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#went for a slightly more stylized art style here
cryptid-quill · 2 years
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some hermit lineups! good character design practice :D
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amaiguri · 6 months
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Hey guys, gals, NBpals... It's #ScreenshotSaturday! Woot woot!
This is the first of those I'm doing in AGES and oh man, it feels good! Remember how I decided to make an RPGmaker game, despite the fact that I am constantly juggling a million projects?
We got those, hot off the press!
Firstly, we got some art tests. I tried out a bunch of different ways to stylize Arlasaire for RPGmaker. I have a low-vision friend who has always told me that pixel art can be super inaccessible so it was really important to me that she could see what is happening in my game. So, we started seeing how we could do not-as-pixelly digital art:
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For a while here, you can see me really struggle to create a style that conveys both 1) The subject matter and 2) The tone. If I had to give it a comp, I'd say my tone is "Made in Abyss but slightly more Game of Thrones". Like, if whimsical eldritch horror were a little more gritty. And then, we tried this:
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And this was a breakthrough. This handdrawn-bigger-but-then-shrunk-to-sprite-size was the answer AND it was see-able!
So then we went all in on Arlasaire and a test snowy, simplfied environment...
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And THEN... we started doing everyone else... 👀
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leonine-skies · 1 year
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Lion Art Study: Part 2
now that I've revisited realistic lion anatomy, I'm able to move forward in developing the art style I want to use. I began by looking around at other forms of stylization to get inspiration. I used influence from SEGAmastergirl, Belka-1100 and ARVEN92, all on DA. I also looked back to my old empyrean art style, wanting to keep the soul of it.
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here I sketched a male and female silloughette. These are far from the only two shapes lions can take, but I wanted to start with something basic. I wanted to include big, shapely heads and strong muscular bodies. The sketch is rough, but it only need to convey shape.
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this has less to do with the actual goal, but I wanted to practice lineless art. It's not horrible, but not great either. But it was fun to do, and that's what matters.
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I then sketched a few dynamic poses using this style. A fun style is no good if you can't draw it in motion over and over. As I worked, I slipped slightly into more realistic proportions. This can be remedied by continued practice.
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Next, I needed to see if I could make different looking characters using this style. Same face syndrome is a big risk when the characters are a very uniform species. I went with the ol shape language test, and drew up some characters reflecting a square, triangle and circle. There are many more shapes to choose from, but these cover the basics.
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just for funsies, I edited some of my old art to see what the mane character may look like in this new style. I'll fully redraw amethyst later on, but it's fun to see just how some slight editing changes him.
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I needed a stunning model for the next exercise, so I drew up this guy. Here is what hed look like under a clear white lighting.
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finally, I wanted to practice some lighting. These are only four of many types of lighting that could happen, and I used blending modes to achieve it. Something I used to do was properly alter the colors, but that's not really something I can do with my current art program. I'll revisit lighting later on.
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yurimother · 3 years
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LGBTQ Comic Review - Amongst Us Book 1
A masterful combination of comedy, subtle romance, and incredible sensuality
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I make no attempts to hide my complete admiration and infatuation with Shilin Huang's Yuri webcomic Amongst Us. The slice of life AU featuring reimagined versions of the lead characters from fantasy series Carciphona as a lesbian couple has held a special place in my heart for a long time. I named the series one of the best Yuri works of the past one-hundred years, can frequently be found lurking in the author's Twitch streams, and even have a wall in my office dedicated to the artwork of the main couple (or I did before my office became a remote classroom). So, when a Kickstarter by Shilin and Hiveworks Comics launched promising a print version of the work, I was eager to support it financially and promote it with my humble platform. The Kickstarter took place in March, and books were initially estimated for release in May of 2020. However, as you have probably realized by the dates alone, the world went very South around this time. A combination of disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, a healthy amount of bad luck, and what I am inclined to believe, for various reasons, was some awful mismanagement by Hiveworks led to numerous delays. Indeed, by the time the book finally shipped, I had moved, so my copy arrived a little later as it had to be forwarded. But, at the end of this frustrating and anticipation-building event, I finally have the volume in my hands, and it was worth the wait. While I adore the webcomic, this gorgeous print volume completely enthralls me. The book is absolutely the preferred way to read this spectacular comic.
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Before getting into the exquisite details of Amongst Us Book 1: Soulmates, I need to take a minute to praise how well this book is put together. The paperback binding is thick and features amazing spot glass that sparkles in the light. This feature only accentuates the fantastic and bright the cover illustration of main characters Veloce and Blackbird loving holding each other is. The back cover has a simpler but more imaginative illustration of the two flying through the sky, and the character's expressions tell you everything you need to know about this fantastic, odd couple. There are a few things you will notice upon opening the volume. The first is how well Amongst Us made the challenging transition from vertical webcomic to the page. The assembly and paneling are fantastic and clear, and chapters feature stylized illustrations and title cards. You will then see the inside cover, a powerful display that perfectly contrasts the front's glowing and tender love. Finally, there is Shilin's presents moving forward and dedication, where she lovingly dedicates the book to her partner, Kristen.
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I assure you, as good as the book's presentation and assembly is, the contents within are even better. Amongst Us follows Veloce and Blackbird's bombastic relationship. The two women are eccentric and striking musicians in their early twenties, and I swear you will never forget them. The slice of life storylines are, per the genre's definition, mundane and include events like shopping at the mall, riding the train, and having lunch with a friend. The charming simplicity of the story serves well to the reactions of the characters. Shilin effortlessly transitions from adorable moments of affection to explosive and hilarious comedy and irresistible and delightful moments of sexual tension; Veloce's neck and jawline alone could topple a monarchy. Often, slice of life works can become dull or repetitive, but these stories and the frequent changes in tone help the reader stay engaged and excited.
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Putting slice of life aside for a moment, it is also important to note that Amongst Us is also has an interesting place within the Yuri genre, or "Girl's Love/GL" as it is often called in webcomic circles (originally an analogous term of Boy's Love). Webcomics have often been a bit more adventurous with their storylines and styles than Japanese manga. While the genre rose to popularity in the space thanks to digital manhwa and manhua, some (not all) of the Yuri tropes did not carry over between the similar mediums. Many modern webcomics and webtoons take their inspiration more from manhwa and manhua GL, which has developed its own canon and tropes over the years. However, even for a webcomic, Shilin's work feels somewhat divorced from most other worlds of Yuri. This first volume exists mainly against the Yuri genre's expectations. However, the next book, which flashes back to the couple's origin, undoubtedly is more in line with convention, for better or worse. It feels like the author decided to screw the norms and write a work that she would enjoy, and I am so glad that she did. Veloce and Blackbird are young adults, out of school in an established relationship with no drama. This (sadly) unconventional setting is made all the more irregular because of just how distinctive, and unwonted Blackbird and Veloce are.
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Blackbird and Veloce, originally from the fantasy world of Carciphona, take on a new life, literally, in this wonderful modern reimagining and homage. You do not need to be a fan of the original work to enjoy their bizarre and larger-than-life personalities. Indeed, when I read Amongst Us online for the first time, I had not ever even heard of Carciphona. Veloce is the quieter and more stoic of the two, although she is not afraid of showing a more relatable and human side as she reacts to Blackbirds wild antics. Veloce's (not)straight man approach is hilariously sobering. But, her best moments are in those when she lets loose a little bit, like when she is rendered drooling by the promise of her favorite smoothie or in her stoic yet alluring flirtations with Blackbird, only to get close enough to steal a healthy chomp of ice cream.
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Blackbird, on her part, is completely insane. She continuously pulls of wild antics like jumping on Veloce to surprise her or singing an especially threatening song after a glorious battle over lunch. However, she is perfectly capable of showing her love and admiration for Veloce in her own cheeky way. However, true to form, each softer or more personal moment between the two is often immediately and perfectly juxtaposed with comedy, with the apparent exception of the book's touching and thoughtful finale. Veloce and Blackbird will both more than please readers individually, but you will fall in love with them as a couple. I must have read this at least a few dozen times between the webtoon and the book, and I am just as enchanted as ever by their loud and unapologetic love.
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The ordinary misadventures of Blackbird and Veloce are accompanied by genuinely astounding artwork. No, that statement does not do Shilin's illustrations justice. Veloce and Blackbird lead from the page thanks to stunning, full-color illustrations that detail every moment of hilarity. Every movement from the slightest smirk to the over-the-top dramatizations of regular events thoughtfully and beautifully sprawl across the pages and invite you to stare for hours. Shilin is the only person possible who could make something as simple as someone softly singing Happy Birthday so epic and sultry. Speaking of which, my goddess of Yuri is this work titillating. No, there are no gratuitous scenes, but just the characters leaning over each other or touching the other's chin makes my hands shake. My only small complaint is that some early chapters show their age slightly with noticeably lower quality linework and flatter colors than the dazzling and dynamic work demonstrated towards the end. Still, even on its worst day, Amongst Us looks better than most of its peers and the entirety of its many inferiors.
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Amongst Us is nearly the perfect work. It has a uniquely compelling and mirth-inducing way of displaying a young yet very unordinary couple's everyday life. Its characters, from design to personality, are instantly memorable and striking. Despite being ready to rip each other's heads off at the drop of a hat, or rather because of it, Blackbird and Veloce feel the perfect and natural couple we so rarely witness. Shilin's masterful combination of comedy, subtle romance, and incredible sensuality is astounding. This book is worth it for the outstanding and vibrant artwork alone, but its combination with excellent writing create a sonorous and majestic modern romance unlike any other. I believe that Shilin has created something genuinely special here, and I can confidently say that out of the hundreds of webcomics I have read, this one is the pinnacle of its kind and my absolute favorite.
You can purchase Amongst Us book 1: Soulmates exclusively on Shilin's online shop and read the webcomic now for free on Twitter, Webtoon and Tumblr​ @okolnir​.
Ratings: Story – 9 Characters – 10 Art – 10 LGBTQ – 8 Sexual Content – 5 Final – 10
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There is No Glorious Purpose
DISCLAIMER: This is a Loki Show re-write which means I do not own the original show but some direct quotes will be used, it will not align perfectly with the cannon of the original show, and it will also be written the way I think it should have gone seeing as it was 2012 Loki who just went through Thor 1, Thanos' clutches and Avengers 1.
This is not a Loki/Sylvie or Loki-cest fic.
If you don't like, then please hit that back button and have a nice day. You don't have to agree with me, but I do expect common human decency.
For anyone remaining, please enjoy!
Chapter 1: Blue Time and Space
“Friend, I think there’s been a mistake; I am Loki of Asgard and you will regret this. I am burdened with glorious purpose, I stand at the right hand of Thanos.” The words were bitter in his mouth but then again, so was the bile that he dry-heaved up during his reconditioning.
“Yeah, yeah, come on.” B-15 waved it off, at least the letters on the helmet was the only thing pertaining to the person’s identity after they came through the yellow, rectangular prism. He watched her closely as they neared, fists clenched and fully aware of how far away the Tesseract had ended up. The cerebral recalibration the Hulk so kindly dealt him did nothing to deter him from his secret goal.
“What infinity stone conjured that?”
B-15 stopped, their own subordinates armed but waiting for their leader’s response. Then she laughed.
“No, no, it’s from the TemPad.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ll see soon enough, now, come on, I don’t wanna have to give the whole spiel again.” B-15 came at him. The baton-like weapon she wielded hurt. But he was Asguardian. He also had use of his magic now with the restraints in ruins. Twin daggers parried the baton thereafter. He came close to overwhelming her more than a few times but her subordinates always stepped in.
“Agh!” It was humiliating to be overpowered by not only a simple blow to his back but also to admit it.
B-15 smiled down at him, “let’s go, and reset th-.”
“Don’t touch that!” The soldier picking up the Tesseract and staring at it like a confused child paid him no mind.
“Ok, Variant, let’s go.” B-15 slapped something on his neck, his body involuntarily jumped the opposite way. He was dragged out of the sand and towards another yellow rectangular prism. Another soldier grabbed something that resembled an old Midguardian lantern. They passed behind him and he could not manage to twist his neck enough to watch them. Then yellow.
He involuntarily gasped at the non-consensual setting change, pain flaring in a memory. A shriveled stomach flipped. But… His brows furrowed as he soundlessly analysed himself and his sadir in respect to the surroundings. I can’t feel him… I can’t hear him.
The two soldiers carrying him wasted no time in dragging him across the floor of the large room. It too reminded him of past Midguardian styles…. But he didn’t miss the Tesseract being turned to the man behind the desk.
“Where is this? Where are you taking me?”
B-15 laughed from in front of him, “your trial, Variant.”
“Why, and what is that anyway?”
Next thing he knew, he was pushed into a room with a robot, “hello?” It said something before lasering his clothes off. He gaped in horror as his fine Aguardian leather was destroyed and he was left there in the nude. The robot smiled at him in some sort of sadistic glee as his scars and healing wounds were flaunted like war-torn cadavers against his unusually pale skin. The floor disappeared.
He landed. He folded. He panted.
“Please sign this.”
His head whipped up to the man he could barely see over the stack of paperwork on the desk. A gulp, a deep breath and Loki was the vision of regal honor. Silently, he noted that he had somehow been clothed and thanked whatever power granted him that.
“What is this?”
The man looked at him with an exhausted droll stare, “everything you have ever said.” He grabbed a paper off the printer and laid it on top. Loki nodded slightly, then signed. The world blurred.
“Please step through.”
“Pardon?” The room was slow to come into focus.
“Jotnar, please step through.” Jotnar? He hadn’t noticed his glamour having failed him. The sedir he had so ardently loved and utilized and developed was a small, twisted ball in his center. He was locked in a cage.
“Wha--how…?”
“Magic is no good in the TVA, now please, step through.”
A red-eyed stare remained on the agent as Loki stepped through the unconnected threshold. Nothing happened. Another bout of vertigo and he was being told and none-too-kindly to take a number.
“For what, what is all this?” His blue hands gesticulated some as he addressed the man.
“Take. A. Number.”
Loki grit his teeth but he stepped to the small machine attached to the stakes cordoning off where the line was. He stepped into that small, simple maze. It was another large room stylized after the later American, Midguardian twentieth century. Even scrapers looked better as they drifted in the expanse of space. He slowly meandered up towards the window behind a very loud human.
“My dad is on the board of Goldman Sachs! One call and your whole job is privatized! What even is the ticket for, huh--aaaahhhhhggg!” Said human leapt out of his skin and screamed when he caught sight of the large blue alien. Red eyes merely gazed down at him without much agency.
“Howdy, welcome to the Time Variance Authority,” the bulbous screens lit up and an American, Midguardian southern drawl spoke happily through the speakers. Loki turned his attention to the screens as something finally began explaining things though his entire being made the unanimous decision that he did not like the talking orange clock.
“I'm Miss Minutes, and it's my job to catch you up before you stand trial for your crimes. So let's not waste another minute. Settle in, sharpen your pencils, and check this out. Long ago, there was a vast multiversal war. Countless unique timelines battled each other for supremacy, nearly resulting in the total destruction of...well, everything. But then, the all-knowing Time-Keepers emerged, bringing peace by reorganizing the multiverse into a single timeline, the Sacred Timeline. Now, the Time-Keepers protect and preserve the proper flow of time for everyone and everything. But sometimes, people like you veer off the path the Time-Keepers created. We call those Variants. Maybe you started an uprising, or were just late for work. Whatever it was, stepping off your path created a nexus event, which, left unchecked, could branch off into madness, leading to another multiversal war. But, don't worry, to make sure that doesn't happen, the Time-Keepers created the TVA and all its incredible workers. The TVA has stepped in to fix your mistake and set time back on its predetermined path. Now that your actions have left you without a place on the timeline, you must stand trial for your offenses. So sit tight, and we'll get you in front of a judge in no time. Just make sure you have your ticket, and you'll be seen by the next available attendant. For all time.”
The workers responded to the screen, “always.”
Out of one dark order and into another, Loki thought and forced down rising bile.
“--Hey, I asked for a ticket and he didn’t give me one! I--ahhhh!....” The loud human was hit with the shining, golden end of one of those batons and literally melted into nothingness. Loki clutched the ticket between his fingers tighter.
“Next.”
He stepped up to the window and offered up the small scrap of paper. The next while found him bound in chains yet again. He knew a Midguardian courtroom when he saw one, and the one he was shoved into was more like a morgue.
“Next case, please,” the judge said from her elevated chair, heads above anyone else, but below three ugly “modern art” heads. How could it be that he could even miss Thanos’ disgusting chin?
“Laufeyson. Variant L1130, AKA Loki Laufeyson, is charged with sequence violation 7-20-89. How do you plead?” She continued. Laufeyson, how preposterous, it sparked an itch to kill the Jotnar king again.
“Madam,” he began with all his silver tongue, “a god does not plead.”
“Are you guilty or not guilty, sir?” She was completely unfazed by his appearance, much like her underlings.
He thought for a moment, “guilty of some offense against this Sacred Timeline of yours? Absolutely not. You must have the wrong culprit.”
A brow raised at him, “oh, really? And who should we have?”
“The Avengers, I suspect. I came into possession of the Tesseract because they traveled through time--undoubtedly in some desperate play to avoid my ascent as God Ki--....” He couldn’t feel Thanos anymore, so what was the point? Wasn’t… he… free?
“That’s quite an accusation.”
“The cologne of two Iron Morta--er, Tony Starks is quite difficult to miss. They are your Time Criminals.” He opened his mouth again to bargain; to survive but….
“We’re not here to talk about the Avengers.”
“No?”
“No. That was supposed to happen, you escaping was not.”
“Pardon? According to whom?”
“The Time Keepers.”
“Ah… the three faces behind you, I presume? Do they happen to be open for conference?”
“No, they’re quite busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Dictating the proper flow of time.”
“So then, what do you do, Madam?”
“Dictate the proper flow of time according to their dictations. How do you plead?”
The silver tongue was heavy. His back sent shocks of pain through him especially after the re-injuring the soldiers dealt. Chains often found their way around his wrists and never had it hurt so much as in the last year. He closed his eyes. He may have been able to assemble those Midguardian fools the way he had intended, the time traveling proved that, but what else was left for him? Just more fire, and lies, and deceit. I had so wanted to see Asguard again.
“The court finds you guilty, and I sentence you to be reset. Next case, please!”
“I raise an objection!” Loki opened his eyes at the interruption as the judge sighs.
“You may approach the bench.”
“Hey, there, blue-raspberry.” The older human man made a shy sort of wave motion at Loki as he passed with a folder under his arm.
“If you're thinking what I think you are, it's a bad idea,” the judge addressed the man.
“Okay, I'm just chasing a hunch.”
“Anything goes sideways, it's on you.”
“Okay. I feel like I'm always looking up to you. I like it. It's appropriate.” Loki knew when he was witnessing groveling. Norns knew he had to do it enough times in his life just to save his brother’s skin.
“Who are you?” He asked after the judge permitted Loki’s custody to the newcomer. Said agent was walking Loki around some halls. Vertigo viscously hit when he tried to remember every twist and turn.
“Oh, I’m Agent Mobius, by the way,” Mobius cheerily said as he shuffled the two into an elevator.
“And you’re not taking me someplace to ‘reset’ me?”
“No, no, no, that was the place you just were. Ravon--I mean Judge Renslayer can be pretty brutal, but I’m just taking you some place to talk.”
“To talk?” His brow raised.
Mobius looked up at his blue stature without a care in the world, “yeah, and we know you love to talk. Talkie-talkie.” A hand mimed a moving mouth. His brows lowered into a slight scowl.
“We seem to have different understandings of my persons.”
“Well, I am an expert on Lokis.”
“... Loki-s?”
“Yeah. You’ll catch up.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Hard to tell, time moves differently here in the TVA.”
He was led out again and followed the human past several large openings in the wall of the narrow hallway that lead down into double-doored rooms. One, he couldn’t help but step towards. Then found himself outside of the elevator again.
“Ope, can’t do that, sorry.”
He stared at Mobius who was now several yards away, “magic and time works differently here.”
“Oh, it’s not magic,” Mobius held up a small device in his fingers, “it’s science.”
“Magic is science.” Loki stated plainly as he walked towards what he assumed Mobius was indicating as the destination, back straight.
“Haha, ok, Loki.” The agent opened the door for him. He nodded in thanks as was polite.
“Let’s get you comfortable,” Mobius stripped him of his chains and cuffs, “have a seat.”
Slowly, he did as asked. He could have wept as his back was finally rested.
“Not big on trust, are you?” Mobius asked as he snapped a sodapop can open. He rejected a second that was offered to him by the agent.
“Well?”
“Trust is a twisted road.”
“Haha, nice one, let’s make that one into a button.” Mobius began fiddling with a machine on the table they sat at in the middle of the darkened room.
“If the TVA overseas all of time and space, then how have I never heard of you before?”
“‘Cause you never needed to. You’ve always lived within your set path; the story you’re meant to play a part in.”
“I live within the path and story of my choosing,” Loki responded bitterly on impulse.
Mobius laughed again, “well, there’s the lie, Loki, it’s not your story.” Mobius looked him in the eye as the machine projected an image onto the blank wall.
“So I think we could start with a little cooperation, hm? I specialize in the pursuit of dangerous variants--particularly dangerous ones unlike you. I’ve got some questions for you, and if you answer them honestly, then maybe I can give you something you want. You wanna get outta here right? So, we’ll start there. Should you get out, what will you do?”
Would Thanos know? Of course Thanos would know…. Of course Thanos would come after him for deserting….
“Take over Midguard, AKA Earth?” Mobius interrupted the silence, “finish what you started maybe? Be king?”
The simple answer slipped off his tongue, “I was born to be a king.”
“Happily ever after then? A nice feather in your cap?”
“Then the Nine Realms. Then all of space.”
“Ooooh, ‘Loki, King of Space,’ haven’t heard that one before.”
“Mock me if you dare.”
Mobius chuckled again, “I’m not. Honestly, I’m a fan; your biggest. I guess I’m just curious why someone with such range would settle for just ruling whether it be Presidential or Kingly.”
“... The first and most oppressive lie was that of freedom, and someone will always be above while masses lie below.”
“How does that one go?” Mobius had his nose in his paperwork.
“For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty and regret. There's a fork in every road, yet the wrong path always taken.”
“Good. Yeah. You said ‘nearly every living thing,’ so I'm guessing you don't fall into that category?”
“All of us fall into some category.”
“Oh, riddles. Love that. Anyway, a sampling of your greatest hits.”
The machine whirled and he was met again with the annoying Midguardian heroes and his brother after they bested him in New York, “if it’s all the same to you… I’ll have that drink now.”
“That just happened,” he declared.
“It's funny, for someone born to rule, you sure do lose a lot. You might even say it's in your nature.”
“The last person who said that to me did not live long enough to regret it.”
“Phil Coulson?” The clip played and Thor’s “no!” rang out.
“Didn’t the Avengers come together to literally avenge him by defeating you?”
Loki kept his face schooled diplomatically blank against the small bit of triumph he felt rising. Yes, they had come together, a force to be reckoned with especially after Loki’s clever engineering of their test-run.
“Little solace for a dead man,” he said instead.
“Do you enjoy hurting people? Making them feel small? Making them feel afraid? Making them feel little?” Mobius looked at him with an expression all too familiar from a certain one-eyed Aesir.
“Your little games won’t work on me.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I think--.”
“I know what I am.”
“A murderer?”
“A liberator.” The memory of the Other’s lightning bolt sent a shock wave through his system. He was removed from them, but he could always be put back.
“Of eyeballs maybe,” Mobius scoffed and played the clip.
“Just look at that smile, you’re enjoying it.”
Yet another clip rolled and a wealthy crowd’s screams of horror rang out. He was the center of attention. No one in that moment had attention above him… but that blue still glinted in his emerald eyes.
“Did you enjoy hurting them?”
“I don’t have to play this game; I’m a god, you dull creature.”
“Of mischief? Right… I really see that shining through.”
“No, I don’t suppose you would.”
Mobius sighed, “let’s talk about your escapes.”
“You're really good at doing awful things, and then just getting away. This is one of my favorites.”
A plane’s PA system from the 1970’s dinged, “from the flight deck, Captain William A. Scott, Northwest Orient Airlines 305, on schedule to land in Seattle. Flight time today, approximately….”
The projection showed him from an outsider’s perspective on a plane, well dressed with his hair slicked back and shades covering his eyes. His past self spoke to the flight attendant.
“Bourbon and soda?”
“Thank you,” past Loki gladly accepted the drink.
“Absolutely. Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
“I suppose we'll find out, won't we?” A note was handed off to her and she chuckled only in social politeness. A clear misunderstanding between them.
“Uh, Miss?”
“Yes, Mr. Cooper?”
“You might want to take a look at that note,” past Loki leaned forward and whispered, looking the woman in the eye over his sunglasses, “I have a bomb.” Her smile dropped. The scene skipped to when he had emptied the plane of all other passengers and was back in the air strapping a parachute to himself.
“Oh, this is the good part,” Mobius whispered.
“See you again someday,” past Loki says, still politely as he accepts the bag of $200,00 USD from the unnerved flight attendant. He had often wondered how she had recovered from the stupid, oafish ploy; he did his best not to harm anyone but he understood how it could have been quite the scare.
Past Loki turned and walked toward the tail of the plane, “brother, Heimdall, you better be ready.” He mumbleed before jumping out and getting collected by the Bifrost.
“I can't believe you were D.B. Cooper. Come on!” Mobius moved in his seat in a way reminiscent of an excited toddler.
“I was young, and I lost a bet to Thor. Where was the TVA when I was meddling with these affairs of men?”
“We were right there with you, just surfing that Sacred Timeline. So anyway, escapes… and a little psychobabble. What is it you think you’re really running from?”
He held Mobius’ stare. Time Keeper’s approval or lackthereof seemed utterly arbitrary, and the agent’s “fan-ing” of him lacking.
“Enough of this nonsense--.” Loki moved to stand but was hit yet again by vertigo and back in the chair.
“Back in your cage. See? I can play the heavy keys too.” Mobius tapped a finger on his own neck.
“What is it that you actually want?”
“I want you to be honest about why you do what you do.”
“This,” Loki motioned a blue arm towards the projection, “means you have seen my life, yes?”
“Yup. Back and forward, and variant and not. I’ve seen it all.”
“Then you must already know.”
“All I seek is a deeper understanding of the fearsome God of Mischief. What makes Loki tick?”
“Yet you have seen my life and all variations of it.”
“I wanna hear it from the ol’ horse’s mouth.”
“The satisfaction of my own ends,” he finally settled. “Is this your psychobabble? You, the great arbiters of power in the universe.”
Mobius nodded, “yup, we are!”
“Yet my path, my story and my actions are not my own? A semblance of free will belongs to every creature.”
“Hahaha, good one buddy. Look, this one’ll fire you up.” Loki stamped out the pain he had only otherwise felt when he was dropped from the Rainbow Bridge. He stamped down it all. And oh, it was easy. Simple. It was his simpler state of being.
The projection changed to Stuttgart and the projection-surrounded square of kneeling people, “the bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power….”
“Precisely. I was... I am on the verge of acquiring everything I am owed, and when I do, it will be because I did it. Not because it was supposed to happen. Or because you or the Time Variance Authority permitted me to. Honestly, you are pathetic. You are an irrelevance. A detour. A footnote to my ascent.”
Mobius giggled and scoffed, “you done? You’re gonna start taking things seriously.”
His body tensed. But all that happened was a twist of a wrist and the projection changing. He was faced with himself, bound and chained in Asguardian restraints with his glamor intact and cheekily knocking his ankles together to fill the hall of the All Father with the ringing of the metal clanging together.
“If you hadn't picked up the Tesseract, you would have been taken to a cell on Asgard.” Mobius informed him.
“Loki,” a familiar honey voice said in the ringing silence.
This future Loki addressed the woman in beautiful clothes, “hello, Mother. Have I made you proud?”
Her face stayed grave as he continued with undetected fake cheerfulness, “please, don't make this worse.”
“This is the future?” Loki asked.
“Yup, like you mighta picked up, the TVA doesn’t just know your past, we know your whole life as it’s meant to be. Think of it as comforting.” Loki grimaced at that. Comfort? He did not know such a thing. The scene skipped and he recognised the dungeons.
“And am I not your mother?” A projection of his mother asked.
Future Loki chuckled bitterly, “no, you’re not.” Loki felt the need to claw off the blue skin.
“Hmm,” his mother responded, “always so perceptive to everyone but yourself.”
“And then the Dark Elves attack the palace, and you think you send them to Thor.” Mobius chimed again.
“You might wanna take the stairs to the left.” Future Loki says as most other prisoners are set free.
“But instead, you send them….” The image skips again and it’s to Frigga in the grasp of the hellish looking Dark Elf.
“I will never tell.” She declares before she is brutally stabbed and fades. Loki jumps up but only goes through the projection. He can’t help her. No, no, no, no. Another tick. Just another trick like all those in the last year! He would never do such a thing. He loved her.
“You lead them right to her.”
But why would he do that? He was spiteful but-.... No, the elf. Think, Loki, think! Ah, yes, the Aether must have been helping them and changed them to that form. But why Asgard? Why Frigga?!
“You’re lying,” he pants, “what led to this!? Where is she!? Do you have her?!”
“It is true. That's the proper flow of time, and it happens again and again and again because it's supposed to, because it has to! The TVA makes sure of it. And you did this to your own mother, Loki! What kind of monster does that?”
“I’m not a monster!” He shrieks, voice cracking. A chair slams into the wall. He does his best to compose himself but his breathing and heart rates are all still erratic.
“What led to this?” He motioned to the agent then the world blurs to the projected image of her dead face. Fresh pain spikes his back.
“Oops, sorry, only loops you, not the furniture. Now, why don’t you tell me, do you enjoy hurting people? Do you enjoy killing? Were you about to kill me like you killed your mother?”
He fixed red eyes on the blond nuisance, “I wouldn’t hurt her!” The stinging tears obstruct his vision, but he’s too prideful to wipe his eyes--or the society he had been raised by was.
The human met his hateful gaze, “you weren't born to be king, Loki. You were born to cause pain and suffering and death. That's how it is, that's how it was, that's how it will be. All so that others can achieve their best versions of themselves.”
Loki’s grimace was translated through his conflicted heart into an almost silent sobbing scream. A chitauri screeched as the projection showed the Midguardian protection force he had pissed off enough to coalesce.
But he wouldn’t do that to her… he wouldn’t… he couldn’t….
“What are you doing?” Loki barely registers the voice as B-15.
“My job. Is it yours to interrupt?” Mobius responds as Loki is still frozen staring at the wall, not even seeing the projection anymore.
“We have a situation.”
“Gah, there's always a situation. Don't go anywhere. And it was just getting good. Spirited!”
The doors closed.
Mother, I need to find her!
Escaping the room was easier than expected and the maze did nothing to deter his frantic heart.
“Hey,” he ducked down behind the desk the agent from earlier was manning.
“Hey, I know you. You’re the criminal with the blue box.”
“Shh,” he dragged the other down, “what’s your name?”
“Casey.”
“Give me the Tesseract back or I’ll gut you like a fish, Casey.”
“What’s a fish?”
“H-how do you not know what a fish is?”
“I’ve lived my entire life behind a desk, and I’d like to know what I’m being threatened with before I comply.”
“Do you not eat--death, Casey, violent and painful death.”
“Okay, okay, I comply, I comply, jeez.”
Casey leaned forward and pulled open a drawer of a moveable table, “this it?”
“Wha… Infinity Stones?” The stones, mostly green Time and red Aether or Reality, were jumbled together in the small space.
“Oh, actually, we get a lot of those. Yeah, some of the guys use them as paper weights.”
“The greatest power in the universe and you have them carelessly thrown about?”
“Well, we actually are outside of the universe AKA the Sacred Timeline. Pretty neat, right?” Casey’s musings as he stood up and presented another bulbous screen hanging from the ceiling were ignored as Loki closed his blue hand around the Tesseract. It was dim. So, so dim and dull and…. Lifeless. His jaw hung open.
An elevator dinged, “oh, you almost hit me, that’s so messed up!” Loki clicked the button and returned to the small room. Slowly, he pulled himself off of the floor, set the Tesseract down on the table and twisted the dial.
“Your birthright was to die!...” Future Odin gave future bound Loki a sadistic smile, “as a child, cast out into a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me.”
“If I had not fully asked for true mercy, I’d just say swing it. It’s not that I don’t love our little talks, it’s just, I don’t love them.” He found himself muttering along with his near-future self.
“Frigga is the only reason you are still alive and you will never see her again. You will spend the rest of your years in the dungeon.” He moved back with his shackled projection. That was too far, even for Odin. A flash of a red cape and eyepatched face looking down and telling him “no” passed in front of his eyes. His finger rolled on the dial.
“I love you, my sons. Remember this place. Home….” Future Odin told both Thor and him as he disappeared into energy from the cliff Loki was fairly sure belonged to Midguard. A breath caught. What… how… could it be?
It skipped forward again, “Loki, I thought the world of you, I thought we were going to fight side by side forever.” Future Thor with shorn hair and different clothes regarded future Loki--actually regarded him. Had he died? What sort of trickery could this be? He gulped around the hope in his throat.
“Maybe you're not so bad after all, brother. Maybe not…. Thank you. If you were here, I might even give you a hug.” An eyepatched Thor smiled at his future, blue leather clad self as a glass liquor stopper was thrown.
His future self caught it, “I’m here.” He smiled at the sight, that’s all I ever wanted… to be your equal, brother. He sniffled.
His life skipped forward again, “undying? You should choose your words more carefully.” Blue features immediately smoothed out and drooped in horror at the site of the purple titan. A golden gauntlet endued with infinity stones closed around his neck. His future self writhed in the air.
“You will… never… be a… god!” He flinched at the cracking of his own neck, his future self’s body falling limp instantly. No! He wouldn’t let himself die to him! He watched helplessly as his future self’s body was dropped while Thor screamed. The power stone’s magic broke up the spaceship as Thor wept over him. Purple enveloped the screen and then “END FILE.”
“Hah… hah… hah… hehehehe,” his lungs spasmed.
“Glorious purpose,” Loki sneered to no one. He collapsed gripping the Tesseract.
“Loki?... Nowhere left to run.”
“I know. Will you be ‘resetting’ or otherwise doing away with me now?” He stared into the dull blue depths of the Space Stone’s container rather than bothering to look up at the human. There wasn’t an answer.
“I am tired, Mobius.”
Knees popped as the other slowly knelt by him, “listen, I can’t offer you salvation, but maybe I can offer you something better. A fugitive Variant’s been killing our minutemen.”
“So why me?”
“The Variant we’re hunting is, well, you.”
He lifted his head, “pardon?”
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improveordie · 3 years
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here you can see the cover art i did a fanart of, the first sketch, blobbing out colors and finished render. more details under the cut
i choose to simplify the original design in alot of places, in the original there are beautiful details all over the cover, i wanted to focus the eye to her upper body and face. as well as trying to bring more dimension in by a clearer difference between foreground and background. the silhouette of the stonewall and megans silhouette blending toghether perfectly where that bush meets the hair was also an easy area to redesing to make her stand out more. also lending for a more interesting line for the middle ground overall. 
i also changed the color pallette slightly. notably in making the sky have more blue tones than the original to tie together with the blue flower as well as pop and contrast megans hair.  since i decided against adding in the second stonewall framing megan from the cover i had the space to put something light there to bring some of the romantic mood in from the cover back into my own painting. this hazy sailor moon style sky and moon felt like a perfect component to add. the white also balances out the collar and white wrist sleeve details well. 
how to stylize her face was an interesting series of choices, i sketched 2 other faces before settling on the one in my sketch, very stylized manga faces can be hard to translate but a softer face with pretty wideset eyes felt right and true to the character.  i ended up further morphing the face as i went along in my painting, pushing the nose and mouth up for a younger look. i did a lot of drawing and redrawing of the eyebrows to get that dreamy look that has been captured so well on the real cover.
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o-foramuse-of-fire · 3 years
Text
Happy New Year! Here is my Secret Santa gift for @ubilupus! I hope you enjoy!
Summary: Alice Brandon has a massive crush on law student Jasper Whitlock. The only problem? She’s never actually spoken to him out loud. AH/AU
Title: Apricity
Words: 3,450
Rating: G/K+
Read on: AO3 or FFN
The snow fell in feather-light flakes in the crisp winter air. Alice chewed her lip as she gazed at the historic building across the street, almost mystical in the snowfall. She walked back and forth by the bus stop, hesitating to cross the street. A dark blue bus pulled up to the stop, its sign flashing yellow. Several students descended and the driver waited to see if Alice would board. She shook her head, shaking flakes out of her pixie-cut. The driver shrugged, closed the door, and drove off.
“What are you doing?”
Alice jumped at the voice. Sharp yet sweet, like a slice of key lime pie, with just a hint of caramel smoothness. She turned and plastered a huge smile on her face.
“Oh, hey, Rosalie!”
Rosalie Hale was one of Alice’s closest friends. The two had met freshman year signing up to assist with one of the many student theatre groups on campus. Rosalie, a Business major, wanted to get involved in marketing and Alice, who was studying Art and Design, was interested in assisting with designing posters or helping to paint sets.
“Don’t ‘hey, Rosalie,” me,” Rosalie retorted. “This is the third time this week I’ve caught you loitering out by the Law Quad.”
“Is it?”
“C’mon, Alice, something’s going on with you. And don’t just say you’re trying to plan out where to take grad photos because I know it’s something more than that.”
Alice quickly shut her mouth. That had been the excuse she was about to give. Everyone knew the Law Quad was in high demand for graduating seniors. In a few months, once the majority of winter was behind them and the temperature rose above freezing, Alice knew there’d be people crowding for the perfect cap and gown shot.
But that wasn’t the reason she’d spent more hours than she could count recently, wrapped up in her warmest--yet still fashionable--winter clothes and staring longingly at the gray stone arches. Alice heaved a sigh, her breath forming a tiny cloud in the wintry air.
“Okay. Fine. C’mon.”
Alice adjusted the strap of her cross-body bag and swung her scarf over her shoulder before leading Rosalie across the street. The two of them wandered into the Law Quad, looking more like Hogwarts at Christmas than it had any right to. Snow dusted the tops of the stone towers and turrets and coated the rooftops. Icicles hung from the mature trees like crystals. Students meandered through the Quad, ducking in and out of the grand arches, crossing pathways lined by Victorian-style street lamps. When they reached the door to the Law Library, Alice hesitated.
“Just don’t get me kicked out, okay?” The Law Library was notorious for having a strict no-talking policy.
“I won’t make a peep,” Rosalie said, her ruby lips curling into an intrigued grin.
They walked into the Reading Room, and no matter how many times Alice stepped foot inside there, she was always struck by its grandiose beauty and ambiance. The room was large and open, with a 10 story ceiling surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows bearing the seals of great universities around the world. The ceiling itself was intricately designed with squares of floral-like designs sculpted in gold. The Reading Room was illuminated with soft light from elegant two-tiered chandeliers, stylized to look like candles. Wooden shelves filled with legal books lined the long hall, interspersed with elaborate doorways and stonework. With finals fast approaching, students from all across campus crowded the oversized tables with curved reading lights, their books and notes stacked high. Anxious, academic energy crackled in the air. Alice walked down the aisle, Rosalie trailing at her side, until she came upon the third table from the back on the left. There, like he had been every day this week, sat a god.
A golden-haired young man with storm cloud eyes. Sculpted cheekbones and lips that Alice just knew were soft and kissable. A few strands of curly blond hair fell in front of his face as he pored over a thick tome, and the man pushed them out of his way with a flick of his long fingers. He was dressed in a knitted black sweater that complemented his tanned skin and accentuated his lean figure. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.
Alice delicately pulled out the chair across from him, and slid into it as silently as she could manage. As she sat down, the man looked up from his book. His face lit up, eyes sparkling and lips stretching into a heart-stopping smile. Alice’s heart fluttered, and she returned his smile with an uncharacteristically shy grin. She opened up her bag and pulled out the textbook she kept in there for this exact purpose. She flipped through the pages until she came across the midnight blue bookmark denoting the last chapter she’d attempted to slog through. But before she could even attempt to read the first sentence, a crumpled piece of paper landed in front of her. Alice opened the note with excited fingers, her eyes eager for the words scrawled inside.
Art history again?
Alice’s mouth twitched. She scribbled a response on the paper, folded it up neatly, and passed it back across the table.
Yeah. My last final. I’ve been really slacking on the reading.
Maybe you know more than you think. You’ve been reading that book every time you’ve been in here.
Alice bit her lip. Had she done that? She’d meant to rotate her books, her excuses to be in his presence.
I keep getting distracted by the architecture. It’s just so beautiful in here.
It is. But if it keeps pulling your focus away from your studying, maybe you should try one of the less decorated spots on campus. Like Starbucks.
He shot her a smirk as he watched her read his words.
Never. I like the view here too much.
Me too.
Rosalie surreptitiously watched the exchange from a table across the aisle, quirking an eyebrow when Alice flushed scarlet and covered her mouth to hold in a giggle. She narrowed her eyes further as the note passing spanned a whole page. Then a second. Then a third. She didn’t think either of the two had touched their books in a while. Pursing her lips, Rosalie rose to her feet and sauntered back over to Alice’s table. Alice didn’t even notice her approach, she was too engrossed in whatever she was writing. Rosalie tapped her on the shoulder and crossed her arms. Alice gave her a sheepish grin, hurriedly wrote one final message, and passed the note to the blond-haired guy. He glanced it over, and the good-natured smile seemingly glued to his face fell ever so slightly. He gave Alice a wave as she stood, returned her book to her bag, and hoisted it over her shoulder. Alice returned his wave with her own, then tripped over her feet as Rosalie grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her to the exit.
As soon as they were back outside, Rosalie spun on Alice.
“Okay, spill. Who was that guy?”
Alice’s voice took on a dreamy tone. “Jasper Whitlock, first year law student. He’s originally from Texas and he went to Rice, majored in Political Science and History. He’s got a younger brother who’s studying Engineering at Rice now, and a little sister who’s in her senior year of high school. He likes horseback riding, Mexican food, and horror movies.”
“Wow, Alice, did you stalk the guy?”
A rosy blush colored Alice’s cheeks. “No. We passed notes. And then I Facebook stalked him.”
Rosalie snorted. “You’re crushing on him hard.”
“Except I haven’t said a word to him!” Alice cried, dragging her hands over her face. “I came to the Law Library to sketch last week--you know how I feel about Gothic architecture--and he was just there! Sitting at that table all gorgeous and studious. I don’t know how I worked up the nerve to pass him that first note, I swear my hands were shaking the whole time. But I’ve never actually spoken with him, like, words out loud, you know?”
“And he’s never tried to follow you out of the library to actually speak with you?”
“Nope.”
“Hm. He loses a few points for that. But maybe he’s just shy.”
“How could anyone that looks like that be shy? He probably just doesn’t like me.”
“Oh, he likes you, Alice. Trust me.”
“You don’t know that.” Alice whined.
“Did you not see the look he gave you? Like you were the sun and he was a mere flower. He bloomed in your presence. And practically wilted when you left.”
“I don’t know, Rose...”
Rosalie spun on her heels to stop and face Alice. She reached down to place her perfectly manicured hands atop Alice’s shoulders.
“Alright. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Tomorrow, we’re gonna dress you up and make you look so goddamn gorgeous, that he’ll follow you outta there like a little lovesick puppy.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early the next morning--earlier than Alice would’ve liked--Rosalie was in her apartment, clucking her tongue as she parsed through Alice’s wardrobe. Alice sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Rosalie had roped their friend Bella into the scheme, and the brunette was sitting next to Alice, almost as tired as she was, her head falling onto Alice’s shoulder every now and then.
“You owe me Starbucks for this,” Bella mumbled.
“Yeah, Rose,” Alice agreed. “Jasper doesn’t usually make it into the Law Library until after 11.”
“Which means we only have four hours to get you looking jaw-droppingly sexy,” answered Rosalie. She picked out a black dress that was way too short given the current temperatures, shook her head, and returned it to the closet.
“At least she’s keeping in mind the weather,” Bella muttered under her breath.
Bella was the most practical out of the three girls. She and Alice had met in their first year English class and had become fast friends. It had taken some time for Bella and Rosalie to warm up to each other--Bella had a knee-jerk response to anyone involved in a sorority. But after Rosalie had chewed out a sleaze-ball who’d attempted to run his hand up Bella’s skirt while the three were out dancing one night, the two had forged a tight bond.
“Okay, how about this,” said Rosalie as she held up two hangers. In one hand was a black pencil skirt. In the other was a silk purple blouse with a deep V-neck. It was long-sleeved with bunching at the wrist. “Some tights, your black pumps and--”
“I’ll look like a librarian,”
“A sexy librarian,” Rosalie corrected, but she returned the items to the closet.
“We’re trying to get this Jasper’s attention, right?” asked Bella.
Alice nodded.
“Well then, what do we know about him? What does he like?”
“Ooh, good idea Bella. Alice, has Jasper ever looked at you more than usual or in a different way? And what were you wearing when he did?”
“Um, not that I can remember...”
“Does he have a favorite color?” Bella offered.
Alice straightened, like a jolt of electricity had run through her body. Her eyes sparkled and she grinned with exuberance. She hopped off the bed and rushed over to her closet, pushing aside dresses and sweaters with ferocity until she found what she was looking for. She pulled the emerald green sweater dress out of the closet and held it out in front of her proudly. Though unassuming on the hanger, it clung to her body like a second skin. It had a scooped neckline, which artfully showed off her delicate collarbones, and an intricate knitted design.
“Green,” she said with a joyful smile.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Girls, I don’t know if I can do this,” said Alice, clutching the front of her black peacoat with white knuckles.
“Alice, you look beautiful,” Rosalie assured her.
“Yeah, it’s going to be fine! You’ve got this!” Bella encouraged.
Once the emerald dress had been decided upon, Alice had spent the next few hours under Rosalie’s direct care. She’d picked out a pair of black leggings, as well as a pair of black booties, plus the black peacoat with silver buttons to complete the look. Bella had chosen the knitted white beret style hat that hung loosely off the back of Alice’s head, displaying her dark hair with contrast. Alice’s hair normally stuck out in all directions, but Rosalie had coaxed the energetic strands into becoming tendrils. Rosalie was an artist with makeup, and had accentuated Alice’s features without overpowering her. Black eyeliner and mascara heightened Alice’s doe-like eyes, and the silver eyeshadow shimmered with every blink. Alice’s cheekbones were highlighted and dusted with a soft pink blush. Alice had always thought her lips were small--just like the rest of her--but Rosalie had worked her magic and now the lips, painted cherry-red, appeared pouty and full. Bella had talked Alice through exactly what she was going to say to Jasper, filling her up with self-confidence. She gave advice to Alice on how to win over Jasper with her words, not just her looks.
Now, the three of them were standing in front of the entrance to the Law Library. Alice’s knees knocked together. Rosalie and Bella were on either side of her, practically pushing her in.
“You know, I think I might be coming down with something, I’ve been standing in the cold too long, maybe I should go home and we could try this another day--”
“Uh-uh, no way!” Rosalie stopped Alice from running away and turned her right back towards the Law Library. “We did not give up valuable finals studying time for you to back out now. You are going to go in there, and you are not coming back out until you have a date!”
Rosalie shoved Alice forward, causing the shorter girl to almost trip. Alice recovered and gathered herself with a determined puff of air. She brushed a stray curl out of her eyes, rolled her shoulders back, and strode into the Law Library with as much confidence as she could muster.
As expected, Jasper was there, seated at his usual spot. He was surrounded by piles of books, and hunched over a thick notebook. He looked very focused and very hot. Alice closed her eyes, thought back on everything Rosalie and Bella had said to her that morning, and began to walk towards Jasper’s table.
He heard her approach--the clicks of her black boots echoed in the silent hall--and glanced up from his notebook. At first, he gave her his usual genteel grin, but then Alice watched his eyes widen and his lips part as he took in her appearance. Alice slowly undid the buttons of her coat, feigning nonchalance as best she could. She shrugged the coat off her shoulders, and Jasper gasped. The big reveal, Rosalie had called it.
Alice slowly sunk into the chair, smoothing her dress as she sat down. Gracefully, she extracted the small notebook and ballpoint pen she’d hidden in her coat pocket. Her heart was beating a mile a minute but she forced herself to appear calm as she placed the notebook on the table, flipped open the metallic golden cover, and began to write out the words she, Rosalie, and Bella had planned.
I’ve really enjoyed our chats over the last week, but I’d much prefer to actually speak in person. I like you a lot, Jasper, and I want to get to know you better. Grab a coffee with me?
With a final flourish of her pen, Alice tore out the sheet of paper, folded it, and tossed it over to Jasper, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of her since she sat down. The note landed in the center of his notebook.
Jasper blinked dumbly at the sound of the paper hitting his book. He glanced away from Alice and nimbly unfolded the note. He smiled as he began to read it, and Alice’s heart skipped a beat. But then an odd expression came over his face. His smile fell. His jaw dropped. His eyes became pitying, disbelieving.
Alice felt her heart sink into her stomach.
He didn’t like her.
Feeling tears well up in her eyes, Alice haphazardly threw on her coat and hastily stuffed her notebook and pen back into her pockets. Biting her lip, she ran out of the Law Library as fast as she could.
She burst out into the Quad, her face stinging in the cold. Rosalie and Bella were waiting by the door for her, but she ran past them, ignoring their perplexed faces and questioning calls. She couldn’t talk to them right now. She wanted to run back home and hide under her comforter, forgetting every foolish action she’d taken today.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered under her breath.
“Hey, Alice, wait!”
Alice turned as a charmingly accented voice with just a hint a twang called her name. Jasper was running after her, his unbuttoned coat flying open in the wind. Alice tried to hide her gape as she took in Jasper. She knew he was tall, but she hadn’t realized he was quite this tall. He towered over her by over a foot at least. Alice sniffed and wiped away the few tears that had fallen.
“It’s okay, Jasper, you don’t have to humor me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw how you looked at me in there. It’s clear you don’t like me the way that I like you. And that’s fine! I’m fine! I--”
“Alice, what?”
“--really, you don’t need to let me down easy or anything, I got it, and--”
“Alice.” Jasper’s tone became more pleading. “I was just a little taken aback, is all. You surprised me.”
Alice’s breath caught. “I...surprised you?”
The edges of Jasper’s lips turned up. “Yeah. I’ve been working up the nerve to ask you out all week and you beat me to it.”
Alice’s mouth fell open. Her brain was a mess of white noise as she attempted to process his words
“You...you like me?”
It was Jasper’s turn to blush.
“But you never...I mean...all this time...and the way you are I...” Alice stammered.
“My apologies for not speaking up sooner. But I’ve never,” Jasper hesitated, “I’ve never felt like this before. The words we shared on those scraps of paper weren’t much, but they meant everything to me. I’ve actually been coming to the Law Library every day, hoping you’d return,” he added with a bashful grin.
Alice gave a little start. He’d been doing that, too?
“I’m not good at expressing my feelings,” Jasper continued, running his fingers through his long blond locks, “but I felt a connection with you right away. I just didn’t know how to deal with it, cause it’s been so long since I’ve felt anything close to that. I’ve had some pretty messed up relationships in the past,” he said with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders.
“I don’t understand,” said Alice. “If you felt like this, why didn’t you say anything? Why did I have to do all this,” she motioned to her outfit, “to get you to come outside with me?”
“I came outside cause I could tell I’d upset you. And that ain’t right. I only ever want to see you smile.”
Alice flushed. Jasper took a slow step closer to her. Alice was struck again by his imposing stature. He had to duck and push snowy branches out of his way to get to where Alice was standing. And yet, with the way he was gazing at her, Alice didn’t feel small at all. In fact, she felt terribly emboldened by his adoring look.
“So it’s not cause I look amazingly sexy?” Alice teased.
Jasper chuckled. “You look beautiful today, really you do. But I think you look beautiful every day.”
Alice giggled, and her cheeks turned pink with new warmth. “So about that coffee,” she said, a hint of coyness slipping into her tone.
Jasper smiled sweetly. “I’d like that, ma’am.”
He took her hand, and Alice was surprised to find how well hers fit in his. Like they were made for each other, despite the height difference. Warmth raced through her body as he interlaced their fingers and gently ran his thumb over her skin. Alice hummed contentedly, and nestled into Jasper’s side. Another perfect fit.
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cure-icy-writes · 3 years
Text
digital art saga
First piece, finished 5/12: I realized I had the power to draw memes and I went for it knowing full well it would be bad, but it would give me a benchmark for what I needed to work on. Inspired by the idea that Pearl discovering shippable police state propaganda plushies is the worst possible timeline. 
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 The second piece can’t be shared publicly bc tracing permissions and all, but basically I decided to force myself to think in 3D by finding an extreme example of foreshortening, tracing the anatomy sketch, and then lining it myself. For reasons I can’t entirely explain, it ended up being a very happy transbian miku. This is also when I learned how to use the magic wand tool for coloring, and figured out how to make radial ombré designs.
The third major piece is a draw the squad meme, finished 5/19. I went into it, again, with full knowledge that it wouldn’t be very good, but it could be stupid. Most of the colors used are not chosen via color theory, but rather the dumbest hex codes I could grab. 
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 After this, I decided to play around with brushes and styles for a bit. This is also when I learned some new techniques for drawing eyes, and decided on a whim to assign each character a different eye style, and maybe noses too. I started lining and coloring the eyes more carefully, and added some details to make them look less...dead inside. 
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I liked the minimalist, tapered look and slightly imperfect coloring, so I decided to go with it. However, I’m not great at pen pressure— I always press down too lightly out of habit, so I decided to forcefully rid myself of that habit by lining an entire piece using only the pressure sensitive pen. It’s still not done yet, and the guitar is giving me trouble, but here’s a WIP: 
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It is. So fucking self indulgent you guys. And really soothing as well! After this I’m thinking of working on expressions/3D conceptualization/stylization with Athena, but honestly I’m pretty happy with how it’s going.
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werewolfdays · 4 years
Text
snippet - Moving On
in which Jayde tries to move on after Nadya saves her life. Key word is “tries” -
There wasn’t much in the way of weapons in Nadya’s apartment. She had a couple of self defense keychains, but I would feel better if they were in her possession and not mine. So I settled for one of her kitchen knives to take with me until I meet up with Skye. I threw that into the old backpack Nadya let me have and went back into her bathroom to gather some basic first aid supplies.
I was beginning to wonder if I should worry that she wasn’t back yet when I heard the front door open. It didn’t even cross my mind to hold back a relieved sigh until it escaped from my lungs. The realization allowed me to stop myself from immediately rushing out of the room to check if she was okay.
“Jayde?” Nadya called.
“In here.” I tried to ignore the slight flutter in my gut when her footsteps came towards me.
“I got the burner you asked for,” Nadya said while she came into the room looking for me. She tossed the plastic packaging on the bed and rifled through the paper bag in her hand, “I also got you an extra pair of clothes.”
A pinch of guilt formed in my gut at Nadya spending more money and resources on me than I asked for, but I nodded in approval when she showed me the outfit she purchased. “Thank you.”
Nadya shrugged, fiddling with the handles on the bag after she placed the clothes on the bed, “I kinda guessed your style.”
“I don’t really have one, I don’t think.” I replied with a small laugh.
Having a style hasn’t been something I put too much thought into since I was a kid, but the fact that Nadya picked these clothes out for me already made me like them more than anything I’ve picked out for myself. It was simple, which I was grateful for. Grey t-shirt, jeans that had stylized rips in them, a black knit beanie, and an army green utility jacket with many pockets. I won’t stand out in this outfit and it was practical. It made me smile.
It was such a childish thing to take pleasure in that I shook my head at myself and reached for the burner phone. I ripped through the packaging with ease while Nadya took the liberty of removing the tags from the clothes and putting them in the pack. I glanced up as I was entering a number into the contacts and smirked at the care she took in folding them.
The phone flipped closed a little louder than I intended, making her startle slightly. I offered an apologetic wince and I held it out to Nadya, “Here.”
She frowned at it, “What?”
“This is for you.” I explained, “With everything that you’ve done for me, this is the best way I can repay you. If something happens when I leave, you call the number in there and destroy the phone. I promise I will come.” Such a long moment passed with Nadya staring at the phone in my hand in confusion that I urged it toward her, “It will protect you.”
I will protect you.
Nadya finally reached for it. Her fingers brushed against mine, making my skin tingle where she made contact. The tingle spread to the rest of my hand and up my arm. I had to hold back a shiver. “Thank you.” she said quietly.
“Only use it for an emergency.” I told her, backing away to stifle the feeling. Even though it panicked me, I missed the sensation as soon as it was gone.
“Of course.” she agreed, clutching the phone close to her chest.
I put on the jacket she got for me and grabbed the packed bag, throwing a strap over my shoulder, but my legs wouldn’t take me towards the front door just yet.
Nadya looked me up and down, finally realizing what I was intending, “You’re leaving now?”
A halfhearted shrug lifted one of my shoulders, “I should’ve left days ago.”
“You don’t want to wait until the morning?” Nadya tried hopefully, pocketing the burner phone. “It’s dark out.”
I almost told her that I wanted to. “I can’t.”
Nadya opened her mouth, then hesitated and shut it. Clearly wanting to argue my decision, but knowing better than to push it. A part of me wanted her to. I knew deep down that if she tried to convince me to stay, I would end up convincing myself.
“Okay.” she finally relented, letting out a sigh.
Not really trusting myself to say anything else, I turned and moved to leave the room. My eyes scanned her wall of pictures one last time and I paused to try and remember them. There was one in particular that always caught my eye when I studied her collection. It was a polaroid of a stream somewhere in the woods and the sunlight was shining down on it through the trees, illuminating the crystal clear water and the smooth stones that lay just beneath its glittering surface. The picture was vivid enough that I could almost hear the trickle of water and the buzzing sounds of nature.
“Never give this up.” I uttered, remembering the hobbies I loved before my life went to shit and couldn’t even think about now without feeling a deep pain in my chest. “Always keep it close to your heart and don’t ever let it go.”
“I won’t.” Nadya promised softly, coming up to stand beside me and admire her wall.
I pointed at the picture of the stream, “This one is my favorite.”
Nadya smiled at the photo for a moment, then reached to take it off the wall. “Here,” she held it out to me.
“Oh, no,” I shook my head, “I can’t take your picture.”
“I got hiking here all the time.” Nadya explained plainly with a shrug, “I can take another one.”
“Yeah, but they’re your pictures. Your art.”
Nadya gave me a wry grin and walked over to her desk. I frowned as she uncapped a pen and scribbled something down. Once she was finished, she came back over to me. My breathing stopped completely when she grabbed my wrist, lifting my hand up and setting the small polaroid in the palm of my hand.
“Now you have to take it.” she told me, releasing my wrist and allowing oxygen to enter my lungs freely again.
I looked down at the picture, flipping it over to read what she wrote on the back in silver ink.
                                       Thanks for not being a terrorist.
                                                              -N
The note made me snort with laughter. I shook my head in amusement and carefully pocketed the gift in my new jacket. “You’re welcome.”
Knowing that the real goodbye was coming, Nadya’s grin only lasted a few short moments. Too short. “Be careful out there.”
“I’ll try.”
“I mean it.” She said seriously, “I don’t want to see you in my hospital again.”
The corner of my mouth twitched up briefly, “You won’t.”
Nadya took a deep breath, her shoulders lifting with the inhale and slumping with the exhale. She hovered slightly for a moment, like she was unsure of what else to say or do. After an awkward second, she settled on holding out a hand for me to shake.
I could see that she was already regretting the formal action, her warm brown eyes looking pained like she was silently reprimanding herself. Though I held back a chuckle, my crooked grin remained. I gratefully accepted her outstretched hand and allowed myself to briefly indulge in how comforting her touch was.
“Thank you, Nadya.” I told her, knowing that it was far less than what she really deserved. It was all I could offer her right now. It was likely that I’d never see her again, but I made a silent vow to myself that I would figure out a way to make it up to her someday.
“Anytime, Jayde.” She replied in a voice soft enough to soothe my conflicted mind.
Reluctantly, I released her hand, casting one last quick look at her wall of pictures, then to her. Nadya gave me one more sad smile to take with me. I wanted to remember it and I was sure it would be impossible to forget. Just like she was.
The walk towards her front door was harder than I expected it to be. I kept having to remind myself not to look back. It would only make it worse. Why it was so difficult in the first place was a mystery to me. None of this should be difficult. But I felt her eyes on my back and it tugged at my impulses, making it extremely hard not to steal one more glance in her direction. Somehow I managed not to, though I hovered at her door once it was shut behind me, hand holding the doorknob like I was trying to rationalize opening it back up.
My hearing picked up her footsteps coming towards the door. They stopped just before it, mirroring where I was standing on the outside. I wondered if she was going through the same internal battle that I was. Wishing that I would come back, or trying to convince herself to open the door too. One thing is for sure… I couldn’t let either of us give in to the urge.
I released the knob, forcing myself to walk away. It wasn’t until I got down to the street that I realized I couldn’t hold it back anymore. My eyes drifted up to her window on the second floor to find Nadya already looking out of it. Our eyes locked one last time and I couldn’t muster the strength to regret it. Not when she smiled at me so warmly. It gave me the courage and confidence to keep going. I stood up straighter and moved forward.
A couple hours passed before I found a payphone far enough away from Nadya’s apartment. I shoved the change needed to make a call in the slot and waited. Droning rings echoed in my ear while quiet splashes of a few droplets of rain pattered against the window of the phone booth to signal another coming shower.
“Jayde?” My sister’s voice picked up, sounding panicked.
“Yeah, it’s me.” I answered.
“Jesus Christ!” Skye exclaimed, “Where the hell have you been? We haven’t heard from you in like a week and a half!”
“I was lying low. Tried to take on some hunter assholes and it… didn’t really go my way. I got fucked up pretty bad, but I’m alright.”
Skye sighed in relief, “Well that’s good to hear. I was beginning to think you left again. Or got taken…”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” I told her curtly.
“Well, where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”
My head shook, “No, I just need you to bring me a few things.”
Skye sighed again, but this time it was in exasperation. “What do you need?”
“Weapons. Money. A car…” I replied, feeling a little stupid. “Basically all of my shit got confiscated.”
“What the fuck did you do?” Skye chuckled.
“Long story.” I said flatly.
“You want your shit, then start talkin’.” Skye’s voice became high and confident as she held my supplies ransom for details.
I growled, “Bring me my shit and I’ll tell you, how about that?”
“Fine, fine,” Skye relented in amusement. “Tell me where you are, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I waited in the rain for as long as I could before the beckoning warmth of the diner across the street was too tempting to resist. My rationality was the beanie Nadya had given me. Surely that would offer a sufficient disguise. All I wanted was to not be soaked to the bone. And some damn coffee.
The dark clouded sky was turning gray with the oncoming sunrise when I finally spotted a familiar pickup truck pulling into the parking lot. There was something bulky in the bed that was covered in a tarp to shield whatever it was from the weather.
My younger sister, Skye, stepped out of the truck once it was parked. She was shorter than me, with mossy green eyes instead of dark blue ones like mine, but besides that, we looked fairly similar. Definitely unmistakable as siblings. But where we were similar in appearance, we differed in personality. Skye walked lightly, almost with a skip in her step, to mirror her bubbly attitude, and she almost always had a small, arrogant smirk on her face like she understood a joke that everybody else didn’t. Most of the time she did.
She wore that smirk now as she slid into the booth across from me. “So, spill.”
“I got my ass beat, alright?” I recalled in annoyance. “Wound up on lockdown in the local hospital and I escaped.”
“On your own…?” Skye clearly sensed that I was leaving out important information.
I sighed. I wasn’t exactly sure why I didn’t want her to know about Nadya. Maybe because I knew she would make fun of me for it. “No, I had help.”
A waitress came by to offer my sister some coffee, which she eagerly accepted. Once the waitress left, a moment of silence lingered between us until Skye held up her hands, “Well? Don’t leave me hanging.”
“There was a nurse.” I complied hesitantly, “I convinced her to help me and she took me in while I recovered.”
“There it is!” Skye said with a massive grin and I rolled my eyes, “Is that whose scent is all over you? She smells nice, was she pretty too?”
“None of your business.” my eyes fixed her with a warning glare. “Now, can I have my shit?”  
“Geez, you’re no fun.” she complained.
“Skye, I have had a long couple of weeks.” I told her in a scolding tone. “All I want is enough supplies to be on my way.”
“And where is that this time?” my little sister retorted with a sudden seriousness, “Am I gonna get another call in a month asking for more ammo? Or bail you out of the slammer? Or how about a mental hospital? You haven’t got yourself fucked in one of those yet.”
I was in no mood to have this argument with Skye for the tenth time. Nothing I said could make her understand my need to keep moving, to keep fighting. It was the only thing that made me feel grounded anymore. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself without it.
“For your information,” I started, a snarl nearly escaping my throat, “I’m gonna linger around here for a little while longer.”
Her eyes went wide with shock, “Really. You? The Lodge isn’t good enough, but this place is?”
“It’s not like that, I have to.” I told her, my irritation growing.
“Why?” Skye prodded, “I would think you’d want to put as much distance between yourself and here as soon as you can.”
I took a deep breath, knowing that Skye wouldn’t let me deflect. She would also know if I was lying and become even more pushy for an explanation. “I have to make sure the nurse that helped me won’t be in any danger once I’m gone. She broke me out of the hospital and saved my life when everyone was calling me a terrorist. And she did it to save lives so it’s not gonna sit well with me if something happens to her.”
“She broke you out?” Skye marveled in bewilderment, clearly impressed.
“Yes.” I nodded, remembering how I could barely believe it myself. “And she let me stay at her place for the past week.”
“Damn, she’s ballsy.” Skye chuckled, “Or just really stupid.”
“That’s what I thought.” I agreed with a small smile. “Trust me, it’s the former.”
“How are you gonna know if she’s safe or not?”
“I gave her a burner phone to call me if she needs me. That’s why I have to stay in the area until this blows over, I don’t want to be too late to save her. Which reminds me, I need your phone.” I held out my hand.
She scowled at me suspiciously, “Why mine?”
“‘Cause yours is the number I put in hers.” I motioned for her to give it up. “You haven’t gotten any other calls besides me, right?”
“Why’d you give her my number?” Skye asked incredulously.
“Because mine’s gone, genius.”
“Then buy a new one, dumbass.”
I sighed in exasperation. “It was easier to give her your number, now cough it up.”
Skye groaned dramatically and fished her phone out of one of her pockets. “Here.”
I caught it when she suddenly tossed it at me and snickered at her disappointed look since she was aiming for my head. When I looked down and saw the Hello Kitty sticker she stuck on the back, I rolled my eyes. “Really?”
She shrugged, “I went to a couple hospitals looking for you and they don’t necessarily keep the kids stickers on lockdown.”
I made a noise of displeasure, “I would’ve preferred a Finding Nemo one.”
“Well, get your own damn burner and steal whatever sticker you want the next time you end up in a hospital.” Skye bit back.
“I owe you. Happy?”
“My favorite words to hear.” she replied with a bright smile and took a sip of coffee. “So what did you tell her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, with everything the nurse did for you, she must’ve been curious about you. What did you come up with as a cover?”
This was another explanation I was dreading. Might as well get it over with. “I told her the truth.”
Another charged moment of silence fell over us as Skye completely froze with the mug to her lips and stared at me blankly. She then shook her head like she was coming out of a trance, “I’m sorry, you told her the truth about what?”
“About me. What I am.” I admitted with a cringe.
She continued to blink at me in confusion, slowly setting the mug down. “I know you mean you told her you’re bisexual and not that you’re a werewolf, right? Because admitting that you’d be down to clown with a hot nurse is way more believable. Telling a random human that you’re a werewolf is a new level of crazy that you wouldn’t even dream of. Right?”
“She deserved to know.” was all I could think to say as a defense.
“So it is the mental hospital for you next.”
“Skye-”
“You are the last person I expected to be that stupid, Jayde.”
I leaned up in my seat, poking the surface of the table to get my point across. “I did not make that choice lightly. Nadya put her entire life on the line for me without any thought for repayment. It was only natural that she had questions and she was too smart for my shitty excuses. She would’ve figured it out herself if I hadn’t told her.”
Skye didn’t look convinced. “And how do you know she won’t tell anyone?”
“She’s not like that.” I insisted.
“You’re willing to bet everything on that.” My sister stated more than asked.
I patted a couple of my jacket pockets before I remembered the one that the polaroid was in and pulled it out, dropping it on the table in front of Skye. She picked it up and studied it with disinterest like she didn’t understand the importance until she flipped it around and saw the note Nadya wrote on the back. After reading it, Skye glanced up at me curiously.
“She’s a photographer.” I explained, “When I told her I liked that picture, she gave it to me.”
Skye sat in silent contemplation for about a minute, staring at the photo in her hands. Eventually she nodded and I was relieved that she finally accepted what I was certain of. Her eyes met mine and brightened with that mischievous smirk again. “It’s not just the picture you like, is it?”
My eyebrows raised, “Excuse me?”
“Hot nurse saves your life, offers you a roof, gives you a gift before you go,” she held up the polaroid, flipping it between her fingers, “And you tell her the truth, give her a phone to call you, and stay in the city you almost got gunned down in to make sure she’s safe. Sounds like you have a crush.”
At first, I was offended by her assumption. Then my face flushed in embarrassment. My first thought was, Is it that obvious? Which threw me for a loop because I hadn’t even admitted it to myself yet. But just like always, my sister knew me too well.
“Even if you were right, it doesn’t matter.” I shrugged in an effort to seem nonchalant, “I’ll never see her again.”
Skye wagged an eyebrow at me. “Or maybe she’ll call you.”
I rolled my eyes at her, “I didn’t give her the phone to keep in touch. It’s for an emergency only and she knows that.”
“Maybe an ‘emergency’ will happen.” My whole body tensed as I sensed one of her bits coming. Skye continued, using a high-pitched voice, “‘Oh, Jayde, some trenchcoated goons have been looming around my house trying to sell me a new vacuum cleaner! Please, save me! You’re my only hope!’”
I scowled at her. “You think you’re so funny.”
“Come on!” Skye urged, “There’s gotta be some small part of you that’s hoping she’ll call.”
“No.” I said firmly, though she was partially right. A huge part of me was hoping that I would see Nadya again one day, just not under dire circumstances. But another part of me knew that was the only way I’d get to see her again.
“Fine.” Skye said, clearly not convinced and handed the photo back to me.
I took a few moments to stare at the photo fondly, flipping it over to look at the note on the back and running my fingers over the letters Nadya wrote. Then I carefully returned it to the pocket it was originally in. “You want some breakfast?” I asked Skye, ignoring the knowing grin on her face.
By the time we finished eating, the sun had risen and it’s rays broke through the splits in the clouds once the rain dissipated. I followed Skye to the truck and watched as she grabbed the tarp and pulled it off, revealing my motorcycle secured to the bed. A massive smile appeared on my face like I was reuniting with an old friend.
“Figured you’d want the bike.” Skye said while she walked over to the passenger door and pulled out a duffle bag. “I put some supplies in here for you. Clothes, money, first-aid, et cetera…”
“What about weapons?” I asked, taking the bag when she held it out to me.
“There’s a thirty-eight in there.” Her hands shot up to placate my surprised look, “Before you get pissed, it’s because you need to lay low. Pack light. Once you’re done babysitting your human, you can come for more firepower.”
While doing a quick rummage through the duffle bag, I was pleased to find a new switchblade as well. I pocketed that and subtly stuck the small revolver in the waistband of my pants. Then I helped Skye unload my motorcycle with another large grin that wasn’t easy to dampen. I left my bike at the Lodge the last time I was there in favor of a car that could hold more supplies, but maybe that’s where I went wrong. A bike was more versatile and Skye was right, I needed to pack light right now.
Once my bike was unloaded, I strapped my duffle bag to the back. I almost transferred the contents I had in the backpack Nadya gave me to the new duffle bag, that would be simpler and I would have less to lug around, but I couldn’t bring myself to give up her backpack. Instead, I pulled a map of the city out of the front pouch and slung it back over my shoulder. My plan was to keep to the outskirts of the county, moving every couple of days until I circled the entire border. Maybe after doing that a couple of times, I would be satisfied with Nadya’s safety and be able to move on.
Skye cleared her throat as I was marking my path for the first few days and I looked up to see her holding my helmet out to me. The only reason I had that thing was because Toby bought it for me. I scoffed and went back to tracing my pen along a route, “That’s funny.”
My younger sister sighed heavily, “Have you even tried wearing it?”
“I don’t need it.”
Skye let out an exaggerated groan, dropping her arm and gazing up at the clouds while dramatically stomping back to the truck to fling my helmet in the bed. She’s been doing crap like that since she was little and I was a fool to believe she’d ever grow out of it.
“Oh, give me a break.” I complained.
“Give me a break.” Skye replied, “I’m so over your brooding badass bullshit. No one’s too cool for a helmet when their head is cracked open like a watermelon on the asphalt.”
“That’s not gonna be my head. I’m too good of a driver.”
“Uh-huh,” She grumbled.
I could sense my sister’s agitation towards me. It was more than just sibling banter and I realized it wasn’t only about my helmet. Skye was becoming increasingly sick of my habits, and if the small disappointed frown on her face told me anything else… it was that she missed me. Guilt wracked my heart because I missed her too. I missed Toby. I missed our small pack and even the Lodge despite how trapped it made me feel. A part of me wanted to stop and go back with her, but I was more afraid of the quiet.
“Look,” I began, knowing that I had to repay Skye in some way. A promise would do. “When this all blows over, I’ll come back for a little while.”
Her eyes snapped in my direction in disbelief. “You will?”
I gave her a nod, “Yeah, maybe I could use a break.”
The way my little sister’s expression brightened made it worth it.
Skye wrapped me in a tight hug, “I think you could use one, Jayde.”
I hugged her back, letting myself enjoy familial contact for a few moments. Skye’s scent was very similar to our mother’s. She reminded me of her and I think our mom would be proud of Skye. Me on the other hand… well, I wasn’t so sure my parents would be happy with the way I turned out. Which was why it was so hard to be close to Skye. My little sister was a painful reminder of the disappointment I’ve become, how I not only failed my parents in a lot of ways, but also how I’ve failed her. And trying to make up for it just seemed to put me in more pain.
“I should get going.” I said, carefully disentangling myself.
“Yeah,” Skye nodded and backed away, “Try to stay out of trouble.”
“Same to you.” I slung the other strap of Nadya’s backpack over my shoulder and mounted the bike, “Say hi to Toby for me.”
She gave me a thumbs up, “Punch him on the shoulder, got it.”
I threw her a crooked grin, pleased that I didn’t need to translate. “See you guys soon.”
Skye leaned against the truck as I started the motorcycle. I took a minute to feel the rumbling engine of my bike, its growl oddly comforting and it felt like I was coming home in a way. I could still feel a part of its previous owner still lived within every treasured part that was placed like a perfectly fit puzzle piece by hand. It wasn’t just a well educated mind that kept this thing running, but a love and dedication that still held it together to this day. After revving the engine a couple times, I smiled up at Skye and gave her one last nod in thanks for returning the motorcycle to me. She smiled back and waved goodbye. At that, I put both feet on the pedals and took off towards my first destination.
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mysticsparklewings · 4 years
Photo
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ToonMe
Yeah, yeah, look at me super-late to the latest popular Art Challenge as usual. :P In my defense, this challenge came at like the worst possible time, just after the whole drawing tablet fiasco, and so at first that combined with me not liking posting pictures of myself that often because I am uber paranoid about turning into a True Crime documentary subject, I was pretty convinced I wasn't going to hop on this particular bandwagon. But I kept seeing other people posting there's, and I noticed that quite a few used a few tricks to hide or almost disguise the photo/face part. And after a little while, though still mildly frustrating, I did get more accustomed to the new set up I have for digital art, and well...after more time spent trying to get just the right photo of myself than I care to admit, here we are. The #ToonMe challenge is unique in that it challenged me to find the right balance between my usual style and something more realistic. My proportions are usually very cartoony, borrowing heavy inspiration from Winx Club and Anime. Sometimes my coloring is softer and slightly more realistic, and sometimes I go for hard, cartoony cell-shading. And this isn't the first time I've been challenged with drawing myself, either. The main things I wanted to do/accomplish with my take on the challenge included: • A seamless, almost hard to notice transition between the Toon Side and the Real Side (as I'd seen on others' and taken a liking to) • Capture my physical, real-world style but also not over-complicate what I'd have to draw • Capture my drawing style accurately but without compromising too much of the look of the photo • Make it unique to me. Naturally, a lot of how this process was going to go relied pretty heavily on me getting the base photo just right. I tried a few other looks and some different angles before finally getting the photo I used here out of the mix. And yes, I could've just used a photo I already had on hand like I'm sure many other artists did without hesitation, but I wanted this to be fun and just in general when I take photos of myself I like them to be just so. It's very rare that I take photos of myself, let alone ones where I'm not prepared for the world to see me. I wanted to do this right. Once I finally had a photo I was happy with, then came the real challenge of toon-ifying half of it. (Well, probably more than half, but you get the idea.) Naturally, my used-to-be-bangs didn't want to cooperate with me when I took the photo, so my solution to that was to use my hair part/line as part of the dividing point. This also works out because I feel like dividing the hair more towards the center would've made the overall diving line more obvious. Using the part as a base makes the two halves blend together better when viewed from far away/as a thumbnail. Other than that, I kept it pretty half-and-half, including leaving one cat ear on the photo side and one on the toon side. (And ironically the cat ear and the shirt are the two most realistic things on the toon side.) I found the easiest way to do the toon-ifying was to start by just tracing the real lines for the toon parts, then going back and stylizing/adjusting them as necessary. The biggest adjustments I made were the very noticeable stylization of the eye and bringing my neck and shoulder in to more closely match my usual drawing proportions. And, technically the hair, but as I said I knew going in I was going to have to deviate from the photo to get the look I wanted, stylization aside. (My hair does cooperate and look like this sometimes, it's just when I was taking photos for this it decided not to and I couldn't be bothered to put off taking photos until a day where it chose to behave. If I didn't think it was authentic to me, I wouldn't have done it.) I do wish I had reconsidered my jewelry choices because it was only after I started working on it that I realized the extra challenge I had added for myself in choosing the necklace that I did. Likewise, I know very well the chain is not super realistic, but I could not be bothered to draw all the individual little chain circles by hand. So I took a short cut in drawing two lines, one relatively straight (following the non-existent curve of the necklace in the photo), one wavy, and then erasing the second one as necessary to create the illusion of a chain instead. Also, I specifically wore those earrings because I thought they would be cute and relatively simple to draw. And while I'm very sure I could've made much more complicated choices, I was still a little overly optimistic in just how easy these would be. One of the trickier parts of the lines was actually the lips. A lot of the time I skip drawing lines for the lips, because I normally do full-body drawings where the face is relatively small and it's hard to get the lines to look right on such a small scale, but if I wanted the seamless look from toon to photo, it was necessary here. I must've re-drawn both the top and bottom lines like ten times each before finally getting something I could live with. Additionally, while I could've gone back and added weight to the lines in some places, it seemed more natural here to leave them pretty much as-is. Anyway. With the lines done, I could move on to coloring and shading. And I was actually surprised by how relatively smoothly that process went. It did take a few layers and some back-and-forth, but it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be to get the semi-realistic soft shading I needed so the two halves would blend together nicely.   Sidenote: You can hopefully see here that I try my best to be fairly accurate with my color choices when I draw myself these days, right down to the grayish-blue of my eyes. The main things with coloring turned out to be 1. getting the shadows in the right places and 2. getting the line art to be dark enough you could tell it was there without it being too obnoxious. And while I don't normally do this, I found the best way to balance out the lines was to use an airbrush to make the lines lighter in some places and darker in others. I actually had the .png file saved twice, thinking I was finished, only to end up going back and making small alterations to the shadows (mostly on the face) and the lines later. Which, it's kind of a good thing I had to do that because it wasn't until the second time I was doing revisions that I noticed I'd totally forgotten the shadow the necklace was supposed to be casting on the skin. It's very subtle even in the photo, but it would've driven me crazy had I noticed it only after it had been uploaded/posted. I also made a very conscious decision to have the eyelash/brow semi-visible through the hair. The eye is a large part of my stylization, and even though in a normal drawing I would've covered it up, it didn't seem right to just cover it up here. But it also seemed very wrong to leave it at full-color, too. So this was my compromise. Speaking of which, the eyebrow I wasn't really sure what to do with, since normally I either just do thick lines for eyebrows or if I do fully outline them, like the lips, they're usually far away and pretty small, so there's usually not a lot to do with them. Hence why that is easily the biggest and most obvious giveaway on the toon side. I was equally surprised at how easy it was to do sunglasses. I was expecting them to be trickier, being a reflective surface and all with a few notable tiny areas to worry about. But I think in the end they were one of the easiest things to color and shade. And that was pretty much all I was absolutely required to do for the ToonMe challenge. Me being me, though, I wasn't quite satisfied with just that. From fairly early on I had converted the background for the toon side into a digital flat color of my usual "mystic hue," which in reality is what the wall behind me looks like even though it shows as more of a baby blue in the photo. One of the first additions beyond that that I made was a few carefully placed sparkles for a little extra pizzazz, but that wasn't quite enough. I cycled through a few different ideas; making the whole thing into a Polaroid or setting it into a phone frame, etc. Just something to make it a little more special. Still, I ended up coming back around to one of my initial ideas: Wings. I am, after all, MysticSparkleWings. I do have a digital pair of wings closer to the shape/style I tend to use for my signature, but those aren't quite high enough quality for something like this. So I defaulted to the same pair of wings I used to make my icon/avatar ages ago, which were originally made based on a pair of costume wings I actually have in real life. And had I thought this whole thing through a little more, I could have worn them and had one real wing, one digital one. But alas, I didn't plan that far ahead and by the time I had this realization, it was very too late to backtrack it. It's funny. I made that other digital pair from my signature, hoping to make a new Eclipse-friendly icon with them, but they're too high quality (300 pixels) for that (Eclipse icons are 100 pixels, where the old dA icons are 50) and yet too low-quality for stuff like this. They're just not very good for anything, are they?   Even after I added the wings and a few extra sparkles, I toyed with the idea of doing more, but I really couldn't think of anything else that I felt really confident would enhance the art rather than take away from it. So, I stuck my signature on the glasses lens (that seemed like the best non-intrusive place for it), and left it at that. I'm sure it's not as spectacular as it could be, but I think considering I originally wasn't even going to attempt the challenge that it's more than enough. I just wish this challenge has cropped up at a better time. Somehow all the super popular art challenges seem to appear when it's the least convenient for me and thus if I want to join in I end up doing so usually after everyone else has moved on. Ah well. Maybe next time. This one's done and I think it turned out okay. Back to my regularly scheduled non-challenge related art. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram
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letterboxd · 5 years
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Self-Defense.
“Tone is fun. Tone is like a fingerprint, and I’m trying to figure out what mine is.” —The Art of Self-Defense writer/director Riley Stearns tells us about his singular new film.
Leaning heavily into ideas centered around manliness, Riley Stearns’ new film The Art of Self-Defense feels pretty loaded. Although it’s clearly presenting itself as satire, the hot-button nature of its subject matter heightens the whole affair.
Set in what appears to be sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, or a cellphone-less present—you can never be quite sure—the film stars Jesse Eisenberg as Casey, a meek office drone who is violently mugged one evening. After recovering, he begins taking karate lessons at a local dojo and falls under the influence of his charismatic sensei, a man named… Sensei. Sensei is played by Alessandro Nivola in a hilarious performance that itself justifies seeing the film, but it’s worth it for several other reasons too, not least of which is a great turn from Imogen Poots, playing a fellow student.
Destined to be polarizing, The Art of Self-Defense affects a vibe that feels influenced in equal parts by Yorgos Lanthimos, Charlie Kaufman and Wes Anderson. For Stearns, who also helmed the 2014 cult-recovery feature Faults, a black comedy described by Letterboxd members as “terrific”, “inventive” and “original”, The Art of Self-Defense continues a never-ending exploration of tone, “the most important part of filmmaking”.
Letterboxd caught up with Stearns earlier in the year to talk jiu-jitsu, ambiguity, violence and the Coen brothers.
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Writer/director Riley Stearns.
What was the impetus for you telling this story? Riley Stearns (writer/director): I think I started just worrying: what would happen if I got in a fight? What would happen if I got mugged? What would happen if I was with somebody I loved and something happened and I couldn’t defend them? And I just really didn’t know the answers to those questions. So I started looking into taking martial arts classes, and jiu-jitsu in particular is what I settled on. It was really out of fear initially, and now I do jiu-jitsu because it’s fun. It’s a hobby, it’s a sport that I like and it keeps me in shape. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself, but it really started out of fear.
When I started writing the movie, I’d been doing jiu-jitsu for a little while. I wanted to make a movie in that world, but I realized I could take my experience and my fear and put it into the story, and I thought people might relate to that. And the really interesting thing is some of the guys I’ve shown it to have felt like they saw themselves in the character, even though for me, it’s a stylized and exaggerated version of myself. I see myself in the character, obviously, but I feel proud that they see themselves too.
Is this film’s time period deliberately ambiguous? Deliberately ambiguous, yes. I wanted to kind of be able to just mix technology. I happen to think that analog technology is more interesting-looking, and it adds a certain production design quality to the film that I really like. I don’t want people to have to think about the timeline too much. If you’re thinking ‘why is it ambiguous?’ that’s one thing. But thinking ‘oh there’s an iPhone 7, so this happened at that time’, I think it dates a film unnecessarily. I also try to stay away from cellphones just in general too. Because if you don’t have ’em and they’re never touched on, then you can’t use them, and that’s great, because it helps propel story. But yeah, it’s definitely an ambiguous timeline.
Having said that, your film delves into a subject that there’s so much discussion around right now in society: masculinity (and toxic forms of it). Is that a coincidence? I started writing this in 2015. I think the conversations were happening then, it was just a smaller version. Recently it has really picked up, [with] the #MeToo movement, and there’s people questioning and saying ‘no we’re not gonna take this anymore’. I think that’s amazing, but this was already something I was looking at doing for myself. Just saying, like, I’m a white guy and I’m middle-aged and I grew up in a middle-class family and this is my perspective, and so this hopefully is how I can help. It’s karate and it’s got action and comedy and all that, but I do think there’s a message at the heart of it. At the end of the day, it’s entertainment, for sure, but I don’t want to make something that’s pure entertainment. I want to make something that says something, at least. That was my goal.
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The character of Sensei is really something else. What were your conversations with Alessandro Nivola like? For some reason I came up with this image that kind of started with Sensei: he’s the kind of guy who would wear sandals with socks. That’s who Sensei is. He’s a sociopathic character in the film, but he also is just a dork, too. I think he was the kid who was beat up in high school, probably started taking karate to be able to defend himself, thought it would make him cool. And at the end of the day, karate’s not necessarily the coolest thing in the world anyway. Anybody putting on a gi, you don’t look cool doing it. What you’re able to do from the martial art is one thing, but you don’t look cool in the gi.
I think Sensei just wants to belong. He wanted to belong to a group, and no group would have him so he kind of started his own, so he’s got his school, all these students look up to him, and he’s just pretending to be the cool person he always wanted to be. And he also just happens to be kinda crazy too. But yet, Alessandro had fun being that guy, just embracing the quirks of the character and not going the expected route.
There’s a declarative, deadpan tone to this film. Did you talk to your cast about tone? Definitely. ‘Deadpan’ is a word that’s used, and I think I accidentally slip into it here and there, but I like to say ‘literal’. In real life, we kind of hide the truth a little bit to be nice or friendly, and we don’t always express exactly what we’re thinking. I like to think that in the world of The Art of Self-Defense, everyone says exactly what they’re thinking. It’s either black or white, there’s no gray. And I think that helps inform the acting at times. Just saying what you think, and also a lot of times with quote-unquote jokes in the movie, I don’t think they work as well if you play it as a joke. But if you don’t play it as a joke, you play it dead serious, that’s where the humor lies. And we were really able to find that on set.
It’s hard to say that it’s a natural-feeling film, but I didn’t want it to feel so stylized that it takes you out of it. I wanted you to feel like this is just maybe a dimension over from us, a minute shift, but it’s enough that it makes things feel slightly off but it gives it its own world. I like building worlds, even if it’s not in some grand Avatar kind of way. Just hone and feel an atmosphere.
For me, tone is the most important part of filmmaking. I would rather have a nailed-down tone. I don’t know that I’m ever gonna achieve that; it’s always gonna be a battle to figure out what is perfect, but that means more to me than doing some really cool camera move. Or having some big explosion or something. I look at the Coen brothers and I say, like: how are they able to do exactly what they want to do with every single movie, and how does it feel like a Coen brothers film for me every single time? That’s an aspirational thing for me down the line; I want to get to that point where I know exactly what I want, we’re able to achieve it every time, and everyone’s on the same page. Tone is fun. Tone is like a fingerprint. And I’m trying to figure out what mine is.
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Violence is a big part of this film. Were you trying to approach violence in a specific way? Um, not necessarily. I think that our society, in the United States especially, nudity and sex is so “horrible” to put on film, but everything gets away with violence. And I think that to a certain extent, that’s not a great thing, but I do happen to find a certain style of violence… when it’s used in a certain context. The films of Yorgos Lanthimos or… who else…
Paul Verhoeven? Yes. There you go. Haneke. There are ways of approaching violence that don’t glorify it, and I do think that there is humor in violence, but I know at the end of the day I’m making a movie. In real life, I’m not a violent person. I don’t like violent things. But being able to explore it is interesting in the context of the film. Maybe it’s the shock of it. Maybe I’m just being clichéd or whatever. But I do happen to find [violence] an interesting tool to be able to use. There are moments in the movie where we show the violence and there’s moments where we have it off camera. And I think being able to decide that may be too much, or being able to say, this is just doing it for shock and not adding anything to the discussion.
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Something I definitely did in conceiving the way that we shot it, anything with fists or feet, like punching, very analog fights, all of that could be very bloody. But the moment we used weapons or guns or anything, I wanted [scene description redacted to avoid spoilers] to be almost not bloody at all. I didn’t wanna glorify the gun violence. But with the karate side of it, we just went balls-to-the-wall. So there’s also a little bit of that too, knowingly adding more to certain elements that you want to enhance. I don’t think people need to see [scene description redacted]. That’s not entertainment to me.
‘The Art Of Self-Defense’ is in US theaters now. Comments have been edited for clarity and length.
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lycorogue · 5 years
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Who Wants to Meet My OCs? (Part 2 - Gyateara)
First and foremost, I meant to have this whole series to be sort of churned out the same day/week as Part 1. Life.... didn’t let that happen. I then figured “okay, I’ll update the series every Sunday” and then yesterday came and went...
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Regardless, from the NEXT POST onward, I’m aiming to update every Sunday. Now, back to the series itself.
Ever since at least November, I’ve wanted to do individual posts for each of my OCs so you could meet them all. Well, I’m finally getting off my butt and working on this massive project (we’ll ignore that I’m spending hours working on this instead of my ML fanfic.... >_>).
In Part 1, I gave a broad overview of this whole Meet My OCs series, as well as gave some generic IRL background to the two main worlds my OCs hail from:
1) Gyateara
2) Glitches
Well, in this part of the series, I’m going to stay IRL as I explain where each individual OC within the Gyateara universe came from. If this is interesting to you, feel free to check below the break.
If you’d rather just skip ahead to the character bios themselves, my first one about my Glitches character Willow should be up in two weeks (sorry for the wait).
If I’m talking about Gyateara characters, I should probably talk about the one that first birthed the world: 
Amara Yori
Amara was my first-ever D&D character. I had known of the game for ages since my father used to play it frequently (and apparently roped my mother into at least running the monsters so she’d be included; ignoring that she’d rather not be included XD). 
I really got interested in D&D when I was a teen and saw the gorgeously stylized covers for AD&D ver 3.5. My father had passed away before officially introducing me to the game (although we did used to play Dungeon all the time, so that was a start...), and none of my friends were going to touch that “nerd culture” with a 10ft pole, so I simply admired the books, but never actually played. Then I went to college and managed to Nerd Out.
Hubby (then boyfriend) offered to help me build my first-ever character, but in 2004 the D&D 3.5 expansions were so massive I had far too many choices to choose from.
So Hubby had me go through some of his extra minis, and let me pick out one that I really liked. With his help, I ended up with the 2003 version of the Wood Elf Skirmisher.
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Based solely on this mini, I started building Amara.
Hubby suggested that I try out the Scout class for my first one, since I couldn’t choose between a Rogue, Ranger, or Druid, and Scout is sort of in between at least the Rogue and Ranger classes. For whatever reason - I can’t remember it now - I also decided I wanted to play a half-elf.
Upon reading the generic backstory description the D&D books had for the Scout class, I figured my character needed some sort of Tragic BackstoryTM that would explain her scouting skills. Things like trap finding and dismantling, masterful rope use skills, hiding and tracking skills, and connection to animals.
I was in a big The Vision of Escaflowne kick at the time - which shows up in a couple other characters’ backstories - and was fascinated with the history between Van Fanel’s parents. Van’s human father Goau stumbled upon Varie, a Draconian woman, in the woods one day. Draconians have the ability to manifest feathered wings which allow them flight. It was rare to see a Draconian, and her beauty - with her wings shimmering in the moonlight as she waded in a small pool of water - mesmerized Goau. He instantly fell in love and brought Varie home to be his wife. The duo seemed to love each other deeply. Amara’s parents, on the other hand....
I’ll get into more when I break down their actual bios, but I took the idea of “Human stumbles upon exotic non-human in the woods and instantly marries her” and twisted it slightly. Amara’s mother was very much emotionally, and possibly even physically (I haven’t confirmed this yet), abused by Amara’s father. Amara, being a half-elf, also had to deal with abuse at the hands of many of her fellow clansmen - both the human and the elven clans; pretty much exclusively because she was a “half-breed” (Yes, I was really into InuYasha then too).
As I kept building Amara, I kept adding more and more tragedy to her backstory. I do enjoy what I created, but, especially after reading a lot of posts here on Tumblr, I’m afraid her history is nothing but a giant knotted ball of cliches and tropes. For now, though, I’m running with it. Perhaps I can figure out work-arounds later....
I never did get to play more than a session or two with Amara before the game disbanded (which seems to be a repeat thing with my gaming group), but she still lives on in my mind, and eventually in Gyateara.
Natalie
As I mentioned above, The Vision of Escaflowne very much inspired me while I was working on the earliest bits of Gyateara. Therefore, Natalie is your basic Isekai protagonist.
For those who don’t know the term (I didn’t know an official genre term existed until about a year ago), Isekai refers to a subgenre of fantasy/speculative fiction where the main character is abruptly teleported from their world to a new one; usually one with a fantasy setting.
It’s a massive subgenre and includes most of the fantasy animes I’ve watched:
InuYasha
The Vision of Escaflowne
Fushigi Yuugi
The Devil is a Part-Timer
The Rise of the Shield-hero
The Saga of Tanya the Evil
The Familiar of Zero
How to NOT Summon a Demon Lord
Sword Art Online (technically)
.Hack//Sign (technically)
Digimon (first season, specifically)
Psyren (manga)
The list can go on, but that’s not the point of this post. Getting back to the actual point, I clearly enjoyed this genre without even realizing there was a term for it, and created my own Isekai story. Natalie is from our world, but is abruptly teleported to Gyateara’s main Northern Isle, where she must save the country from being destroyed by a power-hungry, put painfully charismatic, villain.
I had taken elements from Kagome (InuYasha), Hitomi (The Vision of Escaflowne), Miaka (Fushigi Yuugi), and I think I had Ariel (The Little Mermaid) in there as well at one point. She was - and still kind of is - just “Generic Isekai Female Protagonist”, which is one of the main reasons the story she was in failed so soon into NaNoWriMo back in... 2014, I think. Almost a solid decade after I started dreaming up her Isekai story. She definitely needs to go back to the drawing board a bit to be properly fleshed out.
Connor
He was from the same story as Natalie. Connor was a denizen of Gyateara’s Northern Isles, and became Natalie’s traveling companion as he helped her try to find a way home. Ya know, that old Isekai chestnut. I even leaned heavily into the cliche and had the two of them fall in love throughout their journey. Which would lead to a third-act twist of “Okay, we can defeat the villain, but then what? Could they stay together? Would Natalie stay on Gyateara? Will Connor instead try to go home to Earth with her?” Real original. I know. Add in that Connor was a sort of Frankenstein’s monster of a character. Grab a snack, this is going to take a minute...
Connor’s traits included:
The basic backstory and drive of the player character in the video game Fable, in which his father was killed, his mother and sister tortured (and presumed dead, only to be proven still alive and captured), his home village burnt down, and he was taken in by the local guild so the guild master could train Connor to become the hero the GM believed Connor was prophesied to be.
The half-demon traits of InuYasha (InuYasha), which transformed him into a sort of were-cat. His mother, a full-demon, could become a 15ft (4.57m) tall panther with split tails. Connor’s half-demon heritage was hidden from him, and he only transformed under extreme moments of stress.
Yes. The “love interest is the only one who can snap the protag back from a monstrous rage” trope was heavily evident throughout the story.
His overall look was inspired by Link (Legend of Zelda video game franchise). His basic fighting style - swordsmanship and expert archery - was a sort of tag-teamed “thieving” from Link as well as Van (The Vision of Escaflowne).
A highly resistant, and begrudging submission to become the Hero of Prophecy lifted off of Tamahome (Fushigi Yuugi).
I know he was much more influenced by Van from Escaflowne when I was first making him. I even used Van as a reference guide when I tried to create character head shots of him. I just can’t recall now what else I swiped from that character.
I feel like there are also other male anime/video game protags I swiped traits from, but I can’t recall them anymore. Regardless, I threw them in a blender, and poured out the mixture that became Connor.
Jolene Crisslebalm
Ah, the character whose last name I always have to look up, because I can’t recall how I spelled it. Good starting point, right?
I am a very reserved person. In particular, a very sexually reserved person. But I do enjoy sex, and I love the act of flirting, and the “thrill of the chase” when it comes to dating, so a part of me always wonders what I would be like if I had let go of my reservations and just enjoyed the carnal pleasures of life.
So, two characters in particular - Willow (from Glitches) and Jolene - are my exploration of that Path Not Traveled. 
A friend of mine was hosting a D&D campaign via Roll20.net, and wondered if I wanted in. I hadn’t been involved in a D&D game in a year or so at that point, and I’ve enjoyed playing a couple of one-offs with him DMing, so I leapt at the chance to join. I had almost always played a form of Rogue class (hence the internet persona) in previous D&D campaigns, so I decided to stay the course, but with a twist I hadn’t tried before.
I wanted Jolene to be a sort of reluctant adventurer, preferring instead to be a cat burgler, but I also wanted that sexual/sensual exploration of character. So, she was a traveling prostitute (not exactly legal without proper ties to a brothel; much like a Sex Trade Guild sort of thing), but she also used her “alone time with clients” to scope out the place to see if it’s worth robbing.
Fast forward about 3 years, and I end up watching the first episode of the Freeform Marvel series Cloak and Dagger... where I saw Tandy doing the same thing, but roofying her targets instead of sleeping with them first... Great minds, and all that?
Eh, Jolene figures “might as well make money off of them before coming back and robbing the rest... less to carry later...”
In the end, while Jolene had an.... interesting run... and one I actually did enjoy role playing, even if it did leave me a bit frustrated afterwards (a good frustrated?)... Jolene just didn’t fit the world the DM created, nor did she fit in quite as well as I would have hoped with the other players.
They were all AMAZING players, by the way. Some of the best role players I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and such fantastic writers as well. BTW, we wrote out everything in the Roll20 chat log instead of verbally playing or using video-chat. I must admit, I was quite envious of their skills. It was just a tighter knit group, and I wasn’t able to feel out their play-style well enough to continue with the group. Eventually they all had to go their separate ways anyway when their schedules no longer lined up.
Still, I LOVED Jolene, and she was the D&D character I had the joy of running the longest, so she NEEDED to live on. She did, in my first NaNoWriMo “win”. I managed to hit those 50,000 words, but I still had about 3/5ths of her story to write. 
See, while coming up with Jolene’s jaded attitude towards love and her pull towards a more hedonistic lifestyle, I went with the good old cliche of Heartbreak Was The Culprit. (With so many cliches in my character builds, is it a wonder why I just stick with fanfiction... the characters are already created...)
Jolene had her heart broken five times between the ages of 13 and 21. She was the type who fell quick into love, and fell HARD into it, and always felt intensely betrayed by her lovers when they left her. To be fair... they did routinely leave her for a woman of better social standing, or - in her youth - someone more willing to put out, or just straight up abandon her without so much as a farewell note. Eventually, she gave up on trying to find love, and joined a brothel, and then the thieves guild, and then headed out on her own from there.
The DM thought it unlikely that she was a prostitute for the better part of 5 years without a single pregnancy, so he rolled for it, and Jolene had one miscarriage, one still born, and one healthy child she gave up for adoption. I was not expecting to include that in her backstory, but it actually worked fairly well.
And all of that was the subject of my NaNo project: Lost Loves and Paramours. Jolene’s full biography leading up to the campaign: every man she fell in love with, every person she slept with, the one client who tried to murder her to avoid a scandal of his lust getting the better of him, the pain of her miscarry, the devastation of her stillborn, the heart break of giving up her surviving child, the struggles against a stalker, and her over-all YOLO attitude.
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(Bitmoji is a beautiful thing...)
Well, second long post of this series is now complete. Next week, I’ll talk about the IRL inspiration for my Glitches characters. Thank you so much for indulging me on these epic ramblings.
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titleknown · 5 years
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Three Spooky Fictional Knockoff Toylines!
That’s right, as the big writing piece for this spooky time of year, it’s three spooky toylines ripping off bigger properties in a way that do not exist.
These are all public domain/CC0, free to use for whatever you see fit, though crediting me and linking to my Patreon or Ko-Fi would be nice. 
Shoutout to @genustoys, @phelous and @therobotmonster for heavily inspiring these with their work!
Now, LET US BEGIN!
Monsterlords of the Nether Realms- This line is an odd duck in that it was a knockoff of a toyline that wasn't all that popular. Namely, Inhumanoids.
It was seemingly designed to be cross-compatible with the large monsters of that line, yet in all irony it stuck around seemingly far longer, likely due to the lower price points it was was able to get away with due to being a “non-branded” product and the cross-compatibility of play pattern with the larger figures.
And they were shockingly lavish for what was seemingly a “low rent” property, which has lead to suspicions of it and its related properties being a money-laundering scheme, or at least cover for something unsavory, though others say it could simply be good craftsmanship and the evidence in favor of and against such is perhaps a story for another day.
There were five of them that ended up bumping around store shelves, give or take a few “extras,” which we will cover as they come.
The first piece; likely intended as the “mascot” due to its prescence in promotional artwork is the one known as MOLINTHA, or “ANTHILL EVIL” on certain variants, a large figure encased in a roughly mountain shaped “shell” when curled in a specific position; with an ominous “maw” that turned into a torso when the figure was uncurled.
The mountain pieces themselves (Which were free-standing on their own) provided a large amount of play value with platforms seemingly shaped for various 3&¾-inch figures, but the body itself was a gorgeous design, with the “scaffolding” where the mountain clicked on turning into a series of platforms for figures to climb and clamber over,
The articulation was low, but the sculpting was pleasantly gnarly, resembling some dark ancient castle covered in mystic carving given humanoid form, without an articulated head but instead a snarling “maw” in which figures could be placed inside. Though, there has been some speculation that this head was ripped off a similar design from the front of the classic D&D Dungeon Master's Guide, and I would be lying if I did not see the resemblance.
As expected, it did not come with any figures, but did come with a large assortment of commonly-circulated plastic “bugs” molded in a clear rubbery plastic; along with a few of the notorous “Chinasaurs” that ended up as the basis for D&D monsters bizarrely enough.
The second known most commonly as “LEVIATHOIN” was a piece that had a similar yet wildly different gimmick. The main “body” was actually simply an inanimate idol, which one might say resembles a very specific image of Baphomet, but the smaller figures were of real interest.
Four five-inch ones, bearing an odd resemblance to a scaled-down Molhilintta minus the scaffolding and with a few odd tweaks, with a similar simple articulation scheme, but also a feature in which the arms and legs could “click” together tightly, which leads to the real draw of such.
Each figure attached to a socket in the main “idol” and functioned as a crude combiner., forming a huge “creature”. Each figure could function as n arm or a leg on either side, and the color variants (Including a few alledged remolds of these torsoes) could be their own article in and of themselves.
The third known as MECHA-SHAG was an extremely simple design and yet also one of the most bizarre of them all. It was a hairy “core” akin to the Masters of the Universe Grizzlor, but with a strange robotic face; limbs and at least a dozen missile launchers. They were Micronauts-styled “safety” missiles, but still fascinatingly odd all the same. There is evidence for the pieces origin as a possible Shogun Warriors/Jumbo Machinder knockoff, but again that is a detail for another day.
The fourth one was known as RUCIBEDO, and was unusual even for this line. It was a stylized kaiju-esque “pterodactyl” with a flapping action; its oddly “bio-mechanical” look seemingly giving credence to the idea that the enigmatic company behind the linwas making a Shogun Warriors knockoff-series before they decided to switch gears, but those are not the only notable parts.
The most blatant one is the fact that it is sculpted in a bright red; translucnet plastic, and not only that but had electric lights wired to the flapping mechanism in some bizarrely spacious “alcoves” in the back (Possibly for aborted missile-firing features), creating an immensely striking effect. Albeit one that had a tendency to break; though there are repair guides out there.
And the fifth PLUCHUN is an odd duck, because it should by all accounts be considered kind of a “ripoff” due to using far less material for the same price point as the others, but is often the most fondly remembered.
It is a small torso seemingly made of organic “pipes with a “hatch” on the head and a button slightly below. It also came with a small container of “slime” indicating its function. Namely, put it in the back of the head; press the button repeatedly; and the slime drips out of the holes in the creature, with a pumping rubber “heart” completing the effect. Weirdly; while the rubber on most of these has rotted off, there appears to be a fully sculpted (Albeit much cruder) “heart” that still moved in and out when the button was pressed.
The whole thing was capped off by immensely long rubbery bendy-limbs in the same style as the “main body's” pipes. These tended to be very fragile, and while memorable, this has the fewest surviving specimens out of them all.
As said before, there are other specimens that may be covered at a later date; such as the odd hand-puppet and the bizarrely remolded Imperial Dinosaurs linked to the line and the smaller-range figures, but this is running a bit long, so I'll leave it here for now.
Nightmare Gores- Relating to the preponderance of He-Man knockoff figure lines in the 80s, and the popularity of slasher films, it was only a matter of time that the two would be combined, in ways only possible without mass-fundie-protest at least) in small lines like this.
In striking red-and-black packaging with crude art of a horde of ghoulish monsters rseemingly ripping out of the card back, with the bizarrely memorable phrase of “WE WILL KILL YOU” coming out of a word balloon, there's relatively few things like it.
It used a standard barbarian body whose origins predated the line; but from where they predated was a matter of debate (Though it is known that it most certainly was original to that company and not a He-Man or Galaxy Hole bootleg(), all the same across the line with differing headsculpts.
The headsculpts did have consistent names, and one could tell their inspirations relatively well. Joe was obviously a Freddy Kreuger without the hat, the hockey-masked Rod was obviously Jason Voorhees, Mike was very obviously a riff on Michael Jackson's Thriller Werecat (Corroborated with the usual non-caucasian color of his body sculpt) and Gross was blatantly the Toxic Avenger. Mush was a generalized “melting” face, but could be said to be taken from Cropsey of The Burning; and Hexen's gas mask was likely inspired by My Bloody Valentine's main antagonist; albeit with bizarrely added devil horns.
Then there are the oddballs. Clash is a fan-favorite alongsid Hexen due to his pure black-plastic body and strange hood in striking red with a black void for a front and two piercing red pupils, but I like Frank a lot if only for being a big ridiculous Frankenstein head repurposed for this, as was what I would call the “Baltard” of this line Stall-9 with his slighly crossed eyes and almost comical grin negating whatever intimidation factory they might have. Redd caps off the line with the strange combination of bull and horse head designs obviously repurposed from the barbarian toyline this comes from in a way that still sorta works.
Their pack in accessories vary across production, but there are some commonalities. Mike; Rod; Hexen and Clash almost always came with cool red vinyl “jackets” and Tedd and Frank almost always came with bizzarrely realistic handguns molded in bright orange. And Stal-9; Mush and Clash came with a “chainsaw: very clearly remolded from a gun.
The rest were a mushmash of machetes and hammers, and knives; axes and clubs that were clearly re-utilized from the original line. There are other “relatives” like the Killer Beasts and the Murder Lady, but we'll leave it here for now.
ShineFriendz- One of the many Tamagochi-come-latelies in the 90s, this line tried valiantly to differentiate itself from the usual Tamagochi clones by giving itself a backlite, far more extensive interaction within the limits of its mono-colored pixel art and a link function for “playtimes,” All in a model approximately the size of a modern day smartphone, and to be supported with early web tie-ins in lieu of an expensive animated series.
Of course, the fact that it was its parent company's first venture into such things; a battery company to be exact (Hence why they felt so secure in being battery-eaters), there was very little oversight into the programming. And, due to a series of circumstances too stupid to mention, the devices had  far more memory than they anticipated, and far more than they would need for the device's intended functions.
And, what happens when you have bored programmers and lots of time, you get easter eggs. Lots and lots of unsettling easter eggs. To the point where they took up approximately as much space as the “main” games.
So, they were immensely easy to run into during play, but they went unnoticed by corporate during the first three iterations of the pets. The most notorious of them was the possible evolution called only BREATHING which looked like an emaciated and decrepit eyeless version of the brand's canid mascot-species the Buroof that was continually doing what its name implied and had a legion of ominous quirks too long to list here.
Despite rumors, surprisingly none of the glitches involved causing death or injury to any of the pets. Though, that still didn't make them any less fucked up, with such examples as a “pet” known as BRILT that took the form of continual flame graphic that at times would flicker to the outline of another; random pet, to the weird “bird” known as CAUSE whose pleasure meter would go up if you hit the scold button,
There's a full list of “AnomalyFriendz” (the usual fan nickname0 that's too long to list here, but it wasn't limited to them, with such things as a “Game” that involved running from what looked like a crude pair of jaws to a “food” that looked like a wad with what was unmistakably eyes. And the web fiction didn't help, given how the actual text stories were dark , reading more like if Clive Barker wrote Watership Down with it just being barely within what was “appropriate” for kids, with increasingly less subtle allusions to the “AnomalyFriendz”
The minority of parental complaints weren't what got the execs notice however, it was actually the fans of the property, young girls who wrote in asking about those glitches. Not even in disapproving tones either, just asking whether they were intentional, or even asking if playground rumors (Or the rumors circulating across the website's own forums) were true.
This lead to them trying to integrate the macabre bits into the actual marketing for the toys, with the fourth iteration “FreakyFriendz,” with a cleverly altered shell with an ominously warped corner and more integration of the “anomalous” and “regular” Friends. And that is what sunk the line.
Because, parents actually noticed and; since this was the 90s; they bitched up a storm, leading to most of them being removed from shelves. Which is a shame, because enthusiasts say these were the best models yet.
The company left the business shortly thereafter, but there remains a small cult fandom to this day; complete with officially sanctioned web-iterations and even a few (sadly stillborn) attempts at full on revivals. But, maybe someday...
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internetremix · 6 years
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Did any of you guys go to art college or art school? If so, do you have any advice for that? (Portfolio, applying, all that nonsense.)
Hi anon! Kristen here, this has been sitting in our askbox for a bit and now I finally have time to answer it. Warning this is very long, as are most things I type. I’m also gonna hit up other Artsy IR members to see if they have any thoughts.
I went to art college- Kendall College of Art and Design, starting back in 2008 and graduated in 2012. I went for traditional illustration because I wanted to do children’s books, though I also self-taught myself digital illustration and applied a lot of what I learned to said digital work. I have a Bachelor’s degree, yaaaay.First of all, if you really want to go into art as a career, there are some things you should consider. 10 years out from when I applied to art school, we’re living  in a different world. Art school is a lot of money and student loans are a monster I’ll be stuck battling for some time... and now-a-days, that stuff isn’t really necessary. There are a variety of online tutorials and courses you can take for free or for considerably cheaper. There are thousands of art communities, and with hard work and good networking you can make it just as far if not farther than someone with a degree. We’re very much in an age where being a self-made entrepreneur is considerably easier than it ever was before. So you need to throughly consider if the price tag is worth it to you.Art school does do a few things. A good school should have some solid foundational classes that give you the chance to experiment in everything and often force you to do so. If I hadn’t gone to art school, I probably wouldn’t have tried traditional watercolor work at all, and that’s what got me my first serious illustration job. Also a good school should give you access to professors who have been in your industry who can give you solid advice and also, gasp, connections.
Connections are a pretty vital thing, especially depending on what you want to go into. I’m not an expect on animation, but from what I know a lot of people who are currently working in the field got their start at California Institute of the Arts. Depending on where you are in the world, if you’re in a hotspot for whatever industry you want to go into, a big name school can be a major help for you. If you don’t really live in a place where that’s an option, i.e. you’re me and you live in the void  Michigan, you’re not paying for as many networking opportunities, so you may want to seriously consider if art school is worth it.
Art school also gives you the benefit to really focus on art hard if you play your cards right. I was able to go it full time due to grants and scholarships, which was intense but definitely pushed me through some major improvements. However, I knew other students who worked full time on top of being in school full time, and they didn’t get as much out of it. The big thing about art school, as is the case with any school, is you really only get what you put into it. Your professor can show you all the techniques in the world, but until you know what that technique feels like in your own hands, it’s useless.If you decide to go for a school, be sure to look into things like post-graduation hiring rates. Also ask current students there how they feel about the school- depending on the department at Kendall, people had very different things to say and they weren’t always positive. Thoroughly consider where you want to specialize, different schools will have different specialities even if they supposedly offer a bit of everything.
If you’re unsure on your speciality, that’s okay! Definitely still take foundational classes either online or perhaps at a community college. The more you experiment, the closer you will get to finding what you want, and that will make art school a lot more useful to you when you decide to enroll.
If you ever take any art class, ever, and it’s something you want to do for a career, take that shit seriously. I know I said up there “you get what you put into it” but I gotta say it again. My first year of art school I was going through a lot (not entirely my fault) but I also took several classes not terribly seriously because I was like “whatever man I don’t want to do this, this isn’t my major.” In retrospect I thoroughly regret not paying more attention in those classes, because those foundations would have helped a lot with struggles I had later on. If you want to do art as a career, you gotta REALLY want it and you gotta really focus.
I can’t really tell you if art school is right for you or not. I personally don’t regret my time there or my slightly scary debt, but I also benefitted from some grants to make my loans at least manageable and a number of other factors have gotten me to the point where I’m a full time freelance illustrator.If you decide to go for art school, check the portfolio requirements for every place you apply to. Different places will have different requirements. For me, I was required to have over half my work showing off my various foundational skills- still lifes are good, life drawing is good, oooh look ma I can use pastels AND I’ve got a tablet and can do digital stuff wowowowowow. I was told to try to keep anything cartoony/stylized down to a few pieces- unless you’ve received A TON of positive feedback about your personal style I wouldn’t use it too much because you’re probably still developing and that style’s gonna change A TON as you go through school.
Keep an eye on the acceptance rate at the school. If it’s EXTREMELY HIGH, that may show a lack of standards. This is actually bad because this means the school is basically letting people show up, taking their money, and then going “welp here’s your degree, good luck somehow getting a job in an EXTREMELY competitive field.”
Another thing you may want to ask is hey, how well does this school prepare you for marketing yourself once you get out of school. Most people I know who graduated from Kendall don’t have art jobs, and the primary reason for this is our teaching for self-marketing was really not great.
Whether you decide to go to art school or not, here’s some stuff you should really be working on if you want to go into art or get better at it:
FIGURE DRAWING plz. Please do figure drawing. Honestly, the more realistic you do with this, the better. “But Kristen I wanna do cartoons!” I get it, I do too. However, learning realistic anatomy actually benefits cartoony stuff a lot. Once you get a feel for how something actually works and is proportioned, it’s easier to exaggerate and adjust proportions without making it look weird. Draw a figure standing enough times and you’ll get a feel for how weight is positioned, and that means when you make those legs noodles they won’t look awkward. This website is a great tool for online figure drawing work for you to practice on your own, I highly recommend it! Or sit down and do it with a friend, it’s fun!“But Kristen, figure drawing is booooori-” Then once you’re done drawing the figure, make it a character. I actually have a lot of figure drawing and gestures that I turned into IR characters because I’m very cool.PRACTICE DIFFERENT BODY SHAPES BOYOPERSPECTIVE This one I am a lot worse at. But this has some good points on perspective. What I like to do is find a photo of a room or something and try to draw it to the best of my ability, then add my OCs to it. I LOATHE the perspective part but it’s good practice and usually at the end you have a nice day-in-the-life kinda feel to things, it’s like “wow my characters exist in a world instead of white space amazing.”Do some COLOR SWATCH CHALLENGES!
Also just... try everything. Even stuff you hate the first time. I hated watercolor when I first did it, but as I said before, that’s what I got my first job doing.
Above all else, make sure you draw every day. If you want to do art as a career or just want to get better at the hobby- the difference between someone who makes this thing a career and someone who doesn’t is the person who cares about it so much that they make time for art even when life is chaos around them.
I have other thoughts but this is long enough as is. Uh, thanks for coming to my TED Talk and I hope you find this useful, haha.-Kristen
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Reworking the concept art.
I started off by using a reference image that I could draw on Autodesk sketchbook. The reference I took was inspired from the animation, the shot where I reach out my hand facing forward looking at the camera. Here is the shot
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I basically used this as the inspiration for the refence where I went in front of my mirror and started to take pictures wearing a sweater and glasses as I thought this would be the design I would go with at the end furthermore the sweater folds in areas very slightly as its thick making it possible for me to draw less wrinkles in my final animation. here’s the reference image;
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I then used the reference to draw a rough version out of it trying my best to get a fast look out as I would have to draw these frames multiple times I wanted the process to be quick. Here is the first pass of the concept art
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The flower inside my character. Well this is another one of the metaphoric aspects of my animation where I wanted to add a flower to represent what the character is going through and give a metaphoric symbol to the situation of the animation, furthermore, to get this detail right I went and did research into flowers where I wanted to know what flower represents death and the idea of dying, once I did my research I found out about the flower named chrysanthemum.
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This is the definition I get when I google it according to its symbol. As its symbolized death I realized it would be the perfect flower to symbolize death in my animation as well. Furthermore, the flower is really beautiful and has such ascetic look and feel to it, with the multiple curved stylized looking petals. The decision of me adding it to the inside of my design was to show that the character is dying internally and not just like an external reason, for example getting hit by a vehicle is an external factor where as dying of a chronic illness is an internal factor that’s what I wanted to symbolize when it comes to the flower. After drawing the rough wanted to go in and get the clean lines drawn out. I used a rough thick brush for this stage as I wanted the animation to have these almost clean lines that have a professional finished look to them. Here’s the line pass
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As you can see its very clean, the lines are very well thought through and strong and precise. The reason I payed more attention to cleaner lines is because when I got to this moment I realized I have reduced the time for my animation by a whole minute, furthermore the whole animation would be done at 12 frames per second. This allows me to spend less time animating than before giving me the space to be more precise and cleaner with my lines. I then decided to color in the t shirt so that I can add the flower with this glowing effect like my previous concept art from last semester.
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After I colored in the t shirt in black I wanted to get into drawing out the flower. I wanted the flower to be static and not move throughout the animation as it would seem nice if the flower stays within the character as he runs out of it. This effect is hard to explain however it’s a style I have seen in when watching the cartoon Tv show named chowder.
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This shows has all its character cloths in this continuous pattern where they walk and the design on their cloths stay static as they walk around a large pattern this is kind of the effect I wanted in my animation. Anyways when I drew the flower I wanted to keep it slightly on the cleaner side also to make it feel like it’s a dying flower I decided to go with this very little pelted flower and see petals flowing away in the wind. Here is what the concept art looked like with the flower inside of it;
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This looked quit promising  and the overall feel to it looks unique and very much felt like I created it by myself. I then had to add the final details such as some color on the glass as well as the shadows I didn’t want to add huge cast shadows but just have the shadows to look and feel like ambient shadows, shadows that are formed when two objects are closer to each other. The look I wanted this was to keep the shadows in the scribbly not as clean as the lines look this would look nice however more importantly make it easier to draw when I am doing my animation. this is the final result of the concept art on. Autodesk sketchbook;
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Last time when I worked on my concept art I stuck to after effects however I realized that If I use something that I am much more familiar with I would be able to design some stuff that I would have much more control over so I decided that my final animation could be done in blender with a very glowy look to the flower furthermore I knew how to exactly get the look I wanted on my animation In blender rather than after effects. So I exported each section of the concept art separately so that I have more control over it in blender;
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I separated the flower, the line work, shading and the t shirt. This allows me to use mask and edit each area separately. Next step was for me to open blender and then I positioned my camera flat onto an empty plan set to the dimensions of 1920 by 1080. I then UV unwrapped the plan so the design is going to be in its camera facing side. I then got started with the fun aspects of the concept art “shading” the approach I wanted to take for this is to add everything individually as mask and then merge them to one single image and then add in the effects or textured I wanted. I added everything as an image texture separately and then used them as factors to mix shaders so that I can add them a glow effect and textures I also wanted the flower on my t shirt to have this animatable glow to it that makes it look like its something that burns while its being static. To get this look I added a noise textures as a mask on how much it glows and then deiced to animate the noise texture this will give it that glow so here is the first test of the look I got when it came to the concept art in blender;
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This was looking good the glowing look on the flowers with the texture and feel where it looks like the flower is alive with this look or it is burning. What I wanted to do next is to add a texture to the t shirt area, and have this painterly feeling to it and this kind of effect where the t-shirt is been drawn in with a different material. To do this I downloaded a paint texture from the internet and added it as a mask onto the t shirt making it have less color in certain areas. After that I went in and made the colors on the flower much deeper and more red to make sure it’s a very noticeable aspect of my animation. this is what the whole node set up to the shader looks like;
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It looks complicated however it’s basically me masking in stuff and masking stuff out while trying to make certain aspects of the look animate such as the flower it’s not too complicated. Anyways this is the result of the concept art.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1neE1loMn__XYyC7noC8YqQBLE4DnOgMe/view?usp=sharing
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Honestly this is looking quite nice and an amazing start to my animation. The way in which I am going finally execute the animation is by doing this to the main animation by brining everything in, not as an image but an image sequence and then adding these effects to every area and finally exporting the whole animation from blender as a png sequence which I can then use on after effects to add the final looks and render it out.
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recentanimenews · 6 years
Text
DARLING in the FRANXX Creators Talk TRIGGER and Zero Two at Crunchyroll Expo 2018!
Of the many attractions at Crunchyroll Expo 2018, few drew crowds quite like Atsushi Nishigori, Masayoshi Tanaka, and Yuichi Fukushima. The director, character designer, and producer trio were visiting the convention in the wake of the mega-popular mecha anime, DARLING in the FRANXX, holding a press pool and two packed panels breaking down their hit anime along with host Evan Minto. In each, the crew broke down the making of FRANXX, first with a treasure trove of original concept art, while the second featured a live drawing by Tanaka of Zero Two, Ichigo, and Zero One. Here are some highlights of their discussions of the series concept and aftermath.
First, Nishigori described how the series got its start, claiming he wanted to bring his favorite creators from his time in GAINAX together and finally work with Tanaka. The concept came naturally from the two teams he’d drawn together, with TRIGGER’s ex-GAINAX staff specializing in action and mecha along with A-1 Pictures’ emphasis on drama and character animation. With the idea for a more drama-focused mecha anime, the plot started coming together as Nishigori looked to incorporate his favorite things into a consolidated series.
Despite Nishigori bringing in TRIGGER because of their past relationship, the crew admitted that reining the rowdy studio in was a difficult trial. Nishigori complained of having to constantly prune Imaishi’s wild tendencies, taking what he could from the creator’s outlandish (and often unasked-for) ideas, although he later admitted that he eventually found uses for many rejected concepts.
While the groundwork for the series was an involved process, Fukushima described the actual production as a fairly smooth affair, with the studios trading off production responsibilities each episode with Nishigori’s core team ensuring quality. Tanaka had a slightly different experience, discussing some of the scenes he personally redrew, such as Hiro and Zero Two’s dramatic kiss in episode 15. Nishigori joked about Tanaka’s constant aggressive calls to TRIGGER, saying each time that he was probably making a girl cry again. Tanaka didn’t disagree.
They brought out some of the original Franxx concepts they had shown off at the TRIGGER panel in Anime Expo, featuring, in Nishigori’s words, “much more ‘robot’ designs” by Shigeto Koyama illustrated in a surprisingly stylized Yoji Shinkawa/Metal Gear Solid-esque style. The concepts had much more diverse silhouettes than the Franxx in the anime, with the Genista appearing as a hulking tank-like machine, and what was probably the Chlorophytum appearing more bird-like with a design somewhat reminiscent of the Anubis from Zone of the Enders.
The trio discussed a trimming process of the mechs’ designs, deciding they didn’t quite fit with the more dramatic and character-focused direction of the series. Nishigori in particular mentioned a desire to maximize their ability to show characterization even during mech segments, which eventually led to having faces on the Franxx and a paring down to have them more closely match the appearance of their pistils.
Unsurprisingly, a significant amount of time was spent discussing Zero Two’s concept and character design. The crew discussed her developmental process from its vague foundations mostly regarding “what” she was into her current iconic appearance. From the beginning, the plan was for her to be a badass exchange student to seduce Hiro, but Nishigori described her original character concept as a small, quiet, and diligent girl while Tanaka showed off some slides of a black-haired Zero Two. Deciding this didn’t really work with their intentions for her to be aggressive with Hiro or their equal relationship, they eventually added a few inches to Zero Two to level out their heights while Tanaka adapted the original design for the queen of the Klaxosaurs.
Given Nishigori’s description of DARLING in the FRANXX itself, Zero Two could be thought of as a microcosm of the entire series, featuring a collection of Nishigori’s favorite features. While happy with the straight-haired look, they decided pink hair and eyeshadow would make her stand out. Evan inquired if her horns and penchant for calling Hiro “darling” were inspired by Urusei Yatsura’s Lum, to which Nishigori replied that he was a huge fan of its author Rumiko Takahashi. They all agreed they were looking to make an iconic character as a sort of flagship for the series which, given the amount of cosplay and fanart they had found, they deemed a success.
While Zero Two may have been the most labor-intensive design, a great deal of work went into the other character concepts, especially their uniforms. They showed off two full slides with rows of different designs and spoke of wanting something with a naval look but putting but a futuristic feel, eventually settling on the X and Y lapels as thematic for the series. Where Zero Two had been an additive process, Tanaka spoke of the rest of the characters as attempting to reduce their designs as much as possible, while still keeping them recognizable. The only one they mentioned at length, however, was Ichigo, who was the subject of an intense debate over the merits of bangs vs foreheads, with Nishgori pulling rank to ensure we’d get the one covered eye.
DARLING in the FRANXX was a unique production and, in retrospect, it’s a credit to the creators that the series lasted for two cours with such consistent quality. The crew responded to questions about future collaborations with uncertainty, joking it might be fun to do the whole thing over again but let TRIGGER handle the drama and A-1 work on the action. Learning more about the ins and outs of the anime was enlightening and seeing Tanaka at work during his live-drawing as well as the groundwork images was a rare treat--sorry, photographs were prohibited. With each studio soon to put out their next big project, we can look forward to future works from these three and the rest of the FRANXX staff.
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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.
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