifs here. I want you to really soak in Phil's everything. He's a leader. A kind soul. He's the good of people. He wants to believe the best.

Anyway, most of these things overlook what I find really interesting as we've gotten more games worth of lore: he and Nyarly aren't the only eldritch entities walking around like that. Yes, Nyx is one too. Yes, it's probable she may even be their 'mom'. It's possible they all came from Nyx initially, but it's also possible (and should be considered) they too may have been outsiders at one point. We need to ask ourselves how far the human collective unsconsciousness can go. Is that sea infinite? Could it affect other worlds? Think about Aion in Devil Summoner Soul Hackers 2. Yes, I am asking you to think about Soul Hackers 2. Deal with it, I don't care. They're sister series. They share many things. SO! Did the shape of the human mind change a bunch of eldritch creatures and make them interact with us even more after Nyx smacked the moon a gazillion years ago? Is there multiple worlds? Weird bullshit? Just the two? Hmm. Well... I, personally, think so. I think he was touched by humanity just like Nyarlathotep, but in the other way. The reason I bring this up is two-fold. The first is Nodens. Now, we don't know much about the actual Nodens, unfortunately, just some speculation. Which is a shame. (If anyone has more info I'd love to have it, ngl. As a pagan this shit fascinates me.) But what we do get on him in Lovecraftian lore can provide us some intriguing possibilities about Phil's everything, which the games love to keep really rather vague. (And this is putting aside that his human Persona is based off the obviously bogus Jungian Spirit Guide, but we love an old guy in a mask anyway. He probably felt that was more 'friendly' for humans, hah.) I believe that Nodens, and Phil by extension, are just as responsible for nurturing and keeping the collective unconsciousness alive and positive. We see the butterfly symbol everywhere. We see it with Lavenza, too. "This is truly an unjust game." So was the bet Phil made with Nyarly, a game he rigged. Phil made the mistake of thinking the Crawling Chaos wouldn't cheat, a mistake he is never making again, I assume, if he can help it. Shit, you could view his boss fight in P2EP as him trying to train the EP crew to beat the snot out of Nyarly, even. But off topic. If Nyarly is basically the father of all Shadows, and they and Personas are the same coin, it makes me wonder a lot of things. The two have always been portrayed as simultaneously diametrically opposed, but also not? They have identical halls in P2. They have similar powers and talents... I think after Persona 3, Phil's remnants sank into the Collective Unconsciousness, to attempt to rehabilitate humanity from what it lost, from what he himself lost. I think Igor took over the room, because he took a backseat to recover. It would go a long, long way towards explaining why only SOME characters have the tier of the Wild Card, which is similar to the 'original' Persona power. (Having multiple.) He was took weak to remain in his Spirit Guide (Philemon) form, and had to abandon it to return to the depths as Nodens... So. Let me go back to Nodens and make some notes about design.

Nodens, as seen here, sort of resembles an iron maiden. It really brings to mind the idea of maybe Tatsuya or someone's humanoid form sleeping within it, doesn't it? Fitting for an aspect of Philemon! ... You probably can see where I'm going with this, but let me pull up some screens to finish the point:

That's right! It's Azathoth, Baby! I believe that unlike mythology, he's yet another aspect of Philemon. Eldritch positivity, in too much force, could be used for accidental bad, too. (Reasons Maruki is my favorite Law Hero, haha.) Let me explain. I think Philemon always existed in... let's call it parts. Azathoth is said to be a dreaming god in whom's universe we all just happen to be alive inside, right? "Dream of butterfly" (Philemon) "Or is life a dream? Don't wanna wake up. Cuz I'm happy here." That sure is thematic to what Maki goes through in Persona 1, and what Maruki's beloved suffers, isn't it? ISN'T IT. The "true reality" he creates... would help Maruki create in the additional Semester--would be something most humans would never pass the muster to even try to control. But we have seen Phil test a few people and find them worth passing before! However, that seems like ages ago. Why has he been so quiet? I think because he was spending time conserving his energy. He believed in humanity enough to give Makoto a push when it was needed in p3 (or femc, if you play her), but otherwise trusted Igor while he restored what needed it. But in Persona 5 Royal, he hand-picked Maruki, didn't he? At first, when I played Persona 5 Royal, I really thought it was some part of Nyarly, but I no longer believe this to be the case. The coloration and symbolism in the background (the golds, the whole garden of eden themes, the way his Palace was laid out), the whole sea of soul motifs in P3Re later... mmm. I have a lot of thoughts about this, but this post is already way too long for one simple ask. So let's wrap up by going one step further and looking finally at Nodens' dialogue to the party in the Extra Scenario in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP). The following is a transcript, you can find a video here:

Nodens: This is the memory of the lost child whom you all seek. Nodens: Memory occasionally brings about much distress and suffering, but it is absolutely vital to distinguish oneself from others and manufacture one's own psyche. Nodens: Ever since it began, life's memory has accumulated unbroken, passing through individual experiences and spanning several generations. Nodens: And so it has given shape to Kadath and the Collective Unconsciousness, thereby becoming a foundation for the next generation. Nodens: Even if the roots of the world are directed by fear and anxiety, never forget that the true essence of life is brimming with joy. Nodens: You must not stop seeking the answer for why life was born in a cosmos progressing towards absurdity and chaos. Nodens: Life brims with joy, bringing about balance in a universe predestined to heat death, and that allows the world to live a long time.

So to answer your question, I think he's taken a much subtler role. I think he's influencing people by pretending to be a Persona for Maruki, because he believes it will help them grow. I don't think he was intending a forever-control vice grip, but rather to prove a point. No matter what, the primordial chaos of humanity will rise up for chaotic good, lawful good, whatever "good" is needed. Azathoth is... interesting. Adam Kadmon is also interesting. But mostly I HIGHLY suspect we may see him again in Persona 6, or at least I'm hoping so. It's my personal pet theory by then he'll be less faded and come back to us in a new form of some kind. He's never had a set one, after all. Now for funsies about the dancing game, well, he's a positive guy, he wanted to just make sure everyone had their fitness regimen checked off. Obviously. (This is a joke.) Did the devs intend this? I'm honestly not sure? Like there's a lot of nods to older Personas in 5 and now 3RE especially, but it's definitely worth chewing on. I could go on and on about things I think he's connected to, but ultimately they have the final say lol. I'm just a crackpot conspiracy theorist on tumblr who really likes Philemon. He and the Room are my favorites. :) Ask me about attendants for additional dumb, sometime, I guess lol.

[lifetimeoftired]

Now I rarely do character design, or draw for that matter, but when it came to Anthem of Our Dying Day, I felt a little inspired. Sam and Dani (called Elli in-story) haven't shown up yet, and won't for a few more chapters still, but they and Danny got the most changes to their overall designs. Yes because it's been 7 years since the events of the show, but the changes are for reasons that will eventually be explained in-story. I have more designs in mind of course, but I gave my poor hand a cramp doing just these three. So I'll have to come back with Jason's ghost form and Danny's eldritch form (possibly an update to Valerie's look, but honestly her outfit in the later episodes was incredible I don't think I can improve on that in any way shape or form) at a later date.

Anyway, thoughts behind why I gave them the designs that I did are A Lot so I figured I'd ramble in a tumblr post instead of in the AN's.

Danny:

Listen to me. Listen. This man was raised on the vibes of the 90s and early 2000s. Long trench coats were PEAK fashion back then. We all saw the Matrix. Danny also was dragged to the Underworld movies multiple times while dating Sam (who's opinions on those movies are radioactive because they are cult classics and I'll die on this hill). So Danny absolutely thinks trench coasts are cool as shit and make him look cooler. And listen to me very carefully; They're still peak fashion. Slapping a leather trench coat on a mildly gothic character and you have cinema. Also he has a hood because hey! Hoods are so cool and perfect for us 90s kids.

As for the color choices, I didn't want to change too much from the classic black and white hazmat suit but honestly? He really makes it work. I also added the green because the color pop looked cool as shit but also because I felt like, as Danny gets older, he starts to produce his own ectoplasm in ghost form and, similar to how some ghosts have 'flaming hair' to show off their power levels, Danny's over production of ecto culminates within his outfit. This is in part due to him becoming the prince of the Infinite Realms, but also he's just a strong mfer.

Why's the coat torn? Spoiler reasons.

Sam:

I'm actually really pleased by hers turned out because she was the one I was the least set on. The main vibes I wanted from Sam (who's hero name is 'Nightshade' btw) was 'Mad Nature Scientist'.

It's not easy to see, but the mask is actually meant to be flower petals like her skirt. The buttons on her lab coat are also leaves. This is in reference to her time as Undergrowth's chosen and of course her love of the environment, but she's also liminal enough to have a special way with plants. Not to the extreme Poison Ivy does (much to her dismay), but they're important to her and she wouldn't have a hero suit without them I believe.

As for the science bits, in story she's working with the Fentons to study ghosts. Also helps test their weapons (all non-lethal and exist to help her keep up with stronger ghosts), as well as picking up a lot of science-related skills thanks to her years of studying various biology in college and working with Jack and Maddie for several years. While Danny tends to handle the big fights while she runs support, but she's also acting as the brains when it comes to ecto poisoning, making more ecto-dejecto and understanding how ectoplasm reacts with living beings.

The corset is, of course, because she's goth. Why cover her up so much aside from the tiny tit window? That's story-related reasons and we'll get there when we get there.

Dani:

My favorite outfit of the bunch tbh.

In-story Ellie (so I the writer don't get confused by two Dan-es) did eventually return to Amity Park and settled in to be adopted by the Fentons and go to school for realsies and in general get to live something of a normal life. But I maintain that Sam (Valerie too, but Sam was dating Danny and around quite a lot) was a big influence on Ellie once she settled in. She's more 'punk' than 'goth', but finding herself through changing up her fashion was heavily encouraged by Sam. And, of course, Danny's protective older brother dismay. Which is honestly a huge bonus to her.

Like Danny, she produces a lot of her own ectoplasm, but less than he does. And her's is a lot less pure so hers is a different green- She's not too broken up about it because it shows that she is different than her 'template', but also because it matches Sam's green better. (Sam and Danny might not be dating anymore, but Ellie still considers her to be an older sister figure and being more like Sam delights her). She does have 'fire' flicks on her clothes and tbh I actually messed up coloring those. I meant to stop coloring partway up to give a bit of a fade to white effect and make the flames white the same as her shirt, but, alas. I don't think the all black boots and gloves look bad at all.

As for the hair, Ellie's core has an element same as Danny's, but hers is Air. And being that her hero name in Wraith, I really wanted to go for, kind of a ghostly floating/flickering fire long streak. More like Starfire's big curly hair from the comics the shows are cowards give her the poofy hair back!. Also the 'non ghost' hair cut uuuh, I'm not an artits but it was supposed to be that side braid with bangs that fall over? But yeah that's her hair when she's in human form.

That's about everything for now! I'll definitely be coming back to this with more designs once I've jotted them down. Hope to get chapter 3 out soon but that fucker is fighting dirty :(

[dark-meta-knight666]

Just needed to get it out

everytime someone just makes Taranza personality just sobbing about Sectonia, it's annoys me. Has anyone even done Taranza without mentioning Sectonia's name for one second, it's like that what his whole character is and it makes me hate him more and more, and then they bring in Dark Meta Knight like he caused this, tbh i don't really care if he did or didn't there was no evidence stating he did and Taranza doesn't even know but it's like people coping mechanisms to just torture my poor little edgy borb with it by making him suffer and that makes me hate Taranza even more.

(just gonna bring in a theory just why not) I have a theory that Sectonia is just the mirror version of Joronia since the only time we see her real form is in the mirror of an artwork which means Sectonia just yonked her into the mirror trapping her inside cuz it makes no sense why she transforms into a wasp. (anyways back to me ranting)

I like Taranza and his design but how tf am i suppose to feel bad for him if his personality is just Sectonia and every bad thing that happens to him is just so funny, atleast Taranza in the manga has some personality. Also just noticed how Taranza got fucked up in the most possible way ever.

• First he loses his queen.

• Second KTD is overshadowed by KPR which has the same story but different aspects (also the name sucks who came up with Kirby Triple Deluxe it doesn't even contribute to the story), has one of the same sub-game but different and Susie has a personality. Despite the game coming first and having a original story Hal just decided to do the same thing and make it even cooler.

•Thirdly everytime he's in the fucking artwork it always shows Sectonia (like why is he making that fucking cookie of her, that must be so awkward and weird).

•And lastly that face mask of his dead queen, dang Magolor is just so savage that he went back in time just to see Joronia so he can create a mask (just imagine that you have someone you love the most just for someone to make a mask outta them).

Taranza is the most misrepresented, tortured character in the whole series.

[ultimate-character-design]

The Ultimate Character Design Tournament

Please remember to vote for characters solely based on their design, rather than which character you are more familiar with or like more!

IX | Honkai: Star Rail

Sampo Koski | Honkai: Star Rail

"Sampo has such a cool design, but even cooler is his backstory/lore!

You first meet Sampo in Belobog, a cold planet covered in ice, and this dude is rocking hip cut outs and short sleeves 😭 like bro what are you doing? And you meet him in a pile of snow

Sampo is a cheeky little piece of [redacted] who acts as a businessman / conman. He acts incredibly sus and it's so funny because he just... disappears randomly sometimes? But he's also super strong, like buddy boy somehow snuck 4 entire people into the underground with him. Also, on top of being sus, he's actually super helpful on top of that.

In Sampo's concept art, you can see more of his details! He has a bunch of snake motifs, since he is a bit of a shady guy.

Anyways, there's a lot of hidden details on him that really make his design so good! So pleade vote for him!"

*Spoilered propaganda under the cut

Sampo Koski | Honkai: Star Rail

"Sampo is a member of the Masked Fools, a group of erratic people who are willing to find elation no matter the costs. At the end of the Belobog chapter, Sampo practically shatters the fourth wall, implying that not only was it planned, but that Sampo was simultaneously a driving force and key character in the story.

In Penacony, you meet another Masked Fool named Sparkle in story line, and she is absolutely insane.

In contrast to Sampo, who is a little sus and a little silly, Sparkle is willing to mess with people (she transforms into this one guy's dead sister and kinda pokes at his buttons) and she gives another character this button that will explode if it or its twin (that she has) is pressed. Anyways, Sparkle is absolutely crazy and makes Sampo look like a silly little normal guy in comparison.

Sampo being on the tame side of the Masked Fools just makes him that much more endearing and funny to me! He also asks Sparkle for his mask back (a mask is something the Masked Fools have that basically gives them power), which makes it seem like something big is gonna go down sometime."

[ellaphnt]

Is it actually racist to relate to Toshiro as an autistic person? The argument seems to be that calling Toshiro autistic disregards the context of his culture, but I feel like the manga made it pretty clear he has issues even beyond his restrictive cultural norms. No one else he knows from his homeland act like he does, and I thought they made it pretty clear that he was an odd child even in the context of his culture. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but I feel like there's room to acknowledge the contexts of his cultural upbringing while also relating to an autistic reading of his behavior.

Hi hi! I agree! Toshiro/Shuro’s behavior have roots in growing up Japanese, but his behavior has made him an odd one, even at home. I like to say he’s sort of an “outcast everywhere.” I think it’s definitely one reason he envies Laios, and also possibly one reason he is infatuated with Falin! I’ve written about Toshiro and Falin before (as many have!), about how he views her as 1) someone he wants to be like and therefore liked by, and 2) someone who might understand him. He doesn’t have a lot of those types of people in his life.

Not to mention the lack of confrontation. Hien, Benichidori, Maizuru, Tade, all don’t fear speaking their mind! They do it many times. Only Toshiro, hm. I find him relatable in many ways, and I’m sure Ryoko Kui did that intentionally. Was this made for a Japanese audience with commentary on their culture? Yes. Can non-Japanese audiences relate to it anyways? Yes. Can his behavior also be attributed to autism? Can it be an intersection between both his cultural upbringing and possibly learning to mask? HMMMMM either way, I’m really glad autistic POC fans have given their take on it. Tons of POC and non-POC have already spoken about just the cultural part. I’m glad to see commentary on both.

Hearing other POC fans analyze his character is amazing, but I was worried the “it’s just his cultural upbringing” angle would mean his nuance as a character will mainly stay in POC circles. POC relate to POC! (Not a blanket statement, I’ve seen POC who don’t like Toshiro and that’s fine. Not to mention the frequent inability to relate to each other) But if someone is not POC, namely white, and the faults of his character are ONLY attributed to being POC, why try to sympathize with him at all? Lowkey, that might be one of the reasons there was so much hate towards him last week. I’m not saying Toshiro must be any way palatable to a western audience, but hopefully you see my point.

Which is why I think, again, that Ryoko Kui made him relatable to a broader audience. Toshiro’s behavior stems from being Japanese but the fight is not JUST about that culture clash. It’s about anyone who find it hard to confront others and speak their mind. And thats why his character was picked up by autistic fans too! It’s a broader experience than people give it credit for.

You’re in good company of fans who also see themselves represented in either a cultural and/or autistic interpretation of his character! No it’s not racist. Reading autism into a character does not undermine their cultural upbringing. Autism does not flatten a character’s nuance that does have a lot to do with his cultural upbringing. On the contrary, it ADDS to it.

A character can be both. Think it makes them cooler tbh. They have their own things to work on still, they still have their flaws. They could even do something wrong and hurtful! (Shocking!) It doesn’t excuse anything, it just adds another layer to them.

And in the end, it’s just a reading into the media. A singular take, if you will.

I hope I covered everything you mentioned!

Ending it off, here’s some posts other POC have made about this topic because I cannot speak for the community!:

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Batfam Brainrot still going strong, and at this rate, it probably won’t go away until I finish up drawing them in my very specific order. This time, it actually is Tim Drake’s turn! Have some Red Robin!

Initial trace with low effort background! Listen. I’m NOT drawing the condom cowl. I loved the Red Robin comics, but that was probably the only part I actually hated. The stupid stupid earless cowl. Fortunately for me, the writers apparently got the memo halfway through, since Tim has this MUCH COOLER alternative costume when he’s in the Ünternet. Yeah, for those of you who’ve never read it, turns out the supervillains have a Ready Player One-esque virtual reality internet that they use to communicate that’s also, like, really corruptive and strongly encourages all your worst impulses and feelings. Tim takes it down from the inside out with the help of his catatonic Guy In the Chair, Lonnie Machin, formerly known as Anarky. Anyway, this is my favorite Red Robin costume, mostly cuz the mask is really unique and cool and very bird-like. I’m also a long-hair Tim supremacist.

Stylization time! I mentioned in the Carrie Kelley post that I need to draw more characters with capes because they’re genuinely so fun! Like, I know, Edna Mode is correct during her whole rant about no capes. They’re not practical like 90% of the time. But, MAN, do they look cool! And in the case of Batfamily members, I actually can attempt to justify it! Bruce’s cape is bulletproof, Tim’s cape is secretly a glider, and the Robin cape is great for jerking the current Robin around like a misbehaving cat when they fall over ledges or whatever! I also pushed Tim towards the skinny side. Tim is a teenager who isn’t done growing, so I like the idea that he’s kind of gangly and awkward and wiry. Not as muscular as his big brothers, simply because he’s still growing into his proportions.

Characterization pose! I wanted to draw him in a pose that communicated his maniacal scheming supervillain energy, so analytical head tilt and slightly hunched shoulders felt good for that. I’m a major fan of Tim being slightly creepy too, so this helped. I love the expression I gave him in his civvies! Just a dead eyed stare that could mean anything from “plotting your murder for a minor insult” to “wondering if eating that 4 day old sandwich of unknown origin was a bad idea.” I enjoy the fact that his hair is about the same length as Cass’, which makes them pretty indistinguishable for someone with failing eyesight. They definitely use it to mess with people. Also, I know his boots are solid black too, but I really wanted some more red to help break up the overwhelming amount of black in his costume. There are only so many shades of gray I can use before it gets annoying! As usual, the hero name text was traced, although this time I also typed out his real name and traced that too.

Nightwing Edition

Red Hood Edition

Robin (Carrie Kelley) Edition

[sassycyborgninja]

ray's character reference? sheet? anyways ray

I designed them and their outfits myself, the one on the left being just their casual attire and the one on the right is the masquerade one (tho I didn't have ideas for a mask) ill probably make them a fake in game profile it'll be cooler!!

the pose is by theposearchives!

[velvetwyrme]

More character designs for Distilling Destiny! This time, they are side characters (the Masked Merchants!) You can find the lineup of main characters here!

[Design notes under the cut! Plus extra worldbuilding notes!]

First off! Design notes!

I feel like it's pretty obvious which skeletons these 3 are meant to parallel LMAO.

The overall designs are inspired by some of the NPC Merchants my cowriter and I discussed while planning out the fic (Beedle from LoZ, and Zacharie from OFF)

Zacharie was the inspiration for giving them masks, and Beedle is why the Knight-Shopkeep has his big backpack as well as why the masks have horns! (... Like a horned stag beetle? It's a stretch but shhh)

The Cart Merchant's cart is intended to look kind of like Sans' sentry station!

I was debating whether the cart would have parts that could fold out/be stuck in the ground to extend it, but then I thought... if he had them, he'd be too lazy to set them up anyway.

This way he can just ride around in it and not have to worry about lugging his stuff around like the others.

The Knight-Shopkeep's got two feathers in his hat like the Bard does ;]

I was going to give the Knight-Shopkeep a big hammer, but a sword looked cooler with the pose LMAO

The Knight-Shopkeep also has another horn hidden under his hat!

He sells potions and cooking ingredients! (In the fic, Blue is studying health + culinary science...)

The Shady Merchant has a golden horn instead of a gold tooth

The fur around the Shady Merchant's shoulder is a reference to what he trades, but it's also supposed to represent Red's fluffy jacket.

I gave him a sack because I thought it was funny. I almost made him the type to open up his jacket and try to sell you watches or something, but it didn't really work out, and this design fits a lot better.

That sigil is meant to be his own personal "signature", made up of aspects of his mask, as well as his kingdom, but The Cart Merchant is lazy and uses shorthand. The proper symbol would be something like an actual ❤️ shape. In universe, the larger heart shape made up by both parts is purely a coincidence. The G on the other banner is just a currency sign (like $, €, ¥, £).

AND NOW...

Here's some MORE lore tidbits that (probably) won't get mentioned in the fic, because they are just weird worldbuilding things that I've thought of but aren't really relevant in any of the discussions!!:

The Cart Merchant will try to scam you probably. (5G? i meant 50G.)

The furs and pelts the Shady Merchant procures are incredibly high quality- but he almost exclusively trades for other material supplies or information instead of gold.

I actually started trying to figure out a numeric system for this world, and it was at that point I realised I was getting lost in the sauce and thinking too much about worldbuilding.

HOWEVER, SAYING THAT... I was thinking that an upturned heart (spade) would be the symbol for 1, the v/shorthand heart shape would also double (haha) as the sign for 2. The clover (club) would be 3 and the diamond would be 4.

THAT came about because I was thinking about there being a myth/fable about the 4 (main) kingdoms having been created in that order (spade, heart, club, diamond).

The merchant masks are kind of like clown faces, in the way that there is a record of every single mask to make sure that there are no two that are the same. (Two masks may have the same horns, but different markings, and vice versa.)

The number of horns on a mask depends on which kingdom they come from. Sometimes prongs are also used instead of separate horns. (e.g. a merchant from the "Diamond"/Fourth kingdom may have 4 seperate horns, or 2 horns with 2 points each.)

Markings vary, but generally they too will be themed around the kingdom they hail from.

This is part of why the Shady Merchant is so shady- he has no marking/s, and his horns are... well, he claims to be from the second kingdom.

[miggys-unofficialwife]

Venomsona and Spidersona

Impulse and Spider-Shift

They're from different universes because A: one of my best friend's spidersonas is the black cat in Spider-Shift's universe, and B; Impulse is my bestie's venom variant. They're technically the same person with other identities but I still find it silly to do. If you've got questions I can answer them, but ye I'm just posting this on my Spidersona for now. (Please don't steal my art I work hard on it and I'm a minor 😭)

So here's some lil tidbits on Shifty's story (Spider-Shift will be referred as shifty at times)

The year is 2028 when she takes a class trip to a bug lab with her two friends (the other spiders in this universe) and she gets curious with one of her friends and finds this cool ass tarantula that can regrow their limbs and change the colors of their hairs quickly, as well as shed fast to grow in size. Said spider fights another, and ends up winning before jumping at the glass, startling shifty and making her knock it over. She becomes Spider-Shift, she works out her powers and all is well. UNTIL PROM NIGHT YAAAY! QUID (the doc Ock of the universe) decides to crash party after getting an energy signal from the DNA of one of the spiders that died. When he arrives, Shifty's older brother Sam rams into the robotic limbs of QUID and almost knocks him over. Bad idea, he gets stabbed in the chest. (Canon event) Shifty goes apeshit, and I don't need to explain further. (QUID did live though)

Anyways, a lot of reworks and tweaks in her suit and now she's got the blue one you see above. Her and her friends work through the villains and problems, end up getting several other spiders stuck in the world (like the itsv plot) and eventually get them back out which is sad :(

She does have a Miguel variant who's significantly happier, had a better childhood, has Gabriel and Gabi, but tempest did pass, Xina's somewhere, and Dana did divorce Miguel. Other then that he works at alchemax and is the MJ to shifty.

There is a black cat (who is the Spider-Man in the venomsona universe)

And they have a fling before she leaves shifty because they weren't cooler under the mask.

There are more characters, but they're all my friend's Spidersonas and I'm not posting that here w/o their permission. And if you'd like to see them, I'll ad my Instagram art account below. Have a good night :D

https://www.instagram.com/def_not_spidershift?igsh=MWdjNHhlMmN6YzU4NA==

[doctor-direst]

We will pretend this post is on time👀

November 4-5th in review!

Would you believe that 2023 was my first year to start attending Renaissance Festivals? It feels weird to say such a statement and yet it’s true!

My newest character since 2019 was introduced two months ago, Hester the jester! Conveniently named for how many times my phone autocorrected jester into Hester🕺🏼

The OKC ren fair saw plenty of firsts from my friends and I, with watching my coworker gain the inspiration to immediately start leather working and making ALL of the leather components of his costume by hand within 6 months of being introduced. My girlfriend also donned the Direst 1.0 mask and hat for the first time and committed to the bit the entire day (it’s not easy😳). I believe 2023 was also the year to bring friends to the fairs, it was like a switch was flipped and we all decided to go at once!

There’s so much more to say but I’ll say this: Hester’s costume is a breath of fresh air for myself, I can physically move around easier, speak clearly to others with my mask, and it’s cooler for hot weather events. Oh and the bells seriously clear a walking path for me when navigating crowds, consider me spoiled!

This isn’t to knock Direst, he will still be my prominent character for myself and tiktok💜

ANYWAYS: Here is to amazing future ren faires and to hopefully make more faire-going friends! It doesn’t take a costume to enjoy the faire either, just showing up🃏

[discordmodonsteroids]

White Fox

Information About the Unknown Girl Who Has Been Hacking Government Servers And Leaving Behind the following Logo, Animated with a Winking motion. {That’s Cute, yall got NOTHING on me~ So I’ll add a few things, not like you’ll ever catch me anyways.}

Codename: "White Fox"  

Real Name: Ekaterina Lisitsa (Екатерина «Катя» Лисица)  

{EEEEW. MY GOVERNMENT NAME. CALL ME KATYA. NOT EKATERINA.}

Name meaning:  

Katya (Катя) is a form of Ekaterina (Екатерина), which means “pure” or “innocent.”  

Lisitsa (Лисица) means “fox.”  

So, in all, her name means “pure fox.”  

{I know, right? I’m so cute, mindful and demure, right?}

Ability: "Master Mod"

Katya’s ability is known as “Master Mod,” which enables her to manipulate the “data” of reality in specific, limited ways, treating the universe as if it were a giant, immersive simulation game. While she cannot actually alter the fabric of reality itself, her ability allows her to interact with the world in unique, almost game-like methods:

1. Normal Hacking: She can hack into electronic devices and networks effortlessly, bypassing security systems, extracting or altering data, and taking control of digital systems.  

{Easy peasy. Skill issue.}

2. Inventory: Katya can store and retrieve physical objects in a kind of "pocket dimension"—a virtual inventory space she creates through her ability. This lets her summon or store items as needed, akin to a character in a game pulling items from their inventory.  

{Think Mary Poppins’ bag, but cooler. And wayyyyy more practical!}

3. Quantum Teleportation: She can instantly teleport herself or objects to random locations. She has to have physically BEEN to the place in order to teleport there.  

{Nope, can't just jump into your secret lair without an invitation. Sorry.}

4. Solid Holographic Avatar: Due to her inability to use her legs, Katya projects a solid, lifelike holographic avatar of herself to interact with the world. This avatar looks exactly like her and moves as she would if she were physically present, allowing her to navigate the real world without revealing her true self. This projection is stable and tangible, but requires her to focus and drains her mental stamina over time.  

{Skill issue, me edition.}

Reason for Paralysis:

As a child, Katya was born with a rare and debilitating condition that left her physically weak. Growing up in a twisted orphanage, she was subjected to experimental surgeries meant to "cure" her condition. The orphanage's administrators, driven by their own twisted motivations and a lack of medical expertise, performed a high-risk spinal surgery intended to improve her mobility. Unfortunately, the procedure went terribly wrong, leading to severe complications and irreversible damage to her spinal cord. Instead of gaining strength, Katya lost the use of her legs, deepening the trauma of her early life.  

{Fr tho, what were they even thinking? "YOLO, let's just wing it"?}

Additional Details:

Katya views the world as a series of levels and challenges, constantly seeking new "stages" to clear and puzzles to solve. This perspective makes her adventurous and fearless but also somewhat detached from reality. Her insecurities about being in a wheelchair make her rely heavily on her holographic avatar, which she uses to mask her true vulnerability, which only a small select few people are aware of. Though she projects confidence and independence, she feels self-conscious about her disability and tries to hide it as much as possible.  

{Daang, miss creator 😦 didn’t have to expose me like that...}

Her playful attitude and gaming-like perspective often hide her sharp mind and keen observations. While she pretends not to care about the opinions of others, she’s constantly analyzing their behaviors and thinking several steps ahead.  

{Hey, they don’t call me a fox for nothing~~}

Despite her facade of bravado and wit, Katya often wonders what life could have been like without her condition. She rarely admits it, but there’s a part of her that still clings to the hope that one day, she might walk again.  

{Yeah, yeah, I know. SOOOO Sappy. But a girl can dream, okay?}

Katya’s online (and irl) presence is a mix of snark and sincerity. She’s known for her witty tweets and relatable memes, using them as a way to cope and connect with others.  

{OOOOKAY THATS ENOUGH OF THAT!!! THIS IS NOT THERAPY.}

She’s also a fan of gaming streams and online communities, where she feels more at home and less judged. Virtual worlds are where she finds solace and escape.  

{Low-key obsessed with those fantasy RPGs. Can Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail get new updates please?? I’ve reached endgame. I’m BOORREED.}

---

OOC: she also likes to break 4th wall.

{Fourth Wall is for losers.}

—-

MOD: @onionhaseyeojin