#the designs will probably change slightly next time I draw them

[wovenvessel]

Brookie and Jen <33

This is such a messy doodle but I wanna get my ideas out of my head

[the-ancient-dragons]

EXTRA OVERCOMPLICATED ICEWIIIIINGS

You know how it goes, Joy Ang is cool and I'm not yadda yadda move on.

Details and explanation below!

Otherwise, next week is the last Pyrrhian tribe: NightWings!!!! See you then!

More overcomplicated dragons.

If the RainWings are the design that destroys Joy's work the least, this one takes the original IceWings and tosses them out the window. Going into this design I knew it would be hard, but boy was I unprepared to get art block for 2 months because of it.

I eventually found my inspiration in the girdled, spiny, and horned lizards, They. Are. So. Freaking cool. If you think a crocodile skink is awesome, look up girdled lizards. Not as fancy with the eyeliner but they are SPIKY!

I fell in love in particular with the giant girdled lizard. I knew I wanted the scales of the IceWing to look rough and like they were made of actual ice or diamonds - or covered in frozen sleet and snow - and this lizard was basically perfect inspo for that. Also, blue spiny lizards. They are basically real life IceWings, full stop.

But even though I had perfect references to draw from, I still struggled with the head shape. I wanted them to feel like a reptilian polar bear, which is why I slightly blunted it, but I think I should have gone with a more angular shape instead. I can always change it later when I do their full-body.

I did have a very fun time with the horns, however. I wanted them to be a mix of narwhal teeth and icicles (yes, narwhal 'horns' are actually overgrown teeth. One tooth, usually, but sometimes they can have two!!). Before I get distracted I should explain how they grow: the scales at the base of the horn are constantly growing and essentially create the horn. That's what gives them their narwhal-like spirals.

I chose a similar approach to the neck spikes (untangling that mess was fun, let me tell you. Grids are very useful when doing many scales/spikes). At the base of each one you'll notice a scale forming it. On the back, I wanted to give a good side profile of the spikes. Technically, they are ever-growing, and need to be trimmed or sharpened constantly.

Now, as I was drawing them, I asked myself: why do IceWings need a mane of spikes?

A stupid question, you might wonder, but to me it's very important. Animals look the way they do for survival. So, while it's important visually for the ice theme, how could they be explained scientifically?

And then, when thinking of polar bears, I got my answer.

How the hell does a giant sparkly dragon hunt in the north? Seals would probably be part of their diet, but it's hard to sneak up on them if you're a ten ton reptilian flying creature, so I imagine they would tackle the problem like a polar bear would by waiting by a breathing hole and pouncing at the right moment. They already look like a frozen snowbank, so that part is easy.

But any hungry polar bear would be doing the same thing, and like a giant dragon, they would be waiting downwind of the breathing hole too. They wouldn't pose a threat to adult dragons or dragonets larger than them, but in real life polar bears are dangerous hunters and prey on humans. Why wouldn't it prey on a dragonet it thinks it can take on? Things in the WOF universe seem to be extra big (or scavengers/humans are tiny) so I think it would be a feasible for a desperate bear to hunt a dragon. They cannibalize, anyway, so going after another apex predator isn't out of the question. In this case, the horns and neck spikes would be a dragonet's saving grace, discouraging attacks from behind and especially on their necks. A bear's teeth could never get through their scales, but they could still crush their airways and choke them, and the spikes would keep them away from their necks and protect them from that fate. As they grow up, the neck spikes' length and strength could be used to determine a dragon's health and help them select good partners.

Finally, continuing with the bear theme: for the scales, I took inspiration from polar bear fur (which is actually hollow) to help design how IceWings preserve their body heat. In polar bears, its used to make them look white by reflecting the light of the sun, but in IceWings it could keep the cold out. Air pockets would create a barrier between them and the outside elements, and whatever gets in would meet their thick layer of fat that does the real warming. Yes, IceWings would be squishy, but you'd probably poke your eye out or stick permanently to their side a la tongue to cold metal pole.

Don't hug IceWings; they're very cold.

[tobyisave]

Peridot regeneration timeline! Just so i could dress her up a little hehe

(Headcanons I made while drawing this under the cut)

1. Along with not being able to shapeshift, Era 2s can’t do much more with their regenerations than change the color of their skin, which is why all of her outfits are skintight. (Except her visor because I don’t know fuck me I guess).

2. To cut costs, Era 2s also emerge knowing literally nothing except how to do their job (hence "touch stumps" "gravity connectors" etc). During “corrections” she gets her first uniform, which is a physical object they glue onto her - you can tell because her doll joints still show underneath. This is the only outfit that hangs off her body.

3. The first outfit also includes a mass-produced visor that doesn’t have a hole for her gem, so she suffers some energy deprivation having to absorb light through the glass. In her next regen she produces her own visor with a hole around her forehead, then by the next she figures out how to make it perfectly cut around her gem. The visor is what blocks you from seeing the facet edges of the gem (except I forgot to draw them again in the last design lol).

4. Her first limb enhancers are high quality and match her skin tone and everything. At 250 when she’s basically just an intern, she gets into an argument with a higher-up, who destabilizes her and revokes her fingers for a while --- this is when she becomes an obsessive rule-follower. After she gets exploded at age 2000 (rip) she gets these more generic enhancers that don’t match as well (the same kind of ‘spare’ enhancers Amethyst wears later on). They have a slightly different UI she doesn’t completely figure out until 3000 when she’s fighting the CGs.

5. Her feet are formless blobs because they were never supposed to see the light of day. She turns them into boots at the end because it’s the first time she’s really needed shoes. She still has fingers, though, because they figured she needs those in order to put on limb enhancers.

6. In canon, the fact that she stays the same before and after Garnet poofs her probably proves that she's just had the same design her entire life? But I will point out that for some reason, when she got put in a bubble it prevented her from experiencing the passage of time while poofed (right down to her continuing her own sentence when she regenerates this time).

[staridust]

★ DO NOT USE/REPOST WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. NO MINORS.

Jack in my Pouring Rain AU vs Jack in my Sunnyverse AU

Gonna ramble a bit here about the two portrayals, there’s a lot more typing space here so I will also be using my posts as a bit of infodump sometimes! ↓

For starters, I really adore Jack as a design and character, there’s not much I wanted to alter about him in the design department, so all changes are subtle!

✦ Starting with Pouring Rain!Jack!

This guy’s probably the closest to how he’s presented in game honestly— still manipulative, still colorful, probably a bit more deranged because his sunshine keeps forgetting shit.

Art wise, I wanted to really keep the colors on him vibrant, but also give him sort of a dim vibe as well. His hair is a bit more reflective of turquoise highlights with a gradient of a muted darker blue at the tips.

I like to imagine Jack uses colorful knives (if he most certainly has to use one). I have colorful knives in my house, it just seemed right as I was doing the dishes one day. He also changed his paints ever so slightly, because stars are very important to him.

He’s also rather glitchy when upset, but not that of a computer glitch when it happens.. more of like… something that’s being rewinded and re-written over numerous times, no?

Or, maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about!

And finally, the colorful paint on him!

Rain!Jack’s original sunshine way back nowhere was actually a graffiti artist, so does Jack know how to paint? It’s not like he would say, but it is a bit easier to play off a mysterious red stain if you’re covered in all the other colors.

——

✦ Ending with Sunnyverse!Jack!

Sunnyverse, is quite frankly a bit of a community like idea. The premise being quite similar to the same notion of Spiderverse, where multiple of the characters can exist and vibe but may look different, while still following a canon of sorts. It’s basically like showing off your characters and AUs in your style!

(Honestly, with a name like that, maybe I should draw Spider-Jack… *Sunrise Spider?*)

This Jack is a divergent of the idea where the fictional world of CloudyTown is real. ← This information also is a slight spin-off of an unofficial AU called “Sunny Time Town” by artist Sauce! I will also be using “Sunnyverse” for the official name of my AU that includes my ocs that switch up the story in a non-yandere manner!

SV!Jack here rocks a bowtie and suspenders with the design paying a full tribute to a sketch I did in March! I’ve seen a few comments relating it to his teaching profession… and now I can’t I see it, haha!

To contrast Rain!Jack, SV!Jack’s hair is a nice pure blue gradient that dips into indigo/purple at the tips!

I added his belt as a tie in both of them (don’t ask why the belt is doing a :3), but now I hear the belt is sentient… that’s a cool idea I seen around, I gotta learn about that!

That’s about all the information I had on this piece though, til next time!

[phuuca]

The Zigvolt Family

So @whererubbermeetstheroad updated their fic and I knew I wanted to draw fanart of it, but I had to put a face to the names of the Zigvolt family first and foremost.

I asked them about their first year headcanons a bit ago, and it was, accidentally, super helpful in trying to design everyone that wasn't Mrs. Zigvolt because I just took a LOT of inspiration from Egophiliac and slightly tweaked it.

Mr. Zigvolt basically lives in his scrubs. As the kid of a dental manager, my mom only ever wore scrubs for the longest time because there was no time to get changed. Considering Mr. Zigvolt is, probably, one of the most sought out dentists in Briar Valley, he lives in his scrubs.

I know I forgot his medical hat T__T. Remember to always cover and tie your hair back, you'll be violating health and safety protocol.

I also did guestimate everyone else ages and figured (possibly wrongly) that James was the oldest Zigvolt child. I didn't even bother with Mrs. Zigvolt. Fae ages are weird dude :"D

Yapping (moodboards) beneath the cut:

Jack's family is next. Wish me luck because I have to do this all over again 🙏

[einsatzzz]

OCtober Day 2: New OC - ⁉️

Just a rough sketch for now because we're still figuring out their design ngl. But Dai-chan's is either mostly final like that (?) or will change slightly more. Then Yuzuru's and [redacted]'s still need some more tweaking because this is probably around the 2nd or 3rd time I tried drawing them ever. Yuzuru is not necessarily new, but I've started to figure out his character again since we have more story material now.

If I yap any more about them it would be spoilers. On the other hand, my submission for the next day has a lot of yapping.

[reagi-df]

I am very much obsessed with your Runt AU; I desperately need to know more about your ideas for this unique idea.

The updated designs on the turtles look incredible but of course; Leon is best boy. All of this praise aside; I do have a few questions:

1. When does Runt move in with the turtles?

2. What is Runt's and Splinter's relationship like? Is it antagonistic at first or is it full of comfort?

3. Has Runt ever tried pizza? If so what is his reaction to it?

4. Will the disaster twins be even more chaotic then usual with their relationship?

5. And finally, what is Runt's reaction and thoughts to his first turtle pile?

I've become so infested with the brain rot!! I adore you so much and I eagerly await the next crumb of knowledge from this amazing AU! <3

Hahaha thanks! im glad hes rotting your mind like he is mine. I was gonna do a drawing for this but never managed to get to it

Im glad you like the redesigns, I had been putting it off for so long. Mostly because I didn't want to draw Raph and I was talked out of killing him so I didn't have to draw him.

1 - Runt moves in with the turtles after the bug busters episodes, not so much by his own choice. He had suffered from a bad migraine but powered on only to get hurt by Draxum and then thrown off a roof. So he wasn't having the best of time. The boys took him back to the lair and Runt did try and escape but it ended with him running into a wall. So he stayed until for maybe 2 days? or well until he thought, it was reasonable time to go, and ran back to the Hidden City. After that he kept coming back to to the mission.

2 - Runt and splinters relationship... it's not really antagonistic so to speak. Runt defiantly isn't friendly with splinter at first. Runts more focused on his mission (the brothers) to really pay him much mind. So for the most part Runt will ignore him. It’s not really until splinter tires to make an effort and open up about his own migraines to runt that things slowly change. Splinter teaches him how to make tea and they have late night tea when they both can’t sleep

Very slow progress though, there’s things later on that strains the relationship slightly.

3 - since he grew up sheltered up until his first mission, he hasn’t really had a chance to eat a lot of different types of food. However it wasn’t until he was living in the lair full time, is when he started to experiment with foods but that was mostly Mikes doing. His first tasting was overwhelming for him and had refused to eat the rest. But it wasn’t until later where he started to crave it. And he would secretly go to the fridge at night until mikey saw him try and. Much to ruby’s horror. strawberries are his favourite though. Not allowed a lot of sugar after last time.

4. - The lair games really set into motion the rivalry and competitiveness between them. Runt love challenges, he’s competitive by nature but all from his training. He finds joy in tormenting Donnie. Sadly I haven’t got much yet for them but don’t worry they will have the disaster twin title.

5 - Runt grows to love turtle piles. They’re warm and cosy where he can burrow into them. I haven’t thought of when his first one would happen but I know he’d probably flinch away. Unsure as to what’s going on. Once he does hell still be a bit stiff and be on edge. He’s act like nothings wrong but will slip the first he gets. It’s his mission to get close to the brothers so he’ll do this that make him uncomfortable if it means he’ll get in their good books.

Ahhh thank you! I’m glad you like this crazy ideas xD ❤️ ❤️❤️ I do have somethings pint you can have these sraftsfs

Ahh thank you! I’m hoping to get more out cos I love this gremlin❤️. But it’s been slow, been hating everything I’ve been doing. But have some sketches

[dr-futbol-blog]

Conversion, Pt. 12

Weir sends out an alert on Sheppard having escaped his quarters, and it is likely her alert went only to the security personnel rather than on city-wide. We next find McKay in the command centre with Caldwell and Ronon, McKay seeming to spearhead the search for Sheppard by tracking him biometrically using the Ancient censors discovered during Sanctuary (S01E14), although now with an English interface that he has probably programmed himself. It takes Mckay no time at all to find Sheppard and lock onto him.

McKay: OK. I've got a lock on him.

We get to see the layout of Atlantis, and the biometric sensor still seems to have signatures in two different colours, reddish and yellowish. I wrote earlier about how the system is probably calibrated for the Ancients, so it would show the people who have the gene different from the ordinary humans because whether or not people have the Ancient gene is the most important biometric marker for their technology.

If we look at the cluster of signatures that I've pointed out with the circle who seem to be near the gate, we have one red and three yellow signatures, corresponding to the four figures we see in the next shot standing pretty much in the same configuration as the dots: McKay, Caldwell, Ronon and a marine. McKay is the only one of them that has the gene and hence we would expect to see him appear as a different colour. And we next see, as they lock on to Sheppard, that he is a bright red dot, the locking on seeming just to make his dot brighter rather than to change its colour. However, the dot seems to be acting unexpectedly.

Caldwell: That can't be him, it's moving too fast. Dex: It's him.

McKay is looking at Sheppard's dot intently, not removing his eyes from it even as he turns his head slightly toward Ronon when he says the words "It's him" in reference to Sheppard. It is as though McKay wants to see Ronon's face when he mentions Sheppard, wants to see the look on his face, but he cannot draw his eyes away even for that. Let us recall that the last time McKay was watching a dot that designated Sheppard, he was watching him fly to his death toward a hive ship strapped onto a nuke that McKay himself had prepared. It is safe to say that this is not his favourite activity.

He is doing this now because they need him to do it, because this is his job and his duty, but it is not easy for him by any means. McKay seems to speak only what is necessary and no more. He is once more clearly dissociating, he is on autopilot.

Caldwell: Alright. Four teams. Surround him and close in. I want him stopped. And gentlemen: use whatever level force you deem necessary. Move out. Weir: You will only use such force as a last resort. Caldwell: That's not Sheppard any more, ma'am. Weir: You heard me.

Caldwell gives the men now under his command the order to take out Sheppard using what ever level force necessary, and the US military has six such levels for the use of force. Caldwell, that is to say, authorizes his men to take Sheppard out using lethal force where necessary, to take him out at their discretion. While Weir does not precisely walk his order back, she impresses on the men that they should not jump the gun but be sure that there is no other way before trying to eliminate him using lethal force. They all know what they are talking about.

Note that while McKay still says nothing, he has no words to say, we see him do the thing with his thumb that has frequently been associated with Sheppard in the past. It is his own self-soothing technique. McKay is torn here. He wants to help Sheppard, he wants to protect Sheppard, he wants to see to it that nothing happens to Sheppard. And he does not know how to do any of those things. He is grateful to Weir for at least the fact that she reminded them not to shoot Sheppard on sight. Something rather interesting happens then.

Dex: You coming? Teyla: Yes.

Caldwell had ordered four teams to go after Sheppard and whether or not Ronon and Teyla were meant to be with these four teams, Ronon at the very least took it upon himself to make sure that they were among the people looking for Sheppard. He wants them to make sure that this thing stays under control and no one starts shooting up unnecessarily. All of them care about Sheppard and do not want to see him get hurt, but they also know that Sheppard himself would want them to stop him before letting him hurt innocent people. And so it is obvious to Ronon that they should be a part of this, and because it does not seem like Teyla is moving in to join them, he actually asks out loud if she is coming with. What takes?

Now, I know some people see this as a major "Teylabeth" moment and while I don't necessarily see anything between the two of them, there is certainly enough evidence over the years to suggest that Teyla herself swings both ways. In fact, at the end of this very episode, we see her real up close and personal with another woman. There is plenty of subtext to go around with Teyla. But she is not looking at Weir, here. She is clearly looking at McKay before turning to leave. She looks at McKay, they seem to exchange a rather lengthy glance, she nods and then takes off after Ronon.

It is because we see Teyla and Weir in the same shot after she gives this look that people somehow interpret her as looking at Weir but this, them placing either McKay or Sheppard out of framing of the shot where looks are being exchanged is something that the show has been doing since its inception. This is how they keep the subtext just at the edge of becoming maintext. It is clear that Teyla looks at someone, exchanges a look with someone. The direction to which she looks is where McKay has been standing the whole time. We do not see McKay answer her gaze. When the camera finally pans back to McKay, he is no longer looking at her. Weir looks at both Teyla and Ronon as they take off. Teyla gives one final look at McKay as they leave.

But why?

The thing is, Teyla did seem reluctant to leave. She was not sure that she should go with the teams, that she should follow Ronon. Some people are going to think that this is because she is still feeling uncomfortable about what happened with Sheppard earlier, that she does not want to be around him when all of that is still hanging unresolved between them. But that does not explain why she seems to need a permission--or what ever she was looking for from him-- from McKay to go. It is possible that she meant to communicate to McKay that they would take care of Sheppard, that they would see to it that nothing happens to him. But it still does not explain her initial reluctance to join the search party.

And it was not that Teyla did not want to go. It was that she was not sure she should leave McKay alone, without a security detail. Yes, Caldwell was there with a bunch of marines but they might not be enough to stop Sheppard. And Teyla seems to know, just as Ronon does a few moments later, what it is that Sheppard is looking for. In the middle of the command centre, McKay might be at the most secure place on Atlantis. But for some reason, all of them, Sheppard's whole team, seem to know that Sheppard is looking for McKay, that McKay is what he is trying to get to. And Teyla is momentarily unsure of whether there is even a point in leaving when what Sheppard is looking for is right here. We do not see what kind of a look McKay gave her but so satisfied, she does then take after Ronon and join the search party.

Weir: Lock down the stargate. McKay: Right.

As mentioned, when we do finally see McKay, he is no longer looking at Teyla and this is how the entire episode has been playing out. McKay's role is purposefully obscured. He seems peripheral to the story when he is, in fact, central to everything that happens. McKay sounds hoarse as he answers Weir's request, it comes out in almost a whisper. His eyes are awfully bright but we do not see him blinking away any tears because blinking would mean that he would have to take his eyes off of Sheppard's red dot to do that. McKay seems like he is just the computer tech here, executing commands given by the leaders. But he is the one whose heart is breaking.

We see Sheppard walk into a transporter, manhandling a lab technician of some kind out of his way. We do not know where he left from and where he was going precisely, but let us keep in mind the fact that while Sheppard had seemingly kept the same quarters the whole time they have been on Atlantis, for some reason he did not need to use the transporter to get there in the latter half of the first season, but after they returned from Earth, we have seen him have to take the transporter to get to his quarters several times.

Now, while there are probably a lot of places on Atlantis that look alike, the outside of the transporter here looks similar to where Sheppard was going at the end of Trinity (S02E06) when McKay caught up with him. McKay told Sheppard that he had been looking for him, so it would make sense if McKay had been hanging out somewhere en route to Sheppard's quarters, meaning that this may well be the transporter that Sheppard takes to get away from his quarters usually, and he may have been on his way out of his room when McKay caught up with him. And where ever Sheppard was going now, it was certainly closer to the central tower than where he had been originally.

But where ever Sheppard was going, he certainly seemed to be going somewhere. To emphasize this point: Sheppard is not "on the lam" here, as he clearly could have escaped his room when ever he wanted to; Sheppard is not trying to get away and avoid detection here. He is not just randomly hopping across Atlantis, he had somewhere to be. He has a destination. And where ever he transported to, McKay's eyes widen as he looks at the reappearance of Sheppard's dot.

Caldwell: I thought you said that he couldn't use the transporters. McKay: I said I doubted he was lucid enough. Caldwell: Well, shut them down. He's not going to do it again. McKay: Thus stranding your search teams.

This is an interesting tidbit of information. We did not get to hear Caldwell and McKay's earlier exchange over the topic but if McKay had been confident enough to tell Caldwell that he thinks that Sheppard is not in any shape to use the transporters, it means that he necessarily has to have some insight into Sheppard's current condition. McKay does not guesstimate or speculate, he must be basing his assessment on some data, on some personal insight he has into the state Sheppard is in. But as far as we know, McKay has not seen Sheppard since he had the splinter removed from his hand at the beginning of the episode. So how would he know? How could he possibly know how lucid Sheppard is? And let us recall that "lucid" is a term Sheppard had been using of himself several times, it was a word he used to describe his own condition. He was measuring his own well-being on a scale of lucidity, so for McKay to use this terms suggests that his source of information is Sheppard himself.

Regardless of the source of McKay's insight into Sheppard's condition, he seems to barely be able to keep himself together here. He is right at the edge of where he does not know what is going to come spilling out of his mouth next. He has to over-enunciate the words to keep his voice steady, and right at the end he seems to be holding back a sob, blinking rapidly. But he still does as he is told because he is at a point where he is just executing commands, running on autopilot. And so Caldwell informs the search teams of Sheppard's new whereabouts:

Caldwell: Bravo Team, you're on deck. Tango is right below you. Marine: You heard the man. Down the stairs.

Sheppard is given the designation "Tango" for "target," which is something that we see McKay use later on in the season, in Coup D'Etat (S02E17). He tells Sheppard, "One Tango, middle of the room," and the use of Tango for this purpose seems to be something that he learned right here from Caldwell.

There is nothing strange about this, it is perfectly appropriate military parlance. However, giving this designation specifically to Sheppard, calling Sheppard Tango, may contain an allusion to Ray Tango of Tango and Cash, the most homoerotic action film of all time. It is not unintentionally homoerotic because this level of subtext does not happen by accident. But it is still left to the subtext.

Given that we got to see the photograph of what was likely Sheppard's father in this episode, they may have started sketching out Sheppard's background in more detail at this time. Tango is the more upper class of the two characters, and where he does not need to fight crime due to financial reasons, being independently wealthy, he does it because he likes the action, because he wants to make a difference. And what is more, Tango has trust issues and his inability to trust becomes an issue between the two of them:

Cash: Seriously? You are one major mistrustful maladjusted human fucking being, you know that? Tango: Yeah, well. I love you too.

Tango's whole character arc is about learning to trust someone else through the trials and tribulations they undergo together, of Cash being there for him when the chips come down. Does that sound like any people we know? What is more, the film is connected to the franchise in that Kurt Russell, who plays Gabriel Cash, was the original actor for Jack O'Neil in the motion picture StargÅte that launched it all.

Regardless, for some reason we see Ronon part with the search party all of a sudden. When they hear Sheppard's new whereabouts from Caldwell, Ronon suddenly seems to have an idea of where he thinks Sheppard is going to be that he does not share with the others. McKay had suggested that they try using a diversion back in the iratus nest, and it looks like Ronon is going to try that now. He seems to know just the place to hide. He is not going after Sheppard, he is going to let Sheppard come to him.

McKay: Bravo Team and Sheppard are in the same room. Caldwell: Stay sharp. He should be right in there with you.

Note again McKay's use of "Sheppard" here. He is speaking to Caldwell, a military officer, so using Colonel Sheppard or just Colonel would be appropriate. But it is just not what McKay normally does, which makes the times that he does call Sheppard Colonel stand out all the more. And in this situation it is all the more striking because Teyla calls Sheppard Colonel as they seem to be very much on the clock, what with Sheppard having just told her to call him John when they are not at work.

Marine Anyone have a visual? Teyla: Above us! Colonel! Please, do not make me do this.

Sheppard advances on Teyla, and we cannot be sure what his intentions are. He might feel threatened and advance with the intention to take her out, or he might be enticed by his wraithess and advance with the intention of just taking her. Teyla herself seems traumatized enough by what had happened between them previously that she does not want him to come close to her.

But what is important to note here is that Teyla was not Sheppard's original target, was not Sheppard's reason for coming to this part of the city. Sheppard was not looking for her, and it was only after she called after him using "Colonel!" that he turned back and started advancing on her. Sheppard may well have been triggered by the use of the title, having specifically asked her not to use it. If Sheppard was even capable of rational thought anymore, running on pure instinct as he seemed to be, he had never felt further from being a Colonel than he did right now.

But note again that Sheppard does not have a death wish. He does not want to die. If he had wanted them to simply take him out, running into Teyla's warning shots would have been the easiest thing to do. He could have forced their hand into taking him out. But that is simply not what Sheppard wants, he never did. It is very clear that he has an objective, he has somewhere he needed to be and he has something he needed to do. And so he takes off as Teyla starts firing at his feet, not wanting to get injured. Getting injured would not help him achieve his goal.

Dex: Get the doctor down here. I have him.

And so Ronon takes him out, using his weapon to stun Sheppard. What is interesting here is that Ronon seemed to know where Sheppard was going, knew where he would be coming from. He knew this the moment Caldwell had informed them of where Sheppard had transported to. He used the rest of the team as a decoy, as a diversion, and waited for Sheppard to come to where he knew he was headed.

Where was he going? Sheppard took one transporter trip from where his quarters are to where he was headed. He was not looking for Teyla, having just run away from her, and he was not looking for Weir, having dropped her like a bag of potatoes on the floor earlier. It sure seems blue in the corridors of this part of the city that they were in just now. In fact, the same bluish light installation can be seen at the end of the corridor where Sheppard walks away from McKay in Duet (S01E04) and on the upper floors where Sheppard was doing his Spider-Man routine just now.

Anyway, it's a mystery. It does not seem to be a mystery to Ronon and Teyla, but it is a mystery to us.

Continued in Pt. 13

[pidges-lost-robot]

Season 2 of Voltron Characters if I’d had my grubby mitts on them/follow up of klanced rewrite first season designs (i have no idea where I’m going with this I’m just doing progressions as I go on)

Season 1 for reference

This is ideally what they have as casual outfits by the end of a Season 2

For Shiro, his hairs growing a little but we’re seeing his casual outfit become just that, more casual, his previous outfit doesn’t even seem like the sort of thing someone who can relax would wear, but by season 2, I would like for him to have an outfit that is clearly less about being constantly prepared at all times.

Having Hunk have more overalls on one hand to me seemed like I was shoving the fact that Hunk is an engineer in my face, but also I think as a character whose arc should be about being maybe conflicted about staying and resolving to stick around and really push to be a part of Voltron cause it can help, I think having him wear something that shows him getting more stuck in and taking an active role in helping was good.

Season 2 Keith hasn’t changed that much, he’s still pretty reluctant in my mind to get stuck into things the team are doing that aren’t strictly practical (a.k.a kinda just getting similar variations of the same stuff he’s always wearing) with I’m hoping later versions Keith getting more settled in with the idea of staying with the team

Season 2 Pidge is where its’s at. She’s out to the team and discovering what she does or doesn’t like about her expression, letting her hair grow out and trying more feminine clothing. We’re gonna see her evolve a fair amount as I go on with these.

Season 2 Lance hasn’t changed much either, for similar reasons to Keith, but for slightly different reasons. He’s still kind of clinging to Earth culture and his home but by the next season drawing, I will probably have him make some more major changes to his outfit designs too

Allura is going on a slightly similar journey to Shiro, so seeing her outfits out of armour become more casual rather than very formal is somewhere I wanna take her future outfits, as well as showing them become more earth inspired as she evolves alongside the team.

And coran seems like the sort to be a creature of habit, which is why his outfit remains the same for now, but I imagine later down the line there’d be a whole thing where Coran really gets into like Unilu fashion and stuff where his outfits will really change, but for now, we’ll see little elements of the paladins outfits join his uniform as this season, we see that on his outfit he now has Lance’s little NASA pin as I imagine they bonded

[quibbs126]

Alright, this kid has been fully finished since like, Monday, I’ve just been too lazy to post him, but now I’m gonna post him, this is Black Choco Cookie

As you can see, this is yet another darklico kid. I’m sorry. But he’ll be the last one I do; I already semi had plans for him when I made Licorice Cream, it’s just that I decided to just do Licorice Cream. But then the night prior to making him, I was thinking about ideas for him and just drew this the next morning

The only other darklico kid thing I plan to do is redesign Gancao, since her look really doesn’t match her name, and it bothers me. Either that or her name changes. But fundamentally she’ll still be the same character

Anyways back to Black Choco, so with his name, he’s dark chocolate like his father. His name is just Black Choco because while he’s chocolate, he supposed to have this smell of licorice about him

Maybe he’s these chocolate licorice brownie cookies I found online that one time. But his name is still Black Choco

Anyways, let’s get into his design

So you’ll notice he looks very similar to Dark Choco except for the eyes. Well that’s because he’s the third one of these, and frankly I feel like the girls look enough like Licorice, so might as well have one of the kids be the Dark Choco clone like Dark Choco is to his own father. I think the fact he’s the third of these I’ve made is the only reason I allow him to look mostly like one parent and be the clone

But I finally gave one of them Licorice’s yellow eyes, so that’s good. I’ve been wanting one of them to have the yellow eyes and white eye lines since Gancao, it just didn’t work with her or Licorice Cream. Though I changed up the yellow slightly so that it’d work better with the white

I based Black Choco’s look off of the young design of Dark Choco in the artbook, since his sisters all look like they live in the Dark Cacao Kingdom too (the three are all supposed to exist in the same universe as siblings), and he’s supposed to want to be a fighter like his dad. Also with the brown it makes him look like the cookies I showed above. That wasn’t the intention but I like that

I think the way his hair looks was supposed to be inspired by how Licorice’s hair, like specifically in how it’s parted or something, but looking at it again I can’t really see that

I just realized the drawing I have of Black Choco here is with his gradient. I wasn’t sure if I should give him one; I did it so he’d look at least a little closer to Licorice, but I wasn’t sure it worked well. Ah well, I suppose you tell me

Anyways, so let’s get into his character

So Black Choco is a shy and a bit anxious kid, as well as someone who gets spooked easily, as shown in one of the sketches. He’s also generally quiet and soft spoken, not very capable of loud noises. But despite his timid nature, he’s a good kid who just wants to help people

He greatly admires his father, Dark Choco, and wants to be like him, which is part of the reason he wants to be a warrior. Thankfully for Black Choco, I imagine Dark Choco to be more openly affectionate than Dark Cacao was, so Black Choco isn’t gonna grow up with those same parental issues. But unfortunately, Black Choco isn’t as great with a sword and fighting, especially since he tends to accidentally drop his sword. But he does want to learn, and he tries hard to overcome this

Despite this however, he does know magic, and he’s actually very skilled at it, far more than he is at fighting. However, he chooses instead to become a warrior. Perhaps in the future, he learns to try and do both, combining his skills and becoming a warrior that uses both sword fighting skills and magic, becoming a real powerhouse

Now, as for his connection to his siblings, I’m not sure, as some of it depends on his age compared to them. I want to make Black Choco Licorice Cream’s twin, probably since I imagined Black Choco as a child and I drew Licorice Cream as one too, but also I don’t think I can really do that since Licorice Cream herself has a particularly unique origin, one that Black Choco doesn’t necessarily fit in to. Not only that, but I think I drew Licorice Cream as a child because I couldn’t figure out what to do for her other than her origin and possible connection to dark magic and the Strawberry Jam Sword. She’s technically supposed to be the older than Gancao, and I imagine Black Choco to be a child. But at the same time, I can really see Black Choco and Licorice Cream as a twin duo, and I like that concept, especially since personality wise, they’re pretty different, Licorice Cream being an extrovert while Black Choco is the introvert, for example. But it just doesn’t work with what Licorice Cream actually is

*sigh* I think I’m gonna need to do a redesign with all three of them, putting them on the same canvas and figuring out definitively what order they’re in and their ages relative to one another. Though Black Choco I don’t see changing much, he’s fine as he is

I suppose for now, Black Choco is the youngest of the three

But in any case, I think that’s it for Black Choco. To be honest, I feel like sometimes, I put too much into these characters and should just try to keep them simple, which is sort of what I tried to do with Black Choco here

But in any case, I hope you like him

[umgeorge]

george russell is interviewed after qualifying, miami - may 4, 2024 (transcript under the cut)

Interviewer: "…a better afternoon than a morning today." George: "Yeah." Interviewer: "Can we hope for more again tomorrow?" George: "Well, I expect to be looking forwards tomorrow, than hopefully no pressure from behind, [laughs] but P7 and P8 we have to accept is where we are at the moment. We are a step behind McLaren and Ferrari, a big step behind Red Bull, but I think the result we showed today was the maximum, but I'm confident tomorrow we will make a step forward to them." Interviewer: "Is it more that others are making more progress and you're kind of stalling slightly, or are you going a long way with your…" George: "I mean, the fact is the stopwatch doesn't lie, and we know that probably some of the changes we have made since the end of last year perhaps over-compensated with some of the development items we did. We have limitations with the car now which is a totally different limitation to what we had this time twelve months ago. We did so much work to solve the problems, we've kind of gone too far in that direction, so we know we need to improve and we need to improve quickly." Interviewer: "You know you need to, but do you know how to?" George: "Yeah, we definitely know how to. I think when we look at the data we understand why we're in the position we are right now and, as I said, last year when we looked at the data we understood why we were in that same positon, and I think unfortunately we probably over-compensated to solve the problems of last year and we've gone from this extreme to that extreme, now, and we need to sort of rewind and find ourself sort of in a half-way house. But when developments, when new upgrades take eight weeks to bring to the car, you learn this problem, race one, race two, you can't just bring an upgrade to the next race. You've got to put it in the wind tunnel, you've got to design it, someone's got to draw it, someone's got to build it…" Interviewer: "Suddenly you're halfway through the season." George: "And then you're halfway through the season. So I think that's why it's so difficult, when you're on the back foot, to just suddenly make that progress, and everybody expects it tomorrow-and we want it tomorrow, trust me [laughs]-but this is the reality of Formula 1." Interviewer: "Okay, well good afternoon, anyway. Thanks." George: "Thank you so much." Interviewer: "And the cap suits you." George: "Thank you." Interviewer: "I like it. Miami spec." George: "You want one?" Interviewer: "Yes, please." George: "Alright." Interviewer: "I can't have any bias, though, but I do like the cap." George: "Okay." [laughs] Interviewer: "Okay, thanks."

[aurelim]

Louis/Eloise

The Royal

❝I have to. It's my duty to serve the people of Oceanic.❞ ❝Listen to me. Ignore what everyone else will say. You are perfect the way you are. You are my everything, love.❞

Age: A month younger than MC

Race: Human

Gender: Male or female, depending on player choice

Pronouns: He/him or she/her, depending on player choice

Physical appearance: The Royal has slightly tanned skin due to intensive time spent in the sun, although their parents try their best to maintain the natural fair-pale shade. They have a heart shaped face framed by wavy red hair, either tamed or tied up in a bun with two small strands on the side. Soft brown eyes that can go cold at a poor choice of words and freckles dotting their cheeks. 5'7" no matter the gender.

Trope(s): Forbidden love, impossible love, royalty, [REDACTED]

As the heir to the throne of Oceanic, the Royal has a heavy weight on their shoulders that they cannot shake off—the expectations of the people and their parents often reminds them of their duty to deliver responsible decision for the betterment of the kingdom. For most of the week, they are cooped up within the castle walls, fulfilling their tasks as the one next in line. However, during a small portion of the day where their schedule is empty, the Royal will always go to visit their private shore by themself. A tradition they have upheld since they were young.

In public appearances, the Royal comes off as an understanding, charming, mature young adult—exactly what everyone expects from the heir. All warm smiles and dimples. But behind closed doors, the fake smiles drop and shoulders slacken. The fire in their eyes never goes out but they allow themself to be exhausted. Just once.

Their idea of relaxing is by standing in front of the waves, shoes off, and enjoying the smell of salty air and water. A servant usually has to come and fetch them, as they do not keep track of the time. And recently, they have been going more often due to undisclosed reasons... as well as sneaking off to town to do gods-know-what.

There have been rumors circulating around them, particularly involving [REDACTED]. Are they true? Are they not? You will have to wait until it is announced.

Chance encounters are life-changing. You don't think you would have ever noticed the Royal had it not been for Cordelia and K. And more importantly, you do not think you would have ever met them on the streets without your...unique circumstances. Little had you realized then the potential to gain a powerful ally, as well as a lifelong friend.

Fun Facts About the Royal:

There is so much lore I want to write down about them, but they would all be major spoilers for the game! So for now, take this condensed, somewhat short intro post for now. But expect to see some huge updates to this as further chapters are released!

Also would you call them "Lou"? Been thinking about an easier nickname besides "The Royal" and it's pretty cute! Though they are accustomed to everyone calling them by their first name

Their original design was going to be heavily inspired by Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid. However, it was changed to an appearance similar to Ariel. Maybe your headcanon is that he's Ariel's son or grandson? That's what mine is lol

Has a very refined taste for red wine. Likes it especially from their own kingdom but imported tastes are good too

Loves drawing. And because they live right by the sea they have a lot of sunset sketches and swirls of water in their notebook

Has a diary where they write down about their day; if you romance them you'll probably find long romantic tirades about you

Actually likes wearing crowns if it is light and only in the castle

Sheltered kid growing up—while their parents may have exposed them to monarchy politics early in their life they remained relatively naive and unaware of certain...things

Things that will remain unmentionable

Knows some secret passageways within the kingdom due to safety reasons, but they may show it to you if you are lucky enough!

Stuffed animals creep them out and they are all over the walls of the castle thanks to their father's love for hunting

No, not stuffed animals. Like actual taxidermy

Deathly allergic to gossipy people and mice—physically wilts at the mention of either one

Would buy you anything you want just to please you. This will especially show during the crushing stage, but it will be a habit that never dies down *if* you get married

Can resist puppy eyes with a huge question mark. But usually not because they are a major people pleaser. It comes with their job

[freshmemes6669]

I made a lot of progress in Sea of Stars.. and forgot to post any of it. So here we are. This is a long post, and it’s one where I actually learned that the Tumblr app has a photo limit

First and Foremost, I did get past that area. I was able to use the Colbalt Hammer to free Zephyr. Honestly, getting here was the hardest part of the entire Sky Islands section. This led me into a false sense of security though.

I had no idea just how bad I would be at the Hydralion boss fight. I had 6 different attempts with this fight alone. For reference, if we look at all of the Dwellers we’ve fought at this point in the game (Woe, Torment, Strife) the three of them combined only had 5 attempts total.

I did manage to get through there. I didn’t get any screenshots during the next major segment though, which is Garl’s actual death. From a player standpoint, this segment is incredibly hard for me to go through. He is one of my two favorite party members, and I got very attatched to him from the start.

However, from a game design standpoint, I love how well this segment is handled. Dare I say, it’s actually one of my favorite death scenes in a game, just because of how it’s written. It has minimal distractions, and incredibly emotionally charged. One of the things that really sticks out to me though is the cutscene of the days after the funeral. The cutscene isn’t done in the usual way, with it instead being more like a visual novel. The primary focus is our protagonists, but specifically on how they’re handling their grief in their own ways. This was unexpected, as I haven’t really seen many games where something like this happens, and the protagonists actually take the time to process. Most of the time, they just get right back on the road to defeat the main antagonist, so this was a good change of pace.

After that, I went back to the Sky Kingdom and officially gained access to the Sea of Stars. This area still blows me away, if I’m being honest, and a part of me sort of wishes it was longer, just because it’s a very pretty location.

Upon reaching this area, we’re met with a dark room, where I can finally show off my favorite detail with the protagonists- the fabrics they made at the start of the game glow in the dark. I can’t show this off as well in their world, as they also glow in the dark.

Upon clearing this area, we get to the final fight I did in this segment. The Guardian. This fight actually reminds me a lot of the Guardian boss fight in Chrono Trigger, as it’s a large robot in a futuristic location, that summons bits to help with counterattacks and protection of some kind, and honestly? The fight is handled almost identically, where you have to take out the bits before focusing on the main boss, and the bits do come back. (Chrono Trigger screenshot for reference). Me drawing this conclusion does make sense, considering how Chrono Trigger was one of the inspirations behind Sea of Stars

Of course, one small thing I do appreciate though is that any kind of robotic boss actually takes visible damage when it’s almost dead.

After this fight, Seraï reveals her true identity, as well as her reasons for seeking out Solstice Warriors specifically. Overall, this is a neat reveal, and I wish I had more to say. I do love just how chill that the party is with this revelation as well, they just appreciate the fact she’s been helping them this long, and it’sjust a nice scene

Figured I’d end off the session at this campsite just by the Derelict Factory, which leads to Repine. Admittedly, I do struggle going through the dungeons in this world slightly, so if this playthrough isn’t done by the time the multiplayer update comes out, these dungeons are probably why

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #15

Guys pretend this post isn't slightly late I've had a reeeally long week making those fashion drawings and renovating my entire bedroom. Anyways it's time for PKNA #11: Urk everyone say Hi Urk cause we're gonna see him in a second!

(extra long and image heavy post warning)

I'm gonna be so fr I have a huge headache right now and there's a big crew of people redoing the carpet in my house and making really loud banging sounds. I can't take a nap because my entire bed has been deconstructed and my mattress is standing up against a wall. I'm hiding in the room we shoved all our things into and I have like 4 feet of living space total right now. I'm saying this as a disclaimer because I'm probably gonna be even less coherent than usual (somehow) but hopefully hearing the insane ramblings of a tired Puffy will only enhance the experience.

And here in the horrors of the duck universe we have a regular human man sitting next to a flesh-colored dog-nosed creature. Guys seriously why are all the dog people in the duckverse always skin colored like would it kill them to put in some variety... like some different dog breeds... nevermind the fact that 99% of the ducks are all pekins. I'M JUST SAYING. As a furry I think we need to ask for better. And by better I mean just make a poodle character or something idk change it up a bit

Ok not to immediately drag on with the same topic but this might be one of the scariest designs I've ever seen idk what it is about this weirdly big-armed dog man but I'm so viscerally uncomfortable looking at him. Like it's not just me right. He's scary.

Why is donald just flashing his ass at uno in this panel. mf YOU do something??

Bro is really just pointing to the tree like :0

Gay ass look. Why did they exchange glances like this.

Haha don't worry Donald we put the Raider away in jail and he totally can't escape now. Not like he did the first time anyways.

Hi Urk. No other commentary I just like this panel.

HE FUCKING KILLED LYLAAAAAwhy is her hand flesh colored in the last panel

I like that Lyla hitting the ground makes a TLANG sound cause she's made of metal

idk why it's so amusing to me but Urk just calling PK a "total buzz kill" is so like. like to me it's the equivalent of "get lost DUDE you're harshing my vibe MAN" do you get me

Alright. Listen. We're gonna have to address the elephant in the room here (or the elephant-sized duck anyways). Urk is a Native American, specifically meant to be a member of the real life Iroquois tribe. I am not Native American, nor am I particularly knowledgeable on the culture of any specific tribes, so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert here, but just so we're clear: referring to any member of America's native population as being "red" is generally a big no-no.

Urk is meant to come from a dimension with an alternative form of history, one where North America was never colonized and continued to develop under the rule of the many native tribes that once dotted the landscape (one that also got super advanced because of aliens or something but that bit is honestly not that important). Could this concept of an alternate history be an interesting one to explore in a DIFFERENT piece of media? Perhaps. Does this Italian-made Donald Duck comic do a particularly good job of handling the cultural representations here?... eh.

Again, this was made overseas, it's the 90s, representation in media wasn't exactly great back then. I've certainly seen a lot worse *cough* Darkwing Duck *wheeze* but I think there are aspects surrounding Urk's lore that could certainly be better as well. Like I said, I'm not a Native American, I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on this topic, nor am I going to say anything in here is downright offensive (I don't think I have the right to do so) but I think it's a point that's worth bringing up because it's kind of hard to ignore when reading Urk-related stories (which there are a few of because he sticks around after this comic).

ANYWAYS with all that said. Back to saying stupid shit

UMMM I DUNNO ABOUT THAT ONE BRO

First of all, haha oops the Raider accidentally pulled this poor random guy into our dimension. SECOND OF ALL, I've seen multiple pieces of media now insist that the Raider is some kind of "predatory bird" like a hawk or an eagle but I REFUSE to believe this information. SORRY but he is a rooster and I am always going to see him as a rooster, I DON'T CARE WHAT CANON MEDIA SAYS!!! MF SAID "BUKHAWHAW" IN THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH DON'T THINK I FORGOT THAT!!! THAT'S A CHICKEN!!!!!

Lyla looks cute here hi Lyla

OK SHOUTOUT TO URK JUST SMASHING A WHOLE CAR WITH HIS BIG FUCKING FISTS. HOW DID HE DO THAT

Billy ain't ever gonna forget this for the rest of his life dawg 💀 have fun unpacking this one in therapy

how did the fucking creature develop racism oh my god

WHAT DID LYLA EVEN DO WRONG THIS TIME?? FUCK YOU TIME POLICE free my girl

Everyone say "Hi Urk" again because we're stuck with Urk now

Kinda thought PK was flipping a middle finger here for a split second

Ok Fangus Tales now. Say it with me "we love Fangus Tales" yayyy

what the fuck

yeah actually you know what of COURSE Angus hates dogs. he actually sucks so bad you guys

let him fallll I mean WOAH who said that

YEAH OK OF COURSE ANGUS PARTICIPATES IN ILLEGAL DOG RACING

Dog you have very poor taste in people I'm begging you to like anyone other than Angus Fangus

Ok that's it see you next week and by next week I mean probably within the next 24 hours because I really like the next comic

[mochamoth]

Rant on why I love and fixate over Scratch (sorry for bad writing + Long warning!!)

If you couldn't tell by my profile I am literally OBSESSED with Scratch. I first actually started watching AoStH about a year ago, because of a clip of the show I saw on tiktok. I thought it was funny therefore I checked the show out. And omg I became so fixated on Scratch specifically. Also don't expect a lot of these reasons to be deep, I am NOT a deep person 😭.

So first off his personality. I adore how he's both an asshole, but also a total wimp. Also he is so SO dumb but in a charming way. I love when he acts like an actual chicken, it's funny and cute (plus his LAUGH OMG, MOST ICONIC LAUGH NEXT TO PAPYRUS'S). Scratch is just a total loser who tries to act cool and I love him for it. Oh also the way his mannerisms are. Omg. The way he SITS. He'll casually just do the splits. On the floor. And the way he walks. And how he STANDS. HE STANDS LIKE A CHICKEN WITH HIS WING HANDS. IT'S SO CLEVER AND CUTE OMGG.

Next is his design. It's just- nice. It's a nice character design, especially when paired up with Grounder (I'll talk about him in a bit, dw I'm also a Grounder fan). I loveee his outfit (?) he has going on, it's simple but nice. I like his extendo-neck, it adds a LOT to him, same with his wing-like hands and arms. Also I'm bias but chickens and crows are my two favorite birds, so that alone is just a yes for me. His eyes are cute. Simple and cute. His COLORS OMG. I am autistic and some colors overstimulate me, so Scratch and aosth as a whole just- the colors are so pretty and nice. I love Scratch's blue-ish color. It's a very nice blue. Oh and he is SO fun to draw. Thank goodness too, cuz the last character I was obsessed with was Guzma, I love his design too but it's a nightmare to draw. The only thing I'd change about Scratch's design (not counting headcanons or styles) is his feet. More specifically his lack of claws. Where are they?? His name is Scratch, so why doesn't he canonly have claws? It's not a big deal, I headcanon he has retractable claws, but still.

Third, I kinda relate to him? Not too much like I did, again bringing up the last character I was obsessed with, Guzma, but still relatable. I'm also very dumb and gullible, and I'm the oldest of my siblings not counting step. I know Scratch and Grounder are technically twins, but for the sake of this I'm gonna say Scratch is ever so slightly older. I relate to random quirks he has like copying and playing out fictional media I like, talking very loudly, and being extremely clumsy.

Probably the most dumb reason on this but I adore it; his outfits. Omg. His outfits. My favorites are def the knight one, the astronaut suit, and I'm not sure what it's called but the outfit he wears in the Egypt episode when he tries to trick Sonic's ancestor. LIKE HE SERVED?? HELLO?? And those are just my favorites. He has such good style in my opinion, he ate almost every single outfit up (almost).

Ok so finally getting to this: his duo dynamic. Omg. Scratch and Grounder are like- my favorite villain duo ever. They're perfect. They balance eachother so nicely and are literally siblings. I love the type of bond they have. They fight almost constantly over everything, and are constantly blaming eachother for no reason, yet they still care for eachother. It's just not obvious. It's more obvious in Grounder, but Grounder isn't really mean. Evil and a shitty influence definitely. But he's not really that mean? Grounder kinda looks up to Scratch a lot, no pun intended, but Scratch also cares back. He just won't vocally say it. Like he has saved Grounder's life MULTIPLE times. And gets very defensive of him when he feels like it. They're not perfect, obviously. Scratch especially can be a total jerk to Grounder for no reason. But at the end of the day they do care for eachother. Hell even when they're not up to catching Sonic or helping Robotnik they're hanging out together, very rarely do you see them on their own. Once in a while yes they do their own thing, but they do hang out a lot. Also how their designs balance eachother is so nice. Scratch is this tall, skinny, chicken robot while Grounder is short, chubby, and a mole robot. Also little side note, the chicken robots Scratch is based off of (Cluckers or something) drive me insane 😭. Like I died probably 26 times from them. Anyways the colors too. Grounder's greenish teal compliments Scratch's red details. Idk as an artist I just like that fact. Don't ask me any deep questions about art btw, ik I work as an artist but I'm not that smart 😰. I like how even though Grounder is the short one Scratch will coward and cling onto him 😭 it's funny. And I love how chaotic they are. Just two dumbass guys doing dumbass things!! Coconuts when added is also amazing. I wish we got to see them work together more. But Grounder and Scratch on their own are again, perfect.

Oh. Also. I like how they're ACTUALLY separate characters. With a lot of duos I see one of two things happen a lot. Either they have very watered down personalities, or are literally the same person. I like how Scratch ans Grounder work together, but on their own are great characters still.

The final reason is probably the most.. I guess vague out of the others. I just feel like he could have a lot of depth. Ok I know he's dumb. He's made as a comedic henchman. He's not supposed to be taken seriously and it's a silly kid's show. But how him and Grounder are treated is lowkey dark? Like they LITERALLY said they're abused. And that's normal to them. They thought "hm yes let's force our robot kid to do chores! That's love!" Like no.. No that's not love 😭. I feel like that could also be a contributing reason to why Scratch is so hostile and cold, even to people he cares for like Grounder. It's because he doesn't know how to show it. But that's more headcanon territory so I dunno. And I feel like them fighting for a BIT of Robotnik's love tears them apart and it's kinda sad to watch. Like they could be very close but can't.

This was more of a sloppy rant than anything. And I don't really watch aosth that often. Not often enough to remember every single detail. So if anything is wrong I am terribly sorry 😭. But those are just a few huge reasons why I love Scratch so much. That's not getting into tiny specific details that don't really matter at all. Anyways I'm sorry for this long ass rant, I swear I won't do this often 😰 probably just one more time for another "show" if I feel like it, I just felt like ranting today! Thank you for reading this!

(Also photo of him. Cuz why not.)

[skratchytheclown]

Making MT

The character that went through the most changes over the years (by far) is MT himself. I could write a whole essay about the process of getting MT to the look he has now.

I'll just point out a couple of things here:

First are the eyes. MT's eye colors changed a lot throughout the years.

They seemed to have become more and more yellow over time. At first, I had the idea that MT was made out of multiple animal parts just "frankensteined" together. I gave him one blue eye and one brown eye, both from different creatures (not heterochromia). I remember that his right eye was not connected correctly, which meant he was blind in one eye. (you can kind of see that in this image)

Later on, I got a bit lazy when drawing it (the first sketch here is more of a simplification to just show the colors), so I just put an X on his right eye to show that it was faulty. I also remember that I yellowed the eyes a bit to make it look a bit less bright and lively.

Later, I decided to change the eye colors because I just thought MT's design could use some more uniformity. I wanted to pick a color that was already in Topper's design for MT's eyes. I decided to go with yellow eyes to match his bowtie. That's all there was to it. I also just got rid of that X for some reason. Probably because I thought it wasn't needed because it was supposed to represent MT having two different eyes? The next two designs were just stuff I made in close succession (compared to the other stuff). At this point, I pretty much gave up on the organic eyes, and replaced them with artificial ones. This was probably also the time where the original MT story was scrapped for the one with Silvea that everyone knows about, so the whole "frankensteining" thing wasn't an option anymore. I was just scrambling to find out how his eyes would look, and how they worked. I had a lot of drawings where his eyes were slightly different.

It also looks like four different people drew all of these. I guess I just liked to mess around with different artstyles back then (just for fun/the challenge. I wasn't trying to "find my artstyle")

I ended up liking that bottom-left one the most, which eventually led me to making MT's eyes the way they are currently.

The second thing I wanted to talk about is MT's "glow". I'm sure you remember seeing at least one image where MT was "lit up". Like this one, for example:

(and this)

MT glows in places where most of his power source is stored/being used. It was a trait he had for a while now, but apparently when I first came up with that idea...

...he was blue.

I actually forgot all about this fact until I recently saw the concept sketch (above). I changed it to red because that fit his overall color scheme better. He already has a bunch of colors, and adding blue on top of all that seemed like too much. Blue and green (MT's main color), are analogous, but red and yellow were already on his design, and red and green are complementary anyway. The red also still works with MT's hair color. (figuring out MT's colors really is.. something, isn't it?)

I also didn't think it made much sense for MT's abdomen and the base of his ear to be glowing.

There's also this version, which is just when MT dims his lights voluntarily to make it easier for him to sneak up on people. It also allows people to talk to him for longer periods of time without their eyes burning from his bright yellow eyes.