#they.... they put my lazy art on merch......
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all my sonic birthday/christmas gifts!!!!
from left to right, top to bottom: a knuckles mr. potato head (??), a tails 8-bit funko pop, a sonic shirt, a sonic prime figure set with boscage maze characters, A BLAZE THE CAT PLUSH, MY ART ON A SHIRT, HAT, AND STICKERS (???)
silly blaze photshoot under the cut
"paparazzi"
"you got games on your phone"
"weirdly pretty shots of blaze watching the barbie movie"
#teehee#my family oh my god why#they.... they put my lazy art on merch......#theres totebags too..... i have 90 something stickers........#help i put no effort into that drawing why did they like it so much to put it on merch 😭#anyways i very much love my family#i also may never shut up about this blaze plush anymore#my girl!!!! is a plushie!!!!!!!!#i WILL be taking her everywhere#i've been taking around my silver one lately and its so fun#he's just a little guy.... i take him on walks......#and now i can take my girl!!!!!#i can bring both of them with me to places!!!!!!#:D#raviolirambles#blaze the cat#knuckles the echidna#tails the fox#sonic the hedgehog#silver the hedgehog#sonic fandom#irlravioli
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ghost story premiere day! check @melliotwrites for more info
#*there's less than a day left* me: does this count as a prediction :33 sorry it's vague i just predict Vibes. stream sheep in wolf country#last several hours i can post this before it comes across as a Reading Comprehension Cringefail! due to the new update (premiere)#which is also to say i've rushed it in the last 24h after cc told me ''go for it''. i haven't digitally rendered like this since i was 15#in lieu of character designs falling into my lap from above i give you wolf & sheep & wolf & sheep. also House. also fire and water concept#brought to you by (1) general excitement i've been swept up in // (2) cc; who i messaged yesterday with a sketch on a half-wet receipt#and was an enabler of this nonsense // (3) copious usage of the procreate liquify tool and eyedropping colours from the pinterest boards#(4) '' rotatable 👍 '' from cc which means that the house in water isn't beset by reflections and vague. and this work is rotatable.#bonus points if you treat both sides as a spot the difference game.#tempted to print this out as like a6 merch. lowkey. // (4) me rendering last minute on the last possible day [art proj flashbacks] //#(5) ghost story art draft 1 i did like dec last year involving a shelf; incense sticks; peeling paint; spilled cup; the whole shebang -#if you look at the water house there's incense sticks in the window. yippee! had fun with that... it never made it out of sketch.#and then i lost the paper. alas. sorry i guess that was fated to never be. here's attempt 2.0 with months of hindsight#anyways let's talk really quick about song assocs! water imagery @idk you anymore // sheep in wolf country!! pretty obv. above#there's a house & there isn't a house. much House. idk how else to put it. // also that one timeline (not a song) saying <house burns down>#incense sticks mentioned in i breathe in you breathe out // the lighting for the field of grass comes from there's a house:#'where the grass looks like fire sick with anticipation'. also in the same song: pond mentioned 💥💥 body of water moment //#also also the house in this work is like. if you took the ghost story header & the ghost story programme houses and smushed them tgt#except i was lazy to render wood that clearly. and last note here is that the smoke was kinda insp from how clouds are done in chinese art.#ghost story musical
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an update on the crazy idea i mentioned: i have started on the paper prototype
+chopsticks
+lazy susan
+little gremlin helper? (he's more of a distraction, he keeps giggling and creeping about and asking me what makes me so special?)
the tl;dr: i had the crazy idea of making a small model carousel to display my DCA pins on. and since i'm having a bit of an artblock, this will provide a good break for me.
also apologies for the delay on replying to asks! you're all so sweet and your messages always brighten my day. i will get to you as soon as i can! i'm just arting a little slower as of late :')
longer explanation under the cut
so i ordered the youtooz dca pins because i earn adult money now and this is what i choose to spend that adult money on. and i realized i'm probably not gonna wear them because i'd be too scared of losing them, but i also don't wanna just put them in a box or frame them (some are bobble-headed and some dangle! i gotta let them move yknow?)
then this crazy idea came to mind... what if i made a tiny model carousel to display the pins on? that way they're displayed safely, but they are free to move around and be played with and i can remove them if i ever DO feel comfortable wearing them out. and if i ever get more DCA pins or keychains (like fan merch yknow 😍) then i can always add another "tier" to the carousel and make it taller. or i can mix and match what goes on the carousel. i also already have a lazy susan (i bought a pack of them from amazon for my spices and sauces) so, i could just put the model on it to make it spin (so i don't even need to make the spinning base!)
so yeah, this is going to be occupying my time and brain for the next couple of days (i'm somewhat going through a bit of an artblock too, so this will help me take a little break)
#crab chatter#fnaf moon#fnaf sun#fnaf eclipse#fnaf dca#dca fandom#crab crafts#i'll make a tag to keep track of my posts and updates#so i'll tag them with:#project: pins abound the merry-go-round#i'm used to using paper for my crafts#but i think i'll need something sturdier to hold the weight of the pins#i'm thinking popsicle sticks#because they'd be stronger#and they'd also give it a wood frame look#but i'll need stronger glue than my usual glue tape#i don't have all the pins yet#waiting on the ruin Eclipse and the shaker charms#but i think the popsicle sticks should be able to hold the weight
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Here we are in the future (merch) and it's WRONG
Hot Topic has been kinda killin' it with neat new designs on SU merch, which to me is pretty special considering how long the show has been off the air and how much I like to get new merch. :X However, the last time I was browsing their site, I decided against getting one of the designs because it's this:
Huh? "Ladies love a hero"? Where the heck did THAT come from?
It's certainly never said in the show, and it's not a sentiment that's presented by any characters, nor is it intended as a message by its creators. Not to mention that the Gems pictured technically aren't even "ladies." Who got the weird idea that "ladies love a hero" would be an appropriate thing to associate with Steven Universe?
I ended up buying a coffee mug with a bunch of SU artifacts and was dismayed to find the "ladies love a hero" phrase had somehow made it onto the otherwise canon-referential mug.
(The side I saw when I decided to get it was this:)
When it came in I showed it to my friend and asked him to find the thing on it that was "wrong." IMMEDIATELY he was like "Ladies love a hero? WHAT?"
Just kinda makes me think that instead of being designed by anyone with a passing familiarity with the show, it was thrown together by someone who thought it would look good. Who decided this?
But speaking of which, then today I saw this one:
Okay. So, seeing merch with random shit from the show splashed all over it is common with knockoffs and lazy ripoff artists, but seeing something like this in a mainstream store is puzzling. It's a somewhat confusing graphic with no message, but it's like . . .
Okay, Steven, Spinel, and Connie from the movie, versus. . . .
Amethyst with her Season 2 design, versus. . . .
Random image of Stevonnie from a single scene in a late Season 5 episode, versus. . . .
Random Greg, random Pink Diamond, versus. . . .
Garnet in what appears to be an attempt at her post-"Jailbreak"/pre-"Change Your Mind" outfit, but it's miscolored, and. . . .
Completely missing Pearl, one of the major main characters. Who puts Pink Diamond, Greg, Connie, Spinel, and Stevonnie on a shirt but forgets Pearl?
It's just kind of a mess, conceptually. A bunch of pretty pictures, several of which are stock art and a couple of which I've basically never seen on anything (so why these, why now?).
It's not uncommon for images featuring the four main characters to have character designs that couldn't have coexisted, but that doesn't bother me as much as something that just feels like it was an out-of-touch designer's google search result for Steven Universe characters.
Man, I need to be a merch consultant for this show or something. I am not much of an artist and am not a designer, but like . . . if they'd just asked ONE fan. . . .
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This is stupid, but you know those new LO hoodies the Webtoon shop has? I know the font they're using. It's Eckmannpsych which is an Adobe font.
That's not the stupid part though. The dumb part is the capital H and G in the Eckmannpsych font do not match what is on the hoodies, which would obviously be on the hoodies that have Hera or Goddess on them. So, Rachel looks to have taken the time to hand draw her own H and G to match the font style for those hoodies but did not take any time to make new, better art for the merch, but instead reused ugly panels from the comic. Talk about a strange look into her priorities. She doesn't like how the G and H look on a font? She will remake those to fit what she wants. Rachel when the assignment gives her the chance to make specialized, better designs for those same merch? She can't be bothered to even try. WTF!
for the love of god-
I'm assuming and hoping they had the commercial rights to that font LMAOO But it did kind of make me go 🤨 because while I didn't know the font EXACTLY off the top of my head it still felt... weirdly out of place for something like LO? Why are these hoodies being stylized like they're from Austin Powers LOL
On another note tho, the LO merch is just like... disappointing in how bad it is for what's supposed to be WT's #1 series, which is, btw, a series with so much unique stylization that it shouldn't even be this hard to make merch for it! it just feels very "first attempt at redbubble merch", but unlike genuine first attempts at making merch (which is obviously a learning curve that I wouldn't judge anyone for being new to) this is a company that's sunk shitloads of money into LO so I don't know why they can't get better merch made?? so much of it is just the default drawings taken and slapped onto a tote bag or t-shirt, which like, yeah cool fine you're using art that's recognizable and considering the art is already made, it stands to reason that they should use it for more than just the comic. It's just disappointing to see how lazy it often is and how little effort is put into translating it onto a t-shirt/tote bag/etc. like we can't even have ONE exclusive t-shirt with a unique design that isn't just poorly copy pasted from the comic?
Case in point, those t-shirts that Rachel was advertising a while ago that were actually straight up falsely advertised. I can't find the post about it on my Tumblr (I'm pretty sure I talked about it here) so here's the IG story rundown I did on it ages ago:
Again I'd really like to have benefit of the doubt here that Rachel isn't the one making these designs, usually that's not how the merchandising process goes in these types of deals, so I'm not gonna point the finger at her. But it's just so odd to me that it happened in the first place. And this goes for a lot of LO's merch, so much of it feels cheaply made and rushed off a conveyor belt for the point of making money without much expense. Which yeah, that's a business model for sure, the goal is to profit, but like this?
You can't even argue that it's like people criticizing LO the comic because like, as much as I'll justify what I spend my time doing here in my free time, it's true that at the end of the day I don't have to pay for LO, so really the only thing I'm doing is inflicting psychic damage to myself, it's not like my actual money is on the line LMAO That's why I stopped paying for LO ages ago and only do it when I have a specific episode I need to review (such as the midseason hiatus review series I did). At the very least, if I really want to keep reading LO but don't want to pay for it, I can just avoid FastPassing it and read it for free so I can save the coins for other series I'd rather read. The Webtoons' FP system is very fair that way.
But this is merch explicitly made to generate revenue. It is a product, front to back. You can vote with your money by not buying the thing you don't like, absolutely, but the fact that it's this poorly to begin with is just so indicative of Webtoons' business practices and so shitty for the people who genuinely enjoy this comic and are being advertised and sold shoddy merchandise that doesn't even come looking the same way it's advertised. It's really not a good look for Webtoons, Rachel, or LO that this is what they're selling to people.
Especially for what they're charging, good lord-
Like, okay, they're hoodies and they're gonna be expensive to print and ship so the higher overhead cost makes sense, but jesus christ, with the kind of merch Webtoons has already given the stamp of approval on, would it even show up in decent condition? How bright are those colors gonna be? Are they gonna strip off as soon as I throw it in the wash? I'm half-tempted to buy a hoodie for myself just to do a review on it but I can't justify dropping $75 CAD on a hoodie that only has art on the back. Maybe it's just me living in the hellish lands of Canada where we play with toy money that's the problem, but it's just not a gamble I wanna take LOL If I bought one it would probably be the Hecate or Hermes ones because they're the only ones that are at least somewhat legible and have decent character art that isn't a character looking like they need to poop LMAO
(these are literally the two worst drawings they could have chosen of these two i stg lol the only thing that would have made this worse/funnier is if it was Handsome Hades and Persephone Kidnapping a Baby LMAO)
It has me worried about what the LO figures are gonna look like when they release. Are they gonna have some creative liberty with making them chibi-fied (like a Nendoroid?) or are they gonna try and replicate the art style exactly and wind up making literal blow-up sex doll Persephone? 😭
NGL, if the figures are done well enough and don't cost an arm and a leg, I might consider buying one just for the shelf collection, but again, it depends. If Webtoons released a tarot deck with really good panels from LO (like the Tower 4 scene or Persephone sitting on the rooftop with her comb or Eros flying down into the Mortal Realm) I would buy the shit out of that. I would even just take the Major Arcana if 78 cards was too much to ask :'0 I'm not against Webtoons/Rachel trying to profit off LO merch at all, I just wish it was BETTER- (╥﹏╥)
#lore olympus critical#lo critical#anti lore olympus#ask me anything#ama#anon ama#anon ask me anything
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Where I get my clothes, and where to buy clowncore fashion
Alright so, ever since I’ve started posting my outfits on here and instagram I’ve been frequently asked where I get my clothes so I decided to just make this post I can direst people to when they ask. What I’m going to be covering in this post is:
☆ Where I buy my clothes
☆ Where I got the specific pieces that are most frequently asked about
☆ Brands/shops that sell clowncore and kidcore fashion
☆ About where the pieces used in my urstyle sets come from
Let me know if you want me to make a clowncore style guide/ post with basics and recommendations for starting to wear the fashion.
WHERE I BUY MY CLOTHES
The answer to that is that majority of my clothes, and especially the more interesting pieces are bought second-hand, either from thrift stores or depop. If you’re looking for weird or colorful clothes, thrift stores and antique stores are the first place you should check because a lot of common things in clowncore fashion such as weird/ugly sweaters or colorful frilly blouses are vintage.
When buying stuff online, yes you can search for terms like “clowncore” or “kidcore” and get results from people who know those aesthetics, but I usually have better luck finding stuff I like by making a pinterest board of clothes I want, and then searching for specific items on depop and ebay.
For example some of the things I search for are “colorful vintage sweater” “clown sweater” “colorful 80s blouse” “vintage rainbow sweater” “vintage bed jacket” “square dance dress”. I also search for old Lazy Oaf stuff, because I feel like 2010s Lazy Oaf goes well with clowncore. The only other brand I specifically search for is Eagles Eye, who made some of the weird sweaters I own.
Accessorizing is also important for this style, and you can find stuff like patterned socks/tights, novelty purses, and quirky earrings pretty easily on Amazon and Ebay. But I’d also recommend looking on Etsy to find more unique and better quality accessories.
WHERE I GOT SPECIFIC PIECES:
These are just the ones most frequently asked about so I thought I’d put them in here, if there’s something else not included here feel free to ask.
Blue clown face sweater: This was bought in 2016 from beautifulhalo.com and sold out soon after I got it. It’s actually a dupe of a very similar Lazy Oaf sweater that was sold out before that.
Red letter skirt: I actually made this myself out of a plain red circle skirt I thrifted, and some foam letters that you can buy in the kids arts and crafts section of walmart or similar stores.
Fuzzy red cartoon eye dress: This is from Lazy Oaf, I got it second hand on ebay.
Crayola crayons sweater: I bought this on ebay, the brand is the Eagle’s Eye.
Blue burger top: This is another Lazy Oaf piece I got on ebay.
M&M button up shirt: I got this in NYC from the M&M store there in 2019, I’m not sure if they still sell them or if they’re available online.
Red clown sweater: I bought this on Etsy in 2017 and I’m under the impression it was one of a kind, but I’m not 100% sure.
Rainbow striped top: My mom got me this for Christmas in 2019 I think, and I’m pretty sure she got it from Amazon. It’s a dupe of a top made by Minga London, although the original uses a darker shade of blue. You can probably still find it if you search “rainbow stripe turtleneck” or something.
Rockafire Explosion Rolfe and Earle tee: Got this from https://www.cafepress.com/rockafireworld, they have merch of the other characters as well.
BRANDS/SHOPS THAT SELL CLOWNCORE AND KIDCORE FASHION:
Here are some links to brands, stores, and depop accounts that sell clowncore and kidcore type clothes. Note that some of them sell other clothes besides that so you might have to look through their stuff.
https://www.kinaandtam.com/ (Can be a bit pricey, but I’ve bought a sweater from them and it’s great quality, def recommend)
https://www.lazyoaf.com/collections/lazy-oaf-x-nhozagri (while i feel like the lazy oaf aesthetic has shifted and become less kidcore over the years, they still do make colorful weird stuff sometimes)
https://theraggedpriest.com/ (have some cool colorful stuff if you look for it)
https://www.depop.com/kitschcore/ (vintage clothes)
https://www.depop.com/sweetcarolinesvintage/ (vintage clothes)
https://www.depop.com/sweaterweatherco/ (colorful sweaters)
https://www.depop.com/maekshift/ (clown costumes)
https://www.depop.com/bluebearboutique/ (colorful collars)
https://www.depop.com/mysticalbaby/ (jewelry)
https://katabasisagora.com/ (upcycled/altered pieces, featured in my urstyle sets multiple times)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MaliciousDesignsLA (dresses and sets, very melanie martinez-esque but some also give me clown vibes)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ichigoblack (bloomers, dresses and skirts)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/KawaiiKave (accessories)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/YellowThreadd (accessories)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SistersEnchanted (clown collars)
https://rommydebommy.com/ (realistic food purses - super expensive but very cool i dream of owning one T_T)
https://www.fashionbrandcompany.com/ (duh)
That’s all I can think of atm, hopefully I’m not forgetting anything I know of
ABOUT MY URSTYLE SETS
If you follow me it might be because of my urstyle sets, aka outfit collages I’ve made on the website urstyle (it’s just like polyvore). I make these as moodboard basically, putting together outfits for whatever style I’m into at the current moment, but none of the pngs I use are my photos and only a couple of my sets include clothes that I own, since they’re more like pictures of outfits I wish I own. If I want to make outfits with my clothes I can just wear them lol
Some of the pictures I use I uploaded myself from pinterest or other websites, but I also use a lot of pictures that weren’t uploaded by me. For the majority of the clothes, I don’t know where they’re from or where to get them, although there are a few that I do know. If you want to know whether I know where a specific piece is from, just ask me, but please don’t ask the general question of “where are these clothes from” or “where do you buy these” under my urstyle posts since that broad of a question is hard to answer.
Hope this answered some questions people might have!
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MY unpopular HP opinions
(part 1?)
As someone who’s been a “fan” since 2008
Draco Malfoy is not an innocent
Regulus Black is not an innocent (and jegulus… just doesn’t do it for me)
Lily Evans is sidelined far too fucking much
Snape is an interesting character, but not a good person. Literally that male friend you’ve had forever who you bear your heart to and then he says “i have something to tell you” and if you reject him he calls you a slur. holds onto childhood grudges at his big age. BULLIES CHILDREN?? to the point where he is the WORST FEAR of a 13 yr old boy??
(more under cut)
ATYD, while a great AU fic, has damaged the personalities of characters. ex. in this fic it’s understandable that Lupin has a backbone but in canon it is SO IMPORTANT to his character that he never really had enough backbone to stand up to his friends when they took it too far?? and he grew INTO gaining that backbone
Percy Weasley is overhated, sure he was a bit of a pompous prick at times but that was 1. when he was a literal teenager (aka when everyone’s an arse) and 2. when the job he’d been working towards his entire life spoonfed him propaganda… yeah he’s not perfect but he was trying to do the right thing
All the Weasley’s being in the same house is lazy writing (percy should have been a slytherin and he’s not the only one)
JKR, on top of all the racism, transphobia, etc etc is also… not as good of a worldbuilder as everyone says. Look deep enough into it and everything just falls to bits. Her ‘wizarding world’ (specifically BWW) is just European folklore thrown at a dartboard, with aesthetic English Boarding School dumped on it. and don’t get me started on the rest of the wizarding world. (wym there’s only one school for all of south america. joanne i’m coming for you) at best it doesn’t make sense or is ignorant but at worst it’s actively harmful.
It is not enough to separate the art from the artist when the artist is actively profiting off the art. Especially when the art itself is steeped in Racism, Transphobia, Anti-Semitism, Fatphobia, and more. JKR has her platform and money from these works and is using this platform to spew rhetoric that is directly harmful to Transgender people, ESPECIALLY trans women. As much as you are consuming HP content you better also be actively doing whatever you can to help the people directly affected by her hatred. Instead of merch, maybe donate to a goddamn gfm. Next time you reread the series, put some time aside to analyze the text you’re reading. I guarantee it’s not as good as you thought.
The books could have survived as beloved children’s literature is Joanne had never gotten a twitter. Am I saying there’s nothing harmful in the books? No. But the harmful content would have been overlooked if JKR had kept her mouth shut.
“slytherin skittles” is a stupid ass name and i view anyone who mains baby death eaters with utmost distaste. babygirl those are fascists. literally wizard nazis, joanne was not subtle but perhaps you’d prefer the subtlety of a brick to the face
yeah so this was long and i’m probs not making any friends lol. but hey. new blog! maybe i’ll get hate mail
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Regarding Ritchie "Kiel" "Rox" "Mimo" "Lain" ryuuseini / mimoriru
So, at the end of 2022, I made a post on twitter about this particular user, who runs a merch store, abusing my personal info that he obtained from his store to doxx me and threaten to "ruin my life". You can find it here, as well as receipts and additional testimonies in the quote retweets from other people impacted by his actions.
Well, his art showed up completely unprompted on my dash, which tells me that since being called out, he has taken no accountability, changed his name, ran away to tumblr, and not only opened his store again but is trying to fandom hop to escape his sordid past. So if you're too lazy to read the twitter post, or if you got hit with my block chain, to summarize:
Ritchie and I were friends for over a year and a half. He cut ties because he didn't like a couple things I said or how I ran my server, which is fine. He's entitled to that. What he's not entitled to is to start a smear campaign DMing all my mutuals with very exaggerated accusations about me that he can't back up or accusing me of "stalking" and "harassing" him when I haven't contacted him since we cut ties in 2021. But that's all just friend group infighting. What matters is the literally illegal shit he did after and again, has taken no accountability for.
While we were friends, he said he had some leftover Zelos merch and he'd send it to me for free if I covered shipping costs, to which I said sure and gave him my address. Well, in September 2021, when his panel did not get accepted into Rappig Crossing's conline, he assumed I had used my connection to Maple Gel to get him blacklisted... when I had literally moved the fuck on at that point. I had nothing to do with whatever beef he had with them, but as a result, he went into a large Tales server and shared my personal information, made threats to get me kicked out of school and to "ruin my life", and encouraged the people in this server to "look up my irl credentials" to prove I'm not who I say I am or... something, which I can prove wrong easily. Receipts here.
People in Tales generally don't fuck with him anymore because people know he's shady but I have ygo:dm mutuals who unfortunately don't. If you're looking for merch there are better, more reputable creators who won't compromise your personal information as soon as they decide they don't like you. Take this information as you will, but Ritchie: I hope you know changing your name and hopping groups every time you get called out for something is an abuse tactic.
You can think I'm the literal devil all you want, you can say I'm dragging things out, but you intentionally and knowingly compromised customer information in order to threaten my safety over something you assumed and said yourself in the screenshot that you couldn't prove. You couldn't prove it because it was false, and you still went to such extreme lengths to put me in danger regardless. People have the right to be able to decide whether they want to support your business with this information in mind. I have the right to speak up when I believe I was wronged and the perpetrator has not only taken no accountability for what they did, but might go on to hurt someone else too.
In conclusion, if you're a pokeani/yugioh/tales creator who does merch, send me your info. I want to plug your shop.
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Hello, first of all, I’m really sorry for bothering you with this. I’m a person who other people consider an artist. I’ve made things all of my life with whatever tools I could get my hands on. My family was too poor to afford paper and pencils so I burned wood engravings with magnifying glasses. My handwriting is tiny and precise because I loved writing but had to squeeze every inch of space out of a page. Over the years I’ve done a lot of other things that caught my interest, including sculpture, 3D modeling, modding, making dolls, decoupage, graphic design, oils, watercolor, lots of stuff. I won awards, got into some magazines. People paid unreasonable amounts for my stuff. I even spent two years in college majoring in drawing and painting before admitting to myself that I hated the process and though I had some technical skill, I wasn’t a real artist and didn’t have the inspired creative spark real artists had. I was okay with that; I don’t want to express myself. I’ve always made things because I wanted to learn things and see something I wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise.
I’ve always thought of myself as someone respectful of artists. I’ve spent so much on commissions that I don't have a savings account. I’ve always paid artists as well as I can afford and sometimes more if I thought their rates were low or if I knew they were putting extra work in on a piece. I’ve also bought a lot of fan made merch. Almost a thousand of that has been on prints you’ve made. I love your art.
I’ve been passionate about text and art AI for years. At first I was excited when the public became aware of my hobby and I thought that I’d finally be able to talk about it with people. Except, it turned out that everyone hates this thing I’m passionate about and would hate me if they knew I used it. I’ve had to hide it and keep it bottled up inside, away from the people I want to share it with. Everywhere I look, I see words like AI bro and AI clown and lazy and that people like me should just die.
I’ve heard all of the arguments for and against it. I do get why people are scared and discouraged and feel like they’ve had something taken from them. But I also know that I can't stop loving AI. I can't stop making things and learning new skills in things that interest me. That’s who I am. If I know anything about myself, it’s that.
I have one enormous print of yours of Aziraphale hanging over my bed. It has given me so much happiness for the past two years. I’ve felt love and beauty when I look at it. It’s been a source of comfort and joy. Having grown up lesbian in a religious household that thought I needed an exorcism, there’s something about seeing him turn his face away from God that resonates.
It’s been eating me up inside for weeks because every time I look at the picture above my bed, I don’t see Aziraphale any more. I don’t feel that love. I can only think about the person behind it that I respect and how they’ve said I should die, and the community behind them that I want to be part of but would hate me.
Am I the bad guy? The pain feels like a festering boil that needs to be lanced, so I guess I’d like to hear you say that what I’m doing is unforgivable so that I can take the picture down, grieve and move on. I know that's a lot for a stranger to ask of you. It's probably messed up that I'm even bringing this to you. I'm sorry.
Hiya. Thank you for messaging me. first I'd just like to say I don't think anyone should actually die. I know I say AI folks should die but it's something that I don't actually mean or want, I'm just angry. I don't like being told to "adapt or die". I don't appreciate AI folks saying I should "get on with the times and use the AI". I don't appreciate being told to "learn a new skill" by people who by all accounts have none themselves. I don't appreciate being told to "go work at McDonald's bozo". Being told to "get a real job". These are the things said to me personally, not just to artists in general.
Have you seen the vile things artists are being told by the AI tech bros? How we are being treated? They call us "drawslaves", "paint pigs", but at same time we're the "elite" keeping the poor masses away from their god given right to be able to make art without putting any effort into it.
We have every right to be angry and I'm really sorry me saying they should die has hurt you. I'm hurting too. I haven't been in the best place mentally and I won't go into details but this whole AI thing has only made it worse.
I don't think artists are just scared or discouraged, they're angry because their art is being stolen by this thing made to replace them. It really really hurts, I can't tell you how much. It's also infuriating. A lot of the time it makes me want to just stop making art because what's the point? It'll just get stolen and chopped up, bastardised into some AI monstrosity and soon I won't even be needed at all. I spent my whole life trying to figure out what to do with it, finding one thing i love and managing to make a living off it, only for it to be taken away from me by a machine. Might as well just stab me to death and get it over with. It would hurt less. One of the things that hurt me the most is when people question if my art is AI or not. I hate that I also question every piece of art I now encounter too.
Your story is inspiring and it sounds like you enjoyed making art, so what happened? I can't understand how any artist would actually feel accomplished by generating images via AI. I do understand it's fun and brings joy to people I guess. As for being a part of the art community I don't think most artists will ever accept AI folks as being a part of it. There is a huge AI community though, as I'm sure you know.
Personally I find it really difficult to look at AI images, for many reasons, seeing them treated as art pains me. It's why I left ArtStation and why I'm no longer active on DeviantArt either.
I don't think you specifically are the "bad guy". The bad guys are the people who are pushing for this thing to actually replace artists. The bad guys are the hedge fund billionaire man babies behind it. I do think people using AI are helping it get better at stealing though. The support the AI has been given by folks using it has made people behind it more aggressive as well.
But like I said many times before I don't hate AI specifically and if it stops stealing and starts being used more ethically then it's fine (sort of). But I think everyone knows the AI would be nothing without actual artists' work, that's why they're gonna fight for their "right" to keep stealing from us. Wonder who they gonna steal from when most of us abandon art because we'll have to do something else to survive and there won't be time for making art anymore.
I'm really sorry my stance on AI is making it difficult for you to enjoy my art though, I never really thought about that so thank you for making me consider your perspective on this. I'm happy my art has brought you joy. For what it's worth I don't hate you, I don't think using AI is unforgivable, I don't think you're a bad person for using AI and finding joy in it. But as an artist I will never support AI. AI stomps all over everything art stands for, to me at least. It's a travesty. It mocks everything I've been through as a person to get where i am now. There are so many artists i love and seeing their art stolen and used in this way makes me so mad. It's easy to make the issue sound simple by saying "artists are just scared because AI is better" but it's so much more than that.
I'm sorry you feel like you need to take my Aziraphale painting down. I can't help but feel the way i feel though. i hate AI as it is now but that doesn't mean i hate every single person who uses it. I'm sorry though. i wish i had something smarter to say and something to make you feel better :(
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sorry if you were asked this before/talked about it before, but im always curious what career or life paths everyone sees each of the eds having. i'd love to hear your takes!
Ooh, I love thinking about this a lot.
I have talked about Double D's career before. He's forever a grad school burnout in my heart.
Eddy eventually gets sick of not having money and leaves his lazy ways behind to become a workaholic. I see him working a bunch of minimum wage type jobs while working towards an associates degree in business (much to Double D's immense joy.) Once he's got the money saved up, he opens up a Bistro where he's the head chef. He hates paying other people, so he tries to do as much of the work involved by himself as possible. Eventually that's not sustainable anymore and Double D convinces him to hire more people AND to pay them fairly. Double D does the hiring process himself and makes sure to hire people who won't put up with Eddy's shit and let him take advantage.
Ed tries and fails to hold down a bunch of different labor type jobs until he finally gets on some sort of ADHD med. He's much less accident prone now that he can actually focus on what he's doing. He still has his art, and eventually he focuses more on that and the labor jobs become more of a side hustle. He does some shows, sells some pieces, but he'd really rather do art for fun. Once making a living on the internet becomes a possible thing, most of his income comes from hosting various different horror movie, comic book, and ttrpg podcasts/streams. He becomes a really popular and well known Dungeon/Game Master with some sick nasty homebrew campaigns. He makes a lot of money off of merch, including comic books and zines that he makes. Double D and Eddy both help him out with the business side of things.
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I saw your post 623829004122718209/hey-i-can-finally-post-this-heres-one-of-my through radar, i have a question I am an illustrator but so many say to sell their illustrations on etsy or gumroad or a trillion sites but I dont comprehend what is different between someone getting an illustration of mine on tumblr or deviantart and then one on etsy, what is the difference in yours?
Hihi! I'm answering this publicly because I think others could benefit from this as well.
So, full disclosure. Art is not currently my full time job. I have a day job doing marketing/graphic design for a medical device company (I'm on my lunch right now, hi!) and do art on the side because it makes me happy.
When it comes to the art I do sell, my primary business is not prints. It's other merchandise such as clothing, key chains, enamel pins, stickers, buttons, etc. Basically things most people cannot make on their own. Some examples below:
When I do sell a print of my work it's typically at an in person event like a convention or art show. Most of my online sales are not prints, though I do have an InPrint and a print listing on my webstore (and I used to have a RedBubble and Society6). Hell, most of my in person sales aren't prints. Usually it's my hats and shirts.
For selling illustration prints online the biggest difference between someone buying a print and someone just right-click-saving-print-themselves it quality.
Most of my work is uploaded as a 72 dpi png that is significantly scaled down from the digital canvas size I actually used to draw/paint it. Anyone who's saving and printing it out is going to get a pretty shitty quality print. Buying a print directly from me is getting a nice crisp 300dpi jpeg print that look GORGOUS, if I do say so myself.
The quality of the paper is important as well. The people who don't have the funds to purchase a print typically also don't have the funds to invest in fancy paper or specialty printing. I do sell a lot of 'gimic' prints (foil, holographic, pearl) and most people who attend conventions are willing to pay a premium for something like that, but even my standard matte prints are on nice heavy or textured linen paper. I use professional print services mostly (thank u CatPrint for my life) but even if I'm printing at home for a smaller con I have a very nice printer and very nice cardstock. A lot of convention artists who just do prints also sell fancier things like canvas prints.
Unrelated to the actual 'product', you should watermark your work and offer the unwatermarked version for sale if you want to do prints. I don't always do this out of laziness but, again, it's not my primary source of income. The Beloved illustration you linked was specifically for a larger DND 5e supplemental. It wasn't even designed to be sold as a print, so I didn't bother watermarking it. I honestly still should have but in my mind the value of that piece was contained around the book it was drawn for. The illustration is nice but it feels empty without all additional information included in Bardic Inspiration.
To circle back to something I said early, don't limit yourself to only selling prints. Make stickers of your illustrations, put it on tote bags and tshirts. If you don't want to source products yourself RedBubble and Society6 are fairly decent print on demand services. The only reason I left their platforms was because I didn't like the way they were changing their payment structure for artist, but it's not a bad place to upload things and make passive income. If you're flexible with your art and are willing to source products yourself, you can make other merch. The upfront cost is higher but the eventual return is MUCH bigger than any print on demand services. People wound up liking Beloved enough for me to make an enamel pin of her
Maybe it's the circles I travel, but most people do want to support the artist they like and the people who are right-click-save-print either can't support you financially or were never the type of people who were going to support you financially.
As long as no one is re-posting my art as their own or sharing it without credit, I really don't care if someone decides to save my illustration to admire it later. If you're broke and want to print one of my illustrations out at a library and slap it on your wall go for it.
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There's a con in my city this month and I'mma do a very lazy, modern style cosplay of Ace. Mostly cause I didn't know it was coming up and I don't really have any makeup skills for my face or to cover up my tattoo (or confidence to wear a bikini top let's be honest here). Hopefully I'll be able to get a haircut before then so I'll have a nice, semi curly/wavy bob (on my long journey to get that jellyfish haircut).
I already have a bag and necklace that's Ace themed, as in, literally merch styled for him.
Maybe I'll post a picture of it when I go? I'll be wearing my glasses cause I'm blind AF though I do need to refresh my prescription as well... It's been three years I think???
I'd do Marco but I don't wanna bleach my hair until I'm ready to dye it blue to be honest, and I really only have a purple button up and a blue scarf for the belt.
I could always do none of that but I'd like to have a little bit of fun lol
Who knows, might fuck around and get a flash tattoo!
Onto more immediate things, I'm hoping to take this week to finish the art I need to do for zines (3). The comm I'd like to do this Saturday so I can sit down and do it all in one go. But we'll see, might be busy running errands?
Got a little addition I need to put in for that pokemon fic I'm deliberately taking slow.
Monday was pretty harsh and I passed tf out yesterday cause I've basically been sick the past 3. Really sucks to crave peanut butter but have a weird intolerance to it if I haven't had any recently... Or maybe my sandwich was just too much?
I'm not currently planning anything for my birthday, but who knows? Maybe I'll do a flash event to celebrate! Like old times! Or nothing and actually enjoy the day lol
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hhiiiiiithere i saw one post from you about lobcorp (which i have jus t started playing)
just wanted to say. hi. and also tell me about your agen ocs
HELLO HELLO ANON!!!
i do so want to tell you about all our nuggets, but after writing about only sergey, one out of ten, the post became disgustingly long. so i will tell you about the others in individual posts! which will come at a later time.
but if you want to know about the others before then, our branch is named branch morse, and thusly you may find more of the shenanigans tagged as such here! and perhaps you may glean something from my bad habit of dropping memes and leaving.
anyways!!! SERGEY!!! HAPPY SERGEY SATURDAY, YOU'RE ALL FINALLY GETTING HER BACKSTORY
(Art by my best friend!!! @/gashaconsword on Twitter!!!)
Sergey
they/she/he | 27-36 years old due to unexplained time shenanigans (but we just treat them like they're 36 at this point) | 169 cm | Totally not the Welfare Team Captain
Sergey is sort of our main nugget. Our mascot, if you will.
Instead of working with abnormalities, one typically finds Sergey hanging out in the main rooms – napping, flipping through risqué magazines about robots, or simply sipping soda – minding their own business. Gruff, aloof, and dry-humoured, their behaviour being tolerated by management often puzzles newer hires.
Before being hired, Sergey lived a lonely life in the Backstreets, eventually joining a Syndicate out of a desperate desire for somewhere to belong. They were content to turn a blind eye to the cruelties they and their "family" performed, as long as it gave them a home. The perfect attack dog, they ripped into anyone who dared stand against their organisation with tooth and claw. But one day, they were ordered to take out a family, children and all. They protested to the higher-ups… but for all their vicious loyalty, they were nothing more than a weapon, one in an arsenal of many. The family was killed, and for their insubordination, Sergey would be next. Just when they had no choice but to run from the "home" they had so desired… the letter of employment from L Corp arrived.
They never want to be so blind ever again. So Sergey puts up a gruff facade, avoiding connections with any of their fellow employees. However, though they wish they didn't, they do care. A lot. They're the first to leap into action for suppression when an abnormality breaches, and their lazy facade is, in a subconscious way, them "conserving their energy". Despite seeming to be a tired mid-30s slob, they refuse to indulge in any vices besides sugary sodas, all so they can be prepared to save lives at any moment.
Sergey has a huge embarrassing crush on Chesed. They don't know how he looks through the cognition filter, and have brute forced themselves into becoming robosexual. (That's where the magazines come in.) They have a collection of Chesed merch they designed themselves, ranging from badges to plushies. They keep it all hidden in a closet, so their room looks somewhat barren. (And yet, they're still the sanest employee…) The only thing they don't keep hidden is the body pillow. That one they sleep with.
Sergey is basically the Welfare Team Captain, but they refuse to acknowledge their appointment and constantly beg Chesed to pick someone else.
Excluding atypical circumstances, Sergey is allowed to work with just their favourite abnormality, Wellcheers, if they want. Because they're the cutest and the managers' favourite ♡
Sergey's friends constantly tease them about their big sappy heart. Despite the bullying, they're something like the pride of the branch, and everybody counts on them. They're even nicknamed "The Guard Dog of Hell"… by Courtney. Sergey hopes it doesn't catch on.
After particularly stressful days, Sergey often treats their coworkers to some delivery pizza or something. They rarely join in the partying and prefer to stay on the sidelines, keeping watch while nursing a soda.
Sergey is in a situationship with Goodie. It's messy, but long story short, they love each other, they've both just got mega issues. They'll work it out in the end. They're the most normal workplace romance we've got…
They like to draw and have a cute, Sanrio-esque art style. (They're not that good at drawing robots, so they want to commission Robertus…) Besides Chesed, they like to draw shrimp. They also like to cook! They don't dress up that often, but they like outfits like miniskirts and heels too. They're mostly deadpan, but get flustered when complimented, especially on these hobbies.
They kind of have this doggirl thing. Hey, we all cope.
#sergey#nuggets#morse支部#i didnt go into all their relationships w the other freaks at this company bc ill make a chart for that eventually#just the most important info. and finally their backstory#<- deranged#sorry if you couldnt tell i want them. carnally. theyre like if a girl was an uncle#sighs. wistfully#thank you for asking anon <3 and for giving me a chance to unleash the mega autism beast#asks#anon#oh and also somewhere not so deep in the morse支部 tag is a video w voiceclaims#for like. 6/10. well 7/10 if Sergey 2 sounds exactly like Sergey#which they should#medically speaking#so thats a little incentive right there <3
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If any Yang fans are disappointed with the direction her character has gone from caring about her sister to only checking in with her sis every once in a while and then proceeds to ignore her so she can kiss her girlfriend that she compares to a literal animal, I’d recommend Ninjago if you wanna see a character with fire powers that actually gives a damn about his sister even when he gets a girlfriend
Gonna go a bit off topic but really, its not that hard to find other media or shows that are better written than rwby.
I'm not going to pretend Rwby was ever amazing but my god, current Rwby is so...lazy.
It's funny how the stans go absolutely bat shit insane defending this show tooth and nail but the two people who were there for the show's conception, and helmed this titanic like ship ride for a decade are very clearly burnt out on the series. Yeah, there are those like Troche, the odd animator or character designer who clearly love this series to death and pour their all into it. But the people at the top, the people who helped create the show and the ones who have total control over Rwby do not care. The passion from the upper echelons of "Crwby" (but really Roosterteeth z-list internet celebs) is all but burnt out. Rwby is just a cash cow at this point. The nihilism and lack of love can be seen in the merch, in the commentary tracks, and right in the show's writing.
I just binged watched the entirety of the Hunger Games yesterday, and compared to Rwby's copaganda, its leagues better in exploring civil rights and slavery. I praised Final Fantasy XVI for allowing Clive to beat the shit out of slave owners. Hell, both Arcane and Final Fantasy do a better job of writing a close sibling dynamic.
Its such the bare minimum that Rwby fails to meet time and time again not because of incompetence (they had 10 years and so much leniency from the fans and they wasted them) but because of complacency and laziness.
Rwby just the lifeline keeping Roosterteeth afloat. As long as deranged fans or hypocritical fans keep giving Roosterteeth money for half-assed merch with slapped on concept art and funding their kickstarters, why should Kerry Shawcross care to put in the effort to write a compelling story. Him and Miles don't even like these characters and struggle with their overcomplicated world building and character bloat. The honeymoon period of Rwby is over of them. They've cracked under the weight of Rwby's success.
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Beat the Daylight
Sequel to Face the Noise, an Arcane Rock Band AU
Rating: M
Chapter 20: The Jam Sesh
Summary: All is well. 3 months later || Springtime
This work is available here on AO3. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19
Powder had missed her bed. Sure, the one at the hotel had been comfortable, with its satin pillows and heavy comforter. But there was nothing like her bed, the mish mash of blankets from her childhood that were layered on top of each other in artful chaos, arranged to allow the best combination of weight and airflow.
And particularly this morning, with Lux sleeping beside her, she didn’t want to leave.
She heard heavy footsteps in the hallway, the scent of coffee a few minutes later. Careful not to disturb Lux, Powder slipped out of the sheets and tugged a Hextech hoodie over her shoulders. She’d been surprised at how comfortable it was, way more than any of Shimmer’s merch–no wonder Vi and Mel wore theirs all the time.
Vi was pouring a cup when she walked in. “Morning.” Even after a few months, her eyes still had that shine whenever she saw Powder, that awed relief. Powder pretended not to like it. Vi asked, “Lux here? What time did she get in last night?”
“Late.” Powder pulled out her favorite mug and her second favorite for Lux.
“She likes one splash of vanilla creamer and a splash of hazelnut,” Vi advised. “I picked up both last night. She also likes a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top but not too much because it’ll sink to the bottom.”
Still so weird. Powder wondered if she would ever get past it. “Thanks.”
“What are you two doing today?”
“I’m gonna show her the town,” Powder said, sipping from her own coffee. “We’ll pick up Ekko once he’s done with his meeting. You want to come with us?”
“Nah, I got work.” Vi stretched her fingers skyward. “New hire’s settling in, though. He’s been closing the last couple nights on his own.”
“Good. Give you more time to train for your tournaments.” Powder smirked at her. “Cause you’re gonna need it.”
“Oh, I need it, huh?” Vi scoffed playfully, rising from the table. “Come say that to my face, I’ll whoop you right here and now.”
“No thanks,” Powder said, taking Lux’s cup. “I’m not paying your hospital bill.”
Vi shook her head, grinning. “See you tonight, Pow-pow.”
“Later.” When Powder returned to her bedroom, Lux was just stirring. “Good morning, Starlight,” Powder purred. “Want some coffee?”
Lux blinked at her, and gasped. “Yes!” She accepted the cup, murmuring, “Did I ever tell you that you’re my favorite person ever?”
“Mmm I wouldn’t mind hearing it a little more,” she said, kissing the tip of Lux’s nose.
They took their time getting ready for the day. Of course, Powder wasn’t very helpful, since every time Lux put a piece of clothing on, Powder eventually worked it back off of her again, distracting her with kisses.
“Powder,” Lux giggled. “Come on, I have to do something with my day.”
“I’m something.” And she bit her neck.
They spent a few hours tangled in each other’s arms, enjoying each other in lazy bliss, until Lux glanced at her phone and gasped. “Oh, we gotta go! Ekko finished his meeting a while ago.”
As they arrived at Ekko’s place, he bounded up to the car. “Yo, Crownguard!” Ekko reached in through the window to clasp Lux’s hand and draw her in for a half hug. “What is up, girl, how you been!”
“Good,” Lux said with a grin.
Powder cut in. “You better watch those hands, Boy Savior.”
“Only if you can catch them.” He slid into the back, propping his forearms on the back of their seats. “What’s our first stop?”
“The school,” Lux sighed. “Have to convince my parents this was a productive trip.”
They cruised through campus: the weekend left the area empty, with only a few students trailing through. Powder had familiarized herself with the buildings, and pointed them out as they went. “There’s the chemistry building, environmental science. That’s where Viktor and Jayce’s lab used to be when they were grad students.”
Lux asked, “Which one are you going to be in?”
“All of them,” Powder huffed. “The boys said I can’t start my Hextech internship until I get my basics out of the way.”
Ekko reassured her, “You’ll knock it out in no time. As long as you don’t get distracted by Starlight over here,” and he pinched Lux’s shoulder.
“Hey, what’d I say about hands, bitch?” Powder reached back to swat at him.
They stopped at the top of the parking garage, leaning over the concrete wall to survey the city. The trees were full and lush, cars passing by lazily in the mid-spring day. Ekko and Powder switched off their tour notes, pointing out different landmarks.
“There’s the square,” Powder said. “You can’t really see the pub from here, but you can see the top of the courthouse.”
“And that office building?” said Ekko. “When that place was still being built, we snuck in one night and tried cigarettes for the first time.”
“Oh yeah,” Powder laughed. “Vander was pissed. Vi was grounded for two weeks.”
Lux just beamed at them both, enjoying the stories, only interrupting occasionally to ask questions.
The pub was the next stop. The lunch rush had just ended, giving Vi and Vander a long enough break to greet Lux. Vander in particular was excited to meet her, curious about her style of playing guitar. Lux was nervous at first, but settled into one of her rambles, and Powder gave Vi a knowing look as they all listened.
Eventually Vi and Vander had to get back to work, at which point, Powder, Ekko, and Lux went to Shepherd’s Bridge. After handing Lux some spray paint, they cheered her on while she left her own tag, a bright blue star symbol sandwiched between Caitlyn’s cupcake and a fresh pink “Jinx”.
The trio picked up a few supplies for the evening, stocking up on sodas and chips. Powder dropped off Ekko at his car so he could go pick up Zeri, leaving her and Lux to their own devices for the afternoon.
They lay entwined on the living room couch, half-paying attention to the horror movie. Lux ran her fingers through Powder’s hair, gently massaging her scalp.
“Do you think they’d like me?” Powder asked. “Your parents. And Garen.”
“Maybe. I mean, you are rich and famous now.”
“Jinx is famous,” Powder clarified. “Powder’s just rich.” Because she was over eighteen, all of the money Silco set aside for her had become hers, even after his arrest. The problem was she didn’t know what to do with it, other than pay for school. Now, she had everything she wanted.
Lux smiled to herself. “Well, Jinx is the one in all those scandalous pictures of us, so they’ll probably prefer Powder.”
“Scandalous, huh?” Powder buried her nose in Lux’s ribs.
“They’re going to be weird,” Lux said honestly. “They always have been. Hell, I could be dating Caitlyn and they’d still complain because the Kirammans are new money. You can’t worry about what they think. Just worry about what I think.”
Powder propped her chin on her stomach, gazing adoringly up at her. “And what do you think?”
“I think…” Lux said, tapping her nose with a finger. “That you’re adorable.”
Powder scrunched up her nose, pretending she was offended. “I’m not adorable. I’m a menace.” She gently bit Lux’s skin.
“Fine. You’re an adorable menace.”
The doorknob jingled, and Caitlyn followed the sound, arms overflowing with paperwork. “Hi Lux!” she said with a smile. “How was your trip here?”
“Good.”
Powder nodded towards the papers. “How’s hunting?”
“Ugh.” Caitlyn dropped everything on the already cluttered kitchen table. “I’d rather hunt a hawk in the rain. But, we’re making progress. There’s a lot of new housing between here and Piltover. Lux, I forgot to ask, do you have any home preferences?”
“Nope!” Lux said brightly. “Just my own room and a roof.”
“That’s exactly what Vi and Ekko said.”
Powder gave Lux the side eye. “You know, you could always take Vi’s room and live here with meeee.”
“My parents barely agreed to let me live with Caitlyn,” said Lux. “That being said, I might have some early classes, so it would make more sense for me to spend a few nights a week over here.”
“Or every night.”
“Powder,” Lux chuckled. “I can’t.”
Powder huffed, pretending to be annoyed. “You’d really rather live with my sister and my ex-boyfriend?”
Caitlyn chimed in, “It was that or fourth wheel with Jayce, Mel, and Viktor.” The kettle whined and she entered a few seconds later with a steaming cup of tea in hand. “Speaking of which, Jayce said they’re on their way. Viktor wanted plenty of time to set up his equipment.”
“Perfect.” Powder stretched, rising from the couch and offering her hand to Lux. “I should also start getting set up. Wanna help me?”
“Sure!” As they entered the garage, Lux admired the string lights weaving back and forth over the ceiling, the variety of band posters on the walls. “Not sure how helpful I’ll be, though.”
“Well, you have the most important job.” Powder indicated the brown couch against the wall. “I need you to sit there, and look pretty.”
☆ ☆ ☆
Viktor and Jayce brought Sky with them, as she was visiting from Noxus. While they set up, she regaled them with stories of her new job and coworkers, her love life and friendships. Lux asked constant questions, fascinated. The two had only met over Caitlyn’s video calls, and were fast friends.
Just as dusk approached, Ekko and Zeri arrived with Vi. Ekko prepped his keyboard presets while Vi and Lux tuned their guitars, Zeri warming up her vocals. Caitlyn and Sky were more than happy to plant themselves on the couch, splitting a bottle of rosé.
Vi asked Jayce, “Who’s drumming first?” but Powder answered for her, plopping down into the drumset chair and twirling her sticks.
“You ready to see a real drummer, Talis?” Powder sneered playfully.
He smiled, joining Caitlyn and Sky on the couch, inviting Viktor into his lap. “Took you long enough.”
Ekko played a single chord, considering his bandmates. “Alright. What song are we-”
Zeri interrupted him by seizing the mic and singing,
Shot through the heart And you're to blame
They all joined in.
Darlin', you give love a bad name
Vi, Powder, Lux, and Ekko launched into the instrumental, the noise rattling the walls of the garage. Zeri nodded her head to the beat, her pigtails bouncing with the movement.
An angel's smile is what you sell You promise me Heaven, then put me through hell Chains of love got a hold on me When passion's a prison, you can't break free
Oh, you're a loaded gun, yeah Oh, there's nowhere to run No one can save me The damage is done
The couch crowd sang along to the chorus,
Shot through the heart And you're to blame You give love a bad name (bad name) I play my part and you play your game You give love a bad name (bad name) Hey, you give love, a bad name
For the final chorus, the instruments fell away, leaving the band to sing acapella,
Shot through the heart And you're to blame
Zeri aimed the mic at the couch, and the small audience sang the last,
You give love a bad name
The friends whooped and cheered. Powder whispered to the other band members and they all grinned. She clicked her sticks together, “1, 2, 3, 4!” and they began an upbeat song. There was no part on the keys, so Ekko grabbed his mic and sang with Zeri.
All the small things True care, truth brings I'll take one lift Your ride, best trip
They harmonized, Zeri singing the higher part as Ekko took the lead,
Always, I know You'll be at my show Watching, waiting Commiserating
Say it ain't so, I will not go Turn the lights off, carry me home
Zeri pulled Ekko away from the microphone, dancing together in the center of the room while the rest of the band sang,
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na, na Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na, na
As the song ended, Mel entered from the garage’s side door, grinning. “I can hear you down the street,” she chuckled. “Excuse my tardiness: meeting ran late.”
“You’re excused,” Zeri and Powder said at the same time.
Mel considered the couch. “And this must be the lovely Sky I’ve heard so much about.”
Sky’s eyes widened at the sight of her. “H-hi,” she stammered, rising. “Senator Medarda, it’s so nice to meet you.”
She took her hands and said warmly, “Call me Mel. I’ve heard you’ve been working in Noxus. Quite the culture shock?”
Sky smiled shyly. “Yeah, they’re a little intense over there.”
“Some things never change,” Mel said wistfully. “Here, I have something for you in the car: Caitlyn mentioned you like rosé so I brought my top six brands for you to sample. Jayce, darling, can you help me bring them in?”
Sky just stared after them, jaw dropped. “Is she-”
“Always like that?” Caitlyn asked wryly.
“Always,” Viktor confirmed, resting an arm around Sky’s shoulders.
When Jayce returned, Vi nodded towards Powder. “Alright, Pow-Pow, it’s Jayce’s turn.”
“No!” She crushed the sticks to her chest, but her possession was more playful than sincere.
Ekko smirked and said, “You’re gonna make her sing this next one alone?” And he played the opening synth riff.
Powder practically threw the sticks at Jayce, taking the microphone in hand as he scrambled to get behind the drumset before the beat dropped.
The sisters sang the first verse together.
Here we stand Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two Sleepless nights Losing ground, I'm reaching for you, you, you
They harmonized together on the pre-chorus.
Feeling that it's gone Can't change your mind If we can't go on To survive the tide Love divides
On the chorus, Ekko and Lux joined the vocals, but paled in comparison to the passion that Vi and Powder shared.
Someday love will find you Break those chains that bind you One night will remind you How we touched and went our separate ways
Vi sang,
If he ever hurts you
Then Powder,
True love won't desert you
And together again, grasping each other’s hands as they belted,
You know I still love you Though we touched and went our separate ways
Lux shredded through the guitar solo, a cocky smirk resting on her lips. Then it was just Ekko, running the synth hook, the song ending with the final two notes of the bass drum.
When the applause and cheers died down, Powder pointed at Viktor. “Alright, Vik, you’ve had it too good for too long. It’s your turn, DJ.”
“Eh, good things never last.” He took his spot behind his equipment, playing a few warm up beats and house music. The couch was too small to fit all of them, so Powder, Jayce, Ekko and Zeri grabbed some lawn chairs.
After his series of beats and tracks, Viktor nodded decisively towards Lux. “You ready?”
“I was born ready,” Lux said. She left the mic in the stand to free her hands.
Viktor started with a snapping, electropop beat. Lux raised her hands, grinning slyly at Powder as she sang. The notes were simple, but she added vibrato to the notes, made the sound her own.
We are the crowd, we're c-comin' out Got my flash on, it's true Need that picture of you, it's so magical We'd be so fantastical
Leather and jeans,
She spread her arms wide, indicating the space.
Garage glamorous Not sure what it means But this photo of us, it don't have a price Ready for those flashing lights 'Cause you know that, baby, I
Lux took the mic in hand, stalking towards Powder in time to the music.
I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me Papa-paparazzi Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be Your papa-paparazzi
Standing directly in front of her, legs between Powder’s knees, Lux’s free hand toyed with her braids. Powder lifted her hands and claimed the back of Lux’s thighs, holding her there. She gazed up at Lux with adoring, hungry eyes.
Promise I'll be kind But I won't stop until that girl is mine Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me Papa-paparazzi
Lux’s voice was playful as she went through the verses, gliding around Powder, brushing her fingers over her shoulders, never quite close enough. But as the bridge ended, Lux fell to her knees in front of her, crawling towards Powder as she sang the chorus once more, her voice fiercely possessive.
I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me Papa-paparazzi Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be Your papa-paparazzi
Powder held her breath. She was spellbound by Lux’s intensity, fixed in place by those bright eyes and the carnal rawness of her voice. Lux added in her own high notes to the final chorus, belting the song as she climbed into Powder’s lap.
Promise I'll be kind But I won't stop until that girl is mine Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me Papa-paparazzi
The mic dropped to the floor as Lux took her mouth in a rough kiss. Everyone cheered except for Vi and Caitlyn, who averted their eyes and clapped politely, charmed but embarrassed at the fiery display.
The jam session went well into the night, with each of the band members switching off instruments whenever they got too tired. Even Caitlyn at one point felt the rosé enough to show everyone her under-practiced, jerky rendition of Moonlight Sonata, to which Zeri chose to do an entirely inappropriate dance to, making everyone laugh. They went through a variety of genres, and the original Firelights even played a few of the songs from their past performances. Eventually, the group decided to call it, with Powder taking the mic to lead them into one final song.
Acapella, Powder sang the lead, with Vi and Ekko backing her up with harmonies,
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landside, No escape from reality Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,
Powder belted out,
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low, Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to Me, to me
Ekko played a gentle, modified scale on the keyboard. The rest of the group joined in, all singing together for the first verse.
Mamaaa, Just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, Now he's dead Mamaaa, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Powder took the lead again on the second half of the verse,
Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all The time Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go, Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
During the instrumental break, Vi tore up a guitar solo. Her fingers pulsed against the fret with each note, creating a vibrato sound. When the solo ended, Ekko’s piano took over again. Powder sang,
I see a little silhouetto of a man,
The rest of the band sang,
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango!
They all broke out into smiles during the operatic third verse. Powder alone,
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Zeri and Lux both grabbed her, dramatically fawning as they sang,
He's just a poor boy from a poor family Spare him his life from this monstrosity
As the verse built towards it’s climactic end, they all sang,
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me,
“Go Starlight!” Powder yelled, and Lux belted the high note,
For me!
Vi shredded out another guitar instrumental, screaming into the microphone with the rest of the band,
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? So you think you can love me and leave me to die? Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby! Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
She kept up the pace, the energy building until finally the music collapsed back into a slower tempo. The couch audience held up their phone flashlights, swaying back and forth to the muted end of the song.
Powder took a moment to look at them, her family. It had grown so much in such a short time. She smiled at each of their shining faces, ending with Vi, who returned the joyful grin. Powder sang,
Nothing really matters,
Lux took her hand, drawing her attention, and sang,
Anyone can see
Powder pressed her sweaty forehead against Lux’s, singing,
Nothing really matters
Lux echoed,
Nothing really matters
Then they harmonized,
To me
Ekko played the gentle piano outro, Vi joining quietly on the electric guitar. And here, surrounded by the music and her family, Powder felt completely and totally at peace.
Any way the wind blows
#arcane#lightcannon#vicait#jinx#vi#rock band au#battle of the bands au#my fic#face the noise#beat the daylight#fluff#final chapter#completely 100% wholesome and happy family vibes#the happy ending our babies deserve :')
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I FUCKING MISSED 4/13 I COMPLETELY FORGOR BUT IM POSTING ANYWAY
i was holding off on posting it until i had more content but i did a fantroll :]
some other art/shitposts i did with it (+ my other ocs)
and here's bonus ooc shitty doodles i did for my dying tiktok account
i haven't properly drawn anyone other than aradia and sollux (and eridan partially but i've only done march eridans for some reason) and the one with all of them was . the first time i drew any of them other than eridan please forgive me
words under the cut. i must ramble
so . homestuck huh
how did i spend my first 4/13 you ask? got up at 5am to fuck around with my (slightly drunk) friend on vrc until we got tired, had various revelations, a whole crisis that i do not wish to unpack... im forgetting something
oh yea
dumb of ass moment: i played that one fucking solkat vn literally just for the hell of it
I haven't read the comic yet BECAUSE im planning to binge read the entire fucking thing over the summer with my friends and i am fucking HYPED i have the unofficial collection downloaded on my pc already in preparation and we're planning on doing a massive party once we're done we are going to have a fucking ball with this . technically i've only been properly interested in homestuck since february which i find really funny cause my brain made the switch so fast it gave me fucking whiplash. i've literally never had an interest hit me THIS HARD in my life especially with how little canon content i have to work with currently since im saving it all for the summer (the restraint is so hard y'all have no idea)
highlights of shit i've done to do with homestuck other than art so far:
made 2 extended zodiac pins out of pre-existing pins i had, one for myself and one for my irl friend
said irl friend had to suffer through a 2+ hour long infodump where i just showed them all the main characters i had knowledge about (beta/alpha kids/trolls, ancestors and cherubs), did a hussie and had The Quadrant Ramble™, shittily explained classes and aspects and tried my best to explain The Weird Time Bullshit™ (it was very fun for me . he also said it was fun but i have my doubts)
speaking of quadrants i've made 4 quadrant keychains (erisol spade, cronkri heart, meowrails + kurtuna diamonds) (currently only displaying 3 of them since the meowrails one fucking SELF DESTRUCTED as in the paint fucking peeled itself off and ive been too lazy to remake it rn) and i've been slightly tempted to add a solkat one but i have no clue what quad i'd put them in tbh and that's the only thing stopping me (oh and a meuloz heart . just because)
very very vaguely hinted at this once before but i made a shitty character playlist. not linking it or saying who it is. y'all can just guess
i made... an eridan osu skin. out of one i had already that i liked. and i've been tempted to make a sollux one. did you know im mentally ill (something did spark this: i had a map of eridan's theme that had a skin on it, so decided to make a full one out of it to fuck with my friend who likes him)
im planning on cosplaying A Troll but have no sodding clue which one. my internal options rn are kanaya, vantases (have their outfits/something like them on hand already, plus vantases have easy horns), leijons (associate myself with them a lot (one of my favourite vrc avatars to use rn is a meulin edit even), especially considering im a leo myself), eridan, aradia and feferi (they'd be hilariously fitting for reasons i wish to not explain, especially eridan)
am probably gonna land myself with a pile of homestuck merch, either from birthday gifts or my own stupidity
so yea, just a few words. i couldn't fight the homestuck
#homestuck#413#4/13#4/13/2023#original character#oc#fantroll#aradia medigo#tavros nitram#sollux captor#karkat vantas#nepeta leijon#kanaya maryam#terezi pyrope#vriska serket#equius zahhak#gamzee makara#eridan ampora#feferi peixes#beta trolls#this is a ramble post.#and today on cookie's ramblings#cookie's trash bin#MAUAMI USES IT/ITS BTW :D#it does have arms#the cloak doesnt
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