#thank god it took so long in the end because the first sketch for this was fucking ass. blessed art improvement

[umbrace-rambles]

Is this a???? gasp. FULL ILLUSTRATION FROM ME?? shocking I know

Commission for @blacksa1t of her best boy

[dreemurr-skelememer]

Hello :D

I have been following you for the last year or so (a few days after I got my Tumblr lmao) and I absolutely love your art!

I have been wanting to study your art style for a while but don't really know where to start,,,

Could you please show me a small portion of your art process, if it isn't too much trouble of course. Thank you and have a nice day!

hello. oh my god. this took forever to find.

im sorry it took 2 WHOLE FUCKING MONTHS for me to respond to this but i wanted to put it off until i felt happy with my art process again, so here it is

my fall 2024 rendering tutorial!

(this will be very very long)

FLATS AND WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO WITH LINES GIRL. then make sure to recolor the lineart to better match your base. trust me it helps, bold dark lines are Not your best friend when rendering. wait for that post-rendering

i start off with a doodle or a sketch, and then filling it in with flats and other details such as blush

FIGURE OUT YOUR LIGHT SOURCE. FIGURE IT OUT GIRL YOU CAN DO IT you can make it as simple as possible, make it as big as possible, dont even THINK about the details.........just make it really fucking big so you at least know where the shadows and the light goes THEN add smaller shading details LISTEN TO ME. LISTEN TO ME OKAY!!!!!!!!

my key point with this is for you to learn lighting fundamentals.

it's SOOO ANNOYING but alas......they are all correct. it helps a lot.

one thing i also really want to point out is that i like creating a big shadow shape first before fixing up the little details (such as folds and whatever) because it helps me focus on the way the lighting actually works instead of tunnel vision-ing into making the shading make sense on the clothing.

contact shadows (i dont remember if thats what theyre called okay) theyre fucking ugly because im not actually thinking sorry 💔

okay so basically:

contact shadows (if that's what they're called) are the spots in shading and lighting where light will NEVER hit.

shadows are still influenced by the colors and lights around it (it's why a blue shadow and a yellow shadow feel completely different, despite both being shadows) so it's not always COMPLETELY dark.

BUT! there are small points in shadows where light never hits, and they're almost always super dark or pitch black.

it's hard to explain shadow and light so briefly for a tutorial, but you'll notice it when watching fundamental studies and when trying it out for yourself

YES i unclipped the multiply layer YES its ugly and terrifying but it makes coloring the multiply layer easier okay the colors merged w multiply so now it looks cool and has depth overlaying colors that actually make sense

so basically what i did was color the multiply layer that i used to shade the overall drawing

adding a band of red/orange/yellow around where the light hits, and blue where the shadows get big and wide, gives it a fake ambient occlusion effect in the way that a person would get if they stood under the sun with a clear blue sky

the colors don't have to make sense, especially because i never draw backgrounds, but coloring the shadows really help it give a sense of depth and extra subtle detail and effect that just helps make the painting look nicer

around the end, i also put in colors (in an overlay layer with a low opacity brush) that actually make sense in context of the drawing, which is the lit cigarette and the yellow eyelights

mostly because none of the colors were making sense and i needed to actually make use of the lighting that DOES exist in the drawing lol

adding a muddy golden yellow pin light layer (opacity turned down to like 40-50%) to make the light colors less ugly lol

i SWEAR by the fucking pin light layer style. it's so useful and so so underrated.

i used an almost brown-ish gold color on stop of all the layers, and with the pin light layer, it helped make the bright (almost blue-ish) white colors more warm and more yellow. it just helps make things more warm (something i prefer)

i could probably show what it looks like without adjusting the layer opacity to truly show off what i mean (like in the coming section) but i sadly forgot to do that lol

make a layer on top of your drawing with this color in these ranges YES the drawing is fully merged NO don't be afraid, the base was fucking ugly anyway 💔 make this layer into an exclude/exclusion layer style TRUST turn down your exclusion layer opacity from a range of 10% to 40% literally until you're happy with the contrast and the way the color over the drawing. use your eyeballs. i know you can do it im so proud of you

this is pretty self-explanatory instruction-wise, so i'll go into why i do this instead

i really like art that seems like it has low contrast, with almost mid-gray shading and lines. i don't personally use dark and bold lines and shading, unless i find it necessary for the tone of the piece, so using this method helps lower the contrast of the art and make it look "pleasantly muddy" in the way that it's easier and softer on the eyes.

the inverted blue color also helps makes things warmer!

the exclusion layer style is still a bit of a mystery to me but i really like the effect it gives, even if i don't completely get how it works lol

if you want an alternative method to this, and if you have access to it (because i primarily use sai and sai only),

i absolutely encourage you to play around and experiment with gradient maps.

there are so many out there you can make yourself or even get from others that just give the painting an extra amount of depth and color variation. they're SO fun.

personally, if sai2 gets a gradient map update, it's over for y'all it will literally be so over no one will be able to stop me

then i merged everything and actually adjusted the contrast back up because it was looking too muddy for me 💔 but the color adjustments are still there so all hope is not lost here's a comparison of the adjusted contrast in black and white (adjusted on the left) (newly merged layer without adjusting the contrast on the right)

as you can see, i actually turned the contrast back up (despite talking all about how i liked things with less contrast lol)

i wanted to demonstrate that doing adjustments should be done in moderation, and is why i adjust layer opacity often when making color effects

you are free to play around with colors to help your style, but don't lose your initial idea and colors along the way.

you still need to trust your own colors and intuition!

along with that, i just want to say that it's completely okay to change your mind mid-painting, and it's okay to make somewhat drastic changes.

don't be afraid to change things you don't like or change your mind about certain aspects way later on

that's basically the whole thing of this!!! don't be scared!!!

now im gonna hold your hand when i say this..........but you need to learn how to render by yourself. it seems like i can teach you but i literally can't, because rendering is different on every piece and depending on how clean your base is. i have to render A LOT because of how fucking ugly my sketches are LMAO to simplify it, think of it as obsessively cleaning up every detail you can see, but with a color picker and a clean, hard edged brush. if you have shit lineart, you don't have to redraw it cleanly over and over, just paint over it. that's basically what rendering is

THIS especially is where you need to be brave and stop being scared.

like i said, i can't teach you how to render, and it's something you have to discover yourself because rendering is something that will always be personal to every single piece you make. the way you render on every piece is different.

on one piece, you will barely need to render, and on another, rendering is more than half of your ENTIRE process.

don't be afraid to paint over your old art.

rendering is a process that's both very perfectionist yet also very careless.

find your balance and just go for it.

and then that's it……..u did it………..now yuo know how to paint and render. it's literally just layering shading and lighting knowledge until you think it makes sense and looks okay lol additional note: since i render in only one layer (you don't HAVE to do this, but it'll be harder for you…), i also made slight adjustments with the transform (and liquify, if you have it) tool to make things more proportionate. (i drew the head too big lol)

if you compare the finished piece to the final unrendered base, you can see that a LOT changed, including a bit of subtle proportion adjustment.

particularly, the sleeves changed A LOT (because i really didn't like them)

but it's also over all cleaner and more coherent, instead of having haphazard colors and shading just thrown about.

rendering is when you finally use all 100% of your brain to finalize and figure out where the shading should go, where to clean up your lines, where to ERASE or ADD BACK in lines, and make sure all your colors look coherent.

it's not as intimidating as it seems, i only use a hard edged brush with a little bit of color mixing and my color picker.

it's like dragging and dropping colors to cover up mistakes, it's really quite fun when you get used to it

i wish i could explain it clearer but it's hard to describe without visuals!

i hope this helped, and i hope all my yapping isn't annoying (art as a special interest beloved)

have fun studying and trying to render in my art style!

[sunny44]

You’re muse

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Verstappen!reader

Warnings: English is not my first language and this story is in the third person point if view.

Summary: Everyone who draws has something or someone to be inspired by, and for Y/n that someone is Charles.

The sun shone brightly on the Monza circuit, reflecting off the asphalt and the gleaming metal of the cars. The sound of revving engines and the loud chatter filled the paddock. I was sitting in a quiet corner, lost in my thoughts as I sketched in my notebook. My fingers glided over the paper with skill, bringing to life yet another image of Charles, capturing his focused and determined expression.

I was so absorbed in my work that I didn't notice when my brother, Max, approached me.

"Hey, Y/n, let's go for lunch?" he called, breaking my concentration.

"Oh, sure," I replied quickly, closing my notebook and standing up. In my haste, I didn't realize that the notebook had slipped from my lap and fallen to the ground, along with all the images I took great care to ensure were seen only by my eyes.

As Max and I walked away, Charles, who was passing by, noticed the forgotten notebook. He bent down to pick it up and, upon seeing the name on the cover, raised an eyebrow.

"Y/n Verstappen," he murmured to himself, curious.

It was a leather-bound notebook, large and heavy. Just by looking at it, he could see that the pages at the beginning were well-used, their edges worn differently from those at the end of the notebook.

Intrigued, he opened the notebook and began to leaf through it. Each page revealed drawings of him in different moments—some laughing with the team, others focused before a race, dressed casually in public places they had both been at on the same day, and even some capturing his thoughtful expression during interviews. Charles couldn't help but smile as he realized the care and attention to detail in each illustration. It was as if he were seeing himself through Y/n's eyes.

All the drawings had dates, and the last one did not, but he could tell it was from today because he remembered the moment. Also, because all the other drawings were colored, many of them with vibrant shades of red, and today's drawing was only in pencil.

Holding onto the notebook, he went to find her. It didn't take long to spot her chatting with Max near the food stalls. She laughed at something Max said, and her laughter made Charles smile. God, how he loved hearing that laugh. He could easily say it was one of his favorite sounds.

He then approached with a smile on his face and the notebook in hand.

"Y/n. I believe this is yours," he said, handing the notebook to her.

I immediately turned red, realizing what he had in his hands. Part of me desperately hoped he hadn't opened it, but I doubted that. The temptation to look through someone else's things is strong.

"Oh, thank you," I murmured, trying to hide my embarrassment.

Charles couldn't resist teasing me a little. "I didn't know I was your muse," he said with a mischievous smile.

I felt my face burn with shame and looked away. "I... I just like to draw, that's all," I tried to explain, but my voice faltered.

With a gentle gesture, Charles held my face with both hands, making me look at him.

"I believe you," he said. "But if I knew how to draw, you would be my muse too," he said softly, his gaze locked onto mine.

The world around us seemed to disappear as we stared at each other. I felt my heart race, and before I could think of a response, Charles leaned in and kissed me. The kiss was soft and full of unspoken feelings, a mix of years of bickering and hidden emotions.

When we parted, both of us were breathless and blushing. Max, who had been watching the scene closely, couldn't help but smile. "Finally," he murmured to himself and walked away, leaving them alone.

Charles took my hand, intertwining our fingers.

"I think it's time we stop pretending we hate each other," he said, his voice filled with newfound determination.

I nodded, still a bit dazed. "Yes, I think so," I replied, feeling a new beginning unfolding between us.

As we walked back to the paddock, side by side, with Charles still holding my hand, we both knew that things would never be the same. And for the first time, we were eager to see what the future held.

[hobie-enthusiast]

Hobie with a friend or s/o that feels safe drawing and practicing instruments (just overall being creative) around him 🥺?

Thank u op for feeding us so we’ll with all the hobie content btw !!!! MWAH ❤️❤️

THE CREATIVE MIND !

— hobie brown x creative!gn!reader

— fluff, creative reader, pet-names, hobie being a menace, hcs and then a blurb for artist reader at the end

— hobie and his encouragement with his s/o, who loves expressing their creativity with him

— SO SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK but here it is anon muwah

— Hobie first noticed how much you kept to yourself

— Of course you talked with people around you, but you weren’t very open about what you liked to do

— He loved playing his guitar, Gwen loved playing the drums, Miles loved drawing and sketching, but what did you enjoy?

— Turns out it was a combination of all those things

— When Hobie starts to get closer to you, he notices the little things that you don’t hide around him anymore

— Splatters of paint, marker markings, blistered fingers, all signs of the creativity you hold behind closed doors

— Just as friends, Hobie may ask about what you do, but will never push if you don’t want to say

— He’ll lead into some conversations about it if you do

— Loves listening to you talk and talk about what you do once you get comfortable around him

— Then his friends try to beg to know what you do, what’s the secret hobby you hold so dear?

— And to that he keeps quiet

— Because he loves the fact that you trust him so much to let him know about how well you can do what you do

— If the two of you are dating, god he’s your biggest supporter

— He loves motivating people to go against their limits and rules to achieve their greatness, and he does the same with you

— Every-time you show him a new project, he praises it like the Mona Lisa

— “‘s amazin’, swee’heart. got myself such a talen’ed par’ner.”

— “Belongs on display, ‘s for sure.”

— if you’re an artist, he commissions you all the time

— Stickers for his guitar, art on his walls, even doodles on his hands

— He wants to proudly sport your work wherever he can

— If you play an instrument, he’ll constantly ask to practice and play with you

— Even if you play something like the trumpet, he’ll find a way to jam out with you

— It means a lot to him to share music with who he loves

— If you are a writer, he’ll always ask to see what you’re typing up

— Hobie’s everyone’s biggest supporter, and that’s never an exception for you

— He adores everything you create, no exceptions

Your legs dangled off the edge of the couch as you take your pencil to your sketchbook. On the opposite chair, Hobie was strumming guitar, scribbling and marking his music. It was like a peaceful creative time you shared.

You take a peak up at your boyfriend before looking back down, sketching the features of his nose onto your paper. For the past hour you had been sketching him, multiple poses of him lying there, with his guitar, and him just smiling (which was a closed smirk but better than nothing). You were finishing a sketch of him messing with his guitar, drawing up his hair and piercings.

“Mm..” Hobie sighs before making that focused face he does, bringing out the crease on his forehead.

You smile and draw that out onto the sketch, enjoying how blissfully unaware Hobie seemed. You had numerous sketches of him, but he didn’t need to know.

As you stare down and take glances up, Hobie finishes with the current song he was messing with. He looks over at you, noticing how focused you seemed on your sketch. It was mesmerizing watching you work so passionately.

Quietly, he got up, sneaking over to your seat on the couch. He wraps his arms around you, peaking over your shoulder. “Whatcha workin’ on?”

You slam the book shut. “Nothing!”

“Oh? But I wanna see..” Hobie responds, reaching to grab your sketchbook.

“No no! It’s nothing!”

You shoot up to run to your shared bedroom, holding the book away from Hobie. He chases after you and shoots a web to grab the book. As much as you try to pull it back, he ultimately wins, taking the sketchbook in his hands.

“Le’s see..” He speaks, turning to the page you were working on. “Oh.”

You groan, throwing your head into a pillow. “Hobie..”

He’s quiet for a while, admiring your work. You make him look so.. incredible. All the pencil strokes bring out a different feature of him, and he’s never thought he looked this great.

"These are incred'ble, swee'heart." He says after a while, glancing up at you. “C’mon, don’ be shy. ‘s good stuff.” He assures you as he takes a seat next to you.

You snatch the book from Hobie, swatting him with it. “Ever heard of privacy?!”

“Mm.. ‘s good t’ know ‘s how ya see me.”

“Well.. it’s not even done.” You say with a sigh. Then, you get an idea. “Wait! I’ve got an idea.”

Hobie’s eyes raise. “Hmm?”

You turn back to open the page you were working on, grabbing a pencil and a red marker from the nightstand next to your bed. You look up at Hobie before looking back down, sketching something.

“Just stay still..” You request, sketching out some new features you can now notice from up close. “I wanna finish..”

Hobie chuckles, crossing a knee over his leg. “Mm.. ‘right, ‘ll be ‘ur muse.”

In turn, you give a smile, gently kissing his cheek before continuing to work on his profile. You sketch every little crease, freckle, blister he has on his face. Any scar or bruise he has from his hero ventures, you include. You start to get lost in your book as time moves on.

Your boyfriend just sits there, admiring the way you look so focused. He’s grateful you feel comfortable around him, to where you can allow yourself to indulge in your creativity. He loves how people express themselves, you especially.

When you start adding some colour, you see Hobie scoot next to you. “So talen’ed, ya know that?”

You smile gently, leaning into his shoulder. “I appreciate that, Hobie.” You respond as you continue putting in some highlights.

Once it’s done, Hobie sits back and praises your work like there’s no tomorrow. Many compliments, pet-names, and red blushing messes later, he’s pulling your leg to convince you to let him take them, hang them up.

Once you do agree, he also asks you to make him some stickers for his guitar. “Need some good stuff f’ my gui’ar. Make it flashy t’ fight facis’s.”

Once you do make them, trust, he’s going to brag to everyone he knows and is friends with who made the beautiful artwork displayed on his guitar.

[11queensupreme11]

Wow. Just wow. I must tell you, you know how to put a tense dramatic dot at the end of the act. SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER. To be honest, I didn't expect that we would get the murder of two gods. (By the way, Zagreus, I think, had something to do with reincarnations in his domain, maybe he will return?) Thanks for keeping us on our toes and not letting us forget that our clowns not only commit violence against each other, but also actively interfere with the lives of those who at least breathe in Percy's direction. But now it is clear that no one plans to fight for Poseidon in Ragnarok. If Hades does go out to fight, it will only be to show the lady of his heart that he is better than her father. In any case, this scene was very cruel, and it was very scary. It is perfectly conveyed how the gods in ROR kind of cruel and uncaring - Zeus somehow did not worry much about the death of his sister and lover. Percy's arrival seems to be the first thing that's made them feel anything. I'm starting to understand why they can literally go nuts over her. Speaking of Percy, how do you plan on keeping her alive? How do her suitors plan on making moves on her? In her condition?! HOW MUCH NON-CON SOMNOPHILIA ARE WE IN FOR?!

Also, the entire main cast of the fic shined in this chapter. Poseidon? Totally nuts. Hades? 20 grieving fathers out of 10, now he's going to tell everyone that Percy is rightfully his because Poseidon took his child. Loki? A couple of lines of dialogue, but how he feels the stream of cringe. Anubis? Best delulu dog. Apollo? Babygirl, but for me, he's often in high positions.

Yan's reaction to our girl's illness was... interesting. To be honest, I am now completely sure that Percy surpasses many in ROR universe in terms of power (influence?), because she managed to stop their fight (they done it voluntarily) and make them work together (partly voluntarily).

Thank you for chapter, queen💖 And Happy holidays!

P.S. I wanted to draw you something festive, but in the end all i drawn was some eww sketches with greek yans. They are unfinished, and I am ashamed to send them. I try be able to improve by the new year and draw something decent. (Wattpad doesn't like me for the second time. It seems that I have problems, please forgive me)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO @yagodnyizefir DON'T BE ASHAMED TO SEND THEM, SEND THEM PLS PLS PLS WATTPAD'S JUST A BULLYING JERK OKAY, THEY'RE OVERLY SENSITIVE

no fr, they are EXTREMELY sensitive. a long time ago, i had this gif of a pair of heels that a woman was wearing.... AND IT GOT FLAGGED DOWN FOR BEING INAPPROPRIATE. it was literally just shoes 😭😭😭😭 i think someone might have a feet kink over at their flagging system or something

so yes, WATTPAD IS THE PROBLEM, NOT YOU!!!! 😭💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[gemapples]

im so sorry it took me so long to answer these oml but YES i'd be happy to show how i draw and color :)

— SKETCHING

please note that i almost always sketch traditionally first lol it's just a lot easier for me to determine how the drawing is placed that way, but i always go over and re-sketch it digitally

for magolor i always start with a basic egg shape (lmao) and then i add his ears. then I draw the scarf; it's easy to determine the shape and dynamicism based on where the bottoms of the ears are located

then i usually add the cape and hood together. where and how these are placed and what these look like in general are very important because they're the main area that perspective is directed to (the ears and everything else is important too ofc!! but the hood and cape usually help demonstrate where he is looking and how he is moving the most). then i add everything else, usually his hands last!

— LINEART

ohhhhhh god my worst enemy. Hope youre sitting down because this will be embarrassing LMAO

lineart is easily what i struggle with most and is more often than not the most time consuming and grating step for me. If i had a choice i would drop it in a heartbeat, but my style is so dependent on thick lines and shapes that it's difficult to 😭 a hole i dug myself into unfortunately ITS FINE THOUGH. ANYWAYS I'm getting sidetracked

i use my finger to draw all my digital art, which means i usually have to use a Heavy stabilizer to avoid shakiness and staggered lines. Unfortunately ibis paint's stabilizer is actually dog water and doesn't even stabilize more than half the time (in which case i have to repeat lines over. And over. And over again until i get it right) but when it does like me and works properly it's very helpful!

i always use the soft school pen bleed brush as my main tool for lineart. This brush has been my best friend for everything, i even use it for sketching idk it just really like the way it looks lol. sometimes i change the aspect if i want the lines to look more ,, chalky?? or smoother depending on the work

i don't really use this tool much but for this specific piece, force fade was my partner in crime

also i think i need to mention that i use so many layers for this. So many layers lol like to the point it's embarrassing. and at the end i merge most of them (except for the gear patterns, rings on his ear, and eyes + hands, which usually need to be by themselves as they're colored separately) Thank you for layers

and i end up with this!

— COLORING && SHADING

yippee yahoo the fun part !!! the part that i love the most

at this point, if i havent already, i always create a folder for convenience in organization because this is the part that i stress the most about what details are on which layers lmao

then i add ANOTHER layer below that for the color, then i put every single color used on their own separate layer!

now, for shading, if im working on larger pieces with more complex shading, i'll usually plan it all out. normally when just drawing magolor, i don't really need to do this anymore because i'm so used to it lol, but for funsies i did it here anyways

then i use the bucket tool to fill them all in

i usually have a set color palette for all the characters i draw (though the way i shade white differs. A lot between my work as you can probably tell fhdfgf). For every color, i have two specific tones that are associated with the shading. for example, indigo + violet are shaded with my blue, pink + light orange (or lighter pink depending on my mood lol) are shaded with yellow, etc.

so, i shade the other areas with the 2nd shading color

a big tip i can give for coloring is to look at a color wheel when you draw. i know that sounds like. Such basic advice LMAO but that seriously was a huge help for me when developing my shading and something i learned while studying — if you notice, in all of the shading in my work, all of the colors used are analogous on the color wheel. note that not ALL combinations will work together like others obv !! but it's a huge step in knowing where to go with it

then i add other extra details like extra lighting, halftones (if i feel like it // if it fits the work), glow to his eyes, and color the lines and ta-da!

another tool i use a lot especially with my more recent art are blending modes, especially multiply. i use a clipping layer to add a dark color (usually a dark blue or purple) and set it to multiply, then erase the areas that emit light

and this is the end result! this is a very very basic demonstration of it fhdjg i was a pretty messy with the lighting and erasing in this example but you get the general idea right

and that's how i draw :) i hope this was helpful, and thanks for asking and being so patient with the response!

[xaniyuu]

Thought I'd share my Golden Kamuy OC here!

Private Fukuoka Yuuzou, a new recruit that joined post Russo-Japanese War, 1907, when Golden Kamuy starts. His role does not matter much to the main plot point, in fact he was made for me to ship with Koito (more to explain below).

Yuuzou's hometown is left unknown, but he used to travel on foot since he was 12y.o for 2 years until him and his parents ended up in Kagoshima. He struggled to blend in and make friends because of their differences and his tendency to steal from people for the fun of it.

Yuuzou's first interaction with Koito would be somewhere when Koito first met with Tsurumi, except Yuuzou (16) never had the courage to walk up or even speak to Koito (14) until now. Ever since then Yuuzou would bother Koito with every chances he got, Yuuzou began viewing what they had as friendship. On the other hand Koito never liked Yuuzou from the start, the rumors of him stealing things from people turned out to be true; because he would often steal Koito's belongings and hide them for Koito to find, like a hide and seek.

Years has passed and Koito (18) went for the Military Academy without Yuuzou's knowledge, he waited for one full year until he heard the neighbors talk about Koito following his father's steps. From that moment on, Yuuzou's entire life goal is to follow Koito's path and to find him wherever he is.

Yuuzou (21) spent about a full year traveling by himself from Kagoshima to Tokyo, where Koito (19) is currently trained for the military (Only God knows how he managed to get there). Unfortunately though by the time he arrives, Koito would probably still be trained in there with very low chances of Yuuzou seeing him. And so, Yuuzou took an alternative.

He'll join the military! That way, he can see Koito for sure this time right?

Shaved: Yuuzou (23) freshly joined the military in 1907.

Undercut, man bun, and hair down: Yuuzou (25) waiting for Koito to come back from his missions.

Yuuzou spent 2 years at the training camp, why? Because he failed the first test which caused him to go over from the very beginning. (For this part I'm still unsure how long it takes for one to go through the training camp, but the main point I want to highlight is the fact that Yuuzou failed his test either once or multiple times but insisted to try again).

*(UPDATE: I just found out that apparently once you fail you get expelled? I'm not sure if this is accurate but it's definitely not gonna stop Yuuzou from trying again LOL. I'll think of a way!)

(How Yuuzou got his scar is still a huge draft of mine, but my initial idea was that it's related to Usami. In this unfinished comic especially, shows their dynamic and how Yuuzou talks back to Usami far more often compared to the other superiors.)

Yuuzou doesn't get along very well with Usami from the very beginning because he tends to talk back to his superiors. Nothing crazy, he's just a kid full of questions. Most of the time the superiors would answer him with a stern look on their faces, and Yuuzou wouldn't mind a little harsh treatment. When it comes to Usami, however, something about him makes Yuuzou uneasy.

From here on out, everything between Yuuzou (23) and Koito (21) is gonna be 8 years worth of slow burn, with Yuuzou watching over Koito from afar most of the time and trying to get Koito's attention in the most inconvenient way as possible like bumping into him or spilling his drink.

Their ship name goes by KoiFuku/FukuKoi! This is the first ever sketch I've drawn of them.

If you've read this far all the way down, thank you very much 💜 They're just another silly little hyperfixation of mine, hopefully I get to draw enough of them before my interest runs out lol

[trashisstillhere]

Ok finally they’re done now!

I mostly was just working on their info’s which took longer then I thought it would, especially with extra chores I had to do but now and now it’s dark where I live and I have to go to bed soon already! But thank god I finally am done!

Meet Kirby B. And Dolores Bathory!

Kirby here was originally came up with by @artistic-harlom-world !! They even did a concept sketch of them for me which is what I used to try to draw their design! I ended up using a bit a lot of parts from that sketch cuz I honestly thought it was already so good! I only did a few tiny little changes along with the belt and pants and shoes and that’s it 🥲 but yeah, thanks again pal! I did Dolores myself but I got the ‘Bathory’ part from them too and used it as her last name instead!

Let’s just quickly get to the info shall we?

—————

Kirby B. Info: Kirby is Non binary and in 10th grade before NN came to Norrisville high. They’re a super cool fella who’s looks got every girl in the school heartstruck (as they should!) and they aren’t afraid to be confident!

However, theres more to them than just their style. They lived with only their grandparents (they even somehow live near the school) before they got to the school, they NEVER tell anyone their full last name and they never even talk about their own parents.. well, only their dad. Why? Cuz he’s a literal hillbilly and come on, who would ever want to mention their own father was a hillbilly?

Especially a hillbilly who literally goes by the name: Catfish Booray!

That’s right, they’re the child of THAT man. Thats why they barely talk about their ‘dad’ in the first place! It’s embarrassing! Even though they’re embarrassed to be related to Catfish, they want him to at least ACCEPT them for who they are but even that is difficult… Thankfully, they don’t have to see him so much anymore….

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Cause suddenly on Father’s Day, their dad decided to come over at their school! Not only that, but he even started having a fight with both NN and Randy in their ninja forms! This had poor Kirby mortified, causing them to finally lose their cool on their dad and run away…

And right when they were alone in their most vulnerable state, the Sorceress took her chance to use them as her next stanked victim!

Stanked form!

Meant to look like a maned wolf. (Literally my first time trying to draw one too-)

And just like one, they have great mobility, intelligence and strength. Making them a tough opponent to deal with! Get in their way and you will regret it! No seriously, be careful and don’t get too close!

Let only New Ninja, along with Randy by their side, handle it!

——-

Dolores info: Dolores is the new gossip girl of Norrisville high! The reason why she is one is literally because of both Heidi Weinerman and Debbie Kang, they’re her role models and inspiration. And just like them, she will get as much of juicy gossips and reports as she can!

Including ones involving the ninja(s)! >:3

Oh yeah, even Dolores is gonna try to figure out the ninjas identity too!…along with another ‘mystery’.

What mystery? Well….Rumours have started roaming around about there being TWO ninjas in Norrisville now for unknown reasons…. This got her attention real easily. Two ninjas?? That can’t be right, wasn’t there only one for 800 years?? Something isn’t right here! Suspicious, VERY suspicious!!

With this interesting information in hand, Dolores is gonna do a full on investigation and figure out what is going on with this whole two ninjas thing. Taking pictures, get all the info she can get, you name it! And soon, she will know too much, making her soon be another big problem for both NN and Randy!

Basically, she’s literally Debbie Kang 2.0.

But of course, like every other people, she isn’t safe from the stanking out there.

One day her gossip reports suddenly end up disappointing, SO disappointing in fact that she throws a hissy fit!

Leading her to be used by the sorceress!

Stanked form of Dolores!

An ocelot! (Why? Idk. Thought it would be kinda cool lol.)

Like one, she has keen sight and very good hearing, making it hard to hide from her.

Hopefully New Ninja will be able to stop her!

—-

Size comparisons with NN!

And done! Now if you excuse me, I need to go to bed-

[skulkingfoxes]

hi, i bought your comic "twigs" and loved it, i was wondering if you had any willingness to share the process of making it?

im an artist whos trying to start doing comics but i find the idea of starting a larger scale comic (such as kingfisher) wildly intimidating in terms of art direction. im trying to start small, such as a 30 page comic (ive done 5-10 page comics before) but i still find the art direction so scary lol

(Oh god this sent is was much longer ago than I thought I'm so sorry I took so long)

First off, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked Twigs, it's a project that still holds special place in my heart.

Okay, SO- the Twigs you know today was made originally for Shortbox, a digital comic fair for debuting short comics.

The concept of what would become Twigs was one developing in my brain for a while. Or, rather, the concept of a changeling trying to figure out where they belong after the person they were meant to replace comes home. At that point though, the changeling was just a cute fairy boy, because who wouldn’t want that. It was playing with the idea of choosing your own family and where you belong. But it was only a vague half idea, I didn’t really have a good sense of how long it could be or even what the point was. I remember musing that it was a story that I would probably never make. These are the only sketches I made for it.

It wasn’t till I remembered another variant of the changeling, one where the creature was just an enchanted bale of hay or twigs and thrown into the fire once they’re discovered. I wondered what it was like to realize that you are in fact completely disposable, destined to fall apart and be forgotten. I thought this was far too depressing of a concept and that I would never use it.

If you’ve read the story, then you know that I changed my mind. The idea just stuck around in my brain too much, it gave such a bittersweetness to the story. It was then the story began to come together. I ended up writing the whole first draft of the outline in a phone-tapping frenzy at 1 am. It's almost stream of conscious prose, where I write out how I imagine the scene going. I'm a very visual thinker.

You mostly asked this in terms of how I figured things out visually. Something that helped me out when I first started was making a pinterest board. It was very useful to put together a visual library to help gestate my ideas and vision for the story.

The inspiration of the witch was the folk tale character Baba Yaga, so that was a starting place for her and, since her home is an extension of her, figuring out the cottage. Down to earth, practical, with an agelessness to them. The Witch doesn't share her home with others so everything in it is suited to her. But it's also warm and cozy, since the cottage serves as a safe space for the characters to talk and rest. Getting reference photos helped a lot in imagining the home and making it feel lived-in.

You can also see me finding a couple of photos that helped my picture the character Tristan and his big feather cloak and other illustrations/photos reflect the world I wanted to create. A dark ancient setting with strangeness and sense of whimsy. Like a sad fairytale.

Don't be afraid to look at movies, books, paintings, etc when finding visual inspiration! For another project, a colored comic based in the Salem Witch trials, I was taking screenshots from the movie VVitch to copy the palette lol. Be a scavenger! Do studies! Take pieces of everything around you to make something unique!

After that, I admit, a lot of it was a lot of sketching, Drawing out ideas, figuring out vibes, I took a pen to cheap sketchbook and just brainstormed. This is how I often bang out design- just keep drawing them until it feels right. It feels a bit like carving away at clay to find the statue underneath. I like designing with a pen because it keeps me from getting too precious with the drawings. These sketches are meant for exploring, not for drawing anything nice yet.

(I know there was a lot more than this but I can't find those files now rip)

I also say- you don't have to figure everything out before you start drawing. It's great to get used to drawing your characters and maybe a blue layout of certain rooms, but it's not 100% needed.

I've seen comic artists obsess over perfecting character sheets and concept art and never actually starting the comic. I've never made a character sheet unless a job demanded I did.

I'm sure there is some pithy quote here I could use, but I find so much of comics to be improv based on what a scene needs lol. If the characters go to the other side of a room that I didn't design, I will probably just find a decent reference (thank you pinterest) sketch it out, and use that.

This really is a great representation of my process 80% of the time.

Whew that ended up being long lol. Sorry about that. But I hope it was helpful at all!

[for-the-sake-of-color]

Happy Oc Sunday! For Nihlus or any one in crisis company!

👑: What does your oc want to be remembered as? Why?

🔫: Do they trust people easily? How easily will they turn their back to someone? Have they been backstabbed before? Will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

💧: Random angst headcanon

☄️: What do people assume about them? Are they right?

Thanks so much!!! asdjghasgh Sorry this took so long, tumblr desided it didnt like this post so its been hard tryinga get it to post

One Nihlus and Crisis Company, coming right up! (under the cut for lenth purposes) Gonna stop trying to format it and just post it cause this website likes to shit itself anytime you use its own built in features

What Do they want to be Remembered as?

Nihlus: Doesn't want to be remembered, and actually goes out of his way to make sure he is generally never perceived in the first place. To Nihlus, for Nihlus, knowledge about him is a weapon against him. Better to pass through most of life like a ghost. Jet: Wants to be remembered as a smart Captain and a Good Man if he can, someone effective and reliable at what he does. Jet would have deserted the GAR after Geonosis if he didn't believe in the cause of protecting the innocent from the horror of separatist occupation and destruction, because he doesn't believe in the republic itself. He doesn't want to be a hero or maintain a system, he just wants to end the suffering. Margo: She want to do something cool! Mostly just wants to be remembered as that awesome uncle that fixes everything everyone needs Cynic: Would love to be a beloved artist. He wants people to want what he makes. He wants to be remembered for what he can do rather than what he is. Many of his watercolor sketches already sit framed on the walls of Mary Ann's fine dining restaurants, so it could be a reality if the galaxy is kind to him. Heron: Doesn't want to be remembered by anyone except those closest to him. People would be harder to lure in to back alleys to try and mug him if they know to stay away from the guy with the prosthetic leg. And how can he commit crimes against the force gods if no one attacks him first? Lake: Chronically unsure, Lake thinks he wants to be remembered as a decent guy all things considered. Thinks they're all going to be remembered as monsters, but whatever. That's whoever comes next's problem to deal with, he's just trying to have fun and stay alive. Torch: Torch doesn't care if or how he's remembered after he's gone, he's also just here to have a good time while he can. His captain would probably say he's going to be remembered as a goofy problem soldier, but he's going to be remembered as absolutely devotional to his squad, and an excellent sharpshooter. Sprig: He wants to be remembered like a kickass fantasy spy advisor like leliana or zeveran from dragon age. Course the only reason they're deeds are known is because they're part of a video game. Maybe.... he thinks about writing a blackmail book. It would highly embarrass so many senators and office officials for petty (usually illegally so) shit, but that's what they get for legally making him the guy who had to deal with all the bomb threats by chance of birth. Empty buildings give him time to riffle through their shit.

-

Do they trust people easily? How easily will they turn their back to someone? Have they been backstabbed before? Will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

Nihlus: He trusts trustworthy people.... as long as they aren't Jedi or Sith. Anyone capable of resisting his ability to unconditionally access their thoughts and intentions is an eventual threat even if they chose not to resist him.

-He doesn't do things for the good of doing it, if he wants to help even at risk to himself, he really has to like someone. Otherwise that honor is reserved for his clan, for whom he would give himself at the lightest provocation.

-Nihlus ended up in the Era of the Clone Wars due to being locked into a stasis chamber in his archive meant for fragile documents by his former master and oldest friend, Kishta, who had lured him in there to prevent his attempted assassination of the sith emporor for the destruction of his previous clan

- Nihlus is physcially incapable of betraying any of his squad no matter the cost (one of Jets orders), nor would he want to if he could. that is trust for Nihlus. Anyone else is fair game to whatever else serves the needs of him and his people

Jet: Has a healthy suspicion of others because to do otherwise would be irresponsible, but it does not stop him from reaching out, from trying, when he feels that the person is worth it

- Jet will never turn his back on his squad, his family, by his own admission. Has, though, on numerous occasions given some orders that put them in unnecessary danger for appearances sake. no one is perfect.

-Jet has never been truly back-stabbed, but he has been lied to on numerous occasions

-Jet... is initially ready to trade Nihlus life if and when he has to, for the sake of his squad and their family, as was his deal when becoming the Siths Captain. However, the longer he has him, the less likely he is to actually do so. Would not be able to choose between the lives of his squad even if their lives depended on it.

Margo: She trusts hard and fast, but if her trust is ever completely lost... that's it. Good fucking luck ever getting it back.

- Puts her trust in her Captain, and would turn her back on anyone he deemed it necessary for. Otherwise, she goes with her gut to do what she thinks she has to, to be able to sleep soundly at night.

- There have been several times where Margorashly believes they have been betrayed, by Nihlus... by Jet... by militia allies... for the first two it turned out alright, the last one... is still up for debate

- Will betray anyone she has to, to protect their family. She's the second in command, and that saddles her with a certain level of responsibility damn whatever her own morals say.

Cynic: Does not trust a single soul outside of their squad, although its less of a "all of you are sus" and more of a "none of you are reliable"

- it's not turning your back on people if you weren't really going to help them in the first place. Anyone who isn't squad is just fodder for the cause, although he has far more of an affinity towards helping other clones than to even looking a natborns way

- you can only be backstabbed by people you trust and he believes his squad wouldnt do that, everything else is just an unanticipated attack

- has a tier list of who he would trade for who within his squad if he had to that he would never tell anyone else about. It's not based on who he likes best, but rather who he thinks would be able to best keep the squad going

Heron: Doesn't trust easily outside his squad, that's how you get caught. and he hates nothing more than when the jig is up, tehee

- easily, he'll easily turn his back on people (who arent his crew). The only people worth sticking your neck out for are the ones as willing to kill for you as they are to die for you.

- Definately thought Nihlus did that one thing that one time like Margo but was also wrong, although he didn't take it as personally as she did. He is well aware there are worse people them him out there.

- has a tier list like Cynic does. two, actually. one that he publically shifts around as a joke anytime someone fucks with him, and the real one that he holds close to his heart.

Lake: Wants to believe the best in people at all times, genuinely wants to

- would, in the opinion of much of the rest of his crew, would give his life too easily in order to do the right thing. would not easily turn his back on anyone that needed help

- All the time, if by back-stabbed you mean 'dissapointed', Torch is too cautious though, so Lake has never had the chance to be seriously betrayed

- Would never betray his crew outright, no matter what. the morality of his crew matters less than the vows he has made to them. Has been given an ultimatum before, and he made his choice.

Torch: Wants to believe the best in people, but always expects the worst, he has to. it's kept them alive before, and it will do so again.

- will trust easily, and will break that trust easily if he thinks he detects the slightest threat. His squad comes first, always. Will tattle on them to the Captain if he thinks it'll be funny though.

- His initial fuck-ups almost cost his training batch their spots in the GAR, but they didn't have to throw him as under the bus for it as hard as they did

- Will die with his crew before he betrays them, but if he thinks accepting the initial offer will get him a way to help, he can put up a pretty convincing front

Sprig: Trust is hard earned with Sprig, but he notices potential and offers tentative trust accordingly

- socially, he will not be caught unawares. he's spent too long watching people.

- Has never been truely betrayed. had brothers who told him they'd come back who never did, but it's hard to blame the dead, isnt it?

- Sprig will betray anyone he has to, again, for his crew. Jet built this squad well. for his crew? He also has a list of who's life comes first. like the others, his isnt on top of his own.

Random angst headcanon?

Nihlus: Sometimes he looks in the mirror tries to grin and wishes he could smile in full like he could when he was young and happy and didn't had nerve damage over a full third of his face

Jet: gets migraines from his numerous head injuries

Margo: Several of the squad she commanded before she became Jets second died very soon after she transferred, and sometimes she wonders if she had turned him down whether or not she could have done anything to prevent it

Cynic: feels a lot of insecurity initially over his place in the squad, although he doesn't show it, since it was Margo that requested (demanded) he join with her rather than Jet offering.

Heron: Gets phantom cramps in a foot that no longer exists if he leans on that side for too long without a cane, and nothing except straight 'sith magic' has ever seemed to help make it go away

Lake: For better (and through worse) Lake will stay by Torch's side, no matter how often he ethically disagrees with the rest of their squad, because the rest of their batch is DEAD and Lake will be damned if he loses his last batcher, no matter what sort of monster he has to become to keep them that way.

Torch: Constantly puts up a front of whimsy because he's afraid that what he has underneath it isnt worth loving.

Sprig: So, so scared of dying. It's one of the reasons he transfered out of the ordinence corps

-

What do people assume about them? Are they right?

Nihlus: People often see Nihlus' lightsabers and lack of clone armor when the squad is together and assume that he's either the Jedi, or the one in Charge. They are oh so very wrong on both accounts. He will get really pissy if they're stubborn about trying to talk to him over his Captain about mission shit he could really not care any less about. Jet: People assume that the Sith is some how mind controlling his Captain into doing what he wants, when he wants. Jet just scoffs in Blood Oath and orders Nihlus to scrub the refreshers for the third time this month as punishment for breaking some ships rules or ditching drills to hang around Kix, again. Margo: People often assume she's a mechanic, when she's just a tech. Sure, she dabbles in machinery, but she's much more capable on the software than the hardware aspect of technology. She can rewire the engines power cells but for the grace of the force don't ask her what model of spark plug the damn thing needs. Cynic: People assume that by his name and attitude, he hates fun. a real stick up his ass stick in the mud. Truth is he's an early twenty-somethings man trying to make the most of things, he's just a little pessimistic, like, all the time. Absolute party animal otherwise Heron: People assume that as a Medic he's a real 'save everyone you can, do the least amount of harm' mildly Hippocratic oath inclined kinda guy like a majority of the medical professionals in the GAR. Unfortunately, he has... serial killer tendencies. Bit of a god complex, Giver and Taker of Life kinda thing. See enough guys with your face die under you hands and your knife and it's bound to do something, warp you in some way. Lake: People may assume that as like, one of the few people with a truely morally compassionate compass of the group, that Lake would be the weak link to press on to coerce into betraying the squad, but they would be very, very wrong. He values his families life above all others, just not his own. Torch: His whimsical nature might trick one into thinking he's a fool, but Torch is actually one of the most tactically brilliant soldiers in Crisis Company, and has the best aim out of all of them. He's just... occasionally taken over by the urge to Have a Good Time. Sprig: Is a real Seems like a Cinnamon Roll, Could Kill You, kinda guy. Really great at drawing people into just talking. In reality, he's filling it all away to use at a later date should it come in handy. (rarely does it, so he always just comes off as a peoples person)

[ggoatz]

Special Operations Original Art Concepts & Thumbnails!

Since it's been over a year since Special Operations was first ever uploaded, I thought I should celebrate and make a proper masterlist of everything I've compiled throughout the year. I will also go ahead and link the official designs down below!

Quick disclaimer: Special Operations is MY fanfic, but I obviously don't own the characters! As always, thank you to Spoon & double-thank you to the fanartists and for 1,000 hits on the fanfic!!! Thank you thank you!

This post will get pretty long, so I'm gonna go ahead and make a cut below if you're interested in seeing more/reading my rambles!

Here are the very first ever art I did about a year and a half ago, before I even started writing the fic:

God damn, has my art come far. I don't want to get too sentimental, so let's move on the redesigns of these designs & my thoughts on these:

This was Donnie's first ever concept design (after the original designs) - I always knew I wanted to have him have a gas mask or mask of some kind - his ultimate design really changed there at the end! It's really cool to see how far my art has come since this last year LOL.

-

This was Mikey's original design concept for this au, once I reworked the original one above. I wasn't really happy with it, or any of the designs, for that fact... I didn't really have anything directly in mind over than the fact that knowing his brothers were mad overprotective of him would mean he's covered in clothes. I wanted a mask for him as well and really took inspiration from his design from the show, and tried to include the aspects from that. below here is a few mask concepts I tried out, and a sneak peak of Raph's design/doodle I did.

Even though these other mask concepts were cute, I just couldn't resist going with the first and original design I had. I took the inspiration off of that for the stickers/paints on his shell from the show. Below is an additional drawing of Mikey! Not much changed in his final design other than the fact that he has no shoes, really.

-

Here's Leo's first ever intial design. I am glad Spoon convinced me to change it, because while it's cool, I don't think it really fits Leo's flashy and show style. He is a fighter who works beautifully with his skills, so while stealth was obviously the #1 thing to be considered on the list, I ultimately just kind of handed his design to Spoon to decide how he should look LOL. This was such a starch contrast to the first drafts...

-

I've always struggled at drawing Raph, so I don't really have any photos of him saved ): / to show off. Sorry Raph lovers, but Spoon did him JUSTICE and I will forever be grateful for them for that <3<3

Below are the final designs, done by Spoon through nearly a year of us talking about the designs!

Spoon does not have a Tumblr, but they do have a Twitter, which you can find here: @Hydratedturtle! Without them, these designs would have never been finished/completed. It was so beyond crazy to see the very first drafts by me and the finished concepts executed beautifully by Spoon and making my ideas coming to life.

Below are all of the thumbnails of Special Operations that I've done, and the improvement is obvious! These are done through the year of 2023!

Annnd, finally, here's a sketch I did of Donnie back in November/December with his more updated design!

And that's all for now!!! <3

[nayfem]

who was the first character out of the runaways you created ? ^^

and who’s your favourite story wise? :) (no spoilers though‼️🙏)

sorry for taking months to answer this, i really wanted to wait until i could do a DEEEEP dive for some files (this is a long post)

to answer your second question: my favorite character story wise is probably Cliff and Grace ?! its a cheat answer cuz i just answers 2 characters but idk i love writing them, their dynamic is so fun and cute, im so excited to post abt their new designs and story teehee

to answer your first question:

these three from around may of 2022!!! theres a fourth, but i cant find the drawing for the life of me. from left to right:

Eurus

Notus

Zephyrus

(Boreas was the forth.)

you might be asking "Hey who the fuck are these people" and that is a valid question because i dont draw them ever!!

the idea for Runaways started with these guys- first as a story about these gods and their family dynamic, but it quickly evolved into a whole world (MCU style) about superheroes.

i wanted to make one comic and then expand- starting with these gods. but as soon as i made the next character in the story... i knew what i had done (brain rot)

although that answers your question, i have more to say (unfortunately)

the comic was going to end with Eurus turning into a villain- a misunderstood villain but a villain nonetheless. she was going to form a found family group and thats when i created a familiar face...

Grace Xu.

actually, Grace came about when i thought of the name Grave Force. i thought Grace suited the name, and she was going to have basically the same powers as Anna today (her skin would put you into a coma.)

but, then i started crafting another character...

Casper Wright! an invisible thief that would steal supplies for the group.

after that, it snowballed into a whole cast of characters, and eventually the wind gods fading into the background and i havent really touched them since.

heres the first ever drawing i did of Anna, when i started figuring out that she was gonna be Grave Force, and not Grace. i quickly figured out i wanted Grace to act as a main character, and started working on the other crew!

Cliff Phoenix when he was still called "Clint"

he was the muscle of the group, with his signature flame thrower. he was kind of a himbo back then, i still see him as a himbo but at least now hes not dumb.

back then, the gadgets the group had were made by Casper, or at least thats what i planned on. i much prefer Cliff being the gadget maker of the group!

this was my first ever draft of everyone together; a quick sketch of their heads and pride flags!

from left to right:

Grace Xu

Casper Wright

Cliff Phoenix (i need to bring back his gray streak </3)

Val Romero

Anna Xu (yes she was a ginger.. and white (Grace was her half sister at this time))

Val was a really interesting character and what i thought would start the comic!! the idea was have the group go to a really fancy party looking for a "kid" in danger.

her name would have either been Psyche! (like haha gotcha) or Mirage. their power was to create a hallucination of sorts- she could make herself appear to be the persons type (either romantically or someone they took pity on) and then rob them lol. thats why the group thought it was a kid- someone saw a child enter a shady car and speed off to a upper class party.

i still wish i couldve found a way to put her in the story. honestly, ive been redoing the Runaways story and designs, and when i work on the villains i'll definitely find a spot for them!!!

thank you for the ask my dear friend, you have increased my brain rot <;3 /pos

[barschter000]

No, no, this isn't too long, in fact, I am very happy it is this long!! There can never be enough yapping.

I'm very honored to hear that my silly little fanfics make you explode in a positive manner... I WANT to post more. I have so many ideas and I want them out in the world but in order to do that, I have to realize them and place them in the world :( Sigh...

But I won't lose hope! I have a community to feed!

VERY INTERESTING TAKE with Albert having long hair in university!! (Also I am honored that you took the time to make a little sketch just for answering my ask!) I generally took Albert as someone who, even if he wanted to, didn't take that much care of himself -- as you said, he does the bare minimum -- simply because his mental capacities are occupied by other thoughts. In turn, Barok is more peculiar about his appearance to me and I usually think of him growing out his hair post-canon, also because he doesn't have to keep it short for combat anymore, but it's cool to see that reversed!! Especially after Albert took NO care of himself during his trial because he deemed his hypothesis more precious than his own life, so it'd be nice to see that he has regained enough feeling of self-worth to not just make his appearance focus on bare minimum functionality.

I think it would make sense for Barok to struggle to take care of himself too (I don't think a guy who is okay with letting himself be used for a decade and being killed if God feels like it is in a good mental state) but it isn't really that noticeable because as a rich noble, he has other people take care of himself for him.

I'm glad that you make Albert follow at least some rules of lab safety lmao, I think Barok dies a little internally when Albert happily recounts the dangerous but truly very fascinating and enlightening! experiments he conducted in his career so far.

THE BAROK CAT THING IS SO TRUE, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING IT INTO A DRAWING!!!! I had this image in my head for like, years and it's so satisfying to see it in reality. Thank you.

I always enjoy Barok being clingy and cuddly because it's silly especially considering the famed benbaro height difference, and also Barok doing the verbal bare minimum. I've loved every instance in the game where he doesn't say anything in response to something or when he ends conversation by saying, "This conversation is over. Goodbye." So I very often write him as just being silent but Albert understands him anyway because they Get each other. In my current WIP, I described how Barok likes curling up next to Albert, half-way crushing him in the process but Albert enjoys that, and listening to Albert talk and Albert doesn't mind that he's not an active conversation partner.

You saying you enjoy him being shy gave me the mental image of a very young Barok hiding behind Klint's legs when someone wants to talk to him. I don't think he talked to many people as a child and in general didn't talk much until people didn't let it slide as cute child behavior anymore. Doesn't mean that he is good at socializing as an adult. There was a delightful part in a fic called Lost in Translation for example where Barok and Susato secretly communicate something to each other solely through etiquette phrases because it's implicit communication that has set interpretations, so they both knew they wouldn't misunderstand each other.

It's interesting that you interpret their way of speaking that way!! I never really solidified the thought but I believe I've always thought it but I agree, Barok is, like Albert, quite direct. But he does it in a different manner, I think, which is why it doesn't seem like it at first: Barok is more eloquent than Albert but also not as honest about himself as Albert is.

Barok ABSOLUTELY spoils Albert. He would buy the entire world for him if Albert allowed it. I don't think Albert would though because he takes at least a little pride in his independence even if he's constantly broke and he'd feel bad if he was at an advantage in comparison to his broke colleagues just because he pulled a rich boy. Barok does insist though and he does succeed sometimes.

The guilt thing is so. AURGH.

Yeah, Albert absolutely feels guilty. I'd like to write about that someday -- Albert learning about Barok being accused of murder and hopelessly accepting that he was going to the gallows after they had just reunited to all the Professor and Reaper stuff sort of just spilling out of Barok -- but it's probably going to turn into one big sobbing session, so I can't go into it unless I have a clearer structure for it (as if I didn't have another fifty WIPs to finish).

I just want Barok to admit that he's scared. I need this man to be confronted with the weight of his suppressed emotions. I need to see him lose his aloofness and composure and fall apart.

Barok's wine ramblings will be the death of me. I love them dearly and I love including them in my writing but that in turn requires me to know stuff about wine too! I learned quite a bit from my research though! I unfortunately don't like the taste of alcohol, otherwise I'd like to also look into it on a more practical level but alas...

I have a silly case concept that my boyfriend and I made up where Barok is visiting Albert in Germany and they go on a dinner date and they're already taking ages only to order the wine because Barok wants to know about all options but doesn't speak German, so Albert has to interpret, and in the end, Barok rambles about it for three hours and they forget to order anything else before the waitress has to ask them to leave because there's another reservation coming and Barok is so embarrassed and also not familiar enough with the currency of the German Empire that he leaves like a 400 Mark (I do not know how the Mark of the German Empire compares to modern currencies) tip and that's how the waitress can give them an alibi when they're suddenly accused of murder.

PETUNIA OH MY GOD

Oh my God, I love her... My boyfriend and I are also extremely convinced that Klint used to dress up Balmung in little outfits and had portraits made of him, so I am very glad the tradition continues.

I FUCKING LOVE MODERN AU GOTH BAROK YES!!!!!! I think he had a super strong goth phase in his teens where he dressed in over-the-top, completely outdated outfits and always wore a cloak everywhere (Klint has to argue with him to take it off to wash it because Barok refuses to let go of it, it's too nice and heavy and comfy) and was super obsessed with vampires (the obsession lessened as he grew older but his fashion remained somewhat) and also hissed at people. But he was still very sweet, he's the little darling of the family after all, he's just going through puberty.

I entertain this thought both for the 19th century setting and a modern AU; the modern AU just makes his fashion even more outdated and also I think he should attempt to dye his hair black at least once and afterwards, he has blueish fingers for like four days straight and it makes Klint laugh (in an affectionate brotherly way because he loves his strange little brother very much). I also think that Barok getting interested in alternative fashion/music etc. should also make him ponder alternative genders but that's a whole other story.

Other than that, me with Barok and the entire Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis tbh lmaooo

I got super into Baroque music thanks to Barok (because I wanted to find out why they named him that and I can say, yeah! It fits!) and I cannot separate him from classical music anymore, so I have this little headcanon that he collects records throughout all his life and has a very impressive collection in his retirement that he sorts similarly to how he sorts his wine. It's simply that I enjoy the feeling of listening to, let's say, a 1954 recording of Bach's St. John Passion and thinking that my blorbo could have listened to it before me.

It was an absolutely delightful amount of long ass response!! I loved reading through all your thoughts, it was very fun! Thank you very much for responding so lengthily, I hope my thoughts are also at least a little entertaining to read. Thanks again for the wonderful interaction! :)

Hellooo there!! I saw your blog description and I am a benbaro shipper who would like to interact with you please! My benbaro obsession has gotten well fed by wonderful artworks and correct thoughts such as yours (thank you!!) recently but I fear my obsession can never be completely sated...

So if you like, feel free to use this ask to express whatever is currently on your mind! Just ramblings or a headcanon or something about benbaro or Barok or Albert separately or TGAA in general that you have thoughts about; this is a free pass to let it out! I'm always curious about how my blorbos look in other people's eyes

OMG HI I have read all of your benbaro fics and they make me fucking AJDJFHWIJFKTOEMTK (a good thing) . I need to get hit by a car. I love them so much

prepare for a whole lot of fucking yap because I am insane about them so much. and I have no job so I kinda just stew them in my brain all day at the moment, among other tgaa pairings and characters

(i honestly very rarely fixate on ships within fandoms. but tgaa gave me 3 pairings I would die for. asoryuu, homumiko, and benbaro. they all make me insane I'm going to eat drywall)

I think about them a lot. I don't even know where to start.

so I'll go w some dumb headcanons. sprinkling in some pretty bad drawings.tbh (please ignore how inconsistent my art style is)

I think some time after tgaa2 he moves back to England and lives with barok, who obviously has more than enough money to spend on him, so Albert grows his hair out again (he has a very stupid hat/helmet thing he wears to protect his hair if he's working on something potentially dangerous)

First off I think Albert had long hair in university. most of the time when people draw him in uni he looks almost identical to his 2-3 design WHICH IS FAIR AND NOT BAD! but I have some thoughts of my own

pray forgive the discourtesy of this looking shit I drew it quite quickly. but. I think he had long hair in university and was a little more particular about his appearance. however i do think he had pretty bad acne in his late teens. the acne was just a hormonal teenager thing and cleared up by his 20s.

After moving abroad I think he cut his hair short because he had less time to look after it, and wanted to put any money he had towards funding his inventions, so he did pretty much the bare minimum when it came to looking after himself (I must clarify I do think that Albert is attractive, this is not me trying to "yassify" him. I have a soft spot for cute nerdy guys I'm dating one but he likes Elden ring instead of science)

because he's pretty much been alone for like. a decade. and basically just spoke in Law Words for half of that. I think barok is very direct and literal with how he speaks so he worries about not seeming "romantic" enough, so to compensate he's very physically affectionate and likes spoiling albert with nice food, gadgets and supplies for his inventions, and new clothes.

I think barok is extremely clingy once he gets used to having Albert around again. he's like a cat he'll just kind of bonk his head into him sometimes and sadly gaze at him until he gets attention. very cuddly and a bit melodramatic. I love characterisations of barok where he's really pathetic tbh. also him being shy is fun I enjoy it greatly

albert on the other hand I actually think he's the more bold/confident one (I hate when barok is portrayed as a dominant bad boy or whatever its so stupid he literally gets shy when his 10 year old niece invites him to dinner). albert talks baroks ear off about anything and everything, humours his clingyness, and drags him outside to have a life beyond his job and engage in whimsy and fun . he's also very verbally affectionate I think. he makes sure to try and help barok feel less alone, because I think he has lingering guilt for not being there during the professor bullshit and klints death. it may have been after he left England for Germany, and he didn't even know when it was happening, but i think he has a lingering, irrational guilt for not being there for barok at his worst hour

ALSO a lot of the time I see people drawing Albert talking a lot about science shit w barok listening happily, but I also think it goes the other way too! I think barok will rant about wine pairings and different types of grapes n shit. Albert stares at him lovestruck and adoringly the whole time. he has no idea what a pinot noir is (neither do I, I don't drink)

final thing or I will be here all fucking day: my boyfriend and I came up with a headcanon that barok has a really pathetic looking Italian greyhound named petunia, he likes dressing her up in little outfits. I think when albert starts living with him he starts calling petunia their daughter, and has the ability to make the exact same sad and pathetic expression as the dog

jk tiny bonus: I have a very dumb "100 years on" au stewing in my brain where everything is set in the 1980s and 1990s instead of 1880s and 1890s. in the 80s section, when barok and Albert are in university together, barok is a sulky and mopey trad goth and they listen to The Cure together. albert dresses normal and listens to talking heads i think. this is stupidly self indulgent because I like 80s fashion and clothing. I have not even thought about the 90s section because I don't want to 😊 (I HATE 90S FASHION.)