#she is too special to me

[brekkie-e]

Listen, I get that a lot of people's dislike of white-haired Lavellan's comes from over exposure, which is valid and happens to the best of us. But most of the time, when I see posts about folks not liking them, the frustration centers around them being this unearthly ethereal white-haired barbie doll. And I'm sure that is also common.

But as someone who loves my dinky white haired Lavellan, and also feels like she's one of my most human characters, I want to ramble about all the ways she is not just a beautiful barbie doll power fantasy. Because my nerd is pretty. She IS. But she also has the puffiest under eyes you ever saw. Depending on the day, there may be dark circles. There isn't a cream on the market that can make this lady look properly rested. When you combine that with the near constant sunburn on her nose turning it red, she has the air of someone that is in a permanent state of allergy season.

Going from the top down, she also has a tooth gap. And while we are here, they are pretty darn crooked. Thedas doesn't have orthodontists. I wouldn't say she has horrible teeth. But she has perfectly human imperfect teeth that make for a memorable smile for all the wrong (right) reasons.

Her left ear is missing a big chunk out of it from being hit by an arrow. It gives her the same lightly ragged look of a stray cat.

She has moles. The one on her chin grows a long and shockingly white hair out of it. She pulls it out. If it's because she's insecure about it or because picking at it is a nervous tick, she doesn't even know at this point because she's done it for so many years.

The hair on her arms is very fine and white. It is also very, very fuzzy. The kind of peach fuzz that catches the light and makes itself known. It didn't bother her when she lived with her clan because she has a lot of siblings, and they all have it. But someone casually remarks on it during her time with the Inquisition, maybe in jest saying her arms look more like a dwarf's than an elf's. Suddenly, she wears sleeves a lot more often.

I am pretty attached to the bean pole frame Lavellan gets in Inquisition because it's hard to headcanon out for me when it's constantly there on screen. That being said, her legs have some hefty cellulite going on in the back of those thighs. Her flat little ass is dimpled. There are stretch marks on the insides of her thighs, and on her butt. She thinks that's unfair given her complete and utter lack of curves. Knees? Knobby. Her shins always have bruises on them from bumping into something or another.

Various other things I think about and am fond of for her. Her sword hand is calloused. It's often dry and cracked, with hang nails like a construction worker. She tries to take care of it, but how do you out self-care the kind of wear and tear constant travel and fighting does to a person.

Her eyebrows are so pale and thin that it doesn't even look like she has them half the time. Her scalp can get sunburns where her hair parts. She gets a pimple in the same spot like clockwork every time her period comes around. She has one toe that's just inexplicably uglier than the rest.

And she's still pretty. She's still little miss doomed by the narrative.

Secretly, I didn't really have a point to this post beyond wanting to talk about my character's endearing imperfections. But I'll try to wrap this up with something coherent. You can use the stereotypical "pretty" color palette and still create a deeply human character. You can also use a unique color palette and still end up with a design or attitude that gives off "this character's sweat smells like roses and peonys."

I'm not saying that white-haired Lavellan's don't come with the baggage of over-exposure or the weight of heavy handed white savior energy. I'm not saying they can't be done badly. I am just sad thinking there are other folks out there that see all the "stereotypical Lavellan" posts, and also feel a knee-jerk impulse to redesign a beloved oc to be more like-able. At the end of the day, oc's are for their creator. Nobody is going to like your oc more than you. So make one that speaks to you.

And hey. Maybe you are guilty of making your oc's perfect pretty Barbie dolls. Nothing wrong with a pretty lady (or man but that's not really the point of the post.) But speaking for myself, I fall a little in love with every oc someone gives a perfectly normal "defect" to. So next time you find yourself making a hot girl... mix it up a bit and consider giving her toe hair. You might be surprised by how much that detail sticks with you.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

HOT, SINGLE, UNSTUDIED SPONGES. 3000 NAUTICAL MILES AWAY. Come sail the distance and read Tiger Tiger!

[porrigens]

ryuji kisses for kiss ryuji day!

[heavensincarnate1111]

favorite thing about annabeth’s character is how she’s so in touch with her emotions, like we see so frequently that the “smart” characters are stoic and monotone but annabeth is the EXACT opposite of that!!

she isn’t afraid to cry or get excited or get angry, if you took a shot everytime annabeth cries in the entirety of pjo you would’ve died from alcohol poisoning and i love that for her!!! we need more crybaby representation!!

[rameiixo]

animation exercise with ayase !

[mazeyphaedra]

was rewatching fabian’s baron moment on account of it being the most delicious piece of pvp in my recent memory and ally beardsley’s growth as a player just shone through so brightly and with such clarity. after dusting off their shock they immediately asked about the nemesis ward, had enough knowledge about fellow pcs stocked to remember adaine’s ac with such like frustrated confidence and certainty, suggested to siobhan to dimension door out of adaine’s room, like. they came into this making a character with 4 dex. and now the dice deity offered to roll a check to sense if adaine was in danger. making decisions, asking questions, getting invested in the story, trying so hard with the tools they have to save characters from danger; ally beardsley is an incredible d&d player.

[hi-intrepid-heroes]

hearing adaine described as 'elven oracle, denim jacket wearing cool kid' genuinely means so much to me. she was such a shy anxious girl in season 1 and shes grown so much and really come into her power and i just. i cant wait to see her again

[meamiki]

mira !!! :]

[caliphoria17]

“Come here.”

Aaliyah x Cruz

[elphabasthropp]

for a moment i was heavenstruck, now i'm down bad

[kidovna]

I’m so tired of AI, and I’ve been yelling to the void about why people should be commissioning artists. In the spirit of anti AI/pro comms, what are your favourite commissions that you have worked on in the past and what was it that made them special or fun (commercial/non commercial) I’m absolutely obsessed with your stuff btw!

Oh thank you! And fun question! My top three will probably be the book covers I illustrated:

I’m working on two more right now and I’m pretty sure they’ll be up there as well!

These are some of my other favourites:

In order: Bharatanatyam dancer inspired spider-woman India, Alex and Henry for @orchidscript, Luke and Duncan for Isabella Renee’s book I Vote You Mr. Mayor, nanirimo’s OCs Niya and Marin, and heaventide_’s OCs Jonathan and Seph!

Also I’ve never posted any of these, but I think I have to give special mention to how many finn wolfhard cinematic universe commissions I’ve done 😂

Left to right: Richie and Eddie from IT, Boris and Theo from The Goldfinch, and Chris and Shannon from Finn’s directorial debut Hell Of A Summer!

I feel like this is the perfect time for me to plug that my commissions are now open again! 👀

[yashley]

[bifairywife]

inside out 2 if it was filmed in my head:

[puppyeared]

personal character design headcanons + brainrot

Note: the re-bound!au does NOT belong to me, it belongs to @chipper-smol I’m just not normal about it lol

[canislupusangelus]

THEY DID THE THING!!!!!!!!!! The gingersnaps(and jennifers body) hallway thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[faaun]

last night i got home kind of tipsy and very much in tears and my mother told me the force you exert to keep someone in your life is proportional to the force with which they will leave your life. if you have to fight tooth and claw to keep them, their leaving will be just as hard, just as harsh, and just as definite.