#shading is once again very vibes-based

[magentakat]

I have finally (kind of) unlocked the secret behind drawing ruffles. Sun’s rays… less so.

[slightlyhopefulromantic]

after 500 years, im back to working on line-ups for the oxventure PCs for each campaign, this time the hobby horses :3 as with the oxventurers guild, i put a good amount of thought into this, though maybe not as much as the guild haha but regardless, i'll go into more detail under the cut for anybody curious :]

once again, they all have their own eye shines (or, in barnaby's case, are dead behind the eyes lol), though theyre simpler shapes this time. edvard gets stars, lilith gets a squiggle, kasimir gets a hooked shape, and zillah gets hearts.

edvard - i see him as just kind of. soft around the edges from his rich upbringing, but generally is on the thinner side, kind of rounding out in the middle. very Just A Guy with his build and body hair. i went with brown hair rather than black because otherwise, everyone besides lilith would have black hair and it was just to monotonous for me XD still, i tried to keep it dark and not too bright so it would fit the vibe. also, for some reason i thought his vest was floral until i started coloring this, but it totally is not in canon??? :') i liked it too much to not do a floral pattern anyways.

lilith - i really adore her canon outfit, i just get very confused about the layering of everything. so i tried to do distinctive color-blocked for her outfit, while also restricting her outfit's palette to just purples and teals/blue. i am so bad at drawing snakes. i am so so so bad at drawing snakes XD also, i decided to give everybody at least one tattoo because i just thought it would be fun and im taking advantage of the gritty setting. theyre all cool and tough so they have tattoos and totally not because i just love drawing tattoos lmaooo

kasimir - kas is not much of a leap from canon. i love kasimir's design. i just gave him plenty of tattoos under that massive jacket of his. based vaguely on johnny's tattoos, i did my best to reference their arms but ended up more going off of the vibe rather than copying anything specific. johnny's tattoos are simply too intricate and beautiful for me to do repeatedly djfgbdfhd and okay i say this constantly but my faaavorite kasimir design element is his whale belt buckle. its so cute. i love it

zillah - she was also easy for the same reason, i just adore zillah's design. its simple and very fitting. so i just gave her exactly what she has, but like lilith, i simplified the color palette. since my art style is much more cartoony than colin craker's, especially when i dont hatch or shade, restricting the colors makes the designs look cleaner. i almost forgot to color in zillah's hand wraps by the way and i literally put my hand over my mouth, i only caught it as i was typing this XD it was so needlessly over-dramatic

barnaby - i dont know fully how to explain it, but barnaby is definitely the design i am most pleased with. not because i think he has the best design here necessarily, but because hes just so perfectly what i picture in my head. with a lot of my designs, ill adjust small details based on my mood or i just won't fully be confident in my decisions, but with this design? thats just barnaby. chef's kiss. like edvard, i gave him brown hair instead of black for some diversity. i also kept his very thin hair and high forehead because it makes him so endearing to me <3 no five o'clock shadow though, he has to keep himself looking young

[shukraastro]

Hello Shukraastro, 

Based on how you analysed JK'S chart for FS physical features. I analysed it too, so tell me if my prediction is correct. I have only been practicing astrology for a year or two. This is just for her 1st house. 

So, through derivate astrology JK'S 7th becomes her 1st which is gemini.

1ST HOUSE (rules head/brain and general physical appearance) 

For a Gemini Ascendant with the Lagna in Ardra Nakshatra and its ruler Mercury placed in Uttara Phalguni in the Third House, the physical appearance gives youthful, intensive, and striking features. Gemini, ruled by Mercury, imparts a lean, wiry, or moderately built physique, with sharp facial features such as high cheekbones, a small or short nose, and expressive, often curious eyes. The influence of Ardra Nakshatra, ruled by Rahu, adds a piercing or stormy quality to their gaze, making their eyes one of their most memorable features. This nakshatra brings an enigmatic and intense aura, reflecting both intellectual sharpness and emotional depth. Uttara Phalguni, ruled by the Sun, refines these traits, lending the individual a regal or composed demeanor. Their features are well-proportioned, with a glowing or magnetic presence that draws attention effortlessly. With Mercury in the Third House, enhances their grace in movement, well-defined arms and shoulders, and a poised manner of communication. Their voice might carry an authoritative yet approachable tone, and their appearance overall balances a sharp, intelligent vibe with a touch of elegance and confidence. I do not know why but reminds me so much of Emma Watson for facial features and as for the her graceful body movement she might be like Charles Leclerc's Gf Alexandra Saint Mleux. (not shipping!)

Further Nakshatra Insights-

With Ardra nakshatra, her resting face might be more on the serious or angrier looking. And she might also not get recognized for her efforts allot. Her hand movement can be very unique. She is extremely intelligent (strong emphasis). She can be an outcast or unconventional and a black sheep in her family, intense conflict with parents. Also a combined influence of Rahu and  Mercury (Communication and Thinking,on and Thinking, intelligent & multi-faceted but rash, haughty and intelligent & multi-faceted but rash, haughty and ungrateful). Their resolve is hard like the "Diamond" symbol of Ardra and reflects its  multi-faceted qualities ands and brilliance. 

With Purva phalguni Nakshatra, she can be carefree, she will make a great parent, would love children, also gives her writing ability, good fortune and luck. Very sexual and passionate, purva phalguni rules sex organs. Her fashion style can be very regal, very elegant (she gives aristocratic or royalty vibes) can be a bit self centered and very wealthy too. 

Thank you for reading!

Yesss yes yes Anon you got it. Wow. Well in some parts I would stay a little bit neutral with the "vibe descriptions" cuz we can't truly know her vibes/behavior. But I like the comparison with Charles Leclerc's gf, cuz she has a warm and reddish complexion, which would resonate more with the Purva Phalguni traits. Although the 1st lord Mercury going into the 3rd house and sharing it's placement with Sun, Moon and Rahu will also influence her facial appearance. So Moon first of all will give her a round face, rounder eyes and nose (softer and rounder facial features) and a lighter (fair) complexion, Moon is also in Magha which is ruled by Ketu, Ketu can give some dull shade and Magha can give some redness (from burning/tanning). Then next Sun and Rahu in Purva Phalguni will again give redness and bronzness from tanning. Also Sun represents the eyes and Rahu puts a shadow over the eyes so here she can have some darker undereyes. But with both Sun and Moon sharing the same house with Rahu, she could end up covering the dullness of her complexion and the dark undereyes with lots of blush and highlighter. Dr. Arjun Pai once mentioned in one of his videos, that women with Rahu influence put lots of red on their cheeks. And this is really true I have also observed that. With Moon they apply lots of highlighter and with Sun-Rahu they apply lots of blush. Next Purva Phalguni also gives horizontally long, very thick, untamable bushy eyebrows with an arch and babyhairs along the hairline and very long and thick lashes. Rahu will basically give her this exoticness (foreigness) in her face and a hypnotic look in her eyes. Mercury's influence will be the youthfulness, she will look way too much younger than her actual age and it also gives another layer into her skin complexion with a slight yellowish tone. So therefore her skin tone will be in general around a medium-fair range, maybe like sandy-warm on the fairer side which turns quickly red when exposed to the Sun for too long before a sun-kissed tan sets in. And of course not to forget the Purva Phalguni freckles. Her hair could be very dark but turning lighter in the Sun with a warmer (reddish-brownish) undertone. As for her 3rd house since we discussed the planets here. Her shoulders, arms, hands and fingers will also be influenced by all these planets. Moon gives the softer/plumper/rounder features and Mercury more young/childish features, also she could communicate a lot with hand gestures. Sun can give some broader build especially in the shoulder section and also freckles on the shoulders or upper back area. Rahu could give some exotic traits, maybe like some tattoos on the shoulders/arms/hands/fingers. Magha Moon, she could very likely have that Magha mole near her shoulder. But since it's Moon it could be related to her Mother (maybe inherited) or the mole could be positioned near her breast, because Moon represents the breasts. So the shoulder mole could be leaning more near her breast or it could also have some volume (not a flat mole).

You see how it can go very deep down the rabbit hole. Every single detail needs to be analyzed.

Have a good day. 🌺

[reiderwriter]

Thoughts on unsub spencer reid fics?

Hi! I'm not sure if you wanted more of a general answer or meant this as a headcanon or gen request, so I'm just going to go purely on vibes and answer this as a question.

Spencer as an Unsub - Thoughts

Disclaimer: Anything negative said here is absolutely not an insult towards any specific writer or fic. I don't really read unsub Reid fics, due to facts I'm about to get into, so I'm really not knowledgeable enough to be throwing shade 💀 This is personal opinion!

I personally would need a lot of convincing to believe in an "unsub" Spencer Reid.

In Criminal Minds, it's clear from very early into the show that Spencer is very empathetic with certain unsubs. The entire team have their own types of cases that they get more personally involved in (Morgan and cases involving child victims, JJ and apparent suicides, Emily and quote unquote battered women cases) but Spencer is the only one whose personal attachment to cases leaves him empathising with the unsub instead of the victim.

He's the only member of the team who could have seen himself committing violent acts the way unsubs do had his life veered down a different path. And, based on Spencer's background and the psychology of the show, he's probably right to be concerned.

He's a white male, at the peak of the show in his mid to late thirties, with a background of abuse and a family history of mental illness. By season four, we know he's highly skilled with a gun, and by season 12/13, we see that he can be pushed to violence when he is at the very edge of his limitations.

And then they make his character so intrinsically moral that you never question him ever again.

To a certain extent, Criminal Minds is about the perpetual cycles of abuse that human kind can inflict upon itself. Many of the unsubs were once victims, some of them perhaps still are. The heroes of the story are characters who have been able to break the cycle.

Spencer is neglected as a child. He has an absent father abandon him, a mother with schizophrenia who does physically beat him when she is having an episode. He is bullied heavily in school for his high IQ and his lack of social skills. But he is shown to deeply care for him mother and empathise with her deeply instead of coming to resent her like many of the unsubs in that situation. He resents his father, for sure, but instead turns that resentment into drive, leading him to "just keep getting more PhDs." And his personal experiences with bullying allow him to empathise with the unsubs that have gone through similar circumstances.

So I don't think canonically, Spencer is ever in danger of becoming an unsub. He deeply cares about the world and the people around him, and whilst he does have a kill count on the show, he either expresses deep remorse at having to oull the trigger, or it is in the best interest for everyone involved.

Basically, all that to say: I think Unsub Spencer Reid in fanfiction has to be written incredibly carefully, or it runs the risk of being very out of character. To be clear, I'm not too bothered about characters being slightly out of character in fics because it happens. I've probably written a lot of stuff where Spencer is OOC, too. And that's fine.

I do kind of draw the line at grabbing random unsub traits from the show and giving them to Spencer for a fic. For example, Spencer would never end up as a sexual sadist. He probably wouldn't be a spree killer, either. Not that anyone wants my writing advice, but if you're writing an unsub Spencer fic, think about his background and the profiles they generally give for the kind of signature/ crimes you're about to give him.

If this was a request, I apologise for the misunderstanding. But here's a little hint at what I might do with a general "unsub Reid" request.

☆ It would most likely take place after the events of Season 12/13.

☆ It's angst or nothing.

☆ The basic plot: Reid's headaches come back after taking a blow in the field. He tries seeking help for it but can't find any relief. On his next case, because of his chronic pain, he makes a mistake that gets his teammate, the reader, shot. The unsub escapes, but the reader falls into a coma. When it looks like reader is not going to pull through, he tracks down the unsub and beats his to death after a brawl. Massive overkill. The reader pulls through that night, and he feels no guilt for getting that monster off the street. But each time the readers health takes a turn, or they require a new surgery, he is compelled to go back out there and track down and kill another serial killer until the reader finally wakes up.

☆ I don't think it'd be very well received because there would be no morally grey smut. This is some tragic angst shit only, lmao.

☆ please don't put a request for this in my inbox. If I feel like writing it later, I might, I don't have the brain power right now, though 💀

That's all I've got right now, but I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on unsub Reid :)

[kay-then-i-guess]

So, I had this idea as I'm getting close to finishing the Election arc of my Roleshuffle AU to go through my previous comic pages and point out everything I did wrong :) This is all for funsies, and I feel like my art has gotten a lot better with the Election arc. Plus, I think it's very important to go back and critique yourself to 1: see how far you've come and 2: to better understand where you tend to make mistakes. So, let's get critiquing!

Soooo starting off, I really didn't know how to make a comic. I had only done very brief, minor comic making before, so this was a completely new field of art that I wasn't used to. You can immediately see that problem in the first and second panel, since they. They aren't a panel. Nothing about them (minus the speech bubbles) indicates that this is a comic. I think the first would have benefited from each item being properly separated, and the other would have benefited from an actual image behind it; not a gradient. Speaking of the items, that's supposed to be Sam's hand at the top, and it is freckle-less (no clue why I forgot to add those lol). Some other consistency things that are weird is that L'manberg has no tower entrance, and there aren't any trees surrounding it in any other drawing. On notes of consistency, the sword there is supposed to be Techno's, but the design changed later to have a gold hilt. I guess that change never reached this panel, so now that just looks like a random sword stuck in the ground. Nobody's sword in the comic looks like that haha. Similar deal with Techno's crown: the spacing of jewels is not consistent with how I draw it in the rest of the comic.

Moving on! The next two panels of Connor aren't bad, per se, they just aren't good. (I'm mainly bothered by the fact that he doesn't have teeth in the first one.) Also, because I didn't want to draw hands and cut his arms off, it just looks like the framing of the panel is all wrong. Plus, I don't think I've seen anyone pose like that in real life. He looks like he's about to hug you, which is not the vibe I was going for. In both of these panels, we have what will become a reoccurring problem throughout: loooooong neck because I didn't draw a base figure before drawing the clothes. Connor's face should either be longer in these panels, or his shoulders should be higher. Either way, the neck does not look right. Another reoccurring problem you'll see is dull coloring/shading. I'm still working on this, to be frank, but these images all look rather dull. There's nothing unique about the lighting/colors, so it doesn't really pop like it should. Either I needed to add more dynamic lighting or be better at highlights.

Yet another case of long neck. Oh, and weird positioning on the facial features. The eyes feel stretched across his face instead of, well, where they should be. I also think in these opening panels I really fail to encapsulate Connor's personality. I was really banking on the fact that he's a silly little comic relief character in the canon dsmp, but his delivery is very dry/flat whenever I watch old clips of him. Therefore, in the early bits, he just seems a bit off because of the high energy I gave him. Next up we have a bad case of something that looked good in the sketch but did not come across after coloring. What I wanted to happen was his face to gain some anime-type shading that screams "oh no", but it just wasn't strong enough, so the end result just seems like I copied and pasted the same panel for no reason. Also, in the lower image, Connor's face does not look right. I can't really put my finger on why, but it's either because his eyes are uneven or that the facial features, once again, kind of stretch across the face.

aaaaand I originally wanted to go through the whole first part of my comic, but this is turning out to be very long. So that's a tomorrow project. Hope you enjoyed my critique!

[belchka]

• Rating RE characters’ designs •

Rebecca Chambers

Desclaimer: these are my personal opinions based on how much I like the face model/outfit

——————————————————————————

Resident Evil 1996

6/10 I love the anime style of the first RE but Rebecca’s first design is lacking compared to others. Not a fan of her shoes, it’s giving Ronald McDonald- and why are her gloves green?

Resident Evil Remastered (2002)

9/10 Super cute! Really solid design overall. Her uniform looks much better than in the og.

Resident Evil 0 (2002)

8/10 While her outfit is the exact same, they changed her face, and I don’t get why. She doesn’t look bad, but there’s just something off about her. Her hair looks weird too.

Resident Evil 0 HD Wesker mode (2015)

8 maybe 8.5/10 This mode is so random but I’m vibing. Love the red eyes, but not so much the bangs. It’s not as good as Jill’s battlesuit design but the thigh-high latex socks are a nice touch. I don’t really understand how her P30 device is over her clothes, seems impractical, and possibly painful.

RE 0 Alternative costumes: Classic, STARS 1997, Sportswear, Cheerleader, Western

Classic 6/10 Once again, not a big fan.

STARS 1997 6/10 I don’t really get it. The layered shorts are more Claire’s thing imo.

Sportswear 7.5/10 The infamous basketball outfit that tainted Wesker’s reputation (jk). It’s very simple, there’s not much going for it, but I think it suits her character a lot and she looks good in it.

Cheerleader 7+/10 It’s just your standard cheerleader crop top and miniskirt combo. She’s cute though.

Western 8.5/10 Surely one of her best costumes. I really like the shorts, she looks good!

RE 0 Alternative costumes: Leather, Nurse, STARS Prototype

Leather 10/10 She’s serving cunt. Everything about this is great, I love it so much. Low waisted leather pants with the layered belts? Hell yeah. It’s not something you’d expect for Rebecca but it works so well.

Nurse 7/10 This is nice, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know how I feel about it.

STARS Prototype 8.5 maybe 9/10 I love the white beret and the shoulder pads.

Resident Evil Vendetta (2017)

7.5/10 Can we please give Rebecca ankle length pants for once? It’s not even that bad, but it’s just so lazy. Really like the face model though, perhaps her best.

10/10 Now this is a whole different story. Amazing. I love the lace, the long sleeves- such a beautiful dress, and she wears it very nicely too.

Resident Evil Death Island (2023)

6+/10 Don’t get me wrong, she’s pretty, but her hair is so big it makes her look disproportionate. At least for once they put her in a black vest instead of a white one. Not a fan of this shade of green either. Overall, it’s okay, but there’re better versions.

[rosescore245]

re: descriptive ship names for fs ships…. i fucking LOVE using colour combinations to refer to them. magenta for redvio. teal for glue. indigo for viblue. “gred” is really funny to me so i haven’t come up with a good combo for them, but i associate them with bloodstained or burning (red) grass or wheat stalks (green). similarly, “bludow” is a really fun name for them, but i Love the “deep sea” idea you floated (pun intended). reddow could be shaded embers….

AAAAAAA. FS SHIPS. MY FAVORITE.

I absolutely love the color-combos you brought up, and might I propose Red Caladium for Green/Red?

Idk it feels very Them-Core

I honestly like using more elemental-based names for their ships, and I shall now dump the main ones HERE:

(Pagebreak because it got long)

Magma / Lava: Red/Vio - Since the difference between the two names is just if it's on top of or beneath the earth's crust, I'd probably use one or the other depending on who I want to portray as the Head of the relationship (if there IS a head, sometimes it's clear NEITHER of them have their lives together lol)

Steam: Red/Blue - Since water, when it hits its boiling point, turns into steam, I think that when these two are really feeling in-synch, it's obvious that Blue is more energized/less burdened by a LOT, and Red is happy to make Blue happy <3

Updraft: Red/Green - Red is the ultimate hype-man, and since air rises when it's warmer, I think it's really sweet to name their relationship as such since it shows how much Red helps with Green's self-esteem! Uplifting king.

Sunset: Red/Shadow - When the sun dips below the horizon, warm sunlight and shadows begin the mingle. I am certain that once they get over that odd "Uuuuuhhhh sorry I was evil" thing, they'd be very, VERY comfortable around each other. Like Shadow feels safe enough to drop his guard and sleep with Red in the room comfortable (the last time that happened Vio nearly killed him)

Trench: Vio/Blue - Mostly thinking of the Mariana Trench here, this could also triple as a poly ship with Shadow tbh,,,hmmmmmmm

Dust: Vio/Green - When Dirt is kicked up it forms Dust in the Air. Fairly simple, tbh. Green pushes Vio to do more than he's used to, and Vio follows along and has a bit of lighthearted fun along the way, even if he wasn't sure at first.

Cavern: Vio/Shadow - Their relationship started off mostly empty, but if they decide to venture into its vast depths, they'd find a vast array of treasures and life within it <3 they just need to take that step and reconcile.

Fog: Blue/Green - Fog is the result of concentrated moisture in the air, reducing visibility and making the air feel stuffy. I personally subscribe to the idea that Blue is actually kind of clingy, though he would usually never admit it. Definitely a very post-canon dynamic for them, Blue would need to get over his odd jealousy of Green being the "Most Link", THEN he'd be able to feel safe/allowed to reach out/cling.

Deep Sea: Blue/Shadow - You brought it up again, but I want to elaborate on my reasoning further! I think that they'd have a hard time getting close since they both think they'd hurt each other, and the pressure of the others forming bonds with Shadow would definitely make both of them feel obligated to try and talk. The more they interact and learn about each other, the more they realize they BOTH have a few screws loose and end up being a solace to one another. Blue can show his stranger sides, and Shadow can make jokes he feels too uptight to say around the others (who he sees as pristine/clean, and he doesn't want to dirty them, in a way. Blue's more like a work-towel, for lack of better words-often clean, but definitely stained and willing to get messy.). The Deep Sea is full of creepy crawlies, and I think they'd bond over their own darker aspects eventually. (Can you tell I love these two and want to write them more??? So few fics about them on Ao3, and the main ones I could find were either like. Torture-porn. Which is NOT my vibe. Or not updated since 2015. I should write them more I love them)

Stormcloud: Green/Shadow - I think these two would be at-odds a lot of the time, but they'd find their middle-ground. Just because Green understands that Shadow has done good things doesn't mean he can overlook literally everything else. It would take a while, but I think they'd eventually be comfortable enough to open up about their internal conflicts and come to a conclusion that makes them both happy (kissing sloppy-style lol)

Kaleidescope: All of them at ONCE - I love to associate these losers with butterflies, and fun fact! A Kaleidoscope, while yes is a toy full of colorful knickknacks that makes cool patterns when you twist them, is also the proper name for a Group of Butterflies. Their metamorphosis throughout their stories and into their future is so intriguing and they're delicate yet so resilient and AUGH. I LOVE THEM. 99% of what I write is this ship EVENTUALLY, if I make multiple pairs of them kiss then I would definitely make them all kiss each other. It's common sense.

Lmao sorry for the MASSIVE dump X3

Tysm for the ask AND the follow, and have a good day!

[basilthymee]

Rating every (Downpour) Rain World region based on if I would go there on holiday or not.

PIPEYARD

6/10

It's alright, really. Nothing noteworthy has good sunlight, the underground pipes would definitely be interesting to explore, and the industrial machinery vibes definitely give it some charm.

OUTER EXPANSE

10/10

PERFECT!! PERFECT!!!!!!!! It has everything! Glorious lush fauna, beautiful architecture and an amazing vista of the entire region! I would take this as a vacationing spot in a heartbeat!

METROPOLIS

9/10

Absolutely stunning city, I'd love to walk through its streets and take in the ancient architecture! The local population seems very friendly too, maybe they can give me a tour of the place! The lack of any clouds allows you to see the starry sky in its entirety! Simply exceptional.

WATERFRONT FACILITY

3/10

I- no. I don't like this place. Reminds me of garbage wastes in a way, it would be horrible for any summer getaway. This is a glorified landfill, not to mention it's so dark! Atleast shaded citadel has pretty architecture to go along with it! This is just a bunch of machinery and too much water!

LTTM

1/10

The low gravity gets old fast. Reminds me of Five Pebbles, not a fun place to be. The lady who oversees this place is kind, atleast.

SUBMERGED SUPERSTRUCTURE

2/10

If this place weren't 3/4s underwater I'd consider it a legitimate vacationing destination, but let me tell you, its very, very damp and humid. No sunlight access, no good resting places, it's gonna be a two from me.

THE ROT

0/10

Ew. Why is it moving? I don't think I need to explain this one.

UNDERGROWTH

7/10

The jungle vibes really give this place a nice touch! It's very humid, which is a bit annoying, but other than that there's so much life in here! Definitely, a place I'd go to more than once. The water is very warm (albeit leech-infested, but they come off no problem if you just step out!) so its great for swimming!

SILENT CONSTRUCT

3/10

This place is cold as hell. The architecture is very nice to look at, but it barely redeems the fact that there are snow storms every couple of minutes! How can anyone relax here?!

RUBICON

0/10

Some green rat tried to kill me, not going back here again.

[bloodied-dagger]

some song recs based off lyrics

@rainbowangel110 has asked, so I shall deliver

did I spend entirely way too much time on this? Yes. Was it worth it? Probably not. Did I have to add the lyrics I related to the most for every single song? No, but rainbow specifically mentioned the lyric posting and it's fun soooooo (anyways it's 4:30 AM over here so. if you see any mistakes, no you didn't. I'll edit this in the morning so it won't have any)

Complete list without the commentary is at the bottom. List is in a Song Title - Artist format

Alternative

“Alternative” is being very loosely used here, there will be other genres mixed in here. Also, there is no particular order for this bit

I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons This is probably the most country song you'll ever get out of me, right next to the Nickleback song I've got in there

'Cause I will wait I will wait for you And I will wait I will wait for you

BREATHING UNDERWATER - Hot Milk This is very alt-rock emo of me, sorry rainbow

I tried breathing underwater to drown out the doubt Cracked under the pressure and nearly bled out You said you'd always save me - so where are you now? Feels like I'm failing, I'm dancing while drowning alone

Bells - The Unlikely Candidates Honestly I don't really care about the lyrics for this one, I just think I should throw something a bit more mellow after that last one and it's a good song so

And where we go, nobody knows Those bells are ringing, ringing loud Oh lord, we're going down - six underground Those bells are ringing, ringing loud

Razzmatazz - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME Once again I throw a song in for the vibes and not the lyrics. Sue me

And now, well Some things just cannot be fixed With sparkled tongues and politics In a fascist little paradox, we all become anonymous

Rule #11 - My Dream, My Addiction - Fish in a Birdcage Okay, last one I'm adding for the vibes- for now

I, I've never seen a storm this fierce I, am feelin' rather small in here As the walls start to compress Shifting, squirming, restlessness

For You - Loveless Alright now here's a song I'm adding for the lyrics. It's also more on the rock song but it's not that heavy I don't think (maybe minus the bridge where it goes all heavy metal baseline for 8 or so bars)

Wasted my time Why would I ever waste another line on you, you? Crossing the line Why would I ever tell another lie for you, you?

Apologies - acloudyskye You must be something else if you thought we were getting out of this list without a skye song in here. This one isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea bc it's electronic but I like it so

I often think about their lives A fault in me I can't deny And in the end I won't even think So, apologies for all these things

Broken Zipper - Group Project You know I had to put a gp song on here somewhere. This one's def a more feel good song, also one I use to call myself out on with when I'm getting pissed about the little things Although it is a love song about crushing on your best friends sister or something? Whatever

You spend one week's worth of pay on your night out Wrote in pen and ran out of white out Lost your shades and it's much too bright out But who the fuck cares when you're breathing fine right now?

Could've Been Me - The Struts This song has made me cry, and that's an achievement when it's as upbeat of a song as it is

I wanna live better days Don't want to look back and say "It could've been me It could've been me"

Playing Dead - VIOLÀ Came because the song is an emo banger, stayed because I related to it a little while later. This one's also very rock, but I have to have a few in here

But if this is the last time I say sorry Then I'll take it back, 'cause I don't mean it You are the cancer in my body I'm done playing dead 'cause I still feel it

Through the Ghost - Shinedown No idea what living "through the ghost" means but it sounds poetic as hell

Speak of the devil, Look who just walked into the room The guilty invaded notion Of someone I once knew

Reason for Living - Morgan Page This song is actually for the beat saber soundtrack, and so is the next one. Naturally, it's on the more electronic/dance side of things but some of the lyrics are Big Mood™ so

'Cause I don't even sleep no more these days No such thing as staying up too late And nobody's at home waiting for me I'm staying up on a feeling - it's the reason for living

Heavy Weight (feat. Beat Saber) - Lindsey Stirling The fact that beat saber can get lindsey-fucking-stirling on a song is kind of crazy to me. Like. What

Heavy weight Feel it in my past mistakes But I think I've carried them For way too long

Inertia - AJR The shortest songname - artistname on this whole list, probably because it's competition is an artist who's name is abbreviated to IDKHBTFM. Anyway, when this came out I fucking Felt It hearing these words for the first time, and they still hit me the same way (maybe even more effectively than before)

An object in motion Don't ask where I'm going 'Cause where I am going is right where I am (Oh man!)

Alma Mater - Group Project This song reminds me of good times. Maybe not better times, but good ones that're long gone now.

I said "Hey, Why we always end up staying out late, Staying out late?"

It's a love song but I'm 100% not focused on that at all /gen

(Sad, yet) Impactful

Little commentary, songs in order of how impactful each of them are in my opinion (top = least, bottom = most) Also a good portion of these are probably heartbreak songs or smth but I'm pretending they're not like an aromantic would

Cellphone - Promoting Sounds & Nate Kest

It's getting late, I sipped too much Look at me strange, I'll be too blunt I'm easy to hate; I'm hard to love But you love me anyway - or is it lust?

I Won't Beg for You - Chri$tian Gate$

'Cause I won't beg for you, my dear These knees have bled, pulled out my hair Didn't know you tried to burn us down Even when we tried to work it out

Call Me - Shinedown

I finally put it all together But nothing really lasts forever I had to make a choice that was not mine I had to say goodbye for the last time

By The Way - Theory of a Deadman I usually listen to the "(Acoustic) [Bonus Track]" version of this song when I'm sad. figured that was worth mentioning so it isn't out of place (a hard rock song in the middle of a slower song list)

By the way You left without saying goodbye to me Now that you're gone, away All I can think about is you and me, you and me

Rayleigh Scattering - acloudyskye

And if it gets better It's taking forever And what's with this weather? It's not getting better

Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi

So Before you go Was there something I could've said to make it all feel better? If only I had known you had a storm to weather

Landing In London - 3 Doors Down

And when the night comes in around me And I don't think I'll make it through I'll use your light to guide my way 'Cause all I think about is you

Ashes of Eden - Breaking Benjamin

Are you with me after all? Why can't I hear you? Are you with me through it all? Then why can't I feel you?

To Build a Home - Grace Page

And I built a home For me, for you Until it disappeared From me, from you And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust...

Better Than Me - Bohnes

'Cause I Know that you Deserve better than me Better than me, yeah

My Body Is a Cage - Peter Gabriel This one's only here because of that full orchestra impact moment honestly

I'm standing on a stage Of fear and self doubt It's a hollow play But they'll clap anyway

No Time To Die - Billie Eilish

I should've known That I'd leave alone Just goes to show That the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe

My Immortal - Effervescent

These wounds won't seem to heal This pain is just too real There's just too much that time cannot erase

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me And just forget the world?

Somewhere Out There - acloudyskye

It's over Oh, and under Under we go So far below

Full list, no commentary:

Alternative

I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons

BREATHING UNDERWATER - Hot Milk

Bells - The Unlikely Candidates

Razzmatazz - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Rule #11 - My Dream, My Addiction - Fish in a Birdcage

For You - Loveless

Apologies - acloudyskye

Broken Zipper - Group Project

Could've been me - The Struts

Playing Dead - VIOLÀ

Through the Ghost - Shinedown

Reason for Living - Morgan Page

Heavy Weight (feat. Beat Saber) - Lindsey Stirling

Inertia - AJR

Alma Mater - Group Project

Impactful

Cellphone - Promoting Sounds & Nate Kest

I Won't Beg For You - Chri$tian Gate$

Call Me - Shinedown

By The Way (Acoustic) [Bonus Track] - Theory of a Deadman

Rayleigh Scattering - acloudyskye

Before you go - Lewis Capaldi

Landing in London - 3 Doors Down

Ashes of Eden - Breaking Benjamin

To Build a Home - Grace Page

Better Than me - Bhones

My Body Is a Cage - Gabe Peters

No Time to Die - Billie Eilish

My Immortal - Effervescent

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Somewhere Out There - acloudyskye

[bromcommie]

Do you know (or have a theory about) what Bucky's role in the Thunderbolts will be? I assume he'll be part of the team but he also blows up the car with the T-bolts in it. That paired with the fact that he's in some of his WS gear, I am worried that the plot involves him getting brainwashed again :/

Ah, nonnie—idk if I’m the best go-to for this question seeing as how if I’m being completely honest, I’ve been checked out of the more detailed side of the “theorizing about new Marvel projects” game for a long while now, even (and maybe especially) when it comes to Bucky. I’m afraid every new bit of info is making me think they’re going to keep doing whatever the hell they feel like with him by taking that brand of inconsistent I’ve unfortunately come to associate with his storyline to brand new heights. Not for nothing, but there’s very little even in the way TFATWS “concluded” his arc that’s indicative of him having any place being in the Thunderbolts in the first place.

All of that said, lemme give it my best go based off of gut feeling and previous experience. We do only get so much from that trailer however, and I’ve only seen it the once, and I also might just be completely off-base, so take all of this with a sizable grain of salt:

First of all, I’ve seen the brainwashing hypothesis thrown around a bunch, but here’s the thing: I really don’t think the WS getup has anything much to do with anything. Not to be too cynical, and as lovely as seeing everyone on here picking over some of the details in the costuming and props is—‘tis what I love about this fandom, after all—I truly think we’re past the point in the MCU (if we were ever really there to begin with) where those elements actually have a deeper narrative motivation other than simple vibes, especially in a major team-up like this one.

Now, would I personally love to see one last badass, hurts-so-good farewell omage to the Winter Soldier in all of his Henry Jackman-SKREECH-soundtrack-fueled glory, no matter how thin the justification behind it is? Hell yes. Do I think that’s what we’ll be getting? Nah, not really, and somehow that’s not necessarily better.

If I had to take a guess, I’d say the gear’s there to evoke a sense of him not being entirely his own (a la the Zemo/Madripoor ruse in TFATWS) but that the whole thing’s not really looking like brainwashing at all. Partly because even in those 20 seconds or so we get of him, sure: there’s the grenade launcher, there’s the bike, there’s the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am of it all, but I’m not really seeing any of that near-manic, laser-focus Winter Soldier energy. I’m just seeing a kind of grim, tired, possibly very pissed off guy-who-is-supposed-to-be-Bucky. With some mean shades on.

The second reason is more on the Doylist side of things: this is them making him a full-on, credit-carrying main character the second time around. At this point, no matter how much I wish it weren’t the case, I honestly doubt they can afford to backpedal on their decision to mostly ignore the previously established canon of Bucky being an unwilling victim of HYDRA’s violence, and am assuming they’ll continue to lean in to him instead being a somewhat conscious perpetrator of it and therefore a viable contender for the Main Character mantle, as well as a part of the Thunderbolts in the first place—seeing as how their whole schtick is that they’re essentially Discount Bin Bad Guys Redeeming Themselves. (I will hereby refrain from discussing all the OTHER characters in that team-up who have also been set up as having all their autonomy very explicitly stripped from them. But know that I am thinking it and shaking my head.) In the framework that they’ve created which has one too many weird victim blaming pillars, having Bucky once again be under direct and full mental and physical control of someone else would be simply incompatible with that protagonist qualifier. And even if they were to backtrack on that decision, it’d still make for an ever more contradictory and regressive storyline, not least of all because they’ve also already established that the brainwashing doesn’t really work anymore. Which leads me to my last point—

There’s really nothing left for them to brainwash him with, I feel like. The Winter Soldier stakes are gone and doubly buried with TFATWS. The code words are gone, or at least that’s what they’ve made a big point of making us believe. Unless they decide to pull another hitherto unknown device to replace them with out of their ass last minute, or to, for some godforsaken reason, reintroduce The ChairTM (which again, seeing him be subject to torture and literal brainwashing and very much not in control wouldn’t really work with the whole “he needs to make amends for the crimes he Definitely Committed Knowingly and Willingly, No Guys For Real” thing they’ve decided to roll with), I frankly don’t see a way for anyone to have that kind of absolute power over him.

Ultimately, I just don’t think they’d even waste that much time setting up those aspects of the character again, especially since from what I’ve seen Bucky’s not even going to be in the movie all that long. Which makes the reasoning of why they’re going for that particular facet of his aesthetic even more confusing, other than, once again, pure ~vibes~.

So, to summarize: no, I don’t think he’s going to be brainwashed, or at least there’s no way for them to do that without once again trampling all over their own canon. Which on one hand, yay! (Said oh so very tiredly.) On the other: I think what that leaves us with is something way closer to 616!Bucky’s comics arc than what we’ve ever had so far, meaning Bucky once again “atoning” for his misdeeds as the Winter Soldier, and likely being under the government’s boot for much of it. And look, while I love 616!Bucky, identical brothers he and MCU!Bucky are not. Any setup we get for this transition would have to be…speedy at best, and nonsensical at worst. How and why his arc would suddenly entail going after a bunch of random rogues as, I’m assuming, some kind of twisted arm of the CIA/Valentina/the US government at large (??), when the last time we saw him he was supposedly finally free and readjusting to society or whatever—fuck if I know. Regular old extortion/blackmail/emotional manipulation of some kind is my best bet, or some last-minute addition to his pardon made for political gain.

In any case—sure, better than the regular old 2015 Bucky brainwashing angst, but only in the way that it’s more of the same done in a different way. I personally don’t like any of the implications this has any better.

But that’s just me going off of the minimal visuals we got so far + wariness derived from unfortunately being a Bucky fan for a good decade now, lol. I still have no idea how any of it’ll play into him being the supposed “de facto leader” of the team, or whether he’ll get there willingly, or even whether the writers of this project will have taken into account any of the previous installments as some others have decided against in the past. (Looking at you, Spellman. Good lord.) My second best guess is that they’ll have him play some kind of mediatory role between the government and the Thunderbolts, seeing as how he’s been around the longest—some fucked up kind of big brother act, if you will, as an extension of that whole “redeeming himself” business—and then possibly kill him off/retire him for good. But other than that I really…don’t know, and haven’t really thought that far ahead since I cannot for the life of me get a feel for what the hell this movie’s tone is even supposed to be, and it’s making me uh…not care too much about it, I’m sorry to say.

But then again and in that same vein, I’m also trying not to assign any particular meaning to anything I’m seeing. For all I know they could decide to retcon him again or shoot him up into space to be Nick Fury’s Man on the Wall instead of killing him off. It’s the Wild Wild and Yet Still Sadly Often Predictable West out there.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see?

[fruityfroggy]

ASGKJKUYFG TYSM @anonymocha FOR GIVING ME A DIRECTION TO GO WITH MY RAMBLINGS<3

Anyways…oh Verdigris, I’ve come up with so many extra bits and pieces to her lore in the past month or so and I didn’t really get to talk about her in the first place, so I’m glad that someone’s interested (this is gonna be so long, I can feel it)

First things first, we’ll get the big thing out of the way: her arcane skill. Kind of a big part of her story is how she is a “plant whisperer”, which means that she’s able to hear the voices of plants and therefore communicate with them. This made her form a prominent sense of empathy for plants, as they are unheard by everyone except her.

(Now, a lot of the things I’ll mention about Verdigris will make a lot more sense)

So a fun little fact is that plants have a “way of speaking” that sounds more poetic than your normal speech, since they’re just describing things based off of what they know from nature. And because of her arcane skill, Verdigris does talk like them a little (which just comes off as being poetic/dramatic). Another thing that comes with this “way of speaking” are “Titles of the Plants”, which is the thing that you remind the plants of, that they therefore refer to you by (Vertin is “The Wandering Wind”, Sonetto is “The Shade in Daylight”, etc).

Why am I mentioning this? Well but of course it’s for yuri reasons! Because this is the perfect way for Verdigris to subtly and sapphic-ly pine for a certain arcanist by the title: Ray of Sun (and who this refers to is not disclosed). She mentions this “Ray of Sun” quite frequently in her diary, which I’d imagine could be one of those pages of text you can find between stages, as well as in her intimacy voiceline (which I haven’t written, but we can imagine, okay).

Anywho…when it comes to interacting with other arcanists, Verdigris is very much the most likeable out of my three ocs here (she’s just a cinnamon roll, not toxic or hard to communicate with). So she gets along with basically everyone in the suitcase. Chaotic or calm, she’s patient enough to talk to them. Tho she’s the closest with Lilya I’d say, since they’re bonding over a shared language/heritage and shut up, it’s adorable. Especially since Verdigris didn’t have anyone to speak Russian to for a long time (she lived in Spain, that’s why) and Russian was her mother’s language (she never got to meet her, so it holds special significance to her (things are getting angsty haha)). This problem was the whole reason she created her own critters actually. But hey, now she has someone and the vibes are good again.

As for their dynamic, it’s obvious that they have a “balancing each other out” situation, and I like to call it “Lilya and her designated driver” as a joke. But truthfully, Verdigris is surprisingly down with most of her shenanigans and no one understands why. Lilya kinda just wants to show Verdigris all the “fun stuff” she usually does, and she just goes along with it while some of the other arcanists watch them in horror (they’re just having a good time tho). When Verdigris is busy, Lilya would go visit her workshop to see what she’s doing like: "What you making, Verdie?:]" (she finds it interesting).

Considering what she does, I feel like Verdigris would probably be crossing paths with Medpoc kinda often as well (hehe). Verdigris just isn’t super affected by Medpoc’s hostility, and still treats them very well after getting yelled at. Once they warm up to her tho, she kinda becomes their emotional support (aka the person they rant to while she hands them a cookie or smth), and they’d pass out together while working across from each other, since neither of them remember to sleep (or do anything else).

I also think that she could help Shamane repair and/or upgrade his mechanical arm (since that’s kinda her specialty), and in turn gain a new father figure. Shamane would definitely like her Dendrogues and greet them when he sees them hopping around as well.

Some honourable mentions are the other calm healers (Dikke and Tooth Fairy). Dikke would grow fond of Verdigris for how fair and thoughtful is, but she'd tell her to not be so tolerant of everything. As for her and Tooth Fairy’s situation, they actually have pretty similar vibes, so they’d probably do some somewhat questionable things together that aren’t so questionable if they’re doing it, like baking together (there’s definitely no tooth fairies in the muffins they’re making, don’t question the taste of plums) and going out into the forest to look for teeth.

Oh right! Verdigris also has a small interaction with Pristine after implanting the new heart she made for her, since Pristine’s original heart (crystal) is the thing that makes her body possessable to Arcana (there’s some context from this post that is needed to understand what I’m talking about). This is a big plot point in Pristine’s story, so guess who’s growing attached to Verdigris. Yeah, she kinda just follows her around whenever she sees her from there on out, maybe even tugs on her sleeve saying “Where art thou headed to? Let me go with thee!” (Welcome to motherhood, Verdigris!)

[adobe-outdesign]

i love your korbat review! i hope it’s ok to request a color instead of a pet. could you review some UC grey pets? thank you!

(Similar to the species reviews, I'll do an overview of the color as a whole followed by my top three picks, plus a bonus extra least favorite.)

I'm not sure which member of TNT decided that there should be a paint brush for giving your pet clinical depression, but hey, I'm not complaining. I love neutral palettes, and the colour itself is super distinct—it would've been easy for this to just be a recolour ala silver, but instead they really went the extra mile in making it unique and distinct.

The only drawback to grey is that it has always been one of the colours impacted the hardest from customization. The entire point of the colour was less the palettes themselves (which are primarily, shocker, gray, sometimes with pink accents) and more the gorgeous artwork, which was incredibly expressive and sometimes outright beautiful. By making all the grey pets fit a rigid pose for customization, the colour ends up just being a recolour that happens to make your pet slightly depressed, instead of the full-on misery fest it used to be before conversion.

That said, I will defend customized grey pets a little—they do work as a great neutral base for customization and can look quite pretty when dressed up correctly. (Of course I, someone who has a converted grey Kougra, may be slightly biased.) Otherwise, this colour is best suited for UCs.

Favorite Species:

Yurble: The converted version is fine; it's not overly sad looking by any means, but that makes it a good base for customization. However, the UC version is the star here. What a fantastic design—the unfurled, limp ears are just perfection, and the long mane and drooping face are just wonderfully miserable. I also really like the pink eyes, which stand out nicely against the grey. The grey itself also has good contrast, with the dark eye markings really making the eyes pop.

Kougra: While this isn't the most interesting grey pet out there, I really like the overall look of the Kougra. The converted version doesn't look all that sad, but I like the subtlety stressed vibe and, like the Yurble, this makes it great for pets of any personality.

(Also, the customized version removes female Kougra's half-lidded eyes, which is a massive improvement across the board.)

Meanwhile, the UC is outright adorable, sporting a sitting pose, floppy ears, and an upward-looking expression befitting of a dog in one of those donation commercials. Once again, the pink eyes draw attention to the face, and the contrast between the shades of grey is good. I do think the stripes could've been a little drippy-er to really get that sadness down, but still, a very nice looking pet overall.

Acara: I was debating between the Acara and the Ixi for this, because I like both, but I have to go with the Acara for two reasons. First, the customized version looks pretty good—I appreciate the addition of tears to help make it look that much sadder, seeing as the pose is gone. It's not as neutral as some grey pets, but if you want a converted grey pet that still looks a bit sad, this is a good pick. Also, the pink ears and paws look lovely.

And secondly, the UC has a really neat thing conceptually wherein the horns are draped forward over the head instead of behind it. That's such a simple but fun visual touch, and like the UC grey Yurble's ears, it really helps to convey a sense of misery via the actual pet design. I also really like how it's leaning forward and looking up, like it's too tired to stand correctly. Great stuff.

Least Favorite Species:

Chia: Gotta give this one to the Chia. Even if you ignore the fact that it was made post-customization, meaning that there's no UC version to compare, it's also just really boring even by converted UC standards. There's no nice pink accents (unless you count the tongue), the hair looks fine, even the expression just looks more bummed out than depressed. I could've easily seen the feet being pink or the hair being mussy, or some deep shadows around the eyes; something to convey, well, anything, really. It's an alright customization base, but nothing more.

[guardevoir]

The Great Temporally Displaced Meadow Gremlin Outfit Project, Part 1: First ideas.

Fuck if I know whether this will lead anywhere eventually, but a fiber gremlin can dream.

No research has been done yet, this is not in a place where I'm happy with this plan at all, this is not going to be the whole thing either because I need at least one fucking cape. It's mandatory.

Anyway, a way-off-base first draft is easier to fix than an empty page, so here's that, I guess:

(also, yes, I am Very open to comments and suggestions 'n stuff)

My main starting point here was definitely "which fibers am I willing to work with for what might be years?"

It has to be sturdy, fun to spin, and available without completely breaking the bank, at least for the majority of this. I'm not opposed to using luxury fiber for smaller bits, but a skirt in a silk blend or something would be prohibitively expensive and kind of a waste.

So, two things primarily came to mind: A light grey Merino that spins up disconcertingly quickly (that has the slight problem of being the subject of my current mammoth project, so I will probably be roundly fed up with it before long), or the same dark grey Icelandic blend i used for my hat.

In case someone's tuning in who hasn't been here for that long: The Hat. Also a random impulse decision that worked out extremely well.

Largely the aforementioned natural grey Icelandic mix, with dyed Merino because while you'd think 100g of fibers would be enough for a goddamn beanie, it sure as shit wasn't. Ended up looking great though, so I'm not mad about it.

Now, the upside of the Icelandic blend is that it's fun to spin, cheap, has a nice, substantial hand, feels like it'll work very well when lightly, gently felted, and it is really fucking gorgeous. On one hand, that means I could leave the majority of my stuff undyed, because that grey is timelessly, classically gorgeous. On the other hand, maybe I want to dye shit.

Construction-wise, I'm pondering a turn-of-the-century-esque walking-skirt inspired thing; I will have to do a lot of fabric piecing and I'm limited to a pretty thick fabric, so that'll limit my options some, but - long, simple, classic. Means I'll likely need a petticoat to make it sit right, but I'm willing to compromise and either use millspun linen yarn to weave my own linen fabric or just buy some linen or cotton outright; I can always swap it out for something handspun later.

Currently I'm planning on every (bigger) woven bit being rigid-heddle-woven and plainweave, color-and-weave techniques and clasped warp/weft nonsense optional (but risky, because of the piecing), but I'll also be gaining access to a floor loom pretty soon, so that'll put twill fabrics on the menu, as it were. Shadow-weave, maybe.

Now, the sontag shawl will be crochet and likely pretty straightforward. There's patterns, I could probably draft one up myself even; it'll be slightly tedious but perfectly doable. I also want it to either have fringe or some kind of scalloped edge with picots, because I think that'll bring some details and maybe a hint of gremlin energy to an otherwise pretty austere outfit.

The shirt's gonna be something flouncier than historically appropriate, probably, partially because it'll be fun, partially because the less something has to be fitted, the less likely I'm gonna be to fuck it up. probably gonna do a classical, lace pirate shirt collar, because if I attempt do a high collar, I will cry and give up. Once again, I will have to compromise on fabric, but That's Fine It's Fine.

Then, I'd like to have some details: Wrist warmers, maybe a pixie belt or something, anything to bring in more gremlin vibes. I'd love to add a nice crocheted collar piece too, but I'm pretty worried about how it'll look with the shawl... but I'm also worried about how the pirate shirt-style collar with look with that, so. oops?

Now, Problem #1: If I make an entire outfit myself, do I really want it to be largely shades of grey and plainweave if I could also make the coolest fucking plant-dyed rainbow known to man and create some kind of Hyper Gay Mega Plaid?

Problem #2: I aesthetically enjoy what I came up with, but I don't think I'd be using my skills to their fullest potential. I could make that thing with millspun yarn and storebought fabric and nobody could tell the difference.

Problem #3: It's not really screaming "Guardy made that", and I should probably find a way to put in more personality.

Problem #4: I'd be utilizing only about half of my fiber arts skills (no embroidery, pin loom, band weaving, knitting, macrame, etc), which would be a shame.

How will I solve all of this? Fuck if I know!

But yeah, this is about the state of the brainstorm currently.

[lovelyllamasblog]

Another thing for @lazella! Like my last post, this is based on her TWST x YGO crossover fic, And You Thought Things Were Over. This time, I did the Bracelet Girls from Arc V!

Like Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri, I don't know if they'll be making any appearances in lazella's fic, but I really hope they do. These are just my headcanons, so take them with a grain of salt.

First, Yuzu Hiiragi! I imagine her in Scarabia along with Yuya. She's very thoughtful and smart, has a good head on her shoulders, and despite her hot temper, she has a kind heart and is always looking out for others. She has blue bows to mimic the blue hair clips she always wears. (The game also didn't the right shade of pink for her little hair dangles. I made them lilac to contrast her hair.)

Second, we have Serena (Celina) in Heartslabyul. Now, I know what you're thinking; she's a rebel. Why put her in a place with all those rules? It's two fold. One, the most basic answer is because of her uniform in the anime. It's red, and I just couldn't help myself. Two, she kind of gives off Alice vibes. A girl who lived in a straight and uptight community suddenly thrown into a place where nothing makes sense. I feel like she would question Riddle a lot about the rules and maybe get collared once or twice because of it.

(Her hair bow is white because the game doesn't have a yellow bow option. I think she would have a diamond like in the first picture, but the second was inspired by @wearepopcandies' art of the girls as Queen Cards.)

Next, we have Rin in Ignihyde. Like Yugo, Rin is a mechanic and is very good with machines. She would be the motherly figure that I think the dorm needs, telling them to take breaks, reminding them to take care of themselves, and, probably most importantly, keeping Yugo in check. Idia would learn to fear her since she appears to be everywhere at once and scolds him for his own neglect to his health. Basically, she gives off major Big Sister vibes.

(Again, the game did not have right shade of green for her hair, so I made two, one dark green and one blonde, in order to try and create sort of a visual point of reference for her hair? If that makes sense?)

Finally, we have Ruri Kurosaki, or Lulu Obsidian in the English dub. I put her in Octavinelle with Yuto. Like him, she has a calm disposition and a kind heart. She is also the most graceful of the Bracelet Girls and gives off Kind Big Sister vibes. She's one of the few people that can tell Floyd off without being threatened that he's gonna squeeze her. I couldn't get her hair completely accurate due to the game's limited options.

Edit: Thinking more about it, Ruri might also be a fit for Pomefiore too.

And yes, all the girls have their bracelets. I imagine in this world, the bracelets act like magic pens, letting the girls use magic for a short amount of time. I don't know how magical the bracelets actually are, but considering that they allow the girls to teleport the boys away from each other in order to keep Zarc at bay, I would imagine that the abilities of the bracelets would expand in a world full of magic, and the girls would develop their own magical abilities, like the boys.

Again, take this with a grain of salt since this is not my AU. I know lazella has something amazing planned for the future chapters and I for one cannot wait!

[pumpkin-spike18]

✨Weekly Progress 2024 #18-21✨

oh... shit, it's been a month since the last update huh 💦

Well, I hope it's very obvious why that is! In the few weeks before the announcement, I was preparing marketing posts and promo arts so I didn't want to ruin the surprise via a devlog!

Weekly Progress #18

Programmed SYVNH gallery

Made a programming to do list

Updated variables

[Fan project] Planning

Tested SYVNH main game, Side B

Programmed cheat codes

Programmed choice jumping

Made marketing plan and sketches

Updated SYVNH Guide

Drafted Post Mortem

Refined countdown sketches

(SYVNH as a whole project was finished at this point)

Weekly Progress #19

Fin 4 Promo art

Generated 14 SFB BGs

Tested SFB shading methods

Rendered Avia SFB sprite

Play tested for Canvas Menagerie

Scheduled SYVNH announcements and promo posts

Rendered Raven SFB base sprite

Wrote 981 words for KHP

(SYVNH full game release announcement was made at this point)

Weekly Progress #20

Rendered Raven SFB sprite

[Fan Project] flat color (x4)

Worked on [BL RPG] world building & outline

Sketched [BL RPG] chibis

Revised SYVNH Guide/Post Mortem

Sketched [BL RPG] faces

Weekly Progress #21

Drafted SYVNH game page updates

Finished Dove SFB sprite

Evaluated SFB fight scenes

Finished 4/4 [fan project] illustrations

Started P^3 designs

Released SYVNH!! 🎉🎉🎉

I'm sure everyone knows with how often I've been saying it, buuuut!!

The full version of Stuck in a Yandere Visual Novel...HELP!! is now released and available to play for free!!

Itch is currently down for me so I hope that link I copied from previous posts will work once it goes back up.

At 2.5 years of work, this has been my longest creative project yet. I think I've said everything I could in the post-mortem for the project. It has been a huge mountain for me to climb and I'm glad I finally got through it. A lot of things have changed since I started working on this project, some good, some bad, most of which I can't really discuss. But it is over and I am proud of myself for it.

I'm also really relieved that folks have been enjoying the ending! I was definitely very worried that I did not drop enough hints and it would come way too out of left field.

So once again, thank you everyone for giving my project a chance and sticking with me for 2.5 years to reach the ending. Thank you so much!! 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️ This is more than I've ever dreamed for and I hope I can continue to bring good stories for folks to enjoy!

A Sky of Falling Birds

Once I was done with SYVNH, I got to work on my next big project because I can't sit still. I haven't a marketing plan for SFB yet. It's a very different story and vibe from SYVNH. I think the only similarity are the length of the main character's bangs.

I'm tentatively aiming to release SFB for BAF VN Jam.

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Oh god that was terrible, don't put me on the spot like that, me.

Anyways, A Sky of Falling Birds is a yuri-ish visual novel about depression, finding a will to live, and the end of the world.

It's yuri-ish because you have two "love interests" who aren't lovey-dovey to you at all. In fact, one of them might murder you before the game ends. The main portion of the script has been finished at about 20k+ words and the sprites are done. It's time I made a proper roadmap for creation of this VN('s demo).

(Oh, what's that? Does one of their silhouette look familiar? I wonder...)

A Variety of Unnamed BL Projects

+ a named not-BL project

Although SFB is closer to being finished, I can't help but be tempted by these new ideas I have... and start designing for them.

Last time I talked about P^3, I finished the outline. There is still no title. But I worked on some potential designs for the MC and the two LIs.

I am both unhappy and un-done with LI2's outfit. They're actually a bit plain compared to my other designs, but this story's a historical (Victorian) fantasy and only LI2 is close to the upper crust of society that would wear flowing dress... shirts with lots of ribbons.

I'm still working on how to best summarize this story. But perhaps it's a little more "what would you do for family" than love story.

The other BL project, which I've named [BL RPG] is a story set in a modern fantasy society. There is turn based gameplay for this project. I had their designs finished a while back, but I finally put colors to the remainder of the cast for Part 1.

(Oh, this will be a long one, my friends...)

The outline isn't done yet.

This is a story about kissing boys, taming punks, and maybe over throwing the government.

The last of my "projects I worked on mindlessly now that SYVNH is done" I worked on this past... month is Killer Hiding Place (KHP). This is the next entry into the Kill Series and something I had outlined since last year. I kept trying to start writing it, but I keep running into trouble on how I want to tell the story. I originally intended to do another manga-esque format like that of Exorcist Killing Lie, but this protagonist tends to monologue a lot, making it difficult to put in manga form.

Other...!

I finished 4 images for a fan project, and I'm still behind on another part of that project 😢 That'll be my focus for this week...

I also did some playtesting for @arimiadev's upcoming BL visual novel Canvas Menagerie!! It's a soft and comfy SoL BL story about the struggles of being an actor.

It also has one of the best lines I've ever read in a visual novel.

You can play the Canvas Menagerie demo for free on itch!

Whew! That was a long one!

But that's all the info I got for this... month. Look forward to... next week...??? Let's go with the positive expectation that I will be able to make weekly devlogs again ahaha...

Bye-bye, Pumpkin out!

[xsilversugar]

SilverSugar’s Commission Information

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Terms of Service/Additional Information below the cut.

ToS, Payment Plan Details, & Additional Information

Inquiries accepted across all Private/Direct/Message-able platforms and via eMail.

PayPal Preferred but I will also accept Venmo in a pinch. Occasionally I take Amazon Wishlist Purchases or Partial Adoptable Trades. I am open to alternatives/suggestions (Discord Nitro, Digital Game purchases/Tumblr Badges [I really want the Comms Open one right now,] or gift-cards) however these are typically a last resort and may require a documented history/reference/referral of prior successful commissions from other artists as well as extra time to join new platforms as needed.

A non-refundable deposit for a base layout/sketches/chibis/pixel art for new/infrequent clients is required. Work will not begin until payments are confirmed, progress updates will be WIP/Watermarked and final image files Will Not be sent until confirmation of final invoice payment has been cleared.

As stated I will work within any budget and take payment-plans, for works that do not have a hard deadline, for sketches, chibis, and pixel art! My rates are in USD, however I will make an attempt to convert to local-currencies whenever possible (assuming this isn’t automatic via PayPal.) For anything more than base-work I will work with my clients to determine a fair price. Typically I try to estimate the scope of the project and apply base minimum wage plus expenses [medium, experience, time, et cetera.]

My past rates for a full color illustration with multiple characters or character sheets with a ton of expressions/items have gone as high as $350 currently. I can provide prior client examples and/or reviews/references upon request.

A minimum price of $100 is requested for full-color digitally illustrated animated gifs. Full price depends on the complexity of the character and number of unique/key frames. (For a cheaper alternative consider animated pixel art, a two frame character bounce is free on request, but more frames are subject to a negotiable fee depending on character/scene.)

Changes/progress updates can be requested for each stage of a piece however I do tend to work in sections— once coloring starts it tends to go alongside shading so typically once I have a pallet/general direction from a client we tend to be fairly locked-in after a layout sketch/rough lineart stage.

I do not require character references/sheets to work off however I do highly encourage even a simple sketch, similar works/character vibes/face-claims, color palettes, and especially for specific clothing articles/hair styles! Please DO NOT use A.I. for your references to me. I do not condone its usage and doing so may result in a denial of accepting your commission. On that note…

You may NOT use my artwork or anything I make, regardless of if I made it for you with or without a commercial agreement, in/with Gen A.I. Period.

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns don’t hesitate to reach out! Thank you again for the support!

All characters* and art depicted in the above infographic were drawn by myself and are owned by me. Please do not reproduce/repost. *The armored dark-elf in the lower-left is Ishtar, she was designed by myself but otherwise belongs to the wonderful @awesomeando! Please do consider checking them out as well!