whateversawesome

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IT'S TIME for Twilight Weekend! 🥳

Prepare your contributions for the most spy-filled weekend of the year 🕵️

Spanish information below.

Thanks to @unhappy-sometimes for the art of this edition.

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Music Meme

Task: Pick a song for every letter in your tumblr-URL.

(Ooof, this is going to be a long one)

W: Wildside by ALI

H: Home by Asako Toki

A: Anarchy by Official HigeDandism

T: Tu Veneno by Silvestre y la naranja

E: Everblue by Omoinotake

V: Vita-set by Soda Stereo

E: El Momento Perfecto by El Zar

R: Rather be by Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne

S: Souvenir by Bump of Chicken

A: Año Nuevo by El Zar

W: Winter Bloomer by Omoinotake

E: Este Juego by Silvestre y la naranja

S: Subtitle by Official Hige Dandism

O: Oceáno by Silvestre y la naranja

M: Mine or Yours by Hikaru Utada

E: En la ciudad de la furia by Soda Stereo

Now I'm going to tag some people (no pressure!):

@gijipaw @sister-cna-reader @lady-pendragon-9 @rlbbackup

@unhappy-sometimes @laurelin-94 @cantareincminor @buf309 @juuyeah @m-vb

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I will reblog this every time I see it 😌and I will also say thank you for this lovely gift too 💖

This is a gift of pure fluff for @whateversawesome, inspired by her wonderful Twiyor fanfics.

Thank you for being a good friend and beta to me for a whole long year, my pal 🤗 I hope our friendship will continue for as long as possible in the future too.

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Who/what are some of your biggest inspirations for your art because I think that your art style and the way you color your art is super cool!! 😁

Thank you! Glad you appreciate my work! The list of artists I feel inspired by is long, and quite frankly I don't think a lot of it ends up actually showing in my work (as in, I don't think I capture those strengths quite well  😅 ). But a chance to talk about some of my favorite artists is always a good one, so... Let's start with Ayami Kojima, the illustrator of the Castlevania series from the PS1 to the Nintendo DS era.

When I came across her work I didn't really have a grasp of anything resembling color theory, but her pieces are one of the various reasons I'm still an avid fan of the series to this day; I found them mesmerizing. How could I not, really: the blending between elements of barroque art like the elaborate patterns and the chiaroscuro, the elegant (if incredibly anachronistic) sense of fashion, the dramatic colors: intense blood reds, royal blues and golden yellows mixed with the pale marble tones of the skin of the figures. And that splice of body horror juxtaposed with the pretty boys being depicted... it's just electrifying. An absolutely perfect fit that elevates a campy game series about fighting Dracula over and over again into something much more magnificent.

Next on the list is Yoshitaka Amano. If you don't know the name, he's an anime character designer and the illustrator responsible for the Vampire Hunter D novels, as well as concept art and logo design for the Final Fantasy series.

Not unlike Kojima, Amano's work excels due to its elegance. Unlike Kojima, however, Amano comes across as a skilled caligrapher rather than a painter: his lines and brushwork are loose and flowing in the most delightfully controlled way. The color choices are reminiscent of traditional ukyo-e, but with a watercolor touch that almost resembles french budoir cartels. One of the artists that I respect the most yet outside of some character design quirks I wouldn't be surprised if his influence is sensed the least in my work, go figure.

Moving on... of course, as an animator, it should be no surprise I greatly admire the work of Hayao Miyazaki. However, when it comes to color more than the films themselves what truly hit a spot in my heart was his watercolor work. Be it concept art, manga covers or movie posters, the color choices are somehow soft while still exuding passionate vibrancy. The soft blue and purple shading against the light yellows and oranges with the occassional red accent of his sunsets are a sight to behold. It feels loose yet every brushtrike is exactly where it needs to go to create the intended effect

Still on the realm of more ethereal colors, Jean Giraud, ak.a Moebius. No offense intended to legends like Akira Toriyama, Kentaro Miura or Jack Kirby, but Giraud was arguably the best comic book illustrator to ever grace the Earth. His linework was so exquisite he didn't even need color to bring you into another world, but when he added it... well...

It was a lot of things. It was expresionistic, vibrant, dream like and bold. Psychedelic even (which is no coincidence given his exploration of substances). But it was never overwhelming. I didn't know how on Earth someone could ever do something like that when I first looked at it, not having a good grasp at color theory at that point in time yet. And quite frankly, now that I have more knowledge under my belt... I still don't think I could manage such a rich balance.

Speaking of Kentaro Miura... I don't think he has influenced my coloring that much. He IS one of my biggest art inspirations (he was the king of black and white, some of those pages would only look worse with color) but his biggest influence in my art is about lighting and the way he handled hatching(aka, inking), as well as the intensity of how more dramatic and agressive moments are portrayed. His color illustrations are gritty and oppresive (and occassionaly have intense accents), which fits the theme of his work but isn't the most experimental approach. Seriously, tell me which one makes your imagination fly more between these...

...and THIS.

I rest my case. Anyway. Having mentioned all these great artists and their excellent color choices, if there's one artist that REALLY made me think about color and the theory behind it, that's gotta be Hirohiko Araki, the author of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Mostly because he does whatever the hell he wants with it.

It's easy to forget when some people can be brutally critical, but foregoing traditional color design and color theory principles for the sake of trying something different isn't a bad thing and Araki embraces this with gusto. Seeing an artist take his own character designs and being so carefree about the color choices he uses for them was liberating, while also telling me an awful lot about the emotional effects of color. The palettes Araki uses are unusual, but they're all aimed to create a diverse set of emotional responses on the reader. That forced my mind into thinking so much more about the intent of each color choice. I was following my intuition up to that point and largely still do, but even an ounce of awareness can make the world of difference.

Lastly, but not less importantly, a film director among all these illustrators: Dario Argento. Who also showed me how a single color enveloping the frame can kick like a mule.

I briefly mentioned Suspiria (1977) during the Spy X Family 30 day challenge, namely to compare it to Endo using reds without being overwhelming. That was NOT a dig against this film(which is in fact one of my favorite movies ever), because the colors being so intense is the point. The extremes the primary colors reach while enveloping the cast, contrasted against the intense shadows of the rest of the set, give the film a fairly surreal atmosphere which enhances the dream like logic of the events. The way the dangers in Freigburg's Tanz Akademie don't always make physical sense, and that just makes them all the more nightmarish. It's effectively using oldschool Disney's Technicolor for the opposite effect the house of the mouse did: you don't feel safe, a lot of it looks unreal but that's precisely why it FEELS so viscerally violent.

Seriously, how in the nine levels of hell can someone make YELLOW feel threatening?

But I'm gonna leave it here for now. These are some of the artists that have inspired my work. Some more evidently, others less so Having done so much Spy X Family fanart it's impossible to say Endo isn't part of this conversation too, with its comparatively desaturated look to other Shonen series, but it was worth covering the other influences too. Is there any artist whose work you got similar vibes from my art that I didn't mention? It would be fun to hear what that is(heard some really fun responses in the past).

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Spy x Family Short Mission: Exhibition (updated version)

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while might remember the very first omake translation I did, which was for the 4-page manga from the SxF exhibition pamphlet that came out about 2 years ago. Since it was my first translation, I did a very amateurish job looking back - the typesetting was awful and I didn't even think to put my name on it (so I later saw it spread on Twitter and other sites without credit). But @rafaron1223 was kind enough to give it a total makeover for me, pasting my (slightly updated) translations on better scans and adding more professional looking typesetting. So here it is! If you haven't read this cute, 4th wall-breaking chapter before, enjoy! (and if you did read it way back when I first posted it, I hope you enjoy it again 😀)

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Huhh i forgot to post this hereee💔💔💔

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I'm almost done with Vol 6 of SxF and I keep laughing to myself about when Fiona and Loid run into Yor and Anya playing tennis, and Loid tells Yor, your practicing with me helped a lot. I owe you one, and Fiona is like yeah right, but then effectively gets her ass BEAT by Yor in a match. Because it got me to imagining... what if Yor actually DID help Loid with his game. LMAOOOOO because can u imagine they let little Anya hit and swing the racket and teach her the basics, but Loid makes an offhanded comment like I should really start practicing, I'm kind of nervous about this match, so Yor is like, well, I don't know much about tennis but I can try to help you. And he's like really thanks Yor! And she sweetly tells Anya to take Bond and go play somewhere else for a little while ok ^_^. When Anya is far enough away, she looks at Loid with this dark, intense, stern expression, and Loid is like.... Yor? And she's like are u ready? ... yes....? Good, because shits about to get real. The first and ONLY time he ever hears her swear, and for the next hour or so, she is practically a drill sergeant commanding him, yelling at him. Telling him he'll never win if he's that slow, if his serve isn't strong enough, she's seen baby giraffes with better reflexes. And she constantly demonstrates her strength and speed (they had to buy tennis rackets and balls in BULK) until Loid feels he can annihilate the competition at the game. Every time she pulverizes a ball or racket, Loid feels his heart quicken and his knees go weak.... and it ain't because he's intimidated

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[Old art]

Clingy... 🫂

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the big three questions of media analysis: what the author wanted to say, what they actually said, and what they didn’t know they were saying

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It's friday and we have a new Anya x summer illustration 💕💕

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Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans - part 13

Today I have clear file scans from the Sea Paradise Summer Vacation collab that's currently going on in Japan, featuring some very cute aquarium-themed designs 🐠🦦🐧 Love seeing the Forgers in their Berlint Aqualand outfits again, with Bond this time!

Some adorable chibi art of the characters along with various animals from the aquarium.

Chibi Anya and Bond~

And lastly, I had to get the Twiyor mini clear file too ❤️

That's all for today, but I have at least two more posts of miscellaneous scans in the queue, as well as another set of workbook scans. So you can look forward to those in the coming weeks 😃

<- Return to Part 12

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guess who’s been binge reading spy x family lmao

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More summer Franky... ☀️💖

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Hear me out, guys, this is going to be kind of a long post, but I’m about to start cooking right now.

(spoilers for the manga btw sorry)

Okay, so we all know how Loid/ Twilight looks. If you scroll down, I’ve included some pictures of him (yes, I edited them).

Notice how he’s almost always drawn with angular features such as his jawline. (as seen by the red lines)

This is effective in showcasing his age and his experiences. Those angular features aren’t just for show—they subtly hint at his overall sharp personality and demeanour.

I mean, when is he NOT drawn with that iconic chiselled jawline?

But I do want to draw your attention to something.

We all (manga readers) know the story of [REDACTED].

And we all know that iconic heart-breaking panel of him crying once he realises his childhood friends survived the attack on his home town.

But look at this...

These three panels were all taken from his backstory arc, and notice how instead of his face being very angular and sharp, it is now rounded and softer than his usual jawline.

He almost looks like a child in these drawings, especially the first one where his face is considerably shorter.

Kinda like a squishy version of Loid.

When 'Loid' was reunited with his friends, it took him back. Back to a time when he didn't have to worry about the war, only playing pretend. For a moment, he was [REDACTED] again. For a moment, everything was ok.

And when he was drafted for W.I.S.E, (middle picture), he was finally able to leave the battleground, but he looks noticeably tired and young.

It only makes sense. His entire childhood was stolen from him. He became an orphan at presumably Anyas age, forced to raise himself from the ground up before joining the war at only 16 years.

His brain may have aged, but his body sure didn't. He's basically a 30 yo trapped in a body years too young for him.

Now, I expected people to say, "Well, of course, he looks younger. He's only 17/18 years old compared to his age in the main story."

Then take a look at these.

Both of these scenes happened before the previous ones, proving that it is not his physical age that contributes to the change in his face, but his mental age.

and to further prove my point i photoshopped squishy loids face on [redacted] to show how childlike he looks

like, you CANNOT tell me that isnt a literal child be so fr

(also expect like two more posts about loids backstory arc bc i have wayyyyy too many thoughts hahahha)

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WIP Word Meme!

Rules: share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of the word you've been given!

Thanks to @cantareincminor for tagging me! I had to look at all my WIPs and it was fun hehehe.

The word she gave was CHLOE.

C: From my Twiyor Modern AU WIP 🤫

“Can I ask you something?” Yor looked at him. “But I need you to answer honestly.” Alarm bells went on. Loid was severely sleep deprived and he couldn’t lie well in this condition. Was Yor about to ask him about his scheme to keep her away from his brother? Panic slowly rose and he begged that this would be enough to wake up his brain. “Did you spend the whole night working?”

H: From Royal AU, The Princess and the Warrior King

He sighed. “My most trusted advisor went behind my back and tried to arrange a forced marriage knowing I’m already married,” he argued. “I cannot trust him anymore.” “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she cried. “I’m glad you did,” he wiped her tears with his fingers. “Were you just going to leave me without saying a word? That would have broken my heart.”

L: From a WIP I started when chapter 120 happened.

Loid plagued her dreams, her days, and every waking thought. Even when she was at work, he invaded every inch of her mind. Suddenly, she wanted to know everything about him; his life before her, the places he had lived in, the things he used to do, his thoughts about their marriage, and most importantly, how he felt about her.

O: From certain super angsty fic (if you know, you know 😉)

On her way to pick up Anya, Yor kept shivering. Had she really done that? She replayed every moment in her head wondering if it had been a feverish dream or perhaps a fantasy. When she left Demetrius’ office, she had run into plenty of people. All of them had seen her face and it was easy to put two and two together. Good. He’s done. Because there was no way he would be able to keep this quiet, and she wouldn’t be quiet either. If this ruined the fucking election, then so be it.

E: From a little sequel from @kyrathel 's wonderful AU fic Airport Shenanigans

Engaging in a conversation with a total stranger, accepting a coffee from him, revealing personal details of her life, calling him nice, and to top it all, going with him to a hotel. All this within hours after meeting Loid. What was wrong with her? She was basically doing play by play all the things she had repeatedly told her daughter she should never do.

Now, who should I tag? No pressure! Your word is: TWILIGHT.

@loveroma

@nightofnyx8

@gijipaw

@laurelin-94

@sister-cna-reader

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sleepy all the time