#so its cool that the influence those things have on my other art is so clear

[lemongogo]

hi

[lesliemeyers]

js found out who you are and scrolled thru the tag…and omg i saw so many of these and didnt even realize it was you. dude. you are so underrated it is insane. youre art is actually so good. where did you go for art school (if you did) and any tips??? grips your shoulder aggressively /pos

also youve been in the fandom since 2011? DAMN! youre a veteran. and a trooper.

-💝🌝 anon

AWH man you are too sweet!!! 🥺🥺🥺 honestly i've been blown away by how much interaction stuff i've been posting here has gotten considering i started fresh on this blog only like a few months ago, i'm glad people have been liking the stuff i make!!

and okay so like i DID go to school for art but it wasn't like, a fancy big name Art School or anything like that, it was just the arts program at a liberal arts college in my area (and my focus was more on graphic design and printmaking rather than illustration) but i did definitely still learn a lot there!

i think my main tips with art are perhaps pretty simple/obvious things but like...

Practice (like, experimenting with different things! or even drawing the same thing over and over! just going through the motions of making art and trying stuff out is a really great way to improve)

Look at other people's art (im a huge superhero comics fan so i spend a lot of my time looking at the art in those, and trying to mimic elements of things i like to then incorporate into my work—and usually what i do doesn't end up looking exactly the same which is good, i kinda get to create my own version inspired by the art of others!)

+ Don't be afraid of using references (i use TONS of references! i will often deviate from them rather than just mimicking them 1:1, but having something to use as a starting point or for practice so you can get a grasp on how certain things [people, positions, lighting, materials, etc] look is SO helpful!)

and YEAH... being here since 2011 on and off has been a wild ride. i've seen the SP fandom in so many different phases over all that time, but it's cool especially as an artist because... i've been drawing these characters since back then! so i can put my old art side by side with the new stuff to see how far i've come!!

for example: the first stan and kyle here was posted on deviantart in like november 2011 so... like 13.5ish years ago vs one of my recent ones

anyway, thank you for being so kind!! 💜💜💜

[vynxwave]

tf skybound issue 14 thoughts / analysis / connections n whatnot. spoilers for the issue 15 preview too.

absolutely gorgeous art

VERY G1 starscream vibes in some places xD... i could practically hear his voice

more of starscream's origin and a bit more of megatron! i like megatron's characterization in skybound so far plus the decepticon cause's. i think skybound's decepticon ideology's gotta be my favorite, it just meshes their violence with their believed righteousness in such a great way.

this issue gives starscream quite a different initial approach to morality than seen in previous continuities (iirc) where here in #14 he is against killing prisoners of war while being a decepticon (often he's with loose morals even before becoming a decepticon).

megatron has the ability to mentally coerce the one wielding him to bend to his will (painfully), which i think is a really cool concept.

this makes starscream's evil directly caused by megatron from prolonged exposure to his influence conditioning/corrupting him. as seen in the mini background panels, over time blasting many Autobots to scrap, starscream grows to enjoy it

i've personally always loved starscream's evil to be completely independent of megatron('s) (as it has been) so i'm a bit conflicted on this aspect of skybound starscream... but i do understand its purpose/role in the story though.

issues #13/#14 run a parallel between then starscream & megatron and present starscream & those humans: both purport to Starscream they want to help him, but in reality they just want to use him for their own benefit. with that then story running parallel to the present one, starscream's dialogue about those humans also reflects upon how he felt under megatron's control

megatron forcing starscream to wield him definitely felt like it was expounding upon a question one might have had watching G1 — "why would megatron let someone who openly covets his position wield him?" of course, skybound isn't g1 and takes the idea and angle quite differently than the show did. with this it also supplies the reason of why starscream resents megatron and wants to overthrow and kill him.

and of G1, the Decepticons siding with starscream are ones who have sided with him once in the cartoon — the Combaticons in Starscream's Brigade and Astrotrain in Triple Takeover (and of course, Astrotrain was also the one to crown Starscream in the 1986 movie).

with Soundwave having the Constructicons and Starscream the Combaticons, a cool fight between Devastator and Bruticus is sure to ensue (vol 3 [collects #13-#18 + the story from the 2024 special] is called "Combiner Chaos" anyway)

i will be delighted to see soundwave and his decepticons vs starscream and his decepticons.

soundwave looks to be a megatron loyalist in this continuity and shares a bit of his sentiments (a bit below).

neat how then starscream and present thundercracker both had objections to the treatment of prisoners of war.

not the first time there's been a similarity between them, here's panels (#1 & #8) that parallel each other:

and how they differ:

not 1:1, but megatron's words to starscream reminded me of soundwave's to thundercracker — a subordinate's objection met with a reminder of their place and that their objection is irrelevant to their superior.

also worth noting, soundwave keeps thundercracker by his side despite his continual disagreements with how things are going, which is similar to megatron keeping starscream (who resents him) by his side.

i'd guess these similarities serve to build up to thundercracker possibly eventually actively opposing soundwave (as opposed to just going along with it) — here in the #15 preview he gives the humans warning to flee before blasting the building

now, knowing megatron's gunmode has the ability to mentally coerce the wielder to bend to his will... looks like this is what's happening with optimus wearing megatron's cannon arm!! xD. "megatron's cannon arm is influencing prime" has been built up and noticed, but it's nice to have megatron's ability now explicitly shown.

In #5 Starscream comments on Optimus having Megatron's cannon arm, and Optimus has a bit to say to him before blasting him with it.

Many noticed the parallel between Megatron & Optimus's fight in the Energon Universe Special 2024 and Optimus & Shockwave's in #12 as well as his tinged eye color.

Now with #14 we can also see a a similar thing that happened to Optimus happen to Starscream — Megatron's influence practically forcing their hand, going against what they wanted. Note the green-yellow background gradient suggesting Megatron's mental coercion in Starscream's panels, and in Optimus's panels (above) when his eyes are tinged there's yellow or yellow-green used in the background.

[smiling-stel]

Speaking ab the cover art from a Design pov *aside frm the comments that Cale looks out of character in the lore standpoint of vol. 2 art

(spoiler free, dw)

◇ TLDR; vol. 2 cover is beautiful, but it couldve had better color synergy. I can see why the artists did what they did, its just not my fav.

. man I'm just happy to have an official English print lmao, ill take what I can get

---

At first I didn't like the red shirt cause it was too much the same color as his hair. (Like if it was a darker or desaturated maroon, I feel it would've looked better, at least so he isn't matching with his own hair-)

. But now taking a step back n looking at vol. 2 again, zoomed out, I actually think his Face is the most jarring part [more on that later ◇]

◇ . The bright red of the shirt being lit by a yellower light, altho matching w his hair, actually isn't so jarring to me anymore cause I noticed two things

◇ 1) his pants are also tinted red (if my eyes aren't deceiving me) meaning compared to the background and the other two characters, Cale *in his entirety* is a red-toned silhouette -> this is a illustrative design strategy where the artist assigns a group of colors to a specific subject n *Restrictvely* uses the Hue Differences to their advantage. In my opinion, its a good choice in making him contrast and stand out. You can definitely Tell he's the main character with just the cover art.

. BUT it can also give off an Outlandish or alien feeling because (in this case) Cale is the ONLY red in the scene. Theres no balancing of red tones from his character to the background At All (e.g. the artists doesnt add Any red to the surroundings so his character can "fit in" with the scene- like as if you photoshopped a guy in sunny lighting into a dark room, the lighting differences is jarring n you can tell the guy is just slapped on top [not saying the artist did that at all, but the way they painted Cale to stand out feels jarring in that sense). While this does an insanely good job at putting him in the spotlight, it perhaps does Too great of a job, making him feel isolated or strange compared to the rest of the piece.

. (Then again, you can justify that that was the goal. To isolate Cale n show hes alien from a lore standpoint as he's "not from this world" as an isekai story)

◇ 2) but we're forgetting this is a COVER art. It's not Just an illustration to be pretty. To break my earlier point, altho Cale IS the only red in the *Illustration,* this art piece is - fundamentally - a Cover Art. It has the Title thats a part of its design <-<-<- And if we looksey at the title, what do we see? Red and warm tones. Like what other thing thats only reds? Cale Henituse himself!

. The Title IS the balance I said was missing in point 1). My theory is thats Also why the artist tinted the lighting on Cale to be warmer n more yellow, so as to use the yellow orange in the title (and the contrast of cools n warms from the focal points to the rest of the art) to their advantage. It helps add reds to the lower half of of the piece where the only warm tones are Choi Han's hand (the other character) and the fleeting window curtain; both of those details being at the edges of the piece and Both very small so they hardly have an influence on the overall design.

. So the title, taking up the majority of the lower half of the piece, draws the warmth down n assists in balancing the overall cover design.

So the reds have now been explained, but why are the whites so white now?--

◇ . Earlier I had said Cale's face was the most jarring part of the cover. And I still fully stand by that sentiment. Its the same idea where the reds do Too great a job isolating Cale; the whites do Too great a job contrasting w the background n the two other characters - who are black n cool tones - to the point where it Heavily draws the eye, practically in a violent manner.

. The extreme paleness is quite lore accurate for Cale's character, who hes isekaied as, but the extreme lighting Highlighting just his face compared to Choi Han's face is an extremely bold design decision (again, not a bad thing as he IS the main focal point, but adding onto the Isolating Spotlight trait going on)

◇ Ok then, but why's his jacket also so freakishly bright white? I heard from a fellow lcf fan (love discussing w you dawg <3) that they think the jacket is the worst part of his cover design.

N I agree. The reds standing out can be justified as a design strat, his face is the focal point so thats why that stands out, but why the jacket??

. Here i am on my artist apologist era <3

◇ . The jacket being blindly white is (probably) to Dampen the Harshness of his face being so bright.

. Altho the guy looks great in white ☆°• with how extreme the lighting is in this cover art, I think the artist wanted to balance the laser beam that is Cale's face paleness by spreading it out to his jacket, specifically that left collar fold ( i think that's called the lapel?)

. Basically by making the jacket's collar also intensely white, the artist gives their best attempt at trying to make Cale's skin less jarring so as to not make it so ridgedly highlighted. Like black ink spilt onto fresh paper, they tried to spread it out so its not so condensed in high contrast. ...But that only made the jacket join in on the uncanniness- TTvTT

---

(Posting the pic again so yall don't gotta scroll far o7)

Other notes I've noticed n wanted to just point out while I'm here looking through the Design Lense ☆°•

☆ The red of Cale's hair and the red of his shirt n neck scarf sandwiches his face, making it stand out even More. Ealier I said the contrast of the vibrant red to the paleness makes his face draw the eye, but thats also thanks to the *position* of the colors! Not just the colors themselves B) isn't that so cool (tell me yes even if you have to lie-)

☆ The lighting on Choi Han's cape, chest, to face -> the window arch -> to Cale's entire person being lit up + how he's wearing a long white jacket

. It all creates this general arch of light tones and highlighted features which surrounds and hugs the title! The artists really knows how to use their darks and lights !!

☆ Choi Han's entire person, Cale's pants, and our lovely Roan Miru (the dragon) are the only deepest dark black tones in the entire piece! The privilege of being the subjects <3

☆ cale looks crossed eyed lel

. Im glad I'm not the only one who struggles with eyes still

. Or maybe this artist did it right n I just don't know how to draw eyes- (very plausible tbh)

Man I love artists

---

All in all, Im not a fan of vol. 2 cover art but I can see why the artists did what they did

◇ . One of the most important things of commercial art is that its visually pleasing, regardless of design, lore, or even logic. The design choices are golden but putting them all together couldve been done better. Not that the art is ugly in any way. Its still gorgeous af, there just couldve been more balance or overall color synergy.

This is just my opinion anyways :D! No hate anywhere <33

[goodlucktai]

here for a reason

rottmnt word count: 1k pairing: raph & OC part of the archer au :) read on ao3

x

“Hey, Georgie,” Raph says, “got a second?”

Gio pauses agreeably on his way through the room. He tilts his head, as good as asking the obvious question out loud. 

Smiling, Raph pats the seat next to his. His big brother course-corrects immediately and joins him on the sofa. 

He’s so quiet so much of the time, unlike all the other noisy larger-than-life personalities in their family, but Raph knows he feels twice as much as he lets on. There’s enough light in the room that it brings out a hint of the warm brown hiding in those dark eyes. 

“I wanted to show you the latest dorky scheme Lee and Dee came up with,” Raph says, so casual. He definitely does not have an ulterior motive. 

“I’ll brace myself,” Gio says dryly, as if he’s not charmed by every ridiculous thing the twins do. 

Gio seems fine, but Raph knows he didn’t imagine the flinch he saw earlier in the evening. Following the police scanner on patrol had taken them right to the Foot Clan, up to no good as usual, because some losers just don’t learn. When a well-aimed crossbow bolt missed the tip of his ear by an inch for the grave crime of daring to so much as scowl in Donnie’s direction, the Lieutenant had thrown his arms up like he regretted his whole career and shouted at Gio, “What do you care, anyway? You’re not even one of them!”

Three little brothers gasped in tandem, offended and shocked, but Raphael had only seen the way Gio’s fist clenched white around his bow briefly before it loosened into a normal grip again. 

He’s still getting used to it, Raph thinks. Belonging somewhere. Being one equal part of a silly, perfect whole. 

So Raph tugs on the soft gray string inside him, twisted in snug with orange and purple and blue, and melds with it just enough to send along a memory. 

The memory was one of a very late night Raph had gotten out of bed for water and discovered two turtles in the kitchen making break and bake chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes from a box of funfetti cake mix. Leo was sitting on the counter, swinging his feet and eating a square of raw cookie dough, and Gio was wearing an apron of Mikey’s that said “I Cook As Good As I Look.”

“We couldn’t sleep,” Gio said plainly, his voice rarely wavering from its usual flatness. He would sound calm at the end of the world, Raph sometimes thought. Only to remember an instant later, oh, wait, he did sound calm at the end of the world. 

“‘We’, huh?” Raph said, leaning against the counter next to Leo. “You’re a bad influence, Leon.”

“Nothing and no one can influence Gigi,” Leo replied. “He’s officially de-influenced. Ask him what TikTok is.” 

Well-versed in the art of Leo trying to dodge a conversation, Raph ignored that and said, “If Mikey finds out you were up all night again, it’s gonna be hell on earth for you tomorrow.”

“Can I buy your silence?” Leo offered cheekily. He offered Raph a cookie dough square, smiling as if it wasn’t three o’clock in the morning and there weren’t shadows beneath his eyes. 

Raph took the cookie dough and said “No,” as he ate it, just to hear Leo’s offended squawk. 

Gio sent Leo off to look for more frosting in the pantry, presumably to stop their scuffling from reaching wake-everyone-else-in-the-lair levels. When it was just the two eldest brothers for a moment, Raph said, “You don’t have to do this.” 

He didn’t want Giorgio to think he had to do anything to belong there. He didn’t have to stay up baking treats for no other reason than to make a sleepless night a little more bearable. It was kind of him to do it, but he didn’t have to. Raph just wanted to make sure he knew that. 

Gio took the first two trays of cookies out of the oven, transferring them to a cooling rack the way he’d seen Mikey do a dozen times, and said, “I’m the oldest. It’s my job.”

And it was hard to argue something that had been Raph’s truth for so long. He stayed where he was, absorbing the warmth of the kitchen, reluctant to leave it. 

Leo came back at a run with a tub of cream cheese frosting, hoisting himself back onto the counter and popping the lid off the tub. Raph drew the line at eating frosting straight out of the container and swiped it from him. 

“All of your teeth will rot out of your head, and then what,” Raph said dryly. 

“Donnie will make me robot teeth or something? They’ll probably be Bluetooth enabled so I could play TSwift literally everywhere I go.”

“You already do that.” 

Gio reached over and deposited a warm cookie from the rack into one of Leo’s hands. Confiscated frosting forgotten, Leo broke it into two pieces and popped one half into his mouth, exhaling comically when it was hotter than he expected. 

“You’re gonna spoil him,” Raph said. It was already much too late for that, as Leo had been spoiled in various ways by everyone in their family since the day he was born, but it was worth saying anyway. 

“That’s my job, too,” Gio said, and handed the next cookie to Raph. 

In an instant, Raph felt younger-brother and cared for, indulged the way only little turtles were. It was a silly, small thing—a passing moment on a random Tuesday morning that would be folded into the rest of the week and all but forgotten in time—but Raph would remember this part. Looking at Gio and thinking I love you. I’m glad you’re here. 

Gio goes still as he processes the information. The Hamato ninpo feels brand-new to him at this point, for all that it had been sleeping deep down inside his soul this whole time, and they have to remember that he hasn’t had years to get accustomed to foreign thoughts and emotions crowding into his head at any random minute of the day like the rest of them have had. 

“All good?” Raph says carefully. 

His big brother blinks rapidly, a glassiness in his eyes that might have been a trick of the light but might not have been, and dips his chin in a punchy nod. 

Something about the memory has unmoored him, but Raph can’t think of what. He passed it along slowly, and chose one he thought would be easy to absorb, but maybe they’ll have to go even slower and easier still. 

“I can tell them not to,” Raph starts to say, but Gio shakes his head. 

“It’s fine,” he says. Then, very deliberately, “Thank you.” 

Raph should be the one saying that, he thinks ruefully. He’d said it already, of course—they all had—but there weren’t enough thank yous in the world for this brother who appeared out of thin air specifically to bring Leonardo home from a place it was impossible to come home from. Whose caring didn’t stop or stall outside of life-or-death situations, any sleepless night as significant to him as the actual apocalypse. Who didn’t seem to know what to do with their gratitude when he had it, putting it up on a shelf somewhere to take it down and roll it around in his hands every now and then. 

One day they’d be able to show him. One day it would stick. Until then—

Operation AirDrop is a go, Raph sends in his little brothers’ various directions. He instantly gets three responses, an ecstatic fizzy pop of confetti that is trademark Michelangelo and electric chaotic glee from the twins. Gio’s expression shifts into one of curiosity as he tries to parse through that sudden burst of feedback he must have felt from the periphery. 

Raph smiles and drapes an arm around Gio’s shoulders. In part to hold him down if he tries to flee their little siblings’ enthusiastic arrival, but mostly because he’s got almost two decades of hugs to catch up on and every second counts. 

Sometimes Gio looks sidelong at him, like he’s surprised to find Raph beside him at all. Other times he leans against him, like he’s soaking up the sun after years and years of winter. Today’s a sunny day, it seems, because he presses the side of his face against Raph’s shoulder and that quiet gray string in Raph’s heart thrums with something very hopeful and tentative that he’s afraid to pin down with a name, just in case it startles away. 

[fantasticsandwich]

yandere influencer x fem! reader (pt 7)

The art studio’s door chimed as you, Rian, and Blaise stepped through, their shadows merging with the eclectic hues that bathed the interior. Canvases stood around the room, each blank face awaiting the touch of inspiration. The scent of oil paint hung thick in the air.

“This place has got a nice vibe, doesn’t it?” Rian's voice, soft and lilting, cut through the quietude of the studio. His eyes sparkled with a childlike excitement that was contagious. “So cool that you got the owner to let us have the place to ourselves. We’ve been here before, with Connor, but it was for a class and tapas.”

Blaise shrugged, snatching a waxy apron off a peg. Draping it over himself, he quickly tied it, cinching his waist. “It’s just as fun when others are around.”

“Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather not embarrass myself again. Everyone who saw my art said it looked like one of those Chinese memes.”

“Then I can’t wait to see what hellish creation you dredge forth today.”

You forced a smile, nodding along to their enthusiasm. You should have been brimming with anticipation, eager to let your emotions spill onto the canvas in a riot of color, but your fingers instinctively sought the hem of your shirt, tugging at the fabric in uneven rhythms. The voices of your friends became muffled, as if you were underwater, their excitement drifting away from your reach. You glanced around the studio, feeling oddly detached from the vibrant scene unfolding before you.

“Y/N? You alright?” Rian’s concern laced his words, drawing you back to the surface. “You haven’t said a word,”

Catchphrase of the century, you scowled.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” you stammered, pushing your glasses back up. “Just thinking about... light composition and stuff.” Needless to say, you weren't an arts major, and within good reason.

“Composition, huh?” Blaise remarked, one eyebrow arching skeptically. He leaned against a nearby easel, crossing his arms as he studied you. “It’s only for fun. Don’t overthink it. Let the brush do the talking.”

You nodded, though your mind was elsewhere. You pulled out your phone, a nervous habit, thumbing through messages that didn't require a response. Each vibration against your palm was a hopeful pang, but his name never lit up the screen.

“Come on,” Rian coaxed gently, touching your arm with a warmth that contrasted sharply with the coolness exuded by Blaise. “Let’s start painting. It'll take your mind off things.”

“Sure. Yeah, it’ll be a good distraction.” You agreed, pocketing the device.

You followed Rian’s encouraging lead, picking up a brush with a hand that trembled slightly. As you dipped the bristles into the paint, you hoped the colors would be kind enough to drown out the noise in your head, to silence the persistent whisper of Cillian's absence.

The sun's gentle warmth filled the art studio, its rays spilling across the room and casting a soft glow over the blank canvases that awaited the trio's touch.

Blaise's suggestion hung in the air, delicate yet decisive. “Let’s paint each other. Y/N, let me have you.”

“H-huh?”

“I paint you, and you paint Rian. Rian gets me.”

You hesitated, fingers tightening around the wooden handle of your brush. You felt exposed under the weight of his gaze. The idea of being observed, of being immortalized. Portraits were more intimate than photos.

"Okay," you acquiesced with a small nod. You settled yourself onto the stool, perching on the edge as if ready to flee at any moment.. Your hands lay folded in your lap, one thumb rubbing over the other in a rhythmless caress.

Blaise watched you for a moment, his pale eyes tracing the lines of your face, the slope of your nose, the curve of your chin. In his gaze, there were no traces of judgment, only the silent gathering of details, like a poet collecting words for his verses. He picked up his brush, and you found yourself holding your breath as he approached the canvas.

The first stroke of color seemed to break a spell, and you released a shaky exhale. Blaise worked methodically, the bristles of his brush whispering against the stretched linen. There was a concentration to his movements, a focus that belied the icy aura he often wore like a cloak. His dark hair fell forward, casting shadows over his features that you tried to memorize, to recall later when the silence between them would stretch too thin.

You could hear the soft scuff of Rian moving about the space, the occasional clink of glass as he mixed his paints, but it was Blaise’s presence that consumed your attention. With every mark he made, you felt a strange sense of unfolding, as though he was peeling back the layers of self-consciousness that clung to you like the ill-fitted clothes you often wore.

“Stay still,” Blaise murmured, almost absently, and you realized you had been fidgeting. The words should have felt like a command, but they came out as nothing more than a gentle reminder, a tether to keep you grounded in the moment.

“Sorry,” you whispered, though you weren’t sure what you were apologizing for—the movement, the anxiety that buzzed beneath your skin, or the fact that Cillian's ghost lingered in your thoughts, an unwelcome specter.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he replied without looking up. As his brushstrokes continued to shape your likeness, you allowed yourself to be drawn into the slow rhythm of his work, the practiced ease which he captured you.

As the gentle scrape of Blaise’s brush against canvas faded into a soft rhythm, Rian picked up his own palette with an eagerness that seemed to push away the heavy silence of the studio. You watched from the corner of your eye as he studied Blaise, his brows knitting together in concentration. The delicate lines of Rui's fingers moved with a surprising grace, coaxing shapes and shadows onto the stark white canvas before him. He worked quickly, yet with precision.

“Try to get my good side, if you can find one,” said Blaise.

Rian’s laugh was a light sound, almost musical. “Every side is your good side.” he replied, the warmth in his tone wrapping around the chill of Blaise's humor. He dipped his brush into a pool of blue, the same icy shade as Blaise's distant gaze. With each stroke, he added depth to the painting, the cool colors a stark contrast to the warmth that perpetually emanated from Rian himself.

You turned back to your own canvas, where Rian's image awaited your hand. You willed your thoughts away from Cillian and the tightness in your chest, focusing instead on the gentle curve of Rian's lips, the way his hair fell across his forehead. There was a kindness etched into the lines of his face, a tender-hearted openness that you yearned to translate into your art.

Your brush danced lightly over the canvas, tracing the contours of Rian's cheeks, the softness of his eyes that always seemed to offer comfort, even when he couldn't find the words. As you painted, your phone buzzed incessantly on the table beside you, silent messages piling up.

“You’re making me look too nice,” Rian chided gently, peering over at your progress.

“Maybe because you’re too nice,” you countered with a small smile, though it didn't quite reach your eyes.

“Or maybe you see the best in people,” Rian suggested, his gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than necessary—a silent acknowledgment of the burdens you carried in your quest to please.

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

The last brushstroke fell, a gentle whisper against the canvas, and Rian set down his paintbrush with an air of finality.

“Done,” he announced, his voice a mix of pride and trepidation. The room, once filled with the soft shuffling of feet and the swish of brushes, settled into anticipatory silence.

You stepped back from you own easel to join Blaise, who was already waiting with a curious tilt to his head. Together, they moved towards Rian’s workspace, where his painting stood covered by a sheet of thin muslin, like a secret waiting to be unveiled.

“Let’s see then,” Blaise said, a smile playing on his lips. Rian hesitated for a heartbeat before pulling the fabric away with a flourish that felt more dramatic than he intended.

Laughter erupted almost immediately, echoing off the high ceilings of the art studio. The portrait was unmistakably Blaise, but with an exaggerated scowl etching his brows and eyes that sparkled with a mischievous glint not typically found in their usual cool depths.

“Is this how I look to you?” Blaise teased, though his voice betrayed a hint of amusement.

Rian’s cheeks colored, a soft bloom of pink spreading across his fair skin. He shuffled on his feet, looking down at the caricature he had created. “I—I thought a little humor might be nice.”

No, you just can’t paint, you sighed.

“It’s perfect,” you said, your laughter subsiding into a warm chuckle. You reached out to squeeze his arm reassuringly, trying to quell the small storm of insecurity you saw brewing behind his eyes. “His nose is a little wonky, so it’s fairly accurate.”

The tension eased from Rian’s shoulders as his friends' affectionate ribbing washed over him. He smiled, a genuine and heartwarming expression that made the earlier disquietude fade. It was in moments like these that he could forget the nagging fears of inadequacy, the pressures that often weighed heavy on his tender heart.

“Let’s snap a pic,” Blaise suggested, his voice unexpectedly light as he pulled out his phone, a device that often lay forgotten in the depths of his pocket. His usual icy facade melted into a rare, soft smile that brightened the dim studio.

You nodded, and together with Rian, they huddled close, their painted canvases cradled in their arms. The camera clicked, immortalizing their lopsided grins and awkward posture. You were glad neither of them requested a redo of the picture.

“Look at us," Rian murmured, his gaze lingering on the digital image, a stark contrast to the raw emotion captured in paint. “Who would’ve thought none of us could pose for a picture?”

“Speak for yourself. I’m photogenic,” Blaise quipped, though the twinkle in his eye belied his sarcastic tone. Moving toward the exit, he held the door open, gesturing for you to go first.

“Thanks for bringing me out,” you quietly said. “Between studying and all the drama, I really needed the distraction.”

Stepping out into the waning daylight, the air held a crisp promise of the evening to come. They lingered on the sidewalk, reluctant to part ways just yet.

“What are we thinking? Takeaway or my place?” Blaise asked, tilting his head towards the street lined with twinkling restaurant signs. “I could do with a change from my own cooking.”

“Your cooking has more character than most things I’ve eaten out here," you replied, though your stomach protested with a quiet growl, betraying your desire for something different—a meal without the bitter aftertaste of solitude.

“I do hope that’s a compliment.”

Rian glanced between them. His eyes, wide in realization, reflected the fading sunset. “Maybe your place? It’s cozier, and we can hear some of your music.”

“Escape it is,” Blaise decided, the decision lifting an invisible weight off their shoulders.

Just as he turned away and began walking, a shadow loomed, briefly eclipsing the glow from a nearby streetlamp as a figure approached. Your heart hitched, a premonition prickling under your skin like static before a storm.

It was a young man, his leather jacket creaking softly with each step. His dark hair hung over his eyes in a fringe. His expression was an unreadable mask that did little to hide the tension in his jaw.

Squinting at him, you stifled a gasp. “Connor? What are you doing here?”

“Just running some errands in the area.” He said, oddly cheerful. As if to prove his point, he waved around a humorously large croissant. The sleeve crinkled as he waved, shedding crumbs. “But while you’re here, what's this I hear about you and Cillian?"

“Odd seeing you around.”

“Errands, like I said. We’re having Italian tonight.”

You quirked a brow. “Baguettes aren’t—”

“Try telling Cillian that.”

The words hung in the air, a challenge wrapped in concern. You felt the eyes of Rian and Blaise on you, a silent plea to ignore him and not engage. Nevertheless, you drew in a deep breath and sighed.

“Right,” you dryly said, brushing it off. “And about your cousin… He’s being insufferable and needs to apologize to Rian,” you responded, voice firmer than you felt. “Only then will I consider speaking to him.”

Connor’s eyes flickered with something akin to surprise, a crack in his bad-boy facade revealing the boy who still sought approval, still clung to the safety of being Cillian's cousin. His phone vibrated in his pocket, a reminder of the modern world's persistent intrusion, but he ignored it, his gaze locked on your determined stance.

“Y/N,” he started again, but you cut him off, unwilling to be swayed by sympathy or guilt.

“I’m really not mad.” Your words tumbled out, echoing the countless conversations you’d had in your head. With the cooling evening air brushing against your skin, you felt the weight of his judgment pressing back. You feared it. You scorned it, but you wouldn’t suffer needlessly from it. “He just needs to know what he did wrong.”

“And what was that?” asked Connor, hopeful.

“The fuck if anyone knows.” Blaise interjected. Pushing past, his shoulder knocked against Connor’s. “C’mon, Y/N. Let’s not spoil the evening.”

You nodded, grateful for the escape. As they turned to leave, you couldn't help but glance back at Connor, whose slumped shoulders spoke volumes as he watched them walk away, his conflicted loyalties clear even in the dim light of the city's restless pulse.

Connor’s sigh hung heavy in the street-lit dusk, intermingling with the city's symphony of honks and chatter. “It’s just… I’m stuck between you guys,” he muttered, a hint of vulnerability seeping through his usually assertive tone. A frown creased his youthful face, casting shadows that flickered like the uncertainties playing across his thoughts. “Cillian is family, but you’re a good friend, and I don’t know who to stand by.”

Blaise stepped forward, the pale glow from the studio windows illuminating his sharp features. His icy aura felt almost tangible, a frosty shield against the chaos of emotions swirling around them.

“Look, maybe I’m overstepping,” he began, somewhat hesitant, “but why are you acting so spineless? There’s no side to pick, only a friend to support. You’ve known her longer than I have, but you can’t see how harmful Cillian’s accusations were? Maybe you’d see that if your head weren’t so far up his ass.” Blaise said, his voice low and steady. Turning away with a sense of finality, he reached out, his fingers brushing against your arm. “How about we head back to my place? My housemates and I were planning a casual hangout.”

His touch was comforting, a calm anchor in the storm of your thoughts. You nodded, feeling the tremble in your limbs settle as you focused on Blaise's offer.

“Sounds good,” you murmured, numbly following along.

“Great,” Blaise’s lips curled into a half-smile, his eyes reflecting a glint of mischief. “You and Rian have got to try my barbeque. I’m doing everything from scratch. I can’t get the sauce right, but hopefully, your input will help.”

“What would either of us know about barbeque?”

“Dunno. Couldn’t be any less than me, though.”

From a few steps away, Connor’s shoulders slumped as he watched the exchange. With another deep exhale that seemed to surrender all his protests, he pulled out his phone. His fingers tapped against the screen, sending a message into the void.

a/n: not much Cillian this chapter but you know he can't stay away for long. next chapter's a good one i promise ^^

[hezuart]

Btw have you seen Disney’s wish and if so what’s your review on it? And how would you Rewrite the story? To me it had interesting contact about your Wishes being a part of yourselves and without it you feel hollow but too bad it was written poorly. The “Villain” Magnifico kind of had the point of not all of the wishes are supposed to be granted Example “My Wish is to get a Rocket Launcher to aim that Talking Goat and the rest of This Freaking Kingdom!” With that said next is Asha! There is no reason for her to be “Adorkable” or “Quirky” we already have Princesses and Characters like that! let them have their own Personality Already!! One problem with Asha is she should have been Magnifico’s Apprentice for a long time in the start but instead of selecting her to Be His “Apprentice” throughout the Movie 🤦🏻‍♀️ and have you seen the Concept Arts?👀 Spoilers! King and Queen are supposed to be Evil Together! and The “Star” is supposed to be like a person or it? That comes from the stars? it would’ve been cool to named it “Stardust” instead of “star” the concept art looks so Amazing than the one we have now and Also No Comedy in this movie it’s to Boring and so as the Songs 😴 we’ve been ROBBED! (The Animation is Nice but I wouldn’t compare it to Spiderverse or TMNT or Puss in boots or The Bad Guys🤔) Anyways what do you think? I want to know your opinion, see you!🙋🏻‍♀️

I might write a review if I have time, but omygod Disney's Wish is SOOOOooooo bad. SO bad. The characters are flat, its nothing but forced in references to other Disney movies, the plot is boring, the songs have all this bravado and make them not catchy- the setting is supposed to be in the Mediterranean but all the animals are from the USA implying they are all invasive species brought over from the settlers of other countries- the comic relief characters aren't funny- the goat himself should be deleted he is so annoying- The star is like, ultimate magic. He made animals sentient, he can make things fly- he can change the size of things like a giant chicken- but he can't open a fcking roof? He can't grant people's wishes? He sort of implies he left that power to Asha, but she sucks at magic. She's the worst person to be handling it. The entire marketing campaign for this movie was about how the villain is "classic Disney". He's NOT???? He's just a narcissistic traumatized(?) control freak King. But then he touches a dark book of magic and now suddenly he's 100% evil and there's no going back for him. Even his wife implies that the book changed him, that the dark magic corrupted her husband beyond repair. The dark magic influenced his personality to make him darker, but he wasn't a legitimate true villain. Classic Disney villains have always been full of themselves. They always manipulated and abused people. They aren't afraid to hurt and kill people. They relish other people's suffering. This King is not like them. They were trying to make him sympathetic from the beginning with actual real reasons to control the kingdom as he does. They do a 180 on his personality. Dude fled from his previous homeland ravaged by war, and has been serving his kingdom for years, he's basically customer service and people can be demanding and needy. Asha herself takes the opportunity to try and weasel in her grandfather's wish through her apprenticeship application and the King is like "Yep. Here we go again."

But the way they show those reasons make his entire operation look stupid. They're like "Look how evil he is for not granting wishes because his judgment is slightly skewed. Look at how evil he is for not returning the wishes because he's------- idk, a control freak? Due to his trauma?" The concept art is definitely better than the final product. I feel like it would have been a decent movie with the original concept. But what annoys me the most is that Disney thinks this is a celebration of 100 years of Disney. It's not! They're only really celebrating the last decade of quirky flat characters, mostly 3D animation, and poor storytelling. The thing that makes me the most angry out of the whole movie? The wishes. The entire concept is nonsense. The bad guy claims that Asha's grandfather's wish is too dangerous to grant. The wish? He's singing to people. fcking WHAT. "I want to be an exclusive tailor." "I want to be a sailor!" "I want to sing to kids and inspire them-" THE PEOPLE OF ROSAS ARE SO STUPID.??????? THEY CAN ACHIEVE THOSE CAREERS ON THEIR OWN. THE KING OF ROSAS. IS A SORCERER.

We have TWO wishes that are actually physically impossible and magical. "I want to talk to birds!" "I want to fly!" ARE YOU TELLING ME. THAT NO ONE WANTS TO BECOME A FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON AT WILL? HAVE TELEKINESIS? BE A STRONG BODYBUILDER WHO CAN LIFT BUILDINGS? READ MINDS? SEE THE FUTURE? OWN A GIANT CHICKEN THAT GIVES GOLDEN EGGS? WISH TO BE A FAIRY TO CHANGE THEIR SIZE AT WILL?

THOSE. ARE ACTUAL DANGEROUS, UNACHIEVABLE WISHES WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU HAVE A WISH OF WANTING A CAREER AS A FARMER WHEN YOU COULD WISH TO HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OVER PLANT LIFE AT WILL? THE PEOPLE OF ROSAS ARE SO DUMB I CANT WITH THIS IM SORRY IM SO MAD AT THIS MOVIE And the wishes themselves like- people don't have the same wish forever. Someone in the crowd even asked, "Can we change our wish?" It's implied maybe they can even have more than one. They also straight up forget their wish when they give it up to the King? This whole thing feels like a weird metaphor for real life in a magical setting. It doesn't make sense to me.

One of my friends said they heard a theory that this entire movie is secretly a jab at Corporate Monopoly Disney, how they won't let anyone else be magical (monopoly), how they only choose 12 wishes a year to grant (Internships), and how the wishes they choose to grant are useless to the kingdom because anything else more creative or inspiring is a threat (regurgitated sequels, uninspired stories, boring formula) and how the ending is about defeating the "villain" (Disney) and moving on to try and achieve your dreams yourself (Form a Union, start your own businesses, take back animated media) and viewing the movie through THAT lens is actually incredibly metaphorically genius and made the movie less terrible for me, intentional or not But yeah anyway, Wish is bad. I keep telling people. Disney is so dumb. THIS is what people want for a Disney celebration: CROSSOVER. DISNEY CINEMATIC UNIVERSE. Disney will probably do it badly but I'm telling you, people have been wanting this for YEARS.

They did it with House of Mouse, they can do it again.

[danjaley]

OC Deep Dive Questionnaire Tag

A set of 20 questions to get to know your OC!

Tagged by @nocturnalazure

Today is an excellent day to answer this for pre-revolution Nicolas. Tomorrow would have been a bit more complicated.

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

He’s very confident and not easily cowed. His double-life being exposed is of course the thing he wants to avoid most of all. But he sees this more as a risk than as a fear.

Do they have any pet peeves?

He has no patience with dilettantes who get their facts wrong about art-history.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Books; an Egyptian scarab which was given to him as a lucky charm; a painting of the Forum Romanum from his Grand Tour.

What do they notice first in a person?

General appearance and demeanour. (Bonus fact: What immediately attracted him to Jonathan was that he has vaguely classical features – and what totally got him was that he speaks French with a Scottish accent)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

7-8. He was brought up not to be whiny. But he's had a comfortable life in good health so far.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

His instinct would rather be flight (or solve the problem with money and/or influence), but if duty binds him to fight, he will stand his ground.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Not really. He grew up with only his mother as immediate family. He saw enough of his parents’ marriage as a boy to get rather disillusioned. On the other hand he’s proud of his family’s legacy and never questioned his duty to continue it. He does try to be a better husband and father than his own. But if he were just an average person of today, he wouldn’t have wanted any children. He’d be content to travel the world with Jonathan, but actually Jonathan wants more of a family-life.

What animal represents them best?

He always reminds me of a cat, being very neat and taking his privileges entirely for granted.

What is a smell that they dislike?

He lives in a time where various kinds of stench are so common that he’s glad enough to avoid those.

Have they broken any bones?

See above - he's had a comfortable life in good health so far.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

“Arrogant idiot” (Matt)

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

He moves in circles where it’s not unusual to rise at noon, so the interesting things tend to happen in the evenings and at night. When he’s working by himself, he prefers the early hours for their better light.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

The likes coffee, both for its aroma and as a status symbol. He doesn’t like coarse food, like gruel or badly prepared cabbage.

Do they have any hobbies?

As an aristocrat, studying Antiquity is officially his hobby, not his job. But it’s his true calling and he even made some money from it. Apart from that, he’s always ready to join in any pastime suggested by the group he’s with.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

He’d pretend not to be surprised at all – but there’s no way he would have forgotten to organize his own birthday party. At home, this would be a very dignified meet-and-greet. In Italy it would be a picnic by some scenic ruins with good wine and a select circle of friends (plus their travelling-companions, private secretaries, or whatever they wish to call them).

Do they like to wear jewelry?

No. He retired the family’s signet ring and had a more practical stamp made for sealing letters. (Like all my characters he doesn’t wear a wedding ring because those are are such clumsy meshes, a nuisance to put on in CAS and only add to the blur of other accessories.)

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Neat handwriting, signature with lots of frills

What are two emotions they feel the most?

Mild amusement, cool stubbornness

Do they have a favorite fabric?

Anything that looks and feels like high quality. Not necessarily limited to a particular material.

What kind of accent do they have?

A French one, when he speaks English. His Italian is accent-free and his French is supposed to be very posh (if only my own weren't so poor!)

Tagging @windermeresimblr and @kimmiessimmies

[tiny-vermin]

I want to know more about the m9 artist au!! I remember reading a post or two about it a billion years ago (and would love to read them again) 💜

hi jess!!!! thank u for being interested hehe :")

so ever since i drew that lil thing of essek painting a frank stella inspired painting (or even before), ive been thinking of what kinds of art each of the m9 would do. essek ofc is inspired by a minimalist show that i went to here, all the big names from that movement were shown, but those really dark, sinkhole-like paintings are speaking to me. another artwork of boxes made of mirrors also seems like the thing he would do too

there's a kiln here that we visited which was huge, and surrounding it were artists' studios and some other ceramic sellers, i imagine the clay family having a place like this in the middle of nowhere amongst the trees, and caleb would do his work there

anyways because at heart im a shadowgast luver its centred around them,, they meet at an artist residency or something like that and its an incredibly slow burn that involves talking and not-talking and looking and not-looking. in the end i am but a simple wong kar wai fan so. that kinda vibes would definitely influence this, i would describe it as a quiet burning i guess?? time skipy and words that are not said

i think im gonna rant a bit more about their different mediums and styles so i'll keep it under the cut

i think caleb sculpts figures and portraits, but in a sad, kathe kollwitz charcoal vibe. maybe some funky looking animals, perhaps some pots and vases to look at the pretty glazes. he's interested in using fire to burn texture into different mediums, like ive seen it being used on shellac to make a really cool net of ink looking structure.. but yknow, just seeing the aftermath of glazed ceramic from the kiln is enough, and probably better for him to keep his distance anyways

the clay family produces most of the ceramic to sell, vases, pots, plates, cups, teapots, yknow just a whole array. and its really colourful too, depicting every family members different style. i think caduceus would do some matte glazes with a lot of different colours, theyre all a little wonky but theyre better off that way anyways. he does some really mean ink calligraphy and painting though

jester definitely does,, everything, whatever her heart desires kinda thang. she makes pastel textile installations and lighthearted cute paintings, but theyre always so contemplative and soothing. she gets m9 a lot of work cus her mom has connections, etc etc. i really love the idea of jester creating works that talk about the female body and femininity (definitely not projecting no)

beau is a printmaker and photographer who's really experimental, she loves cyanotypes and printing flowers (for yasha), idk she seems like she would put fabric and rocks into the washing machine to see what would happen. u would probably catch her in someone elses studio learning about what they do or in the library learning about what old people did

veth works in a museum as a curator, getting beau to help her sometimes with gathering artworks and artists etc. she probably organises community art projects for kids and public art installations. her house is full of m9's artworks and various other artists shes worked with.

yasha does bouquets as her post-retirement part time job, prior to that no one really knows what she did ("she probably murdered a bunch of people and is now hiding from the government"). fjord draws comics for fun but is also not a job for him, molly is a question mark for me. but these guys probably wont be in it as much anyways

im still not sure what format i wanna do this in, im actually having fun just writing it in my notebook now (digital does not facilitate the creative juices) but i do want to do some visuals like fake movie stills or storyboards. maybe they will work together well???? dunno. working on the other shadowgasty thing im doing made me realise how much easier it is to draw when there's a script already there, so im writing the script for myself

im definitely not as practiced in writing as i am in drawing, but idk im just gonna have some fun and see where that takes me, meanwhile try not to feel too bad that its fanart HAHA (very bad habit)

edit: i just saw my previous thoughts on beau being an art journalist, but i kinda like this better.. but maybe she can do both muah

[idolbound]

DARP Advent 2024: Day Six HALFWAY THERE!

Let's talk about INFLUENCES and ADMIRATION!

Mun Portion!:

1. What inspired you to get into DARP? Former RP experiences? Just a love for the games?

I first got into RP in January 2013 with my Miranda Lawson blog and the Mass Effect rpc. I developed blogs for my Shepard among other characters, but it was shortly thereafter that the hype around DAI started; while I'd try to do DAO on console, I found it hard so I gave the copies to a friend and then bought them on PC later. But I played Inquisition at release in a speed run to kiss Cassandra, and made a blog for her ( @ stabbystabseeker for those who remember). I loved Cass a lot, enough that I didn't care that I had to play as a man to kiss her lol. Anyway, that's how I got into DARP - I also had blogs for my Hawke and Inquis when I eventually got through my canon playthrough of all the games from the beginning!

2. Name one (or a couple) of your fellow writers that you think are neat, and why! Can be famous, on Tumblr, in your real life, on AO3, whatever.

I would not be here half as much if it were not for @milfyclaus / (normally @ sanctamater). Claire has kept going with me to write this ship for almost 2 years now and has single-handedly made me want to keep writing Meredith unlike anyone or anything else; and to that, Claire, your writing always captures such a unique voice interlaced with exposition that I admire!

3. Has anyone in DARP (past or present!) really helped to define or reimagine a character for you? Or made you rethink perceptions that you held?

Honestly, Elisa with @extravagantliar has really fleshed out not just Varric but Kirkwall, and all the careful intricacies of worldbuilding that go with it. I would also say honestly, Erran @thesxmmersword who may not rp Ser Cauthrien anymore, but they really took an NPC in DAO and fleshed her out so well, and added much more depth to another morally questionable woman, and we started shipping these two from a what if meme and let it go from there.

4. What other fandoms/works/writers have influenced your writing style and the way that you view writing and creative expression?

Honestly, I think I still draw on a lot from Mass Effect and some of the themes around moral decisions, and the weight of those choices, as well as fighting in the name of something or someone that we see in DA as well. Truthfully, I have not been able to read a lot for fun because it's basically my job to read while doing my doctorate, but I do love a lot of fiction that can convey serious themes in the body of its work. I have a book that I got at a vendor sale that I'm excited to read, titled "This is How You Lose The Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

5. Do you have any friends that have created a Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor/Rook that you've basically adopted?

I guess 'adopted' in the sense that we, as good friends, have made all our Rooks connected. I've talked about this on my multi but basically, my Rook's maternal uncle Jar has a husband named Alain, and together, they are the adoptive fathers of Chels' qunari Rook, Oskaar. Alain has an adoptive elf sister named Kahari and that's Ker's Rook. We are slowly fleshing out their family shenanigans.

6. What's a fandom work (writing, art, etc) that you think is super cool and you wish more people would see it? Share it with us!

Again, see the above point where I don't often have a lot of time to read for fun - this extends to fanfics as well. But honestly, I have a few ... m-rated fics featuring Meredith that have been a bit of inspiration to me in the past lol. (if you DM me, I will link them but this is a "we listen and we don't judge" situation).

Muse Portion!:

1. Who or what are some things/powers/people that your muse admires?

Meredith herself is always drawn to power; typically, this is in a political / leadership sense, as well as physical strength and abilities. Again, typically she will not care much for men in this role, but when it comes to women? She can admire a good swordswoman, or a woman in a political role with great influence. She will always admire someone who is career-driven, and seeking to better themselves, especially for fellow women.

2. Does your muse have a "hero" that they look up to from canon?

I think Meredith is very much a history nerd just as much as she is a religious zealot, but when it comes to historic figures vs. her personal beliefs, she will always hold Andraste as her most powerful "hero" to look to. She models herself after Andraste, after all, to look like her and to embody her sense of JUSTICE.

3. What legends, tales, or stories helped to form your muse's ideas of power and heroism?

Definitely the Chant of Light. Taken in as a ward of the Chantry as a child, she was educated through their teachings, and grew up entrenched in the Chant of Life. It is what dictates her life, and it guides her; those are the stories she turns to, to guide herself as Knight-Commander and beyond.

4. Conversely, what sort of legends, tales, or stories formed their idea of what a villain is?

To her, her own sister's story of being an untrained mage acts well enough to know that magic is the evil within, and that mages are inherently villains until they take responsibility for themselves and what the Maker has cursed them with.

5. Are there other muses in DARP that your muse admires? Or reviles/fears? (be careful with that second one and be RESPECTFUL.)

@milfyclaus Lady Amelia is her... (homoerotic) business partner (a forge supplying silverite weaponry to the Templar Order) turned wife girlfriend in their time in Kirkwall. @kirkwll Sioned has tested (and continues to test) Meredith's patience on the daily. and with our thread still in infancy, Meredith very much admires the man @tobebrutal 's Cullen is becoming. That's her son and Knight-Captain!

6. If your muse is someone who has companions or is one of the groups of companions from canon, how do they and their companions play off of each other? Are they friends? Enemies? Two dudes who'd cross the street to avoid each other? What are their most powerful connections within their "group"?

Unfortunately, Meredith as an Inquisitor is awful and most people rightfully don't like her. lol.

[writernopal]

✍Writer Interview✍

Thanks to @teamdilf for tagging me here!

When did you start writing?

Technically, when I was like 15/16. I was writing a little bit back then but I don't remember what I was writing, which sucks. I really wish I remembered! After that I picked writing back up in summer of 2019.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

Yep! I think its kind of limiting to only read the genre you write. There's always stuff you can take from other places and work it into your writing. It can produce some surprising results! That said, my favorites to read are non-fiction and classic works of fiction.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

No and no. There are plenty of authors I admire but I've got a voice of my own and I don't particularly think we need two of anybody.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

So I have two main things I use to write: a desktop computer and a laptop. My desktop is on a desk (surprise, surprise lol) in the corner of a room with two little windows above it. I recently upgraded the setup to have one ultrawide monitor instead of two smaller side-by-side ones to help me focus when I write because I noticed when I was writing on my laptop I'd get more done because I only had one screen. I also have a mechanical keyboard with blank keys for cool points lol. On the wall beside my desk are a bunch of posters and things, some for inspiration, others just because I like them. Of course I've got some pirate/ship themed art there too! With my laptop I kind of take that anywhere, so with that I write on the couch, the dining room, cafes, libraries etc but never in my bed because then I won't sleep. I've been trying to have better sleep hygiene and phone habits in general which is only worth mentioning here because I used to write on my phone but I don't anymore.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Music, but like really listening to it. As in, closing my eyes, not doing anything, and being present as its playing. I'm very in tune with how my body experiences feelings/emotions so doing that will usually make me feel something and from there its just letting my mind wander.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Forbidden/taboo things. It can be anything from interpersonal relationships, oppressive systems, internalized responses to stimuli, etc. Also drawing connections between the world and our environment and the stages of our lives or even things that happening. To me, those things are all connected. And no, they don't surprise me one bit.

What is your reason for writing?

To make sense of the world around me. And to live lives I won't have time for in my short one.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Anytime someone notices a theme or callback in my work. Which I think has maybe happened once so I do my best not to rely on engagement to motivate me otherwise I think I'd go insane.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Oh ideally I don't want my readers thinking about me at all lol. I want them thinking about the story and what it makes them feel.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Prose. Especially of the visceral or imagery-heavy variety.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I think its quite strong but I think I've reached the limit of what I can do on my own. I really want to start honing my craft and improving it so I'll probably be taking some courses and/or joining a writing critique group soon.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

I guess I'll say mostly for me. There is 'an audience' in my head but whether those are people who would actually read my stuff or someone I made up, I can't say lol. Also I have to have fun writing something otherwise I won't want to do it so its hard to say I'd want to write for someone else unless they had requested something specific from me.

Tagging (gently): @tabswrites @void-botanist @paintedbutton @sarahlizziewrites @oh-no-another-idea @kanobarlowe and anyone else who wants to play!

[neddea]

My fellow Trigun enjoyers, assemble 🙌🏻

If you had to guess, which planet/moon do you think would most likely be Noman’s Land/Gunsmoke?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while (because my latest obsession is astronomy, although it’s also a long running one). In both animes and manga there are two suns, but I’ve been generally looking at exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System) within the habitable zone of their stars, thinking it would be complicated to find a two-star (binary) system that could have any kind of habitability. Yesterday though I found THIS OFFICIAL ART FROM NASA:

(Look at this, it’s so pretty!)

Turns out, NASA has a whole site that is… kind of an AU in which space travel is viable, and they explain how these planets would look like and what events would be cool to see in them and whatnot. They even have some 3D rendering from the surface of those planets so that you can see how it would look like! When I say this website is cool, I’m underselling it:

ANYWAY, back to Trigun shenanigans! When I saw the poster for Kepler-16b, I realized that yes, you could actually live on a planet of a binary system! These are called circumbinary planets, and a funny detail when you read the Wikipedia page:

A quick note on nomenclature: from what I’ve gathered, the name of the star system is followed by a letter or two. If it’s in caps, it’s a star, with A being the primary one and B the secondary; if it’s in lower case, it’s a planet. The planet counter always (?) starts at b, so if there are seven planets in the system called TRAPPIST-1 they would be TRAPPIST-1b, TRAPPIST-1c, TRAPPIST-1d…

Another important note is that there are two types of planetary configuration: If the planet only orbits one star, it’s called S-Type (or non-circumbinary planet); if it orbits both stars, it’s called P-Type (or circumbinary). Hope this didn’t get too confusing!

So I’ve made a list of binary systems that could potentially host human life. Which one do you think would be the best choice?

Kepler-16: the NASA poster one, its planet unofficially called “Tatooine” amongst scientists (good for them). 16b (the planet) is, however, a gas giant like Saturn, so it would be impossible to live there. If it has a moon with an atmosphere though, that could host life! And we’d get to see in the sky two stars and one bigass planet covering a good chunk of it. Pretty neat 🪐

Kepler-35: The planet discovered here is not within the habitable zone, but there is a high chance there might be other rocky planets in it. We can just make it up however we want it to be ✨

Kepler-38: Same as 35, but also the mass of the planet is unknown (I think? Wikipedia says one thing and NASA another, so idk)

Kepler-47: It has 3 planets, which is very cool 🪐🪐🪐 The second one, 47c, is within the habitable zone, but it would be the same case as 16b (living on a moon). The other two planets would also be perfectly visible, I think.

PH1/Kepler-64: First circumbinary planet found in a quadruple (FOUR STARTS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) system, and the discovery was made by citizens! How cool is that!? The planet orbits two of them, but the other system is fairly near and probably influences the planet?. They’re probably perfectly visible from the surface.

ROXs 42: Not much known about the planet, but it orbits the secondary star and has an atmosphere💫 That’s because it’s a gas giant, so it’s not habitable and we’d have to use a moon. Would be cool to see the stars wandering the sky on different paths though, since it’s the only S-Type system in this list!

Kepler-453: I’ve gotten confusing info about the habitability zone on this system, but we know that there’s a gas giant half the size of Jupiter 🤔

Kepler-1647: Same as Kepler-16 and 47. Apparently the system would be capable of sustaining an Earth-sized moon! 🌑

A quick sketch of how each of them would look like:

[themissingnumbers]

Hi, Starry! Remember that observation I said I wanted to do of that "A Boy Named Red" art piece? I finally got around to that. I don't mean to clutter your inbox or blog, but I don't know where else to put it, so I'll just put it here- This probably won't have any sort of theory in it, but I dunno yet. We'll see-

1. Where do I start- Uhhh, did anybody else see that one half of Fire's face is just... missing? Like, it's decomposed or something. You have to change the brightness of the image to see it, but you can see his bones—the mandible/jaw, the zygomatic bone, and the maxilla. Looks like his eye is missing, too, or is just empty/milky white. Freaky. (Also, those gold dots are looking right at us you cannot convince me otherwise.)

2. Might be grasping at straws here, but for whatever reason my brain focused on the fact that there are no words near Fire's head when it's perfectly fine overlapping everything and everyone else. The inner circle of the halo closest to his head is empty. Is that symbolism? Like, showing that he has no ability to think for himself? That the only words he's influenced by are the words of "God" (In air quotes because fuck Arceus, that thing is no god to me-) and nobody else's input matters so long as he does what he's told?

3. The Strings. Those strings bug me in a way I can't really explain. It's not just the stitches that are holding him together, but it's that fact that they're like... pretty. They're wrapped around him in such an intricate manner, like a work of art or the bow on an expensive present. They feel possessive. Evil. They're restrictive. One is connected to his eye, the other to the corner of his mouth, the others are wrapped around his arms and legs, and there are more wrapped around each individual finger. They're not quite chains, but they may as well be. They give me the vibes of "Oh, your pet finally learned to behave, so it deserves a nicer collar." It looks nicer, and it's more comfortable, but the core meaning behind it is still the same. Someone else owns you and you have no freedom. It gives me an oddly icky feeling.

4. Can I focus in on the sword for a second? Okay, thanks- That thing is so cool. Younger me was a bit of a weapon nut and that came out a little bit the more I looked at it, so enjoy this little ramble. The sword itself, as in the blade, at first glance reminded me of a Xiphos but looked like more of a Gladius upon closer inspection due to the shape of the blade. Xiphos swords have a Leaf-shaped blade that sort of gets wider in the middle and a reinforced mid-rib, while Gladius blades are completely straight with a uniform width and a pointed top, along with a diamond cross-section. (It's probably not a short sword, but from the angle I'm looking at, it looks like a short sword.) [Hold up: I went back and refreshed my knowledge, and I swear this blade looks like a Cinquedea, at least in shape.] Now, I can't really see what specifics the blade has got, but based on the blood spatter I'm gonna assume it's got a diamond cross-section. (But this is also fantasy so who really cares?) I also can't really see the hilt of the blade either, but with the angle we're looking at it seems like it's curved, which is freaking awesome. A curved hilt gives you more leverage for cutting and is good for thrusting attacks due to its more pistol-like grip, so it's effective. It's a powerful weapon when placed in the right hands. What I'm really focused on though is that based on the blade's appearance, it looks like a double-edged sword... which would be bad for a blade with a curved hilt because now you can't use it in the opposite direction, but there's also an extra meaning in a more figurative sense—like the power is a burden. Take that as you will :)

5. The Bodies. There are SO many bodies, some of which I spent too long trying to identify with no clues, but I'll just point out who I see. You've got (shirtless!) Red on the left with his ribs exposed and his guts spilling out, still smiling. You've got Blue not too far away from him with a knife in his neck. And then a little bit behind Blue but closer to fire there's just a pile of bones hidden by the darkness. I don't know who those belong to, but they're there. Over to the right, we can see who I'm pretty sure is Leaf going off of the dress, the shackles and the bloody hands. You can see Miki's head right by Fire's foot all wrapped up in red string. A little bit behind who I'm assuming is Leaf, I'm assuming is another Blue with bleeding ears or an injured face? They've got the FRLG high-collared shirt that Blue seems to wear, but the shoes don't really match up so I'm not really sure. I also don't know who's in the chest or who's facing Suicune, but all the way in the bottom right corner is Gold (ouch-) I couldn't tell at first, but after brightening up the image, you can see his hood, the detail of his pockets, and that little band on the sleeve of the arm laying nearby. (Poor Gold, but also Poor Fire-)

6. Other items. There are a lot of little things just lying around in this picture that I'm not really sure about, but I'll give them my best guesses here. There's something to the right of Fire, just below the hand holding the sword, that kinda looks like... coins? A flower? I'm not really sure, but it looks like it's on top of something else, which I unfortunately cannot see. There's a classic brick Game Boy off to the right as well. Don't know why it's there along with the box that person was shoved in. There's also like... some fuzz?- or some shit right up by Fire's wrist, which I also don't know why it's there or who it belongs to. I'm just assuming it's fluff/fur based on how I've seen Starry draw fur and Eevee. There are some crystals on the left, which kinda look like those crazy crystals jutting out of Dark Mewtwo. And there's also this weird ball thing in the bottom left that I genuinely cannot identify. It looks like it's being held together by green string, but I'm not sure. (Almost forgot to mention the Pomeg Berry at Fire's feet-)

7. The Others. I don't have too much to say about them, but there are two other characters in the background. A Suicune who's wearing a muzzle, and a Hisuain Zoroark with a golden collar around its neck. I'm assuming that the Zoroark is the character that got teased a while back, the one that was "Collared by the Narrative" I believe. Now, I'm also not sure why Suicune is wearing a muzzle, but I'm going to take it at face value and assume it's a form of control because the idea of Arceus having other gods in its back pocket just makes sense to me.

Okay, I think that's all I got for now. Sorry if it's too long. I just wanted to write this stuff down while I had the energy. Hope you like it though :)

Death comes in many forms; Slaughtered, Poisoned, Enshrined. Not every body is how it was, scraps and fragments left behind.

Remember the thirds, all that went wrong. The Youngest is the Eldest, strange beasts who don't belong.

Copies are valuable, for the imperfections they hold. Truth lies in scripture, held together with gold.

[adobe-outdesign]

May I request a Xerneas/Yveltal review ? Those two are among my favourite "game mascot" legendaries (too bad that X and Y weren't really interested in building a plot that would have done them justice)... Alternatively, I was thinking about the Talonflame line. (I've also been in quite a Spheal mood as of late, yet I couldn't find a review of the line on your blog, which feels a little odd, I must say...)

Xerneas is pretty neat looking, and my personal preference between these two. Conceptually, it represents life itself—kind of an abstract theme, but they did a good job getting the point across. It also arguably takes some influence from the deer that fed on Yggdrasil, what with it up and turning into a tree now and again (with the antlers becoming branches, which is a nice touch).

I like how it's kind of a deer, but also has a lot of uncharacteristic elements, like a canine-ish tail, pointed feet that remind me of Arceus a bit, and antlers that bleed right into the head without a clear division between the two. It gives it a very powerful, somewhat unearthly look that's befitting of a creature representing life itself.

Visually, the multi-colored antlers are the focus point of the design and stand out nicely. The light yellow accents on the body also create a sense of upward flow that's also reflected in its blue collar, antler shape, and tail. While the antlers are somewhat complicated, they're not hard to read; beyond that, the design is pleasantly simple and clean.

My only nitpick is that it has these random colored speckles on its back that don't add anything and kind of take away from the antlers. They're not even present in its neutral mode either, making them feel all the more like an afterthought.

Speaking of which, it also has a neutral mode. I like it when legendaries don't have a bunch of different forms, so it's nice that it's the exact same design, just with slightly simplified antlers and a different accent color. The active form looks better—the yellow compliments the blue much better than this more monotone look does—but it does get across a "inactive" feeling well enough.

There's also Yveltal, which integrates its letter considerably better than Xerneas does. The tail-hand thing it has is pretty cool, and the intense red-and-black color scheme certainly makes it look ominous and like a creature that Literally Kills Everything when it dies.

My only issue with its design, and the reason I like Xerneas a bit more, is that it feels a bit too busy and visually messy—it takes a while to figure out what's actually going on with it. This is because its vein-like markings don't really break the body apart, and actually make the design more busy instead.

This is especially apparent in the head, as while the chest line suggests it should go straight up under the chin, it suddenly reappears past the mane in a different spot, and then gets lost among four (4) pairs of black horns. It's not too bad, especially when it's posed more like the above screenshot, but it does cause the details to get a bit lost. Other than that, however, it's pretty solid.

(Actually, come to think of it, Yveltal looks better in like literally any other pose that isn't the one in the official art. I think it's both of a combo of it looking more bird-like and its head reading clearer when it's not right against the wings).

Anyway, overall, these two are good legendaries—they're not too overly complex in concept, they don't have 200 forms, they're not overworked and overly busy, etc. They're just powerful, cool looking creatures that convey their themes nicely.

[sannyo-appreciation-posts]

what are, in your opinion, the best ships involving Sannyo? I'm easily influenced by canon so I'd say mamizou is pretty good. i saw what you said about seiga and while it's true i hate seiga with a passion

[All art used is sited with the reliant link at the bottom]

Truth be told, I'm not much of a shipper personally, but I have a lot of fun seeing it from different people and thinking about where it comes from.

But this will be fun. So fun, that im going to take this thought way further than i need to. Hopefully I'll have a good number of ships by the time I'm done over analyzing this.

(I actually mentioned that about Seiga because its the only time I've ever seen that ship before, let alone seen any art for it, and was thinking up how it happened, it was cute art after all)

There's actually a much more common ship with a similar character chemistry pairing Sannyo with Yachie,

but this ship makes a bit more sense because not only is Sannyo a dragon fangirl, Yachie even looks a lot like her pipe. In fact, if you used her tail with its length in Touhou 19 you could probably even stretch Yachie into its exact shape, plus a bonus shell.

(A pretty fun mental picture)

Anyway, the over analysis starts here

______________________

Obligatory Disclaimer:

[Any Readers keep in mind, that even though I said you can think these up using canonical sources as a basis, that does not mean I'm claiming any of them are canonical relationships beyond possible friendships. There are also plenty of other ships that are possible with characters shes not likely to interact with that have just as much potential for cute dynamics]

Ships that can be thought up from the canonical sources.:

Well, first I'll do the ones from Lotus Eaters.

The easiest one to pick is definitely Mamizou. The entirety of Lotus Eaters Chapter 30 was more or less them having a fun and cheeky back and forth.

There is also Miyoi if you want to think of it that way since they are business partners and it's cute seeing her get both encouraged and picked on by Sannyo.

If you want to really be funny, and really stretch the imagination, you can joke about the Ponytailed Yamawaro with the surprising amount of screen time, since Sannyo helped her cool off when she was yelling, and more or less helped her when she was crying.

I mean look at that sad face

Those are the ones from Lotus Eaters.

Now Unconnected Marketeers gives us a few more things to build off of,

Sannyo has a funny back and forth with Sanae, and they both knew about each other before the incident, so that could be interesting.

(Though people can understandably find interactions with any protagonist to build off of if they see it that way)

The next one is since Sannyo lives at Heavens Shelf right beside rainbow dragon cave, Sannyo therefore lives very close by the dragon eater Momoyo too, which is definitely funny.

A surprisingly popular one is Sannyo with Misumaru, this one makes more sense then you might initially think, it comes from Sannyo's dialog implying she's been asked to keep humans out of rainbow dragon cave by someone. That person could only have been Misumaru. Idk how she'd have met her though. One particular artist really loves this ship

Misumaru doesn't technically live in the dragon cave but she definitely uses it sometimes and they both have some mentor energy going for them. My impression of Misumaru just from in game is she has some really proud but also no nonsense aspects to her personality. So it might be fun to see how she could interact with Sannyo.

For the same reason of being nearby, people could potentially ship her with Takane. She lives nearby the Yamawaro and they are both business ladies after all. I think the reason I haven't seen that one is Takane is a bit more hard professional and might not have as good of a back and forth with Sannyo. Especially when Takane has the far more obvious option of Nitori.

She lives nearby the Tengu too, so if someone decided that was enough to go on then they could ship her with any Tengu.

She even says "it's no wonder That Tengu has a high opinion of you" to Sanae.

[We can assume "That Tengu" is Megumu but people can definitely interpret that as someone else if they want. I think ive seen someone assume she was talking about Aya back during the Demo even]

Making it possible to have an argument for Megumu, Aya, Hatate, maybe even Momiji. But given Sannyo's : "you don't need to know about that......., actually i don't know either" flavor interactions with protagonists, it might be hilarious to see her interact with the Tengu.

Unfortunately there is no Sannyo x All Tengu picture to use so have the Megumu laugh Scene from Lotus Eaters:

Thats it for the ships you could extrapolate from UM interactions.

The last ship based on canon sources is Nemuno, they are different versions of the same Yokai species, Nemuno being a Yamanba, and Sannyo being a Yamajorou, a more outgoing version of the species. They both live in the mountains so it's possible for Sannyo to give her a visit if she wants, but Nemuno probably wouldn't travel too far personally.

In conclusion:

_________________________________

Finally I'll actually list my favorites:

My favorite ship though is easily with Mamizou. Mamizou and Sannyo had some really fun interactions.

Despite generally not often thinking about Misumaru, I've seen so much cute art of this ship on Pixiv that it makes me kinda like it. They do have compatible personalities so I can't say it's unreasonable.

I feel like she could have potential with Megumu. A Daitengu might be above Sannyo's metaphorical pay grade, but it could be fun. And they apparently are on speaking terms. Plus, you can read Megumu Iizunamaru as Dragon, and thats fun.

[But that's a tough sell, Megumu already is pretty cute with Chimata, has Tsukasa Mythology, and that great running dragon joke with Momoyo]

I think the mental picture of stretching Yachie out into a pipe shape might have sold me on that ship just now too.

So anyway, that's what I came up with for favorites.

Sannyo x Yachie art by: stank

Nemuno fish art by :0-DEN

Nemuno soy sauce by: atoki

Mamizou x Sannyo art by Biyon

[venbetta]

Ooo, the headcanons were really cool!! Do you have anymore you'd like to share about Freddy, or perhaps some on Monty?

Indeed I came up some for Monty (I'll do Freddy a little bit later again today, he's very fun to write about).

Montgomery Gator

Monty is probably close to most fanon interpretations that I've seen, which he's mostly an misunderstood, angry, infamous bassist. Unlike Freddy, Faz Ent don't keep him supervised, therefore makes Monty a wandering delinquent through the Pizzaplex.

Compared to his chill disposition in the promotional art, he's close to the completely opposite. He's easy to anger and frustrate, he's not good with socializing with guests like the others (he can handle teens and adults but younger kids are under his radar). His time is mostly spent golfing and at the catwalks, since not many people go into Gator Golf. He doesn't get a lot of attention like the other glamrocks.

At night, its the same case, except he vandalizes parts of the mall and his room to release frustration. The techs and staff are afraid of him, so his maintenance is infrequent and mostly rare; when he's sent to Parts and Service, they always have to shut him down as a safety precaution. And since he's so imposing, he doesn't get punished a lot, making him an absolute menace to his bandmates and staff. When he's not breaking stuff, he's mostly quiet and brooding and playing his bass in the corner.

I think that's what makes him and Freddy foils of each other.

Quick tidbits

Monty's companion would have to be Roxy, since they're both new mascots in the entire Fazbear lineup, and they both have... problems that they definitely vent to each other about. Two broken besties.

Monty enjoys playing bass and drums, drums aren't something he gets to play often but when he does, it feels right for him (think of Gwen in ATSV when she plays drums lol)

He and Freddy have a bit of a rivalry, on Monty's end he just wants what Freddy has; that being attention and fame, Freddy sees Monty more as a nuisance (I might make a seperate post about these two's dynamic hehe).

I know it's messed up but... I love angst. Monty decommissioned Bonnie, it was a mix of Vanny's influence and his own envy

After the events of SB, Monty feels guilty for it, thus resulting in him isolating himself and being angry most of the time. This poor gator doesn't have a single happy joint in his body.

On a lighter note, he and Chica have a friendly rivalry. He doesn't know how to play guitar as well as her, but they like to show off to each other

The only few things he doesn't destroy are his bass and the plush toy version of him

I wanna be funny and imagine he has a plush toy of Freddy that he doesn't necessarily destroy but beats with his fist and talks shit to... (and sometimes cuddles with bc I'm a monteddy shipper, leave me alone)

He's not a fan of being touched that much, and he doesn't try to touch others due to his claws. Man's is touch repressed and touch starved.

I know this a cliche interpretation of Monty, and some of these things feel a little out of order (maybe that's just me). I imagine he gets better after SB and kinda comes out of his isolation and anger over time. Soooo yep, those are my Monty hcs