#okay here are my fandoms (besides cuphead)

[ur-typical-nerd]

Your ideal Pokemon team for the Devil if you wanted to do a Cuphead crossover with Pokemon?

I’ve thought about this for a while (even had an RP similar to this), and while I never gave the Devil a full team, I decided to give this a try. So here’s the Devil’s full team (along with a few alternates)!

(Note: I’m going to give the Devil a Legendary Pokemon for his team. While I don’t usually do this sort of thing, the Devil is a very powerful immortal being, possibly a god. Therefore, to me, giving him a Legendary makes sense)

Houndoom: A bit cliche, but dang if it doesn’t fit. The Hellhound theme and intimidating aura feels like something the Devil would go for. He probably uses it to keep the imps in line. I actually like to think that, if Pokémon were to live on Inkwell Isles, Houndoom would have some mythology relating to Inkwell Hell.

Impidimp: He already rules over a bunch of imps, why not have one as a Pokémon (plus it’s canonically a mischievous Pokémon)! I like to think that the Impidimp followed a bunch of imps that went up to the surface for something, and the Devil just Did Not Notice an extra until someone brought it to his attention. He’s definitely trying to evolve it into a Grimmsnarl.

Spiritomb:…I mean, it’s basically a collection of evil/mischievous spirits. That would be straight up the Devil’s alley. He probably thought it was a cool rock and brought it to Inkwell Hell, not realizing it was a Pokémon. When Spiritomb did come out, the Devil probably thought it was awesome (meanwhile, all of the imps are super confused on why a ghost just came out of that rock)

Dusknoir: Since it canonically ferries souls into the afterlife, I feel like the Devil would catch one to help with soul acquisition. Imagine the shock of thinking your soul is safe with a Dusknoir, only to end up in the Devil’s clutches!

Giratina:…Look, I know some people aren’t fond of the “Giratina is Pokémon Satan” theory, but let’s go with it for this explanation. Since the Cuphead equivalent of God probably has Arceus, I feel like the Devil would catch Giratina as a sort-of “screw you” to the father who banished him. Giratina is done with the Devil 95% of the time while the Devil is convinced that Giratina respects him completely…despite the fact that it’s knocked him into lava, like, twice.

Zorua: This may seem like an odd choice, but hear me out. Their color schemes are similar (red and black), they’re both mischievous to some degree, and Zorua’s illusion abilities are comparable to the Devil’s shapeshifting. Plus, Zorua even looks a bit like a cat (yes I know it’s a fox, but Pokémon doesn’t really have a black cat yet), an animal the Devil has been associated with in both fanon and the show itself! The Devil’s definitely trying to evolve it into a Zoroark, but for now he’s just enjoying the cuteness (in private, of course).

Other Potential Teammates:

-Hoopa: Similar color schemes, similar vibes of “Silly guys who are super powerful with this One Item”

-Arbok/Seviper: Ngl, I couldn’t choose which one I should give him.

-Chandelure: Takes souls like Dusknoir, and also has a fancy, decadent aesthetic I think the Devil could appreciate. Fun fact: I was actually going to put this guy down in the Devil’s main team before deciding on Dusknoir instead!

-Alolan Meowth: The only other thing close to a black cat in Pokémon.

-Gengar: Mischief-making ghost+mischief-making Devil=chaos on Inkwell Isles

This was pretty fun, actually! If anyone wants to give me another character for this, I’d be open to this within other fandoms! I’ll list them all in the tags.

[randomratty]

[💎] Hello, welcome to my blog!

Let’s get things started by a few things shall we? Listed below are things along the lines of dont’s and do’s. Please read those so we don’t have any problems in the future!!

I’m in the SFW/Tickle community!

If you think it’s weird I’m sorry..

and if you do not like it that’s okay!, just don’t be rude okay? ^_^

(if you are a close friend of mine who sees this text who never knew)

Now you know But please Dont Be mean abt What i like qwp Because if You DID not know i was gonna tell you but I wasn’t ready yet because I Fear That I’ll lose My Friends,

I have ADD and other stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Art Request: OPEN

check here for more info!

(For the fandoms!)

———>

requested fandoms!

I’ll draw for it I know the fandom

Do not be afraid to ask! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m in a lot of fandoms, and will (most likely) post some things about those fandoms, listed are the fandoms I’m in (warning, there is a lot-)

[🪄] Fandoms I’m in:

Fnaf

Super Mario

Dbh(Detroit become human)

Little nightmares

Mha(my hero)

Assclass(assassination classroom)

Among the sleep

Dying light

Cuphead

Crk(cookie run kingdom

Wander over yonder

Gravity falls

Tbhk (the bathroom hanko kun)

Yandere sim

The promised neverland

Demon slayer

Danganronpa

Doors

Undertale

Roblox

Minecraft

Fornite

Tattletale

Doki doki

Misfortune

Franbow

Valorant

Spookys jumpscare mainson

Hotel trasylvania

Scp?

Backrooms

The mandela catalogue

The owl house

Fnf?

Don’t hug me I’m scared (semi into it-)

Bendy and the Ink Machine(sorta)

Down To Earth

Home sick

Dead but not gone

Welcome home

Billie bust up

Spy x family

Wandering witch

All saints street

The walten files

alternate invasion

Alternate watch

Scratchin melodii

The amazing digital circus

A plague tale innocence

Angel hare

Wii deleted you

Ponytown

Ashes town

Mythical meadows

Breezy town

Luminous kingdom

Balvenie Birthday Party

Poppy play time 1-3

Fundamental paper education

The boilled one phenomenon

Don’t not take this cat home

Indigo park

The classrooms

Kinitopet

Dandys World

————————

[🚫] ⚠️ IM A MINOR! NSFW DNI, IF YOU DO, ITS AN IMMEDIATE BLOCK AND REPORT. ⚠️

Please don’t randomly DM me if I do not know you personally. Either if you’re a follower or not. If you also have little to nothing on your tumblr page and is following me, I will block you, I may assume you’re a bot of some sort.

————————

[👧] She/Her pronouns plz! I support any pronouns, just plz tell me so I don’t mess that up!

Plz no homophobia, transphobia, creeps, NSFW, etc. I WILL block you if I experience any of it here. Plz take your negativity someplace else.

————————

[🔞] Remember, I AM A MINOR! Plz take caution when talking to me either in DMs or in my ask box.

————————

⚠️Here are the boundaries that I have for myself.. please follow them, thank you!⚠️

———————————————

Okay so first up;

[🤞✨] 1. I have a phobia of spiders, so please don’t show me any spiders in my ask box or DMs. If roleplaying with me, you can type in “*throws spider at you*”, that’s it, just no showing me any spiders.

———————————————

[👑] 2. If I don’t know you well enough, please don’t call me anything but Trinity. Only close friends can call me anything besides that.

———————————————

[🌸] 3. Please do not vent to me WITHOUT ASKING. Please ask first, only close friends/best friends can vent to me anytime, though yes, they still need to ask for permission.

———————————————

[🌟] 4. I AM UNCOMFORTABLE WITH ANYTHING NSFW/18+! I am a MINOR (below 18). I may be in some 18+ fandoms but please.. for the love of god don’t send me anything nsfw/18+. Just don’t act weird near me and we’re fine.

———————————————

[🍭] 5. If you follow me and ask for something for the first time, please don’t make it personal or anything.

———————————————

[💞] 6. I can be sensitive to stuff and easy to scare, and I worry a lot about my close friends who I care about dearly. So please be cautious when talking to me and don’t be rude to my close friends, thank you!

———————————————

If I have anymore boundaries I will add to the list.

I’m adopted by 6 father figures

The father figure are 6 different people, (by roleplay)

NOTE: ONLY CLOSE PEOPLE CAN CALL ME RAT AS A NICKNAME/the People I tagged in my blog, well most. If I just met you a few days ago pls don’t call me Rat,

People who Can call me A Rat: @/Angryxxsigh @/kennyisntavablie @/witchyroman @/tickling-giggles @/wally-darlings-stuff @/itsbarnaby And my other bestie (she Doesnt have tumblr/

My music playlist!! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QeCeaUP5a86nbMZDXsTUD?si=byS9uazPRlG1JhQw_f3JGw&pi=u-SWPOhq78RPKI

Ask first just incase By the new people who has been added.

I like Cartoons and Disney

I do not do any head canon request! I only did two? But I prefer not to do them,

My roleplay Blogs: @julie-joyful-1, @ellie-jade-harper And a lot more blogs-

Thank you for taking your time to read this! Feel free to enjoy my blog! 💞

@ashwasfound was the one who made it for me:3 so ty!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀

I post a lot of different stuff,

I MAY or not post my own art on there (depends if I have the courage because my art is bad)

I love Caffeine!… I’m obsessed with it I’m trying to slow down sorta

I’m abit shy if we ever Vc

But I will Most likely get used of it And be hyper.

I’m Childish at times by that like asking for like Plushes etc,

I won’t always Post Because if i need a Break or something,

Got any questions? Feel free to ask Me in my inbox!

I love a lot of animals,

I like collecting crystals,

If your a SYS/SYSTEM you are safe here!

Gacha maybe Posted Here

Don’t be afraid to ask me stuff or ask stuff to roleplay!,

I Tend to get clingy

Sometimes I get upset easily

💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛

My besties<33 @angryxxsigh @itscreamytears @kennyisntavaliable @ashwasfound @tickling-giggles @wally-darlings-stuff @itsbarnaby @yourdearestmailman @jinleebelee @yourlocalzayzay @flufflover7 @trashyswitch @yourdarlingneighbor @chocolateydinosaur @bea-joyful @xobittersweet @netuniark @chocos-universe GO FOLLOW THEM 👹

💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛💜💙💛

[manyminded]

the parallels between king dice and ms chalice in the cuphead show (+ a bonus mini theory)

okay. this is me drawing a line of similarity between my two faves... but like. im not the only one who noticed this right.

also SPOILERS FOR ALL SEASONS!! Proceed with caution!

-

FIRST!

The most obvious - the charm, the razzle dazzle. They're dancers, performers at heart. They sing to get what they want.

And, okay, secret theory here - I think they have inherent magic? Like even with the deal with the devil, Chalice probably had magic before then. Think of them as sirens, if you will.

The way the cup bros struggle to get past security but Chalice so easily slips by... and, okay, we haven't seen MUCH of how King Dice uses this power, if it even exists in the first place, but in "down & out" the way Dice sings and attracts everyone nearby, definitely has me thinking that if this theory is correct - dice has magic too.

The difference between them is that Chalice knows. Even if she doesn't think its actual magic, she uses it well and manipulates it to her benefit. King Dice probably doesn't - he thinks he's just a good performer.

that leads me too...

-

SECOND!

the hard times they've had.

Listen. For all we know, Chalice is homeless. We never see her house, and when we see her escape the orphanage, she isn't shown to get one. Let alone an apartment.

Sure, she makes the best of it. Doing a darn good job at it, I'd say. But she's still homeless.

Just like Dice!

If my theory is true, Dice probably would've been very good at charming people like Chalice does - but he didn't know.

Thats besides the point - they both have lows. Chalice was the orphanage, and Dice was being dropped by Devil.

now, every character has lows. So let me expand!

-

THIRD!

They both narrate an episode.

In "Down & Out" and "Dance with Danger", KD and Chalice narrate at least some of the episode respectively.

I'm pretty sure this is unique just to them? While I haven't rewatched the entire series recently, just a few choice episodes, it seems these are the only episodes with any narration at all. (Besides the intro, of course.)

What's important - these characters aren't cup and mugs. Sure, they're recurring, but the only 'main' characters are the cup bros! To have an episode narrated at all, especially by a supporting main cast, is really interesting to me.

-

FOURTH!

This is two points combined into one really, because they're so minor - They are both associated with the devil somewhat, & They are both called "Number One".

Chalice and her deal, of course, and King Dice being - well - King Dice. You've seen the fandom.

This is where they diverge, Chalice dreading The Devil, and King Dice... well, it's weird, but it's generally positive.

(And, side note, the only time the Devil is truly 'scary' to me is in "Roll the Dice" where Devil threatens King Dice, and "Dance with Danger" where he makes the deal with Chalice. If he were that terrifying all the time, the show would be MUCH shorter.)

And the "number one" thing - They both call themselves Number One. Chalice in "Dance with Danger", where during her narration calls her that a good few times, and Dice in... almost every ep he's in.

The thing is, Dice is the only one others call "Number One." Devil often refers to him that way in response to Dice himself saying it, but in "Down & Out" cuphead and mugman call him something like "the number one star in showbiz?" or something like that. While it isnt just Number One, I think it counts.

Chalice on the other hand doesn't get called by it from anyone but herself.

-

Finally, we're done ... sorry for referencing the same few episodes over and over again, lol. take a shot every time i reference down & out lol! I just really love them. I hope you liked this!

[bluepoodle7]

#ComicJumper #CaptainSmiley #Xbox360Game

I'm mad the Comic Jumper: The Adventures Of Captain Smiley is such a obscure game it's got that Earthworm Jim with Adult Swim feel to it.

I like the main character with his star partner with their different personalities.

But this game is stuck on the Xbox 360. I finally watched Rebeltaxi/Panpizza's new video and most of those games were creative but seemed to be released at the wrong time.

I know if this game came out nowadays it probably would have been a thing.

Gained a new crush though.

This game gives me Cuphead vibes too with the character shooting at stuff then the battle changes.

Also each level has it's own theme which is cool.

Also are Captain Smiley and the Star brothers?

Also the Star is a Brad simp.

This game is giving me Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Gemusetto, and Oishi high school battle vibes.

I love manga Captain Smiley though but I wish he got a anime transformation parody like sailor moon.

I wonder what the game over looks like in Comic Jumper?

Images not mine and link is the same video.

Captain Smiley be like.

Captain Smiley and Star's relationship be like.

-------------------

It's spooky that if Captain Smiley was in the Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo manga his art style wouldn't change but it would be weird.

Smiley, Gasser, and Beauty would be friends though.

All of them would be shocked reacting at the weird stuff and talking with the narrator about money.

Now I want that crossover now.

I wonder who would win?

Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo or Captain Smiley?

They have a similar color scheme if you count the old issue of smiley.

----------------------------

Sequel Idea

-----------------

If Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley ever got a sequel I would love it to have either Captain Smiley and Star arguing then the next day Star goes missing on Captain Smiley's chest.

This causes the comic to fail again that Captain Smiley has to do the odd comic jobs again while also trying to find his star shaped partner.

And the person who painstaking removed Star off of Captain Smiley.

Also give Star a body and make him fight Captain Smiley in a fight.

Also have both of them talk it out on whether or not Star wants to become his own hero or just be the sidekick stuck on the hero.

Also give Star his Brad simping moment with his new body.

Everytime Captain Smiley tells a joke a cricket sound effect would play and he would say "Oh yeah Star isn't here."

Then he would move on without telling many joke since he has no one to bounce jokes on with besides Gerda and she would be making fun of him the entire game.

I want Captain Smiley to Comic Jump go into graphic novels, webcomics, fan comics with okay art styles, and old school cartoon comics.

And comic jump into a shonen manga similar to either have the same energy as Bobobo-bo bo-bobo, Jojo's bizarre adventure, or Yuyu Hakusho in feel.

Like imagine Captain Smiley entering in the beach episode of a manga.

Similar to the beach episode in Bobobo.

A old school cartoon and humanization of Captain Smiley would be awesome.

I imagine Captain Smiley being a weaker version of himself without Star.

He's not as strong and as witty without Star since he keeps Smiley in check while also joking with him.

Similar to the dynamic of Más y Menos from Teen Titans.

Más y Menos | Teen Titans Wiki | Fandom

I would have rather have the PPG parody comic world rather than the Conan the Barbarian world which was my least favorite world in the game.

Image not mine but link is there.

Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley - PAX 2009: Debut Tailer | HD - YouTube

Video not mine but link is there.

The Beach (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo English Dub) - YouTube

Captain Smiley loves pancakes.

2:28-2:45

Images not mine but link is there.

Comic Jumper Walkthrough - Base Exploration #8 - YouTube

I wish someone got a better quality of The Maniacal Smile which is like the Shadow the Hedgehog for Captain Smiley.

I noticed this character doesn't have a star on his chest so he won't be distracted.

Randomly found this ad.

They made Manga Captain Smiley's cape red even though it was changed later to black and white.

0:58-1:00

Comic Jumper - E3 2010: Gameplay Trailer | HD - YouTube

Images and videos not mine but link are there.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=N0Kqb4xEss8… https://youtube.com/watch?v=UiXg8Acj1h8

The Maniacal Smile Easter egg cameo- Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley (2020) - YouTube

Comic Jumper Released with Maniacal Smile Cameo -- Fierce Comics | PRLog

-----------------

Images not mine but links are there.

Comic Jumper - Full Game [No Commentary] - YouTube

hhgregg (Advertising) - TV Tropes

Pepsiman | Universe Ultimate Crossover All-Stars Wiki | Fandom

Starfy - SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki (ssbwiki.com)

Earthworm Jim | Earthworm Jim Wiki | Fandom

Zak and Wheezie | Dragon Tales Wiki | Fandom

Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (character) | The Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo Wiki | Fandom

Comic Jumper Review: Crude, crass and may require a two drink minimum - lehighvalleylive.com

I wanted a gif of Manga Captain Smiley fighting with a red cape.

https://gifmaker.me/video-to-gif/viewimage/20241013-11-tfVIO3FdmHdpueJ5-lDiXDr-hnet

[ask-the-fandom-anything]

Hello. Here is another work in the gacha. Here the Sunny is being corrupted by Okai's demons. They are quite dangerous creatures: during the day they feed on negative emotions, and at night on magicians and magical creatures. They like to turn people into demons. Black goo, like ink, flows from their eyes. What do you think? Now let's move on to the questions: 1. What is your favorite book? 2. What kind of music do you listen to? 3. Have you ever imagined the action of characters from different fandoms to music? I do it all the time 4. How about creepy theories? 5. Favorite movie/series? 6. What songs would best suit the characters of Mune: Guardian of the Moon? And that's all. I'm waiting for an answer. (Привет. Вот ещё одна работа в гаче. Здесь Санни развращают демоны Окаи. Они довольно опасные существа: днём питаются негативными эмоциями, а ночью магами и магическими существами. Им нравится превращать людей в демонов. Из их глаз вытекает чёрная жижа, похожая на чернила. Как тебе? А теперь перейдем к вопросам: 1. Какая у тебя любимая книга? 2. Какую музыку ты слушаешь? 3. Ты когда-нибудь представляла себе под музыку действие персонажей из разных фандомов? Я это делаю постоянно 4. Как насчёт жутких теорий? 5. Любимый фильм/сериал? 6. Какие песни лучше всего бы подошли персонажам "Мьюн: Страж Луны?" А на этом все. Жду ответ.)

I think it’s interesting and pretty cool, now time for the questions

“A long walk to water” it tells two different characters from a different year and what there life was like

Any kind but I mostly like Imagine dragons, Alan Walker, Marshmallow, Billie Eilish, and Mother Mother

No, not really but sounds like a great idea

I’ve seen them and it’s mostly Toy Story in which they have so many theories

Besides Mune: Guardian of the moon, My favorite is Robots and Encanto, as for series it’s The cuphead show and green eggs and ham

I’ve got a list of the songs that I think fits with them, well in my opinion if you have one it’s fine

Necross: My demons

Leeyoon: Dark Horse

Snakes: Everything Black

Yule & Xolal: Legends never die or Secret Garden

Phospho: Hidden in the sand or The Willow Tree

Spleen: Lemon boy or Jungle

Mox: Play With Fire

Glim: Goodbye To A World or Everything at Once

Sohone & Mune: Two birds on a wire or Song of the sea

I hope I didn’t take so long answering the questions but I hope it answers all the questions

[magma-paint]

Tutorial Tuesdays: Heads Up!

It’s been a long time, life is a jerk. Anyway, drawing heads! Before continuing, I recommend reviewing the last Tutorial Tuesdays post on pencil pressure and drawing with basic shapes since those are going to be put into effect. Ready to go? Alright, since this is going to be a long one, click the Read More link and away we go!

The head is likely the part of any character you’re going to find yourself drawing the most. Expressions, headshots, closeups, busts, you name it. So let’s start by drawing a basic head and start with the most common view, the 3/4 view.

This is the most basic process condensed into four steps. Lightly sketch a circle and a guideline, the former typically is the form of most of the skull and the crosslines will help with placement of the eyes, nose, and ears. Then define the shape of the face, including the cheeks and jawline, with a bit stronger pressure  but still keeping pretty light. Sketch in the ear and the curvature of the back of the head, as well as the neck. The furthest line of the neck will be relatively close to where the jawline and ear connect. Then sketch in the features; very lightly sketch in circles where the eyes are--above the horizontal guideline but no further down than touching it--and sketch the eye shape and pupil/iris, alternating sides with each stroke to alleviate the frustration that comes with “drawing the other eye”. You know what I’m talking about. The nose will be close to the guideline intersection, if not actually on it at certain angles. And viola, a basic head at 3/4 view. This same process is used when facing at 3/4 the opposite way.

For a profile view, or looking at the head from the side, same basic four-step breakdown:

You’ll notice that the nose sticks out and you can see where the head connects to the neck at the back. Another guideline helps with ear placement. I should have put the guideline for that on the 3/4 view, but I find that the main guideline and jawline contour work better for me. Use the additional guideline for the ear if it will help with the spatial relation of that feature. More experienced artists may tweak areas to fit their signature style. For example, placement of the lips. In anime, especially more realistically styled anime, the lips appear as very small peaks with the valley between them being there the mouth is.

Now onto probably the second most common view, the front view. Also using the same four step condensed breakdown:

(Some of it cut off, oops) Now you can see how the face is arranged when looking at the viewer straight on. This is the easiest to practice, followed by 3/4, then profile. You can even cheat  by using the Symmetry pen in digital programs (just make sure you anchor down the point of reference first with Control+Click!). While basic, this works for just about any human character, though using references is highly encouraged to get a feel for the anatomy before messing with it to fit a particular style.

“I draw anthro animals, does this still work?”

Yes. For both super cartoony stylized characters and more realistically built and furry styles. Let’s start with looking at the fastest thing alive:

See? Circle, guideline, map out the features, and soon you got a cool boi.

Furries or more realistically styled anthros will tend to have more shapes and forms in their facial construction to better adhere to the anatomy of the animal they’re based on. JKU, my friend Elliot’s fursona, is an alien but the anatomy is based on a dog or a wolf. Study the animal you’re drawing if you need help or even to make a basic breakdown of the shapes you would need.

“How about object heads, like Cuphead?”

Absitively-posolutely! I personally use the circle foundation when drawing the Cup Bros or even just for general mapping the direction they’re looking, but once you master it, you can take the basic shape of the object you’re using, like this candle girl, and manipulate it to get it where you need them to face without relying on the circle.

Alright, now that you understand the basics of drawing a head, let’s move onto

Hair is a total mess and if there’s one thing I will warn beginning artists right now, DON’T DRAW STRAND BY INDIVIDUAL STRAND. It helps to think of hair and draw it in larger chunks and forms as a whole than by each individual one. As I shall demonstrate with my boi Guzma:

Okay, now that we have removed accessories from the picture, let’s set this up.

The process goes by starting with a basic head and the respective features of the character. Now we add the hairline, a visible boundary where the hair coverage begins. You‘ll sketch it for the forehead, the sideburns, and the nape of the neck if you’re in rear views. Now, piece by piece, we sketch the hair; I started with the floof at the top, then the right side of the sketch, then the left. If you have a character with a symmetrical hairstyle/haircut, remember the technique to avoid “the other eye” (or cheat by using the symmetry pen in digital).

The hairline itself varies from character to character or style to style, sometimes more seasoned artists won’t use it since it becomes hidden anyway. It does come in three basic shapes: flat (as seen on Guzma), protruding (it comes out a little bit in the front but following a smooth contour), and a widow’s peak, as seen on Equius:

The hairline is also useful in drawing and styling a character’s bangs or even indicating how the hair parts. Know what else it’s nifty for? It’s actually one of the most noticeable indicators of age. And you knew this example was coming and you probably even saw it coming from a mile away so let’s get it over with.

In 2018, Ace of the Gangreen Gang from The Powerpuff Girls became an official member of Gorillaz, temporarily taking up the role as the bassist while Murdoc was in jail. Since the band members age in real time, the same applies to Ace. Besides the addition of a couple wrinkles, the most noticeable effect time has had on him is the receding hairline and decreased volume/body his hair has compared to when he was within spitting range of becoming a legal adult. I could even do an entirely new tutorial on hair by age, but this is just the basics.

So we talked about hairlines and drawing in large chunks. What about characters with hair accessories or their hair pulled into ponytails or pigtails? Allow Plumeria and Bubbles to demonstrate:

Take your basic head and define the hairline (though it may be impractical on any angle on the PowerPuff Girls). Draw in the part and bangs if applicable and define the volume of the hair close to the head. Lightly sketch a circle on each side where the hair gathers on the head and map out the length of the hair. Define the pigtails first and then the hair accessories. And you good!

For specific textures of hair, look for references or additional tutorials. Bald characters such as Russel Hobbs or Dr. Eggman don’t really need much of a tutorial, but you do want to make sure the head is constructed very well to make it convincing. And on that topic...

TROUBLESHOOTING

These are some traps that beginning artists fall into or rookie mistakes seasoned artists shouldn’t be making on prime pieces. Let’s break them down:

Balloon Heads and Painted-on Faces

These two are beginning (more pronounced for anthro) artist pitfalls and tropes that were very common among the Sonic fandom back when Sonic X was at the peak of its popularity online in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Ohohoho... man, those were some times. Now, I do like Sonic X and even Sonic Underground, but it’s frustrating how prevalent balloon faces are in these professionally--well, mostly professionally--made shows put to television. As demonstrated here:

On the left, the example keeps all the features of Amy’s face within the basic circle with no indication of volume. Nothing that would indicate what parts of the face are supposed to stick out and it’s not exactly in a style that makes it simplistic enough to slide. The right, while not perfect, could reasonably be translated to 3D or CGI and the anatomy would check out and make it more convincing. At least, in 3/4 view or front view and some frames of Sonic X can be brushed off as an odd camera angle or going into a moving frame or just being too far away from the camera to properly discern some features. In profile view it’s less forgivable and more common to Sonic Underground and beginning artists.

In profile view, balloon heads/painted-on faces are a very noticeable mistake derived from keeping all the features inside the circle. At the very worst you can have the inset in the middle, where the nose is inside the guide circle and looks very much like it was just painted on. This is something that most artists usually grow out of in their last years of elementary school (or for those who use the metric system, primary school). At best, the mistake is just sticking the nose on the outside of the circle without accounting for convincing shape of the face, such as the Amy sketch on the left. On the right, the muzzle and, if you can see it, “eyebrow” stick out to convey how the eyes are covered based on the Mobian skull and the muzzle sticks out to accommodate the internal structure of the face. As seriously as you can take a cartoon character’s anatomy and biology, anyway.

Really the only case I could see these mistakes being fine or harmless is on object heads like Lucius (a billiard ball) and Claire (a sugar bowl) in the rubber hose style. However, the style is deceptively easy in which it may look simple but you have to have a good grasp on the style or it falls into the uncanny valley. Balloon heads and painted on faces seem to be more common to stylized anthro characters, but I’ve made a number of fluffy anime creatures and anime-styled human characters in seventh grade that fall into the trap.

Lopping

More common to human and humanoid characters, lopping is a mistake in which you draw the face alright but the hair at the top of the head really doesn’t look right to the point that the head itself doesn’t look right.

You’ll notice in this drawing of Lapis that the face shape looks okay, the eyes and nose and mouth are where they need to be, the hair is the right style, but it looks... off. Sketching a dotted line to outline the head at its most basic form shows that the hair placement defies the rules of anatomy. Such a mistake is what I call lopping, as it looks like the head was lopped off and the hair is trying to cover it. This is why I stress starting your sketch with basic shapes and then constructing details around the foundation.

Looks much better, right? And since in Steven Universe the gems don’t really have ears (at least, that’s my observation), you can lightly sketch in an oval where the ears normally are (in 3/4 and profile views) to help draw in the face shape and jawline.

As always, practice drawing these regularly and don’t shy away from references if you need something to study or a visual aid or guide. Happy drawing!

Next episode: No plans, but will take requests or suggestions in my inbox/Discord.

[the-fandom-melting-pot-blog]

Moving Forward Chapter Two

Fandom: Cuphead Pairing: Blind Specter x Cagney Carnation

Plot: (Set after the game with the brothers beating the Devil). Blind Specter was used to his rather simple life that involved work and sleep. That routine was interrupted, not only when the brothers fought for the soul contracts and the Devil. But when he spotted a rather short tempered carnation at the celebration.

He was at a very low and desperate place in his life when he made the deal with the Devil. His home was being destroyed, people tearing down trees. He wasn’t strong enough to make the problem go away on his own. He was small and, as a flower, very unintimidating. Even with his short fuze and hot temper. So he begged, screamed, and pleaded to the Devil to give him abilities to defend himself and his home.

He got what he wanted. He was turned into a behemoth, able to look innocent to draw his pray in before he lashed out with throned vines. He became a powerful creature that could defend himself against those trying to take his homes and the imps when they tried to take his soul. He was riding high on his victories when the Porcelain Brothers came to collect and it cost him. So sure that two little cups wouldn’t beat him that he made a misstep and he lost his contract. He had waited in fear for his soul to be ripped from him.

But it never happened.

Instead he was celebrating his freedom with the other debtors. He couldn’t feel happier knowing both his soul and his home were going to safe. The day was a blur of joy and relaxation, something that left him feeling warm. It was near the end of the day that something interesting happened.

The celebration was winding down. Elder Kettle needing to take the boys home as they were barely awake. All were saying their goodbyes and Cagney turned to head for home when something caught his eye.

A ghost, glowing blue and slightly translucent, had been watching him before quickly turning away. The carnation was surprised when he noticed the large socket on the ghost’s face was empty. His hands literally held his eyes. It was different to say the least.

Cagney wasn’t very worried of the ghost, he seemed harmless. The flower was just confused as to why or how he’d drawn the ghost’s attention. But he didn’t worry about it as they both departed to their respected homes.

Cagney hadn’t thought much of it afterwards. Instead he focused on tending to his garden and getting the forest back. It was a quiet lifestyle, but he prefered this over being in fear of the Devil. Each day was filled with the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze that washed over the field.

It was peaceful and it was-

“Hello!”

Cagney reacted before giving it much thought. Vines with thorns shot out from the ground and, father than either expected, entered their target. It was very fortunate that the target was already dead.

“People are very violent on this island.” It was the ghost from the celebration.

“What the- what are you doing here!” Cagney demanded, angry that someone had just waltzed into his domain. What gave this ghost the right to walk into his home.

“Hi, um, I was just in the neighborhood-”

“There is no neighbrohood.”

The ghost faltered slightly. “Well, I just…. I’m Blind Specter! Could you get your vines out of me?”

Cagney frowned, doing as asked while keeping a close eye on the other. “You didn’t tell me why you’re here.”

“You didn’t tell me your name.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“It’s called being polite.”

“Says the ghost who entered my home without my permission!”

“Oh...yeah, you have a fair point.” Specter inched back in fear as Cagney shifted into something rather terrifying.

“Get out.”

“I-I just...wanted to say hi….”

“Great, you said hi. Now leave.”

Specter frowned when Cagney turned away and returned to his garden. The ghost took in the wide field of bright colors. The clearing was large, the trees offering a thick shield from outside eyes. It was bright and warm, making Specter feel safe.

“I like your home. It’s very nice.”

“Are you still here?” Cagney faced the ghost with a look of exasperation. It disappeared when his eyes fell onto the other. Specter was looking around the field with awe, as if it was the first time seeing anything like this before.

“There are so many colors. Nothing even close to what’s on the Express. I mean, the carnival had a lot of colors too. But these are so much better. The others were almost to bright.”

“What express are you talking about?”

Specter stood straight at the question, his attention turning to the carnation. He was thrilled to see he had Cagney’s attention. “The Phantom Express. You know, the one that take souls to their final resting place. I work on it.”

“Work...so you’re not a passenger? I thought maybe you had gotten lost in trying to find your way to the station.”

“Nah, spirits don’t have to travel to the station. They just show up there so they don’t get lost. I’m actually surprised when those meant for Hell would willingly go there. I mean, it’s Hell! Why would anyone would want to go there.”

“Maybe because they sold their souls and just accepted their fate.”

Specter wince hearing the dead panned tone in Cagney’s voice. “Sorry. You probably don’t want to relive that ordeal.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Right, sorry, I just…. Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m slightly surprised you would want to bring it up. You had a contract too, didn’t you?”

“Oh no, I’ve never even seen the Devil.”

Cagney blinked in surprise. “But, you were at the celebration.”

“The Express had a contract that the brothers took. We all fought against them, but obviously we lost. The Express can’t leave the tracks so we all went in his place. It was amazing, wasn’t it? It was my first time off the Express. There was so much to see! Is the carnival always that active? Because it was lively that day. Course I could just be because I work around the dead all the time. But that’s kinda rude to assume.”

Cagney had eventually turned back to his garden, letting Specter’s words wash over him. It was a strange interaction. The flower wasn’t exactly annoyed, there was still a residual anger from Specter just showing up. But the ghost wasn’t really bothering him. He was just talking as if they were old friends and were catching up. Something about the interaction was oddly comforting.

Cagney was used to being alone. He lived in a very vacant area of Isle One. The thick growth of trees hide him away from everyone. Unless you were specifically looking for him, you never would. And on the very off chance that you would, his quick start rage and glare would scare you off easily. It was a bit of a lonely existence. But Cagney would rather have loneliness and his garden than have people trying to destroy his home.

“Do you take care of your garden alone?”

Cagney jumped when Specter appeared right next to him, a low growl of annoyance escaping him. “Would you back off! And yes, I do tend to the garden on my own. Do you see anyone else here? No. Besides, I don’t trust anyone else to care for the flowers. They need more than just water and only I know what they need.”

“...Wow, I think that’s the most you’ve said to me.” Specter grinned at Cagney’s scowl.

“Why are you still here?”

“...I was enjoying the view….”

Cagney raised a brow at the answer. Specter turned away to face the field again. “Okay….”

“It’s getting late. I need to head back.”

The sun was just barely touching the horizon.

“It’s not that late.”

“The Express is on it’s last run of the day. I need to be on it or T-Bone will be angry that I’m missing part of my shift.”

“Okay, have fun.” Cagney gave a half-hearted wave.

“Can I come back?”

“Can you what?”

“Come back. I really like it here.” Specter looked sheepish when Cagney gave him a piercing look. “I figured asking would be better than just popping in again.”

“...If you come back here, I’m going to put you to work. Do you really want to use your free time like that?”

“I don’t mind. If I get to enjoy the area and the company.”

“Alright, you can come back.”

“Great! I don’t really know when that will be. I have a day off every five days or so.”

“Just...don’t scream your arrival again.”

“Right, sorry, again. I’ve been told I’m a bit to up front about my greetings.”

“I can agree to that…. Cagney.”

“What?”

“My name, it’s Cagney.”

“I know.”

“You do? Than why did you ask?”

“Because I didn’t want to seem creepy and I wanted to be polite. I’ll be back! See you in a few day!”

Cagney watched Specter take his leave with the biggest grin on his face. About thirty minutes later, he heard the familiar whistle on the Phantom Express. The field was back to being calm and quiet. He was surprised that he missed the other’s ramblings. How could one afternoon make him realize how loud the silence was?

“What a weird ghost.”

[bittyreaders]

Cheating

Sans hummed as he knocked on the door to the Meta Space, rapping out a quick ‘Shave and a Haircut’ on the wood. When there wasn’t an immediate answer, he added a quick ‘Two Bits’ to the end. He then shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets and rocked back on his heels, waiting for her response. It would likely be one of two - either a cheerful “Coming!” followed by a grinning deer throwing open the door to greet him, or an equally cheerful “Fuck off!” as the harried author tried to beat another deadline. Either way he would enter the odd, dark room that compromised the authors mind and they’d have a quick chat, mostly about where she had been the past few months.

He, as well as the rest of the characters in her headspace, had been happy to hear she had a job in her field - teaching American history to seventh graders on a short-term basis while the real teacher had a baby. Despite gaining a full-time job she had promised to continue writing, planning to revamp the world building for her Bitty Reader series and work on her other stories. That promise had gone out the window within a week, and the creative part of her headspace had gone dark.

She was back now, however, and he planned on nudging her towards finishing some of her unfinished chapters sitting Google Docs. So Sans rocked back and forth on his heels, but heard nothing from the other side. Frowning, the skeleton tapped the door again, making sure it as loud enough that there would be no chance of the writer missing it.

Beyond the door something shuffled, and a series of whispers erupted, followed by someone shushing the other voices. So someone else had beaten him to the punch, huh? Stars, he hoped it wasn’t those creepy Five Nights at Freddy’s robots, or that skeleton Itward from Fran Bow. Those horror games freaked him out. Horror or no, though, he needed to have a word with the deer. Time to join the party.

The door swung open with a bit of a shove, but as soon as Sans had stepped into the Meta Space, three bright-blue bullets were soaring for his head. With a startled yelp and reflexes honed by pulling perfect pranks alongside his alternates, he teleported two feet to the left, farther into the room but out of the path of the bullets. Said bullets shot through the doorway and disappeared.

“Oh, uh. Hi, Sans!”

Sans snapped his gaze from the vanished bullets to the middle of the room. Rivet was there, though something was wrong. She was smaller than before, antlers mere bumps above her hair, eyes black ovals with small pie-shaped wedges cut from them. She was sprawled across the cross-legged lap of a large man with a purple-colored suit and a die for a head, while on either side of her sat two - boys? - with what appeared to be tea-cups for head.  The two boys and her had their gloved hands aimed at him, pointer finger sticking out and thumb raised to the ceiling, creating a ‘gun.’

All three immediately stuck their hands behind their back and gave him large, guilty grins. The die-headed man huffed a sigh and leaned back on his hands, eyeing the three as though waiting for them to give him trouble. The two boys shifted as Sans simply stared at them, prompting the deer to scramble to her feet and smooth down her pale green dress.

“So, uh, Sans,” she stepped towards him, having to look up to meet his eyes for once, “This is a pleasant surprise! But, uh, what are you doing here?”

The skeleton pulled his eyes from the odd-headed characters to meet the nervous black pupils peering up at him. If he squinted he could see a bit of pink in them when the light hit just right. The deers brows were drawn up in worry, and her ears were laying against the back of her head. She always did have a bad poker face.

“Just checkin’ in, kiddo,” he answered after a moment, taking up his ‘lazy-bastard’ mantle and shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets, rocking back on his heels and slumping slightly, creating a slacker chic look he had worked hard over the years to cultivate. “Haven’t heard from you for a while.”

“Oh well, you know, with the job, and the holidays…” Rivet wouldn’t meet his eyes, looking away and twisting her fingers together. “It’s just been busy.”

“Mhmm.” Sans eye lights flickered to the three still sitting on the floor. The dice-man - he hadn’t played the game, so he wasn’t sure of his name, and settled on calling him Dice - was watching with dispassionate eyes, which flashed green with malice. The two main-characters of the new game, Cuphead and Mugman, shifted uncomfortably in the larger mans lap. The red-colored one, Cuphead, glanced at the TV screen they had been watching, and Sans followed his gaze to see their game displayed, a ‘GAME OVER’ card pasted over the battlefield. A flower with a pointy nose was mocking them with a witty rhyme. The other character, Mugman, pulled down part of his straw (how did it work? Was it like a hat? Or another appendage?) and twisted it in his hands, like Rapunzel worrying her hair while waiting for her prince to come.

“Sans?” Rivet had come even closer and reached out to rest a hand on his arm. “Sans, I didn’t forget you, I promise.” She gave him a weak, hopeful smile. “I just got a little...sidetracked.”

Sans forced his grin back on his face and shrugged off her touch, then pulled his arm from his hoodie pocket and ruffled her hair, tangling the gray strands into a messy nest. “It’s okay,” he reassured her, “Cheating on your fandom takes a lot of time.”

There was a long pause as the woman froze, then shoved him away. “WHAT?” The deer demanded, shaking her hair out and glaring at him. “I’m - I’m not cheating on you!”

“Really?” Sans leaned to the side a bit, as though he couldn’t just see the others over her hair, and raked his eye lights over the trio and the TV. “Looks to me like you’re having a full-blown affair with the Cuphead Crew over there.”

“I - what - NO! I’m - I’m not cheating on you with the - the Cuphead Crew!” Rivet stomped her hoof, hands curled into fists and held tightly at her side. She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by a smooth voice tinted with a Brooklyn accent.

“She’s right, bud.” A new character, made of black and white with horns on his head and an oddly-familiar smile on his face, leaned around Dice and winked at him. “We got a regular ménage à trois going on here.”

“Bendy!” Rivet whirled on the demon, cheeks flaring bright red as she snapped at him. Dice chuckled deeply in his throat, while Cuphead cackled and Mugman blushed brightly and hid his face behind his hands.

“Think about it, doll. For someone not interested in romance,” Bendy dragged his eyes over the other characters, expression sparkling with mischief, “You sure do keep a lot of us guys around.”

The deer made an uncomfortable noise, then whirled around to face Sans. “Ignore him! I haven’t even bought his game!” She demanded, trying to fight down the blush still staining her cheeks.

“But you did get mine,” a new voice chimed in. A tall, thin figure emerged from elsewhere in the room, holding a large bowl of popcorn, and joined the group around the TV, sitting with his legs crossed at the ankles in front of him beside Bendy. He had a black and white color scheme as well, except on his puppet-like mask, which had purple tear streaks, red cheeks, and red lips. “Well, two of mine. The two that were free.”

Rivet made a frustrated noise in her throat and wilted a bit as Marionette offered the popcorn to Bendy, who threw a handful in his mouth before saying, through the popcorn, “So this would be a ménage à quatre, then?”

“ARGH!” The deer threw her arms up in defeat, before turning and stomping off to a corner of the dark space, pouting.

“Look, bone-boy,” the dice finally spoke, sitting up and shooing the two cups, who hurried to check on the deer. She had made this new avatar the same height as them, Sans noted absently, and they threw their arms around her and began telling her how much of a jerk Bendy was. “Oie!” Dice snapped his fingers, and Sans dragged his gaze back to him, stepping further into the room when the man motioned him closer.

“What?” He snapped, not wanting to talk to the deers new fling longer than he had to. Honestly, it made sense. Undertale was over two years old, and there were newer games with rich storylines just waiting to be eaten up and fuel the creativity of the fandom. He’d need to go back and break the news to the rest of the gang. Oh, Papyrus would be heartbroken…

“Stop wallowing in yer self pity and listen,” Dice snapped, standing and brushing off his suit. He absolutely towered over Sans, his face cast in shadows near the ceiling of the Meta Space. “This place,” he motioned around with an elegant twist of his wrist, “Doesn’t belong to you,” he shoved a finger in Sans chest. “Or him,” he thumbed down at Bendy, who stuck his tongue out in response. Marionette grabbed his tongue and gave it a quick twist, making the demon swear at him using car horns and bird whistles. “It doesn’t belong to Mari there either, even though Hart has a soft spot for him.” Said puppet beamed at the mention and gave Sans a little wave, barely avoiding Bendy when the little demon snapped his shark-like teeth at his three-fingered hand. “It don’t belong to me or my buds either. It belongs to her.”

He motioned to Rivet, who had accepted the teacups hugs and was holding them both tightly. “She’s got enough room in here for all of us, but you ‘n your kin are the only ones she’s writing about.”

Sans jolted a bit at that. “Really?”

“Yeah. She’s got a crossover ‘tween me ‘n’ Mari but hasn’t worked on it for months,” Bendy chimed in, picking at a kernel of corn stuck in his fangs.

“To be fair, she was writing about me and my ‘kin’ first,” Marionette pointed out, his voice soft and even. “If Rivet was cheating on anybody, it was on me, with you.” Despite his face being a mask it moved as though made of skin (or magical bone), and his mouth quirked into a sympathetic smile. “I was mad when she stopped too. But just because she’s not writing about us or drawing us, doesn’t mean she’s forgotten us. She’s just a bit…” He paused, searching for the right word.

“Scatterbrained,” Bendy offered at the same time Dice said, “Easily distracted.”

“Yes,” Marionette agreed to both. “You may not be her favorite character, but you are far from being forgotten and left to rot. Er, or dust, I suppose.”

Sans looked at his slippers, brow creased, as he thought for a long moment. “Wait - who is her favorite, then?” He looked between the three.

“It’s it obvious?” Bendy rolled his eyes hard enough that his head actually lifted away from his shoulders, then resettled. “It’s that brother of yours, Stationary.”

“He means Papyrus,” Marionette cuffed Bendy on the head. To Sans surprise, the demons entire head was sent flying, rolling across the floor to the far corner where Rivet and the cups stood, complaining all the while. The deer glanced down and looked as though she was seriously considering punting the annoying demon head across the room.

“Her favorite, out of all of us, is Papyrus?” Sans asked, not sure he had heard right.

“Yes,” Dice adjusted his cufflinks, looking bored of the conversation.

“Heh,” Sans felt his shoulders slump, smile relaxing into something far more genuine than before. “I can get behind that.”

“Wonderful.” Marionette gave him a bright smile, then reached up with a too-long arm and gently tugged Sans to sit beside him. “Come, have a seat. She has been trying to pass this level for days, I believe she almost has it.”

Dice snorted and retook his own seat, crossing his legs once more and picking up the Xbox controller that had been dropped when Sans knocked. “Was she ever able to defeat you, in that ‘Genocide’ mode your game has?”

Sans plopped down between Marionette and Bendy (well, Bendy’s body - his head had been picked up by Rivet, and he was currently trying to tell the upset deer some extra-dirty jokes to cheer her up) and snorted. “Nah. She tried a few times, then rage quit and reset the game.”

“Heh,” Dice’s mustache twitched as he smirked, “Then I’ve already won the bet, Mari. Want to pay up before you embarrass yourself?”

The puppet sniffed and offered the popcorn bowl to Sans, “Not on your life, King Dice. I happen to have faith in our dear friend.” Sans snorted into his handful of popcorn at the pun.

“Your choice,” Dice conceded, reloading the level, then hitting pause. “Rivet, are we going to continue, or are you done for the day?”

The four (well, three and a head) in the corner jumped at his call. The two mugs let out a whoop at seeing the game reset and rushed back over, throwing themselves onto Dice’s lap and settling in to watch. Rivet glanced down at Bendy, who gave her a cheeky wink.

“Just remember, if ya ever need a smile, I know this great joke ‘bout these aristocrats,” he offered as she dragged her feet back over to the group. She gave him a weak smile, then dropped his head back on his shoulders. While Bendy readjusted his head, her gaze flickered to Sans.

“Sans, I’m not - I would never -”

“Eh, fuggedaboutit,” Sans waved off the half-stuttered apology, “It’s your headspace, not mine.” He took another handful of popcorn when Mari offered it. “Besides, I’m too lazy to hold a grudge.”

He wasn’t prepared for the hug and nearly dropped his popcorn when Rivet (god, was she tiny in this form! He didn’t know if he liked her better like this, or in her ‘Undertale’ form when she was taller than him!) threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank you, Sans. I promise, I’ll never forget you, or Undertale.”

“I know, kiddo.” He gave her back an awkward little pat, then pushed her away a bit. “Now, show me how you fail at this game.”

“Sans!”

“She does it really gracefully.”

“Cuphead!”

“Swears like a sailor when she dies, too.”

“Bendy!”

“Don’t get your tail in a twist, girly. Now show this bone-head how Cagney kills you.”

“DICE!”

So...this is the first thing I’ve written in a few months, and oh my gosh it was cathartic! So when I bought Cuphead I had this mental image of Sans getting upset I was ‘cheating’ on him and Undertale, which became this idea. It was more of a warm-up write and an “I’M NOT DEAD” announcement. I have some new World Building stuff written for Bitty Readers, I just need to fiddle with my computer and see if I want to illustrate it. I may not - new computer, no art program I actually like. I had one, but it’s on CD and my new laptop doesn’t have a CD drive. Anyway, I’ll figure it out.

I hope you enjoyed this bit of meta-silliness! Every artist has their own little headspace, and this was a peek at mine. Love you all, and Happy New Years!