#sorry i just have to complain about this thumbnail

[theoryandahalf]

[deoidesign]

HI I think I sent an ask a while back about having recently found TaTA and a) if it came off as trying to rush/guilt you. I am so sorry because that was NOT my intent, and b) I can hugely guarantee you have at least one person who will eat up any return, no matter when it happens, because I care about the guys so much 🥺 really looking forward to whatever comes next!!

Oh, I appreciate this a lot thank you!

Tbh it's a stress I would have regardless of anyone asking me about it, I'm probably the biggest one rushing and guilting myself on it. Which might contribute to some of the burnout I had...

My complaints are more about people who are demanding "more content daddy" or asking me if I'm dead or asking on every single post I make where it is... Wondering when it's coming back is completely reasonable, it's been a long time! but there's definitely a line haha

my editor also keeps randomly scheduling me and then saying "oh, btw you're scheduled to return in 3 weeks. Is that alright?" And I have to keep saying no, that's not alright??? And then dealing with that process...

I could write an essay about all the reasons it's not back yet, but that doesn't help me feel any less pressured, and it doesn't help you all get the rest of the comic any faster...

As of right now I'm scheduled to and trying to return october 21. No official announcement yet cause I have to do a lot of work in that time, but it's my official goal at least. When we get closer I'll be able to say for sure whether it's coming back on that date!

[beegswaz]

so so so convinced That fnaftubers could Change their thumbnails to the Most boring images from the game and People would still insist its A spoiler and that the entire Game is ruined for them

[6okuto]

3:08 PM

gojo x gn!reader | he’s NOT on the battlefield he is somewhere being whiny and dramatic RIGHT NOW. no one can tell me otherwise.

gojo stares at you from his spot on the couch, a pout etched on his face as you continue to type away at an assignment due in more than a week. something due 10 whole days away has taken priority over him—he pouts even harder at the thought.

“i can feel you staring at me, satoru.”

“i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“mhm.”

there’s only a few minutes of silence when your phone suddenly vibrates. without sparing it a glance, you switch between tabs, trying to find a specific quote for your answer. satoru huffs from behind you, and another notification comes in.

“y’gonna check that?”

“check what?”

your phone vibrates again.

“that.”

and you’re not dumb. you have a feeling your boyfriend is very aware, probably even more aware than you about what that notification could be.

“no?”

it vibrates again.

“are you sure?”

another.

“pretty sure.”

and after a couple of seconds, another.

“…actually, you know what, ‘toru,”—you pick up your phone, and satoru sits up ever so slightly, before you swipe down the bar to turn on do not disturb—“you’re right.”

“babe,” he drags out the pet name, “what if it was important?”

“and what if it was my classmates being idiots in the group chat again?”

“it’s not!”

at his denial, you spin your chair around, an accusatory—yet amused—expression on your face. “and how would you know?”

“because no one else is working on an assignment due in more than a week on a saturday afternoon except you, because apparently i’m dating the biggest nerd ever,” satoru complains, letting himself slide half off the couch, leg thrown over the top.

putting your hand over your chest, you gasp. “the biggest nerd ever? you wound me.”

“you wounded me first when you downloaded that assignment pdf instead of checking my texts!”

“well now i’m never opening that text from you.”

“why no—” he stops, and you stare, and he squints and quietly replies, “…i hate you.”

a lie through and through that finally gets you to laugh, just a little, before picking up your phone, where a photo of the both of you greets you as your lockscreen. “i’m kidding, ‘toru. but seriously if it’s something stupid i’m going to the library.”

“nothing i send you is ever stupid.”

you shake your head and go to open your messages. “i’m not even going to try to argue with you on that.”

GOJO sent you a post

babe

ME!

Notification noise

buzz buzz buzz buzzzzzzzzzz

EMERGENCY!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your lip twitches when you read “notification noise” but you hide it with the back of your hand, instead clicking the video he sent.

you think maybe it won’t be that bad—the thumbnail a photo of a white cat—and satoru watches you intently when he hears the audio start to play. ”top ten things you should pay more attention to. starting with number one—me.”

you blink.

the video loops.

“top ten things you should…”

“seriously, toru?”

“c’s get degrees. satorus need constant attention or they’ll die.”

you snort—maybe you’d take him more seriously if he wasn’t practically upside down.

“they’ll die! i’ll die! do you want me to die?”

“not on my couch, no.” you respond, standing up.

“oh, alright, apologies, my heart, for not taking your feelings into consideration. i’ll die on your laptop so you’re forced to face the consequences of your actions more directly then,” he says, sarcasm rolling off of him in waves, even as you make your way toward him.

“oh, thank you so much, my love, i’d greatly appreciate it.” you huff as you do your best to pull him back up to lie on the couch.

satoru lies on his back, arms crossed over chest, strands of hair messy across his forehead.

he says nothing as you stand above him.

yet despite his attitude, he lets you run your fingers through his hair to fix it, leaning in ever so slightly into the warmth of your palm. you pout at him endearingly. “okay, you’re right, i can work on the assignment later. i’m sorry for not giving you attention and ignoring your texts.”

“and?”

you quirk an eyebrow, trying to rack your brain for what else you could have done. “and…implying you could ever send me something stupid?”

“…apology accepted.”

“can i lie down with you now?”

satoru shifts as far as he can. “as long as my back is to the couch so you can’t push me off.”

“woah, woah, woah, okay, that was an actual accident, and you already accepted my apology for that! i even ordered food,” you remind him, maneuvering beside him so you can fit and wrap your arms around his torso.

he pulls your head to rest on his chest. “doesn’t mean i can’t stay on guard from now on.”

“oh, whatever,” you mumble, breathing in and noting the scent of his new cologne that he got a few days ago—the one he got because you said you liked it.

a hand comes up to rub the nape of your neck, and you melt further into him. satoru mutters, ”you’re not leaving until dinner now as compensation.”

“what if i have to pee?”

“i’ll follow you to the washroom.”

“inside?”

“you wanna hold hands at the doorway?”

“not particularly, no, actually.”

“maybe romance really is dead.”

you laugh into the fabric of shirt where you can feel his chest rumble with his own laughter, and your heart flutters as you feel satoru smile against you. he's warm, and his lips soft as they kiss your forehead, when you think maybe your work can wait a few days to really start.

hai. sometimes a girl has to write a bunch of domestic fluffy banter. who gets me. video cat is gojo catoru in another life btw... Trust. also im pretty sure this is the first time i get to use my jjk taglist. LMFAO

🏷 | @lilithlunas @anime-ships-gay @todorokiskitten @tooruchiiscribs @curiouslilbeast @fiona782 @cvhenia @mitskiologist @libbyistired @milkbreadforlife

[the-muppet-joker]

I am shaking with rage.

After my many unpleasant encounters with women these past few days (anon hate, mother being a pest) I updated my DNI to include women. I take my DNI very seriously and expect people offline to respect my boundaries as well. Naturally, the females in real life have been making this Incredibly. Fucking. Difficult. Fine, I will simply find more Males and Non Binaries to follow on tumblr and continue blogging in my female-free space to avoid their complaining and their feminism. I begin to scroll through the blogs of people I am following to see if the people they reblog from are not pesky women, so that I may follow those people as well.

When lo and behold, I see an intruiging post on one such blog about vultures (death and all things related to it captivate my twisted mind). I see it was reblogged from someone who, in their description, refers to themselves as a "Mr. Strange." I am delighted to find a male, and even more delighted to find someone with a strange and dark mind similar to my own. I scroll for a bit and. What's this? A screenshot with a youtube channel, the same name as this tumblr user.

The screenshot contains a Woman, but I assume this to be a guest on Mr. Strange's channel, at best. Certainly not a fellow host, and certainly not Mr. Strange himself.

I venture to the Youtube Channel. The female is on every thumbnail. My hands close into fists. Right before I fly into a rage, I remember a crucial piece of information: The Transgenders! This is clearly just a Transgender Male who dresses in a feminine manner. Why else would this person go by Mr. Strange? I smile to myself, relieved. I'm sorry, Mr. Strange for mistaking you for a female.

I was mistaken. After many confusing videos and video titles, I realize that Mr. Strange is not their name. It is a joke. A mockery of us men. I have been unknowinly watching. A woman. For hours. I am so enraged, and I am lucky that my boyfriends (K and J) are here to calm me down or I would go dark mode fucking permanently. Men, be warned: the woman's account is Strange Aeons. If you see a "Mr. Strange," remind yourself: A WOMAN.

[modelbus]

Sorry if this is confusing this is the first request I ever made.

I was wondering if you could do a Wilbur soot x fem or gn reader (romantic)

Where it’s the like the very beginning of the relationship and you’re helping him model for his next merch drop then he sees you in the merch and his is like “OoOooHhhhHH mY GOodnESS I WANt tO maRrY You!!”

This would 100% happen and nobody can convince me otherwise.

Pairing: CC!Wilbur x Fem!Reader (romantic)

My Merch

"You are the best for doing this." Are the first words out of Wilbur's mouth when you show up at his flat. He's grinning at you, leaning on his doorframe.

"You can always show your gratitude by giving me free merch." You answer, ducking under his arm to enter. He laughs, shutting the door and following you into his living room area.

"As if you weren't going to get free merch just for being my girlfriend."

You shrug, secretly thrilled at hearing him call you that. He hasn't been your official boyfriend for too long, so just hearing that gives you butterflies. It feels like love.

"What's the plan?"

Wilbur had texted you exactly twenty-four minutes ago panicking about not having a female model for his merch. Being the only one who actually thinks logically in your relationship, you volunteered to model with him. It'd be fun!

"I have a blank wall and a phone camera, so that should be good enough. Photoshop exists for a reason, and I'm still logged into Tommy's account he uses for thumbnails."

"If it works." You shrug.

"It should. Thank you so fucking much for this. You have no idea how much it means to me."

"I wasn't doing anything, why not be with you?"

His grin widens, cheeks dusting a light pink. "Okay. You can change in my room, I put the merch in there. Just dig through the piles until you find your size, they aren't organized at all."

"Of course they aren't." You sigh.

"I was a bit busy panicking to organize them all!" He defends himself.

For some reason that makes you laugh, heading into his room and softly shutting the door. Sure enough, there are four large piles of different merch near his closet. Statistically speaking, your size couldn't be too hard to find.

Luck is on your side because you find your size in everything fairly quickly. He didn't tell you which one to wear first so you just grab the one closest to you and throw it on. Pausing momentarily to fix your hair in the mirror on his wall, you head out to him.

"Walking down the runway is I, Wilbur Soot's personal merch model." You joke, doing a little twirl at the end of the hallway to show off the sweater.

Wilbur's eyes are wide, staring at you. He's silent for far too long, not even seeming to be having a coherent thought.

"Wil?" You ask, a little confused. "What's wrong?"

"You look stunning." He blurts out. "Wow. I need to kiss you, like, right now."

Relieved, you laugh and walk up to him. He doesn't seem to be moving any time soon with how he's still staring at you.

You loop your arms around his neck and his instinctively go around your waist. When you lean up, he tilts his head down to meet your lips in a long kiss.

"You're getting five hundred pieces of my merch." He swears when you pull away.

"I look that good, huh?" You tease.

"Yes," Wilbur answers seriously. "Fucking- yes."

Taken off guard, your lips part in surprise. You didn't expect him to answer so quickly, and certainly not so reverently. He takes his chance to kiss you again.

"Are you going to take any photos or just kiss me the entire time? Not that I'm complaining."

"Who says I can't do both?" He asks. “You know I love you, right?”

Although you’re not exactly sure where he’s going with this, it still makes you feel like a little kid with a crush.

“And I love you.” You respond, fully meaning it.

“Remember that in a year or two for me.”

“What?” He smiles at you in response. “Wait, what does that mean?!”

“Photo time!”

“Wilbur!”

[mc-lukanette]

"Same time next week?" Marinette asked Luka as they stopped on the sidewalk, ready to part ways. She leaned up and grabbed his shoulder for support, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Mhm," he hummed affirmatively, kissing her cheek in return. "Looking forward to it."

It had become their routine by now, and Marinette loved the idea of having a routine. It represented a sense of stability, consistency, and (most importantly) getting to spend time with her boyfriend. She knew the feeling of his lips on her skin, his warmth banishing her cold, and fingers caressing her cheek.

She also knew the feeling of him taking her hand and the corners of a box gently pressing into her palm soon after.

"Oh." She looked down, turning the present in her hands as she asked, "F...for me?"

Luka frowned, hearing the nervousness in her voice. "Is something wrong with it?"

"N-no! No, not at all! Not even a little!" She whined, now fidgeting with it rather than simply examining it. "But... I don't know if I really deserve it, and—"

Her words were cut off by her own squeaking as Luka held her bangs to the side in order to give her a loving kiss on the forehead. She met his gaze, seeing only his affectionate staring back.

"You deserve everything, Marinette," he told her with a smile, "every note of the song."

She swallowed as she watched him go, a blush on her face and her feet rooted in place until he turned a corner, going completely out of her sight.

Finally, she bit her lower lip, almost crushing the gift with worry as she finished in her head, And... this is the tenth thing you've given me this month.

——

Marinette couldn't stop her leg from bouncing as she watched Kagami look over the various gifts with a discerning eye. Luka had gotten her an entire range of gifts from a cute tea mug shaped like a sheep, to special glasses for eye strain whenever she worked late nights on her website's design, to plushes that matched the cat one on her bed. Of course, she knew she shouldn't complain about being showered in gifts by a doting boyfriend, but there was an underlying worry as well.

Kagami, standing and holding the gifted flower necklace to the light, confirmed as much. "These definitely aren't cheap. He must've found a quality store."

Marinette groaned, hunching over until she was laying her upper body on her legs, arms slumped down toward the floor. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Kagami said, the eyebrow raise evident in her tone even if Marinette couldn't see. "Why would you want him to buy you cheap gifts?"

"I-I don't!" Marinette pushed herself back up, hands clenched into fists. "I mean, money's not everything and a gift's a gift, but he only works part-time delivering pizza! What if he's spending all of his money on me?"

"Couldn't you ask his sister?" Kagami wondered aloud.

"She'd just steal his wallet out of worry to look," Marinette replied, shaking her head in disapproval. "I don't want to invade his privacy, I just want to know why."

Kagami hummed neutrally, though her expression said it all: she had a hard time grasping the dilemma even if she was trying her best.

Rich people, Marinette thought in her head, complete with a mental sigh and gulp of imaginary tea. "I guess you and Adrien made a game about it, huh? You give each other gifts all the time."

At that, Kagami bristled. She took a wide stance, pointing a finger at Marinette as she proclaimed, "It's not a game, Marinette! It's a merciless competition between a boyfriend and girlfriend!" She turned her back to her with a small huff, bringing her thumbnail to her teeth in deep thought. "I'm still planning my next move. He won't know what hit him."

"Right, a competition. Sorry!" Marinette assured with a sheepish grin. I don't think Adrien sees it as a competition though.

Marinette supposed that their relationships weren't comparable though, which was fine. Kagami and Adrien thrived on a little tension, but she and Luka were a lot more mellow. Adrien was a lot more about grand gestures and Kagami reflected that right back at him. They'd already exchanged gifts openly in public when everyone was hanging out, and Marinette would just happily snuggle up with Luka off to the side, watching them—

Wait, she realized. That... could that be it...?

——

Marinette massaged her shoulder as she headed up the stairs to her room. It was a long, long day, involving her going all over Paris looking for the exact things that she needed. Luka had called and figured it out of course (he always had a way of sensing when she was in distress) but she rejected the offer to have him ride her everywhere. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted his help, but after the revelation of why he might've been showering her with gifts, she didn't know how to talk to him about it.

Her whole week had ended up feeling extra long because of it.

As she opened the trapdoor to her room, Marinette froze as the sound of a guitar hit her ears, the music seeming to come from her balcony. No way, she thought with a smile, because even if she'd been awkward with Luka it wasn't that she didn't want to see him.

With a little more energy in her steps that she hadn't thought she still had, she hurried across her room, up the stairs to her bed, and finally peeked out at her balcony.

Luka was in the lounge chair, playing a comforting tune on his guitar. Scented candles were set out on a table, along with a few snacks and drinks.

"Jule told me you were having a bad day," he explained simply.

Marinette pouted. It was mean of him to do all this when they needed to have a serious talk. If he weren't so sweet then she'd just take Kagami's advice and tell him bluntly how she felt, but she didn't have the heart to do it when his intentions were undoubtedly pure.

Unable to resist him, she pushed herself up onto the balcony. Luka was quick to move his guitar aside, freeing his lap so she could sit there and straddle him. She grabbed his face and he got up enough to meet her halfway in a kiss. Holding it, his hands slid down her back to rest against her sides while hers went underneath his hoodie to massage his shoulders.

Marinette giggled as she pulled back, just enough to look at his face. "What were you going to do if it rained?"

"Your parents let me borrow all of their umbrellas."

She collapsed against this chest, trying to contain herself at the mental image of Luka putting up umbrellas to protect the lounge chair and their table. Her legs shifted against him, unintentionally squeezing his sides from her body tensing with laughter.

Unfortunately, the universe had also decided to remind her of her goal, as her leg brushed Luka's pocket in the process. She could feel something inside that she was almost certain was yet another gift he planned on giving her.

"...Marinette?" Luka called in concern. He must've noticed that she'd stilled all of a sudden.

"Um." She hesitated, toying with the fabric of his shirt. Then, relenting to what she had to do, she pushed herself up and admitted, "I want to talk to you about something."

He frowned. "I'm sorry I went into your room when you weren't in there—"

"No." She sighed, looking away and rubbing the back of her neck. "It's about all the gifts."

Luka was quiet, but she could imagine what he was thinking. It was rare enough for them to not see each other for almost a week that there had to have been something on her mind.

"You—you put so much into all the gifts you give, but they're... a little much?" She twiddles her fingers, feeling awkward for bringing him up him even if they were long past that by now. "And... since we always see Adrien giving Kagami gifts, I thought that maybe you felt like—"

"Wait." Luka sat up, though had to adjust accordingly due to a combination of the lounge chair and an entire Marinette on his lap straddling him. He gripped her shoulder, insisting, "I already know you love me, Marinette."

"Y-yeah, but—"

"I'm not worried about us, not at all." He shook his head. "I haven't been since we got together. I never held how you felt against you, and you moved on from him so long ago anyway."

"...Then why?" She rubbed the side of her head, even more confused. "I-I know you love me too, but—"

At that, Luka paused, a rare vulnerability showing in his eyes. She gripped his hand on her shoulder and he averted his gaze from her, his lips twitching tentatively.

"It's me," he finally confessed. "I don't think you're shallow enough to love me more over some presents, and I know you don't like Adrien either, but I..." He pulled his hand away from hers, ruffling his hair in his embarrassment. "I still wanted to be able to give you anything Adrien could."

"Oh. O-oh, Luka—!"

All at once, relief flooded Marinette's body followed by affection. She leaned in, kissing Luka again, then once more just for good measure. He looked confused by the reaction, but she was insistent that he let himself be kissed.

"You don't have to do any of that!" She knew that he knew that, but she wasn't exactly thinking coherently at the moment. "I love how much you put into buying stuff for me, but I don't want you emptying your wallet for them! Isn't it enough just to..." She shrugged sheepishly. "spend time together?"

He stared, then sighed and plopped back down against the lounge chair. Smiling up at her, he replied, "I know, and I'm sorry I worried you so much. You're right."

"Of course I'm right!" she said, lightly hitting his chest. "And apology accepted, but you can't be buying me more gifts, okay? At least not as much."

"Alright."

"I mean it too!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, huffing out, "Or—or I won't kiss you anymore! I might’ve kissed you a lot a second ago, but starting now!" Then, disheartened, she added desperately, "And I don't want to not kiss you, so..."

He nodded, voice low and eyes fond. "I promise."

She pouted, reminded again of how unfair he could be. He'd really made her concerned that he was doubting his worth in their relationship, yet he looked up at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and her worry for him only made her more attractive.

Casting a glance at the drinks on the table, she asked, "Those aren't hot, are they?"

"No," he confirmed.

"Good. I didn't want to ruin your work." She laid herself back on his chest, mischievously playing with his bangs. "I meant what I said."

He grinned, his arms going around her back. "About not kissing me if I didn't stop giving you so many gifts? Or not wanting to not kiss m—"

She cut him off with another kiss.

[blazehedgehog]

I WILL CHOKE ON THESE SOUR GRAPES TIL I'M IN MY GRAVE

I left this open in another tab, meaning to watch it like a week ago. It's an official video published and promoted on the Youtube Studio dashboard, about common misconceptions around their recommendation algorithm and what the truths really are. .

And now, finally watching it, that white haired dude, Mr. "Youtube Liason", is the guy who told me the algorithm ignored one of my videos because "maybe it just wasn't very good."

Famously, and something I will never ever shut up about when given the chance to mention it, I put out a video about Jurassic Park games just before Christmas, expecting it to slot in and do decent numbers, just like all of my other videos do. Since Youtube earnings tend to spike around the holidays, this was going to be how I paid for Christmas presents that year. It was something I'd done at least twice before. Instead, the algorithm completely ignored the video because it was outside my usual wheelhouse of Sonic content.

This is shockingly relevant to the very first topic they cover: whether a single "off-topic" video actually matters with regards to how the algorithm sees your channel, and the general answer from the Youtube technician is "No." You don't gotta tell me.

When I put my full weight behind a video, it easily breaks 10k views, even 50k or 200k+ views. Some of my most popular videos have cracked the multi-millions!

So when this dude spells out in plain english that the algorithm effectively ignores one-off videos? Yeah, no shit. I'm living proof of that. Across the first two years, that Jurassic Park video struggled to break even 2000 views. Only by paying out of my own pocket for multiple promotional campaigns and constantly complaining about its lack of performance has it struggled to hit just over 5000 views, some four years later. The algorithm knew it was way outside my regular wheelhouse and treated it like poison.

And this liason clown had the balls to tell me "well maybe the video was just bad, sorry bud" only to, two years later, sit down with this technician that spells out exactly what I was knew was happening and was trying to explain to him.

Except now, of course, it's being spun as a positive: "don't worry, a one-off won't hurt your regular content" as opposed to the "we didn't notify anyone about your one-off and it became stillborn" I experienced.

I have sat down and thought very intently about this Jurassic Park video. Obviously, if I make a stink about its performance, tell people the algorithm made a poor judgment call, I'm going to get patted on the back and comforted that yes, the video is good. Don't worry. The mean old algorithm is just dumb. Right? And Youtube unflinchingly believes in the power of their algorithm as this perfect shining golden standard to drive viewership, the thing that can never, ever be wrong about guys like me.

I appreciate the comfort and support of friends and colleagues and even random strangers who are inherently distrustful of the algorithm. But I also know that feels like an echo chamber.

So then what, do I trust Youtube? Absolutely not. At the end of the day their algorithm still made an unfair judgment call and despite their claims above that any old video can get picked up by the algorithm at any time, my video has never recovered. I've tried more interesting thumbnails, I've spent almost $100 on Google Adsense promotion -- one of which, I should note, was the same week that Jurassic World 3 released, and the other being E3. Both should have been extremely lucrative times to run ads. And I got crickets.

I like the video. I stand by the fact I think I did a good job on it. I remain proud of it. It's as good as any real-effort-content I've put out in the last five years. The echo chamber tells me it's a good video, too, even if I literally can't buy views.

So my only recourse is to sit here and stew in my bitterness towards this algorithm. The shining, ultimate example as to why you should never let a computer make a qualitative judgment call. And I will be frustrated and angry about this until I draw my last breath.

[thesweetnessofsalt]

Process Blog #4: How I Make TSOS!

Just in time for Webcomic Day, it's a real actual process blog! We're going to get into the nitty-gritty of how I make pages of The Sweetness of Salt.

Let's go! :D

This blog was originally written for 1$+ TSOS Supporters and can also be read here on Ko-fi - free to everyone!

Chapter 3 Pages 29 - 32 (ALT text for pages here)

Leah's conversation on the balcony with Arlo is a pretty self contained scene in four pages, and will make a good case study for this blog. There is a full video timelapse at the very end, but I will be laying out my process for The Sweetness of Salt in detail here first!

Working From A Script

Since I'm the only person who works on TSOS, I keep my script pretty loose. I have a good idea now of how much of my writing translates into how many pages, and will sometimes mark significant page turns in the script or describe panel layouts if they occur to me while scripting. However, I generally don't know how I'll lay out the panels until I actually sit down with some paper.

My script mostly serves as an outline; dialogue, blocking, or entire segments can change when I put the characters through it on the page. Still, it's important to follow the script in order keep track of pace and continuity.

Here is the original script for this scene:

Script Excerpt - Chapter 3 (ALT text for script image here)

Compare the script to the text on the actual pages, and there are some big differences! That's pretty typical of my workflow for TSOS. There's an ever growing gap between the day I worked on the script and the day I actually make the pages. By the time I sit down and draw, the characters and story have developed even more in my mind, and there's lots of time for me to experiment and be inspired. (This is definitely a luxury particular to a long running webcomic, though.)

In this particular case, I felt like the conversation in the script wasn't familiar enough for their relationship, and I also wanted to start establishing context for Sha's conundrum a bit sooner than originally planned. 

You could apply these to just about all the script changes I make: they're almost always done to re-emphasize character and story beats. And sometimes the changes are so I could add a joke. Or both!

Thumbnailing

You've heard me complaining about it; you've probably heard me express euphoric bliss about it, too. Thumbnailing is when words become comics, and it's hard!! But it's also the most rewarding part for me, and it's when TSOS actually becomes real. 

There are times when I can thumbnail right from my brain, and  times when every single comic I own is out on the floor for inspiration. I need to be in the right headspace to thumbnail - focused enough to take everything I need to into consideration, but loose enough to visualize the story.

Here's a method that's worked for me lately: by setting aside certain number of pages and just writing out what happens per page, I get a good sense of pacing without having to draw anything yet. It's a good way to get the juices flowing!

It's often, though not always, easier to thumbnail on paper, especially for the early stages. I'm much less precious about my drawings on paper, and feel more comfortable trying several iterations of a page than I am with digital drawing. The undo button and zoom button are enemies of thumbnails!

My thumbnails do ultimately get finalized in Clip Studio Paint, though - I have a template for this tailored to my workflow. The page layouts are in the middle, and are paired the same way they are on Webtoon (where pages post in pairs and need to be harmonious). There's also room on each side for the text/notes, though as you can see I don't always write something if I plan to follow the script.

Thumbnails for Pages 28 - 33 (I'm sorry but I'm not ALT texting this chicken scratch)

When I know I need to work on my thumbnails, I try to fill that week with lots of sketching and a healthy reading diet - including my own script and comic! You want a warm hand and a brain full of comics for thumbnailing, but also lots of energy for your own story.

Scott McCloud's books are, as always, indispensable (Understanding Comics for general theory, Making Comics for more specific techniques), but these guides from Hannah Vardit have also been really helpful in getting my brain around thumbnailing.

Page 31 will be our example page moving forward, so here is that thumbnail in full:

Page 31 Thumbnail

LOL - thumbnail Arlo is my favorite Arlo. 

Though not included here on Page 31, I do generally jot down balloons in my thumbnails, too, which you can see in the other thumbnails. It's good to account for your text early!

I keep these drawings super simple - they're just an indication of blocking and expression. I work more on character acting in the pencil stage.

Tools of the Trade

Alright, now we're getting into the nitty gritty!

One note before we proceed: TSOS is NOT print ready, and nothing about my process should be considered print ready or as advice for print readiness. This is just what's worked well for my webcomic, for the sake of consistency and mobile/web versatility. 

Program: Clip Studio Paint EX

Working Canvas Properties: 2407 x 3675px 350 dpi (Sized down to 940px wide for web, Margins approximately 100 px)

Dialogue Font: Soapy Hands by Sara Linsley (15 pt with few exceptions)

Favorite Pencil: Gritty's Pencil from Frenden's mega pack

Favorite Inker: Real G-Pen (CSP Default)

Character Modeler: MagicPoser for iPad

Cottage Model: floorplancreator.net (Browser app - even works on iPad! Free + simple to use)

I also use Windows Sticky Notes keep track of things like line weights, layer properties, or methods for things that get rendered frequently, such as Sha's sweater. 

"Chapter 3 Style Guide" (ALT text here)

Roughing + Penciling

Before I start drawing, I make the panel borders and place all of the text.

I tend to fuss with my text for a long time, getting the line breaks exactly where I want them, and reading it out loud to make sure the page flow works. Balloons usually come later, once the art is done or mostly done and I can place the tails correctly. For now, the text is enough of a placeholder!

Everyone has their own rules when it comes to lettering, but I look to The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering as much as possible for general lettering conventions. It's the best resource out there for a reason, and I'm glad I have a physical copy to reference while I work.

Page 31 Rough Blocking + Lettering

If I need to, I will take references from my model of the cottage or MagicPoser. For this scene, the balcony was simple enough to draw from imagination. Still, I studied its one and only appearance here in Chapter 2 Page 29 -

- as well as my model. I use floorplancreator.net - here is the floor plan for the second floor of the cottage:

And here is a 3D view. Neat, right? It took some time to set up, but it was time well spent. Even if I don't screenshot a reference, I'm using it to help visualize backgrounds and blocking.

I also use my own character assets - essentially just a file with various lineart of character faces saved from previous pages.  I like to pencil from scratch if I have the time, but sometimes I just need to get a page out quickly. I'll drop these in and use them as an undersketch to speed things along.

My collection of 3/4 Facial Assets for Leah and Sha

For Arlo, I almost always sketch on top of a reference, and will reuse his lineart, too. I love him, but I'm not an expert frog illustrator.

With my references assembled, I can start sketching and get everything locked in. This was a page I needed to complete quickly, so I structured shots that could use the same background angle and made sure Leah + Arlo's positioning was consistent and easy to follow. 

Big differences between my thumbnails and final layout are often due to continuity adjustments like that. Important stuff!

Page 31 Pencils

I'm afraid I don't have much else to say about this part - if the thumbnails are where the story becomes a comic, this is where the comic becomes art. I get to be my most expressive and make these characters and places come alive. It's the drawing part, you know? Well, except for that other drawing part.

Inking

I tend to be a rough penciller, letting my inks do the heavy lifting drawing-wise. I suppose 'linearting' might be a better descriptor, because I don't ink with a great deal of toning, black shadows, or even line weights. TSOS is fully colored and rendered, so I tend to keep the inks simple. That's kind of just the style I've built for this comic. 

Background inks always come first, though. It's far easier to resize a character to the background than vice versa. This also encourages me to draw the entire background behind the character, so that art can be reused later. (You should also be finishing the art behind your balloons, by the way!)

Page 31 Lineart

Color + Rendering

Backgrounds come first again! I really do try to keep these as simple as possible, so they're easily replicated and don't suck up all my time. UNLESS: the backgrounds are especially important to the page, like an establishing shot. The overhead balcony shot on Page 30 took a lot longer than these, but with the new location established, I could let these pages be more about Leah's conversation and gestures.

This balancing act dictates my entire comic page process. Whichever element is most important to this page - the character acting, the environment, the action, etc - is the element that gets the most of my time, and I'll actively reduce effort in less important areas. It's good for time management, yes, but it also keeps the story focused!

Page 31 Flat Character Color > Rendered Character > Full Color Page

Each character gets filled in with white so their colors can be clipped to the layers above. Again, colors are pretty simple - it's more about the mood lighting here. MagicPoser lets you manipulate lighting, so sometimes I like to go a little ham with the rendering. It's one of my favorite ways to give a scene some 'oomf'.

Typical Layer Hierarchy for Characters (These are normally never labeled. I did that because I love you)

The MVP in all of this is the Erase Along Edge tool. It makes coloring so fast, and when I first adopted it, it cut my process time in half. 

The link will take you to its listing on the CSP asset store, which has detailed instructions for how to use it. Once you figure it out, you can set other brushes to erase along the edge, or even to color within an edge! Neat stuff. I especially like it when I need to color many small background elements.

Finishing and Lettering

A long time ago, TSOS's balloons were very fussy, tedious, hand-drawn squovals. When I made revisions to Chapter 1+2, the bulk of it was just re-lettering it all to something simple and consistent.

I've only just recently started experimenting with the joined balloons you see on this page, so I've got a lot to learn and a lot to try out. There are a couple of things I keep in mind for legibility, like giving the letters lots of room inside the balloon's edge. Clarity is way more important than being fancy.

Curve Balloon tool > place four points only

Manipulate points for symmetry, fit

Add tail

Done!

Since I placed my text early and kept adjusting it along the way, I don't have to worry about my balloons having enough room or looking nice with the art. I can just click my lil points and be on my way!

Page 31 Finished Page

Still a few finishing touches left: the whooshes, the eye shines, and of course, the sparkles. What's left to say? This is objectively the best part.

Wrapping It Up

Whoo, another comic page down! Excluding the time spent thumbnailing, pages take me about 8-10 hours to make. Ideally, I do this across two days, with inking one and coloring the next. 

Here is the full video timelapse of the page! Click through the video to check out the description, where I've timestamped the whole process.

The timestamps on this one definitely made me laugh - I jump around a lot more than the ideal, linear process described in this blog. You can tell I struggled with the lineart on this one, because I keep having to come back to it. But there's always something else to work on - I try not to let myself get stuck in one spot for too long.

There you have it! Those are all my trade secrets. Just over 2k words, and I don't think I can add anything more. But if you want to know anything else or have any questions, you can leave them here and I'll add them to the next blog!

Thanks for reading!

This blog was originally written for 1$+ TSOS Supporters and can also be read here on Ko-fi - free to everyone. Become a 1$+ supporter and you get early access to all of my comic pages and process blogs!

[bibiana112]

Kinda weird question- do you have any links to people talking about Mira from ZTD and ableist stereotypes? I mentioned that I was uncomfortable with her portrayal but kinda fumbled it and made some other ND people in chat uncomfortable. I searched for various keyword combinations but most of what I'm finding is like "and not to mention the ableism with Mira" and doesn't elaborate lol.

Not weird at all! And uh, you see, there's a recent post I made where what I complain about is the very fact I've never seen anyone post too in-depth about her at all, I'd love to see posts that do elaborate on that but I do not have any that I know of right now, sorry :/ hopefully someone else who sees this can point to one? Okay!! After some tag searches I have found exactly one post who kind of gets into it I like this take still would love to see. more than just one but hooray

And like though I complain I couldn't elaborate much on it myself I don't think, I believe most of the posts people make about Saito from aitsf would apply since it's a different uchikoshi take on the very same trope of "emotionless characters who cannot function without killing others" I guess he's a worse portrayal though since she's at least not stated to get reward brain chemicals when killing people and I guess her case also has the added layer of "femme fatale" to it? Which either makes it less bad or worse depending on where you approach it from As I said I am not doing a good job of being coherent on this oh and also there's her being "redeemed" and "cured" in the epilogue which in on itself is kinda not great to imply it just goes away like that and honestly I personally don't even buy it I think she'd just be like oh okay Akane over here has like a thousand reasons to hate me after all that oh and what's that she's the leader of a super wealthy underground organization who's organized one of these death traps before yeah no I'm better off going to prison I'll be fine there lmao bye

But I'll say as an autistic person with relatively low empathy I usually see a character who just doesn't understand other people's feelings and wants to feel them too and is just trying to survive despite getting no help and I just kinda go hm. yeah. shout-out to roxas kingdom hearts shout out to mary from ib shout out that's why I started hyperfixating on media art helps me with understanding others a great lot and Mira is just in a story too badly executed for me to care or even begin to wrap my head around tbh like god she's so fucking terribly used as a plot device in every conceivable way that it makes it difficult to see past it and into what she could possibly be if it weren't for the stereotype of equalling low empathy with no compassion what's with her killing off screen in ways that wildly deviate from her stated m.o? why or how was she even in cahoots with Zero why was that a thing? Honestly her dynamic with Sean could have been better fleshed out could have done something interesting about robot child and his aspd big sis but we just kind of don't get any attention brought to the subject of emotions and the authenticity there of except for the "reveal"...

YOU KNOW WHAT that's probably one huge reason it feels so fucked up actually! Like the whole fucking game is written so you could experience it in whatever order you want and therefore Mira being a serial killer at all is something that though not very well hidden it also cannot be a topic of discussion or explored Ever ever because the player may not have seen the fragment where that is revealed yet- problem being the menu design of that game sucks so bad and practically everyone gravitates towards the same few more interesting looking thumbnails first and then the rest is kinda just there, I mean that is part of the reason A Lot of characters feel half-baked I think but also I think it definitely does impact perception of her character specifically probably The Most and then there's just the general not being given nuance not being able to see the minutiae of how that disorder manifests in her character aside from the killings about how she acts aside from being overly flirty trying to lure in Eric but that affects pretty much all of the new cast we don't have last names and in her case we barely have any backstory at all like Saito is a harmful stereotype sure but we get So Much Context for him that people still love talking about him and delving into different aspects of his life since we have that very well telegraphed in the narrative meanwhile for Mira all we can do is fill in the blanks guesswork that only highlights the worst aspects of the surface level portrayal we got and ultimately that people just don't care enough to dissect because there isn't much there character wise once you remove it

[kacievvbbbb]

Let me just be clear I am not shitting on the show I geniunely believe it is an amazing story. And I am mostly talking about the anime I have not read the manga so I do not know how many of these things apply.

But yeah before we begin;

****trigger warning : Contains mild spoilers for Fire Force season 1 and discussion of sexual violence and abuse****

Fire Force fans that complain about people being put off by the "fan service" or angry that this makes the show not as popular really just show how much they do not care about women.

Because you are basically saying you don't care about the consistent sexual

Because the "fan service" in Fire Force is so drastically different that the sexual posing, the constantly bouncing half exposed giant boobs, or even the ass and boob shots which while sexualizing, annoying and have their own problems are relatively easy to gloss over. The sexualization in Fire Force is pervasive and bordering on harassment ad sexual violence.

Because while Tamaki's luck leacher is played as a gag most of the time it is also something that is shown to actively hinder her life. Not just in fights too, it practically led to her ostracization from society at an extremely young age. It is something we see and are told has such a negative affect on not only how the people that she worked with view her but on her mental health as well. And for fans to just regulate it to an annoyance that distracts from cool fights is so geniunely disgusting. especially when we are talking about a character that is canonically still a teenager and a minor.

But it's not even just that, at least that gag gets addressed by the fandom and has story consequences. The thing that really kills me and irritates me (and I'm talking about the anime because I haven't read the manga so i don't know if this happens there as well) is how no female character( except Maki whose running joke is how unfeminine she is which is whole nother discussion) can enter a single fight without ending up practically naked at the end of it. It's so disconcerting because this never happens to any of them men. They can take whatever kind of beating and their clothes will still be compeltely intact. But the women enter any kind of fight and if they dont comeletly lose their jacket it's in complete scraps.

like this is tamaki at the end of a fight

even worse cause she was getting completely beat up by this dude she really looked up too. And people use these images like they are sexy and cute. Hell it was used on a happy birthday post for her. And find Tamaki just lucky leecher right? Wrong

Here is Iris, a character that is supposed to be a nun at the end of a not even that serious fight.And that is arrow a woman who is literally supposed to be highly trained and had a bunch of men fighting with her whose outfits had not a rip in them.

and this is Shinra (main character) after a fight that completely pushes him to his limits and he was taking hit after hit.

His fit completely intact.

That arrow pic is the one all these youtubers have as their reaction video thumbnail. Like that just doesn't look like sexual violence. Like I don't understand how anyone can look at that picture, especually knowing the context of the absolutely horrible abuse she is facing in it, and not immediately feel icky.

And that's the thing in almost all the fights with female characters especially if they are losing (which when your Tamaki is often) they are posed in such ways that combined with their "artfully" postioned nudity looks a lot like sexual violence.

I'm sorry like look at this. How does this not just read as sexual violence to you. And maybe in this particular case you could make an argument that it was supposed to be implied because the bird man in the pic was supposed to be mentally manipulating her and it was all just generally really fucked up and abusive. But none of it was explicitly or even outside of this fight, implied to be sexual. It was just in the context of this fight and this and some other posing that felt so sexually violent. That i was honestly so disturbed when I watched it (which admittedly worked cause you were supposed to be disturbed by the levels of manipulation this woman suffered under).

but yeah for fans to not even acknowledge how disturbing this is how uncomfortable this is not only for the female character or the female fanbase but just anyone who might be sensitive to sexual harm or abuse. For alot of these pics to be used as sexy images like we don't know that the context is horrific violence because that's the thing all these pictures I used where taking from moments that these characters where experiencing not just tremendous overwhelming physical violence but also mental abuse and attacks. The least horrific fight here is Iris' but it was still mentally devastating for her as it was being done by someone she considered a sister. To divorce any of these pictures from their context and put them in thumbnails to catch perverted eyes is so genuinely disgusting I can't even fathom it. To not even recognize the sexually violent undertones of the image is genuinely baffling to me.

And I'm not saying all this to shit on fire force or discourage anyone from watching it because I do genuinely think that it has such an amazing story. And such an great representation they have loads of black characters that aren't stereotypically drawn (hell they even have a nigerian which i can't tell you really tickled my nigerian heart) and honestly despite what my post might lead you to believe the female character are so well thought out and incredibly nuanced and diverse. It honeslty does female characters alot better than shows that don't have this problem. Hell even with Tamaki's lucky leecher and the exploration of the deeper trauma of it was so artfully done that it almost made up for the amount of times I had to see this girls panties. The explorations of the different kinds of abuse and societal neglect or religious trauma and abuse, of living in uncertain times where you could die at any moment is so poignant and honestly so well done I've fully never seen in anime some of the ways that the aftermath of abuse is explored like was done in this show, trauma and recovery is not one and done in this show it is continueosly acknowledged and built upon. Hell one of my favorite episodes of the series is an exploration of how trauma can lead to the strangest coping mechanisms and soothing.

The show is genuinely compelling enough for me to push through all this to see the story unfold. Because again just to be clear while the posing looks very sexual no actual sexual violence occurs. And I will be going back to watch season 3 whenever it decides comes out. But it does lead me to just ask why? Why all the heavy sexualization, was there a fear that the show couldn't stand on it's own? It's one of the only animes I've ever seen where the amount of fan service actually hindered it's popularity. it was made by the same mangaka that did soul eater which Ive heard has it's fair share of fan service but wasn't hindered by it on the same level. Which gives me hope that atleast some people felt it but couldn't put their finger on exactly why it unsettled them. (because honestly besides Tamaki and the odd shower conversation scene outside of these fights the female characters aren't really sexualized one or two of them where a revealing outfit but it's just that a revealing out. which is what makes the sexualization in the midst of violence so fucking weird it's just ahhhhh) the show also occasionally falls prey to the MC saving all the damsels in distress because he's usually the one that does MC things to swoop in and save them. Especially with Tamaki but she will then use this not wanting to be saved anymore to try and get stronger. And she honestly goes out there and gets the teacher that taught the boys to teach her and she gets a training montage which I've never seen a female character "i have to get stronger like them" ever get before. so that's neat. It is also the first time I have ever really seen where a majority of the most powerful characters are female. Where there are a good number of powerful female character really who have agency both good and bad.

But yeah anyway I wasn't sharing this to discourage anyone from watching the show and honestly I'd recommend anyone that can stomach it (to reiterate there is no actual explicit sexual violence) to give it a shot, the story really is worth watching, and honestly if it wasn't for all this ick it'd have been one of my faves but only if you can stomach it. But yeah this was mostly me wanting to let people know what they were really getting into with the show and to share the thoughts I've had but never really been able to put into words since i watched the show. And my frustation with fans (mostly male fans) that say we are overreacting or just refuse to get it. But also fans that try to reduce the sexualization of a major character (who just so also happens to be a minor) to just an annoyance during your cool fight.

[videoplanchette]

TLDR: This is a marketing tool to sell dolls

So, I finished the live-action Monster High Movie last night.

It was fine. Like everything it has its pros and cons which I will be covering.

And I don't know why this is the camel that's breaking my straws or whatever the hell-- but if I see one more hyperbolic clickbaity thumbnail or post describing why this is somehow the "worst" movie people have ever seen, I think I'm going be arrested. I've binged all of the monster high shorts, and 3D animated movies, and my brain is complete goddamn mush at this point. The live-action movie isn't even the worst thing associated with the monster high brand. Like to the veteran fans who have been here and are saying that this series used to be "better"-- What crack are you smoking, just curious? Like this series has been straight-up nonsense at points because it's meant to sell toys first and foremost. I want to highlight the whole nostalgia goggles we tend to wear and tell you what it actually is. It's bias. just call it what it is, it's bias.

There are a few different reasons why this claim of Gen3 or the live-action movie, in general, being toted as "the worst thing ever" gets under my skin. I'll be trying to engage with this movie as well as most of the marketing choices with this new line of dolls in good faith. Versus assuming every misstep or mistake is somehow an attack. During this long tangent of a post, I want everyone to repeat to themselves "this is a show meant to sell toys to children; I will not send death threats over this."

To immediately get this out of the way, if you're mad because they made Frankie Stein Nonbinary/Trans, or if they made Draculaura chubby? I'm sorry but you are beyond even my help-- get well soon.

I mostly want to address the criticism of the changed art style, personalities, dynamics, and interests of the characters themselves. I guess why this is exhausting for me because as a long-time fan of other franchises which has canon routinely altered to adhere to trends or the whim of new writers, this happens a lot.

A

Lot

Actually

Don't even get me started on Scooby Doo.

And I've seen this trend of trying to pigeonhole each new reboot of a beloved franchise as either the "best" or "worst" thing ever. And sure enough, when a good thing like Rottmnt is there, it's canceled before anyone actually realized it was worth a second look, even though the animation and voice cast was always on point. Or in Voltron's case, while met with initial praise, it tried to please everybody, while pleasing nobody. Nobody likes change, I get it.

Personally, I wish we had fewer reboots and more of an emphasis on original projects these days, but then how would we buy dolls?

Speaking of the Monster High Dolls. One thing I find hilariously hypocritical about people criticizing the changes made to the characters complaining about "coherency" and the like-- You folks do remember that this series was made specifically to adapt horror icons from the famed Universal Monster library and Gothic Literature characters into teenagers who attend school, make out with each other and wear gaudy clothes? Like again you guys are watching a derivative of a derivative! Like Monster High is a high school AU of HG Wells, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, and GREEK MYTH!

I can understand the reservations to like the reboot, but I can guarantee you it's a more faithful adaptation than Winx: Fate or River Dale. It doesn't even scratch the batshit wildness that either of those series tried to pull. It's not entertainingly bad. The movie is genuinely decent. All the actors look like they wanted to be there and they all deliver their performances (especially Frankie's) with energy and charm.

Yes, the effects, costumes, and make-up are cheap, but I'd rather have cheap makeup done by unionized compensated workers with ambition than CGI everything. If anything it reminds me of my favorite made for TV Halloween movies from my childhood, like Scary Godmother or Halloweentown.

I guess what I'm trying to say, for a commercial to sell me a new line of dolls, it could have been a lot worse.

[doctorstethoscope]

And the Devil Appears || Will x Mac

genuinely very brave of me to post a fic for a decade old fandom that does not seem to exist on tumblr <3 to the two people who interacted with my ff will x mac blurbs this is for you. and a big ty to @hotchs-bitch for betaing this bad boy for me!!

contains: alcohol consumption, angst

wordcount: 1045

The end of season wrap parties have always felt arbitrary to Mackenzie. They’re in television, yes, but it wasn’t like there was an off season for them, a plot bow they could tie up, a clean break in the story. The news was messy, it was constant, it was encompassing. That was what she liked about it, even if it meant that the work never stopped and that the “season” was another notch in her contract negotiating belt more than it was anything substantive.

And it also meant an ACN-sponsored party with free booze, so she supposed she wouldn’t complain. 

They’d have to pick up in the morning and start the next “season,” which is nothing more than the day’s newscast, but Mackenzie finds herself feeling reflective anyhow. She lets Wade know that she’s going to make a quick stop at her office, leaving him with an inebriated and chatty Sloan. Instead of heading to her office, she walks down the hallway and jams her thumb into the elevator button impatiently, anxious to get out to the quiet of the patio so she can think. She’s making a difference here, she knows. Her, and Jim, and Don, and Maggie, and even Will, she admits to herself reluctantly. They’re doing real news, important news, news that makes people better and more informed. And they’re doing it well enough that Will has time to despise her. 

She bites her thumbnail as she strides over to the railing, looking out at the city below. So what if Will hated her?  He was entitled. He was the anchor and she was the EP. He respected her as his showrunner. She didn’t need him to like her. 

She turns abruptly when she hears the door open behind her, not expecting to be interrupted. Of course,  she practically scowls to herself. Think of the devil, and the devil appears. 

“What’re you doing all alone up here?” Will asks softly, in a tone that’s all too familiar to her, but one that she’s rarely heard since she’s been back. 

“Just getting some air. The party’s pretty loud,” She says, turning back towards the street, not even looking at him. She can’t. 

“Can we talk, Mackenzie?”  He asks, coming to stand next to her, bracing his hands on the rail. 

“Of course,” she says, easily, as if it isn’t killing her just to feel the warmth of him radiating onto her arm. As if every moment of producing him, of owning him, wasn’t abject torture. 

“I haven’t been very fair to you,” he admits, and although she’s shocked to hear it, Mackenzie chuffs out a laugh. 

“A bit of an understatement, isn’t it?” She mutters under her breath. 

“Yes,” he admits, and now she’s really aghast. She flicks her eyes up to his for the first time and finds him staring down at her. “I just wanted you to know… I had to tell you, Mackenzie, I don’t think I ever stopped loving you,”

“Will–” 

“And I’m sorry if that’s hard for you to hear, or if you don’t feel the same way, but I think you do, Mack. I think you’re mad at me, and you have every right to be, but I think underneath that we both know that you and I—”

“Will, I’m engaged to Wade.” 

She watches this revelation hit him like a brick wall, and it makes her cringe. A part of her hates herself for it. But it’s the truth. That’s what the two of them– what journalism, she mentally corrects herself, is all about, right? A wave of something unpleasant rolls over her as she realizes that the truth, the thing they spent day in and day out working towards, was going to take Will away from her for a second time. 

“That’s not real. You’re not,” Will blusters. 

“It most certainly is real, and I most certainly am!” She argues, getting angry now. 

“Does he make you happy?” Will asks, and it has the timbre of a concerned, ages-old friend who only wants the best for her. But she knows better. He’s challenging her, just like he always does. It’s bait, and she won’t take it. He lets out a humorless chuff at her lack of response. 

“What, and you think you do?!” She’s yelling, it’s unprofessional and unladylike and she doesn’t give a fuck. “You think I like this? You think I’m happy, coming into work every day and sitting next to you in every meeting and pretending like I’m—” she stops herself suddenly. 

“Pretending like what, Mackenzie?” He asks, but she just holds his gaze. They know. They both know, and neither one of them will ever dare to say it for fear of being the greater fool.

“You don’t get to do this, Billy. You don’t get to condemn me to a life of unhappiness just because that’s the path you’ve chosen for yourself,” she commands him, as if speaking it aloud would make it so.

“This isn’t right. You know this isn’t right. I love you. You can’t tell me that you haven’t been waiting for years for me to say that. I know you have. I read the emails from when you were embedded.” 

“You told me that you didn’t,” she whispered. 

“I lied,” he whispered back, leaning in close to her. 

“Well then I have absolutely no reason to believe that this isn’t a lie, too– another one of your godforsaken punishments,” she spits out, lunging away from him.

“It’s not. This is real, Mack. Unlike whatever the fuck you’re doing with Wade,” he twists the knife, unable to ignore it when it’s right in front of him. 

“Fuck you, Billy. You know why I’m engaged to Wade? Because he’s not you. Say what you want about him, or about me, but he’s never hurt me on purpose. And I never did that to you either.”  She runs back into the building, leaves him on the balcony. He should follow her, should insist that their conversation isn’t over. But he knows, he knows deep down, that it is. He’d pushed, and pushed, and pushed, and she finally called uncle. 

He pulls out the little blue box he’d had in his pocket and pitches it over the railing.

tagging: @spacecowboyhotch @honeybrowne @angelfxllcm @rousethemouse @infinite-tides @gspenc @anlin2058 @zetasaturno99 @witheldclouds @realdirectionx @sbeno22 @el-vs94 @hausofwhores

[van-yangyin]

hii! are u still going to upload the other kingdom hearts outfits like aqua? :]

Hi!

Of course Aqua is in my plans, like every other KH character, she's in fact one of my favourite characters together with other ones, but I'm sorry, because at this moment I'm working on commissions and any of my current commissions are about Kingdom Hearts. At the present time commissions are one of my only incomes and one of people who commissioned me has been waiting since September. So until I finish them, it will be impossible for me to work on other things. I hope you understand.

~❤️More info below cut line💙~

What I have thought about is to make my launch projects smaller, so that I can launch them sooner (and so that my perfectionist side doesn't complain so much). Because at the moment for Riku's CC (who wins to be the next one) I had planned to do it this way: - Riku's KH3 Hair for all ages - Riku KH3 Outfit - Riku Braveheart and Way to the Dawn (two versions - normal and break) accessories with his poses - A special set with Nightmare's End, Mirage Split and Combined Keyblade Accessories with poses for two sims (Sora and Riku), included if I can poses of KH3D.

You can more or less think how will be Aqua's set who goes after Riku's set.

What I'm thinking is on uploading little by little (i.e. first hair for all ages, later outfit and then first and second keyblades with poses) and not wait to have all finished to make thumbnails and upload it at a row because doing it the way I've been doing it up to now puts extra pressure on me and I end up burning my brain so much that I put it aside. Also I want you to know that I make this in my free time and that Kingdom Hearts is my favorite videogame ever so publish their CC the way I want (the most perfect possible) is my priority and I hate make things in a hurry, so please have patience. (I know, I know, since Sora on last january I don't upload another character of KH. I'm the first one more aware of it, but for me things have been more complicated than just uploading CC of such character.)

I hope this answer your ask, send me an ask saying me what do you think about publish them little by little as know that it would helps me a lot since I upload Sora in a row. As I said you before right now I'm prioritizing commissions, hope you can wait a little more!

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

[purplerose244]

Watched the fourth episode of LEGO DreamZzz: LOVE IT!

The Youtube LEGO channel waited a couple of days before putting the third episodes, while this one came out right on the next day! Why though?... does it sound like I'm complaining? BECAUSE I'M NOT!!! 😍

THE DREAM FORGE

Heeeeeyyy, the thumbnail is showing Zoey! Are we finally getting a visual on her?

When I heard of the concept for this show I was kinda scared that for being a dream world it wasn't going to show much creativity... but the turtle burrito truck is making me change my mind 😅😅

Welp, Logan is still pretty much a jerk to Mateo 🤷🏻‍♀️ Honestly I prefer this over not talking about how they were super at odds at the very beginning

If you give me a Clay and Lance from Nexo Knights situation I'll be happy 🤍💙🤍💙

Still calm down sweetie 😅

Logan the barbarian, okay buddy 🤣 Considering his "ancestor" was a ninja master of fire, it seems appropriate 🔥

Okay, you can't give a griffin like creature with an owl face and expect me to be normal about it, that's my favourite mythical creature and my favourite animal mixed together LOOK AT THEM GO SO GORGEOUS 😍😍😍😍

ZIAN IS THE NAME LOVE IT 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Oh yeah Zoey got that rewind clock thing, I saw that before... that looks super OP, are we gonna talk about it?

I did not expect Izzie to be the first to confront Zoey and honestly? SO HAPPY. I don't know if Zoey will actually end up being Mateo's love interest, but presenting her on a separate stance makes me see her as her own character first

WITH A KILLER DESIGN AGAIN I MIGHT DIE FROM AN ARCHER AND SAY THANKS THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM 😍

"Who says I'm pretending?" Okay I love her

Logan I really like you, you got plenty of potential and you're voiced by Vince which is a plus... BUT STOP BERATING MATEO HE ALREADY GOT LOW SELF ESTEEM AND HE'S DOING AN AMAZING JOB STOP GETTING IN BETWEEN 😭😭😭

Yeah Mateo is also being against him, but at least he realizes that they have to stop fighting each other, so that's good

Sorry if I'm biased from now on I'm just really rooting for Mat

I really wonder how Cooper and Logan became friends in the first place...

So the Night Hunter got Zoey's song? That's kinda interesting, it makes me wonder how much their power can extent. They can take creativity and using what someone's like against them... AAAAAAA THE ANGST POTENTIAL IN THIS

It's nice to see Izzie calling her out, like girl you can do your solo thing if you want but if you really wanna help then move it!

ZOEY RESCUEEEEEEE

Pff Izzie just wants to be her friend and Zoey is not having it 😂 Come oooon, drop the lone wolf act, join the gang!

ZOEY WITH HER CLOCK THINGIE I REALLY WANNA KNOW MOOOORE

Also interesting that the Night Hunter got a crossbow, while Zoey got a bow. I don't know if it's simply a parallel, or Zoey got pissed and used it to mock him 🤣🤣

Challenge in the forge GO

I actually just had a recent conversation with my boyfriend about fears, over how suffocation is something everyone fears apparently. Given this, having then go down the sand... SCARY ENOUGH I'D SAY

Nooooo Logan dang it, you're making it hard to cheer for you 😅

WOOOOOO ANOTHER TROUPE I'M A SUCKER FOR, MAIN CHARACTERS FACING THEIR FEARS 😍😍😍

Maybe I'm just that easy to please, but this show is ticking all boxes for me

FINALLY SOME LIGHT ON COOPER! I was waiting to see something more about his character and MAN I'm not disappointed! He's a much more stressed person than I thought, he wants to be up to expectations but there's so much on his plate!

I wonder if he got friends with Logan because he's way more carefree...

Awwww Izzie is not over Mr. Sharkyjaw 😢 I might've glossed over that scene but in retrospect, given how much she cares about her plushies, it must've hurt her

DUDE MAT GOT THE COMBO SCHOOL NIGHTMARE AND NO HANDS GIVE HIM A BREAK JEEZ

ALSO NOT Z-BLOB 😭😭

Interesting how their nightmares are in some very specific places

I think that Mateo lives school in a very negative way as we saw in other episodes so it makes sense to see him there. Cooper seems to be a bit too pressured by his parents, therefore he's in his house. As for Izzie I think she's very comfortable in a lot of places, so this is the most unreal one

It would be very cool analyzing Izzie's dream, losing someone like that... MORE FICS IDEA HERE I COME

Look at them overcoming fears 🥹

Pff Oz doesn't care if Zoey joins or not, he just really needs backup 🤣🤣

CRAFTING HOURGLASSES 😍😍😍

This was a very cute scene, although I hope we'll still see Mateo using the weapon pencil because it's so silly and quirky and I actually kinda love it 👌

Since we're putting so much focus on Lunia, I wonder if she's an important character for any of them. Like personally

Is it Mat and Izzie's mom? Zoey's mom?... Zoey's herself? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE THIS FAR IN THE SHOW I'D SAY

So... what now, Logan? Any chance you'll get to be a bit nicer? I really wanna like you so please, PLEASE, do something nice next time I see you 😅

IT WAS SUCH A GOOD EPISODE THOUGH I'M SO HAPPYYYYY

[mkanuhea]

Saw your anti AI post and I agree so much.

I used to work with a friend who is a influencer and youtuber. They asked me to do the thumbnails since they love my art and I've been struggeling with money for a while.

It was a nice extra income.

Until they found AI and that they can just push a button and get free art immidiately.

So I got turned down silently. No official "hey I took something else" nothing. They just started using AI and stopped updating my art schedule. I had an argument with them about it and stated the issue with AI. They kinda don't care. They only see their own profit.

Mind you, this person is super leftist. I expected more from them especially because they complain a lot how other youtubers steal and copy their videos.

Also note: I did a very fair price, I even underpaid myself.

And now I have to see how I'll make through the next few months.

So yeah, AI doesn't only steal art, it steals jobs especially from small artists. I want this shit to fucking end already

First of all, I'm so so SO sorry this happened to you. I really hope that you still continue to stay creative, share your artwork and wishing you loads of business to keep up your art career. Situations like this are awfully discouraging, but I implore you to keep at it. We need real, human artists more than ever. Never stop creating friend.

Personally, I feel like the use of AI "artwork" typically made by so-called leftists or liberals outs that their solidarity is just performative. Whether they realize it or not, I feel as if you're competent enough to realize capitalism is not good for anyone (unless you're swimming in a billion dollars) that you'd come to the understanding AI "art" hurts the working class - because, lets be honest, if you're selling you're artwork/making art to sell, you're working. You're a worker. And it's just even more so baffling when other ARTISTS are making AI art "for shits and giggles" all while acknowledging that the production of AI artwork hurts artists. The cognitive dissonance is real - or or or - their activism is just performative. lol.

I won't support artists who use AI "art" and post it even if it's "just for fun". I don't care if you "just wanted to see" yourself in Greg Rutkowski's style or (the other artist's style, I cannot for the life of me remember their name) and share it on social media. One of my acquaintances on Facebook makes and sells jewelry and is supposedly an avid leftist, and another acquaintance of mine also does commissions and sells their artwork also via Facebook; yet recently posted AI self portraits and my respect for both of them quickly got flushed down the shitter.

Really, and I say this with every micrometer of my fuckn soul, feeding the generator and sharing your AI "artwork" is completely and disgustingly insulting for any competent artist (and I say competent, because this phase has proven some are in fact, not). For those who've posted and shared their AI "art", fuck you for even having the thought and ESPECIALLY a hot and steamy massive fuck you if you've ever acknowledged in the past the destruction of AI-generated artwork. Get shit on.

How to stop this? Stop feeding the fucking robot. Call out/educate those who post AI art. Stop supporting other artists that use and share AI art. While there are many things in a capitalist society we're unfortunately compliant to, this is one of those things we have the power to nip in the butt before it gets worse.