#that art is from a little over 2 years ago now wow

[steppedladder]

what is the inspo for your au? like clothes, armor, and maybe even systems(exemple: church system, kingdom, quest, etc)!

ofc, only say what you can say! i dont want to force you to say anything you dont want to share.

for a while i got really into drawing knights and dragons. unfortunately i haven't drawn any dragons in this au. until now.

i started drawing phil, techno, tapl, and will in various medieval fantasy-themed clothes/scenarios. for a long time i designed/worldbuilt around scenes that i thought would look super cool in my head, because i wanted this to be a fun, not-so-serious project. these are some of the earliest drawings i have of this au! you can see that phil hasn’t changed much, while the others changed a lot.

i was inspired by a lot of other incredible mcyt artists' work, especially their design work. i wanted to see where i could push my designs in ways towards and against aspects i saw in others' designs. i take a lot of inspiration for clothing and weaponry from medieval clothing from around the 14th century, but also the renaissance, because. well.

there's a lot of other sources i drew inspiration from, like minecraft mechanics, music i was listening to, story archetypes from wherever else, probably beowulf at some point.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Lineup of all of the characters that appear long enough to need a visual representation of them in the game lol

[answer2jeff]

ready for another lie?

// carmen berzatto x reader

song: Diet Mountain Dew.

pairings: nyc chef!carmen x journalist!reader

mdni!! i'm not responsible for your media consumption.

warnings: smutty smut, VERY DETAILED, fem!reader, oral and fingering (f!recieving), porn with plot, drinking, cursing, kinda subby carmy, praise kink, alludes to piv but it doesn't happen, complete and utter filth, i'm giving the people what they want don't look at me!!!

essentially a prequel, 1 year before the start of season 1 of The Bear.

"Fuck youuuuu! It's Friday, loosen up!" A groggy voice yelled from across the bar, cursing you for declining another drink.

You watched your friends flirt with the bartender over the course of 2 rounds of shots; causing harmless fuckery with the several guys who tried flattering them. You were actually bored for once. It made you sick.

You waited for something, anything else to impress you. You tried convincing yourself you didn't have to leave, that your friends wanted you here, and that nights like these were "good for your soul," but there seemed to be no hope.

"Just two vodka tonics. Oh, and a white Negroni. Uh, yes— yes, thank you." You caught a blonde curl from the stool next to you in the corner of your peripheral vision, and you dared to turn your head. You were met by the sight of an oddly familiar guy—and then it hit you like a semi truck.

The man you wrote your final thesis on "the senses creating art," about. Food & Wines best new chef, as of late.

You'd spent an entire year and a half traveling the world (after finally making a name for yourself as a journalist, and snagging a place in Food & Wines top writers) and interviewing the faces of all forms of modern art, representing one of each of the 5 senses.

Casey French, a fragrance designer as the face of "smell." Christopher Knowles, a fashion designer who specialized in optical wear as the face of "sight."

The list went on, until it ended at Carmen Berzatto, on "taste," just 6 months ago. It was September now, and you almost forgot about the 2 and a half hours you took from your day to sit down and talk to him in that studio. Your heart dropped to your stomach as you felt the pores in your palms release a nervous sweat.

You blinked rapidly, wondering if you were really seeing him— out of all the other Friday nights, when he could've visited all the other bars. But he chose this Friday, at this bar, next to you. You needed to say something.

"I'll take a Negroni too, actually. And you can just close out my tab for tonight." You handed the bartender your card after you anxiously fished it out of your wallet, trying to seem completely oblivious to Carmen's stare. Carmen clenched his teeth, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he kept his gaze focused on you.

"Holy shit! Is that—" A slightly younger man nearly yelped while he inappropriately pointed at you, quickly being shut down by his peer, and being told to "shut the fuck up," but Carmen stayed silent. He was dumbfounded at the sight of you.

"Uh, hi. Funny seeing you here," you croaked, swallowing hard when you realized how much of a horrible excuse of a "hello," that was. Carmen didn't seem to mind, dragging his head out of the clouds and smiling back at you as he received his glass.

"Oh my god, yeah. Wow, I— it's good to see you."

Carmen glanced down at your drink, watching you trace your fingertip around the rim of the short glass. He gazed at your fresh manicure, the beautifully layered rings on your fingers, the diamonds on your wrists, the black dress with a slit that exposed your leg up to your mid-thigh. Carmen always thought you looked nice, only being used to your blazers and gorgeous vintage pants that he was a little jealous of, but this was different.

And as if you weren't already anxious enough, Carmen's "friends" immediately arose from their stools and made their way to an empty table, leaving the two of you alone again. Just looking at him and his clean suit and tie made you nervous, especially with the ink on his hands still visible.

"Good to see you too, Carmen," you smiled, cheeks aching as you tried desperately to hide your excitement. Admittedly, you admired him. That wasn't new. But that feeling in your stomach, that aching, yearning feeling was.

"I don't usually do these things," Carmen mumbled, taking a sip from his glass and licking his lips.

"Me neither. It's kinda— I don't know, icky."

You knew Carmen avoided big gatherings like this, but they were usually tolerable thanks to people who "knew him" enough to let him hang around their groups in silence while they practically screamed at each other. But his free time just never seemed to align with anyone else worth talking to... until tonight.

"Icky. Couldn't have worded it better," Carmen tried not to laugh at your expense, keeping his tongue between his teeth as both of you fought back a smile.

"You get it! God, anyway—how've you been?" You inched closer to him, resting your chin in your palm as your elbows were propped up on the counter. You made sure to keep your stare on him and only him, glancing from his nose, to his lips, and back into his eyes. You knew exactly what you were doing, and it was too late to stop now.

Carmen paused, his mouth gaping open slightly as he thought of what he could possibly say to convey that he could be doing better, without completely ruining the mood. He sucked his teeth as he took a deep breath, his eyes glued to the floor until he finally looked at you again.

"Alright, I guess. Managing. How're you?"

"Managing. But really though. Like, has anything changed?"

Carmen thought about your question, realizing how much he seemed to relax tonight—while simultaneously being the most nervous he'd ever been outside of work in the last year. Was it being out and public after a long week? Was it the fact that he still felt so stupid for not getting your actual number, and instead only having access to your business email which was provided by your agent? Was it the smell of your perfume? Was it just you?

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, I guess some things have changed."

He couldn't help but awe at the way you did your hair and your makeup that night, appreciating the tiny details your jewelry and purse of choice added to the look. He hardly ever thought twice about the attractive women he'd run into; making small talk and watching them get bored with his interests.

But now you were here; his fantasies, his desires were here, right next to him; wearing a dress that flattered your cleavage and cinched you at the waist, black heels that tapped against the footrest of the barstool. It made his head foggy, and he couldn't even wrap his head around the encounter.

After finishing your Negroni's over the course of 3 separate conversations that left you with a cramp in your side and your cheeks hurting from smiling—basically hitting it off like you were actual friends, you decided to pull the classic...

"You wanna get out of here?"

Two successful, somewhat well known adults in their lines of work were allowed to be human, right? They were allowed to share deep belly laughs with someone they didn't originally plan to see outside of a work setting, right?

Wrong. It was unprofessional, inappropriate, unwarranted: everything you promised you'd never be around him.

Carmen knew this.

But he was eye-fucking you in that goddamn interview. His tattooed hands rubbing against his thighs as he sat in front of you in the white light of that studio, his gentle voice contradicting his large, almost intimidating arms—it was all you could think about when you wrote your thesis. And now you were gonna be alone with him.

And despite his worries, despite the nervous sweat beading on his forehead, despite his growing anticipation when he admired your figure like a horny teenager, Carmen agreed. The smirk on your face and your manicured nails in between your pearly white teeth was convincing enough. He knew it was risky, given the fact that you still wrote for Food & Wine every couple of months: being more than capable of ruining his career with one wrong, but so right move.

"Yeah, actually."

Unprofessional, inappropriate, unwarranted.

Fuck it.

Carmen closed his tab, gently helping you down from the barstool by your hand. You held your purse close to you while waving a shy goodbye to your friends, who were drunkenly squealing in excitement for you. Carmen's peers seemed to be out of sight; therefore, out of mind. You felt your cheeks go hot, every part of your body tingling. Neither of you knew where you were going. Just not here, and not with everyone else.

He couldn't even think about the fact that he would be back in the glowing white light of the kitchen that following Monday, and you completely forgot about the paper you had to start by Sunday night. And it was way too late to care about any of that now.

You decided your apartment was best.

"Fuck.." Carmen grunted under his breath, his eyes hooded while he felt his pants tighten against his throbbing length. He spread his legs wider as you palmed him, trying to ease some of his tension. You hovered over him as he lied down, sprawled out on your leather couch. His hands were clawing at anything he could reach; your hair, your thighs, the straps of your dress until he pulled it down to your hips, and finally the clasp of your bra.

His bare chest heaved, red and covered in sweat. His dress shirt, tie, and jacket were somewhere in the mess of your apartment. He was honestly too desperate to care.

"You okay with me takin' this off?" Carmen whispered as he cupped your cheek, keeping his fingers prepared to unclip your bra with your permission. He admired every inch of your flushed face as he waited for answer.

"Mhm," you soothed him as your hand moved up and unbuttoned his pants the second your lips moved onto his. Saliva pooled in your mouths with every kiss, turning into a sloppy mess of tongue and teeth. Carmen struggled, but eventually tossed your bra onto the living room floor, his mouth just centimeters away from yours as he exhaled heavy breaths.

You sat up straight, pulling Carmen up by his shoulders and smashing your lips back into his. He pulled sway to breathe, taking it upon himself to peel the rest of your dress off. His tattooed hands gently caressed your plush thighs, his calloused fingers sliding under the hem of your lace underwear. He practically worshiped you like this, planting open mouthed kisses along your jawline and neck.

Carmen needed to hear you, feel you, taste you.

"I wanna taste you, if–if that's alright," he placed one last kiss of gratitude on collarbone before he looked up at you through lust-blown, half-lid eyes.

Your entire body began to heat up again, and Carmen's words went straight to your needy cunt. You could feel yourself dripping through your panties while you put a hand over your mouth in embarrassment, nodding frantically.

"Please," you begged, a mixture of a moan and a silent cry escaping. Carmen's hands detached from your thighs, your hips writhing up from the loss of contact. Without another word, he nodded his head, letting his hands travel down your hips as he got down on his knees in front of you.

Carmen took a shaky breath, glancing from your pleading eyes and back down to your bottom half. He hesitated, choosing to plant one more line of kisses from your tits down to your navel before giving you one last look for permission. He put his hand between your inner thighs, asking you to spread further. You blinked slowly while he peeled your panties off of you, wondering if he would notice how wet you already were.

Unprofessional, inappropriate, unwarranted.

Carmen licked his lips, admiring the sight of your puffy slit in hesitation. With your body sprawled out in front of him, your pretty face looking down at him...how could he not eat you out right on that leather couch?

"I've got you, baby," Carmen cooed, his eyes wide as he nearly drooled over the glossy puddle in your underwear. He gently placed your calves over his shoulders, his calloused hands scooping the underside of your thighs.

Carmens wet tongue licked a bold stripe from your hole up to your soaked clit, not a drop of your arousal going to waste. You grew impatient, the kitten licks he gave your sensitive bundle of nerves driving you mad.

"C'mon, Carmy, I—" You whined, pleading that he'd pick up the pace. Carmen decided not to hold back, giving your throbbing clit aggressive sucks that he'd later soothe with slow, flat-tongued licks.

You bit down on your hand while the other entangled in his hair to muffle the sinful noises you made. Carmen felt his stomach turn at the sound of his name falling from your gaping mouth.

Carmen took note of how much you loved his tongue diving into your weeping hole, earning whimpers and cries of "please," and "oh, fuck, Carmen." He groaned into your pussy when you caught a grip on his hair, placing his head even deeper between your thighs. He moved his hands from your thighs and up to your waist—forcing your jerky hips down on the couch. He wanted to make sure you didn't miss a single bit of pleasure.

"Can I.. uh, can I try something?" He stammered, picking his head up with his chin shiny with your liquids as his hand crept back down, prying between your folds. Carmen needed to keep every part of him busy so he wouldn't have to focus on the aching bulge, already leaking precum in his boxers. He felt his thighs clench as he fucking whimpered beneath you.

"S–sure.." You nodded frantically again, tossing your head back as Carmen carefully inserted a digit into your core. You whimpered in slight discomfort as he stretched you out, which he immediately reassured softly.

"Shhh... you're alright. Jus–just relax f'me, yeah?"

Carmen waited until you whined again; his fingers started at an agonizingly slow pace until he heard your moans getting a little too quiet for his liking. He picked his pace up, sliding another thick finger into your hole and ramming into your g-spot. He hesitated, afraid to hurt you—but you quickly dismissed his worries when you urged him that you needed more. Carmen aligned his tongue back with your pussy, sucking hard before comforting your desire with lapping at your clit.

"Oh my god, Carmen," you felt that familiar knot in your stomach, your grip in his hair tightening while your moans grew louder and louder. You didn't care if your neighbors could hear you through the thin walls of your apartment. You didn't even think about what this would look like the morning after—because none of it mattered. Not with Carmen's head between your thighs.

Carmen could tell you were close, prioritizing your pleasure before he could even register how badly he wanted to cum into his boxers. He couldn't help but buck his hips forward, begging for friction while every noise you made just inched him closer to his release... but he needed this to last.

"You close? Let me take care 'f you," he mumbled, breathing heavily against your pussy while he tried his best to stay still. It sent shockwaves through your body, and you tried desperately not to scream his name.

"So... so close.. Fuck, it's too much," your useless protest was cut short by a loud moan, muffled by the sweaty palm of your hand. Your heart pounded in your head as your walls clenched around Carmen's fingers. You weren't used to anything feeling this good in months.

"C'mon baby, you can handle it. You're alright. You're doing so good. Takin' my fingers so fuckin' good," Carmen's raspy voice comforted you. His tongue finally came back to relieve you, his fingers slowing down so as to not overstimulate you, as much as he wanted to.

"Carmy!" Your eyes screwed shut as your thighs shook. You chased your high, practically grinding into his face as his nose bumped your clit while his fingers remained at work.

—

"Jesus..." You panted, grunting in disappointment when you felt Carmen slide his fingers out of you. He licked them clean while your eyes were screwed shut as you tried to recollect yourself. Carmen planted a kiss on your temple the second he sat back up onto the couch, pulling you into his lap by your waist. You felt his erection against your crotch, his already sticky mess combining with your wetness yet again.

"You okay?" Carmen cupped your cheek, pushing any sweaty strands of hair out of your face. And just when he thought he couldn't have felt more proud of you, he melted into the feeling of your lips against his.

You didn't know if you'd ever see him again, you didn't know if this night would magically become niche hot gossip within your respective groups; all you knew was that you wanted him. His lust blown eyes on you, his hands gripping your waist as he bent you over your kitchen counter and fucked you dumb, the sound of sex echoing through your apartment.

Maybe some other Friday night.

[plansexualford]

As a long time billford truther (this blog may be new but I’m not.) I’m so happy to see the revival of a ship that was once so misunderstood.

Below is my not so little rant about my frustrations with “but it’s toxic” people and the disservice it does in undermining not only fans’ intelligence but lowkey the writing of the content we’ve been given. Also, a bit on how fandoms in general seem to dismiss the use of ships (unless canonized/written directly into the story) as a medium to tell complex, and sometimes uncomfortable stories.

The frustration I have towards the people that act like they’re high and mighty for saying “billford is ironic, you shouldn’t actually ship it cause it’s toxic” or some variation of treating it as a joke or untouchable that piss me off for multiple reasons.

1. We know, you are not smarter or superior for acknowledging a fact that is crystal clear to see and is literally the most common way that dynamic is explored. Like wow, congrats on providing such valuable insight that none of us saw before. The only times I ever see it not explored in that way has maybe been through pre-betrayal interactions and what ifs.

Not to say there are NEVER clear misreadings (not aus/or fixits/etc. just poor understandings) of their characters that are devoid of what makes them—them, but I fear I truly dgaf and just wince and move on.

2. It is in my opinion, infinitely worse (edit: and honestly a sign of immaturity) to want the allusions to a toxic relationship to be jokes instead of simply accepting that a relationship did happens in canon, whether it happened platonically or romantically (though there is more subtext that 12 y/o me would have never I’d ever imagined reading as an adult for that latter recently.) It should be taken seriously, given that the book clearly wants us to, otherwise the allusions in the book and thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com would not exist in the way that they do. Why would you rather something like that be a joke instead of allowing yourself to sit with and accept discomfort?

Ultimately billford is twisted, it’s horrifying to imagine, it’s a tragically awful train-wreck we can’t look away from. After all that, Ford’s resolve is honestly healing. And if we see interesting, complex stories/art/musings to tell from this dynamic, what’s wrong with that?

Lastly, the source material is a Y7-V Disney Channel show that premiered over 10 years ago, we’re (I assume mostly) adults now. Unclench.

P.S. I’m being unserious when I say this but “toxic yaoi/yuri ” is apparently trend and y’all can’t handle a yellow triangle demon and a grown man from a Y7-V series? Smh. Take every variation of that phrase out your tumblr bio immediately, you don’t deserve it.

[fernsnailz]

HI . GET ON THE DISSECTION TABLE. taking your brain RIGHT NOW OH MY GODDDDD. OH MY god ,,, everything in the zine,,,,,

obviously the quality of your work, the art itself is so good ,,,, but OUGHHGGGGHGH i need to bang my head into a wall until im unconscious . like the title itself, starting off . woe mama we are in for a fucked up roboty treat . your comps . your writing . in the most respectful and awestuck tone possible . i need to kill you

my favorite i think is how you draw gemerl ,, all the robots you nail their expressiveness but oughh ,, him in particular makes me kick my feet . 'you are everything i fear becoming' makes me actually tear the fucking floorboards up the themes of autonomy ,,,,,, ,,, and how you storytell through your comic panels,,, the 'what a fool you are to think the doctor is gone' panel set makes me drink 2 Monsters and eat glass

THE . THE IMPOSSIBLE GOAL COMIC RAGHHHHHH. FAV FAV FAV . geninely shaking and trembling looking at it like jesus thats so fucked up ,,, your mind . your writing is so everything !! i would love to get any insight for how you workshop it because it is consistently breathtaking it sticks with me so heavily,,, one time i accidentally stole a line of dialogue word for word from your Never turn back zine comic and had to change it dfhjd,,,,, (wow this line is so cool ! ...a little toooo cool. squint.) but yeah god the last comic wow,, your panel compositions are banger after banger you are so good at consistently writing evocative stuff,,, tragic, rlly funny, hopeful, its so inspirational

thank u so much for putting together such a cool zine, would love to have it physically one day !

GOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS EDIT IS KILLING ME. this is such a rewarding ask to get, i'm so glad you picked up on these things!!

my writing work shopping style is. hm. a bit all over the place. i have a lot of thoughts about it i'll put under a cut if you're interested. there's a lot of little things i've picked up that help me out so so much that i would really love to share!

ok FIRST i should note that it took me so goddamn long to write this thing. like i had the very very VERY first concepts for metal sonic good future like. a year ago. the first scrawlings are literally in a notebook right after some thumbnails i was using for dance in fire and i was editing dialogue up until two days ago. i'm ill

BUT!!! there are a few things i like to keep in mind when i write/edit that have really helped me!

GET OTHER PEOPLE TO READ YOUR STUFF. ESSENTIAL STEP. i get stuck in holes with my work a lot and having beta readers and other eyes on this thing made it like a million times better

sometimes you have to kill your baby. there will be certain lines or moments that you ADORE that simply don't fit into the larger piece, and you gotta just cut it out to make it better sometimes. but usually this gives birth to an even cooler and more epic baby. or sometimes your killed baby is also resurrected later to be used in a different scene. does this make any sense

figuring out what emotion you want a scene to make people feel is very important - with this in mind, i also pay really close attention to how my writing or scene concepts make me feel physically. i think this is the thing that has helped me most with work shopping anything i want to be evocative. does a line make me tense my jaw? make my teeth vibrate? make my chest tight? do i suddenly feel the blood in my hands? if it makes me feel something within my body, i try to draw on that physical sensation when forming the rest of the scene.

ok this last one is. stupid. as i was wrapping up this thing i went through a final edit phase i'd call "Garten of Banban Vision." Garten of Banban is an indie horror game that has uhhh kinda mid dialogue. a lot of it focuses on exposition, and any emotion in it feels a bit hollow. with this in mind, i read through everything one last time and imagined like all of the lines were from a Garten of Banban game and spoken in the character's monotone voices. if the line felt like it could fit a little too well in the Garten of Banban world, i considered editing it. but if i started thinking "oh shit this is pretty good for a Garten of Banban game" i knew it was fine. do you understand what i was alluding to when i said my writing process is a bit all over the place

in conclusion. writing hard

[vanossfan10]

RWBY: Jaune Arc Mandalorian AU: Jaune’s Starfighter

**During the last Two Years at Beacon, Jaune and his friends all got along he managed to have a very loving relationship with Yang and the two Teams became power houses after their first year, but on one night they played Truth or Dare Jaune Revealed in a Truth he has a Starfighter to help him go earn some cash from bounties in space given to him by his Bounty Hunter Mentor; Boba Fett.**

(Night of the ToD game night)

Ruby: BULLSHIT! I call BULL!! SHIT!!

Yang: Ruby! Language! I’m sure Jaune is just joking

Jaune: who said I was?

Yang:…huh?!….

Teams RWBY & (J)NPR: ………EEEEHHHH!?!?!……

They all yelled in shock and saw that he wasn’t joking at all.

**The very next morning he took Team RWBY and his own team down to Ozpin private landing bay for Beacon where bullhead ships were kept, they all soon saw a ship that was covered in a large grey tarp and once they walked over to it Jaune grabbed the tarp and revealed his Starfighter.**

Ruby:…oh wow…(eyes shine and she begins to drool)…

Weiss: mhm this is quite a spectacle~

Blake: I mean I’ve read these in science fiction books but never thought I’d see one in person

Yang: that’s fucking hot babe~💕

Pyrrha: Jaune you always continue to surprise us

Nora: I WANNA RIDE IT! I WANNA RIDE IT! I WANNA RIDE IT! AND I WANNA BLOW STUFF UP WITH IT!!!

Ren: Nora No! (He said trying to hold her back)

Nora: NORA YES!!

Jaune: I’ll think about it Nora, anyway this is my Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor, years ago it was originally made for a old warrior race of people known as Jedi but they all went extinct and are only a few left in the Galaxy, as from what my mentor told me when he got this for me

Blake: your mentor got you this?

Jaune: yeah it was a gift after I completed my training, but despite it all I wear his family crest on it to show my thanks to him and to honor my mentor

**Suddenly Weiss interrupted**

Weiss: if that’s so, what’s this art piece supposed to indicate mhm~

**she said in a teasing tone as they all looked at the side of Jaune’s Starfighter wing and saw a pin up spray paint art piece of Yang**

**everyone looked at the pin up with blushes, some covered their mouths and some looked at Jaune with a cheeky smirk, but Yang mostly was looking at it in embarrassment but also a little bit happy on the inside seeing Jaune still thinking of her when he’s away**

Yang: J-Jaune WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?!

Jaune: now Yang come on I can explain

Nora: so fearless leader got a sexy mascot to show off to the galaxy huh

Jaune: NORA!

Pyrrha: my goodness Jaune I didn’t think you’d do that and by yangs reaction you didn’t even get her permission, how deviant of you

Jaune: Pyrrha it’s not what y-

Yang: how could you Jaune! (She said blushing harder)

Jaune: Yang please it is just a pi

Yang: how could you get my Signature Wrong!!

RWB(Y) & JNPR:…….Huh???

**they all said in confusion**

Yang: if you wanted me to be your pin up you should have had me sign it!

Jaune:…..umm…ok I’m sorry?….I guess?

Yang: good but I’ll forgive you under one condition

Jaune: what?

Yang: if you take me for a ride in it first before everyone else

**she said tapping her fingers together and making a pouty face along while doing it**

Jaune: (Giggles) sure thing babe

**he said as he pulls her in for a kiss and her soon accepted his apology from the kiss and his promise**

Nora: can I blow up a Cabbage Stand with it now!

Ren: why a Cabbage Stand?!

Blake: you really wanna ask her that question Ren?

Nora: Well my beautiful Ren Ren, it’s because in every universe there is a Cabbage man who yells “No! My Cabbages!!” It’s a universal thing Ren Ren~💕

Ren: What?

Nora: I WANNA BLOW SHIT UP!!

Ruby: ME TOO!! I WANNA BLOW SHIT UP!!

Ren: NORA NO!!!

Yang: RUBY LANGUAGE!!

Fin

[poespetraven]

Here's what I'm using as my pfp and my banner/background-image/pictury-thingy-at-the-top-of-a-blog/whatever-it's-called! I made them both on a website called pixilart.

I made the banner about 3 years ago. Pixil art won’t give me an exact date, it literally just says “about 3 years ago”. I remember being really proud of it then, it was actually kinda the first drawing I made that I was proud of! I’m not sure if I still feel that way about it now, there is definitely a lot I would change about it but I have very very very few finished art pieces that have some semblance of detail to them and this one still kinda carries the feeling of a good memory to me! I had called it Raven of the Summer Night (wow so dramatic!) I want to redo this one day when I’m a little better cause I had a lot of fun making it!

I finished the profile picture on August 29th, I think? (Pixil art is just saying it’s from 30 days ago lol). Part of the reason why I didn’t post anything on Tumblr for so long was because I wanted my first post to be a more detailed drawing of me (or more so my sona I guess) that I would use as my pfp but I never finished any of my attempts and over time I kept trying to make them more and more simple but I STILL never finished them and then when I finally decided I would just go like REALLY simple I STILL struggled with it cause like HOW DO U MAKE SIMPLE DRAWING WITH SMALL NUMBER OF LITTLE SQUARES? (Guys, you know how artists are like “try not to overthink it” and “don’t get caught up over little details”? HOW? HOW DO I NOT OVERTHINK IT? I would literally get caught up over the placement of like 1 or 2 pixels CONSTANTLY! WHY DID THIS LITTLE SIMPLE DRAWING TAKE ME SO FREAKING LONG?!?!) Anyways, we ended up with this little gremlin thing. She passes the vibe check. She’s giving the right energy. She has noodle arms. She often forgets that hairbrushes exist. She’s here to spread positivity or, at the very least, attempt to do something like that. Sometimes she even forms a thought! Only sometimes tho. She lied on her resume, btw, she’s not actually a raven. Please still hire her, she really wants to see Edgar Allan Poe live. (Nobody tell her he’s dead, please).

[the-anime-man]

What if Sig got to the Tome of Sealing first? AKA Tomo AU

hi again tumblr, please dont expect a whole lot from this blog, once again, but, i wanted to post like a little basic thing about this au i've had since 2021 now that i'm back into puyo again,

this is an au that Heavily relies on bits of fanon and headcanon to make it work cuz canon is puyo puyo is very fucking wishy washy but essentially, what if sig had checked out the tome of sealing from the library before klug was able to? (sorry if this is a bit scatterbrained, im not good at organizing my thoughts much,,)

(also please dont mind some of the art, im like an ok artist at best and some of this shit is from 2 years ago as well)

so like, as the absolute fucking nerd i am, i made like an initial google doc on this thing outlining most of the shit im about to summarize here (that i might link if someone asks at some point i guess idk) as well as a fanfic, didnt finish that though, i got like through barely a chapter before i stopped and then i got into sam and max but that's unrelated to now

ANYWAYS, the au is as it sounds, sig goes to precise museum and, guided by the voice of the crimson soul, finds the tome of sealing and checks it out (much to akuma's chargin,,) and then he checks out the book again,,, and again,,,, and a gain,,,, (you see where this is going)

but uh, why is it called tomo au? see im being a little shitter here and i thought maybe the crimson soul's memory would be a little shot after spending ages in a book so they might not remember their name and sig is like "you're my friend now so i'm gonna call you friend/tomodachi" but then he's like "that's too long i'm gonna call you tomo instead" so they just go along with it, for future reference, anytime i mention the crimson soul i'm gonna be calling it Tomo

wow that's really fucking big sorry,

sig has an immense attachment to tomo from the get go btw, he's like, i wanna say like 8 or so when he first gets to the book, so besides the obvious literal halvsies soul connection there's that childhood connection as well,

side note: they can speak to each other cuz of that soul connection btw, it's my personal headcanon that after slug (canon strange klug/the crimson soul) can speak to anybody who they've possessed before as well as their other half, so in canon klug and sig can hear the book talk but in this au only sig can hear them

also, the reason why tomo doesn't attempt to take over sig right from the outset is A) they dunno where the unsealing objects are and B) sig is a child and uh, another part that i'm still trying to work the kinks through of is whether tomo decides to hold off on doing the fusion dance of their own volition or if because the cyan soul (which can speak to tomo, but only when sig is asleep cuz when sig is awake the cyan soul IS sig, nother headcanon sorry) decides it's too soon, they probably have memories of previous incarnations stored in there and know that eventually sig will start showing more demonic traits but not when he's baby

wow this is getting to be a lot but we're not even done cuz now i gotta talk about what this means about shit like fever 2 and such (y'know canon things and all)

boy tumblr just hates making images smaller nowadays huh,

so when sig starts showing signs of his heritage (i.e., a bit before fever 2 happens) tomo and sig start to hatch a plan to get tomo a body back! of course, tomo is omitting some things about how they're actually going to go into sig's body cuz at this point they've been together for a few years now and sig trusts tomo as like, a best friend i guess? something like that,

so sig is under the impression tomo is gonna be released and get their old body back and tomo is under the impression that as soon as the seal releases they'll enter sig's body, join back up with the cyan soul, and return to their original form,

so sig transfers over to amitie and klug's class, (tomo) overhears that lemres is coming into town with the items they need, and they steal the shit and head to the ruins to perform the unsealing

SPOILERS! shit goes wrong

ignore how shitty the ms paint art from a couple of years ago is, might change the hair to be more red in future art

for reasons (that i also need to workshop because to be honest originally it was a "whoever unseals it gets their soul swapped with whoever is trapped in the book" but like??? idk if that's how it should work when it comes to these two specifically), sig and tomo swap places instead of a fusion happening,

sucks balls for both of them cuz this is like the Last thing either of them wanted out of this tbh, sig obviously because well, trust got broken and ended up trapped til the artifacts are stolen (klug either swaps roles with amitie or sig, haven't figured that one out yet either) and tomo most certainly doesn't want sig trapped, as they wouldn't want anyone to experience the loneliness of being sealed away like they were (except klug, fuck klug specifically) (also the chronicles drama cd mentions that part of tomo's character in it so it works for my purposes)

this image wasn't necessarily specific to tomo au but i thought it would fit anyways, sorry it's a bit blurry my phone wouldnt focus on the damn thing properly

and after fever 2,,, i kind of dont have as clear of a story? or a plan? there's some tension between sig and tomo for at least a little while but sig eventually forgives them, as well i don't know how i would tackle something like sig's secret if at all?? but yeah that's the main shit to this au, sorry it's all so very long! this has been on my mind for a few weeks now and it was on my mind for months back in 2021, so i just have a lot i'm throwing out here into the wind, if you got this far: thanks so much for reading!

here's some bonus shit for getting to the end of the main shit:

tomo calls sig "little blue" sometimes, since he's yknow, younger than them and blue but calls the cyan soul their "other half"

if you couldn't tell from the first image, since sig has his bookbag, he carries tomo around in that, but if he's stopped somewhere he'll leave the book open next to him so tomo can see around (hard to see with the covers in the way)

sig was already probably ostricized for yknow, his autistic tendencies, the book did not help with that, but it gave him a trusted confidant :)

sig actually starts developing his demonic traits earlier than in canon due to his proximity to tomo, but not by much

klug has stolen the book before, both demon halves were not pleased with this and klug has not attempted to steal the book again

sig can supplement his own magic power with tomo's for an incredibly large boost, and tomo doesn't mind doing so, this gives sig almost the exact same amount of power as the full demon used to have and also changes his right eye to red

OH, both relevant to this au and my own interpretation: the full demon's name was wisteria, but neither sig nor tomo remember it until either are reminded of that

ok that's it go home now bye bye

[no1frogfan]

Endings and beginnings, part 1

Tsukishima Kei x gn reader

Series synopsis: By all accounts, you’re happy. Five years out of college, your freelance art career is finally picking up and you’re able live comfortably between projects by bartending on the weekends. You’re surrounded by long-time friends and things are starting to get serious with your boyfriend. The cracks begin to form in the life you’re building when you hear from a mutual friend that Tsukishima is getting divorced. Tsukishima Kei, a person you used to consider one of your best friends, but whom you’ve spoken to only a handful of times since high school. You reach out to him for the first time in almost a decade, offering support to a friend you were once close to. As you gradually help him heal from his marriage, your old crush on him begins to resurface.

Chapter word count: ~1.2k

Chapter tags & warnings: mention of divorce and emotionally abusive relationship, alcohol (tiny bit)

Series masterlist part 2 >

1. The end

One minute, you’re chatting with Emika about her recent vacation to Seoul. It was freezing, she said, but the colors of Gyeongbokgung looked particularly vibrant underneath a thin blanket of snow, and Gwanghwamun was especially imposing towering over the silent white plaza. Knowing Emika though, you know she had one goal and one goal only: to eat her way around the city. She stuffed her face with gimbap and soondae, reveled in spicy tteokbokki and savory jjigae, and made a concerted effort to sample some of the dozens of different varieties of kimchi.

“You have to come with me next time,” she urges, “Seiji was such a drag.” You bite your tongue. It’s well-known that her fiance is a picky eater, so it’s no surprise to anyone (except Emika, apparently) that he wasn’t as enthusiastic about all the foods she wanted to try. “We should go in the summer next time! I want to sample all the different summer dishes!” Your mouth waters as you conjure up images of naengmyeon and gejang and you squeal in anticipation. The conversation drifts from Seoul, to food, to other developments in your lives, to Emika - the more social of the two of you by a long shot - updating you on your mutual friends.

“Wow, so Tsukishima got new job in Tokyo? Does that mean Natsumi is moving here with him too?”

“Wait, did I not tell you? They’re separated… I think they might be getting divorced soon.”

One minute, you’re lazily splayed out in a sunbeam on your couch, and the next minute you’re sitting bolt upright, eyes wide in shock.

“What? Oh my god. WHAT?! When?!”

Emika pauses to think. “I guess it’s been 3 or 4 months now, although the relationship has apparently been on the rocks for a long time.” She hesitates before continuing in a whisper, “He got a little too drunk at Tetsuya’s wedding a few months ago and spilled to me. I guess he’d been trying to work on their marriage for a while and then one day she just up and left. It was a huge shock to learn about what had been going on too… You only met her once, right?”

“I think so?”

“I met her a few times at parties and weddings and things like that. She seemed nice enough, but he confided that in private she was always putting him down, telling him he was selfish, clingy, incompetent, and how she didn’t want to bring him to her work parties because he’d just drag her down…”

“Seriously?! What the fuck!” You’re on your feet now. “Tsukishima’s not any of those things! He might be a sarcastic little shit, but that’s about it…”

That earns a dubious huff from Emika. “Hasn’t it been like 10 years since you’ve been close with him?”

You falter a little. Has it really been that long? When was the last time you even spoke to him? Probably at a party at Emika’s years ago actually. You hadn’t known about Natsumi at all until you met her briefly at a mutual friend’s wedding shortly after college, and at that point they were already engaged. You didn’t find out about their wedding until Yamaguchi posted about it on Instagram.

“That’s true…but I hear about him all the time from you and from our volleyball friends. I’m sure if everyone else is friends with him still then he’s just as nice as I remember.”

The line is quiet for a minute. “Hey, do you have his number by any chance? I feel like I should reach out.”

“Yea I do, but do not tell him I said anything about Natsumi!”

“Oh my god, Emika! I would never do that! I’ll just tell him you mentioned his new job to me.”

The conversation drifts again to Emika’s current office drama, though you’re only half paying attention.

She texts you right away after the two of you get off the phone. Here’s his number! Same one from hs

You type out and erase probably a dozen different texts. You and Tsukishima were close in middle and high school - the two of you and Yamaguchi were basically inseparable. You still talk to Yamaguchi pretty regularly, but you can count on one hand the number of times you’ve interacted with Tsukishima since graduation. It’s not like there was any big fight, at least, not that you remember. It’s more that you naturally grew apart, and being at different colleges didn't help. But this is a difficult time in his life and you want to be there for him. The fond memories of your friendship unearthed an odd sense of protectiveness you didn’t know you had.

You finally settle on something neutral. Hey Tsukishima! Long time no chat! I was just talking to Emika and heard you’re moving down here for a new job. Congrats! You second guess yourself as soon as you hit send. Is it too obvious? Does he even want to hear from you?

Pushing that thought away, you take a sip of wine and start washing vegetables for dinner. Maybe he’ll respond in a few hours.

Not even a minute later, the phone pings and you rush to dry your hands.

Tsukishima: Good to hear from you. Yes, I’m moving to Tokyo. They’re starting a youth paleontology program at the National Museum of Nature and Science and asked me to manage it

Just like Tsukishima, you’ve never changed your number. So you shouldn’t be surprised that he knows it’s you, but you’re touched all the same to still be saved in his contacts.

You: Oh wow, that sounds like a huge deal! What are you going to be doing mostly?

T: They want me to build the program from scratch, design the exhibits, set up activities, stuff like that

Y: Cool! Is it long-term or just for this project? Am I asking too many questions?

T: You are being kind of annoying 😩

T: Kidding. I’ll be there long-term. After setting up the program, they want me to manage the hiring and training, and then there are some other exhibits they want to build up alongside this one

Y: 🙄 🖕

Y: Well it sounds exciting! I hope you enjoy it! I’m sure you have friends and colleagues who are helping you already with the move and stuff, but a good friend of mine works at that museum. I’m sure he’d be happy to chat if you have any questions about it

T: Thanks. I’m still getting my bearings on the whole thing tbh, but I’d love to talk to him

Y: Ofc! I’m sure he’ll be ok with it, but let me just check with him before I give you his number

After a few minutes, you get the green light and send Tsukishima your friend’s number. Even if he doesn’t have any questions now, issues with museum administrators and other day-to-day things will surely crop up once he starts working there, so it won’t hurt to already have an acquaintance to show you the ropes.

A satisfied grin spreads across your face. The wine must be working quickly on your empty stomach because you feel downright giddy as you go back to making dinner.

[pillowspace]

Hello...i love your art i am a writer who doesnt feel like i can draw i saw the post asking how writers write and i havr to say

Dont force it let the ideas flow when insparation strikes and practice im really shy when it comes to people i find more talented then i am

Right now my insparation is whatvi go through in my life.... and my comfort character are sun and moon

I write about things that actualy happend and then add their reactions like... the latest chapter Y/N was over stimulated because of all the noise level in the house and broke down in the kitchen covering their ears crying sun help by placeing his hands over theirs to help muffle more noise

So in short write with emotions and if u cant tell what emotion ur feeling or if ur stuck....its not time to write

Oh yeah!! Sometimes I write down dialogue when I'm not in the mood to write, then when the mood strikes, I look back on the dislogue like, "wow, I can do so much better now than whatever that was."

Sometimes the best product comes from your best state

That thing you described reminds me of something I drew a year ago actually. I get a little shy looking at it, and I could probably draw it better now, but I did draw it while being severely overwhelmed by noise

[f1shart]

i hope the end of school went well for you! ✨

so its been a while.... 👉👈 you would think "oh its summer so he has more time to post!" yeah off to a great start man

the rundown: 2 weeks ago (since thats when yaknow school ended) we had a little ceremony. fun times. im thinking "wow this summers gonna be great i got a whole plan of what i wanna do and draw and" NOPE. wake up the next day SNEEZING AND COUGHING so i get flashbacks to a year back when i had some virus and was coughing for a whole month straight then i relapsed(?) some months after so i'm thinking thats gonna happen this time too and that my whole pride month is now in SHAMBLES my summer in SHAMBLES and i'm not gonna be able to post anything and im in SHAMBLES-

but it turns out i'm fine. it was a common cold and i just recovered from it so i was freaking out over fucking nothing 💀 this means i'm back!! thank you for thinking of me anon you sweetheart *smooches you*

also guys im cooking ok i'll post art soon 🙏🙏 love ya and happy pride

[thatguywiththetumb1er]

So Super Mario Bros. Wonder is out and it’s great. But I specifically want to call out something about it’s approach to animation, because yes Wonder looks better than the New series but it’s important to acknowledge WHY.

This video, without words, does SO MUCH to demonstrate the difference between Wonder’s philosophy and the New series philosophy. And it's something I'll be discussing more... AFTER THE BREAK!

I think something that gets lost in the discussion about the NSMB series is how the series evolved graphically, because it’s easy to look at the difference between U over a decade ago (or U Deluxe just shy of 5 years ago) and Wonder and wonder (heh) just what was going on with U.

The answer is that for 5 years U represented the culmination of a different kind of graphical journey, one that I was there for and remember noticing even at the time. And look, YES the NSMB games are generic but let’s table that for a second and go on a bit of a journey here.

NSMB DS came at a time where having a 3D game on a handheld was a BIG DEAL, and NSMB reflects that in more ways than one. Because while the promo art looks like THIS:

The actual game looks more like THIS:

If you go back and play NSMB today the thing that’s going to surprise you is just HOW LITTLE 3D is in it. Yes Mario is 3D and most of the enemies are too but the blocks you bash, the Koopa shells you kick, the power ups you collect and the backgrounds you run through are NOT. They’re all rendered as 2D sprites to help the game run smoothly on the DS.

Why do I point this out? Because it’s indicative of the New series’s approach to 3D. The sheer act of being in 3D is a spectacle, having a 3D rendered Mario is a graphical trick so cool that the first game has to invent its own hybrid art style to show it off.

Now let’s flash forward to Wii:

Immediately we’re looking at a big shift, we’ve still got a hybrid art style but one that looks much more cohesive.. This game is a much more significant graphical leap, it LOOKS in gameplay like the first game’s promo material! And this trend would be continued by 2 which upped the saturation in its art style (2 is both my favorite game in the New series and my favorite pre-Wonder 2D Mario (no really) and I usually hate that it gets the shaft but that's a discussion for another time unfortunately). Now jump ahead to U:

Nintendo's first game on an HD console, U was considered U-niversally (heh) underwhelming by graphical standards but for my money I think U still had a distinct graphical goal: to create environments that were U-nique (heh) to the previous games. NSMB is famous for using the same world themes in every game, but U takes them, polishes them up, and gives them a bit of personality to help stand on their own. From the moai and dessert motifs of layer cake desert to the mushroom trees of acorn plains to the night skies and auroras of frosted glacier. YES its the same themes but they have a bit more pop this time and that's intentional. What HASN'T changed is the approach to animation, and this is where we circle back to Wonder. The "Wow" factor of these games is still that it uses 3D models, so it doesn't focus on HOW it uses models as much or how those models look in 3D space. Go watch the video again and what stands out is how... for lack of a better term... utilitarian the U animations are. The Wonder animations are all peppered with bits of personality but the U animations are all focused on just manipulating the models, because the 3D models are the (theoretical) draw.

Moreover, look how the models are constructed. U Mario faces forward as if he is in a 3D space, while the Mario Wonder model is built to more closely resemble the Super Mario World sprites. If you look at the Mario Wonder model closely it doesn't totally make sense, Mario is tilted at a diagonal angle at almost all times, why? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT LOOKS BETTER IN 2D. The U model is technically what looking at Mario from a side on perspective would be, but the Wonder model brings in elements of 2D animation to create something more visibly appealing. Honestly that's basically the MO of Wonder's graphical style, ignore realism and create visuals that LOOK GOOD with the perspective of the game. It's one of the reason that I find it so strange for the game to use the standard character models in the promo material:

Compared to how they look in game:

But that's just my thoughts. I'd be interested to hear what more seasoned artists think as well! And thanks for tuning in to this tangent haha.

[b1gwings]

15 Questions for 15* people

haiii i got tagged by @babacontainsmultitudes & @oakay :3 thx for tagging me this is fun !1!!

1. are you named after anyone? I named myself after Clay from the Wings of Fire book series :) I started going by Clay a little over three years ago, I think? When I was thinking about changing my name, I knew I wanted it to be after a character that was really important to me, and Clay checked all the boxes. I think he was the first character I ever looked at for real and went "wow he is so me" LMAO. he's also where my username comes from, too...

2. when was the last time you cried? i want to say it was listening to dndads or taz but i think the real answer is in the middle of finals week after an INCREDIBLY cathartic phone call with my mom

3. do you have kids? no and I don't think I ever want to LMAO

4. what sports do you/have you played? i don't play any sports right now. i played soccer when i was, like, five years old but i HATED it

5. do you use sarcasm? yes but in an autistic way. where allistic people think im being serious and other autistic people know im joking and then they respond to build on the bit and then i can't tell if they're still doing the bit or not. you know

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people? IDK AUGHHGH. i think how someone's hair looks?? if they're wearing any cool jewelry??? im so bad at being aware when im meeting people LMAO

7. what’s your eye color? green-ish grey :]

8. scary movies or happy endings? i don't think these things are opposites but I think happy endings for sure. those little dudes have already gone through so much :( let them ride off into the sunset and live the rest of their lives in peace :(

9. any talents? idk lol ? i consider "talents" to be stuff that you're naturally good at, versus "skills" being things you actually put time into improving or whatever. i'm naturally good at sliding my joints around (sarcasm) and i can do funny voices sometimes (real)

10. where were you born? the swamp (florida, usa)

11. what are your hobbies? drawing, writing, and d&d i think are the main ones right now :] i've been drawing a lot more recently and not feeling super exhausted about it, which has been lovely!!

12. do you have any pets? YES!!! A WONDERFUL LITTLE DOG... her name is Buffy & she's a rescue so we don' tknow what kind of dog she is but she LOOKS like she could be some kind of rat terrier mix ? i love her with my whole entire heart. she's my best friend. lmk if u want me to send u pics of her :3

13. how tall are you? i don't even know. 5'6" i think? im taller than my mom who is 5'4" and shorter than my friend who is 5'8" so we'll go with that

14. favorite subject in school? in high school, art class was my favorite. I adored my teacher; he was the best ever. but i was MISERABLE when i took an art class in my first semester of college. im a creative writing major now, so probably that idk. history & social studies n that kind of stuff has always been super interesting to me, too

15. what is your dream job? i would LOVE to eventually be in some kind of writers' room one day. playing & running D&D games has opened my eyes to just how much I adore storytelling with collaborative aspects. being able to just...make something with other writers...building off of each others' ideas...getting excited about it together... it feels so magical to me.

*anyway i think i have to tag 15 ppl now but idk if i know 15 ppl so im just going to tag as many as i can think of (literally no pressure if u don't wanna do this lol)

@itsbrucey @maxwellamus @flowercrowns-n-punks @kronoose @meteortrails @thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls @simonsnow-irl @lemonofthevalley @iersei @raemeh @phillycheesesteakcore @officialgleamstar

[beloved-cat-gremlin]

Oh what's this? I'm posting original art for once?

Wow a rare sight indeed.

This is a remake of an old OC of mine.

More in depth talk about them and the original design below the cut.

Lyr, this OC of mine, originally looked like this.

Or well, their second version at least. This was their first redesign from an even older version that I had created about 2 or 3 years ago.

I was mostly happy with this version of Lyr but as I grew older it really bothered me how basic their design looked. There was just nothing going on. So I decided to completely remake their design.

As for some general info on all three versions:

The first design for Lyr was even more basic with a simple plain dress with no designs and one color. They did however have dual colored hair. Lyr's very first design was inspired by a few character designs from the Wind Waker. Especially with their staff wich was very much just the Wind Waker itself, really :P

Lyr's second design was mostly inspired by Nahyuta from the Ace Attorney series. Very obvious in the colors and the weird floaty thing. Still kept the elf ear aspect which I took over from their first Zelda inspired design. This was the version I stuck with for most of the time. Up until now.

"Lyr's" newest design is, as it's very obvious, inspired by unicorns. Specifically the Last Unicorn. My older sister and I talked about the movie again because it is really important to me from my childhood. Which of course struck inspiration and so I created this new design. (I know the patterns on the clothes don't aligned perfectly with the way the dress flows, but I was too far in to change it).

The reason I keep putting "Lyr's" name in quotes now is because the name doesn't suit them no longer. I've been thinking about a new name but I haven't found one yet. Might take a little longer until I find something fitting for them now.

[tharizdun-03]

Arcane Watchthrough

Episode 1: Welcome to the Playground

EP 1 was very good! It's not an unusual premise, but it's the execution that really stands out here. Aesthetically, it's wonderful, very stylized, strong artwork, and lots of small character acting. I see it setting up plenty thematics and character stuff too. Impressed.

I'll say tho, it's a fair criticism towards Powder. I'm all about making people feel included and realizing their full potential, but if she screws things up every time during your missions, maybe don't bring her with you? Or at least give her a lesser role, like keeping watch.

Probably my favourite little moment from the episode tbh, got a laugh out of me. Very expressive. I like Vi.

Episode 2: Some Mysteries Are Better Left Unsolved

Arcane keeps up the solid work with EP 2!

Episode 3: The Base Violence Necessary for Change

That was SO GOOD.

Episode 4: Happy Progress Day!

Ooh, timeskip. Jinx, huh. Wow, her guilt of having accidentally killed everyone, and the trauma from Vi "betraying" her, has messed her up so much, and Silco makes her actually feel important, as her little inventions finally succeed, for example.

It makes sense, basically, that she's the way she is now. The janky flashbacks are great, with Jinx's demonification of her past and the people in it, being literally represented in the visuals, painting over her memories, to cope with the past.

Just also taking the opportunity to gush about how good the show looks. Background art, for example, beautiful.

Episode 5: Everybody Wants to Be My Enemy

What stood out to me about Arcane's 5th episode the most was the directing! The overall storyboarding, imagery, and editing, were all significantly better in this episode (and it was already fantastic). Wonder if there's a specific reason in staff for this. Best episode so far.

I think you really notice the storyboarding right from the get-go, I thought this perspective was really cool, for example.

I like her voice a lot.

Silco got the drip.

Cool transition.

Look at that. 

As this is the same place she used to practice, this is probably a reference to that shooting practice? I'm thinking beyond the point of the scene just showing how different she is now. Would've been cool if the practice targets were like fake tree birds or something. 

Just top-notch editing for this scene, and the fact that Jinx still can't beat Vi's score, one she did years ago, when she was her age, just feeds into Jinx's insecurities even further.

Sick transition (also love the 2D effects work).

First of all, very cool with the horn built into the violin, but just a fantastic scene overall. The violin is my favourite instrument, you know, so any scene is elevated with violin music. Also, sick stage work, I'd attend that.

Very abstract presentation for the sex scene, keeping it tasteful and also allowing them to tie it into Victor fainting in some visually interesting ways.

Another sick transition from the previous scene.

I wasn't sure if Jinx and Silco's relationship was paternal or romantic, and I think it was intentionally ambiguous but to what purpose other than to keep us guessing I don't know, but I know now that it's paternal. Baptism-like scene here, to get rid of "Powder."

I think these are the band members for Imagine Dragons? If so, that is very cool. Also, playing the opening in an episode is always awesome.

Look at how the camera turns 90 degrees here as she throws Vi to the ground, that's so cool.

Lots of character and story goodies too, it's just fairly straight-forward so I don't have too much to comment on that, but it's all fantastic, and it's a bummer I only really have time for the series on Sundays (as I'm watching with my Dad) cause I'm loving it.

Episode 6: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down

Oh God, I'm gonna cry.

Episode 7: The Boy Savior

Holy shit

Episode 8: Oil and Water

This show is so good. I'm consistently impressed by how every single character is given relevance and focus, always contributing to the bigger picture. EP 8 managed to do so much for all of them.

Vi and Caitlyn goodness, Viktor finally outrunning the boat, some continuingly appreciated Medarda characterization, haunting hallucination scene with Jinx, Jayce having to make increasingly more difficult choices, Heimerdinger still being active, etc.

The fight scene had me giddy as fuck, and for some reason made me tear up a bit (cause it's just that awesome I guess lol), and it ofc being intentionally set up as really fucking cool so they could bring us right back down to face the actual real life consequences too.

Episode 9: The Monster You Created

Wow. What a finale. The whole dinner set-piece was such a brilliant idea for the climax that when I first realized it was happening I cursed myself for not realizing how perfect this would be. Honestly tho, this episode did the most for Silco imo.

“Don’t cry. You’re perfect.” 

There's so much to unpack here. Of course, on an obvious level, Silco chose his daughter over his dream. He is the only one that completely sees Jinx, all of her, and loves her unconditionally, and accepts her for everything.

Vi, of course, loves Powder too, but it's not "open and unconditional" in the same way as it is with Silco. She screams at Jinx to remember her past, in order to force Powder to reawaken, but that just makes her paranoia and hallucinations worse.

Silco shoots at Vi, not just so Powder won't awaken and he can get what he wants, but also because he knows that this hurts Jinx and genuinely empathizes with her, with that pain, and realizes Vi is hurting her, by doing this, and by being at all, and he intends to protect her.

Silco accepts Jinx, mental issues and all, doesn't even blame her for killing him, and tells her that she doesn't need to change, which seals Jinx's decision to stay as Jinx. After all, she's already perfect.

The best part tho, is that Silco's love isn't just open and unconditional, it's still rooted in selfishness as well. He genuinely loves her as a daughter, and empathizes with her, as he sees himself in her, but she also embodies what he loves about the undercity.

Silco chose both Zaun AND Jinx. He doesn't want a Zaun that has to deal with Piltover, he knows that won't work out. He loves the chaos in the undercity, that brings out the monsters within the people, I mean, under his rule, the undercity got worse, and intentionally so.

By choosing Jinx, he not only chooses his daughter (and still allows her to choose who she should be), but he chooses the idea of Zaun that he wants to preserve, that chaos, that city that forces people to rise and grow powerful through conflict, which Jinx embodies and fulfills.

This really ties into why Silco chose to take Jinx in which should seem a bit out of character but in combination with empathizing with her being betrayed as he once was, he also sees Zaun as he envisions it within her and how she embodies that idea more than anyone else.

It just, it would've been so easy to fall into the trap of making him get attached to this child for no real strong reason, but Jinx explicitly ties into his fundamental principles of being, so his actions stay totally in character and only richen him further.

Of course, I'm not trying to glorify Jinx's and Silco's relationship at all. It may have been open and loving, but that isn't enough to properly raise a child. 

Man, that you're perfect scene tho, I've rewatched it multiple times, and I tear up every time lol. Of course, this episode did wonders for the other characters as well, with that wonderful callback as Jayce stops Viktor from suicide this time, for example. Just fantastic all around. Very excited to see what season 2 has in store.

Overall Thoughts:

Arcane was so good I genuinely can't come up with a single flaw or anything I would've changed lol. Wonderfully written story just elevated tenfold by some of the best presentation ever. Silco is an all-time favourite antagonist but top-notch cast overall. Unmatched insert songs.

[star-firework]

wow, i watched a clip of paramore's song for twilight and it oddly threw me into nostalgia memory mode

i was in 7th grade and i remember hearing all the girls in my class talk about twilight and so i decided to pick up a book

but it was new moon and only once was i half way into it i realized "hey this might be the 2nd book...............and why i dont know whats happening" or i figured i could assume, idk

i still really liked it and so i picked up the first book

oh FUCK i was HOOKED, i would wake up at 4 am before school just to read!!!!!! I also had just discovered nico nico douga and so i would play the medley songs and read fjdsklfjsl

i mentioned i would wake up to read and teachers thought i was a smart kid finally but little did they know i was just reading twilight

then i would search fanart or anything i could to get visuals since the movie was only announced and no previews released

i found stephenie meyers blog and would read whatever i could, later on I remember she had the rough draft of the only just released edward book?? I remember reading it in 2007!!! so crazy!! its like food fight (2012)

once the trailer was released, i was a bit disappointed in how they looked, much diff than how i imagined, especially jacob!!!!! idk, i thought jacob in the first movie had such a distracting wig on so i didnt like his design LOL the later movies i was like hell YES

i was a jacob girl and my mom became a edward girl after the movies

i got the first round of twilight shirt merch with alice on it and a thin ass jacket with twilight on the back. alice's hair was becoming popular and i really wanted it too. I think I ended up getting her cut but obviously her hair is styled so my hair instead just looked like an avon lotion MLM sales lady...

The next few movies my mom was actually the one who would get us midnight screening tickets with her friend. i didnt even have to ask LOL! she was so into it, such a phenomenon

afterwards we would hit the kind-of-waffle-house and try to get sleep before school. For some reason couldnt miss it even tho we were out til 2 or 3 am lol

those years were such a rough, terrible, traumatic time in my life but the obsessions and internet roaming was some of the best times and memories.

i was also into gaia and would love walking around on the world, seeing cake-kun frozen on the waterfountain in the town square, and try to make friends and get a cool avi outfit

i remember someone named super? saia neko chan or something, i always thought of the shipping company, SAIA, and now I work w receiving from SAIA LOL, not a coincidence but a funny thought

iscribble.net was also around, i would DREAM, LITERALLY DREAM, of getting the full permission of all the tools once i drew enough or something like that. I was obsessed and would also wake up at 3-4 am just to draw. I wish wish WISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had screen recorded the loading screen of my oldest draw room, "epic girls only"

we made an effort to never clear the board and let it have a history, an archive of our art. it would take foreeeeeeeeeevvvvverrrrrr but it was always so fun to watch our art over the years flash by and be erased and redrawn. there really wont be a time like that again i think, same with pretty much all the early internet era stuff like first era of youtube, tumblr, and twitter. they were just soooo different. tumblr wasnt callouty. youtube would let you edit the design of your channel like myspace and it was the best, the comments i would interact w were also different. I am now having kids today talk to my comments i made at their age on the same videos!??@?@?@ thats so crazy

a my melody opening video i commented on in 2007 or something is still up and so just a few months ago, young kids replied to the comment asking if i still am alive or old loooooooooooool so cool!!!!

interacting w the past and future in one