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owls-den · 2 years

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My obsession with Trip really goes way back huh

Welcome to: Owl exposes their art evolution through their many itterations of Trip from Pokémon Best Wishes!

It all started circa 2011. Unfortunately, only one drawing featuring Trip survived the intense purge of any art from this dark period of my life. All I can tell you is that I also drew in 2011 a full on comic about him and you'll have to believe me on that one.

My very first digital art, in 2013, was also representing Trip with a random OC of mine (I think her name was Evangeline or something to that effect). I actually posted it years ago on a Pokémon Forum. Yeah, didn't get a whole lot of love. It is to note that this one is the SECOND drawing I made digitally of Trip. The first one is most likely still sieging in my father's old laptop. Fun fact, this was drawn on Paint.NET using a mousepad. I also found in a sketchbook another one I drew during this time period, this time with some other characters. It's kinda wild how my artstyle was fluctuating at the time.

I then came back to drawing mostly traditionally. I got a bunch of blank sketchpads in 2014 at an art store and instantly got to work and drew the entire cast of Best Wishes for some odd reason. I also found another one. While it's undated, I'm assuming it's from the same timeperiod because of the artstyle. Gosh I liked drawing twink bodies for men huh? That... contrasts a lot with the amount of JoJo looking characters I like to draw these days.

I found some odd sketches from 2015 here and there. It's mostly a try at a realistic portrait and a sketch I made with ink. I remember being very proud of those two when I first made them. I have no clue who this other character with him is meant to be though. Maybe it's still Evangeline or something. Really goes to show how much I changed my view on dynamics and such I suppose. I called it "Rolling Trainer" cause I am a genius who got way into Vocaloid in middleschool.

Next is 2016. It was lodged in a very short sketchbook I used during an internship. I LOVED oniisuu's art style and tried to do chibis like them a LOT. Also I left in the text so that we can all appreciate the cringe :DD As you can see, I sort of thought my obsession for Trip was just hate for some reason since I really didn't like Best Wishes? Like don't get me wrong, there are a LOT of things wrong with Best Wishes but with age I realized that the reason I was so angry at how it was handled was because I loved the characters and thought they deserved better treatment. So it's kind of funny to look back and see how I just genuinely thought I hated this random minor character when I'd draw him pretty much all the time.

After that, I think I took a pretty big break or just lost most of my art of him because the next I found was in 2019. It has a very self aware note next to one of the drawings and the next one has an ink illustration. We can really see how my proportions improved over the years and how my style became more defined, going more towards "semi-realistic". I personally like the shortcut on the arm. I don't think I used a reference so that makes it pretty nice honestly. Also, as you can see, that's when I started drawing Trip with his hair going a bit up for his fringe. I have NO clue why I've been doing this since recently even though it's NOT in his design but it's there.

I found another art made, I think, in 2020 this time. I had been drawing pokémon falling down for a fabric pattern and just drew every pokémon I liked from each generation, a pretty nifty thing I might show in its entirety as it spans over 10 pages or so, and I drew some trainer characters for each gen. And of course, y'all know who I drew for gen 5. I love how my note next to him is just so tired with living. I also redrew the above illustration with watercolors. Doesn't look great but eh.

I also did a redraw of one of my earlier digital art (2013) this time kinda showcasing what I like to do in term of dynamics these days. So huh prepare thyselves for 17 year olds Trip and Eva.

Buff women. Anyways, I got some small digital sketches for 2021, nothing special I never completed them. I might finish the one on the right because I genuinely like the dynamism behind it, how flowy it is, the perspective and also one of my old hc that his hoody has no sleeves.

And finally, the moment we've all waited for, 2022. I am currently 21 and this monster still has not left my head. He's here to stay so I might as well embrace it and return to my good old brain rot. It kinda all came back when I just doodled him on the back of a receipt as stupid as it is, and really, that's a good summary of the kinda place I usually draw Trip on. He always comes back, unannounced, into my life and I draw him randomly onto any surface available.

I hope you found this dive into my art journey motivational or just funny or something. One thing is sure: I'm not stopping drawing Trip. He's been living rent free in my brain for 11 years, at this point, he's staying, it's too expensive to try to evict him, I tried. So huh, if ya want more Trip content I guess follow my blog??? I'm currently making a sprite replacer for BW to turn the MC into Trip and maybe might do a sprite replacer for BW2 as well (though that'd mean redrawing all the costumes at Pokéwood... UUGHHGHGHGHHSDGHDFJSDGfyzeggf) and I also like to shitpost about him and write stupid fanfics about him sometimes so don't hesitate. I'll see you all later, take care of yourselves!!

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booptunes · 2 years

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Fearless Vampire Killers - Something Terminal/Delicate. Review.

December 2021, The Black Heart, a Camden music venue, announces a show for ‘After the Flames’. Who? There’s no sign of any music released by them. How have they got a headline spot at a respectable venue? But something seems familiar in the artwork on the poster? Could it be? It is.

It’s the return of Fearless Vampire Killers.

The best band you’ve never heard of! Fearless Vampire Killers (FVK) was one of the foremost “new grave” bands, a gothic punk subgenre that Kerrang! Magazine created. After teasing this show, FVK fans quickly caught on.

Noticing the iconic FVK fang logo cleverly hidden in the poster for the After the Flames show. The art style that was clearly that of guitarist’s Shane Sumner, who would design the artwork for their albums and merchandise. Fans were quick to snatch up tickets, and then on March 11th, 2022, FVK took to the stage for the first time in six years.

But now Fearless Vampire Killers (FVK) are back with their first musical release in six years! A double A-side single ‘Something Terminal’ - which includes the title track Something Terminal and Delicate. The songs are released on digital platforms such as Spotify as well as a classic cassette. The two tracks keep the classic themes of FVK’s music – reaping, flames and loss, which could possibly be linking on to their last concept album ‘Unbreakable Hearts’.

Fearless Vampire Killers are an alternative rock band, made up of Co-frontmen Laurence Beveridge and Kier Kemp, Shane Sumner on guitar, Drew Woolnough on bass guitar and Luke Illingworth on drums. Not a band known by everyone, but the people who like them, love them. The band engages with fans in so many ways and spending time talking after shows, writing books based off their lyrics in a dystopian town ‘Grandomina’. They even created their own form of social media called Obsidian Bond, which can no longer be found. They originally formed in 2008 but broke up in 2016 – returning on March 11th, 2022, with a secret show called “After the Flames” - a potential reference to their debut single ‘Palace in Flames’ and a chapter in their ‘Militia of the Lost’ book titled ‘Before the Flames’.

The title track ‘Something Terminal’ is almost nine minutes in length, the first couple of minutes in the song are soft and give a feeling of reflection, the only instruments you can hear are an acoustic then going to an electric, with simplistic percussion to back it up. After this, the bass comes in along with more of an electric sound all together, a quicker tempo and more hopeful feel until the fourth minute, where there’s a heavier breakdown before returning to the softer feeling at the beginning of the song, although the instrumentation here is just a piano – almost feeling like it could be a different song all together until it goes back to the chorus. I find it evident of the boys’ influence by bands such as Green Day and My Chemical Romance.

Delicate goes straight into the heavy sound that FVK are known for – messy verses with some clarity when it comes to the chorus. Laurence once said that they don’t want to sound perfect. They want truth in their lyrics, which is apparent in Delicate. The integrity towards writing music with meaning is something I’ve always admired with FVK. The lyrics talk about giving up on dreams, letting them go – which can be linked to the band’s split. You could say this song is a perfect response to one of their farewell songs, Priceless. A song seemingly about being corrupted by an offer, giving up something that is supposed to mean a lot to you.

Both tracks have the classic FVK theatrics and pays homage to their other concept albums, but clearly reflects the boys’ feelings towards their breakup. Something Terminal in particular references a potential disagreement within the band which caused a drift, then talks about them coming back together. FVK lyrics are usually gothic, containing themes of war. It'd be easy to say it’s a metaphor for the battle you’d face with mental health or higher authority. As it says in the lyrics for Something Terminal - ‘a symbiotic antidote for all our hurt’.

Although the music won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, the music is perfect for fans of FVK – which, no doubt, is what they were aiming for. It's available in a range of bundles on their official website.

#FVK #Fearless Vampire Killers #music journalism #Music review #music #new music #journalism #something terminal #delicate #drew woolnough #kier kemp #laurence beveridge #shane sumner #luke illingworth

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sheriff-caitlyn · 3 years

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I started this blog in 2014, as the first Caitlyn on tumblr, and obviously I’ve been through a lot of retcons and changes myself, not only adapting to Riot’s own public retcons (from the minor, like her aesthetics, to the major, like the removal of the Institute of War as an integral part of their lore) but also to my own. That’s the thing about playing a character as complex as this, is that you learn more as you go. In your interactions with others and the creation of backstory, history, and other bits of worldbuilding to better understand the world you’re in, a character goes from a handful of images and some in-game voicelines to a fully-fledged person with a complex narrative. Sometimes things change, and that’s fine. But there are some changes which... aren’t.

For all the fingerprints I’ve put on her, she is still not my character. But I care. Sunk-cost fallacy, maybe, but I care about this character I have been involved in and I care about the direction she has been taken. So, without further ado, I’d like to delve into:

The Recent Caitlyn Update In Piltover’s New Context or, We Gotta Fetishise Police Violence, I Mean, Look At Her, She’s So Hot

Back in August 2015, I went, ‘Oh No, they’re going to try to turn Piltover into Gotham City, aren’t they?’, and lo and behold, suddenly we have Poison Ivy now. But I will get back to that, later. In this particular thread, I noted that many of the characters in Piltover seemed destined for a revamp that would rob them of what originally drew us to them in the first place, and that Piltover seemed destined for a rework that would wash out much of their character. Piltover and Zaun were always meant to be polar opposites, but suddenly we were seeing glimpses of Piltover being ‘not as good as everyone thinks’, which hinted that Piltover and Zaun were destined not to be polar opposites in the future, but indistinguishable from each other. It worried me that the only thing telling these two fascinating cities apart would be the sunlight.

So, when we have so much potential for a clash between Zaun and Piltover, between ‘Science No Matter The Cost’ and ‘We Must Advance The World With Care’, why change Piltover to some murky middleground, turning peace and security into wartime capitalism? A world where the people are shitty, where weapons and profit come first, and the only ones making a stand are the ones who are so embittered they have nothing better to do?

Because it has to be ‘interesting’. We’re going to lose bits that we like, that we’re familiar with. And that’s why I’m concerned.

This was before Piltover and Zaun were squished together in an ugly - and utterly ham-fisted - method of showing How Complex The Future Is. There’s layers, guys! Literal layers to this one single city! That means it’s deep! But when I say ‘bits that we like, that we’re familiar with’, I’m not clinging to a fanon interpretation. I’m saying the things that drew us to the world and to the characters to begin with. I could adapt from Caitlyn turning from brown-haired and brown-eyed to black-haired and blue-eyed, because even through I had been doing art, at that point, the change gave me an opportunity to express and discover more about her character (her eye colour being influenced by her mother’s magic, for one). But some of the more stark changes - to family, to job, to personality, to the city of Piltover itself - these result in a character changing completely. I was worried that the cool detective who literally made the world a better place would be chopped and changed into something unrecognisable. I even expounded on my concerns in November 2016, where I could see some of the ways the writers at Rito might make adjustments in the direction of their lore updates.

All this to say, I’ve been working on her for a while, and I was bracing for some bad news. This? This is kind of the worst.

Caitlyn has always been the Sheriff of Piltover, an authority figure, a representative of the law and order that Piltover is famous for. Piltover’s peace and financial prosperity has been directly linked to Caitlyn’s concerted effort to eradicate crime (not criminals, crime! Which, as I have mentioned particularly in this post from 2014, means she upended and reformed the justice system, from the legal process to the prisons to how people are treated as citizens). The city is safe, people have greater access to personal wealth and development, classism is erased, society is flourishing. Zaun, as Piltover’s polar opposite, is a corporate nightmare, with ‘do as thou wilt’, private bodyguards for the rich and powerful while the poor scramble to survive in a system that barely treats them as human. Vi, as a Zaunite, brings a lot of her ‘violence as a problem-solver’ methodology to Piltover’s law-enforcement, though she seems to have no intention of returning to Zaun and seems to have bonded with Caitlyn (‘teamwork!’) to Get Shit Done. And, apparently, there is still shit that needs to be done, though nowhere near as much as there had been in the Bad Old Days.

Vi was, at the time, the awkward-grit-teeth-grin-ha-ha-um-yeah representation of police violence. ‘Resist arrest’, she cries gleefully, as she beats people and breaks down buildings, and we are supposed to go ‘ha, isn’t that funny’ with varying degrees of sincerity. Of course Piltover is going to have problems: anywhere that has wealth and stability is going to be targeted by the envious and the needy. Peace needs to be protected. The problem lies in how that protection is enacted.

So now we have the recent Legends of Runeterra update to Caitlyn, an update which looked at the context of Piltover needing protection, as well as the modern context of Riot’s California location in the Years of Our Lord 2020-2021, and then decided ‘you know what we need? Police violence, everyone loves police violence’.

MAN I thought the stripper-cop skins were bad but here we go!

Her Yordle Snap-Traps (which I envisioned as from the Yordle Military, rather than a racially-profiling weapon as, y’know, they work on human-and-larger-sized people as well) have now been replaced by electroshock grenades, the intent gone from incapacitation and observation to outright paralysis and destruction. Her net-short is now apparently electro-conductive (admittedly, I have had one (1) single RP where that happened, but it came at both a cost to Caitlyn and to her weapon’s efficiency as a result, a last-resort against a dangerous opponent). Caitlyn’s cards in LoR take her from being a detective coordinating ideas and people and putting together a case to a SWAT team leader. This might be the biggest problem in working for a non-combat-oriented character in a MOBA, or in any fighting game: the game needs to find rationalisations for all of their characters being there, being combatants, being able to kill (even if, as Riot says, the lore is separate from the game). We have monsters and soldiers and ancient powers who of course they know how to spill blood and relish in doing so. But pacifists, like Karma or Bard? Explorers like Ezreal? And a sheriff, a peacekeeper, a law-keeper, someone mindful of responsibility and the importance of saving every life possible, like Caitlyn? They’re stripped of that depth and complexity in-game, but there was always the lore that backed them up. But they’ve done away with that completely. Caitlyn was never special operations. She was never military. But now she is, because she had to be changed to fit better into a fighting game. They had to make her violent, and as a result, they have undermined not only everything about the character that made her interesting to begin with - turning her now into a representative of police brutality, but with long hair, pouty lips, and a thigh gap - but they’re also re-writing the context of Piltover. It was bad enough to squish Piltover and Zaun together. But now, Caitlyn’s update is proof that Piltover has gone from a steampunk utopia to a violent, oppressive and cynical post-industrial world. The depiction of Caitlyn as a SWAT team leader (complete with special-forces beret, because hat! Caitlyn wears a hat! Nevermind the fact that she’s no longer wearing a distinctive tophat but instead a symbol of extreme state-sponsored force!) shows us that Piltover’s ‘army’ is not designed as a defence against outsiders, but as an offensive force against their own people. Caitlyn is supposed to be the representation of how peace and order is maintained in one of the largest factions in League of Legends, and if her method of maintaining order is straight-up police violence against their own citizens, then it’s not really peace and order. It’s authoritarianism at best, and facism at worst.

Piltover was different from every other nation in Runeterra because it didn’t have a military. It had defenders, and it had a powerful economy, and it had a democratic political system. But the Piltover update retconned Caitlyn’s hard work. The gangs were back - though now they’re big powerful families like Clan Ferros - and Caitlyn has been de-aged so that she’s still new to the force, that she hasn’t even had her chance to change anything. Her importance to Piltover is minimised... and why is Vi even there? (Oh boy I guess you’re going to have to watch Arcane to find out! Coming to a Netflix near you soon!) With a younger Caitlyn in a violent society, she has no choice but to be violent herself... even if that undermines everything previously established about Piltover and about Caitlyn. This update has made Piltover just as ugly and oppressive as Demacia, Noxus, and Zaun. It’s just another army equipped to do violence, but now that violence is turned inwards. This isn’t protection, it’s control. It’s fear. It’s oppression. Caitlyn is no longer a peacekeeper. She’s a monster. Chopped and changed, as I feared, into something completely unrecognisable from how she began in a world that no longer looks like what it had been... or should be.

It’s hard to tell what came first, the change to Piltover or the change to Caitlyn. Either way, the changes are inextricably linked. Caitlyn was integral to Piltover’s modern state, and Piltover is integral to Caitlyn as a character. Her (original) drive was to make the city and all its people better; Piltover was a utopia because of the effort of Caitlyn, and of people like her, people who wanted a better world. This new iteration of Piltover - full of fear and violence and hypocricy, layered over Zaun in such a way that makes ham-fisted commentary about the wealth/class divide - undermines the value of the individual. It removes agency. It removes hope, which had been integral to Piltover. Piltover is no longer the CIty of Progress... it’s the City of ‘you better be rich and pretty if you want to progress’. And Caitlyn is no longer a force for good or a representative of responsibility, because those things don’t exist in Piltover anymore. Legends of Runeterra has turned Caitlyn into a bitch, someone to hate. She has a marked lack of respect for people, as demonstrated in her new character traits of ‘casually-racist’ (her lines to Veigar), ‘condescending’ (her lines to Viktor), with some added pride in her violence (’here’s my calling card *shoots gun*’ and ‘I aim to win and my aim is excellent’). She is a representative of her city, and she is a terrible person now. Piltover is terrible. Piltover is ugly.

But Caitlyn avoids that last part. And she’ll get away with it, because she’s a hot twenty-something.

In 2015, I drew Caitlyn-as-Swain, as an AU for what might have been. The overwhelming response at the time was ‘aaa she’s so hot I’d follow that leader of Noxus’, prompting a good friend Swain RPer to comment that Swain - who was, at the time, the withered man in green and gold who needed a cane - was just as smart as Caitlyn if not more so, a proven capable leader, but when it comes down to it, sex-appeal will always trump characterisation and storytelling, and that’s disheartening for someone who puts so much work into stories, to context, to something deeper than ‘Just another MOBA’. And here I am, in 2021, looking at how Caitlyn has been stripped of her fascinating and complex characterisation while maintaining her long legs, long hair, and corsetted figure. Now, I do appreciate the fact they’ve given her a better costume than miniskirt and boobtube. She deserves so much better. I even commissioned back in 2015 for a Better Look for Caitlyn; Tom aka FaerieFountain went on to make her new look canon. But she’s supposed to be a detective. She’s supposed to be careful and methodical and mindful of her status and power. Instead, she’s been made gleefully violent, leaving a lot of depth behind in order to become just Hot Cop With Gun. (As an aside, was anyone else uncomfortable with Caitlyn’s high-school skin? Especially when the writer actually tweeted ‘step on me’? Hello? Ma’am? That is a high school student, that is a CHILD you are talking about? But Caitlyn is hot so it’s fine! Sexualise a child! it’s fine, she’s hot, it’s fine!) Almost everyone who has contacted me about Caitlyn’s LoR cards has been excited to see her. Good! She’s a great character! Or, she was. But the enthusiasm about her is tied to how she’s so violent, how she uses her power to abuse those who don’t conform. But she looks great, smoking hot, you know? And when she’s smoking hot, her dangerous and abusive behaviour and attitude are completely excused. An update to a character needs to take into account characterisation as well as the visuals. Her update, sadly, has focused on the all-too-prevalent problem of the viciousness of state-sponsored violence, rather than the complexity of detective work, of puzzle solving and intellectualism, but because she looks hot and speaks in that British accent, no-one’s going to care. Hot ladies can get away with so much, because legs and pouty lips, but I guess she’s also a cop or whatever.

And, as a momentary aside, why is an eco-terrorist suddenly Caitlyn’s longtime foe? It makes zero sense for Piltover and for Caitlyn that someone who plant-based powers is her biggest rival and the city’s biggest threat. Zero sense, until you take into account that Piltover has been stripped of its character and made into something more aligned with modern authoritarianism than the hopeful vibes of steampunk. Environmentalism? Not on my watch! Deploy the police (the good guys!) to silence the protesters (who are obviously the bad guys becase they’re protesting)! Because Piltover and Zaun are one city now, and therefore indistinguishable, we have a fucking Poison Ivy character causing enough trouble in Piltover to warrant entire fucking SWAT teams opening fire within the city limits and around peoples’ homes! Not Zaun, which is the environmental nightmare, but Piltover! With its fresh air and open skies! Yes, that’s a great place for an eco-terrorist to blame and/or try to fix! The whole thing is honestly so backwards! Like they’ve decided to make a cool character in the form of Corina and just shove her into the story, rather than finding a place in the narrative that suits her. The idea that Corina is C makes no sense. Caitlyn vs C is supposed to be Sherlock versus Moriarty, Ganimard versus Lupin, ACME versus Carmen Sandiego, world’s greatest detective against the world’s greatest thief. It focused on the intellectual battle, the need for self-improvement, and - most importantly! - that this was a fight that didn’t result in gunfire or people being put in bodybags. But we can’t have that in our fighting game! We can’t have people thinking, because that’s not the kind of game we have, it’s left-click-shoot out here on the Rift or in the cards. So now we have a woman with plant powers bombing Piltover, and a policewoman kicking down doors and opening fire. And she’s right there, in Caitlyn’s new splash art, within reaching distance of the sheriff!

She’s right there! In hot pink with a flower in her fucking hair! And Caitlyn doesn’t even notice? Looks like one of my major gripes about Caitlyn being updated - Incompetence - is rearing its ugly head. She cannot even see someone not five feet from her. Oooh, look out, Piltover, no-one can figure out why this single eco-terrorist is causing problems for years, but Caitlyn will figure it out! With her gun! Because she’s a cop with a gun, and cops with guns never cause more problems than they solve, right?

Look... I know. I know she’s not my character. I know that everything I’ve done is fan-interpretation. But I’ve worked for so long and hard and done so much research, and things I’ve done have even been seen by - and used by! - the company itself (not just in the ‘oh what a coincidence’ sense, either, I know my link on Hextech as a form of magic made it to several of the writers, some of whom later contacted me). I might be too jaded by all the disappointment to take it personally anymore, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still happen. We know Riot Games could be and should be better. So many people in this community - and people who have since moved on - put so much love and effort into the characters and the world, building up from scraps and guesswork and extrapolation. It wasn’t our world, but we enjoyed playing in it. We enjoyed struggling in it, because it pushed us to be thoughtful, creative, to be engaged and interested. Critical Theory doesn’t have to be negative... but this recent update to Caitlyn’s character and to Piltover as a whole is... it’s a step backwards. They’ve gone for the ‘ooh isn’t this gritty and dark’ approach, and swept away so much of what made the original so interesting, creative, engaging to begin with. They’d rather have controversy than people genuinely enjoying the thing that they’re opening their wallet for.

Caitlyn was a detective who focused on responsibility, intellectualism, and care. What she is now is not the same Caitlyn they started with, and expresses a set of values that I do not support. This blog will continue to be focusing on the old lore, on what Piltover has been and what it should be: a hopeful utopia, a place for people to grow and be responsible and thoughtful and mindful of their place on the world stage. It’s not going to be perfect, but there’s hope, and there’s people here who want the world, and everyone in it, to be better than it is. I hope you join me, no matter who you are.

#oops I essayed again #Not Your Piltover #caitlyn #riot please #character development #piltover

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josiebelladonna · 2 years

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i’m due for another disappearance from facebook.

holy fucking fuck.

the only thing that really tickles my fancy anymore is the testament group. no one likes my art. no one will talk to me - part of that is my fault, i haven’t checked messages since my first big hiatus from there in 2016. but i can’t bring myself to it: too many times people, including my own brother, message me on there to be rude and verbally abusive towards me. it’s one thing when i get a message on instagram, i can see it right there on my tablet screen and i can work with it; but facebook makes it so discreet and sketchy that the primal fear of the unknown kicks in.

everyone posts memes and complete garbage that just turns me off. there’s probably all of four or five people i really give a shit about anymore and i barely see them anymore. this was an issue back in 2016 and in 2019, but it’s more so the case now. at least three years ago, i had some attention to my art even if it was abysmal: i get jack squat on anything now. the last post i made that was “big” was a selfie. not a drawing, not a thought, my face. the last thing i want you to focus on when it comes to me.

maybe i’m just shell-shocked by it all, but it does absolutely nothing for me anymore. i don’t get the pages - i’ve had pages in the past and they always fall flat on their face, and it really doesn’t help matters that facebook pushes you to put money down if you want to get any traction at all. i’m not giving those assholes a single penny, especially when they already have too many to begin with.

oh, and by the way, i finally picked up some courage and posted some of my mermay drawings in that cartoonist’s cafe group a couple of weeks ago?

i...

ahem.

QUITE LITERALLY am not hearing the end of it. istg, for three straight days, i got irate comments and laugh/angry reactions from it before the admins took it down. a bunch of people blocked me and demanded i get thrown out of there. demanded i get thrown out of there because i drew a mermaid with bare-naked breasts and a merman who looks like alex. but oh, yeah, some conservative 50-year-old dickhead with a pfp of himself in a hawaiian shirt gets the accolades because motherfuckers like being edgy™️ rather than truly different, i guess. if it’s not that, it’s this really stupid “cal arts” style that i am so burnt out on (turning red and encanto were actually pretty good movies but seeing that style with both of them made me want to put the white flag up, like it made me go “pixar, NO! you were the chosen ones!” good movies, but i wouldn’t call them my favorites just because i’ve been seeing that art style a dime a dozen since 2014).

also: you quite literally cannot say anything that goes against the grain without getting blasted by somebody. take my critiques of billie eilish for example: i used to really like her, like i was obsessed with that first album. i thought, “oh, cool! a pop singer who’s kind of tomboyish and i like her get-up, too. it’s nice to see some darkness for once.” so, for me to see her use racial slurs (then apologize and continue to do it...?) and call all men ugly and then write a song about being groomed and abused by an older guy and then continue to go out with older guys... i feel absolutely manipulated. this chick’s gross and an asshole. i have every right to be angry and not take her seriously anymore. not to the people on facebook, i’m not, though... oh... god. god fucking help me.

so with all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise that i’ve been feeling more and more withdrawn lately, not just on there but on here, too. and twitter - fuck, twitter used to be my playground. what even is that place now? it just looks disgusting outside of a few rays of light, but even those rays can’t sustain themselves over a sea of garbage.

dude, i’ve been keeping up with the bay area strikes back tour lately and even though i’m unable to go to any of those shows, i feel so close to all of these people. they feel like real friends to me because even if we can’t see them, they reel us in and show it to us straight up. i want that, too, that feeling “closeness” even if they’re hundreds of miles away. that feeling that they’re never far away even when they physically are. that feeling that they actually want to see me even when everyone else runs away from these twisted creatures i call drawings.

#text

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riisinaakka-draws · 3 years

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1st part of my old Black Sails scraps and doodles from 2016–2021. Not in any particular order.

This post has a glimpse to one of my BS binders with the most less-effort-and-crack-idea doodles. Also lots of puns and the Walrus crew shenanigans. Flint is a dick and Billy is tall and Silver keeps bringing the parrot into canon one way or another.

And of course, please, do not steal and repost elsewhere! But if you do get inspired, feel free to make your own interpretations! :)

I put them under the cut, because this is a very long post!

Puns with “Black Sails” lead of course to all kinds of things, one of which ended up becoming the Full Walrus Speed! comic (2018). Here I was thinking how to convey “the scarf sails” with Silver as he sneaks out at night to test Flint’s words (and how the wind keeps blowing “the sail” onto his face) although it didn’t end up in the finished comic.

There’s also Eleanor holding a chart with Vane’s name and “black sales” as he wasn’t doing so well. The Death is sailing a variation the trash raft with “black sails” as it did in this other art: The Death following the Walrus (2016).

There’s also a comic with Flint, Thomas and Abigail’s letter, but that’s gonna be it’s own post when I finish it (but wanted to mention it here as it was related to these). It includes “Block Spoils”, “Block Soils”, and 2 x “Bleak Seals” ;)

“I’m going to make you the Princes of the New World!” and some of the Walrus crew as “princes”. Flint made them paper crowns and these were the very first BS doodles I ever drew, or at least one of the firsts (no date written tho). This was done right after I watched the first episode and when I got the spark that this show was going to be something... truly spectacular.

Also I hadn’t drawn anything for months (closer to a year) and even holding a pen and the thought of drawing anything felt almost nauseating at the time (I was crawling through depression) but I just had to do something with the excitement. And doodling ended up helping me a lot to get back on my feet, so thousands thanks, Flint’s bloody feral face (and billion thanks to Black Sails fans who have encouraged me during all these years!).

Around early season 3 by the looks of it. Doodling cool Flint with a felt tip and then the parrot and goofy Silver photobombed. The parrot is parroting Flint of course. I was wondering if they were going to include the bird in the show and this is how it manifested.

Season 1. “Framing problems” inspired by the scene with Flint and Billy (although in the doodle there’s also Silver’s top of the head)

...because the height difference and I wondered if it was hard to get them fit into the same frame lol

I love Silver’s face here and the sock-parrot although I didn’t even bother with Flint here other than the pose. This lead to the art: “Let Me Tell You A Story...” (2018) although the composition changed. Tbh I like this version a bit more in retrospect but I coudn’t make it work with the hammock/pallet at the time... Silver is trying to cheer up Flint.

Half way through of this post, btw!

Alternative scenes for this art: ”Neverland!crack!AU!” (2017) which features Captain Silver Hook, Billy Pan and Ginger Bell.

The texts are the bolded parts:

Gates dreamed it (he wakes up in cold sweat and is like NO.)

Israel Hands as Smee, and another one where Dufresne is Smee. Silver as Captain Hook as in the art too, although here it’s very obscure.

Billy as Peter Pan + lost boys and Silver saying “I thought you never grow up” and it ended up in the final piece too, but a bit differently.

Some texts in the lower left corner: “Robert Stevenson and Bay roll in their graves” (uh..Michael Bay? He’s not dead. I guess I added Bay later and lost the thought anyway)

“The hyena guy laughed when I was doodling these at 2 am” (I had a weird neighbour at the time and he’d randomly laugh like a hyena at nights and it happened again while I, too, was sniggering at my late night silly doodles because I couldn’t sleep). I didn’t bother to start cropping this snippet out :)

“Flint as Tinkerbell” and “Only one emotion per time, needs to be believed” (in). Here’s a close up:

The other doodle is Flint sleeping, because instead of Mr. Gates, maybe Flint dreamt this weird au with the faces of people around him. Silver (or Billy? Gates?) is trying to wake him up and he mumbles “Mmmh, NO, don’t throw food around” (this was a nod to the movie “Hook” and the Lost Boys waisting food in that one dinner scene).

“No, I’m the fairy!” (I can’t remember was I thinking of someone else to be Tinkerbell at the time or maybe it was because I was also thinking Flint as Hook? but instead he “wanted” to be Ginger Bell in his dream instead so...) and “Fuck you England crocodile!” (who’d be the antagonist in this au).

Mr. Gates: “Look at my lad!”

“The reason why Billy didn’t have a beard in early seasons.”

...was because otherwise he might have been pressured to style it like his father figure, lol. Also *sob* with Gates gone, Billy’s beard became wild in the show as the time goes on (remember beard of betrayl?).

Flint, after the fight with Singleton, here sleeping peacefully with a nosebleed. The text (someone saying it): “Gross.”

Flint: “I think I was in heaven for a sec” (because he bumbed into Billy). “It felt like hitting a brick wall”. Texts: Flint being a dick (and blind from blood-loss), and Billy thinking (and getting the idea for the legendary Black Spot early on): “I have been marked... with a red spot“ (and it’s his doom).

In the left corner: “favourite Billy Bones face”

inspired by this one:

And the last two doodles for this bunch:

“Someone get me a glass!” ... and the aftermath of Silver shouting for a spyglass and of course the Walrus crew providing “a glass”... which here is an hourglass, a wine glass and another one, a magnifying glass, a mirror (looking glass) although at first it was supposed to be an ice cream (Swedish word, because hey, there might be some Swedish pirates on the crew etc..) and some one bringing a glass of water but making it fancier with a coctail umbrella. For their beloved new quartermaster, you know. Oh yeah, and someone threw Dufresne’s glasses at him but they got stuck on the rope.

Aaaand doodles for “A Tattoo Boom on board the Walrus”. Everybody wants a walrus tattoo and there ends up being all kinds of variations on board. Cute ones, sexy ones, creepy ones, and so on, all featuring a walrus in some form xD

For a long time I was going to draw this properly but never really got into it, so feel free to draw bunch of pirates with cool Walrus tattoos if you need something to draw! (or need an excuse to practise anatomy, as I was planning to do...lol) :D

Thanks for reading, I hope you had fun <3

#black sails doodles #tag for Block Spoils doodles #(<- in case u wanna black list these)#from 2016-2020 but mostly from the early years #I always draw the first idea doodles on a cheap copy paper so I won't stress about getting things right #and... yeah it shows xD #recently I tried to organize my wip folders to get some kind of plan in which order to draw and finish things #and kept finding these kinds of doodles that still make me laugh but also agonize as simply cannot finish them all in proper manner #so I decided to share some of them and also have a look back into the early days xD #or how the doodles haven't actually gotten any better (and aren't meant to) but the art I post is just more refined these days

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echidnapower · 4 years

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EP’s FanFiction Master Post

So this is something I should have done a long time ago on my previous account, but better late than never. For those of you who find me, this is going to be a place where you can find all the fics I’ve written over the years. This will be added to over time as I fight to revive my muse.

It’ll be categorized by fandom, so you can quickly find what you do or don’t want to read. Here we go.

Pokemon

A Valentines Dream Come True - It's Valentines Day, and a certain redheaded Gym Leader is finally getting to enjoy it with the boyfriend of her dreams. During their time together, they get into a little discussion about dreams, and Ash doesn't wanna tell her his! So to get him to spill, she tells him her dreams...when she finally learns Ash's dream...will both their dreams come true? - Based on a drawing from @miyatoriaka, which can be found HERE.

AAML: Diamond and Pearl Version - Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. The absolute LONGEST story in my portfolio, and you will see my writing evolve the longer you go on. Be prepared for a massive read that even now is STILL going.

All I Want For Christmas Is You - It's Christmas time and the Ketchum household is hosting a party with all of Ash's friends. But while Ash and Misty dance around their feelings for each other, another Sensational Sister is about to find herself in a situation she never could have expected, but she'll be darned if she lets it slip through her manicured fingers. (Spinoff of @hollylu-ships-it‘s "A Christmas in Kanto" comic which can be found HERE.

Best Friend - "Why? Why did I have to be so stupid as to make the mistake of falling in love with my best friend?" - Story told in Misty’s POV.

Blessings From Heaven - I'm Ash Ketchum, and I'm getting married today! But how did this come to be? Through God's devine planning is how. Here's my story: I'm marrying Misty. - Warning for religious themes, told in Ash’s POV.

I Miss You - Misty misses Ash terribly, and it's affecting her emotionally as she's more irritable than usual, if that was even possible. But Daisy has a plan to get Ash to come and see Misty again. Will her plan have the desired effect? Or will it cause something she never could've seen coming? - Based on a trio of drawings from the long lost Simply-Nicole. The old art can be found on my dA page HERE, HERE, and HERE.

I’m Misty, and You Are? - Misty tells the story we all know and love...literally. She's telling the story. Based on artwork from the long lost Simply-Nicole, which can be found on my old dA page HERE.

Keep The Faith - This time it's May and Drew getting married, and it takes place in the "Blessings From Heaven" universe. Warning for religious themes.

Looks - It's Ash's birthday and all of his friends have gathered together in the woods to reminisce on the time they spent traveling with their favorite Pokemon Trainer. But something's about to happen that could change the way that Ash and Misty look at each other forever…the question is, is it for the better?

Lovesick - Kenny is feeling strange...he feels like he's sick...but is he really ill? Or is he just lovesick?

Madam Zara - When Misty decides to get experimental with her appearance, she finds herself in the hands of a world-famous beautician named Madam Zara. With most of Misty's makeovers ending less than ideally, will this be the one to shatter the mold? And how will Ash react? - Based on a drawing and idea from @hollylu-ships-it which can be found HERE.

Our Own Sunset - Ash and Misty watch the sunset together, but Misty's bothered by it. - Set in the AAML: Diamond and Pearl version universe.

Pokeshipping Week 2015 - My first time participating in Pokeshipping Week ever, hard to believe it was five years ago.

Pokeshipping Week 2016 - This year of Pokeshipping saw me collab with @hollylu-ships-it, you can see the art she put together on her Tumblr page.

Symptoms of Love - Ash and Tracey are hit by a Vileplume's Stun Spore, and Misty has to fend for herself in order to find a cure. But once she gets Ash back to health, Ash still feels many of the same symptoms from before. Why is that?

Tell Me I’m Pretty - It isn't easy being the youngest sister, especially when your oldest sister is getting married and you're the only one without a date for the once in a lifetime event. Misty can't help but feel like she doesn't measure up somehow, but a surprise visit from her closest friend is sure to make her feel pretty once more. - Inspired by THIS piece from @hollylu-ships-it.

The Road Not Taken - When Ash gets some bad news from home, he goes into a depression and starts doubting both himself and the choices he's made. But luckily, someone is there with him to remind him he's loved and cared about. - Based on yet another drawing from @hollylu-ships-it. Look at it HERE.

Warmth - It's New Years Eve, and the recently married Ash and Misty Ketchum are ready to host their first ever holiday party at their home together, but when a snowstorm makes it so no one can arrive safely, Misty is saddened. But will they really end up spending their New Years Eve alone? Or will surprise visitors warm their hearts?

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go

Iron Girl - A robot girl who hates the fact she's a robot...will she realize just how important she is or will she continue to simply wallow in self-pity?

War Between the Living and the Dead - The war between the living and the dead has begun, and the Hyperforce has to go up against their biggest challenge yet. But with help from their allies across the galaxy, they can triumph! Or can they? This is my take on what Season 5 would've been, plugging plotholes and making sense out of a series that left us all hanging.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Reflections of a Legend - Buzz Lightyear Personal Log - Stardate 92893.81. I don't quite know how to explain this, or what I'm feeling, so I guess I'll just start talking and tell you what's on my mind. There's someone I just can't get out of my head, and truthfully, I'm not sure I want to. - This is a first-person dive into Buzz’s character.

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Kim Possible

Angels Watching Over Me - Kim and Ron are going down a dark path that could eventually end in their own destruction...literally, not figuratively. When the Sloth dangles over a cliff that holds their fate in the balance, who will come in their time of need? How about...someone they never could have dreamed? - Based on a true story, warning for religious themes.

Busted - Hana wants cookie, Hana tries to get cookie, Hana gets caught trying to get cookie.

The Running Back - All-star Running back Ron Stoppable is about to face the biggest challenge of his life. He's got just a few seconds to win the championship for the Middleton Mad Dogs, but more importantly to him, he's got just a few seconds to make his girlfriend proud.

The True Meaning - Both Ron and Kim are well aware of the true meaning of Christmas, and that's why they're volunteering at a church's Bethlehem Revisited event to spread the word. Kim's happy to help and all, but...why is Ron calling her such a weird name? - Warning for religious themes.

Trick or Treat - Kim is pulling a trick on Ron, will it be a great treat, or is he about to suffer the wrath of Kim Possible? He has no clue, yet.

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Fillmore!

A Promising Tomorrow - Takes place immediately after the end of the episode "A Forgotten Yesterday." Fillmore's lost two of his old friends now and needless to say, he's tired of losing people to the darkness he was lucky enough to escape from. Luckily, Ingrid's there to show him that his efforts to rehabilitate his delinquent friends haven't exactly gone to waste. There's one person who's benefited.

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Miraculous Ladybug

You’re Loved - Adrien Agreste, Chat Noir, different identities but more alike than he would like to admit. No matter who he becomes at any given time, there's always something very important missing in his life. Will he ever find what he's looking for? Or is it possible he's always had it and never realized it?

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Beyblade

We Are One - Kai gave it his all battling against Brooklyn and his bit-beast Zeus. Now, after his close brush with death, Kai must summon the strength to go and support Tyson before disaster strikes the world. But there's no way he's strong enough to do it on his own...but thankfully, he won't have to, which is what Kai is about to learn. Sister story to "I Can't Lose You."

I Can’t Lose You - A week after Tyson's battle against the evil bit-beast Zeus and his trapped blader Brooklyn, the world is slowly making its way back to normal. Kai managed to survive and is recovering in the hospital, and Tyson is getting some much-deserved rest. But when Kenny comes to tell Tyson that Hilary has quit the team, he loses it, and goes to find out why. My first Beyblade story.

Save a Dance For Me - With the all new BBA launching with a gala to celebrate the occasion, Tyson finds himself in the uncomfortable position of needing to ask someone to be his date. He has someone in mind, but will his greatest beyblading rival get in his way and turn out to be his greatest rival in love?

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Teen Titans

Healing Touch - With several Titans pairing up, the lingering emotions are taking a toll on Raven's empathic senses and causing her to lose control of her own feelings. When she gives in and does something completely crazy, it's up to Beast Boy to pull her out of a dark place and bring her back to the light. - There is accompanying artwork from @hollylu-ships-it HERE and HERE.

More Than a Hero - I've learned a lot of lessons under Batman, he taught me everything I would ever need to know about being a superhero, about being Robin...but Starfire taught me how to be Dick Grayson, and she taught me how to fly. - Story from Robin’s POV, accompanying artwork from @hollylu-ships-it is HERE.

Robin Rising - Life is good for Dick Grayson, he's the leader of a team of superheroes he's blessed enough to call his family, and he's about to turn 18 which he figures will open up a whole new world of possibilities for him. But when his old mentor and "father" calls in, showing that he captured a criminal that had eluded the Titans forever, things get flipped upside-down. - Multichapter fic which is part of a much larger universe, plenty of accompanying artwork can be found over on @hollylu-ships-it‘s account. Go give her a follow and fav.

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Sonic the Hedgehog

A Light in Darkness - A small band of heroes go back in time to try and prevent a cataclysmic event that would eventually destroy all of creation as they knew it. But what is the nature of this threat? How dangerous is it? And how far will they have to go in order to stop it from viciously destroying all they hold dear? Features a deep cast of Sonic characters, and a very special OC owned by @e-vay

Anonymous - For Shadow the Hedgehog, Christmas doesn't mean what it means to his friends and the rest of the world. Instead, he has a self-appointed mission he needs to carry out. But this year, he may find something that he's never really had before, and it could change the way Shadow sees Christmas for the rest of his life.

Christmas Wishes - For ten years, Amy Rose has only wanted one thing for Christmas, and she's finally come to accept the reality that she'll never receive it. But a conversation with Rouge rekindles her hope and her Christmas spirit. Will she be let down again? Or will her one wish finally come true this year? Read to find out. (Sister story to my other story titled "Anonymous")

Comfort In the Storm - When a thunderstorm strikes and leaves Cream quivering in fright, it's up to Tails to find a way to alleviate his crush's fears, and maybe even give her a reason to enjoy thunderstorms instead of fearing them.

Cream Adventure DX: Author’s Cut - A redo of an old story. Cream finds a strange statue in the meadow, and she knows just who to go to to figure out what it is, but she gets more than she bargained for when she goes looking for him. What happens?

Dreams of an Absolution - Silver lays awake at night and reflects on his life in this apocalyptic world Iblis has destroyed...but most of his reflections revolve around a certain fire girl with lavender fur. He wants to be happy with her, but a warzone is a bad place to kindle love, and so every night he lays awake, and dreams of an absolution.

Relations - Knuckles has a problem. He's in love...but...that presents a very unique problem...or does it?

Running to the Point of No Return - Sonic is the fastest thing alive, and Amy is told that that's the biggest obstacle keeping her and Sonic away from each other. But what's she supposed to do to keep up with him, when there's NO ONE fast enough to keep up with him?

Scars - Some things that happen in life leave scars behind that go with us for the rest of our lives. For Miles "Tails" Prower, such a thing happened to him in the depths of space many years ago...the loss of his first true love...though the pain weakens and the scars fade, they never go away completely, and Tails has learned to live with and embrace that fact.

Seven Rings and Five Fingers In Hand - A redo of the final battle in Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonamy style!

The Heart of Chao - Chao are adorable little creatures, and they make great pets for anyone who's looking for something to take care of. But there's more to chao than just being cute, they're filled with more heart and love than anyone can imagine, and that can sometimes lead to bringing others closer together. Here are just a few stories of that very thing happening to our favorite characters.

Trapped In This Machine - Sonic has seemingly fallen madly in love with Amy, but is this sudden romance truly sincere, or is it only skin deep, hiding something sinister underneath? - Inspired by a drawing from @e-vay, found HERE.

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facelessxchurch · 3 years

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I'm still in awe that Nefarian won that battle tournament thing they played on the SP reddit. Imagine a group of people lackadaisical enough to read this garbage coming to the right conclusion out of nowhere

UGH yeah! That was so frustrating! I mean, I’m happy that Nef got some positive attention for a change, but the write-up of the battles were so unimaginative!

It always was: he wins bc red hand OP. If you’re clever enough you can beat him despite his red hand. It’s powerful, but it still has restrictions in place. Like there can be no barrier between the hand and his victim. Dive behind a wall and the pain cuts off. The red beams seem to be insta-kills, but you can dodge them and stuff like that.

What makes him far more dangerous is how intelligent, unpredictable and versatile he is! I don’t remember that well anymore, but there is an excellent chance I probably compiled this list of Nef’s canon magic bc this pissed me off so much.

For the White Clever VS Nef fight I wrote out all the things he could do to win even if his red hand doesn’t work. What do they do? “haha red hand goes brrr”

Like, why do this tournament/write-up in the first place if you’re going to be lazy about it?

Also, this is probably where this BS opinion comes from, that Nef has to be nerfed bc his hand makes him to OP. Bc they completely overestimate how powerful it is and underestimate pretty much everything else that makes Nef dangerous. Also, looking at all the OP characters SP has, what makes them think Nef is the one that has to be nerfed when fucks like Skulduggery, Valkyrie/Darquesse and Abyssinia are walking around??

Such a fucking mood!

I think it bothers you bc absolutely everyone always drew Mev dark haired (even before I started drawing him, since I used the others art as reference along with the ‘fake-canon’ pic that used to be posted on the wiki (it was a saturated version of this pic btw) that shows up a lot when you google ‘Mevolent’).

That’s not chivalrous, that’s just really fucking weird tbh. I hate how Landy writes phase 2 Mevolent and I especially hated the entire part in Tahil Na Kurge with Val going full on Mary-Sue.

Mev did have a few good scenes like how he easily he was fighting the assassins even without his magic and how it confirmed my headcanon about him being an agile fighter instead of a tank, since him wearing leather armour instead of metal had already been implying that. But with Mev it always feels a lot like Landy doesn’t know what route to take with him, leading to a very weird and inconsistent characterization. Honestly? I like how the people in the fandom write Mev a lot more (this excludes those that write him as a r*pist btw).

Be better than Mev and destroy the brain/go sure your overpowered opponent is truly dead.

Tbf Darquesse had maincharacter plot armour protecting her, otherwise Mev would have accidentally solved the Prime Dimensions main issue for them.

Tbf Mev was probably lying through his teeth about wanting peace, just like I’m pretty sure that Mev was lying in KotW when he said he wanted a Truce with the Resistance. One of the few good things to come out of SoW was that it showed what a tricky and cunning bastard Mev is.

He probably prefers to take those in his way out in ways that cannot be traced back to him and replace them with his own people. Or he just wanted the peace so he can more easily get what he needs to bring his Gods back and let them do the killing instead of having his men die. In book 1 Nef mentioned they want to return their Gods so they can ‘cleanse’ the world and rebuild it in their image or something like that.

(I answer on my Mev blog even slower than I answer here, so if you want a quick answer I wouldn’t recommend it.)

LMAO fat chance. I mean, I’d love to see it, but we both know it’s not gonna happen. We’ll be lucky if Nef doesn’t get ruined further and that’s the best we can hope for tbh.

You most likely will, yes.

WHY DOES THIS FANDOM KEEP CIRCLING BACK TO THE MEV DICK DISCOURSE

I can’t believe it took Landy 14 years to come up with a reason why Nef and Skul hate each other and the reason pretty much just boils down to “they just don’t like each other and it got out of hand bc war”.

I’m extra pissed bc that was the exact question I asked him when I stood before him during the 2016 YALC for which my sorry ass flew to England and he couldn’t give me an answer back then. Instead he then told me that he was planning on releasing a secret on his blog each year on the release date of the last SP book and that that would be one of them. Well, that was a fucking lie.

#Mevolent #Nefarian Serpine #Anonymous #answered

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ask-de-writer · 4 years

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THE GOD’S FANGS : Fantasy : Dirkhan in the Desert

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Dirkhan in the Desert

THE GOD’S FANGS

by De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

2225 words

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Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. I will further allow the use of printed copies for educational use in school classes. No charge of any kind may be made for this use, whether paper, ink, binding, packaging, distribution or any other charge whatsoever.

Fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions are actively encouraged!

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Dark it was, a night of wind, torn and racing cloud wrack, and biting chill. A grim moon showed all with a ghastly waning gibbous glow. Only those with desperate errands or, of course, thieving rascals were out, braving the gloom and frigid breeze.

The cold gusts found every chink in Uman’s tight pulled cloak. He was making his way up Vintner’s Row. Clutching the still precious but now empty date wine flask close, he muttered, “”Just the night for a warm drink. Old Cormag always gives a man a free drink in return for a bottle to fill and sell. A copper fluket or a drink is the standing offer and tonight, the drink it is.”

The wind was swirling dust and grit over the wall of Dirkhan in the Desert. “This wind might as well be the spirits of those who’ve died of thirst in the desert of Skrald Iden jealously trying to keep an honest man from getting his drink,” thought Uman. He barked a small laugh at the ridiculous notion of himself as an honest man.

The laugh drew the attention of two of Dirkhan’s City Watch. “Who goes?” they called out, hoping for a stray dog or a desert cat. Instead, Uman stepped boldly from the shadows.

He greeted the guards, “Mowat, Celdor, a vile night to be out on duty or for any other reason. Some of us truly appreciate your efforts and dedication. Here, a fluket each for a warm drink to share with me up at Old Cormag’s.” Fishing in his pouch, Uman produced and offered two of the small coins.

Eying Umans’s flask, Celdor asked bluntly, “Why not a sip from your bottle instead?”

Smiling sadly, Uman shook the offending flask and replied, “You could. You could indeed, but you will get more with my fluket. This is an empty that I’m taking to Old Cormag for his standing offer of a drink for a bottle to fill.”

Mowat made up his mind, saying, “We’ll take you up on the drink, Uman. Unfortunately, we have to arrest you anyway. Somebody broke into the Temple of Motar and stole the god’s golden fangs tonight. Magistrate Jumpar thinks that it was you.”

Uman’s eyebrows rose in amusement. Grinning broadly, he asked, “What? Pulled in twice in one night, Mowat? Do you like Magistrate Jumpar?”

Celdor’s face twisted in anger and he spat at a roil of dust whirling down the lane. “Not one bit. The Highborn bastard always pays us with coins so worn and clipped that they ain’t worth but a part of what we’re supposed to get.”

Nodding in sympathy, Uman agreed, “Such has been my experience with Jumpar also. If you would like to pay him back and yet still do his Written Will, come up to Cormag’s for that warm drink while we discuss the matter. I will come with you freely after it.”

A short while later, in Magistrate Jumpar’s dingy Court Room, Uman was hustled into the prisoner’s wicket. A pair of cressets flamed fitfully, one to either side of the Magistrate’s bench, showing walls of the same dull tan mud brick that most of Dirkhan was made of. Celdor shut the prisoner’s wicket firmly.

Mowat faced the balding, sallow faced Magistrate and stated, “According to your Written Will, we have apprehended the miscreant Uman the Fat. For this Service of Justice, we are due a silver Djal.”

Negligently waving a hand that reminded Uman of a vulture’s claw, Jumpar declared loftily, “I will pay you presently. At the moment I have only a golden Djaballa.” He squirmed a bit on his magistrate’s bench as he tried to straighten hastily donned Magisterial robes.

Celdor promptly began to open the prisoner’s wicket. Mowat watched in approval, stating clearly, “You’re learning, Celdor. No payment, no Service. Sorry to inconvenience you, Uman. We will have to arrest you another time, when the bench has the proper money for its Services.”

Grinning, Uman held up a hand. “Not so swiftly, my friends. I have the correct change right here. It would be a shame indeed for our good Magistrate’s Justice to fail for so small a thing.” Uman fished in his pouch and produced seven silver Rilks and five silver Djals, all of pristine, unclipped, unshaved coins.

With an innocent smile, he offered, “I’ll just take that Djaballa and you can use this money to pay our good watchmen for their Services of your Written Will, as necessary.”

Sourly, Jumpar handed his golden coin over to his prisoner who courteously gave the Magistrate the handful of silver. Ostentatiously, Uman tested the Djaballa against a tooth, observing, “Can’t be too careful. Somebody might have cheated our honest Justice Jumpar.”

Glaring at his prisoner, Jumpar demanded, “Uman the Fat, do you know why you are here?”

Leaning negligently against the side of the wicket, Uman replied, “According to your Written Will, I stand accused of stealing the Golden Fangs from Motar’s idol this very night. I have cooperated with the guard in every way because of this specific crime, I am innocent.”

Eyebrows raised almost to his non-existent hairline, Jumpar sneered, “Of this crime? You? Innocent?” Sternly he went on, “It is not possible. You were seen in the Temple of Motar today. Clearly you were casing the temple for this night’s burglary.”

Turning on his bench to face Mowat, jumpar demanded, “Was the search required by my Written Will carried out?”

Looking up from cleaning his fingernails with a a small dagger, Mowat replied, “It was, Magistrate. For this Service of your Written Will we are due a silver Djal.”

Sighing in exasperation at having to let yet another good coin out of his grasp, Magistrate Jumpar handed over the money. Celdor promptly gave the Magistrate a stout sack well filled with pointed objects.

Baring his yellowed teeth in triumph, Magistrate Jumpar declared, “So! Innocent are you? Behold, the missing Fangs of Motar, stolen impiously from his Idol this very evening! Your guilt is obvious even to a child! There can be no defense against this evidence!”

Uman put his face in his hands to hide his smile while he composed his features into a proper look of despair. Glumly he said, “And yet, I must try. It is my very life that is forfeit if I fail.

“I will readily own that I was in Motar’s temple earlier today. I prayed for eloquence before Motar’s Mouth. After I prayed, I went to the Temple Blessing Shop. There, I purchased a complete set of the Fangs of Elocution. You have just most impiously dumped them out on the Bench without so much as a ‘bless me Motar’ for it.” Rummaging in his pouch, Uman produced a small slate streak plate, used to try the purity of gold and silver. Along with the slate, he produced a small slip of parchment.

Proffering both items to the Magistrate, Uman went on, “If the heft of those Fangs alone does not convince you, try their purity with this slate. Those are my brass Fangs of Blessing from the Temple Blessing Shop. This parchment is my receipt for a donation of two golden Djaballa. It is signed by junior priest Bulgulla.

“My gold was well spent, for my business went to my advantage. About sundown, I went to the Garden of Red Lamps to celebrate my success.”

Turning to the watchmen, Uman offered a silver Djal. “For your Service of Justice, this coin. Please tell Magistrate Jumpar where I spent this evening.”

Celdor shrugged cheerfully as he took the money. “You were in cell sixteen. We picked you up in a sweep after a brawl at the Garden of Red Lamps. After two and a half hours, we let you out because we determined that you were a bystander and not a part of the fight.

“We escorted you to Cormag’s Inn and left you there. When we received the Magistrate’s Written Will, we went back towards Cormag’s in the hope of apprehending you. We found you in the street, returning to the Inn for another drink.”

Celdor faced the furious Magistrate and proceeded, “This prisoner has cooperated with us in every possible way. He guided us to his lodgings and we found the evidence that was specified in your Written Will. We brought both the required evidence and the prisoner here. His degree of cooperation is demonstrated by his providing the necessary Price of Service to enable you to inquire into this heinous crime.”

Jumpar screeched, “If you knew all this, why didn’t you tell me about it?”

Mowat shrugged expressively and stated, “We have been upbraided before for speaking out. You have demanded that we not try to correct the Highborn. You know more and are wiser than we commoners, you have said. We simply assumed that you knew something that we did not.”

Glaring down from the Bench, Jumpar demanded, “Return the coins of Service. You should never have been paid them.”

Uman shook his head so vigorously that he made his head-cloth flip about. “Not so, Your Justice. These good watchmen have fairly done all that your Written Will required of them. It is no fault of theirs that you failed to check the evening’s arrest docket.”

Pointing a claw-like finger at the door, Jumpar screamed, “Get out of my Court!” Imperturbably, Uman stepped from the now open prisoner’s wicket and approached the Bench. “I’ll go when I have my Blessing and the receipt for the two Djablalla that they cost.”

Angrily, Jumpar swept the brass Fangs and receipt into the sack. Sighing, Uman offered, “Bless him, Motar, even if he is too angry to ask for it himself.” He took the bag and his leave.

/////////////

Presently, Uman was shown into the private audience chamber of the Merchant Prince Grabit. That worthy offered, “Palm heart wine, Uman? It is from the oasis groves of Palidor. How went our business?”

Uman sipped his wine while lolling back in the comfortably padded chair and took in the luxuriously appointed room. At last he replied, “Well and ill both. I got them, as promised. Here they are.” He handed a bag to Merchant Prince Grabit.

Grabit’s pudgy fingers expertly extracted the fangs and the parchment. Frowning, he examined them with a glass. Looking puzzled, he pronounced, “These are brass. A Blessing Shop set … No, they are too large.”

Eyes opening wide, he exclaimed, “Oh, my! The Golden Fangs of Motar are a fraud!”

Uman, leaning forward intently explained, “No. Motar’s Fangs are golden. Only this idol’s fangs are false. I know, because at one time or another, I’ve met and spoken with all nine of the True Gods.”

Grabit corrected, “Eight. There are only eight True Gods.”

“Nine,” stated Uman with authority. “Just because neither the Eight True Gods nor their priests like Ranton, patron of Theft and other disasters, doesn’t change the fact that he’s a True God. The Eight simply hate to admit it, that’s all.”

Sourly, Grabit agreed, “Being one of the Rich, I can understand their reluctance. So, when did you find that the fangs were false?”

With a wry smile, Uman replied, “As soon as I saw them up close.”

Puzzlement writ large on his plump face, Grabit asked, “Then why did you risk stealing them? Why not just report the fact to me?”

Relaxed, Uman answered, “I felt sorry for Motar. I told you that I’ve met him. I like him. By this, you can earn the very real favor of a True God and gain absolute power over his greedy priests at the same time.

“Just have these Fangs copied in real gold and return them to the Temple with a tale of your great risk and expense in finding the missing Fangs. Motar is sure to be pleased and reward you well. As long as you keep these originals, you can blackmail the priests to your heart’s content.”

A flunky in fine livery came into the chamber and whispered into Grabit’s ear while handing him a sheet of parchment. The flunky cast weasel like eyes at Uman and his lip twisted up into a derisive sneer as he left. The Prince informed Uman, “Maggit says that you cannot have done this deed. This is the record of your arrest for a brawl, earlier this evening and again later you were arrested, tried and acquitted of this very crime. I do believe that you did it, but how?”

Uman thought carefully of how much to reveal and said judiciously, “Misdirection, My Lord. I knew, from the routines of the priests, that the idol’s false fangs would not be missed until late. It is a common misconception that burglars must work after darkness falls. Even Magistrates who should know better believe it. I simply stole them earlier, in broad daylight.

“Provoking a brawl took care of the evening for me. All that I needed to do was help Magistrate Jumpar to keep the night in mind and he drew the same conclusion as Maggit. It gave me the best possible alibi. An official one.”

Pausing thoughtfully, Uman added, “Since you are putting a substantial amount of real gold into the Temple, you really should do something about the Sanctuary lock. I think that a poorly trained monkey could open it.”

—THE END—

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Dirkhan in the Desert

#THE GOD’S FANGS #Dirkhan in the Desert #Written by De Writer

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everyonesonthespectrum · 4 years

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30 days of Autism Acceptance: Day 3!

April 3: Talk about special interests. Do you have any? What are they? How long have you had them? What does it feel like to have special interests? What does having special interests mean to you? Talk about your past special interests

HOO BOY! Ok, I’ll try not to go on too long about my special interests, but I have a lot to say about them! Also, some of my special interests are in this weird grey area of “are they a SpIn or a hyperfixation?”, so I’ll cover those as well, and make it noted when that’s the case for one. Also, this will be VERY LONG, so I’ll put it under a cut.

SpIn #1 - Pokemon

Pokemon has been my main special interest since I was 9, I believe! Black was my first game that I got for my birthday, and I was super happy to get it since all of my friends at the time would talk about it! I’ve gotten (almost?) every major release since then, thought I usually only get one out of the two versions.

The Pokemon games that I have are *inhales*: Black, Black 2, HeartGold (got a few years after it came out), X (I have the limited edition 3DS), Alpha Sapphire, Moon (first completed Pokedex!), Ultra Moon (haven’t beat and probably never will), Let’s Go, Eevee!, Sword (still trying to beat), Conquest, Art Academy, PMD: Gates to Infinity, Picross, Rumble World, Battle Trozei, Pokemon Quest, Pokemon Playhouse (for when I’m regressed), Poke Park 1 & 2, My Pokemon Ranch, and Battle Revolution!

I also used to play the TCG competitively, and in my first competition, I placed 9th in my division! I stopped playing about a year after that though because the cards I used in my strategy when I would practice with my Dad were too old to be viable.

I have a growing stuffie and merch collection as well! I have a lot of Unova stuffies, and a print of the Unova map that I got at a ren faire when I was younger (it currently hangs above my dresser)! My two favorite stuffies at this time are Baby my Eevee Build-A-Bear (named after my Eevee in Let’s Go, Eevee!), and Lily my Wooloo! I have a couple of Pokemon sketch cards that friends of my Dad’s drew, and some prints and figure-y things I’ve gotten in Artist Alleys over the years!

I also own a couple of different Pokemon books (not the manga, though), and 2 of the movies, along with the OSTs for B/W, X/Y, and ORAS! I don’t have much as far as clothing goes though, except for my “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” scarf and a Pikachu hat I got at an old anime store at the mall that has since closed. That’s probably all I can remember right now!

SpIn #2 - Steam Powered Giraffe

SPG has been a special interest for about 4 years now? Anyway, they’re my #1 favorite band and have literally saved my life. Watching Bunny Bennett’s (who plays Rabbit) vlogs about her transition, along with listening to the song Transform that she wrote (waaay before they just made it a single) really helped me accept myself and come out.

They also came at a time where I was struggling emotionally a lot, and I remember being stuck in the ER hooked up to an IV, and my mom played some of their albums for me to keep me calm and grounded. More recently, I saw them perform at Anime Midwest last year, and when they performed Transform (which neither me or my friends expected), we were all hugging each other and crying tears of joy (my friends are trans as well, and have also been touched by Bunny’s vlogs).

Their songs (not including the sad ones) make me really happy as well, and Make Believe makes me stim a lot in particular! I also got to sing Honeybee as part of a voice coaching summer camp I took last year, and it felt really good to do it! I really recommend listening to them, especially if you like steampunk and/or you’re looking for trans artists to support!

SpIn #3 - Little Shop of Horrors

So this is more of a fairly recent one, compared to the first two. This special interest mostly applies to the 1986 movie, but I’ve seen the stage musical as well! The music, the cast, the plot, it’s all *chef’s kiss*. But for real though, my two favorite things about the movie are the practical effects and the endings.

With the CGI fresh hell we got with CATS, you may thing, “wow, special effects were so much better back then”. Except here’s the thing, they were practical effects. Audrey II is (I believe) entirely puppetry, not CGI. The same applies for the musical as well! It really culminated at the end of the film during “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space”, when Audrey II is at it’s biggest and most elaborate. Speaking of that scene, I much prefer the director’s cut over the theatrical cut. I know that the happy ending is much better for Audrey and Seymour, but “Don’t Feed The Plants” is an absolute banger, and I get a good cry out of it too.

I heard they might be making a remake of the movie, which I’m hesitant about, again, seeing how CATS turned out. We can only hope that they listen to the fans, and make the right decisions when it comes to making it.

SpIn #4 - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Ok, so this is one of those aformentioned “is it a SpIn or a hyperfixation” moments. I’ve been hyperfixated on JJBA for the past 6 months and I’m physically unable to shut up about it XD

I’m about to start watching part 4 of the anime, I just need to set aside time to do it. I watched it a tad out of order, my ex told me to skip part 1 and watch a synopsis of it, so I started with part 2 (I’m a huge part 2 stan btw), got to part 3, was confused by everything going on with DIO, so I went back, watched part 1, and then resumed part 3.

As I mentioned, I’m a huge part 2 stan, so I currently have several part 2 character cosplays in the works. This includes (but isn’t limited to) Caesar, Suzi Q, Playboy Bunny Caesar (inspired by a piece of art that @tinypalettes drew), Tequila Joseph (but like,, actually decent drag), and Cleric Suzi Q from the JJBA D&D session me and my friends are having. I also want to do a drag/latex DIO look, along with maid DIO inspired by an old JUMP cover and a fanfic I read the other day.

I get a little nervous about doing/going to JJBA events at conventions because I’m worried about running into my ex, but knowing that I have supportive people with me helps a lot.

SpIn #5 - Homestuck/Hiveswap

So this is another one of those “SpIn or hyperfixation” moments as well. I’ve been into Homestuck since late 2016, but I’ve never been super involved in the fandom. Like, yes, I have a moirail and I’ve been in and hosted panels at conventions, but I’ve encountered some toxic people in it, so I try to distance myself.

I will say, however, that Homestucks are loyal to their fandom, and will buy merch if they like it. When I say that, yes, I mean myself, but it’s mostly about my Etsy customers. If you look at my sales history, the majority of it is quadrant necklaces, almost always the moirail ones. I get some orders for horns and pillows too, but not as often as the necklaces. When it comes to exhibiting at conventions, it depends. I normally don’t put Homestuck stuff out on the table because it’s such a niche, but when I do, people will usually buy a lot at once. For example, at Wizard World Madison in 2018, one guy bought $50-60 worth of Homestuck sprites from me. That weekend was the best I’ve ever done, and I haven’t come close since. My Etsy store started out as just me making Homestuck sprites for me and my friends too, so I’m glad that I was able to expand and give others what I like as well.

I’m also involved in a Hiveswap YouTube musical, and I’ve made a lot of good friends through it! We’re on hiatus right now, but we should be starting up again soon! I also have a lot of Homestuck cosplays! I’ve done Karkat, John, Jade, Nepeta, Trickster Nepeta, Karkat Peixes (a bloodswap), and I have a lot more that I want to do!

SpIn #6 - Danganronpa

So Danganronpa is (probably) one of those last “SpIn or hyperfixation” things. I’ve been into Danganronpa since 2018 (I think?), and DR:AE is my favorite (mostly because I’m a Kotoko and Toko kinnie oof-)!

Right now, my only Danganronpa cosplay is Toko/Syo, but I’m working on a couple of j-fashion (particularly menhera and fairy kei) inspired looks to do with my moirail (who was the one who got me into j-fashion), and just some Amazon/eBay cosplays as well! I’m also working on a Future Foundation Toko cosplay to do with my moirail so we can do Tokomaru together (though most of it is thrifting and clothes I already have)!

I own DR1, SDR2, and DR:AE on my computer, but I don’t play them much. The second trial in DR1 gives me panic attacks because of the whole breaking of trust thing (I’ve heard the audios and I just,,, break down), I haven’t touched SDR2 yet, and I’m sucky at the controls for DR:AE. However, I’ve watched the anime and I’ve seen let’s plays, so I have a feel for what’s going on, though I may not remember it all correctly since I haven’t watched them in a while.

———————————–

So that’s most (if not all) of my special interests! I probably forgot some, but it’s getting late and I need to pack for my Mom’s and go to bed. I hope you all have a good night!

#30daysofautismacceptance #2020 #autism #autistic #actually autistic #autistic characters #autistic character of the day

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

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LittleMissSquiggles’ Summary of Art 2019

Another year of art drawn to a close. This is not your typical art summary from yours trule. It's more of an art collage of some kind, if you can even call it that XD A definite art summary would imply that I actually did art for every month of this year and that is not what happened at all, fam.

As a matter of fact, it’s a miracle I even have anything to show since admittedly, 2019 was not a very creative year for me. I mean, I did create things but not as much as I would’ve liked.

Instead I spent most of the year focused on my studies at Animschool while juggling any small work-related projects I managed to score. And even when I did have some free time to work on my own stuff, I still didn’t have the drive to do all that I wanted to do which was a bummer.

Nevertheless, I’m still proud of what I was able to accomplish for this year no matter how small. Something is better than nothing, am I right?

Some squiggly good accomplishments I achieved for 2019:

I worked as a storyboard artist for two potential animated web series with the prospect of it being a recurring gig (we’ll see what happens in the new year with that).

I got the opportunity to work as a background colourist and tackled one of my biggest creative banes---background and environment design. I learnt quite a lot from this experience and it certainly inspired me to develop and improve on that aspect of my art. Still have ways to go with it but the drive to go for it is definitely there now and I have this small gig to thank for that inspiration.

Thanks to Animschool, I learnt how to use Zbrush and use it in the creation of characters and environments.

I created my first full 3D character model this year based off art from an artist whose work I’ve admired since my Deviantart days---Meago. I even showed the model to Meago and not only did she like my model, but she also gave me the okay to model any of her other characters from her Dollicious series which made me feel proud.

Apart learning Zbrush, I also learnt how take sculpted characters and props designed in Zbrush and retopologize them into production quality models for rigging and animation. I even learnt a bit of UVing---though I need to work on my UV Mapping skills more for the New Year.

My work was featured three times on the Animschool Instagram page where the school only shares the best work so that was fun little surprise each time it happened XD

I also successfully scored a feature in Animschool's Model/Rig Student Showreel 2018-2019.

I got to visit Tobago again for the first time since 2012 and I got to travel by plane for the first time ever. Turns out plane rides aren’t as nerve-wracking as I thought they’d be (even if it was a small 30 minute flight).

I got the chance to participate in the first-ever RWBY Rosegarden Charity Fanzine hosted by @darleenas-art with the zine proceedings donated to the Child Mind Institute.

I discovered my newfound passion for hand painted 3D models and successfully created my first hand-painted model despite being a complete noob to the craft.

So yeah, overall 2019 didn’t go too bad for the squiggle meister. Hard to believe that we're at the end of another year and with 2020 around the corner, it's hard to believe that we are at the end of a freaking decade too. 10 Years of Squiggling!

This is why I make it a habit to post all of my past art summaries. It’s a great way to compare how my artistic growth over the years and looking back at how my art looked way back in 2010 and seeing where it is now, it’s honestly insane! If you saw some of my old digital art back then, you wouldn’t believe it was drawn by the same person.

While I didn't get to do all that I wanted to do for this year, it doesn't change the fact that I did learn a lot. This year also helped me to realize a bit more of what I want to do with my craft and where I would love to take my art.

I have some ideas for projects I'd love to do for 2020 going forward. Not sure if I'll get to accomplish any of them. But like with any creative year, I'm excited to go into it and see what I am able to achieve.

Wish me luck for the New Year folks and the same goes to all the amazing peeps, old and new, who have supported me throughout the years including this one. Words and a mere thanks are never enough to express my eternal gratitude to all of you for your continuous support of my content.

That being said, I pray that 2019 turned out to be a good year for you guys as well and wishing you just as much luck in your respective endeavours for the 2020 too!

On a final note, I'd like to close off this summary with my tradition of sharing my personal best/favourite piece of this year.

The inspiration for this piece actually took me by surprise because it wasn't exactly planned. I think you guys already know which piece this is. Can’t say much else other than it turned out to be a quite the beautiful bouquet!

My Bouquet of Roses character design set remains to be my personal favourite piece of this year because it’s a unexpected project that made me gain more confidence in my style of drawing/designing characters. Before I admittedly didn’t have a lot of appreciation for the way I drew characters. I always did the thing where I compared myself too much to other artists whose worked I loved and felt my way was inferior.

But from doing this one project--- having to draw so many characters in my style and seeing how it all turned out and how much folks turned out to like...was fun. I hope I get to continue this project for next year since...I’m not exactly done with it yet and I’d honestly like to do more with it. Hopefully.

Still can't believe this all started with a small headcanon post which sparked the creation of a character that spawned more characters, an AU, one illustration project followed by several more projects and AUs---a hella lot more like hot damn!

But above all else, this one idea also sparked a small circle of friends whose interactions and conversations have definitely made this squiggle meister's year a lot brighter.

I may not be the most vocal person in the world but I still wanted to say thanks for the laughs and happy fun storytimes to @lookyeekiti, @che1sea-xiao-long, @miki-13, @nykamito-x, @cloudburst-paint-water @beaver-sen, @keyenuta and @ezroar!

Hears to the New Year folks! See you in 2020!

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♦ PREVIOUS ART SUMMARIES ♦

2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018

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~ LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#art of littlemisssquiggles #art summary #art summary 2019 #artists on tumblr #forward march to 2020

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espytalks · 4 years

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ive been drawing for quite a while. and looking through my old art, i found ive been drawing online for a whole flippin decade. wow.

so here’s 10 drawings ive done over the last 10 years, with commentary. it’s a long one, though, so be careful.

2010:

I had to dig through my deviantart for these first two. This pikachu is the first thing i ever posted online! i remember drawing this in ms paint with a mouse. i remember being very proud of this, and in a way, i still think it’s cute. it has a “drawing my kid done that i hung on a fridge’ vibe.

i didn’t do much around this time. i barely knew how the internet worked, and i mainly read instead of drawing. i did some pokemon sprite edits though, for some reason. i remember really liking doing that.

2011:

i’m pretty sure i drew this mew in gimp. also with a mouse, because i had no idea tablets existed. ive always been super into pokemon, and around this time i think i was watching a lot of mickey mouse cartoons? it’d explain the weird style.

i’m impressed with the shading, though. i did the best with what i knew, and what i could figure out on my own. not pictured is the hundreds of mickey sketches i did around this time, or the self insert oc i made lol.

2012: oh no it’s pony time. i spent about 5 years drawing primarily these things. kinda wish i hadn’t in hindsight, but ah well.

i had this program on my ds that i could draw and post my art on, and i was using it a lot around this time. a lot of my art has this sketchy look to it, because of that. i remember i had quite a few followers on it, or at least i think i did. i dunno if that website still exists, or if anyone even uses it anymore.

but anyways, this drawing is super cute. ya can’t go wrong with a sleeping pone. i forgot the cutie mark, tho. i always forget minor important details like that. either that or i drew her as a filly. can’t remember.

2013: yeah, i think this as vent art? can’t remember, but i drew it on that same program. i put a lot of effort into the perspective. this was based on my room at the time, btw.

2014: i believe this was for a new artist’s training grounds on eqd. i must’ve had a tablet by now, cause i can see tapering in the lineart. it was a big deal for me, and it sucks that i can’t remember what the first ting i drew with it was. i think it was some sketches.

but you can definitely see some improvement by now. i was really getting used to drawing this one thing. but a lot of people following me seemed to like my art back then. it was called cute, and expressive and cartoony.

i think this was around the time i was at my best, as far as notes and interaction goes.

2015: *megalovania intensifies*

i was super into undertale at the time. and 2014-15 was when i started to try and draw other things aside from ponies. you cal tell my poses and anatomy is mega awkward and kinda bad here, but this was a major improvement for me.

2016: i was a fan of steven universe since it first aired, but i very rarely drew fanart for it. but as i was getting more comfortable with drawing peole, i got more ambitious with the characters i tried to draw.

i also from around this point on tried to get better at traditional art. and i think this was the first inktober i tried, but i don’t think it was the first i finished.

i really liked this drawing. and i may or may not have a wip redraw of this going on right now. wish me luck!

2017: KNOOOOOXXXXX I LOVE YOU, YOU PRECIOUS BOI

this is my favorite drawing. i peaked here and i will never be as good and pure as this single icon i did. it’s purple, he’s happy, it’s PASTEL AND SPARKES!!!!

i also got super into bendy and the ink machine this year, which sparked a renewed interest in trying to improve in drawing, and also led me to create my favorite oc ever.

i think i improved a lot around this time. my shapes and anatomy became cleaner and more consistent. on a technical level, i think this is where i started getting really good as an artist.

2018: i don’t think i improved a lot this year. i honestly feel like ive stagnated since then, and depression hasn’t helped.

it’s a tough choice between this and the hollow knight drawing for best drawing of the year, but this is my personal favorite. sorry, mm, but mickey will always win out in my opinion. i know ya liked the other one though, and it’s also really good.

i like how this turned out, and i’m so glad it’s got the most notes of anything else ive drawn. it’s pretty, and i love the style. this is how i wish i drew all the time.

2019: and finally we have this.

i don’t care how poorly this did. i was proud of myself for doing this. it’s cute and pretty and i like it. I created a vague story where she’s a little astronomer who’s like, caged for some reason, but now she’s free.

in hindsight, i think i coulda done a lot better, but i still like it. it’s one of my favorites that ive done this year. i wish i drew more this year, but the last few months ive been super depressed. it’s been hard to want to draw anything, and i feel so uncreative and mediocre.

i’m hoping next year i’ll be better, and i’ll have stuff in my personal life more sorted out, and i won’t feel as bad.

this was nice, though. i’m glad i looked through my old art. maybe i’ll figure out what i’m missing, and get back on track. and maybe i’ll finish these wips i have going on lol. we’ll see.

happy new year, everyone. and may this next decade be even better for us all as creators, and as people.

#espy talks

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aurora-daily · 5 years

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For Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora, music was the key to unlock a long-held sense of disconnection

Interview by Andrew McMillen for The Weekend Australian (June 1st, 2019).

Music writer Andrew McMillen meets Icelandic sensation Aurora ahead of her album release

As a child, Aurora Aksnes grew up in a town not far from Bergen, in southwestern Norway, surrounded by a forest, ocean, space and plenty of silence — fertile grounds in which to plant seeds of imagination.

Her two older sisters, Miranda and Viktoria, were worried that her strangeness — especially her out-there dress sense — would make her a target for bullies. “We were so scared that it was going to be tough for you to go to high school,” her sisters say in a video published in 2016. “But everybody loved you.”

Singing, songwriting and playing piano became her three fascinations; all activities she could indulge on her lonesome. This began in childhood and continued into her adolescence, when she was plucked from obscurity and essentially asked whether she wanted to pursue a career in music. She said yes, and she hasn’t looked back. In that same video from 2016, filmed in Bergen with her friends and family, and released to coincide with her debut album, Aurora says, “Music is not something that you should keep for yourself. It can’t be put in a cage because it’s wild and alive.”

On stage in Brisbane on a Monday night early last month, the blue-eyed and blonde artist is midway through a powerful 90-minute set. Dressed in red and flanked by a live band that produces pulsating electronic pop, the 22-year-old pauses between songs to address the 800-strong capacity crowd at the Triffid.

“I feel like I’m in this room with friends,” she says. “It’s a nice feeling because I feel so often disconnected to humans. I feel very lucky because I don’t know how the hell I got here. I don’t know how I became an artist — but I do know that it’s 90 per cent because of you guys.

“Without you, it’s an empty room; without you, there’s no one that gives my words power.”

Then, with a nod to her drummer and co-producer Magnus Skylstad, the band kicks into the next track as the lights change colour and the crowd thrills to her music.

She does not so much perform as inhabit these songs, as if singing them for the first time. There’s not a trace of self-consciousness; instead, the young woman dancing centre stage, microphone in hand, exudes a contagious freedom and vitality. Here, among friends, she is adored. Two days later, in the hours before another Groovin the Moo festival sideshow in Fremantle, Aurora perks up when reminded of her philosophy that music cannot be caged.

“Oh, yes, it’s very true, and that’s why I know I have to share it,” she tells Review. “When I perform, that’s why I’m so excited; it’s like the music is too big for my tiny shape of a body. I feel very explosive when I perform. That’s the whole point in why I started sharing the music: if you have the gift of making music, it’s like we’re on a mission, we people who can translate the music into something that the rest of the world can understand.”

In a relatively short time, the rest of the world has come to understand and appreciate Aurora’s art. While the story of her ascent from small-town anonymity to filling clubs and playing festivals on the other side of the planet is somewhat typical of the streaming era, the results are certainly not.

It goes like this: after uploading a song online in 2012, when she was 16, what was intended as a Christmas gift for her parents found its way to the ears of an agent, which set in motion an unexpected but welcome recording career. Since 2015, she has released an EP, a debut album — 2016’s All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend — and a follow-up LP that has been split into two halves, released last year and this year.

As well, a couple of well-chosen cover songs have helped to highlight her extraordinary, singular vocal abilities and opened up new audiences.

First in 2015, her stark take on Half the World Away by Oasis featured in a prominent British Christmas advertisement; it remains one of her most-played songs on streaming services. Then on an Australia visit in 2017, she recorded a spellbinding cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop for Triple J’s Like a Version segment. It has since attracted nearly seven million YouTube views.

In turn, the global response to her music during the past four years has led to a pleasant awakening: her work matters.

“I want to do this as long as I feel like people need me to do this,” she says. “Right now, I feel very needed. It’s a job that the world needs because being a human is so hard and music sometimes makes it easier. As long as I feel needed, I’ll do it. I’ll be an artist forever; I’m a very hungry woman, and I like to dance and paint, and I want to explore and eventually share that with the world, too.”

In conversation, Aurora comes across as remarkably grounded and insecurity-free. A month out from the release of A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) — usually a time of peak anxiety and uncertainty among recording artists, who will soon learn whether their latest work is judged to be their greatest or otherwise — she shrugs and says that she doesn’t really have any particular hopes or expectations for it. “Whatever will happen will happen,” she says. “I’m already working on my next album; I feel quite far away from this album. I hope at least one person will really love it. It is quite diverse, with many different moods and personalities. I am quite excited to perform the songs live, but it doesn’t really matter how people perceive it.

“Some people will always understand it and appreciate it, and that’s enough.” Between songs at the Triffid, Aurora talks a lot, and she’s often funny and endearing.

‘ In the beginning I didn’t really talk because I didn’t have anything to say. But then I learned that if you do talk to the audience, people tend to feel more safe and more connected to you’ Aurora Aksnes

“We’ve been doing all these shows in Australia, and it’s so strange we can have our own show in Brisbane and there are people here waiting for us,” she says at the beginning. “From the bottom of my huge heart and small tits — actually, no, they are quite big — thank you so, so much for coming tonight.”

Later, she admits to feeling some snotty congestion: “It’s kind of loosening up now as I’m dancing and making its journey down my throat. It tastes like salt and I don’t know how I feel about that.” But while introducing Through the Eyes of a Child, she turns serious for a few moments.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find people to talk to about your pain because it makes us feel like a burden, or we are taught to feel like a burden when we are not happy,” she says. “I know you’re all here for a reason. Maybe you’re a bit like me: you’re emotional or you look a bit different on the inside or the outside. This next song is for you if you’re going though a hard time.”

This connection with her audience is real and rare, but it wasn’t always this way.

“In the beginning I didn’t really talk because I didn’t have anything to say,” she tells Review. “But then I learned that if you do talk to the audience, people tend to feel more safe and more connected to you. You show them a special thing they don’t usually see unless they go to my show. It’s like they’re my friend or I’m their friend. I do have mouth diarrhoea because I tend to talk way too much, but it just happens. I do what I want and, at the moment, I feel like talking a lot.”

Aurora’s cover of the Massive Attack hit Teardrop, performed for Triple J’s Like a Version segment, has attracted nearly seven million YouTube views

There’s another aspect of her artistry that has changed in recent years, too. “I used to feel nervous before shows, but then it stopped because I realised it’s obvious I know what I’m doing,” she says. “I know why I’m here; I know how to do this. Now, I find it more scary to be among people or to have a one-to-one conversation with someone. I know what to do on the stage and it feels like it’s important.”

With shows booked up to December, including an extensive 20date tour of Norway, her recent Australian trip will soon be in the rear-view mirror. While travelling here, however, she was particularly inspired by our native trees, which she found to be vastly different compared with those in her homeland, so perhaps the sights and sounds of our country may feed back into her future art.

Yet watching her on stage, before an audience completely in tune with her voice and body, the philosophy she outlined in that video a few years ago comes to mind. Aurora can’t be put in a cage, because she is wild and alive. Luckily for us, her music is not something she has kept for herself.

A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) is released on Friday via Glassnote Records.

#aurora #aurora aksnes #interviews

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aelaer · 5 years

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Tagged: All about me and fanfic

Thank you for tagging me @dragonnan! My fan fic history is a long one... and in three fandoms. Which is why most of this will be under a cut for anyone who has a lot of time to waste. And is morbidly curious. But there’s some (okay, dozens) of fanfic recs for three fandoms under there too, sooooo.

Tagging at the top so you don’t have to read my verbose-ness if you don’t want to: @amethyst-noir @cairistiona7 @mdcbd @phierie if you’re interested in giving it a shot :)

1. At what age did you start writing fanfiction?

13. You can still find my earliest works online, too; I kept up anything that wasn't completely deplorable (though fanfiction.net deleted my stupidly popular, several hundred reviews of a story I did in 2004 because it was script format. The bastards xD Popular with all the little kids).

2. Who is your favorite author?

Lmaooooo what a question. Okay so for three fandoms. The big thing that’s common between all my favorite authors is that romance is not a primary genre with any of these writers. So if you like gen (of all genres) you’ve come to the right post.

If anyone here is a LOTR book fan (especially Aragorn), let me direct you to storiesofarda.com. It’s an old site, not even mobile friendly. Anyway, go read the works of Cairistiona and Meckinock. If you're more into hobbits and anything fluffy, go read Shirebound. That I remember their names since I was last active in fanfic in LOTR in 2011 speaks to their quality. I've had the honor of meeting Shirebound several times in real life as well, this last time in New York back in April after several years apart (though I'd like to meet Cair one day for sure, as well). I had a lot of favorites years ago but I’d need to reread the old stuff to see what still lives up to my expectations.

Scanning my favorites in Sherlock, Jolie Black , CaffeineKitty, and hollyesque on AO3. Stillwaters1, chappysmom, Radon65, and Morgan Stuart from fanfiction.net. But I have a couple favorite stories from authors who only wrote a couple fics (below).

Now the MCU (okay basically Doctor Strange, let’s be honest), on AO3: Grim Revolution and merrywil (the latter is pretty new and needs a hell lot more attention, she is a great writer). I love those long, introspective character one shots. There's not a lot of authors who don't focus on romance in the MCU with Stephen as a main character -- indeed, it’s partially nonexistent -- so shorter list. ElenaCee wrote some great stories just after the first film but has sadly moved onto other fandoms.

Dragonnan on AO3 is currently my favourite whump writer. Two of my fandoms and lots of my favorite tropes. I feel spoiled. My favorite romance-is-their-primary-genre writer is amethyst-noir for her characterization of Stephen combined with the oh-so-fun (for us) scenarios.

3. Favorite type of scene to write?

I can usually tickle myself quite a bit when I get some really great situational comedy into a story. I can never be fully an angst/whump writer because I adore comedy. So yeah, situational comedy for sure.

4. What is your favorite fanfic?

Stop asking me these questions ahhh. Okay so I'll be mentioning fanfics not by any of the authors listed above (which are in my most favorite stories too but, well, their works are all favorites anyway. Just look at all their works in said fandom for more favorites if you’re lacking reading material and have similar tastes. And once you’re done reading all the works by those authors, come back here for more. Seriously, read the authors above).

I listed these fics in alphabetical order because that seemed most fair.

LOTR (Most are book-verse. I need to reread a lot of these. Most of these authors have several works for the fandom, though I think each of these particular stories have Aragorn as a primary character):

A Proper Course of Action by GadFlyGirl (absolutely hilarious one-shot after Helm’s Deep about ‘the Denethor situation’)

Across the Years by MistyC (a very creative and well-written story that spins an old cliche in a much more interesting way)

Butterbur and the King by Eledhwen (fantastic character one-shot from one of my favorite minor characters)

Conversations with the King by athelas63 (great characterizations, good healing scenes)

Conversion by Pentangle-linnon (for everyone who says that first person can’t be done in fanfic - read this one-shot, then tell me what you think now. A work of pure brilliance)

Crossroads of Light and Shadow by Mirach (this one I recommend simply for the creativity alone; the art she was able to execute with the text in flipping fanfiction.net is really mind-boggling. Very creative!)

Doomed to Live by fliewatuet (it was never completed, but it’s so freaking good that I am putting it here anyway)

For Every Evil by Mirrordance (fantastic modern incarnation AU that spun out into a series)

Greet the Dawn by Neoinean (a great, very long long-shot with two characters meeting and it’s just a great combination of humor and angst. More great characterization)

Helping Strangers by Imaginigma (fantastic one-shot, really interesting OCs, a wonderful scenario)

In Shadow Realm by Legolass Q (original concept, well-developed characters, engaging plot, truly magnificent)

Light Fingers by Aearwen22 (I think this is the only fic here that doesn’t star Aragorn- he’s a pretty minor character. Brilliant brilliant characterizations of the OCs and a look of a part of society often ignored in LOTR fan fic)

Pale-Faced Tark by Carafinwe (everything by this author is brilliant, but the visceral imagery she managed to capture in two short chapters here still blows my mind)

The Patient by Scribe (another fantastic modern incarnation AU that spun out into a series)

Ransom by MP brennan (man I just continue to see how much the LOTR fandom completely spoiled me with all of these brilliant, plotty fics. Another original concept with brilliant OCs and fantastic execution)

Shattered Stones by MCat711 (a very creepy, original, well-executed one shot that keeps you guessing the whole way through)

The Weight of Power by Nefhiriel (does it follow canon as established by the Appendices? No. Do I care? No. The story’s absolutely fantastic and makes those small discrepancies mean nothing. This was also the first story I ever drew fan art for. I then made something for Shirebound a year later, then didn’t make anything again until that Ebony Maw piece I posted a bit back)

With Hope and Without Hope by docmon (AU scenario in that the Three Hunters are captured while trying to rescue the Hobbits. Very well-thought out and compelling plot, fantastic characterizations all around)

Sherlock:

Annie’s Song by Berouge (One of the only romantic-leaning fics listed here [Sherlolly], but that is due to its excellent characterization and execution. Creative one-shot.)

The Case of the Missing Bus Ticket by Unsentimentalf (I think I burst a rib laughing to this story. Long one-shot. Situational humor at its finest)

Constantly by thesignofserbia (great one shot concerning Serbia)

Drowning by Dayja (I like a lot of her stuff. Angsty.)

Firestorm by Dustbunny13 (This is... beyond words. So gorgeous. I adored it from beginning to end. Have read a few times. Sometimes accept it as season 3 alternate canon, it’s just fantastic)

Fortune and Bust by ThessalyMc (a wonderful gap-filler fic, very similar to a lot of my favorite authors listed above in quality and type of content)

The Green Blade by verityburns (excellent case fic)

The Holiday by Scriblit (both whumpy angst and humor and case fic? Yeeeessss. Another I’ve read several times.)

Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus by Caitlin Fairchild (another Serbia fic? Yes predictable of me)

London Orbital (another story, very long one-shot, where I burst a rib laughing)

Rigging screws, size 1 3/8 inch, galvanised by AJHall (another excellent case fic)

World Enough, and Time by StoneWingedAngel (an excellent and creative execution of a trope that you'll realize by the time you get to day three)

Doctor Strange (unless stated otherwise, they’re all one-shots. Need more multi-chapter fics... or just gen Stephen content in general):

The Architect by mudgems (a great what-if with Stephen, Loki, and the Time Stone)

Born of the Same Impulse by GwendolynStacy (WIP multi-chapter. Time stone shenanigans send Stephen and Tony back to just before Ultron and a few months after the car accident, but before Kamar-Taj [the accident happens in 2015 rather than 2016 for this to work. It’s brilliant])

Citizen Erased by Imagined (WIP multi-chapter. One of the only romance-is-a-major-genre story [ironstrange] on the list, but the plot concept is incredibly unique, the mystery is being unraveled so wonderfully well, and the collection of characters is really fantastic and in-character.)

The End of Infinity by FriendlyNeighborhoodFangirls (WIP multi-chapter. It’s canon compliant, only Stephen does a fantastic trick after canon and snatches Loki from the claws of death to go back to 2016 and fix everything. Peter, Tony also co-star. I am very much looking forward to where this goes)

Extracurricular Activities by EmptyHead (I am cheating here and linking a series. But it’s so damn creative, and while Stephen plays a big role, he’s definitely not the starring character. Synopsis is that MJ learns the mystic arts. It’s really brilliant!)

Geniuses by decotex (Stephen Strange's and Tony Stark's backstories, published before IW came out)

Hearth Sorcery by keshwyn (Another cheat here with a series of 5 one-shots, but this is too excellent and undervalued not to link. Excellent OC and world-building, highly recommend)

Holiday Magic by KarToon12 (Stephen plays Santa Claus for sick kids. It's adorable)

i hope you hold the mirror up (to show me what i chose) by CallicoKitten (Stephen and Tony being assholes to one another, published way before IW. I love it)

Like an Old Coat by ValmureEld (Could definitely see this as a follow up scene to the events in the Doctor Strange film. Great character interaction sequence)

Magic In Our Veins by Luna_Heart (the lack of Loki and Stephen interaction stories is criminal. Absolutely criminal. I want more!)

The Night’s First Watch by fathomfive (omg this is so good. So so so good. Excellent character study, I can’t recommend it enough)

of coffee and (questionable) first impressions by Phierie (Ooohh I love this alternate first meeting lots. Beat up on monsters and a coffee break after the work. Great stuff)

Project Code 131793 by StrangeMischief (Absolutely haunting and incredibly well-executed AU. I would adore to see more in this universe, it is so interesting)

Replay by INMH (the horror of Dormammu and coping with it)

You’ve Got Mail by Jadesfire (it’s about the mail situation with the Sanctum. What is not to love about that concept)

5. What tags do you avoid like the plague?

A/B/O, mpreg, not Mary friendly (for Sherlock), not Team Cap friendly, anti-Steve, anti-Wanda (or similar). Any of that anti-character bullshit, but in the MCU those are the two I see the most (and so probably make me rage the most. I once saw anti-T’Challa for instance and that just confused me more than anything). A bit of a rant in the next two paragraphs (I have Strong Feelings on this topic).

I don't tolerate the anti-character crowd. I really don't. Disliking a character is one thing and completely normal (I have my own list), but expanding time and energy to write just how much this character sucks is mind-boggling (and tends to make for really shitty fanfic. So you create a strawman villain of the character you hate for your favorite character to go against? Good job, you’ve made your favorite character appear entirely too stupid to deal with a well-developed character in conflict, and have made your favorite character 2D. Have a gold star). Your energy can be used elsewhere that isn't focused on hate. If you hate the character but aren’t creative enough to present them as anything but a strawman in your writing, don’t bother. Create an OC for your antagonist instead. Stop making canon characters so ridiculously OOC.

The real world is too filled with negativity to have it as part of a major focus in my fandom experience. It actually really, really bothers me that I cannot save a filter that automatically excludes all those anti tags as they haven’t been canonicalized on AO3. What perhaps bothers me even more is the number of kudos those hate-filled fics with incredibly OOC characters receive. The hypocrisy in this crowd is just astounding when you start pointing out the flaws in their favorite characters, too (FYI: All well-developed characters have flaws. I love Stephen Strange for his flaws. Before Stephen made his debut, Tony Stark was my favorite for similar reasons. It makes them INTERESTING).

Anyway, rant over.

6. What AU do you wish to write but feel like you won’t manage?

If I really really really want to write something, I'll write it. That said, there are things that I don't plan to write that I would adore reading (like that unfinished Stephen travels to the HP universe in Harry's fifth year fic ahhhhh I want that it would have made the 5th year so much better. Maybe if I bribe the original writer with fan art... wardmason you’re killing me).

7. Do you outline, or write as you go?

Depends. The outlines only tend to come into play for long stories with several scenes, and writing tends to happen first before outlining.

8. What has been your favorite story to write so far? Why?

Such hard questions! Uhhh I had great fun writing in my youth but I can barely remember it. Within this last year, uh... can I just say all of them? I've written about 100k in 6 months, I'm clearly enjoying myself here. I’ve had vibrant moments of delight in writing or planning several of them.

9. Do you prefer to write one-shots or multi-chapters? Why?

Both. Just depends on the story I want to tell and how long that story is saying it should be. I like posting a variety too; have one-shots coming out while I am working on the longer stories in the background.

10. What is your favorite kind of comment?

Oh those deep analytical ones that clearly took time to write. They're so lovely and really make my day. Every fanfic writer knows exactly what type of comment I am talking about.

11. Why did you start writing fanfiction? Why are you still writing?

I started because I had just seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and I really liked the characters (before the sequels ruined them in various capacities) and I thought, "I should put them in Middle-earth!" 45 chapters and 7 years later that damn fic got completed (after dozens and dozens of rewrites as my writing abilities improved over the years).

Now, it's because I really enjoy writing and I like playing in copyrighted playgrounds with characters and worlds I love. Yeah, I could write an original novel, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

#personal #about me #fanfic #fic rec #doctor strange fanfic #lotr fanfic #sherlock fanfic

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missvintagemisery · 4 years

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MCR and Witchcraft:

Let's get one thing straight, I'm not by any means saying the guys practice witchcraft but I think it's really interesting how the pieces line up.

I’d also like to say I do not speak for all witches, only myself.

This all started when I was giving myself a tarot reading and I drew the ace of cups. Nothing abnormal till I noticed the cracker being held up by the bird, more importantly the logo. That same logo is on a lot of the early black parade art and is dead center on the 2016 rerelease living with ghosts. (Pictures below)

When the new images came out I was quite confused because they felt so familiar. Then when images from the shine (mostly the extra four) logos appeared it made me curious because I felt like I had seen them before.

I'm going to explain how these may be related to witchcraft or tarotmancy.

Ex. Clarity (candle): This one was pretty easy: candle magick. Candle magick is often thought to bring some form of clarity to those who practice this form of magick.

Ex. Courage (water/fire drop): Okay, this Can have a few interpretations. It can either be elemental magick which does involve these two elements. If it's water then it could be water scrying or if it's fire then possibly fire scrying. Either one would take courage if this is new to you.

Ex. Sacrifice (hand): This one I attributed to palmistry but it could also represent how it takes a lot of getting your hands really into anything you're doing (whether that be spell work, offerings, etc.) either one I could bring back to sacrifice because palmistry can take a lot of practice and discipline and same thing with anything you're doing related to witchcraft.

Ex. Devotion (sun): Alright! So many witches (although not all) have some form of solar deity and incorporate sunlight and the sun into their practice. Although not all. Another explanation for this could be the sun tarot card which means material happiness, fortunate marriage, and contentment and upside down just means that but in a lesser sense. There are all the 8 sabbats (although not followed by all) which are closely related to the sun. Any of these require some amount of devotion.

I'm also going to explain some of the newer ones from their bus (image below).

The knife with a hand: Now this could be a Athame which is a ceremonial blade (no not for sacrifices) or it could refer to one of the sword tarot cards, which one exactly I'm unsure of.

The moon: Okay, that little thing on the side kind of looks like a rune of some type, but I can't tell for sure. The moon is a pretty big part of witchcraft even for those who don't celebrate the esbats (which revolve around the moon) or who don't practice planetary magick. Once again many witches (not all) have a deity that is related to the moon in some shape or form. The way It's shaped and facing makes me think it represents the crone which is often regarded as when she (the moon) is much smarter and wiser and is also older and more mature.

The tower: I think this relates to the tower card in the tarot deck which means misery, distress, ruin, indigence, adversity, calamity, disgrace and deception. Even upside down it means the same thing it's just in a lesser sense, but looking at it it looks upright.

(Last unknown): I think this may correlate to stars, not a hundred percent sure. Many witches look at the stars but this could also relate to the star tarot card which means loss, theft, privation, and abandonment, although it can also mean there is hope and a bright future.

Oh, and I'll leave a link to an interview where Gerard talked about that year the world being filled with a lot of black magic and then proceeding to talk about a song he was working on called "I'm a hag".

So my interpretation and how this all pulls together to send a message goes like this:

They went through lost, some dark times where they felt trapped in a tower and were doomed to look at the sun in the day and the moon and stars at night, but there was hope. Through that they gained courage and clarity, learned what true devotion is, and sacrificed contentment to come back to the band.

Gerard also had a symbol that looked like a signal using a very popular wheel, it looks like the digit means: My Chemical Romance.

There were also talks of Angel Sigils but I can’t verify that.

The angels which were a big symbol of the return could be linked to angelolgy which some witches practice.

Article: https://www.altpress.com/news/gerard-way-heavy-2019-black-magic-witches/

Living With Ghosts (TBP rerelease 2016) vs Ace Of Cups tarot card Rider Waite deck:

https://gravitygrenade.tumblr.com/post/189903092437/my-chemical-romance-living-with-ghosts-rerelease

Symbols on bus:

https://gravitygrenade.tumblr.com/post/189778202937

#music #mychemicalromance #my chemical romance #my chem reunion #theory #mcr #mcr revival #mcrtheory #killjoys

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thefloatingstone · 5 years

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In 2012 I did not think I’d be able to make this list as I was convinced anime was on a permanent decline towards nothing but trash, but I am so happy that has changed! And so I give you a quick list of;

Favourite Anime made in the last 4 years!

Mob Psycho 100 (2016)

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A no brainer, really. With a 2nd Season having JUST premiered earlier this week, MP100 is easily one of not only best LOOKING animes in a very very long time, but also one with an extremely strong empathetic message that’s completely opposite to most shounen anime. The theme of “having outrageous powers doesn’t make you any more or less special and important than any other human being” and how all the villains in the show are people, either super powered or not, who believe themselves “more important” than others is at the heart of its story. And our protagonist who is a person with horrifically strong powers, but who is trying to develop as a human being, and finds himself to be a rather emotionally brittle person who relies very heavily on others for emotional support. As well as focusing on the people willing to grant him that. It’s got some strong influential roots in the Earthbound and Mother 3 games and despite never saying anything along those lines, I can bet you anything the original Mangaka, ONE, drew heavy inspiration from their tone and presentation, as well as emotional core despite the oftentimes wacky setting.

The anime should also not be overlooked for its incredible Sakuga sequences, as well as using mixed media in its animation from pencil drawings, to paint of glass, to charcoal to sand, cementing it as easily one of the most visually interesting and ambitious shows in the last decade or so

Made in Abyss (2017)

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An anime that understands concepts of Scope and Scale and manages to bring what is normally reserved for feature films to an episodic storyline. Made in Abyss’ entire theme and story is that of exploration of the unknown and everything in this anime’s power is honed to bring across that feeling. Its art direction headed by Osamu Masuyama whose previous work include working on the background art for both Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, is painstakingly rendered to bring as much gravitas to the setting as possible, aided by the soundtrack written by Kevin Penkin which is just as much atmospheric as it is musical in nature. Every ounce of talent is focused on making Made in Abyss’ world, culture and characters feel solid and real. And unlike other anime with cutesy art styles but dark subject matter, Made in Abyss’ darker tone is established right in the first episode and gradually builds to its first season’s climax, rather than blindside its audience out of nowhere.

I sincerely cannot sing this show’s praises enough.

It also doesn’t hurt that the animation itself is fluid and lively.

Re:Creators (2017)

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When I gave this to an animator friend of mine, one who is NOT as big a weeb as I am, he referred to it as “if Ready Player One actually knew what it was doing.” Re:Creators is one of a trend of some anime where the narrative is extremely meta in nature, but rather than use this as a form of parody, Re:Creators instead focuses itself on using its meta storytelling to shine a light on Japanese popular media as a whole, both from the side of the creators who MAKE such things, as well as the side of the fans and not only their response to media, but their interpretation and addition to popular media. And unlike the more critical approach several horror anime have taken in the past, Re:Creators also shows the positive effect stories in the form of anime, video games, manga etc both on those who read it as well as those who create it. And show how fan creations and their responses and reaction to media are just as important and enriching to works like this as the very people who create them.

It’s also one of the first shows from any country that correctly portrays what online fan culture is like. Both good AND bad.

Erased (2016)

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HOO BOY. The Big Guns. Most mainstream anime set in a modern setting inevitably seem to involve high school or at least characters who are high school aged. Erased, however, deals with a protagonist who is 28 years old. Due to time travel shenanigans, he is transported back to 1989 when he was 11 years old growing up in Hokaido. So already, this anime is complete skewing the generic setting for stories of its type, further hammered in by the fact that the show has no romantic subplot in it. There might be a smidge of something like “preteen romantic feelings” among the children but as far as “female hero the protag is going to fall in love with at the end” goes? Yeah there’s none of that.

Erased is an extremely dark anime, but not in the way Made in Abyss is dark. Whereas Abyss’ dark tone comes from things like getting eaten by monsters and body horror caused by the Abyss’ curse, the dark theme of Erased on the other hand is much more horrifying as it comes from “reality”. And it’s because of this I WILL have to warn people about its plot points because it WILL and DOES get uncomfortable.

The plot of Erased is our 28 year old protagonist gets hurled back in time to when he was 11 years old in Hokaido, as I said. In the winter of 1989 there were a string of child abductions and murders, and it’s up to our main character, again in his 11 year old body, to solve these crimes to prevent a tragedy in modern day. Not only does the show deal with the very uncomfortable topic of child abduction and murder, but a MASSIVE part of the plot revolves around the would be murder victim, Hinazaki Kayo, who is living with her physically abusive mother. And unlike shows like “Magical Girl SITE”, the abuse is not shown as “suffer porn” and blown up to be so over the top in how bad it is, ut is instead extremely grounded and feels waaaay to real to the point of being very upsetting. However, the abuse is not there to make the audience sad. The abuse is in the plot to further press upon the audience the borderline helpless state our main character is in. As a child, he has to rely on his experience and ability to think like an adult to try and prevent the serial murders, as WELL as try and get Hanazaki out of her abusive situation. It also serves as a learning experience for our main character, and him figuring out how he hasn’t changed at all since he really was a child, and how his own stagnation in life itself needs to change and be redirected. The show is bursting with tension and every episode exists to turn the stakes up just a little bit higher.

I’ve heard some people are extreme disappointed by the show’s ending which I will not spoil, but personally going into it completely blind, I didn’t find any of it to be a let down and its very quickly become one of my favourite anime of all time.

The Ancient Magus Bride (2017)

(I actually don’t like the intro to Ancient Magus Bride so it only gets a link since I can only embed 5 videos)

https://youtu.be/KuZbmLLv1vM

Based on a manga by Kore Yamazaki, who has stated that her reason for writing the story was out of frustration that in “Beauty and the Beast” type stories, the beast always turns back into a human at the end. However this anime is far more than just a monsterfucker’s romance novel (although it... DOES follow a LOT of those tropes but hear me out.)

Set in the English countryside (although our female MC, Rise, is herself Japanese) the show makes heavy use of english folklore. Faeries are a constant presence throughout the show, and these are not the “nice” kind of faeries you’d see in Disney. Despite theyr good nature and honest want to help, these are the kinds of faeries that will kidnap you to their realm if you so much as let your guard down. We also have excellent portrayals of Titania, the queen of the faeries, and her heated relationship with her husband Oberon. Several other creatures from folklore make an appearance too, as well as old traditions such as faerie rings, seeing stones and the magical properties of herbs and flowers.

But beyond all of that, and even beyond the romance tropes or monster protector who is also a threat and powerful lead female who also needs protecting, the core theme of the show is on life. Or more specifically, death. Rise is a girl who is suicidal. And despite her not making any kind of suicide attempt in the show, this is a fact. The majority of the show is focused on Rise learning to “be alive” again, as well as process what life is, as well as what death is in its many forms. The show is a slow build of Rise reclaiming her will to live, not because of a romantic partner, but for herself. Reclaiming her own importance as a person removed from who she could be useful towards, and a slow coming to terms with a truly terrible event in her past and letting go of a traumatic past.

The show has some pacing issues here and there, but I still qualify it as one of the better modern anime shows to have come out in years, and can only praise its life-affirming message it’s trying to tell.

Osomatsu-San (2015)

youtube

I am.... not entirely sure how to explain Osomatsu-San.

Based on a manga published in the 1960s by Doraemon Creator Fujio Fujiko about 6 identical sextuplet brothers and their friends... the current and newest anime adaptation has borderline nothing to do with its original incarnation which was more your typical Showa era “hi-jinx” type gag manga. I think the very first episode of Osomatsu-San (which is not available for official purchase last I checked due to copyright issues) sets up the entire show perfectly, as the 6 boys and their friends learn they have a new anime adaptation coming up and realise that nobody in the modern age will want or even understand Showa era manga. So, instead, in an effort to be like “a real anime” they go about parodying literally every popular trope and show that’s out at the time. From yaoi-incest baiting to Jpop boy band to Attack on Titan to Sailor Moon, they keep cranking up the “modern anime” aesthetic until it literally explodes and collapses in on itself. And after realising they don’t have what it takes to compete in a modern anime word, the characters resign themselves to being losers who will never achieve anything in life.... and that’s where the show starts.

I can only refer to the show as “Millennial humour: the anime.”. 90% of it is just comedy with our 6 main characters who are, at their core, pretty terrible people. However, their issues and struggles of trying to be adults make them some of the most relateable anime characters out there. The show bounces from parodying popular culture both in anime as well as in movies to outlining the problems of trying to be a late 20-something year old in modern society to actual hard hitting drama that actually makes you angry because how DARE this stupid show actually make you FEEL things???

It’s borderline impossible to try and explain this show because, just like its 6 protagonists, it doesn’t seem to have any direction in its life. Which is exactly the point.

#anime #Long post #image heavy #video #recc #modern anime

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